-
Gatsby-style Newport weekend for dreamers, flappers and gastronomes
DestinationsThe 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 [...]
-
Barbie, still controversial, appears anew as tourist attraction on global stage
DestinationsBarbie, the iconic figure that has long ignited the imagination of fans of all ages, is now for the first time living larger than life in South Florida, residing in a super-pink, playful, technology-driven parallel universe. Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience opened Friday at Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise. The interactive installation of 10,000 square feet is [...]
-
Tourism campaign draws attention to New England’s overlooked states
DestinationsPeople travel from all over the world to walk the Freedom Trail in Boston, see the autumn leaves turn in Vermont and New Hampshire and eat lobster in Maine. A new campaign involving tourism officials in three states to the south and west of Boston is aimed at peeling off some of those visitors and [...]
-
Social media flash mobs face Illinois crackdown
DestinationsThe Illinois House approved legislation Friday aimed at cracking down on violent “flash mobs” like those that have occurred on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue and in other tourist areas. Lawmakers voted 102-6 in favor of a measure that would allow a judge to impose a tougher punishment on anyone convicted of using social media to plan [...]
-
A weaker Japanese yen could hurt Hawaii tourism
DestinationsA drop in the value of the yen could be bad news for Hawaii’s tourism industry. That’s because the yen is weakening as the dollar is strengthening. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that on Thursday the dollar traded above 100 yen for the first time since April 2009. Japan Airlines says the drop in the yen’s [...]
-
Japan mulls a trusted traveler program, sound familiar?
DestinationsThe government may simplify the immigration process to make it easier for foreign tourists to enter Japan and achieve its goal of bringing in 25 million visitors a year by 2020. A panel under the Justice Ministry that has discussed the topic since October 2011 is “in the process of finalizing its proposal,” an official [...]
-
How “The Office” revived Scranton’s tourism economy
DestinationsNBC’s long-running “The Office” was a faux documentary about cubicle life. The Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. didn’t exist. Try telling that to merchants, tourism officials and regular folks here in the real-world city of 76,000, for whom the Emmy-winning comedy — which ends its nine-season run next week — had a tangible [...]
-
Fiji isn’t a tropical tourist paradise, new dissident campaign says
DestinationsWorkers in Fiji are targeting tourists with a campaign that aims to debunk the idea that the country is a tropical paradise. The website www.destinationfiji.org accuses authorities on the island of violating the human rights of Fijian dissidents. “About the campaign thought Fiji was paradise? Think again,” it says. “Since a military dictatorship led by [...]
-
Kentucky growing tourism market had $12.2 billion impact in 2012
DestinationsThe state is reporting that the economic impact of the tourism industry in Kentucky reached $12.2 billion in 2012. Tourism Secretary Marcheta Sparrow said that was a 4.4 percent increase over 2011. Sparrow said she expects continued growth in the tourism industry, which was responsible for more than 174,000 jobs last year, up more than [...]
-
Orbitz says more Americans are headed to the beach this summer
DestinationsNearly three-quarters of Americans are planning to take a summer break and many will be heading to the beach, which is the most popular vacation getaway, according to a report released on Thursday by online travel company Orbitz. Historical and cultural tours are the next most popular option, followed by cruises, Orbitz said. With their [...]
