Port upgrades paying off for Miami

Port upgrades paying off for Miami | State | Bradenton Herald: "Now, cruise operators say they are embracing Miami for a host of reasons: proximity to Miami International Airport, which offers direct flights for cruise passengers both domestic and international; the responsiveness of PortMiami officials to their needs and the appeal of Miami as a destination unto itself. "We, like everyone else, positioned ourselves in places that people want to go to," Del Rio said. "People want to come to Miami." Also a bonus is the relative strength of the Caribbean after a bleak summer in Europe due to continued fallout of the Jan. 13 Costa Concordia shipwreck in Italy, the shaky European economy and high cost of airfare from the U.S. "Whether you're talking about the U.S. economy or talking about the European economy, it's been a tough time for consumers," said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines. "One of the nice things about the Caribbean is you really can put together a great value proposition." For Miami, the influx means more tourists. . . . "

Airfares for Christmas travel up from last year
USA TODAY (blog)
For instance, It'll cost $406, on average, to travel to New York -- the website's second-most-popular destination after Orlando -- for Christmas, compared with $371 for the New Year. Hotel rates also are up in some cities. The average daily room rate ...

Medical Tourism Increases in Costa Rica
Fox News
He estimates medical tourism alone brought $196 million to Costa Rica's health industry in 2011, with patients spending an additional $84 million in hotel accommodations, food and shopping. Trithardt's doctor, Ignacio Vargas, told Reuters that tourists ...

New Zealand Hopes for Tourism Boost From 'Hobbit'
Wall Street Journal
Tourist spending has dropped around 12% since the onset of the global financial crisis, partly because of a strong local currency. Meanwhile, the deepening economic crisis in Europe has curtailed long-haul travel, and the cost of flights has increased ...

The 10 Best Winter Getaways For Travelers On A Budget
Business Insider
"They have nice suite setups for families and a deal where you get water park passes for the days you are there, not just the nights," says Julie Sturgeon, owner of travelagency Curing Cold Feet in Indianapolis, referring to Great Wolf Lodge properties.

Business Insider

Qantas cuts ties with Tourism Australia over Dixon's consortium role
The Australian
QANTAS has accused the head of Tourism Australia of trying to "unravel"' the airline's future plans, ending its 40-year partnership with the peak tourist body and suspending a $50 million marketing deal. The airline claims the body's boss, ex-Qantas ...

A Chinese opportunity that India Tourism misses
The Hindu
China's booming tourism market has, over the past few years, largely ignored India. Of the around 50 million Chinese who travel overseas every year spending some $40 billion, less than 1,00,000 travel to India on business and tourism, according to ...

The Hindu

After the storm, some travelers struggle for refunds | Travel Troubleshooter
The Seattle Times
The recent superstorm and series of nor'easters that slammed into the East Coast grounded tens of thousands of travelers, including Neil Weiss. Fortunately, most travel companies waived their usual rules, offering those delayed by the storms a refund ...

The Argument Against Pound-Foolish Travel - NYTimes.com
By By SETH KUGEL
One of the hardest parts of traveling on a shoestring is figuring out when not to save money. I call it Pound-Foolish Travel.
Frugal Traveler

Mexico: Safer But Not Safe Says Travel Warning | Gadling.com
By Chris Owen
Casting a more positive light to illuminate efforts being taken to improve the situation, Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete of the Mexico Tourism Board said the protection of tourists "is at the pinnacle of importance to the Mexican government," reports the ...
Gadling

Further Deregulation Could Vastly Improve US Air Travel - Business ...
By The Economist
THE deregulation of American air travel was a near-unqualified success for cost-conscious travellers, who can now fly across the country far more cheaply than in the era of heavy regulation. There are more flights and they cost less.
Business Insider

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