On this luxury travel blog we’re usually pointing to new hotel reviews, tour stories, or high-end real estate round-ups. Sometimes we’ll sip some tequila or rum. There’s always a lot going on under the radar in the tourism world though, so here’s an update on some travel news.

We’ve reviewed Mexico’s Interjet airline in the past and we’ve been impressed by their growth. The airline now has 25% of the Mexican market and after adding flights to Miami and San Antonio last year, in November they stated flights between Mexico City and Las Vegas. They also headed south to Costa Rica and Guatemala. What’s next? This year they’ll start flying to Colombia. Pull up Interjet.com.mx next time you’re heading to Mexico to check out the options.

Think Brazil is becoming an economic powerhouse? Yes, they’re now the 6th largest economy, but because of domestic deman, not globalization. Latin Business Chronicle released a survey rating it as last on the list in Latin America for globalization. Measuring imports and exports as a percentage of GDP and other factors such as tourism receipts, it ranked the lowest, after Venezuela and Colombia. Who’s at the top? If you’ve been there you can probably guess: Panama. (In preparation for the World Cup though, Brazil’s prostitutes are busy learning new languages.)

A few times before on this blog we’ve pointed to ugly warning signs that Argentina could be facing another big financial crisis similar to the one that brought the country to its knees a little more than a decade ago. The latest was the revelation that Argentina grounded the presidential plane, their equivalent of Air Force One. Long story short, the country still owes more to creditors than it can pay back and this plane is something that could easily be seized to repay debts. To travel abroad, president Kirchner now has to charter a jet from a private carrier. We assume they’re asking for payment in advance.

Meanwhile, the Falkland Islands will vote in March on whether to remain a British territory or not. Few outside of Argentina expect the vote to go their way. In the meantime, British cruise company P&O has suspended trips there because of hostilities.

What’s the story with American virus scan gazillionaire John McAfee and Belize, then Guatemala? We’re not sure and probably nobody is except the man himself. But one movie script has already been sold and another will probably surface soon, even though we don’t know the ending yet. Get what we know so far here: Mystery Follows McAfee to Miami.

As we watch the Americas—including the Caribbean—dominate all the track & field sprints in the Olympics, let’s take a break to check out some luxury travel news for the region.

In Brazil’s biggest city, a much-needed subway expansion is finally in motion. They’ve got a long way to go to really ease congestion though. Their metro has 71 kms of track for 19 million people compared to 200 kms for Mexico City. Even Santiago’s is 40% bigger. A planned Line 4 extension will add five more stations though to the recently opened stops. Alas, not in time for the 2014 World Cup though. See the full article from the Economist here: Not yet fit for a metropolis.

Mexico tourism is on track to set a record this year for both the number of visitors and overall revenues, based on how the first six months went.

Luxury retail spending was down 26% in the second quarter of this year, after a smaller decline in the first quarter. Affluent households have previously been the bright spot during this recession, but while they still seem to be traveling, they’re not plunking down as much on handbags and watches.

Magazine publishers are crying the blues as well. As more readers and advertisers gravitate to digital, paper is suffering. “Vogue, Vanity Fair, Lucky and Allure all experienced double-digit declines for Condé Nast” says this article and most others were lucky to have “only” a single-digit decline for the first half of the year.

Argentina’s import restrictions are hitting the Buenos Aires luxury market hard. All the red tape and bureaucracy have led to permanent or months-long closures of stores from Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Cartier, and Ermenegildo Zegna. We can only imagine the effect this is having on hotels as well if they’re trying to import French toiletries or the latest electronics.

We don’t cover troubled Venezuela on Luxury Latin America, but congrats to fencer Rubin Limardo who won the country its first gold Olympics medal in 44 years.

I’ve traveled with and reviewed a few iPhone apps on here before. Luxury Latin America contributor Zora O’Neill has out one called Cool Cancun & Isla Mujeres (here’s my review) and contributor Christopher Baker has out one for Costa Rica.

These were both published by a company called Sutro Media and that’s also the case with the latest one I’ve been checking out: Argentina Travel Adventures. It’s from Wayne Bernhardson, who has spent 30 years traveling in Argentina and Chile. He does the Moon guides for those countries, has a home in Argentina, speaks Spanish fluently, and has an Argentine wife. So yes, he knows what he’s talking about.

The app is full of inside information and filtered advice on lots of essentials like airports, taxis, and attractions. There are categories on architecture, art & culture, museums, festivals, nightlife, and plenty more. The wildlife section has pictures and descriptions, the restaurant section gives you a sense of what to expect and will lead you to places that have stood the test of time. Click the listing for Cafe Tortini and you get a great description and a photo plus their address (with a map link), a phone number, opening hours, and even a Wikipedia link. So if you know what you’re looking for and the place is included in this app, you’re all set.

The problem is, what if it’s not included? By their very nature, these apps only include a tiny fraction of what you’ll find in a guidebook. That’s fine if you’re looking for filtered results and a quickie description, but not so great if you want more choices or more depth. While I’m sure the 8 wineries highlighted, for example, are quite worth a visit, they represent a tiny fraction of what’s out there. (I visited more than that just in Cafayate, for instance—all open to the public.)

The hotel listings are a mixed jumble of budget ranges and places all thrown together on one scrolling page. It literally goes from Alvear Palace in  Buenos Aires to an obscure kelp-collecting village to a winery with a 2-room guesthouse in Mendoza. If you want to see the best options in one specific destination, you have to click on the sluggish map and drill down.

So maybe the better question is, “Will an app be good enough?” After all, at $2.99 for this Argentina app, you can hardly complain that it’s not comprehensive enough or lacks structure. For people who just want the basics in their pocket and will get sleepy reading more than three paragraphs at a time, this collection of bite-sized nuggets will be perfect. You get the filtered recommendations from an expert without having to make any decisions from a long menu of options. It adds zero ounces to your bag or pocket and is with you even when you’re not carrying a daypack. And no need to look like a lost tourist holding a guidebook: you’re just playing around on your smart phone!

If you want to dig deeper though and have some context instead of just a list of things to click on, I’d recommend upgrading to his books Moon Handbook Argentina for $17 paperback/$13 Kindle, Moon Handbook Buenos Aires for $15 paperback/$9 Kindle, or Moon Patagonia for $22 paperback/$10 Kindle instead.

Also note that there’s no Android version of this app for now, which always seems kind of odd given Android’s higher (and growing) market share over the Apple system. I’m told it’s on the way though.

With a big drop in visitors due to a natural disaster, we’re still forging ahead and highlighting a new property in Argentina: LUMA.

They haven’t had it so well this past year in the normally lovely Argentine region around Bariloche. Last June a volcano erupted so forcefully in nearby Chile that the ash closed the San Carlos de Bariloche airport for seven months solid—until just a few weeks ago. But then it shut back down again a few days later when the winds changed direction.

Eventually the nearby volcano will stop its burping and the natural beauty of this area will draw visitors back again, including to the less crowded Villa la Angostura area.  We’ve featured quite a few intimate hotels from this area and are happy to add another worthwhile one for you to consider: LUMA Casa Montaña. This is an Italian style mansion on a lake, with just 8 elegant rooms for guests. With personalized service, a terrific view, and excellent meals, it’s the kind of place you check into and then don’t want to leave. A hands-on owner who understands upscale hospitality helps too.

You feel the passion and the commitment that is poured into this hotel. And when they tell you to make yourself at home and to feel free to explore every nook and cranny of the place as if it were your own, you get the sense that they really mean it.

See our full review of LUMA in Villa La Angostura, Argentina.

Buenos Aires, Argentina is one of the most vibrant and enchanting cities on the planet. With the feel of Europe but with a Latin flair and far lower prices, Argentina’s best-known destination enchants almost everyone who lands here and more than a few start to think, “Wouldn’t it be nice to buy a little place and move here?”

Many did just that over the past decade and the ones that pounced on opportunity a decade ago made out like bandits. Those bargain basement days have disappeared for a variety of reasons: a recovering and more stable economy, a rising domestic demand as locals put money into real estate as an inflation hedge, and increasingly wealthier Brazilians buying up prime condos.

Still, Buenos Aires is a good value when you compare it to comparable major cities around the world and the reasons it is a great place to live are still all in place. You just need to be careful in your searching and buying—both in terms of neighborhoods and in terms of navigating the obstacles that can trip you up.

To get an idea of prices, pitfalls, and places, check out our latest real estate round-up on buying real estate in Buenos Aires.

(And you’ll need a place to stay when you land, so see our reviews of the best hotels in Buenos Aires.)