Tours.com's Travel-Intel Examines Cruise Industry in Wake of the Concordia

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 17, 2012) - The new issue of Tours.com's Travel-Intel newsletter looks at what practices and policies are afoot in the wake of last month's foundering of the Costa Concordia. Statements by industry brass, such as Royal Caribbean's Richard Fain and Cruise Line Industry Association head Christine Duffy, show a laser focus on refining muster regulations and also produce a well-deserved nod to the industry's overall excellent safety record.

The issue also looks at recent decisions by the US Department of Homeland Security to install the Global Entry program as a permanent part of U.S. Immigration at international airports. The program recently completed a five-year pilot run at 20 airports around the country allowing frequent flying U.S. citizens to by-pass lengthy customs lines with pre-approved status read biometrically at arrival area kiosks. The article provides links to the registration site, which can result in great time savings for international travelers.

These articles are among several new features in the February 15 issue of Travel-Intel, a newsletter sent to more than 100,000 opt-in travel agents in the U.S. and Canada. Travel-Intel is then posted on Tours.com for those seeking answers in Tours.com's comprehensive directory of tour companies and travel information.

The new issue of Travel-Intel also features a look at wild Las Vegas, which is experiencing a solid resurgence of visitor interest as the U.S. recession loses strength. Similarly, the newsletter talks to Beth Whitman, owner of the Wanderlust and Lipstick travel site and WanderTours, to see just how travelers can go from passionate bloggers to passionate tour operators, in this instance, one that offers women-only tours to exotic locales.

And for travelers hooked on the art of travel, Travel-Intel features a pair of luxury properties on the southern tip of Uruguay devoted to art as hospitality, if not the art of hospitality. Estancia Vik and Playa Vik, both properties included in the Kurtz-Ahlers collection, create a living canvas for guests with stays unlike anywhere else in the world.

"Travel is a constantly moving landscape so we try to keep up with the news, updates and changes with twice monthly newsletters that put sense and depth to what we see happening around us," says Lark Ellen Gould, content director for Travel-Intel. "In this issue, for instance, we ask tough questions about the Concordia and we learn from a travel blogger just what it takes to turn a passion into a profit making venture. These topics hit a note with a broad swath of people who travel or work in the travel industry."

Gould, a veteran travel journalist who has been covering the travel industry for more than 20 years, brings her incisive perspective to the publication and emails it on the 1st and 15^th of each month to more 103,000 travel agents in the U.S. and Canada, before posting the travelzine on Tours.com and Sightseeing.com. Travel-Intel also partners with CanadaScope and Britain Magazine for easy access to added sources of information.

Tours.com is the Official Directory of Tours & Vacations Worldwide. On-line since 1995, Tours.com has a deep and searchable database of tour and vacation companies searchable by company name, destination and/or activity. Also a one-stop resource for major Travel Channels such as travel insurance, passport & visa information, major travel booking sites by categories such as hotels, air, cars, cruises, barges, yachts & ferries, railroad & rail travel, etc. plus all other pertinent travel categories/channels. The Find a Travel Agent search field allows one to search for travel agents certified with in-depth knowledge in their chosen specialty.

For more information visit www.tours.com