Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has signed on as a leading partner for the American Society of Travel Agent's (ASTA) upcoming International Destination Expo (IDE) in Lima, Peru from March 1 to 4, 2012.

Mexico’s Pacific Coast city of Mazatlan kicks off the fall travel season in grand style with its 2011 Gran Fiesta Amigos celebration, taking place Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. This 17th annual event welcomes the destination’s travel partners to the city, including the wholesalers, tour operators, airlines, incentive companies, journalists, tourism dignitaries and friends.

Visitors to the sun-drenched island of Barbados are in for a treat this November at the second annual Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival –the culinary event of the season. In partnership with American Express Publishing's Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Departures and Executive Travel brands, Barbados unveils the schedule of events for the four-day epicurean extravaganza taking place from November 18 – 21, 2011 at various exquisite settings around the island.

On August 6 and 7, the Banquet and Conference Centre of MovieTowne, Port-of-Spain, will be transformed into a networking hub, where event professionals and industry suppliers will gather for the region’s first ever Caribbean Special Events and Meetings Expo (TCSEME).

The Ministry of Tourism of Mexico announced that Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta will be the site of the 2012 Tianguis Turistico. The event will take place in March 2012. The destination was chosen for its tourism facilities, air connections, convention center and the security procedures for participants, according to Fernando Olivera Rocha, undersecretary of tourism operations.

The Riviera Maya Jazz Festival will celebrate its ninth year from November 24 through 26, 2011. Over the years, it has come to capture the heart and the imagination of music lovers everywhere. Many jazz legends and Grammy winners have participated in previous festivals.