This week in Latin America tourism

By travelatlatinamerica.com
ARGENTINA
Marsans Group will operate a fourth airline
Starting from May 1st, Aerolineas Argentinas and Aerolineas del Sur -which belongs to the Spanish group Marsans-, will be code-share partners in the operation of the Buenos Aires-Santiago de Chile route. The goal of this agreement is to increase the coverage of this route to six daily flights. The group plans to operate nine daily flights in the near future.

Sol Lineas Aereas adds a new aircraft
Sol Lineas Aereas is finalizing a negotiation aimed at adding a new Saab 340 aircraft. This new aircraft will start operations in May.
Flights of LAN Argentina will accumulate points in OneWorld system
LAN Argentina informed that all its flights will accumulate points in the international OneWorld mileage system. Credits will be accumulated for domestic and foreign flights.
PARAGUAY
German-American group will build a Marriott hotel
An group of German and American investors plans to build a hotel in Asuncion downtown, which will operate under the brand of the Marriott international chain. Within 30 days, they will launch the investment project. The idea is to build a multi-purpose building, which includes a hotel, apartments, a shopping and entertainment center.
BRAZIL
TAM inaugurated new VIP Room
TAM inaugurated its new VIP Room at the Antonio Carlos Jobim (Galeao) International Airport, in Rio de Janeiro, in order to provide better comfort to its passengers.
CHILE
LAN launches low-cost model to extend the market
With the slogan "choose window or aisle", LAN Airlines will start on April 9th a new business line under a low-cost scheme. This is aimed at competing with the sleeper bus market and also at extending its commercial market. The goal is to increase the number of passengers by 50 percent in the next two years.
Upcoming changes
According to its restructuring plan, LAN will increase frequencies and itineraries of all its flights in the country. Likewise, the catering system will be eliminated and only snacks will be given out in domestic flights. Newspapers will not be offered anymore when getting on board – because it delays the cleaning of aircrafts – and stopover flights will be reduced as much as possible.. LAN will also promote the use of internet for the sale of tickets and check in of passengers.
LAN will increase its capital to renew aircraft fleet
The board of directors of LAN will propose its shareholders that an increase of capital of more than US$312 million be effective in order to renew the aircraft fleet of the company. LAN plans to incorporate five long range aircrafts for passengers, four cargo ships and 15 Airbus A320 for short range operations.
BOLIVIA
Aerosur will make up a company in Paraguay
Aerosur announces its participation in the constitution of a new Paraguayan airline, which will be named Aerosur Paraguay. Aerosur Bolivia will have a share of 50%, and the remaining 50 percent will be Paraguayan capital. Aerosur Paraguay will start operations next September or October.
LAB makes arrangements to rent new aircrafts in order to normalize flights to Spain
LAB makes arrangements to rent new aircrafts in order to normalize its flights to Spain, since the only aircraft it has now, which has a Lebanese registration, is not authorized to land in Barajas.
PERU
Increase in entrance fees to Machu Picchu discarded
The Minister of Foreign Commerce and Tourism declared that the entrance fee paid by tourists to visit Macchu Picchu will not be increased this year.
Macchu Picchu is one of the most voted attractions
Machu Picchu is one of the most voted attractions to become one of the New 7 Wonders of the Modern World, declared the director of the New Seven Wonders fund. The director also said that the Peruvian archeological monument is the most voted among Latin American candidates.
Taca inaugurates a direct route from Lima to Santa Cruz
Starting from April 15th, Taca will offer three direct flights from Lima to Santa Cruz, besides the four flights -via La Paz- that the airline currently operates. With this, Bolivia and Peru will be connected 10 times per week.
COLOMBIA
Aires in the Caribbean
After six years flying to Aruba, Aires is about to create an airline in the island, with flights to different destinations in the Caribbean.
Avianca negotiates with Boeing 30 new aircrafts
The major shareholder of Avianca declared that the company is focused on acquiring 30 aircrafts. This purchase implies an estimated investment of US$ 3 billions. In this sense, Boeing is in the final stages to initiate the construction of two powerful commercial aircrafts which aims at consolidating its leadership in the worldwide air market.
VENEZUELA
Teheran and Damascus, new destinations of ConViasa according to Iran Air
Conviasa started its direct flights between Caracas and Teheran (Iran) and Damascus (Syria), according to the business agreement entered with Iran Air. This agreement includes the sale and distribution of tickets to the destinations covered by both airlines. ConViasa will have a weekly frequency with a 16-hour journey, using a Boeing 747 with a capacity for 275 passengers.
Lidotel Hotel Boutique Valencia
The Sambil construction company is building an ambitious project called Lidotel Hotel Boutique Valencia, with an estimated investment of 25 millions of bolivares. The hotel will have 133 rooms and suites distributed in four floors, and will be equipped to satisfy the needs of tourists and business people who travel to the city.
PANAMA
IHG begins construction of new hotel
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the major hotel group of the world in number of rooms, announced that the construction of the Holiday Inn Hotel and School Panama Canal has started. This project implies an investment of about US$ 10 millions. The 115-room hotel will be located near the Panama Canal.
GUATEMALA
City of Guatemala is the most expensive city in the region
According to the "Cost of Living Worldwide Survey" of the British magazine The Economist, City of Guatemala is considered the most expensive city in Latin America. According to the magazine, the city has the highest cost of living, surpassing City of Mexico of the first place. The Guatemalan capital ranked 63rd among the 130 surveyed cities, while Mexico D.F ranked 68th in the last 12 months.
COSTA RICA
Luxurious hotel will be built in the Pacific
A group of Costa Rican investors will build a Ramada four-star hotel and will manage it in agreement with the Whyndam Worldwide Corporation company, owner of the brand. The hotel will be located in Jaco, a coastal locality located 117 kilometers southeast of the capital, and will have 84 rooms and six apartment towers. The Sonesta chain also announced that it will start to operate in Jaco by means of an agreement with the local real estate company Riverside Developers. The construction of the first stage will start this year, and it is planned to be inaugurated in June 2008. The project will have 300 condominiums.
MEXICO
Mexicana de Aviacion inaugurates a direct flight from Monterrey to Los Angeles
Mexicana de Aviacion announced that beginning on Friday 16th it will start to operate, twice a week, non stop flights on the Monterrey-Los Angeles route. The airline plans to increase the frequencies of this route to four weekly flights in April.
Starting from April, Aeromexico will fly to Buenos Aires
Starting from April, the Mexican company will operate three weekly flights in the airport of Ezeiza. These flights are scheduled for Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Hotel Embassy Suites inaugurated
With an investment of US$40 million, the development company Paseo de la Reforma officially inaugurated the Embassy Suites Hotel. The company expects earnings of US$8.5 millions in the first year of operation.
Delta unites Torreon with Los Angeles
From last Thursday, Delta has direct flights from Torreon - Coahuila - Mexico to Los Angeles -California.

March 15, 2007   Posted in: Latin America