News

Argentinean President, H.E. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, announced the move to separate the Ministry of Tourism from the existing Ministry of Industry and Tourism and named Carlos Enrique Meyer, previously Secretary of State for Tourism, as Minister of Tourism.UNWTO welcomes that several countries have recently placed tourism higher on their national political and economic agendas. […]

A Europe-wide publicity campaign in 23 languages launched by the European Commission is meant to provide passengers with easier access to information about their rights when travelling by rail or air. As part of the “Your Passenger Rights At Hand” campaign a website has been launched. Here people are able to find out what their

The commission’s tourism development plan features 21 proposals, many aimed at attracting more visitors to Europe from fast-developing countries like China, Russia and Brazil. But it also spells out ways to increase travel within the EU, including greater coordination of school holidays to lengthen the holiday season.The commission is proposing a label scheme to give

According to an agreement between the Israel Ministry of Tourism and tourism officials in the Palestinian Authority, Israeli tour guides and tour operators have been permitted to return to Bethlehem for the first time in nearly a decade. Prior to this agreement, Israeli guides were not allowed to work in the West Bank but were

The Cruise Line Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009 passed the House on Wednesday evening; the Senate has already unanimously approved the bill. The approved legislation is a significant victory for cruise passengers’ rights and is now being sent to President Barack Obama for his signature.The bill requires the cruise industry to comply with

International tourist arrivals grew by 7 percent in the first four months of 2010 according to the latest issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. This growth confirms the recovery trend beginning in the last quarter of 2009 and comes despite the challenging conditions of recent months. While April’s results were affected by the week-long

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit on behalf of 10 US citizens and lawful residents who are prohibited from flying to or from the United States or over US airspace because they are on the government’s “No Fly List” against the US Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Terrorist Screening

“Documenta” is one of the most important exhibitions of modern and contemporary art which takes place in Kassel, Germany every five years. In a judgement of May 4, 2010, OLG Frankfurt (Case 11 U 70/09) decided that the managing company of the event is allowed to ban external suppliers, in particular tour operators, from offering

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) criticized the European Union’s response to the eruption of the Iceland volcano in April, saying that it cost the European economy 5 billion euros. Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO during a meeting of EU Transport Ministers also said Europe must review its compensation regulations for flight cancellations

The U.S. and Europe have signed an agreement expanding the 2007 U.S.-EU Open-Skies Accord. The new agreement also affirms that the terms of the 2007 accord will remain in place indefinitely. It deepens U.S.-EU cooperation in aviation security, safety, competition and ease of travel, and provides greater protections for U.S. carriers from local restrictions on