Don’t even think of Bolivia

Looking for a warm embrace? Try a trip to New Zealand or Iceland. But don’t even think of Bolivia or Venezuela.

Aglobal tourism study by the World Economic Forum that ranks countries on overall tourism also looks at how welcoming they are to visitors. The study gave top scores to Iceland and New Zealand, with marks of 6.8. Next were Morocco, Macedonia, Austria and Senegal at 6.7, followed by Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland and Burkina Faso at 6.6. Canada was ranked12th, with a mark of 6.4.

Not bad. And way ahead of the UK, which came 55th, and the U.S., which ranked a dismal 102nd out of 140.

The worst was Bolivia, which was ranked last in the world for warm welcomes with a mark of just 4.1. Next worst was Venezuela (maybe a new president will help) at 4.5, followed by Russia at 5.0. Rounding out the bottom 10 were Kuwait, Latvia, Iran, Pakistan, the Slovak Republic, Bulgaria and Mongolia.

HEY, KIDS, WE’RE GOING TO KYRGYZSTAN

An item on marketwatch.com recently talked about what countries have the fastest growth rates in tourism. The top 10 were Qatar, Azerbai- jan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Tunisia, Chile, Belarus, Panama and the Philippines.

NEW VEGAS DIGS

Caesars Entertainment Corp. is teaming up with the Gansevoort Hotel Group and nightlife owner Victor Drai to open a boutique hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Gansevoort Las Vegas will have 188 rooms, including19 suites, along with some retail stores, a 40,000-squarefoot casino, a restaurant and Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub. The beach club and nightclub will include a rooftop pool and indoor/outdoor nightclub. There will also be the Drai’s After Hours club.

The hotel is expected to open early next year.

CARNIVAL WOES

Carnival Cruise Lines says the Carnival Triumph will be out of service longer than first expected after it was crippled by an engine fire in the Gulf of Mexico last month, leaving 4,200 people stranded for five days.

The company this week said the ship will return to service June 13, meaning 10 more cruises will be cancelled.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS These festival goers in Bolivia don’t look like bad people, but a new study says theirs is the least welcoming country in the world for tourists.