Hong Kong is adapting its marketing strategy to accommodate the growing demand for active vacations by promoting its outdoor attractions, including mountains, valleys, coastlines and walking trails within easy reach from the city. Seventy percent of Hong Kong is undeveloped open land, 40 percent of it officially preserved in 23 Country Parks, four Marine Sanctuaries and four major hiking trails.

The UNWTO has called on delegates attending the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10 in Nagoya, Japan) to recognize tourism’s role in safeguarding biodiversity as they shape and agree on a global strategy to save the world’s ecosystems. As part of the decisions adopted by the Parties, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will continue collaboration with UNWTO, including a review of the implementation of the CBD Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development.

Caribbean countries have completed a report into the impact of UK air passenger duty on their economies, and have demonstrated it is hitting the industry, a WTM conference was told today. Hugh Riley, secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, said the countries had shown that visitors from the UK had fallen at the same time as arrivals from other source markets had risen.

Representatives of the CTO (Caribbean Tourism Organization) met last week with media in Toronto at George Brown College, and the day’s events included a press conference, a media marketplace and awards luncheon, and it all culminated with an evening of fun punctuated with a variety of Caribbean musical acts.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., one of Haiti’s largest foreign investors for almost 30 years, today announced the completion of the L’Ecole Nouvelle Royal Caribbean – one of the first schools to be built in Haiti after the earthquake. The strategically located 6,500 square foot school complex is in northern Haiti near nine towns and villages: Labadie, Cormier, Ducroix, Fort Bourgeois, Marchegalles, Cimetiere-Juif, Champ de Mars, Port Francais and Cap Haitien.

Many large hotel chains are investing in Panama, including the first Waldorf Astoria hotel in Latin America. The Panamera is scheduled to open by the middle of next year in Panama City. Also, Starwood Hotels announced the opening of their first Westin hotel in the area of Playa Bonita for early 2011. A second property in the capital city is scheduled for 2012.