Destinations
NEW: Yoga studio at King Kamehameha Resort
Visitors and kamaaina (local residents) alike are invited to nourish their body, mind and spirit at the new Kona Beach Yoga Studio at the Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii. Combining the principles of yoga, hula and peace through fitness and the arts, the studio offers daily classes. These range from Beginner's Mind Yoga, Pilates and Vinyasa Yoga to ukulele, Hawaiian language and hula....
FERNIVAL: Rocking the Rockies in mid-April
Lovers of classic rock will want to know about "Fernival,"a big annual spring concert that rocks the Rockies in the ski town of Fernie. Fernival will take place on April 13. Over the past five years, organizers have attracted Canadian rock stalwarts to the main stage at Fernie Alpine Resort, including April Wine and Trooper. This year will feature an as yet-to-be-announced group. But the star of the show remains the mountain itself, with its five alpine bowls and heaps of snow....
CELEBRATING EARTH DAY: Aqua helps out
Aqua Hospitality is donating a portion of room reservations on Earth Day to celebrate a number of green improvements throughout its collection. Aqua Hospitality's hotels and resorts will be doing their part to care for the oceans via room reservation donations to Hui o Koolaupoko, an organization whose mission is to protect ocean health. One dollar from each reservation booked on Earth Day (April 22) will go toward helping Hui o Koolaupoko's programs for monitoring ocean conditions and watershed health by working with various stakeholders on natural resource co-ordination and community...
HASHTAG JAMAICA: JTB hosts April 2 Twitter Chat
Do you know which are the best Jamaican beaches? Or do you know the best off-the-beaten-path Jamaican adventures? Agents and their clients can get all their Jamaica travel questions answered in time to book their summer getaway. On April 2 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. (EST) the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and Jamaica experts will be providing tips, tricks and must-sees in Jamaica and answering questions live and in 140 characters or less. In order to participate, Twitter users should use the hashtag #JamaicaMiHappy and tag @VisitJamaicaNow . One lucky participant will also have a chance to win an...
TUMBLER RIDGE: Seeks UNESCO Geopark designation
Home to one of the largest exhibits of dinosaur footprints in Canada, Northern BC's Tumbler Ridge may soon make an impression on a global scale. This March, the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation and community of Tumbler Ridge proposed that a Tumbler Ridge Geopark become a new member to the UNESCO global family. It would include the renowned Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre, and its museum exhibits in the Dinosaur Discovery Gallery and the Community Centre. The proposed park would be 7,822 sq. km. in size. A decision on the bid will be made in 2014, and if successful, the geopark would...
SUMMER HOT SPOTS: San Jose leads the way
While spring has just sprung, many Canadians are already looking forward to and planning ahead for travel this summer, prompting the travel experts at Cheapflights.ca to take a peek its data for destinations with the biggest percentage spikes in searches by Canadians looking for a June getaway compared to this time last year. Topping the "Top Five Emerging Summer Travel Hot Spots"list, according to Cheapflights.ca, is San Jose, Costa Rico (with travel searches up 137% over 2012). This capital city is an increasingly thriving destination in its own right with a fun and funky nightlife, a...
BY THE NUMBERS: San Francisco posts gains
The San Francisco Travel Association reports that San Francisco welcomed 16.51 million visitors in 2012, an increase of 1% from 2011. Those visitors spent $8.93 billion in 2012, up 5.5% compared to the previous year. Joe D'Alessandro, San Francisco Travel president and CEO, said: "Visitor spending reached the highest level ever in 2012. The total number of visitors is climbing steadily as well." The tourism industry generated $562 million in taxes for the City of San Francisco, up 6.7% from the previous year. The number of jobs supported by tourism rose 3.6% to 74,009 jobs in 2012, with an...
MAKE IT MARYLAND: New guide available
The Maryland Office of Tourism Development (OTD) has released its 2013 Destination Maryland: The Official Guide to Maryland State Travel. The free travel publication highlights the regions of Maryland, and includes trip suggestions as well as listings of attractions, state and national parks, lodging and services. And for the first time, the official Maryland Calendar of Events has been bound into Destination Maryland. Margot Amelia, executive director, said: "This combination makes sense so that consumers have one printed trip planning resource for their Maryland vacation. Now as travellers...