VISIT USA NOW! ISSUE 92 | JULY/AUGUST 2011 North Carolina touches the heights North Carolina’s popularity is on the


rise with UK visitor numbers up 7.3% year on year, writes Steve Hartridge “From outdoor recreation, arts and


culture, fine dining, 300 miles of beaches and mountains – including the highest peaks in the eastern USA – great golf and welcoming small towns and villages we really do have something for everyone,” said Margo Metzger, public relations manager for the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film & Sports Development during a recent visit to the UK. New attractions in the state include the


arrival in Charlotte of the Hudson River ‘Miracle Plane', US Airways' Airbus A320- 214, which was en-route to the city in January 2009 before being forced to (successfully) ditch in New York’s Hudson River. The plane is now permanently housed in Charlotte’s Carolinas Aviation Musuem (www.carolinasaviation.org). Until the autumn, the public can watch as


VISIT USA IN BRIEF


Miami has summer spa deals The Greater Miami


the wings, tail and other parts of the Airbus are reattached. Durham (www.durham-nc.com), the setting of the 1988 baseball-based movie Bull Durham, starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon, has transformed itself in recent years into a city known for its fine dining, with over 500 restaurants and three micro-breweries. In addition, the Durham Performing Arts Centre is the nation’s ninth busiest theatre. It stages Broadway shows and musical acts such as


Neil Young and Steely Dan who both kicked off their 2011 tours at the venue. To mark the sesquicentennial (150


years) of the opening shots of the US Civil War, the state has released a new North Carolina Civil War Trails map to help visitors travel between key sites. The guide maps the war from Roanoke Island to Robbinsville. Durham saw some of the last fighting


of the US Civil War, ending in 1865. www.visitnc.com


Virgin takes to


American slopes Virgin Holidays has re-launched


its annual Ski brochure under a new brand name. Designed as a ‘one-stop’ shop


for agents, the Winter 2011/12 ‘Ski & Board’ brochure includes destination information, excursion guides and full details on all the hotels featured in several North American destinations. Prices start from £699pp for


seven nights in North Conway, New Hampshire, departing December 5-8 this year. Virgin’s ‘man on the mountain’ Concierge service, which is available in New Hampshire, Vermont, Mammoth, Heavenly, Squaw Valley and Northstar, ensures the finer holiday details are covered – from snow reports to lift passes, tuition and equipment rental. Customers flying with Virgin Atlantic to the winter gateways of Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles enjoy free equipment carriage. www.vhols4agents.com


40 July/August 2011 • www.sellinglonghaul.com


Selling Long Haul scoops VUSA award Selling Long Haul has picked up


another award, this time for an article about Kansas and Oklahoma which was published in the May 2010 edition. The four-page ‘Where the west was


won’, written by Roger St Pierre, was ‘Highly Commended’ in the trade magazine category by the award judges. The feature can be read on www.sellinglonghaul.com Other winners were Peter Aspden, Financial Times (Online category); Sara Wheeler, Telegraph Ultratravel Magazine and Katie Bowman (highly commended), STTM (both Photography); Anthony Jepson, Manchester Evening News (Regional); Norman Wright, Choice Magazine and Ben Isaacs, (highly


commended), Time Out; Corrine Bishop, GMTV (Broadcast); Martin Symington, Wanderlust (Consumer Travel); Jonathan Futrell, Sunday Times – and Chris Coplans (highly commended), The Independent; Joanna Booth, Travel Weekly (Trade). The Special Contribution to VUSA award went to the Sunday Times Travel Magazine.


Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) is hosting its fourth annual Miami Spa Month during July and August. Many of the Florida city’s leading spas, including Elle Spa at Eden Roc Miami Beach, The Spa at Marenas Resort and Rik Rak Salon & Spa will feature special treatments at discounted rates. Miami Spa Month will run until August 31, 2011. For a full list of participating


spas and details of the offers available, visit: www.miamispaMonth.com


Aloft opens second NYC hotel Starwood Hotels & Resorts'


Aloft brand has opened Aloft New York Brooklyn, its second hotel in New York City after Aloft Harlem. Aloft, which launched in 2008, is described as Starwood’s ‘style-at-a-steal’ brand. Featuring 176 loft-like guest


rooms, Aloft New York Brooklyn is situated in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, adjacent to Starwood's new Sheraton hotel. The hotel is minutes from


Brooklyn Bridge, the newly opened Brooklyn Bridge Park, nightlife options and hip boutiques www.alofthotels.com/ newyorkbrooklyn


New Hyatt a symbol of rebirth The Hyatt Regency New


New president for Visit USA Visit USA Europe’s new president


is Ciaran Carraher, chairperson of Visit USA Ireland. Carraher will lead Visit USA Europe through a “pivotal period of significant change”. "Our ultimate goal moving forward is


to work closely with the Corporation of Travel Promotion and continue promoting the USA as a primary


destination to European travellers and increase visitation" he said. “Visit USA Europe members have dedicated their respective resources to promoting the United States for the past 10 years and have demonstrated their ability to engage and deliver results with the main stakeholders.” www.vusaeurope.travel


Orleans is accepting reservations for its reopening on October 19 following a $275 million redesign. Although an integral part of New Orleans’ downtown for more than 30 years, Hyatt Regency New Orleans was one of the most visual representations of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath. The new-look 32-storey hotel will


re-open in the Entertainment District in downtown New Orleans, adjacent to the Louisiana Superdome, a couple of blocks from the French Quarter. www.neworleans.hyatt.com


KANSAS TRAVEL & TOURISM


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