Posts tagged "movies"
15 May 2013

  • New York to boost tourism to Gatsby’s Long Island stomping grounds

    Destinations

    Efforts to boost the number of tourists visiting Gold Coast mansions, lighthouses and other local historic sites are being backed by $100,000 from New York State. The money will be used to develop brochures, a website and a Facebook page, both with video clips. The five-year plan targets New York City residents, school groups, families [...]

  • Dubai’s latest flashy hotel opening looks to Hollywood for star power

    Destinations

    Paramount Hotels & Resorts CEO Thomas van Vliet says merging Hollywood and hotels is rather like making a movie, and reveals the concept and cast behind the operator’s first big release, the US $1 billion Damac Towers by Paramount in Dubai. Like a film production, the concept behind Paramount Hotels & Resorts is the result [...]

12 May 2013

  • Gatsby-style Newport weekend for dreamers, flappers and gastronomes

    Destinations

    The much-anticipated 3-D adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire, hit theaters May 10. That makes this the perfect time for a glamorous Jazz Age getaway in Newport, Rhode Island, where several scenes from the 1974 movie with Robert Redford, Mia [...]

09 May 2013

  • Universal Orlando replaces Jaws ride with Harry Potter world expansion

    Destinations

    Fans of Harry Potter and magic, rejoice: Universal Orlando is expanding its Wizarding World of Harry Potter with a new area based on the books’ fictional scenes in Diagon Alley and London. Universal Orlando announced Wednesday the new area will open in 2014. “For Harry Potter fans, this is an opportunity to go to multiple [...]

07 May 2013

  • Even Hollywood hates the bright green bike lanes in downtown LA

    Destinations

    It’s not easy being green, as a notable Hollywood star once sang. But not even Kermit the Frog was subjected to the indignity of a Los Angeles Times editorial demanding he change his shade. The city’s principal newspaper – still regarded by some, if not all, as the arbiter of everything LA – on Monday [...]

04 May 2013

  • Business of booze: Destinations for 10 Hollywood-inspired drinks

    Destinations

    With “The Great Gatsby” about to hit screens globally, cocktails are being touted as back in vogue. Online travel consultants Cheapflights.com has compiled a list of cocktails made famous by Hollywood and where you can buy them. Reuters has not endorsed this list: 1. French 75 – “Casablanca” – Paris, France Recreate your own “Casablanca” classic [...]

26 Apr 2013
24 Apr 2013

  • Israel turns to a Chinese movie star to boost tourism from China

    Destinations

    Chinese star Zhang Jingchu stands with her back to Judaism’s Western Wall and Islam’s Al-Aqsa mosque after shooting scenes for the film “Old Cinderella” at Christianity’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher. “It is amazing that we can end this movie, which is a love story and romantic comedy, here,” she says. “I’m overwhelmed by all [...]

  • Gerard Depardieu now pitching Azeri cuisine for Baku tourism

    Destinations

    Having recently acquired a Russian passport and an apartment in Grozny, French actor Gerard Depardieu is now the star of a new commercial promoting Azeri cuisine. In the spot for Azerbaijan’s tourism authorities now running on Euronews, the French actor sings the praises of Azeri cuisine. The plotline revolves around Depardieu sampling a wide array [...]

22 Apr 2013

  • Hotels boost business after hooking up with live theatres

    Rooms

    An innovative breed of hotels is reaping significant benefits from integrating live theater and arts productions into their offerings. These hoteliers are finding that live theater is helping expand the hotel experience and the hotel’s audience. For the Latchis Hotel and Theatre in Brattleboro, Vermont, mixing theater and the arts with hotel operations seemed natural [...]