Samoa’s Sinalei Reef Resort & Spa, which was hit by the September tsunami that killed more than 170 people in the Samoan and Tongan islands, will reopen April 1. The resort, whose owner Tui Annandale drowned trying to rescue children in the village of Poutasi, said 22 rooms of the resort are still operational, and it is working to restore the rest of the 33-acre property.
The wine-themed exhibition center is to be opened in France’s biggest wine-producing region in 2013. Bordeaux hopes the center will become a powerful regional symbol dedicated to culture and tourism.
UNWTO and CNN International are moving ahead with their strategic partnership signed last month between the Organization and the CNN Tourism, Advertising Solutions and Knowledge (TASK).
Bahamian Minister of Tourism & Aviation, Senator Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace said the number of cruise ship passengers to the Bahamas has increased over the last year. The Minister was speaking during the opening ceremony celebrating the inaugural voyage of the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, the largest ship in the world.
In a recent speech made to the island’s Parliament, Ricky Skerritt, Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports & Culture for St. Kitts, announced the establishment of a new Product Standards Department within the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. This department has been created specifically to ensure that St. Kitts’ tourism-related businesses maintain a quality of service that is on par with or exceeding that of the tourism industry worldwide.
The ASTA Board recently met in Los Cabos and had discussions with the Los Cabos Convention and Visitors Bureau to brainstorm ways to market the region. “Los Cabos has so much to offer even the most seasoned traveler. I am proud ASTA’s board was able discuss new ideas and work with Los Cabos on a public relations campaign to further Mexico’s tourism goals,” said ASTA President and Chairman Chris Russo.