SeaWorld’s Sea of Surprises at 50


SEAWORLD will be 50 years old in 2014 and all three of its parks – in Orlando, San Diego (the first) and San Antonio – will be celebrating the half-ton anniversary for 18 months from March 21. During the 50th Celebration visitors will be invited to take part through new interactive experiences,


shows and


pathway performances, more up-close animal encounters throughout the park and the SeaWorld


treating guests with prizes every day. SeaWorld San Diego will have a new


interactive entrance plaza called Explorer’s Reef with sculptural and design elements inspired by waves crashing over a reef, as well as up-close encounters with marine life. Other new


Entertainment attractions include the largest new attraction in the company’s history, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin at SeaWorld Orlando; a new Aquatica water park minutes away from SeaWorld San Diego and new shows and events at Busch Gardens Tampa and Williamsburg. Busch Gardens Tampa will take guests to new heights with Falcon’s Fury, the first


The Loews strategy


FOLLOWING a strategic initiative to enhance its portfolio, Loews Hotels and Resorts is making substantial progress to achieve this goal. This includes the acquisition of the 632-room Loews Hollywood Hotel (formally the Renaissance) in June 2012 with a $27 million renovation now underway; the acquisition of the 356-room Loews Madison Hotel


in


Washington D.C. in January this year and named a top 10 hotel in the city by Trip Advisor; the acquisition of the 225-room Loews Boston Back Bay Hotel in February 2013; development of the 1,800-room Cabana Bay Beach Hotel, Loews’ fourth resort at Universal Orlando opening in 2014; a $92million renovation of the Loews Regency New York, the completion of which will mark the formal launch of the Loews Regency brand; and the development of the 400-room Loews Chicago Hotel opening in 2015. loewshotels.com


www.sellinglonghaul.com ‘Surprise Squad’


A better Brooklyn


THE growth of New York’s boroughs beyond Manhattan continues apace with the second most popular, Brooklyn, now attracting some 15million visitors per annum. Three new hotels opened in Brooklyn year – the 70-room Wythe


last


(wythehotel.com) in a renovated 1901 building


(and totally green and


sustainable); the luxury 276-room King & Grove (kingandgrove.com); and the luxury four-star Hotel BPM (Beats Per Minute – hotelbpmbrooklyn.com). Opening late this/early next year is the renovated 360-room Bossert Hotel. visitbrooklyn.org


SeaWorld Parks &


drop tower of its kind in the world when it opens in spring 2014. With no connecting structures, the new attraction will be the tallest freestanding drop tower in North America at 335 ft taking riders straight down at 60 mph. At the ride’s highest point riders will pivot 90 degrees in midair to a face-down


dive position. An instant later they'll


plunge 60 mph at 3.5 Gs straight down with speed and power ‘like they’ve likely never experienced before’ The 11 SeaWorld and Busch parks have,


collectively, the largest number of animals in the USA at 67,000. seaworld.com/celebration


Trains and planes from ATI


AMERICANTOURS International (ATI) has launched a range of new American Air Tours which offer 'an exclusive product with competitive pricing' aboard private charter aircraft with window seats and enhanced luggage allowances as standard. The concept combines air tours with


ST PETE CLEARWATER STAYS STRONG


St Petersburg Clearwater enjoyed its best-ever year in 2012 with Europe/UK visitation up by 7%, refl ecting the overall international visitor increase throughout the USA. Newly open in St


Petersburg is the 18-room Birchwood boutique hotel (left) overlooking Tampa Bay. Originally constructed in 1924, the Spanish Mission-style building is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Lead-in rates are from


$180. (£119 per night). VisitStPeteClearwater. com thebirchwood.com


VIP coaching when clients need to be on the ground when visiting national parks and other scenic attractions. ATI is also now featuring a Rhythm


& Rail package featuring the new Chicago/New Orleans Pullman train service. The 19.5-hour journey leaves Chicago each Tuesday and Friday returning each Sunday and Thursday. ATI works with Collete, Gold Medal,


Premier Holidays Travel 2 and Virgin Holidays among other UK tour operators. americantours.com


“IPW HAS


EXPERIENCED DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH OVER THE


LAST THREE YEARS" ROGER DOW, U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT AND CEO


July/August 2013 13


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