Read the Visit USA Travelplanner 2011! Check out the online magazine if you missed your copy. See
SellingLongHaul.com
news to use NORTH AMERICA Thinking Green California Academy of Sciences
DELEYSE LANGDALE TRAVEL INDUSTRY MANAGER CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
dlangdale@calacademy.org
More Sustainable World.... What will you do to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2011? Did you know the first Earth Day
took place back in 1970, activating 20 million Americans from all walks of life? Its advocate, Senator Gaylord Nelson, is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The sentiment took hold and the concept spread around the world. Today the Earth Day Network works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries. More than one billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest public event in the world. Why not take part in the Earth Day
Network's A Billion Acts of Green® campaign, the largest environmental campaign in the world? It is building commitments by individuals, organisations, corporations, and governments in honour of Earth Day. A Billion Acts of Green® inspires and rewards both simple individual acts and larger organisational initiatives that further the goal of reducing carbon emissions and supporting sustainability. The goal is to register one billion actions in advance of the global Earth Summit in Rio in 2012. The A Billion Acts of Green®
website quantifies acts of green through an easy-to-use online registration tool where communities and organisers can register Earth Day events and community climate meetings, as well as tree plantings, large-scale light bulb changes and workplace renewable energy retrofits. Simple individual gestures like riding
a bike instead of driving and washing laundry in cold water may also be recorded. Why not check out the website, get together with colleagues and add your own ‘Act of Green”. Remember, every act helps!
www.earthday.org
San Diego ready to make step up
BY STEVE HARTRIDGE San Diego expects that British
Airways' third crack at a direct service from London will finally see the city rival Los Angeles and San Francisco as a major California destination for UK travellers. The daily flights, which start on June 1,
will take visitors direct to a city that's known for its laid-back coastal living, world-class attractions and nearby beaches. Major reasons for a visit include a
renowned zoo that has the world's largest panda breeding programme outside of China, Seaworld – which will unveil its new 'One Ocean' killer whale show in late-May – Legoland California and scenic harbour cruises. Jo Timko, director of public relations for
the San Diego Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said BA's new service could see the city fill up to 50,000 extra bed nights a year. "San Diego has traditionally been a 'bolt-
on' in most California itineraries but we expect the BA flight to help us emerge as a destination in our own right.
Olympic art works
The Art of The Olympians Museum & Al Oerter Center for Excellence has moved into its new home in Fort Myers, Florida, in the heart of the restored Downtown River District. The official opening took place last month, attended by Prince Albert II of Monaco, a five-time Olympian in the Bobsleigh event and a member of the International Olympic Committee. The vision of Al Oerter, a four-times- consecutive Olympic Gold medalist, the museum celebrates athletic agility and strength but also hopes to nurture a greater understanding of the arts.
Three routes from Iceland Express Iceland Express will begin new
routes to Boston, Chicago and New York in June. Flights to Boston start on June 2, from Gatwick and Edinburgh, the Chicago service launches on June 10 from Gatwick and the New York route kicks off on June 6, from Gatwick and Edinburgh.
www.icelandexpress.com
"San Diego has undergone tremendous changes over the last decade or so; the downtown area, framed by mountains and a beautiful natural harbour, has been completely revitalised and our superb culinary scene is now recognised internationally," he added. Until the the BA flight, San Diego, the
eighth largest city in the US, remains the largest US market with no direct flights to and from Europe.
The BA flight – out of London- Heathrow and using Boeing 777-200ERs configured to offer three classes of service – will depart at 15:05 and arrive in San Diego at 18:15 the same day. The return flight will leave San Diego at 20.05 arriving in London at 14:25 the next afternoon. In 2009 (the most recent figures,)
around 115,000 UK tourists visited San Diego, staying an average of just over 8.5 days.
www.sandiego.org
New in Orlando Mauiva Air Tours is offering a new
way to see Central Florida with a range of ‘airplane adventures that take sightseeing to a whole new level’. A number of different air tours is
A spokesperson said: "AOTO strives to enthuse, inspire and educate individuals through gallery exhibitions, interactive museum displays and educational outreach programmes."
www.artoftheolympians.org or www.
fortmyers-sanibel.com
NORTH AMERICA IN BRIEF
Damned if you do with Papillon Helicopter touring company
Papillon Airways has a new Hoover Dam experience that includes a ground tour. Priced from $154, the Hoover Dam Helicopter Tour features both a low-level air tour and walking tour of the dam, the tributaries of the Colorado River and the Black Canyon.
www.papillon.com
available from the Mauiva Flight Center at Kissimmee Airport including the most popular 15-minute Celebration Tour ($60 pp), which flies over some of Orlando’s best-known attractions including Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Sea World; the 30-minute Grand Tour ($109 for adults - 11+ - $99 for children two-10); the Sunset Tour ($129pp), which covers the same locations as the Grand Tour; and the Fireworks Tour ($129pp – ages eight-plus). Add-ons include the Captain’s Package ($29pp) which lets a visitor take the controls, Romantic Package ($85per couple) with a private table for two awaiting the couple on the tarmac with fine wine, cheeses, strawberries, a single candle and red rose, a Birthday Package ($85 for a group up to 10) and the Video Package ($15 YouTube and $35 DVD/ YouTube combo).
www.MauivaAirTours.com
www.sellinglonghaul.com • April 2011 11
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