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Weekly UpdatesJun 28, 2009
AAA
Travel in the U.S. during the July 4 holiday weekend will decline 1.9 percent from last year as the recession and high gasoline prices keep motorists off the highways, AAA said. The number of people traveling at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) from home will drop to 37.1 million from 37.8 million in 2008, AAA, the nationOs largest motorist group, said in an annual outlook today. The 2008 total showed an 11 percent decline from 2007. Gasoline at the pump, averaged nationwide, has risen 65 percent this year, pulled higher by a rally in crude oil. The fuel fell 0.7 cent to USD 2.676 a gallon, AAA said today on its Web site. Prices for regular gasoline rose to a record USD 4.114 a gallon on July 17, 2008. This year's projected slight decline in leisure travel is mainly due to ongoing uncertainty about the strength of the economy, especially rising unemployment and sagging personal incomes. Jun 24, 2009
Avalon Waterways
The Globus family of brandsO Avalon Waterways and Monograms have put together seven- to 10-day pre- and post-cruise packages for river cruise itineraries in London, Paris, Nice, Amsterdam, Vienna, Prague, Munich, Zrich, Interlaken, Lucerne and Berlin. MonogramsO A Week in Paris vacation interlocks perfectly with Avalon WaterwaysO Burgundy & Provence itinerary. And the seven-day Vienna & Prague vacation package is good fit with AvalonOs A Taste of the Danube itinerary, post-cruise. In 2010, Avalon Waterways and Monograms are offering nearly 15 pre- and post-cruise packages to fit many river cruise itineraries. Additional examples include Paris & Nice -- seven days, priced from USD 1,599, combining pre-cruise with Avalon WaterwaysO Burgundy & Provence; Amsterdam, Paris & London -- seven days, priced from USD 1,389, combining post-cruise with Avalon WaterwaysO Romantic Rhine, European Splendor, Magnificent Europe, Windmills, Vineyards & Paris or North Sea-Black Sea Cruise; and Vienna, Munich & Berlin -- 10 days, priced from USD 2,429, combining post-cruise with Avalon WaterwaysO A Taste of the Danube. www.globusfamilypartner.com. Jun 24, 2009
Charleston
The chance to win a free, week-long getaway to Charleston, S.C., is quickly coming to a close. The destinationOs Rediscover the Family Vacation Contest ends on July 9, 2009. Families still hoping to win one of five family fun getaways can log onto www.CharlestonVacationGiveaway.com to enter. Families who submit a three-minute video explaining why they want to visit Charleston could be eligible to win one of five summer getaways. Judging will be based on humor, originality and the use of Charleston area attractions, beaches, tours, accommodations, etc in the video. If participants do not own a video camera, a 150-word essay will be accepted. Preliminary judging will be conducted by John Rosemond, family psychologist and author of a number of parenting books including Parenting by the Book and Making the OTerribleO Twos Terrific. Rosemond will select four winning families. Jun 25, 2009
DiscoverAmerica.com
DiscoverAmerica.com, the official travel and tourism website of the United States, is now loaded with more than 300 money-saving offers from leading brands such as Best Western, Crowne Plaza, Marriott, Radisson, Gray Line, Hertz and MacyOs through its OGet a DealO tool featured on every page. Frugality is the trend in travel. Recent travelhorizons research revealed that almost two-thirds (62 percent) of U.S. adults intending to travel for leisure purposes between now and October are more likely than last year to comparison shop for deals and travel bargains -- especially online. Jun 25, 2009
General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties, Inc. is offering commissionable shopping and dining packages in three U.S. destinations -- Festival Bay Mall in Orlando, The Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio and the Grand Canal Shoppes and Fashion Show in Las Vegas. All are part of AmericaOs Premier Shopping Places, GGPOs award-winning collection of tourism-oriented retail and dining destinations located throughout the U.S. Fashion Show and The Grand Canal Shoppes were two of three original shopping centers to participate in this tourism sales program since its inception in 2003. The program was conceived and developed by Shop Las Vegas, a taskforce coordinated by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) to assist in marketing shopping as a tourism product for the destination. Recognizing that shopping is the leading activity of all travelers -- domestic and international -- the program was conceived by LVCVA as a way to provide visitors to Las Vegas with unique, upscale shopping and dining experiences, while offering travel professionals an opportunity to increase opt-in product or inclusions and build revenues. www.shopamericatours.com. Jun 26, 2009
General Tours
General Tours World Traveler extended its Double AARP Member Benefit promotion, introduced earlier this spring. Through June 30, the company continues to offer Double AARP Member Benefits on all 2009 European river cruises, savings of USD 560 per couple. In addition, General ToursO passengers enjoy an exclusive Be Our Guest benefit, a USD 100 per person shipboard credit that can be used for wine with dinner, cocktails in the lounge or extra sightseeing. www.GeneralTours.com. Jun 24, 2009
Georgia
Somewhere just off scenic GA 400, an adventure awaits. From North Fulton County in metro Atlanta to Lumpkin County in the North Georgia Mountains, the Hospitality Highway leads you to one adventure after another: the shopping decadence in Buckhead, home of Lenox Square and Phipps Mall; outdoor excursions on more than 20 miles of Chattahoochee River shoreline in Sandy Springs; a 640-plus acre historic district in Roswell encompassing OThe Southern TrilogyO N three antebellum house-museums that tell the authentic story of the American South; and the only American Girl Boutique and Bistro in the southeast located in Alpharetta. Farther up the highway is one of Mother NatureOs favorite playgrounds in Cumming/Forsyth, the highest falls east of the Mississippi at Amicalola Falls in Dawsonville, and the heart of Georgia wine country in Dahlonega. Visit www.hospitalityhighway.com to chart your course to adventure. Jun 26, 2009
GOGO Worldwide Vacations
GOGO Worldwide Vacations is absorbing the 1 percent tax increase that goes into effect on July 1 on any existing, deposited Hawaii bookings. OTo keep with our Ogoing one betterO philosophy and for the convenience of our travel agent partners and their customers, GOGO has decided to honor the price that was quoted and deposited,O said Kelly Segnello, director of marketing for GOGO. www.gogowwv.com. Jun 25, 2009
Maui Whale Festival
Do you enjoy drawing and designing? Pacific Whale Foundation invites you to submit your artistic design concepts for the official commemorative T-shirt that will be created for the Maui Whale Festival, which will be held throughout the month of February in 2010. The person who submits the winning design will receive a USUSD 300 gift certificate to Pacific Whale Foundation's Ocean Store (found online at www.pacificwhale.org and also at 612 Front Street, Lahaina, or at the Harbor Shops at Maalaea). Jun 22, 2009
New York City
NY Waterway Tours offers the best seats in the house -- the middle of the Hudson River -- aboard itOs 4th of July Fireworks Cruise boarding at 6 p.m. at West 38th Street and the Hudson River in Manhattan, with free bus service along 42nd Street to the Cruise Terminal; East 34th Street Terminal at the East River; BrooklynOs Fulton Ferry Landing, foot of Fulton Street; Edgewater, N.J.-River Road and Route 5, with free bus service from designated parking locations; Hoboken Rail/Ferry Terminal; Jersey City-Liberty Harbor Marina at the foot Marin Boulevard in Paulus Hook; and Belford, NJ-NY Waterway Ferry Terminal, 10 Harbor Way. All boats feature live radio broadcast of the music score to which the fireworks are synchronized. Cocktails, soft drinks and snacks will be available for purchase onboard. Reservations are recommended. www.nywaterway.com. Jun 25, 2009
New York City
Five French tourists got a harrowing start to their New York visit: a wild police chase. As they looked for a ride at the Air France terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday morning, the visitors were lured to a van that was not licensed to provide taxi service, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman John Kelly said. Plainclothes police recognized the man who enticed the tourists, Ian McFarland, as a repeat offender previously arrested for corralling passengers into unlicensed cars. A Port Authority officer reached inside the van to try and grab the keys, but the driver, Khaalis Preacher, sped off with the tourists inside, knocking the officer to the ground, Kelly said. Jun 24, 2009
New York City
Thousands of people will have an unprecedented view of ancient history in New York City with the grand opening of the OLucyOs Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of EthiopiaO exhibit at Discovery Times Square Exposition on June 24. Thanks to Ethiopian Airlines Journeys, Americans now have the chance to come over to experience the history of man, Africa and Ethiopia for themselves with an exciting new vacation package. The new OLucyOs LegacyO tour from Ethiopian Airlines Journeys introduces travelers to the 5 million year history of Ethiopia, known as the Cradle of Mankind, along with some of the most historically significant and fascinating cities in the world. The OLucyOs LegacyO tour features stops in Axum, the reputed resting place of the OArk of the Covenant,O and Lalibela, where travelers marvel at rock-hewn churches carved from solid red volcanic rock in the 12th century by King Lalibela. The package includes luxury hotel accommodations, all international and domestic flights, meals, a professional guide and much more. Best of all, travelers can customize and extend the package to take a safari in Tanzania as an add-on to see some of the best wildlife in the world. More than 100 artifacts in the exhibit illuminate this rich heritage, including fossils, historical manuscripts, paintings, coins, musical instruments, implements of daily use, religious artifacts and more. lucyexhibition.hmns.org. Jun 23, 2009
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