VENEZUELA: President Nicolas Maduro Authorizes Tourism Industry To Charge In Dollars

President Nicolas Maduro signed the latest exchange agreement Monday authorizing the tourism sector to charge in dollars. The agreement, No. 36, will take effect immediately, announced Maduro from Miraflores Palace in Caracas via a live radio and television broadcast.

The latest tourism agreement now requires service providers to retain 40 percent of foreign currency earnings while 60 percent will be sold to the Central Bank of Venezuela at the floating DICOM rate. The agreement stipulates that the 40 percent should be invested in improvements and upkeep for the service provider.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Marlenys Contreras and Arnaldo Añes, board member of Avior Airlines, announced air-fleet expansion and new transatlantic travel routes for 2017. The expansion will see the Venezuelan private carrier acquire six new Airbus 340-300 models which have a capacity for 255 passengers. The latest additions to the air-fleet are a USD $150 million investment, confirmed Añes.

"The first [planes] have arrived and we are in the process of certifying the transatlantic routes to Portugal and Italy," explained Añes. He continued that the new planes will also connect Margarita Island, Nueva Esparta state to Colombian destinations, Medellín and Bogotá. Additionally, they will open a route to Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Contreras also announced that Venezuela will host the Annual Meeting of the World Tourism Organization for Sustainable Tourism in addition to the Annual Meeting of the Association of Caribbean States in 2017. "We have a country that offers different products: sun and beach, mountains, plains, jungle and the highest and longest cable car in the world in Merida state,” Contreras highlighted.

Last week, the Bolivarian government inaugurated the first National Tourism University (UNATUR) in Anzoátegui state in the government’s growing initiative to boost the tourism industry. The latest tourism institution is also one of the many projects part of the government’s campaign to diversify the national economy.

First Airline To Fly An Airbus A380 To Latin America

This winter, Air France is offering six weekly frequencies between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Mexico. Starting on 12 January 2016, three weekly flights are operated by Airbus A380, the Company’s largest super jumbo (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). The three other flights are operated by Boeing 777-300. From 27 March 2016, the A380 will fly between the two cities daily.

On board, customers have the option of travelling in four flight cabins ensuring optimum comfort – La Première, Business, Premium Economy and Economy.

“We are proud to be the first airline in the world to operate an Airbus A380 to Latin America. This is a strong sign reflecting the Air France-KLM Group’s commitment to promoting exchange between Mexico and the rest of the world. We are thus strengthening the Group’s presence in Mexico, which we have been serving for over 60 years, by increasing our capacity by 20% on the Paris-Mexico route. The A380 will also allow us to offer two new flight cabins on this route, La Première and Premium Economy, in an aim to offer our customers even greater choice”, stated Patrick Alexandre, Executive Vice President Commercial, Sales and Alliances Air France-KLM.

AIRBUS A380 FLIGHT SCHEDULE (IN LOCAL TIME) THROUGHOUT THE WINTER 2016 SEASON

AF438: leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:30; arrives in Mexico at 18:40
AF439: leaves Mexico at 21:10, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 14:25.

Flights operated by A380 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 12 January to 26 March 2016. Daily flights from 27 March 2016.

This Air France flight offer complements that of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operating up to 9 weekly frequencies by Boeing 747 between the Amsterdam-Schiphol hub and Mexico.

THE COMFORT OF AN A380
Boarding an Air France Airbus A380 always guarantees an exceptional trip. On board, the 516 passengers travel in perfect comfort in exceptionally spacious cabins. Two hundred and twenty windows fill the aircraft with natural light, and changing background lighting allows passengers to cross time zones fatigue-free. In addition, six bars are located throughout the aircraft, giving passengers the chance to meet up during the flight.

With cabin noise levels five decibels lower than industry standards, the A380 is a particularly quiet aircraft and features the latest entertainment and comfort technology. External images are retransmitted live throughout the flight from three cameras located on the front, underside and rear of the aircraft. Finally, the largest jet in Air France’s fleet is the first to include a dedicated space for art and culture.

For the winter 2015-2016 season, Air France’s ten Airbus A380s are flying to 8 destinations – Abidjan, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Mexico, Miami, New York-JFK and Shanghai.

AIR FRANCE-KLM, EUROPEAN LEADER IN MEXICO AND IN THE REGION OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

This winter, the Air France-KLM Group is offering up to 21 weekly flights to Mexico from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol, including seven frequencies operated by Aeroméxico from Paris to the Mexican capital that share codes with Air France.

Moreover, all Air France flights to Mexico also share codes with Aeroméxico, thereby providing passengers with a wide variety of connecting flight options throughout the domestic network of the Mexican airline within the country.

Air France also offers 4 weekly frequencies to Cancùn.

The leading airline in Central and South America and the Caribbean in terms of seats, Air France-KLM serves twenty-seven destinations* in the region, and offers over 200 flights a week from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol.

* Aruba, Bogota, Bonaire, Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Cancún, Cali, Caracas, Cayenne, Curaçao, Fort-de-France, Guayaquil, Havana, Lima, Mexico, Montevideo, Panama, Paramaribo, Pointe à Pitre, Port-au- Prince, Punta Cana, Quito, Santo Domingo, Saint-Martin, Santiago de Chili, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro.

A MAJOR TRANSATLANTIC JOINT VENTURE WHICH ALSO COVERS FLIGHTS TO MEXICO
Air France-KLM is involved in a major transatlantic joint venture alongside Delta Air Lines and Alitalia. The partners share operation of over 250 transatlantic flights operated daily by the four airlines, which also covers flights to Mexico. With a fleet of 129 aircraft, this partnership represents 25% of global transatlantic capacity and will generate an expected 13 billion in annual revenue. It allows customers to benefit from the advantages of a huge network offering more frequent flights, competitive tariffs and standardised services across the Atlantic.

The Air France-KLM Group and Delta serve eighteen destinations in the United States from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York-JFK, New York-Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Francisco and Washington. In addition to these destinations, Delta offers a vast network of connecting flights to 300 North American destinations, including Mexico.

TWO EUROPEAN HUBS CONNECTED TO THE WORLD
The European hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol are connected daily thanks to 12 flight frequencies. The Air France and KLM network has been fully optimized to offer customers a choice of 316 destinations in 103 countries worldwide.

ECUADOR: Mexican man arrested in Galapagos for iguana trafficking

Ecuadorean police say they've arrested a Mexican man for trying to smuggle 11 iguanas — an endangered species — from the Galapagos islands.

Police Capt. William Herrera told Ecuavisa TV on Monday that the man was trying to ship nine marine iguana babies and two juvenile land iguanas by air to the mainland with Uganda as the ultimate destination.

The alleged trafficker, who authorities said had previously committed similar crimes in New Zealand, was trying to transport nine marine iguanas and two land iguanas, all endemic to the islands' fragile ecosystem.

The Ecuadoran Environment Ministry said in a statement that the man had intended to send the reptiles to Uganda "with the aid of other foreigners who had come to the islands on the pretext of tourism."

Officials say each iguana could fetch up to $25,000 on the black market. They said the man was arrested over the weekend and belonged to an international trafficking ring. They identified him only as Gustavo T.

Stopped in the town of Puerto Ayora, on the island of Santa Cruz, the man, whose name was not released, was transferred to a mainland prison in Guayaquil.

In Ecuador, trafficking in endangered fauna is punishable by 1-2 years in prison.

The Galapagos have a unique collection of wildlife whose isolation helped naturalist Charles Darwin validate his theory of evolution.

Ecuadoran authorities are investigating his possible involvement in a global network of traffickers in protected species.

In 2013, a German man was sentenced to four years in prison for trying to take four iguanas out of Ecuador in his luggage.

The Galapagos Islands, isolated 900 miles off the coast of Ecuador, are known for inspiring Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and are home to a large number of endemic species, animals that are only found there.

The archipelago has been classified a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979.

ECUADOR: Quito Airport In Ecuador Traffic Growth Of 9.1% In 2014

Tame – that controls 37% and 40% of seats and flights respectively at Quito Airport – celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a press conference, the launch of daily flights to Fort Lauderdale, its second US destination after New York JFK.

Located in the Tababela parish, about 18 kilometres east of the capital of Ecuador, Quito Airport (perhaps better known as Mariscal Sucre International Airport) is the primary international gateway to the country. Established in February 2013 to replace the old gateway, the airport caters for a population of three million and serves as the largest hub of tame, the flag carrier of Ecuador that operates around 200 weekly departures this May. Operated by Quiport, the airport controls 46% of the country’s scheduled seat capacity (being followed by Guayaquil with 36%) and offers non-stop flights to 25 destinations in 11 countries within the Americas and Europe (according to OAG Schedules Analyser data for this May).

Analysis of data provided by the airport authority indicates that Quito’s traffic has grown impressively during the 2003-2014 timeframe, with an average annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18% over this period. The airport handled around six million passengers in 2014 (a new record high), a number that increased from the 800,000 recorded 12 years ago. In addition, when compared to 2013 figures, Quito’s traffic increased by 9.1%. Interestingly, the airport continued to grow even in the worst years of economic recession, experiencing a double-digit growth of 24% in 2010 when compared to the previous year.
tame controls 37% and 40% of seats and flights

Evaluation of OAG Schedules Analyser data for this May indicates that a total of 11 airlines are serving Quito, with tame maintaining its top position. The largest airline of Ecuador accounts for 37% and 40% of weekly seats and flights respectively and operates a total of 16 airport pairs from Quito, of which the domestic route to Guayaquil is the most frequently served airport pair with 64 weekly departures, being followed by the sector to Cuenca with 19 weekly flights. Ranking second with a weekly seat share of 19%, LAN Ecuador (LAN Airlines’ subsidiary established in July 2002) connects Quito to Guayaquil (67 times weekly), Cuenca (17 times weekly), Miami (daily) and Baltra Island (five times weekly).

Total weekly seat capacity at Quito has gone done 11%, with five of the top 11 carriers recording growth, when comparing data from this May with the same week last year, while American Airlines and Aeromexico saw their operations unchanged. Following the integration of Aerogal’s operations as part of their merger, Avianca is the fastest growing carrier, with a net increase of 2,310 weekly seats over the last 12 months. By comparison, LAN noted the greatest capacity decline (-51%), due to having reduced its frequency on the sector from Quito to Guayaquil from 10 times weekly to thrice-weekly, but also owing to having withdrawn its four times weekly departures to Medellin as well as thrice-weekly flights to Cali.

Furthermore, two European carriers (highlighted in bright green) are serving Ecuador’s capital, namely Iberia which links Quito to Madrid with thrice-weekly non-stop flights, and Quito to Guayaquil with eight weekly departures, with the latter being served as part of its 9,007-kilometre airport pair between Quito and Madrid via Guayaquil. Besides Iberia, KLM also flies daily from Quito to Amsterdam via Guayaquil, using its 318-seat 777-200s.