Nice to see some places I know and love in Oceania come home with World Travel Awards. The World Travel Awards for Oceania were held recently, with awards being handed out to hotels, airlines and destinations in Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, and more. New Zealand (I’ve been twice and hope to go again in early 2025) was named Oceania’s Leading Destination 2024. It’s a remarkable country with an outstanding variety of things to see and do, and a wide variety of climatic/geographic zones that range from rugged mountains and fjords to wide, sandy beaches. Air New Zealand, which I Read more
Australia/New Zealand/PAC
Los Angeles Tourism invites visitors to experience the cultural explosion of events, exhibits and future openings that are redefining the city’s art scene. Los Angeles, and the surrounding region, will come together for Southern California’s landmark arts event, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, kicking off on September 15th with 70+ gallery and museum exhibitions opening concurrently across the city. The Destination Crenshaw project continues to take shape in South LA, while the surrounding neighborhood offers a cultural hub of arts organizations, galleries and dining to visit in the area. Lastly, the city’s major cultural institutions are debuting significant Read more
A new report on travel preferences for residents of Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa names Perth as the world’s top city, and Portugal as the most attractive country. Meanwhile, a new American Express business travel study names New Jersey, western Michigan, North Carolina, Honolulu and Sacramento, California as top emerging markets for biz travellers. This year’s Amex Trendex report reveals a surprising shift towards less traditional destinations that are becoming increasingly attractive to corporate travelers. For the first time, Amex identified five trending U.S. destinations based on commercial customer spending: Princeton, New Jersey; Durham, North Carolina; Southwest Read more
It’s been a tough year for tourism on Maui, but positive signs are emerging. Virtuoso, a luxury travel agent network that books exclusive vacations around the world, said its sales for Maui resorts are up 4% for the first six months of the year. For the winter holiday or “festive” season, sales are up a whopping 66%. A network spokesperson on Monday, Aug. 12 said that West Maui/Lahaina bookings are about 7% lower than Wailea, which makes sense given the incredible fire damage to Lahaina in August of last year. “Even with the noticeable impacts on tourism to Maui, we Read more
The world’s best city for foodies is Tokyo, Japan, with the most Michelin-star restaurants and budget-friendly dining options starting at $44 USD. Research conducted by AHTI Games looked at more than 50 cities worldwide to discover the globe’s top destinations for food lovers. It found that Italy has the highest number of fine dining restaurants, with 87 earning a Michelin star. London and New York City are hosting the most food festivals and events this year, with five each. AHTI considered several key metrics, includingthe number of Michelin star restaurants, the cost of a mid-range three-course meal, the number of food festivals and culinary events, the number of cheap Read more
