The folks at Time Out have a nice, new list of the world’s top food cities. I’m quite shocked that Japan didn’t place any city in the top 10, and that only one Japanese city (Osaka) made the top 20. I’m also surprised that only two cities in North America (only one in the U.S.) cracked the top 20. Still, it’s an interesting, tasty list that includes a few cities you might not expect to see. Here’s their full top 20. Lima, Perun (I’ve never been to Peru, but Peruvian cuisine is excellent) Bangkok, Thailand (fabulous street food and very Read more
Cape Town
One of the world’s best beaches is getting bigger. Much bigger. I recently caught up with Brian Lowack, president and CEO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater; one of the top destinations in Florida. He told me a beach renewal project that stretches from Sand Key on Clearwater Beach to St. Pete Beach will add 2.5 million cubic yards of sand, with roughly 200 feet of width. “It’s already great, but it’s going to be the most beautiful beach in Florida,” he told me in Toronto, where Visit St. Pete/Clearwater hosted media and travel agents at a Blue Jays-Yankees game. The cost 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
South Africa is known around the world for its animal safaris, which are spectacular, but the country offers a great deal more, all within a relatively compact area. Combine that with an exchange rate that’s quite favorable to Americans and Canadians, and you’ve got a destination that’s both remarkable and quite affordable. It’s a country that boasts one of the world’s most beautiful cities; amazing animal experiences, a stunning coastline with fabulous beaches and tiny penguins, and also some of the world’s tastiest and most beautiful wine regions. Here’s a look at three areas where you can enjoy the best Read more
A little bit of this and a little bit of that today. SAFEST EUROPEAN CITIES A story at InsiderMonkey.com lists the safest cities in the world, which is an important topic any time but seemingly more so now given global events. Using data from the Global Peace Index, they assigned cities with a safety score. In this, the lower the number the more safe the city is deemed to be. Here’s the top 25 in descending order 25. Vilnius, Lithuania, 1.671 24. Rome, 1.662 23. Bucharest, 1.649 23. Madrid, 1.649 21. Sofia, 1.643 20. Warsaw, 1.634 19. Stockholm, 1.625 (very Read more
