Latin America Watch

My spring ritual is to come up with a summer vacation destination I’ve never visited. Last spring, when an email from Marriott Hotels & Resorts popped into my inbox announcing they had just opened a new hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, my decision about where to travel in August 2015 became easy. 

 

A history of turmoil

In the early 1980s, in my role as a tour manager, I escorted a 3-week tour in China, and among the group members was a well-...

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As a Food Channel aficionado, I found this aspect of touring Lima a real treat. My visit in November 2010 was my first time visualizing the city’s history through its cuisine. I was part of a press group invited by Canatur and PromPerú, and our culinary excursion started at the Surquillo market, a few blocks from Parque Kennedy in Miraflores.

by Deanna Palić (First of two parts)

I arrived in Lima for the Peru Travel Mart 2010, the most important annual event for the promotion of tourism in Peru, on Thanksgiving Day. Since 1987, the travel mart has been a meeting point for Peruvian promoters (hotels, airlines, etc.) and, from all over the world, buyers (your travel agents).

It was spring in the country’s capital, and during my four-day stay the weather never varied. Mornings were cool and overcast. By noon, however,...

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by Deanna Palic

Now that ITN is following the readers’ vote to include Mexico in our publication, I think it appropriate to reminiscence. In December 1983 I escorted a tour group to Mexico’s Copper Canyon (for a company no longer in business). The itinerary covered the route from Los Mochis to the canyon and on to Chihuahua, where we celebrated New Year’s Eve.

I term the Copper Canyon region “the other side of Mexico” because it is not a...

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by Deanna Palic

Ernesto Guevara, the Argentine revolutionary who became known as Che, helped Fidel Castro seize control of Cuba in the late 1950s. His image has inspired countless T-shirts, tattoos, posters, radical chic berets and, recently, two films.

In 1979 I had the opportunity to visit Cuba, legally. It was the 20th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, and the US government was allowing its citizens to travel to Cuba. I was even allowed to receive entry and exit stamps...

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by Deanna Palic

Hollywood goes to Chile

Chile’s landscape stretches from the northern deserts of Atacama to the southern glaciers of Patagonia, adorning it with a diverse and alluring array of scenery that is catching the eyes of Hollywood filmmakers and setting Chile apart as a hotspot for movie-making.

The Atacama Desert was recently selected as a backdrop for the next James Bond adventure, “Quantum of Solace,” which will be released this coming November.

...

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by Deanna Palic

As travel companies look for new ways to expand business, they’re increasingly courting solo travelers. Roughly one in 10 leisure travelers hits the road alone, according to the most recent data from the Travel Industry Association. More travel companies, from specialty tour operators to individual resorts, are creating packages that cater to those customers. Here are two.

• Singles Travel International (Boca Raton, FL; 877/765-6874, www.singlestravelintl.com)...

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by Deanna Palic

Brazilian carrier GOL takes over Varig

GOL, the leader of low-cost airlines in Brazil, recently took over Varig Brasilian Airlines for about $275 million in a cash-and-stock deal.

Gol said that Varig would continue as a separate brand and would keep its frequent-flyer program, offering 2-class service on long-haul routes. GOL plans to cut costs and introduce more efficient aircraft.

Along with other prosperous Latin American airlines, including LAN, Copa...

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