SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- The appetite for adventure and ecotourism
among North American travelers continues to fuel the expansion and
diversification of the Latin America travel product, according to
participants at the 26th annual TravelMart Latin America here.
"The major recent change in this marketplace is the presence of
smaller firms packaging less traditional travel options suited to
the active and even slightly adventurous traveler," said TravelMart
organizer Bill Coleman of William H. Coleman Inc. during a tour of
the expo site at the Herradura Hotel Conference Center.
Another change he noted is the increase in upscale travel
products, such as country inns, jungle lodges and expedition
cruises.
The annual gathering of buyers and sellers at TravelMart
provides the primary shopping forum for Latin American travel
products and services.
Following is a sampling of things to come:
• Delta Airlines on Dec. 1 will inaugurate air service three
times a week, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, between Atlanta
and Liberia, Costa Rica's airport in the northern Guanacaste
region. The new service will complement Delta's daily flights from
Atlanta to San Jose and offer the possibility of open-jaw
ticketing, using both Costa Rican gateways. For more information,
call (800) 325-0678.
• Under Costa Rica's Papagayo Project, a program of deluxe hotel
development for the northern coast of the Guanacaste region, 1,500
hotel rooms are expected to become available within the next few
years.
Already open is the inclusive Allegro Resort Papagayo on
Manazanillo Beach, with 300 rooms, two restaurants, several bars
and watersports attractions that include a scuba clinic.
For information, call Allegro Resort Papagayo at (800) 858-2258
or visit the Web at www.allegroresorts.com.
Two Italian-owned properties, the 180-room Makuti Resort and the
150-room Giardino de Papagayo will lead the way next year, followed
by a Four Seasons Resort scheduled to open in 2004.
Other international chains reported to be heading for the
Papagayo peninsula are Rosewood Hotels, Sheraton and Hilton
International.
Also new to the northern Pacific beaches of Guanacaste is the
Posada del Sol, which offers 19 colonial-style villas, a
restaurant, a bar and a cascade pool.
The Posada is situated within the exclusive new oceanfront
resort community of Hacienda Pinilla, where the centerpiece sports
attraction is a 72-hole championship golf course created by Mike
Young.
For packages to Posada del Sol, contact Elegant Adventures in
Atlanta at (800) 451-4398. The Web site is at www.elegantadventures.com. To call Posada del Sol
directly, phone (011) 506 680-3000.
• Rico Tours of Austin, Texas, added La Paz Villas to its Costa
Rica program. The spacious villas have a living room with
fireplace, a bedroom with canopy bed, a Jacuzzi and a balcony. The
property is located within the La Paz Waterfall Gardens nature
complex.
Per-night room price with breakfast and admission to La Paz
gardens is $195. For details, call Rico Tours at (800) 955-8064 or
view the Web site at www.ricotours.com.
• Grupo Taca will inaugurate flights between Chicago and
Guatemala City, with continuing service to San Jose, this month.
Southbound and northbound flights will operate on Wednesdays,
Fridays and Sundays.
• The Manatee Amazon Explorer launched four- and five-day
cruises through Ecuador's Amazon rain forest. All start from the
port of Francisco de Orellana.
The three-deck, air-conditioned river vessel accommodates 30
passengers in double and triple cabins. On board are a dining room,
a bar, guest laundry, satellite TV and phone, naturalist guides,
binoculars, boots and rain ponchos.
Activities include guided excursions in the Yasuni Biosphere
Reserve and Monkey Island; caiman-watching at night; and
wildlife-viewing from an observation tower.
For more information, call Advantage Travel at (011) 593-2
2462-871; e-mail [email protected]; or visit www.advantagecuador.com.
• The Ritz-Carlton will debut next summer in Santiago, adding
205 guest rooms, 15 executive suites and 52 Ritz-Carlton Club level
guest rooms and suites to the Chilean capital's hotel scene.
Facilities will include a dining room, wine bar, Ritz-Carlton
bar and 2,264-square-foot health and fitness center with views of
the city and the Andes. The deluxe property is located in the El
Golf neighborhood, near the Golf Club Los Leones.
For more information, call Ritz-Carlton at (800) 241-3333; the
Web site is www.ritzcarlton.com.
• Estancia Los Potreros offers new accommodations in seven rooms
on its 6,000-acre working cattle farm in the Cordoba region of
Argentina.
European and local dishes, accompanied by fine local wines, are
served in the colonial estancia house, and guests enjoy riding
expeditions, bird-watching walks, swimming in the house's pool and
touring in an antique car.
For reservations or information, call Estancia Los Potreros at
(011) 54 3548-452121; e-mail [email protected] or visit the Web site at www.ride-americas.com.
• The 27th TravelMart Latin America will be held next year from
Sept. 24 to 26 in Quito, Ecuador, with headquarters at the Cemexpo
Convention Center.
For TravelMart information, contact William H. Coleman, Inc. at
(800) 874-2324 or visit the Web at www.travelmartlatinamerica.com.