Club Mediterranée, the French company, lost €44 million this year, yet that was €50 million shy of the €94 million it blew in 2003. Now the enterprise is apparently sneaking out of the red-number column for the first time in two years. The company’s sales went up 1.2 percent –deducting the money it spent on corporate overhaul- to €1.6 billion, though returns fared differently depending on the region of the world.

At a time when wintertime vacations haven’t begun yet and strategies have not been completely assessed, Mexico’s Tourism Promotion Council revealed some figures that paint a pretty accurate picture of how revenues and foreign arrivals have fared so far this year. By the end of 2004, Mexican tourism authorities expect to close the twelve-month period with flying colors: 20.5 million visitors and $10.6 billion worth of gains.

Uruguay’s Gross Domestic Product grew 13 percent in the first nine months of 2004 compared to the first three quarters of last year. The country’s latest quarterly report indicates the Uruguayan economy took a solid 2.8 percent increase in the third quarter of the ongoing year.

The Cuban economy will kiss 2004 goodbye with a 3 percent increase, even in spite of all the strain the island nation’s hard-currency reserves have been under for most of the year, and regardless of unshackled inflation and infrastructure hardships that have affected the population’s living conditions, a governmental report indicated this week. The report –a copy of it was obtained by Reuters News Agency- says local tourism was up in double digits, while building grew 7.2 percent and the sugar industry tabbed a 15 percent increase. Other highlights were mining (up 4.6 percent) and state-run services with a 4.2 percent upturn.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic estimate the cash flow of tourism investment in the country will peak a record high $4.5 billion next year, thus showing a token of confidence from both local and foreign companies toward the nation’s travel industry. The projects will be carried out by some of the world’s leading hotel chains in sun-and-sand choices, like Spain’s Sol Meliá and Sandals from Jamaica.

BDC International S.A. and Peugeot Automobiles knocked together a test drive for the wives of foreign diplomats stationed in Cuba that was organized over the weekend in the surroundings of the Meliá Cohiba Hotel in Havana. The objective was to bring these distinguished ladies closer to Peugeot products and give them a chance to take a firsthand look at the new features and availability of these cars in the Cuban market.