Groupon is the fastest growing business of all time. Since its launch in November 2008, deal-of-the-day website it has grown into a business valued in excess of $1.3 billion. And now it is moving into travel after a new tie-up with Expedia. Can Google launch of Offers catch it?

Mexican President Felipe Calderon said that drug violence has yet to harm his country’s tourism, nor will it hinder his plans to continue growing the industry. Speaking to delegates at the WTTC Global Travel & Tourism Summit, he said there were “almost zero” incidents of tourists encountering crime related to drug cartels.

Hot on the heels of its victory at this week’s World Travel Awards, Grosvenor House Dubai has launched a new range of clothing for staff, with pop star Peter Andre among the glitterati attending the launch party.

A quarter of all advertising is now being spent online. According to a new study by Price Waterhouse Coopers and the Internet Advertising Bureau, web advertising grew 12.8 percent last year, three times the 2009 level, with social media, mobile advertising and digital magazines fuelling the growth.

Sri Lanka’s tourism economy is enjoying a miracle recovery, and with the capital Colombo a host city of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the good times are expected to continue. BTN looks at how the island nation is preparing for even greater things to come.

Just six months after launching the iPad, Apple is believed to lining up the release of a successor to its groundbreaking tablet computer. According to component makers in Taiwan, the “iPad 2” could hit the shops as early as February 2011, but is more likely to be nearer April 2011.