As the United States reopens its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from overseas, Los Angeles is thrilled to welcome international visitors to start their comeback. The L.A. visitors know and love is back, continuing to push the envelope of creativity and innovation with new adventures to discover with the full range of the visitor experience from museums and restaurants to theme parks and outdoor live events open for business. A truly global city, L.A. is home to people from more than 140 countries speaking 224 different identified languages. Prior to the disruption to our industry, international markets represented a highly Read more
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A beautiful reef that’s far closer to shore than the Great Barrier Reef. Tropical islands in the Indian Ocean I didn’t know about. Fantastic wineries, river cruises and luxury lodges. Oh, and a series of gorges with brilliant waterfalls and that famous Australian red rock. I just finished up a visit to Australia for what’s called the Australia Tourism Exchange. They had writers from around the world, including two Canadians, fly to Brisbane for a conference held in Surfer’s Paradise, about an hour south of Brisbane on The Gold Coast. All to talk about tourism and travel opportunities in Australia. Read more
ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND – A crazy mountain bike event with more flips and mid-air whirls than a Donald Trump-Ted Cruz debate. Deep forests radiant with redwoods shimmering in filtered sunlight. And a wonderful lakeside spa. The Rotorua region of this wonderful country offers an embarrassing number of fun and entertaining things to do, as I discovered during a recent visit. I was there in part because of a mountain bike event called Crankworx, which began in Whistler a few years ago and draws thousands and thousands of dedicated cyclists and adrenaline junkies. It’s a fantastic event with smart and dedicated Read more
NEAR MATAMATA, NEW ZEALAND – Magic. Sheer magic. Even if you don’t know Frodo from Bilbo or Gandalf from George Clooney (they do bear a certain resemblance if you think about it), a visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set in the middle of New Zealand’s North Island is a great experience; with fantastic gardens and fascinating glimpses into how movies are made. On the other hand, if you’re a lifelong fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings like I am and cried when the final Hobbit movie was over because it’s the end of the Peter Jackson-produced Read more
Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort, is a beautiful property nestled between the Pitons on the southwest shore of St. Lucia. The spa is built in a rainforest, with thatched huts and wonderful treatments. The beach is outstanding, too. Nature fans on St. Lucia will want to check out Diamond Falls and botanical gardens, as well as the drive-in volcano. Here are some photos I hope you’ll enjoy. Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort , is snuggled between the towering rock formations known as the Pitons. The resort has stunning villas and one of St. Lucia’s best beaches. The spa at Sugar Read more
