Worldwide briefing

Global position

Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts has launched a joint venture in Central America with Grupo Real, adding three hotels - in Honduras, Costa Rica and El Salvador - to Inter-Continental's portfolio. The move brings to 76 the number of countries in which the group has hotels or resorts - more, it says, than any other group.

Peace prize

Leah Rabin, widow of the assassinated Israeli prime minister, will present the first Yitzhak Rabin Peace Tourism award at the International Hotel and Restaurant Association's 50th anniversary Congress in Amsterdam on 2 November.

Cape crusade

Novelli at the Cellars, Jean-Christophe Novelli's first South African restaurant, opens on 7 November when Group Maison Novelli takes over the food franchise at Cape Town's Cellars-Hohenort hotel. Georg Jardine, former sous chef at Novelli W8, is executive head chef.

Radisson's reach

Radisson SAS Hotels Worldwide, has taken over the management of the Hotel Helsinki and the Sokos Hotel Hesperia, both in Finland. Also, following a contract to run the Desert Beach Resort, Radisson has now signed agreements to manage the Dana Beach Resort Hurghada and the Paradise Resort Taba, all on Egypt's Red Sea coast.

Irish boom

The number of overseas visitors to Ireland in the first six months of this year grew by 9%, according to figures released by the Irish Central Statistics Office.