The International Association of Latin America Air Transportation (AITAL) is convening a powwow in Miami for November 17 and 18 to gather the CEOs of the region’s top airlines with a view to foster international debate, make headway on major issues and improve aviation in the hemisphere. The list of boldface people for the AITAL gathering at Miami’s Intercontinental Hotel includes Fernando Flores (Aeromexico), Juan Emilio Posada (Avianca), Carlos Luis Martins (Varig), Marco Antonio Bologna (TAM), Pedro Heilbron (Taca), Jorge Neves (Pluna), Ernesto Asbun (LAB), Emilio Romano (Mexicana), Enrique Cueto (LAN) and Fred Smith (FedEx).

With a massive turnout of delegates from virtually all Caribbean nations, Aruba was home this week to the 27th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference that came to a close Wednesday after dealing with some of the major issues affecting the region´s leisure industry right now. Under a slogan reading "Caribbean Tourism: Driving Business in a Global Economy" the gathering was sponsored by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA). CTO´s President Pamela Richards concluded in her farewell address that the meeting had proved a great success to the benefit of all the attending parties.

Over a thousand impresarios from some 40 nations will join representatives from 110 Cuban firms for the 22nd edition of the Havana International Fair, the island nation’s number-one tradeshow, that’s scheduled to take place from November 1 through 7. Abraham Maciques, president of the Organizing Committee, explained this year’s massive turnout stems from Cuba’s increasing perspectives to do business with other countries.

The Fifth Grand Caribbean Entrepreneurial Forum will get cracking in Santo Domingo on October 24 under the sponsorship of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and the Dominican Center for Investment Promotion (CEI-RD). The Entrepreneurial Forum is an initiative of the ACS, in coordination with the CEI-RD that seeks to foster commerce in the Grand Caribbean through business contacts and other activities.

Varadero, Cuba’s premier sun-and-sand destination, will be home to the Fifth Meetings and Incentive Travel Market (MITM) from October 27 through 30. The well-known tradeshow is targeting regional travel destinations outfitted with everything it takes for incentive travel end users and convention organizers to plan events there.

The 17th edition of Travel Mart, the tourism tradeshow organized by the Quintana Roo Hotel Association, came to a close Wednesday in Cancun after three days of intense debates and a significant international turnout. Tour operators from the Mexican Caribbean destination and purchasers hailing from the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the rest of the Caribbean, as well as from the Asia-Pacific Rim and Europe, huddled in Cancun to exchange views and experiences in the business.