Havana is a city full of magic and charms that puts its smart money on its own realization. That explains why it continues to be dignified, well preserved by its own residents, every nook and cranny restored to the utmost to make its esthetic details and intimate, majestic ambience reign on for forever more. That´s the picture Cuba´s capital paints of itself today now that the 25th edition of the island nation´s International Tourism Fair is round the corner, an event that this time around will gather attendants at the Morro-Cabaña Park from May 10 to 13.

Panama will be home to the second edition of the Central America Travel Market, scheduled from October 9 to 11 at the Atlapa Conference Center in Panama City, the Madrid-based Central American Travel Agency (CAT) informed this week. The Central America Travel Market is fully supported by the region´s private and public sectors in an effort to beef up trade ties between travel companies and tour operators from the major outbound markets.

The International Tourism Fair (FITE 2005), scheduled for September in Ecuador, will include a bargaining table, organizers said. Jaime Rull, chairman of the FITE Organizing Committee explained the event will also help further promote the country in the world market. No bargaining table was set up in last year´s edition. Planner, however, want potential buyers to receive at least one good offer from Ecuadorian agents every quarter of an hour.

Impresarios, scholars and boldface names linked to the travel industry will huddle in a professional meeting with a view to appraise the present and future of the leisure sector through an array of seminars and dissertations. The event, scheduled for May 5, will take place at the Senate Floor of the Legislative Palace and a good deal of authorities have already confirmed their participation.

Caribbean authorities and experts has opened a Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development Tobago on Tuesday to ponder on how best to use and protect the most important source of income for most of the region´s economies. The four-day meting, under the theme Keeping the Right Balance. Sustainable Tourism through Diversity, will be attended by tourism ministers, among other government officials, as well as by businesspersons from some 30 countries and territories.

Ministers of Tourism from the sub-regional Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are meeting Thursday and Friday in Anguilla to discuss ways to foster the industry to further benefit these nine island states. Their participation in the internationally acclaimed boat show in France, known as The Grand Pavois, was at the center piece of the discussions at the two day meeting.