Passport Online Inc. has introduced a new cruise booking engine that it’s calling Tandem. Tandem integrates the marketing process, the consumer shopping experience, and booking, and is designed to help agents work “in tandem” with their clients to maximize the chance of closing the sale, whether booked by the consumer or the agent.

Orbitz officially confirmed Travel Pulse’s earlier report that it has launched Orbitz for Agents, which will give travel agents the opportunity to earn commissions on hotel reservations and customized travel package bookings. Orbitz said the new program gives travel agents a broad range of hotel options around the world, including promotional rates on thousands of properties.

The U.S. Tour Operators Association upgraded its website to help travel agents plan vacations through the association’s member tour operators. The newly revamped USTOA web site --www.ustoa.com or www.ustoa.travel-- provides a one-stop database on the association’s 150 brands, searchable by destination, activity or type of travel.

Rebounding from last year’s negative press surrounding health scares and unrest along its border, Mexico tourism is recovering, attracting customers with travel deals and reclaiming its rank as a top vacation spot. Travelocity’s Spring Break Travel Report shows that travelers are returning to spots such as Cancun, which climbed from the number 10 spring break spot last year to the number five spot this year.

Travel search engine Kayak.com has introduced a new version of its Kayak for iPhone application that integrates the site’s baggage fees tool. The updated application also adds new flight, hotel, and car rental search capabilities.

Travel agents will soon face competition from yet another electronic medium as Voyage.tv’s destination programming for cable operators evolves into an interactive technology capable of selling trips with the click of a consumer’s TV remote.