Argentina´s airlines made a killing last year with $729.2 million worth of profits, up 34 percent from 2003, according to figures published by the local press this week. In addition to that, the Chamber of Argentine Airlines indicated that all carriers sold 1.5 million plane tickets combined in 2004, up 17.3 percent from the previous year.

The volume of hard currency grabbed by the Brazilian tourist industry wound up the first quarter of the ongoing year with over a billion dollars worth of revenues, up 14.7 percent from the three months of 2004, a new record high for that time of year. Over the last two years, Brazilian tourism has backpedaled a slumping trend and has now begun to amass a $568 million surplus, according to a report issued by industry experts.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A. de C.V. (ASUR), the first privatized airport group in Mexico and operator of Cancun Airport and eight others in the southeast of Mexico, today announced results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2005. For the first quarter of 2005, total passenger traffic increased year- over-year by 11.5 percent; domestic passenger traffic increased by 4.4 percent; and international passenger traffic increased by 15 percent.

Despite a very damaging hurricane season, economic activity within the sub-regional Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) remained robust in 2004 and is expected to continue growing in 2005, assessed the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF recently presented to the national and regional authorities in the six IMF member countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), as well as to officials from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and the Caribbean Development Bank its assessment of the economic situation and prospects, as well as policy recommendations for consideration by the member countries of the ECCU.

The volume of hard currency grabbed by the Brazilian tourist industry wound up the first quarter of the ongoing year with over a billion dollars worth of revenues, up 14.7 percent from the three months of 2004, a new record high for that time of year. Over the last two years, Brazilian tourism has backpedaled a slumping trend and has now begun to amass a $568 million surplus, according to a report issued by industry experts.

Adventure tourism finished 2004 with as many as $5 million worth of profits for a number of Mexican communities, despite its being a fledgling market with a long way to go ahead of it. Regardless of the poor publicity adventure tourism has traditionally had in Mexico, the segment is marching right on track and promises to be a leisure industry heavyweight in the near future.