Azamara Cruises has commenced a new era as Dondra Ritzenthaler officially commenced in the position of Chief Executive Officer. The former Celebrity Cruises executive was named as new CEO in November 2023 following the sudden departure of former President Carol Cabezas.

New York City’s luxury offering for international visitors has broadened vastly over the past 10 years, from a “very narrow segment” to a wider, more accessible market. That’s the view of Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC Tourism + Conventions who has headed the office since 2014.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has confirmed an expansion of its Immersive Overnights collection – as exclusively revealed by LATTE last month following our one-on-one with Steve Odell, Chief Sales Officer – with a brand new Sunset Over Tuscany Mediterranean sailing.

Fiji Airways Group achieved both record profit before tax of FJ$132 million (approx AU$87.5 million) – up a whopping 180% – and operating revenue of FJ$1.8 billion (approx AU$1.2 billion) for the financial year ending 31 December 2023.

Seabourn has modified the itinerary of its 90-day Grand Africa Voyage that traverses the East, South, and West coasts of the continent.

1000 Mile Travel Group has unveiled a new travel booking solution in the United States called 1000Access, alongside travel technology partner, Sabre.

Virtuoso® hosted three networking and professional development events this month for its Australia & New Zealand member agencies, advisors and preferred hotel partners. Virtuoso On Tour Australia & New Zealand kicked off in Sydney on 30 April, continued in Melbourne on 1 May and wrapped up on 2 May in Brisbane. The events were fully subscribed, connecting over 400 Virtuoso advisors with 50 partners, resulting in approximately 2,030 hours of one-to-one connections across the trio of events.

Italian firm Arsenale Group has signed a rail partnership in Uzbekistan that will see the development of a new luxury tourist rail journey in that country dubbed ‘The Samarkand Express’.

The US Travel Association has highlighted its commitment to the industry and inbound travellers to the United States through its creation of the Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel. The Commission was established, in part, to tackle a range of inefficiencies with visa and customs processing times and baggage rescreening on entry to the United States, viewed as major pain points for international travellers.

Brand USA has asserted its confidence in the destination’s reinvigorated inbound tourism industry after COVID, today restating a target outlined in the 2022 National Travel and Tourism Strategy to welcome 90 million visitors to the United States by 2027 – a volume of people that will inject US$279 billion into the US economy.

The US Travel Association’s annual mega tourism summit, IPW – held in partnership with Premier Sponsor Brand USA – kicked off in grand style this morning in Los Angeles with a takeover event held at the Getty Center in the foothills of the Brentwood area of LA.

Luxury bespoke travel specialists and Virtuoso Preferred On-Site for Australia and New Zealand, Southern Crossings is now a Virtuoso Travel Preferred On-Site for personalised luxury travel in Fiji.