Destinations
Never mind, drive on
After creating quite a furor, the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) has now announced (in a Feb. 14 statement) that it is suspending the state's recently enacted International Driving Permit requirement pending further study. International visitors who plan to drive in Florida now need only a valid driver's license issued from their own country. In its statement, the DHSMV said: "During the 2012 legislative session, the Florida Legislature amended section 322.04, Florida Statutes, to require visitors from outside the United States to have an International Driving...
Tourcan hosts South Africa seminars in Alberta
Tourcan Vacations in collaboration with South African Tourism will host seminars in Alberta that will cover what the vacationer needs to know prior to travel to South Africa; what the first-time traveller should get to experience; and various travel options. Seminars will be conducted in Edmonton March 4, Red Deer March 5, and Calgary March 6. RSVP to [email protected]....
Winter recreation, music at Edmonton festival
Edmonton's longest running winter festival returns with its extravaganza of art, culture, recreation and sports programming to Hawrelak Park, Feb. 15-18. The 23rd annual Silver Skate Festival is a free, all-age winter celebration featuring activities/performances like large-scale snow sculpture, skate races/demos, a Heritage Village, Family Fun Zone, live music and the popular Baba Yaga Folk Trail, which includes spectacular fire sculpture installations. The Silver Skate snow sculpture symposium kicks off Feb. 15, and free festival programming/activities run Feb. 16-17....
Second Ritz-Carlton for Hawaii in planning
Luxury hotel operator, Ritz-Carlton has made plans for its first Oahu property, to be located in Waikiki. The property will be Ritz-Carlton's second presence in Hawaii, after The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua on Maui. Formerly 2121 Kuhio, the new Ritz-Carlton Residences Waikiki Beach will begin construction this year, and the completion of the tower is scheduled for early 2016....
In tune on St. Kitts
The St. Kitts Tourism Authority is inviting all lovers of music and authentic Caribbean fun to mark their calendars to attend the 17th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival, which will be held June 27-29. "Each year, the St. Kitts Music Festival combines music, Caribbean island culture and elements of carnival-type block parties with world class performances from a wide variety of internationally popular music genres,"said Senator Ricky Skerritt, Minister of Tourism & International Transport. "What results is an authentic, festive atmosphere and sense of connection to the music and to our...
WestJet Encore to serve Fort St. John
WestJet has introduced the launch of new non-stop daily service between Fort St. John, BC and Vancouver, and Fort St. John and Calgary. The service will be operated by WestJet Encore's fleet of Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft. Encore's Vancouver to Fort St. John route and the new direct service between Calgary and Fort St. John will operate round-trip once per day. Seats are now available for purchase. "The announcement of the first two cities to be served by WestJet Encore is an historic moment for our new airline,"said Ferio Pugliese, executive vice-president, WestJet, and president,...
Embracing the complete visitor economy
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) will hold its 2013 PATA Annual Summit in Bangkok from April 25 to April 28, 2013. The PATA Youth Forum will commence on April 25, followed by the one-day summit on April 26, and the PATA Board meetings and AGM on April 27 to April 28 respectively. Under the theme "Embracing the Complete Visitor Economy," speakers from the public and private sector at the summit will show the considerable impact and social and economic reach of the complete visitor economy. PATA CEO, Martin J Craigs observed: "International visitor arrivals statistics do not tell the...
Monster snowball rolls into Silver Star resort
The world's largest snowball recently rolled into Silver Star Mountains Resort near Vernon, BC, just in time for the Family Day holiday on Feb. 11 - the first for BC. At 3.6 metres tall and weighing 18,000 kilos, the snowball beats the previous record by 1.5 metres. BC scheduled its Family Day holiday one week before other provinces, and Presidents' Day in the US, to generate more visitor business. The move created a flurry of new bookings for Silver Star Mountain Resort, with occupancy up 30% over last year - a trend observed across the tourism industry....