A recent US $30 (around EC $81) tax hike on return flights to or from Antigua & Barbuda will harm visitor arrivals to the island. That’s the warning from President of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) Richard Doming.

The number of international tourists worldwide grew by 4% between January and August 2012 compared to the same eight months of 2011 (28 million more). UNWTO remains confident that one billion international tourists will have travelled the world by the end of the year.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the specialized agency of the United Nations in the field of tourism, and the Adventure Travel Trade Association, a global organization dedicated to responsibly growing the adventure travel market, announced a new partnership agreement concerning global sustainable tourism development. “The reason why we need to work together, is that adventure tourism is what tourism should be today, and is definitely what tourism will be tomorrow,” said Mr.

The nation's tourism industry continued to thrive this summer, with international visitors spending $13.8 billion in August alone. The spending total marks a 3% increase over the same month last year, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Commerce.