FROM THE EDITOR 03 april NEXT UP...
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Steve Hartridge EDITOR
welcome A
WE TRAVEL FURTHER TO BRING YOU MORE
fter years of tireless campaigning, the countries of the Caribbean at last had something to celebrate last month when the Chancellor tweaked the Air Passenger Duty (APD)
regulations in his Budget. The reduction in APD for all long haul flights to Band B, or the
equivalent of what travellers currently pay to fly to the US, will mean cheaper holidays for those heading to favourite destinations such as The Dominican Republic, Jamaica and St Lucia. The USA may have missed out in terms of an APD reduction, but a
INDUSTRY COMMENT “The 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics will have a huge impact on the future of Brazil in terms of infrastructure,
tourism and awareness. With attention on lesser-known host cities such as Belo Horizonte and Manaus – where the England team will be playing – there will be a direct impact on levels of tourism to these areas.” Leila Holsbach, Director of International Markets Embratur – see Brazil, page 60
"We are optimistic for 2014 and forecast a total of 500,000 UK arrivals. This is further supported by the exchange rate being so
favourable. This is also a seminal year for South Africa in terms of high-profi le events as the country celebrates 20 years of democracy and Cape Town takes its place as
World Design Capital." Thulani Nzima, Chief Executive Offi cer, South African Tourism – see South Africa, page 54
favourable exchange rate that benefits British travellers will keep holiday traffic across the Atlantic buoyant. We’ll be at IPW (formerly Pow Wow) in Chicago this month, to discover all the latest destination and product news from Britons' favourite long haul destination, and you’ll be able to read all about what’s new in our June issue. We have a selection of Stateside stories in this issue also, as we suggest combining the historic and cultural attractions on offer in Philadelphia with Atlantic City’s famous casinos, beaches and boardwalk (page 14). A further 1,000 miles or so south from Philly, down Highway 1, Peter Ellegard discovered attractions old and new in Florida this year (page 40). For a destination where those holiday pounds really do seem to be elastic, suggest South Africa (page 54), where the rand has declined by around 40% over the past three years. Four years have passed since the Rainbow Nation hosted the FIFA World Cup, and as Brazil gears up to stage this year’s tournament we look at tourism prospects for the South American powerhouse, both during and after the tournament (page 60). Finally, have you visited our new cruise-dedicated website www.
tradecruisecompare.com? It lets you search, compare and match the right cruise to the right client. Check it out today!
40 FEATURE florida florida FEATURE 41 A
fter several years in the doldrums, things are looking up once again for the UK’s long- time ahead-of-the-pack US destination. Tour operators are enjoying increased sales and airlines are boosting fl ights to Orlando and Tampa, while budget carrier Norwegian starts new fl ights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale from Gatwick in July. The arrival of the Diagon Alley themed area in Universal Orlando Resort’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter this summer, following the late March opening of Universal’s 1,800-room Cabana Bay Beach Resort along with ongoing expansion of the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland at Walt Disney World and other key attractions, is giving holidaymakers plenty of reasons to return to theme park capital Orlando this year. Meanwhile, new hotels and tourism product on both Florida coasts are also helping attract visitors for beach and twin-centre stays. Almost 90% of UK holidaymakers have been before. “Our business is very much repeat visitors,” said Colin Brodie, Visit Florida’s UK, Ireland and Scandinavia director. “Florida is always reinventing itself and that’s a reason to keep going back.”
The state enjoyed a record year for tourism overall in 2013, with 94.7 million visitors representing a 3.5% increase over 2012.
A detailed breakdown showing individual markets is not yet available but Brodie said he expected UK numbers to be up slightly compared with the 1.5 million visitors recorded in 2012 – with 2014 likely to show a further improvement thanks to its current value-for-money based on a healthier exchange rate. A proposal by Florida Governor, Rick Scott, to boost Visit Florida’s budget by over 50% to $100 million is due to be voted on by the state’s legislature in early May, and Brodie said if it was approved he hoped it would allow Florida to increase its UK advertising and promotions to augment co-op efforts currently undertaken with Brand USA and industry partners. Florida is one of the top-selling destinations for Barrhead Travel, according to Business Development Manager Caroline Donaldson. Central Florida, with its theme parks, remains a huge draw for families but the beaches and South Florida are also becoming more popular with both families and couples. “Florida has had a great start for Barrhead
this year, predominantly for Orlando,” she said. “However, our Miami business with cruises has been good, as has our fl y-drive business. “The most popular option is still Orlando single
centres for the family market followed by add- on beach stays. Beach-only stays are defi nitely becoming more popular. Florida and Caribbean/ New York twin-centres have also proved popular and Caribbean cruising from Port Canaveral and Miami remains strong, given the value of cruising.”
Above: Underwater adventure
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WHERE WE'VE BEEN
ALAN ORBELL Alan visited Alberta, Canada, to ski in Lake Louise, Sunshine and Norquay – and reached 75kph speeds tubing!
LAURA GELDER A quick Eurostar trip saw Laura enjoying Paris in the springtime, and her first sight of the Eiffel Tower at night.
JULIE BAXTER Down Under this March, Julie visited Adelaide and Tassie and took a trip on The Ghan train, which is celebrating its 10th year.
ANDY HOSKINS Visiting the Boeing factory was the main purpose of Andy's Seattle trip, but he tried the city's gourmet delights too.
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FLORIDA
CHILD’S PLAY The master of reinvention, Florida
has lined up an impressive range of new attractions in 2014 to keep UK tourists returning time and time again, says Peter Ellegard
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