The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) held a high-level meeting in its New York headquarters to address the current situation in Japan concerning the Fukushima tsunami and nuclear accident.

A recently approved increase in Jamaica’s Tourist Enhancement Fee from $10 to $20 per air passenger arrival is “excessive” and “will affect travel to the Jamaica,” said Wayne Cummings, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA). The increase is scheduled to take effect in October, according to local press reports.

Tourism is one of the top three sources of export earnings for nearly half of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and is a priority sector for their further integration in the global economy. The contribution of tourism in advancing development was addressed during a Special Event on Tourism for Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction.

The European Travel Commission (ETC), in its first quarterly report on European Tourism in 2011, found that destination and industry data indicate a positive start to 2011. Foreign visitor arrivals were reported higher through the beginning months of the year by most destinations.

Latin America and South Asia saw the greatest jump –15 percent in international tourist arrivals during the first months of this year in an overall positive global scenario. This is according to the April interim update of the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO) World Tourism Barometer. Arrivals grew by close to 5 percent during the first months of this year, consolidating a 7 percent rebound registered in 2010. The only exceptions to positive growth were Middle East and North Africa. Asia and the Pacific, the region with one of the fastest growth rates in 2010, saw its pace of growth slows down (6 percent), although from a very strong performance the previous year.

Although the Caribbean hotel marketplace is benefitting from a recent resurgence in travel and tourism, about one-third of hotels in the market—particularly independent hotels in secondary and tertiary cities—continue to struggle with revenue deficits.