→America’s first home town
→International visitors
→Fly me away
→'How long will Daddy be home?'
→The triple-D list
→Put that hooch in your luggage
→Hotel bargains - just for asking
→STS Marketing College
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Jamestown: America's first home town celebrates No. 400
If you’re a fan of birthday parties, this is the biggie.
It’s the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Va., the first permanent English colony in the New World.
The first known Jamestown celebration was in 1807.
Fly me away
Five of the world’s 10 busiest passenger airports are in the U.S. And, yes, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International (84.8 million passengers) is at the top of the 2006 list.
Test yourself to name all of the Top 10.
There’s a three-day special event May 11-13, but preparatory activities have been going on for some time, and more festivities will continue for months. More...
International visitors: Up but really down?
The total number of international visitors to the U.S. was up in 2006, nearly matching the record of 51.2 million in 2000.
So things are getting back to pre-9/11 norms, right? Not so fast, buster. More...Have you ever asked your family to postpone a child’s birthday party or some other occasion because it conflicted with a business trip? How did you feel about that?
A growing number of business travelers say they don’t like that feeling and are getting bolder about asking their employers to work around their families’ needs when it comes time to hit the road again.
USA Today reported recently that nearly 50% of male senior executives are more likely now than just five years ago to seek reductions in business travel when negotiating for a job, according to the Association of Executive Search Consultants, a trade group. More...Some travelers just don’t seem to be getting the word that they can’t bring large containers of liquids into the passenger cabins of airplanes.
Just ask the Transportation Security Administration staff at Miami International Airport and other airports where connecting passengers have made purchases outside the country at duty-free stores.
From just last October to this January, the TSA collected more than nine tons of oversized bottles, mostly booze and perfume.
It may be a little unsettling to pack that bottle of red wine in your checked luggage, but it’s a sure bet you won’t get it through security if you have it in your carry-on bag.AROUND THE SOUTHEAST
The triple-D list may be your 'A-list' for travel
Heritage tourism drives a lot of traffic, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation has a dozen suggestions for notable places to visit.
The organization’s “Dozen Distinctive Destinations” list for 2007 is out, and it stretches from Charlottesville, Va., (home to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and James Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland) to West Hollywood, Calif. (where the attractions include diverse architecture, designer boutiques and people-watching).
Others in the Southeast are Hillsborough, N.C. (home of a “NASCAR speedway from the inaugural 1949 season”) and Morgantown, W.Va., (cited for its vibrant downtown, riverfront park and a rails-to-trails project).
The National Trust offered special praise outside of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations list to New Orleans, commending it for “exemplary achievement in heritage tourism.” This is the eighth such list, and there are destinations in 41 states. Details about this year’s selections are at www.nationaltrust.org.
Hotel bargains . . . just for askingHoteliers are quick to tell you that nothing is more worthless than yesterday’s empty hotel room. That’s why you often can find bargains, even at properties with otherwise hefty room rates.
The key to finding a well-priced room key is simple—just ask. The reservations agent might surprise you—if you consider a room at the Four Seasons in Houston, the W Atlanta, the Brown Hotel in Louisville and the Hawk’s Cay resort in the Florida Keys for less than $100 a surprise.
STS Marketing College already is accepting registrations for this summer’s session at North Georgia College and State University. Registration materials are available online.
And regardless of whether these deals cooked up by Southern Living match your travel plans, the concept of asking always is worth trying.
