World News

Now in its 13th year, the LATA Media Awards recognise innovation and excellence across the British travel media landscape with a specific focus on Latin America. Celebrating and rewarding inspiring Latin America stories and photography, the winners of the Ecoventura LATA Media Awards 2016 were picked from over 140 entries by an esteemed panel of judges, all of whom have helped bring Latin America a little closer to the UK through their respective work.

From the stark beauty of the Great Rift Valley, to the unsurpassed tranquillity of its picturesque lake, there is something remarkable about Malawi. One of Africa's smallest countries, it is often overlooked by the travel industry, in favour of the path more trodden and the allure of big game. Consequently, Malawi makes the ideal Undiscovered Destination.

A year on from the quake, the dust in Kathmandu and the surrounding countryside has well and truly settled. Anyone who has been to Nepal and met the incredible people who make up this country will not be surprised at their stoic, even cheerful attitude and the sheer industry with which they have applied themselves to the task of rebuilding and restoring their lives and livelihoods.

Brazil Carnival, Notting Hill Carnival of London, Indonesia Carnival, Dusseldorf Carnival of Germany, and the Carnival of Italy will this year be joined for the first time by the Carnival from France and the Cologne Carnival of Germany to parade side-by-side in Seychelles in the island’s carnival that has been called the Carnival of Carnivals.

Seychelles is planning for the launch of the much-talked-about, new 3D film of Aldabra titled “Aldabra - once upon an island” by Starlight Pictures. Directed by Steve Lichtag and produced by Peter Keller, this impressive family film made in breathtakingly-clear 3D, offers an amazing apercu of the creatures which inhabit the atoll as it plots their lives, antics, and struggle for survival.

As part of its 10^th year anniversary celebrations, the launch of “Caribbean Rocks NYC”, an event spotlighting the Caribbean’s extraordinarily beautiful destinations and amazing culture, music and entertainment has been announced.  Caribbean Rocks NYC, will take place during CTO’s Caribbean Week June 1^st – 5^th, 2016 in NYC and is a partnership between TEMPO, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and Platinum destination partner, The Islands Of The Bahamas -- one of the Caribbean’s leading tourist destinations.

Tenerife is gearing up to host a new edition of its acclaimed International Street Art Festival, known as Mueca. From 12th to 15th May 2016, the northern seafaring town of Puerto de la Cruz will welcome over 100 fun activities to delight both visitors and locals alike – from theatrical, circus and musical performances to photographic exhibitions and workshops.

Home to historic temples and elegant French provincial architecture, Luang Prabang, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a riot of colour: the green of the trees contrasting with their bright blossoms and the saffron robes of the ever-present monks. Life is enjoyed slowly and vividly in this town and at the elegant Sofitel Luang Prabang, the century-old former governor's mansion protected by UNESCO, which has been restored to its full grandeur and majestic grace.

A call was made for countries that are proud of their culture to come forward and be part of the annual United Nations Cultural Gathering in Seychelles from April 22-24. Ethiopian Airlines has taken the call by Seychelles to heart and has facilitated for a delegation from Ethiopia to represent their country in the coming 2016 edition of the annual Carnaval International de Victoria.

With postcard-perfect beaches and breath-taking crystal clear seas, many visitors to Antigua and Barbuda are happy to enjoy the comfort of their sun lounger. However, visitors looking for a more active break this Spring will be pleasantly surprised by what Antigua and Barbuda can offer beyond the beach.

Seychelles has a rich maritime heritage, dating back to long before the 17th century. Since then until the early 1970s when Seychelles got its own airport, those traveling to these stunning islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean had to come by boat.  The Seychelles islands have, therefore, a rich heritage of maritime connections worth preserving. It is with this idea that Seychelles will have its first National Maritime Museum.

The Tenerife Film Commission has revealed that a total of 88 local and international production companies chose Tenerife as the location for their shoot last year – 20 more than in 2014. Sixteen of these were from the UK, including the film crews of Doctor Who and The Only Way is Essex, attracted by the island's tax incentives, variety of landscapes and 3,000 hours of sunshine a year.

A new ecotourism project in Panama, Ecotour, which is part of the government's plan to develop sustainable tourism throughout the country developed by The Ministry of Environment and the tourism authorities. The Ecotur project, which will be launched on 22 April 2016, aims to develop nine protected areas across Panama, such as the 'Isla Bastimentos' Marine Park, 'Volcan Baru' National Park, 'Altos de Campana' National Park and the 'Altos de Campana' National Park. 

Musical Heritage is key for Georgia, a state known for greats from Luke Bryan to James Brown, and they're looking for a passionate music fan to explore its vibrant music scenes and bring them to life via social media in it's #GeorgiaMusic Backstage Pass Contest. The contest will showcase Georgia's deep-rooted musical history and highlight music-focused experiences through Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and the ExploreGeorgia.org blog.

As the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary this August with a series of activities and events taking place across the continent, including National Park Week taking place from 16-24 April during which visitors can explore the dedicated landscapes under free admission, take a look at Colorado's four stunning national parks by numbers.

The first ever Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) undertaken in the English-speaking Caribbean region has been completed at leading tertiary care hospital Health City Cayman Islands. The complex cardiac procedure was performed successfully last month on local Cayman Islands patient Dianna Merren by Health City's Senior Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist Dr. Ravi Kishore and Senior Cardiac Surgeon Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil.