03 Dec 2015
AIR COSTA RICA TO BEGIN FLIGHTS AT THE END OF THE YEAR
A new airline; Air Costa Rica, a subsidiary of the second largest airline in Panama – Air Panama, is due to begin flight operations by the end of 2016 after receiving its operating licence by the Civil Aviation Technical Council.
To begin with, the airline will run charter flights to certain selected international destinations from San Jose International Airport in Costa Rica's capital to Miami, Bogota in Colombia, Lima in Peru and Guayaquil in Ecuador. The airline recognised the increasing demand for affordable flights to these destinations and has confirmed that it will be increasing the frequency of flights once Air Costa Rica begins operating. www.airpanama.com
TELA AIRPORT IN HONDURAS WELCOMES FIRST COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS
Honduras has strengthened its commitment to the development of tourism by opening a new airport on Honduras's northern Caribbean coast, which will serve both domestic and international flights.
The municipal aerodrome of Telia, which opened in May 2015, welcomes charter flights that serve tourist accommodations in the local area such as the Indura Beach Hotels, Gold Resort, Ensenada Beach Resort and Telamar Resort. The airport has opened up the area to the steady influx of international tourists who flock to Tela Bay yearly to enjoy activities such as parasailing, scuba diving, snorkelling, bird watching and fishing. Eventually the airport will allow travellers to fly to the Roatan Bay Islands, Tegucigalpa and Tela and also Guatemala and El Salvador. www.honduras.travel
COSTA RICA REPRESENTED AT THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD TOURISM ORGANISATION FOR THE SECOND TIME
Costa Rica, also known as the birth place of sustainable tourism, has been appointed to the position of Executive Council Chair at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), representing the Americas, for the second time in four years. The election took place in Medellin, Colombia between 11 September and 14 September and included a representative country from each region of the world.
The Costa Rica Minister of Tourism, Mauricio Ventura, stated that the appointment is a great achievement for Costa Rica and strengthens the country's image as a leader in tourism. The election also recognises the investment Costa Rica has made in to the tourism sector, establishing sustainability as a key principle to development which drives tourism to generate employment, wealth and prosperity to communities.
Historically, the country has played an active role in the UNWTO; it is a member of the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability, the Programme and Budget Committee and the World Committee on Tourism Ethics.
The Executive Council is the highest deliberative body of the UNWTO whose purpose is to discuss international tourism issues. Ventura said that his appointment will allow Costa Rica to be an active voice for the interests of Central American countries and present important initiatives in the fields of sustainability, ethics and social tourism.
The position will be held by Costa Rica for two years beginning in 2015 and ending in 2017. www.2.unwto.org
HONDURAS OPENS NEW “COFFEE ROUTE”
On 11 November, Honduras, the leading coffee exporter in Central America and the third-largest in the world launched a new tourist attraction the “Coffee Route”, which is a joint initiative delivered by the Honduran Institute of Coffee (IHCAFE) and the Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT).
The aim of the project is to promote tourism by offering insight into the production of coffee which takes place in six of Honduras's regions: Copan, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta and El Paraiso. The “Coffee Route” will allow tourists to witness first-hand the coffee-making process from start to finish with visits to coffee plantations, schools and research centres as well as ecotourist activities and coffee tasting in one of the 60 specialist coffee shops.
General Manager of the Institute of Honduran Coffee, Rene Leon Gomez said “the combination of tourism and coffee together with the launch of the coffee route will allow us to offer the best of Honduras to national and international tourists. It also serves to diversify the sources of income and to create new opportunities for our coffee producers”.
TOURIST CENTRE OPENS ON NICARAGUA'S TALLEST VOLCANO, SAN CRISTOBAL
The Chichigalpa City Government of Nicaragua together with the help of the European Union has opened a tourism centre at the foot of Nicaragua's tallest volcano, San Cristobal in the north west of the country . The tourism centre is the newest addition to Central America's Colonial Cities and Volcano Trail, offering easy access to over a dozen volcanoes in seven different countries.
The Colonial Cities and Volcano Trail runs down the length of Central America's Pacific coast from Antigua in Guatemala to Panama and follows one of the most ancient colonial routes in the region, the Camino Real, first built by the Spaniards in the 1500s.
The tourism centre in Nicaragua which opened at the end of October 2015, has catapulted the Colonial Cities and Volcano Trail to the top of the list of major attractions in Central America. The centre provides visitors with an information centre, easy access to the trails leading to the top of San Cristobal and two hostels: Hostal Mi Familia and Hostal Franbelin. www.visitanicaragua.com/ruta-colonial-y-de-los-volcanes
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CATA – the promotional agency for the seven Central America countries (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Nicaragua) – is represented by Lotus. For editorial and marketing enquiries, please contact Georgina Oakley or Lucy Keenan at Lotus – georgina@wearelotus.co.uk / lucy@wearelotus.co.uk / 0207 953 7470
