Airline News
Norwegian Airlines launches first budget flight to Buenos Aires
In February 2018, Norwegian Airlines will launch the first low cost flight from London Gatwick to Pistarini airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With return flights costing under £600, the new flight will open up Latin America to a more diverse market, making the destination more accessible to a wider demographic and stimulating further growth to the region. www.norwegian.com
LATAM Airlines launches first flight to Central America
LATAM Airlines has launched a new non-stop flight between Lima and San Jose, Costa Rica – the first LATAM service for the Central American country. The airline offers three weekly flights, on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday, and in March will provide an additional service on Saturday. Return flights are priced from £950 and flight time is approximately three hours and 50 minutes. www.latam.com
Air Europa introduces the Dreamliner to its Gatwick – São Paulo route
Air Europa is boosting its presence in Brazil with the addition of São Paulo to its network of Dreamliner destinations. Launching on 25 March 2018, Air Europa will operate its daily flights to São Paulo from Gatwick, via Madrid, on board a Boeing 787-8. Return flights from London Gatwick to São Paulo start from £807. www.aireuropa.com
Cruise News
Ecoventura to inaugurate new ship in 2019
Galapagos expedition cruising company Ecoventura has announced that it will be welcoming new ship MV Theory in January 2019. The vessel is being built to exacting ecological specifications by award-winning sustainable experts Ecoventura, but will also offer unsurpassed levels of comfort on trips around the Galapagos Islands. The ship will be a 20 passenger yacht featuring ten deluxe staterooms, locally inspired gourmet food, a Jacuzzi and fitness centre. There will be expansive indoor and outdoor social and observation areas, offering guests stunning views of the Galapagos Islands. High-quality guided land excursions will be offered in very small groups to all passengers. www.ecoventura.com
Australis launches new expedition cruise vessel – Ventus Australis
Specialist cruise company Australis – has recently launched its new cruise vessel called the Ventus Australis. The new state-of-the-art Australis expedition ship will explore the remoteness of Patagonia encompassing the Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. The luxury ship will offer spacious cabins with Nobel beds and floor to ceiling windows to capture the stunning scenery, a stylish sky lounge and a gourmet restaurant from where guests can enjoy international and local cuisines in refined surroundings. A four-night cruise costs from $1,800 (£1,395**) per person on an all-inclusive basis including all excursions, meals and selected beverages. **Based on exchange rate of 11.10.2017 www.australis.com
Destination News
Visit Costa Rica launches new tourism strategy for 2018
The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) has launched a new tourism strategy for 2018 – ‘Wellness Pura Vida’. The tourist board will be working closely with Costa Rican hoteliers and local communities to develop their wellness offering. They will be promoting the use of the latest wellness techniques, whilst ensuring that they have a Costa Rican twist incorporating elements such as sports, organic food and local community outreach – a 360 degree attitude to wellbeing. They will also be promoting eco-friendly wellness tourism that has minimal impact on the environment. www.visitcostarica.com
Puerto Plata to host first Dominican Rum Festival
From 5 – 7 July, the Puerto Plata Destination Tourism Cluster in the Dominican Republic will host the first Dominican Rum Festival highlighting the quality of rums produced in the destination. The festival – held in Puntilla Park – will celebrate the country’s thriving rum industry and will feature concerts, seminars, workshops and rum tastings. www.godominicanrepublic.com
2018 marks 10th anniversary of Fidel Castro announcing his retirement in Cuba
19 February 2018, marks the 10th anniversary of Cuban President Fidel Castro’s letter of resignation to the state newspaper Granma stating that he would not be seeking a further term when the National Assembly would meet to declare the next council of state. The Cuban revolutionist was in power from 1959, after leading the Cuban revolution, until 2008 when his brother, Raul Castro, was elected as his successor. www.cuba.travel.cu
Buenos Aires to welcome the 44th edition of the Buenos Aires Book Fair
From 26 April to 14 May 2018, Buenos Aires will hold the 44th edition of the Buenos Aires Book Fair – the largest of its kind in the Spanish speaking world welcoming over 1,200,00 visitors every year. The popular fair boasts a 20-day literary itinerary featuring a varied cultural programme including conferences, readings, workshops and book presentations. www.el-libro.org.arg
Bolivia awarded the 2017 title for ‘World’s Leading Cultural Destination’ at the World Travel Awards
Bolivia has been awarded the 2017 title for ‘World’s Leading Cultural Destination’ in recognition for the country’s rich heritage and strong cultural traditions, marked by fiestas, festivals and parades. To explore this rich mix of cultural experiences Geodyssey offers small group trips and tailor-made holidays to the award-winning destination. www.geodyssey.com / www.bolivia.travel
Tour Operator News
Audley Travel launches two new Antarctic experiences travelling on new Ventus Australis
Audley Travel has introduced two new itineraries in the Antarctic sailing on the new Ventus Australis between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas via Cape Horn. The ‘Fjords of Tierra del Fuego’ itinerary follows the fjords of the southern edge of Tierra del Fuego showcasing Patagonia and includes visits to wildlife rich Ainsworth Bay, Pia Glacier and Glacier Alley, as well as mythical Wulaia Bay and the legendary Cape Horn. The ‘Patagonia Explorer’ tour calls at Cape Horn and Wulaia Bay before cruising down the Beagle Island and visiting several glaciers on the southern flank of the Fuegian Archipelago. A 13-day trip is priced from £5,100 per person (based on two sharing) and includes international flights. www.audleytravel.com
Chimu Adventures unveils details of new charters on board the new MV Hondius
Chimu Adventures has recently revealed details of two exclusive charters for 2019 / 2020 travelling on the new ice-breaker MV Hondius. The ‘Pristine Antarctica’ ten-day tour – departing on 23 November 2019 – will start in Ushuaia sailing to the Danco Island, Crystal Sound and Port Lockroy before returning to Ushuaia via the infamous Drake Passage. The tour is priced from £3,930 per person excluding flights. The ‘Jewels of Antarctica’ experience will travel along the same route on board the MV Hondius but will depart on 20 January 2020 – offering guests a glimpse into the mid-summer season in the Antarctic when the ice and the snow melt on the Peninsula. The tour is priced from £4,810 per person, excluding flights. www.chimuadventures.com
Specialist tour operator Journey Latin America introduces new wildlife trip in Brazil
Journey Latin America has introduced a new 11-day ‘Wildlife Brazil: Jaguars of the Pantanal’ trip in the Brazilian Pantanal. Highlights of the trip include visiting the Iguazu Falls and the Campo Grande in Brazil’s sun-baked heartland, staying at the Refugio Caiman – an upmarket eco-lodge deep in the Pantanal – known for regular sightings of the elusive jaguar and finishing in the bustling city of Rio de Janeiro. The experience is priced from £4,559 per person excluding international flights. www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk
Llama Travel introduces the Sheraton Hotel to Brazil programme
Latin America specialist Llama Travel has introduced the Sheraton Grand Rio hotel in Rio de Janeiro to its Brazil programme. The hotel is located on the seafront in Leblon – one of Rio’s upmarket neighbourhoods – and boats a number of amenities including restaurants and bars, a tennis court, pool overlooking the ocean, and a spa – ideal for relaxing in after a long day of sightseeing. Llama Travel offers a variety of tours in Brazil including a ‘Samba, Tango & Iguazu Falls’ tour and an ‘Incas & Conquistadors of Peru and Rio & Iguazu Falls’ trip. www.llamatravel.com
Hotel News
Inkaterra partners with Black Factory Cinema to launch new ‘Filming in Peru with Werner Herzog’ experience
Inkaterra has announced a new partnership with Black Factory Cinema to launch a new cinematic experience – inviting 48 film aficionados to the heart of the Peruvian Amazon to create a short film – the best of which will be selected for International Film Festivals. Under the watchful eye of legendary director, Werner Herzog, the 11-day programme will see participants learn about content conception and script writing to filmmaking theory and editing. Held in the Tambopata Reserve, on the banks of the Madre de Dios, the filmmakers will use Inkaterra Guides Field Station as a base, to edit their film and enjoy local cuisine. The tour will depart on 1 May 2018 and registration will close on 7 February. To apply visit: www.blackfactorycinema.com/taller2018/?lang=en
Tierra Atacama leads the way in hotel sustainability with two major environmental initiatives
Boutique hotel Tierra Atacama – located on the edge of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile – has introduced two new environmental initiatives paving the way for hotel sustainability in Latin America. The property has become the first 100% solar powered hotel in South America with a new state of the art solar panel and battery storage system, and has removed all plastic bottles thanks to a NASA designed water system which supplies still and sparkling water to guests. www.tierrahotels.com
For more information on travel to and around Latin America please visit: www.lata.org
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For editorial and marketing enquiries, please contact Jules Ugo, Kate McWilliams or Lucy Keenan at Lotus– LATAPR@wearelotus.co.uk 0207 953 7470