Pacheco turns heat on tourist police

PANAJI - The tourism minister Francis Xavier (Mickky) Pacheco lamented the criticism against his ministry and sought the Home ministry’s support to boost tourism and related activities in the state.

O'Connor floats tourist tax to fund industry

Funding has finally been approved for the Government's much talked about tourism strategy but the difficulty in getting it passed has highlighted key financing issues for the industry.

Swiss Justice Minister against "death tourism"

Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf says she would like to put a stop to "death tourism" – the practice of people travelling to Switzerland to die.

Maldives minister quits over tourism resorts plan

COLOMBO - Maldives Tourism Minister Mahmoud Shaugee said on Sunday he had resigned from the government over plans to lease more than 30 new resorts to make up for a $180 million budget shortfall.

Jamaica's Tourism Minister challenges north and south American sales

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has issued a strong challenge to members of the North and South American sales and marketing team to intensify its efforts to meet the projected growth lev

St. Kitts’ tourism focus is on courting the luxury market

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS - Targeting the luxury traveler may seem out of sync given the current economic climate of soaring fuel prices, high air fares, inflation and a sagging dollar.

Tourism tax rebuffed by Kenyan authorities

Kenyan tourism authorities have rebuffed the move by the Finance minister, Amos Kimunya, to introduce a 16 percent VAT on tourism travel, saying the move will hinder efforts at reviving the sector fol

Cannon primed but won't fire

The new fuel surcharges adopted by Canadian airlines last month have not only riled consumer groups, politicians and passengers, they have sharpened the focus on why a bit of legislation that passed last summer, which would force airlines to advertise the full price of a ticket, has not been enacted.

Ministry to reposition tourism

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Adetokunbo Kayode, says tourism in Nigeria will soon be repositioned in line with international best practices following a national retreat to be organised by the ministry soon.

Tourism minister storms out of reception after industry boss says UK's tourists are 'highest taxed in the world'

Tourism Minister Margaret Hodge was involved in an extraordinary slanging match with one of the leaders of the British holiday industry at a cocktail reception on the House of Commons terrace.

Guests were shocked as Mrs Hodge stormed off after clashing with Philip Green, chairman of UK Inbound, a trade group that encourages foreigners ... read more

Minister floats 'green tax' on tourists

An unofficial proposal by the Tourism Minister to charge international visitors a "green tax" has already received the cold shoulder from the industry.

Damien O'Connor is understood to have been in talks with industry members about an environmental levy to "test the waters".

Minister: Afghanistan to gain twelve airports in five years

On May 31, the Kabul Times reported that Afghanistan’s Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Hamidullah Qaderi has unveiled a new plan to build 12 new airports in Afghanistan in the next five years.

Minister: US sanctions crippling growth of national airline

Damascus - U.S. sanctions on Damascus have crippled the development of national carrier Syrian Arab Airlines, and it has had to cancel orders for new Airbus planes, Transport Minister Yaarob Badr said Tuesday.

Syria can't place orders for new planes "because of the U.S. sanctions" which Washington imposed in 2004, Badr was quoted as ... read more

Fly direct, minister warns SA tourists

The South Australian government says South Australian travellers could hurt the local tourism industry if they fail to choose direct flights overseas.

Lebanon's latest crisis deals another painful blow to tourism sector

BEIRUT - Lebanon's tourism sector was dealt another setback after the opposition closed all roads leading to Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport, Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis said on Wednesday. "We are missing a lot of opportunities to attract tourists to Lebanon.

Austrian government says airline must stand alone

VIENNA - Austrian finance minister Wilhelm Molterer said on Thursday troubled Austrian Airlines should remain an independent carrier.

Hotels, Tourism Minister works in Caxito

Angola's Hotels and Tourism minister, Eduardo jonatão Chingunji, worked on Monday in Caxito City, the capital of the northern Bengo Province, to assess the level of functioning of infrastructures that will accommodate tourists during the 2010 African Cup of Nations (CAN) in football.

Ministry to form council to boost quality of tourism services

PENANG - The Tourism Ministry will set up a new national consultative council to boost quality of tourism services.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the National Tourism Consultative Council would be the platform to gather feedback, identify obstacles and find solutions to problems and issues in the tourism ... read more

Sshh, minister tells muezzins, you’ll wake the tourists

A Moroccan minister has provoked uproar by suggesting that, to avoid waking tourists, muezzins should make less noise when calling the faithful to prayer at dawn.

Nouzha Skalli, the 57-year-old family minister, called for a cut in the volume of loudspeakers amplifying the chant of the muezzins. She also suggested that the call to prayer, ... read more

Minister blames low tourism ranking on lack of initiatives

Nigeria ranks low in African tourism because of the absence of purposeful tourism initiatives in the country, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, has said.

The Minister made the observation in Abuja during an interactive session with journalists.