PO Box 609, Palos Heights, IL 60463 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage
PAID Lebanon Junction, KY
Permit No. 414
A Premier Tourism Marketing publication • www.leisuregrouptravel.com
OCTOBER 2010
contents Vol. 20, No. 5
October 2010
COVER STORY
COVER STORY 28 FALL FESTIVALS IN MASSACHUSETTS The season abounds with harvest celebrations and spooky fun by angela verrier
18
Holy Ground in Jordan by randy mink
24
MIDWEST Wisconsin Food Festivals by nadia beidas
31
SOUTH Mississippi Chow Downs by randy mink
36
WEST Eventful Arizona by sue arko
40
California Academy of Science by elana andersen
28
Tim Grafft/MOTT
FEATURES
EVENTFUL ARIZONA
COLUMNS 4
On My Mind by jeff gayduk
6
On Tour
16
by kevin j. wright
42
by marty sarbey de souto
10
On Religious Travel On Technology by john kamm
On Board by cindy bertram
12
On The Record
22
Religious Travel News
34
On Our Radar: SOUTH
36 ON THE COVER: Colorful reminders of the harvest season enchant tour groups in Massachusetts. Cover photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/Joe Biafore
Miller Photo
DEPARTMENTS
on my mind ❖
jeff gayduk Vol. 20, No. 5 October 2010 Editorial & Advertising Office
What’s The Big Idea? RECENTLY I ATTENDED A conference sponsored by one of the large email marketing companies. When I first glanced at the schedule, being short on details as it was, I wondered how they were going to fill an entire day with a sales pitch on their solution. Was I surprised! Instead of a slick sales rep pontificating over a PowerPoint presentation, the company made a short introduction during breakfast, then for all intents and purposes turned the event over to their customers. Company after company presented case studies on how they were challenged to reach customers and how they accomplished their goals through email marketing. Each of them had a challenge and by putting a plan in place and executing it with laser focus, they met their goals. I came away from the event rich in practical ideas. Not unlike email marketers, ours is certainly an industry facing big challenges. What we thought was a roadmap out of the recession is paved in land mines, and navigating our way to prosperity takes patience, guts and a little bit of luck. It’s inherently more difficult when you feel you’re facing it alone. This “me against the world” mentality is often filled with self doubt, second guessing and anguish. That’s the plight of group organizers without a strong peer base – but I am hoping to change that. 25 BIG IDEAS December’s edition of Leisure Group Travel is our annual industry forecast. This is the issue where we bring in experts on various facets of the travel industry to tell you what’s coming around the bend. 4 October 2010
The meat and potatoes of this edition involves turning the mirror towards ourselves and asking the question – what’s my Big Idea? Undoubtedly when you’re driving around in your car, in the office early in the morning or late at night or on tour, you’re spending time thinking about how you’re going to do better. Maybe your goal is growth in number of tours, tighter operations, enhanced marketing, or starting a new direction/division. How are YOU going to do better? I challenge you to articulate your ideas – get them down on paper and share them with Leisure Group Travel readers. We are going to be collecting responses through the end of October and a committee will select 25 Big Ideas to appear in December’s print edition with the entire selection appearing in the InSite e-newsletter and on LeisureGroupTravel.com. Please submit your brightest ideas, along with a short history of yourself and your company, to editorial@ptmgroups.com, or write to the address listed on the masthead to the right. Chances are you’re already working on your Big Idea—this will give you the opportunity to refine it, which is the first step towards making it a reality. My Big Idea is to wrap up a series of best practices and great thoughts from readers across the country and deliver them to you as a Holiday Present. What’s Yours?
621 Plainfield Road, Suite 406 Willowbrook, IL 60527 P 630.794.0696 • F 630.794.0652 info@ptmgroups.com
Publisher – Jeffrey Gayduk jeff@ptmgroups.com Managing Editor – Randy Mink randy@ptmgroups.com Senior Editor – John Kloster john@ptmgroups.com
Senior Editor – Elana Andersen elana@ptmgroups.com
Director, Design & Production – Robert Wyszkowski rob@ptmgroups.com
Regional Sales Managers Illinois – Jim McCurdy
P 630.794.0696 • F 630.794.0652 jim@ptmgroups.com
Eastern Midwest/Canada – Amy Janssens
P 630.294.0318 • F 630.794.0652 amy@ptmgroups.com
Northeast – Ellen Klesta
P 630.794.0696 • F 630.794.0652 ellen@ptmgroups.com
Southeast – Hutson Lambert P 228.452.9683 • F 228.452.6370 hutson@ptmgroups.com Southern – Dolores Ridout
P/F 281.762.9546 dolores@ptmgroups.com
Florida & Caribbean – Prof Inc.
P 813.286.8299 • F 813.287.0651 jimg@ptmgroups.com
West/Midwest/Online sales
Theresa O’Rourke P 630.794.0696 • F 630.794.0652 theresa@ptmgroups.com The publisher accepts unsolicited editorial matter, as well as advertising, but assumes no responsibility for statements made by advertisers or contributors. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information published, but the publisher makes no warranty that listings are free of error. The publisher is not responsible for the return of unsolicited photos, slides or manuscripts.
Leisure Group Travel (ISSN-1531-1406) is published bi-monthly by Premier Tourism Marketing, Inc. 621 Plainfield Road, Suite 406, Willowbrook, IL 60527. The magazine is distributed free of charge to qualified tour operators, travel agents, group leaders, bank travel clubs and other travel organizations. Other travel-related suppliers may subscribe at the reduced rate of $12.00 per year. The regular subscription price for all others is $18.00 per year. Single copies are $4.95 each.
Send Address Change to:
Premier Tourism Marketing, Inc. P.O. Box 609, Palos Heights, IL 60463
A
publication
All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.
Jeff Gayduk, Publisher LeisureGroupTravel.com
on tour ❖
marty sarbey de souto, ctc
Ready, Set, Go! YEARS AGO I WAS FORTUNATE to be included in a familiarization tour to Fiji. Upon landing at Nandi Airport, our little group gathered around our tour leader awaiting his instructions. He scoured the airport, looking for the local guide who was supposed to be greeting us – all to no avail. Visibly upset, he then opened his suitcase flat on the waiting room floor and proceeded to fling his clothes hither and yon, frantically looking for the name and phone number of the receptive operator who was supposed to meet us. He finally found it deep among his underwear and proceeded to pile everything back into his suitcase and stomp off to place a call. Needless to say, not exactly a professional first impression! FIRST IMPRESSION Rightly or wrongly, our tour participants judge us as tour leaders by their first impression of us. Are we professionally attired and groomed? Are we there first, ready for the day’s activities? Do we have a list of names and rooming assignments ready for hotel check-ins? Do we know the schedule – what time our flight leaves, what meals are served (or not) on board? Do we know the name and contact of those designated to service our group? Are we ready to answer the million and one questions our trip members may have? I find that the two most important times on a trip are the first day and then again the last night. On the first day, they’re nervous. They’re asking themselves, “Am I going to like him/her?” “Does she know who I am and what my 6 October 2010
needs and expectations are for this trip?” They may be wondering if they’re going to get their money’s worth and if they’ll enjoy the other tour members and make friends. It’s important that they feel you’re knowledgeable, in charge and well prepared. They want to feel that they’re going to have a wonderful time. The other important time is the last night, hopefully being celebrated with a farewell party so they go home with happy memories of good times together,
• If an international tour, a list of passport numbers • Extra baggage tags and name badges • If an international tour, some foreign currency for the first country on the itinerary I like to pack all these materials in a nice professional-looking portfolio, not mixed in with my personal clothing. Next I like to stop and look at myself as a traveler. Try to avoid packing in the wee hours the night before departure.
Group members expect their tour leaders to be prepared—and look the part with laughter, fun, exchange of addresses, and hopefully wanting to travel with you and your company again. To be sure that I start off on an efficient note, I’ve developed a pre-trip checklist. First I check off all the things I need to take on behalf of the group: • Supply of rooming lists • Flight schedules showing ETDs and ETAs and in-flight meals offered • Name of company greeting me at each destination and their physical address and contacts • Emergency contacts for each tour member • Photocopies of important correspondence with the various suppliers • Airline record locator numbers of group flights for onward reconfirmation purposes • A copy of the original trip brochure and/or information bulletins sent to tour members
There’s no law that says you can’t pack a week before. That gives you time to get shoes repaired, clothes dry cleaned and do a “trial run” to see that everything fits in your bag. Now’s the time to get prescriptions refilled or arrange personal transportation to the airport. I find that if I don’t set aside time to plan for ME, I end up planning for my tour members but giving myself short-shrift. The job of tour directing is part leadership – being in front of the group and visible. But the other part of the job requires quiet behind-the-scenes organizational skills so that you end up looking calm, collected, efficient and obviously in control. Marty is founder and chair of the travel industry training program at Berkeley City College in Berkeley, Calif., where she teaches all aspects of group travel. You can reach her by e-mail at josemarty@yahoo.com. For information on her latest book, How To Plan, Operate, and Lead Successful Group Trips, click on Premier Tourism Marketing’s educational website, groupuniversity.com. LeisureGroupTravel.com
on board ❖
cindy bertram
Cruise Industry Steps Up Special Needs Offerings CRUISE LINES HAVE TAKEN the area of special needs to new levels – it’s more than just a complimentary wheelchair to use aboard the ship. Knowing the specifics about members in your group who might need assistance and then working with the cruise line to cover extra arrangements will help ensure everyone has a tremendous time. Special needs covers three areas – mobility issues and accessibility throughout the ship, assistance for hearing- and visually-impaired guests, and special dietary needs. In recent years, cruise lines have added more wheelchair-accessible staterooms. The introduction of state-ofthe-art ships, coupled with the upgrading of existing ships and phasing out of older ships, has helped enormously. Ease in boarding and disembarking from the ship is also important. Holland America Line, for instance, was the first cruise line to provide hydraulic tender lifts. SPECIAL NEEDS DESKS Today cruise lines have departments specifically dedicated to accessible and special needs travel. For group leaders, the first step is knowing which group members have disabilities or special needs. From there, working with the cruise line’s access desk is next. Besides embarkation and disembarkation ports, the whole itinerary needs to be considered. Some ports might not be accessible to all guests, including ones where tenders are used when the ship is unable to dock. 10 October 2010
On a cruise and land tour, it’s critical to see how the hotel accommodations are handled for the tour portion. Cruise lines provide important options for hearing-impaired guests. Disney Cruise Line, for example, has closed captioning available on in-cabin TVs, assisted listening devices in showrooms and theaters, and communication kits that have door knock and phone alerts, bed shaker notification, phone amplifier, strobe light detectors and text telephones (TDD). UPGRADED SHIPS Royal Caribbean International recently completed a multi-million-dollar refurbishment project that involved
cial dietary offerings. Celebrity Cruises, for instance, offers “Lean and Light,” vegetarian, diabetic, low-fat, lowsodium, low-cholesterol, kosher, glutenfree and lactose-free selections for lunch and dinner. Cruise lines can provide the basics, but for additional specialized equipment, such as oxygen, scooters and a variety of wheelchairs, cruise guests might need to use a separate company. Two companies that handle these types of rentals are Special Needs at Sea and CareVacations. Most cruise lines provide wheelchair assistance for boarding and departing only, though some might have a limited number of wheelchairs available for use onboard.
Cruise companies assist passengers with mobility, hearing and dietary issues upgrading ships to enhance accessibility. Included were pool and whirlpool lifts, Braille printers, signage and elevator panels for guests with visual disabilities, assistive listening systems, and portable and tactile alert systems for guests with hearing disabilities. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and soon-to-debut Allure of the Seas each offer 46 accessible staterooms, complete with roll-in showers, grab bars and wide doors. Oasis of the Seas has the industry’s first two-level loft suites, including a handicapped-accessible unit with a self-contained elevator. Cruise lines have also expanded spe-
Deadlines for special needs requests vary from cruise line to cruise line. MSC Cruises, for instance, wants requests in writing at time of booking, no less than 72 hours prior to departure. Costa Cruises wants special needs advisement at time of booking and no later than 30 days prior to the cruise. The farther out you contact the cruise line’s access department, the better. Advance planning will pay off for everyone in the long run. Cindy Bertram has 15+ years of cruise expertise in sales, marketing and training, with an MBA from Loyola University Chicago. She can be contacted at cindy@ptmgroups.com LeisureGroupTravel.com
on the record ❖
Readers Share Their Ideas on Marketing Holiday Tours FOLLOWING ARE ANSWERS from Leisure Group Travel readers who responded to the questions: What challenges do you face in planning and executing holiday season trips? What have been some of your most successful holiday trips? Our biggest challenges in planning holiday travel is to plan trips only after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. Catering to senior citizens, we have found most want to spend the holidays with their families, so we don’t plan anything during these two holiday weeks. To overcome some of the scheduling conflicts our travelers might have, we try to plan trips a year in advance. For instance, we’re taking two Christmas trips this year – one to Myrtle Beach and the other to Pigeon Forge. We’ve been to Pigeon Forge many times and never have a problem filling the coach, and we’re sold out for this year’s trip as well. We’ve not been to Myrtle Beach before, but we sold out the entire coach in less than two weeks after we announced the trip back in March. So the key to success for us is planning a trip and promoting it as far in advance as possible. It is not uncommon for us to take two buses, such as the Christmas trip to Nashville in December 2009. (Who doesn’t like to stay at the Opryland Hotel during the holidays?) Some of our most successful Christmas trips have been day trips such as the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes” at the Fox in Atlanta and a trip to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain to see the Fantasy in Lights. Our extended Christmas trips 12 October 2010
JOE MASON
SUZANNE KINAHAN
have included Biltmore Estate in Asheville, Savannah to see Christmas Traditions at the Historic Savannah Theatre and Charleston to visit James Island County Park’s Holiday Festival of Lights. The bottom line in successful holiday trips is planning and promoting early on. It works for us! Franki & David Hodge Middle Georgia Memory Makers Warner Robins, GA Holiday trip planning is an awesome experience, yet seemingly daunting at first. Many directors/teachers find it an ideal time to take a trip, without needing to overcome the obstacle of having students miss school. National Events provides a perfect example of this combined benefit coming to fruition in a bundled event. High school bands have the opportunity to take students to Atlanta, Tampa and Dallas during the Christmas/New Year’s break to perform in front of as many as 80,000 fans who attend college bowl games. The Chickfil-a Bowl (formerly the Peach Bowl) in Atlanta, Outback Bowl in Tampa and Cotton Bowl in Dallas are some of the nation’s premier college bowl
CHRIS MORSE
events. Directors can take advantage of the holiday break and have their bands perform in pre-game and halftime shows, along with the accompanying parades. National Events provides a full-scale music festival for not only the marching bands, but for concert bands, jazz bands, and there’s even a field show competition. The adjudicators are highly acclaimed and provide an educational component to the experience. The last few years have shown additional spark, with some schools requesting special performances that showcase choirs and orchestras who want to join the bands who attend these events. National Events has found the holiday break an ideal time for students to travel. Parents and school fans who travel in groups to support these bands have not only found it exhilarating to see students perform in such amazing venues, but also been able to capitalize on the student group rates and bundling discounts of large blocks of rooms in hotels. Joe Mason, Senior Events Director National Events Sandy, UT LeisureGroupTravel.com
We have been very successful in our Christmas holiday tours such as Branson, MO; Biltmore, NC; Nashville, TN; and Grapevine, TX. I always try to plan the Christmas tours the week following Thanksgiving. Most of my members are ready for a break after that holiday, and I can’t plan too close to the holidays because everyone gets so busy. So timing is my biggest challenge. I do things to make the trip extra special. This Christmas tour, I am making up gift baskets for everyone and a few other extras. Cindy D. Mosley, Director PBNB Crown Club Pine Bluff National Bank Pine Bluff, AR The challenges that I face are trying to include tour elements that capture the essence of the holidays – while keeping in mind seasonal restrictions, like weather. We also need to balance sightseeing and holiday shows with plenty of time for holiday shopping. The holiday season is a busy time for people, so timing is everything. Keeping the program short and full of great experiences while providing great value is key. One of our most successful holiday programs is “New York City Holiday,� which includes the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. Another popular holiday program is “San Antonio Holiday,� which is scheduled around the Fiesta de las Luminarias, a holiday tradition where the Riverwalk is illuminated with lanterns and lights to celebrate the season. A holiday program that’s going to be great for 2011 is “New England Yuletide,� featuring two nights at the Omni Mount Washington Resort. Suzanne Kinahan Product Manager Collette Vacations Pawtucket, RI LeisureGroupTravel.com
Holiday travel presents two interesting aspects in planning a trip. The first one is holiday dates. Picking out the date that will not interfere with holiday family get-togethers is very important. This year the holidays fall on a Saturday (Christmas) and on a Friday night
(New Year’s Eve). This makes it hard to plan for a family vacation because many families want to be together during the holidays. So we must offer our clients exceptional packages on the dates that they can travel. The second aspect in planning a hol-
&VMRK ERH 8;3 XVEZIP *6)) )%62 %2 )<86% JSV ]SYV KVSYT [LIR ]SY VIWIVZI F] (IGIQFIV
'EPP YW EX ` KSELIEHXSYVW GSQ KVSYTW
prime time With our rich 200-year history, Greenbrier County is a great location for your next tour. We are home to Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Resort, The Greenbrier, one of only four operational Carnegie Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the world, West Virginiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Official Year-Round Professional Theatre, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, and the city of Lewisburg, a West Virginia Certified Arts Community. For complete details about the area log onto greenbrierwv.com/groups for more information. To request a copy of our Destination Planning Guide call 800-833-2068 or email info@greenbrierwv.com.
LEWISBURG
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS
RONCEVERTE
ALDERSON
RAINELLE
October 2010 13
on the record ❖ iday trip is the fact that most travel vendors offer great pricing prior to and after the actual holiday. For example, cruises and tours after Jan. 1 are the best values during the entire year. The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is also a fantastic time to travel; rates are at their lowest. However, prices during the actual holiday dates are normally higher than standard prices. My suggestion: Call your clients, have some initial thoughts available to present. Listen to what they say about dates and family travel. Ask many questions so when you start your planning session, you have all the information that you need to call back and offer the exact vacation that your clients want. Do not be afraid to continue to ask questions until you get
the exact dates they can travel. Perfect holiday vacations include cruises, tours and local vacation spots in your state. And remember, the holiday season is for families, and there is no better time than during the holidays for families to travel together and enjoy the season. Chris Morse The Travel Center Glendale, CA We went to Bellingrath Gardens last December. The lights were spectacular. Everyone loves some extra Christmas shopping time. And Lamberts is such a fun atmosphere, everyone had a wonderful time. Christy D. Sternitzky East Baton Rouge Council on Aging Baton Rouge, LA
Experience the New Gahanna...
The most difficulty I have in booking holiday trips is that most people want to get together with their families at that time of year. What I usually recommend is that they all go on a holiday cruise together so they can each enjoy themselves as they wish during the day and then get together for dinner and share their experiences and enjoy the evenings together. Lori Leiman Lori’s Adventurers Queen Creek, AZ
IN THE DECEMBER ISSUE of Leisure Group Travel, On The Record will focus on your 2011 Group Travel Business. Please send us your response to this question: What are you going to do personally that’s going to make next year your best ever? Tell us about your plans – marketing, sales and trip development that will put you over the top in 2011. A committee will select the top entries and publish them as part of a
SPECIAL
25
BIG IDEAS FOR 2011
IN ON THE RECORD.
...where you can take “flight” with wines, taste teas, dip treats in chocolate, learn about herbs, create signature culinary blends, celebrate “foodie” fun and more!
www.visitgahanna.com 14 October 2010
Gahanna
Along with your comments, please include your name, company name and location. Also for publication, send a high-resolution photo of yourself. Thanks in advance for your valuable input. Send to: Randy Mink, randy@ptmgroups.com
CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
LeisureGroupTravel.com
WE DON’T HAVE PYRAMIDS IN COLUMBUS But with everything else you can experience you won’t even notice.
Our experiential tours were created for the curious. Those who want to know what it’d be like to bottle their own wine, or interact with exotic animals, or share the stage with a world-class jazz musician. Aren’t you a bit curious?
To learn more about our experiential tours, visit ExperienceColumbus.com/tours or call 800-354-2657
on religious travel ❖
kevin j. wright
Diversify Your Religious Travel Portfolio MANY OF US OFTEN HEAR about the value of diversifying in our lives. For example, we hear about the importance of diversifying our exercise routine, our work vs. leisure time and our financial investments. But what if you’re involved in religious travel – should you also diversify your faith vacations and events program? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” Whether you are a travel professional, tourism organization or a group planner, the importance and value of diversifying your religious travel program is paramount. Today’s world of faith-based travel differs considerably
sify your religious travel portfolio with relative ease:
1
Offer both international and domestic travel opportunities. Religious travel programs often consist primarily of either international travel options or domestic, but not both. However, as people of faith take trips ranging from local and regional to national and international, it’s important that your religious travel program match this same variety. By doing so, your faith-based travel portfolio will not only meet the needs of your travelers, but it will also provide your mem-
Itineraries that incorporate a strong faith focus and leisure elements create a winning combination that appeals to all from years past, and as a result, this form of tourism is much more elastic than ever before. Or to put it more simply, religious travel today offers more options and experiences. For this reason, people of faith embark on a greater variety of religious trips than in the past. So what does all this mean for you? There’s no better time than now to re-evaluate your religious travel portfolio and consider enriching it through diversification. By doing so, you can expect to experience much greater success with your faith vacations and events program. But how can you do it properly, efficiently and effectively? Following are three key ways to diver16 October 2010
bers or clients with an opportunity to choose long-distance travel one year and closer-to-home travel the following year. It’s a win-win for everybody involved.
2
Offer a wide variety of travel experiences. Religious travel is often associated with pilgrimages or missionary travel. In fact, these two forms of travel are so popular that they typically comprise the heart of many faith-based travel programs. However, in today’s world of religious travel, people of faith embark not only on pilgrimages and mission trips, but also on a number of other travel experiences. These include faith-based cruises, volunteer vacations, ski trips, safaris, local getaways, retreats
and visits to attractions. To best meet the needs of your clients or faith community, today’s religious travel programs should include a diverse portfolio of travel opportunities.
3
Balance the faith focus with leisure activities. Following up on the previous point of offering a variety of travel experiences, this relates to specific itineraries and events as well. People of faith today prefer to have their travel experiences combine both faith and leisure elements. For example, when a church or religious community travels together to Europe or on a cruise, they want faith to remain the focus of the trip through prayers, devotions and services, yet wish for a portion of the time to include such leisure activities as meeting locals, enjoying the region’s cuisine and seeing popular tourist sites. By offering travel experiences that incorporate both faith and leisure elements – with the former remaining at the heart of the itinerary – you are sure to create a winning combination that appeals to all. There’s never been a better time to diversify than now. With a changing economy and travel preferences, people of faith are searching for new experiences that meet their needs. By offering a portfolio that is rich in possibilities and variety, you’ll be well positioned to experience much greater success tomorrow. Kevin J. Wright is the president of the World Religious Travel Association. Contact: 888255-9782, kwright@wrtareligioustravel.com, wrtareligioustravel.com. LeisureGroupTravel.com
randy mink
Jordan Tourism Board Photos
on religious travel ❖
Pilgrims find spiritual renewal at Bethany Beyond the Jordan and other sites dating from the dawn of Christianity
Jordan
HOLY GROUND IN
Visitors to Bethany Beyond the Jordan may see priests or pastors performing baptisms. The Jordan River was wider and more turbulent in biblical days.
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment Heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from Heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3: 16-17) 18 October 2010
LeisureGroupTravel.com
he landscape is dry and stony, the vegetation scruffy. In scenes right out of the Bible, Bedouins herd sheep and goats in the desolate countryside north of the Dead Sea. From the bus window, you might see a camel or two tied up by the nomads’ tents. Hardly lush and leafy, this area along the east bank of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho, is nonetheless ripe for discovery as one of the most significant sites in Christendom. Though Bethany Beyond the Jordan has been known for two millennia as the place where Jesus Christ was baptized by John, it was not until 1996 that stunning archaeological discoveries identified the exact site where John had been carrying out his
T
Malia Asfour, director of the Jordan Tourism Board North America, said, “We have worked hand in hand with our suppliers to promote this unique location and educate religious travel planners about how to build it into all of their Holy Land programs. Now that the site is fully open and travelers have easy access, it is only natural that this authentic location is once again returning to its place of prominence on the Holy Land map.” Because Bethany Beyond the Jordan marks the baptism of Jesus by his cousin John, and thus the beginning of Jesus’ mission and indeed the beginning of Christianity, it is considered to be one of the three holiest Christian sites in the
Catholic Church. Last year Pope Benedict XVI blessed the cornerstones of two new Catholic churches being built. Also in 2009, Baptist World Alliance officials, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other dignitaries were on hand to dedicate a new Baptism Center along the reedy shores of the River Jordan. A gravel path, lined with shrub-like tamarisk trees, leads to the terraced Baptism Center. Along the way is a gold-domed Greek Orthodox church built from honey-colored limestone in 2003. Besides the Catholic churches under construction, Anglican, Baptist, Coptic, Russian Orthodox and Armenian churches are in the works.
Byzantine ruins and Jordan Valley landscapes provide photographic subject matter at Bethany Beyond the Jordan.
baptisms, spurring renewed interest among religious travel groups. Before 1994, the area had been a military border zone full of land mines. Bethany Beyond the Jordan, a place of pilgrimage from the fifth to 12th centuries, contains the remains of five memorial churches built by early believers; various Christian denominations today are putting up new churches and guest facilities near those ruins. Once the pilgrim village is completed, the rustic site expects to receive more than one million visitors annually. A Jordanian national park, the protected reserve is run by an independent board of trustees—the Baptism Site Commission—appointed by King Abdullah II. LeisureGroupTravel.com
world, together with the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was in Bethany where Jesus, at the age of 30, first prayed to God and gathered his first disciples. Other important spiritual events in the Bible occurred at this historical site. It is where the Israelites, led by Joshua, first crossed into the Promised Land and where the Old Testament prophet Elijah was taken into Heaven on a chariot of fire. The late Pope John Paul II visited Bethany Beyond the Jordan during his March 2000 pilgrimage to the Holy Land and it was designated a Jubilee Year 2000 pilgrimage site by the
From a riverside platform sheltered by a palm-frond roof, tourists at the Baptism Center descend steps to dip their feet in the narrow, tranquil stream (a roaring torrent in biblical days) or fill bottles with brown river water. Cleaner water is pumped into a font on the deck. You might see people in white gowns immersing themselves in the river; people from all over the world come to be baptized, either by their own priest or pastor or a local clergyman. Also here are machine gun-toting Jordanian soldiers, a common sight in this border area, and the friendly tourist police who staff major attractions throughout the kingdom. ( Just across the river, less than 30 feet away, Israel operates its own October 2010 19
on religious travel ❖ The Bethany-area sites formed part of the early Christian pilgrimage route between Jerusalem, the Jordan River and Mount Nebo. According to the final chapter of Deuteronomy, Mount Nebo is where the Hebrew prophet Moses viewed the Promised Land that he would never enter. (“And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho.”) According to Jewish and Christian tradition, Moses
Just outside the sanctuary is the Serpentine Cross, symbolic of the bronze serpent taken by Moses into the desert and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Under the metal sculpture is the Bible verse: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert so must the Son of Man be lifted up in order that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life.” Madaba, 10 minutes from Mount Nebo, is the “City of Mosaics.” Tour groups make a beeline to the contemporary St. George Greek Orthodox Church, which was built over the earliest surviving map of the Holy Land. A mosaic masterpiece, this floor map, made around 560 A.D., includes about 150 biblical sites, with the A mosaic floor map of the walled city of Jerusalem the central Holy Land is the focal point at St. George Church in Madaba. focus. Other church floor mosaics can be seen in Madaba, an ecclesibaptism site.) Away from the river, astical center in Byzantine times. the visitor center has shops selling Tour groups have a field day at holy soil from Israel and Jordan, Madaba’s large handicraft stores, vials of river water, carved olive where they can watch mosaic wood crosses and religious figures, works pieced together with chips of Moses Memorial Church, a pilgrimage spot on T-shirts and baptismal gowns. onyx, jade, malachite, limestone, Mount Nebo, marks the site of Moses’ death. Bethany Beyond the Jordan also agate and other stones. In a factory includes the remains of a fifth century was buried by God himself on this showroom, they can buy everything Byzantine monastery, a third century mountain, the final station on his flight from mosaic coasters and vases to patio Roman building with fine mosaics befrom Egypt. His final resting place is tables and chairs. lieved to be a Christian prayer hall and unknown. Madaba, called Medeba in the Old the cave where John the Baptist lived, From Mount Nebo’s windswept Testament, has 100 churches, mostly according to Byzantine pilgrims’ texts. promontory, present-day pilgrims can Catholic and Orthodox, and was preAttracting several hundred thousand feast on the same scene that Moses dominantly Christian a century ago. visitors a year, Bethany Beyond the Jorsaw more than 3,000 years ago, enJordan today is 92 percent Islamic, 8 dan is the country’s No. 1 biblical site, joying panoramic views of the Dead percent Christian. but religious tour groups can connect Sea, Jordan River Valley, Jericho and Travelers of all religious faiths, with their faith at other locations on the the distant hills of Jerusalem—if the whether devout pilgrims or casual visipilgrim route taken by early Christians weather cooperates. They also can adtors, find meaning in Jordan’s biblical between Jerusalem and Mount Nebo. mire Byzantine mosaics in Moses sites. Few remain unmoved. LGT Memorial Church, a ONLINE EXCLUSIVE large basilica built Obtain Jordan visitor guides and For more Jordan travel ideas, go online and see on stones of a fourth itineraries – and the article on resorts that promote the curative powers of the contact groupcentury church that mineral-rich Dead Sea. Log on to http://leisuregrouptravelfriendly suppliers marked the site of .com/?p=20340. directly – at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info Moses’ death. 20 October 2010
LeisureGroupTravel.com
on religious travel ❖
WESTERN WALL ACCESSIBILITY Jerusalem’s Western Wall, one of the most important sites for visitors to Israel, has long been nearly inaccessible for visitors in wheelchairs or with other disabilities. That is about to change with the construction of an elevator from street level to the level of the Wall. The elevator, which was proposed by the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter, would start at Misgav Ledach Street and descend about 70 feet to a pedestrian tunnel, which would then lead to the plaza in front of the Western Wall. The project, which has been discussed various times over the years, was finally pushed forward with the financial assistance of a New York businessman, Baruch Klein, who lives part-time in Jerusalem. In his honor, the elevator will be called “Ma’alot Baruch.” The Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter hopes to make the elevator free of charge and is working on ways to allow the elevator to operate on Shabbat. REMBRANDT IN DETROIT The Detroit Institute of Arts presents the exhibition Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus from Nov. 20, 2011 to Feb. 12, 2012. The show will feature eight paintings created by Rembrandt van Rijn and his students that feature the presumed visage of Jesus. Also included are more than 50 related paintings, prints and drawings that will examine the religious, historic and artistic significance of the core eight works. The ticketed exhibition is organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts, Musée du Louvre and Philadelphia Museum of Art. It opens at the Louvre, then travels to Philadelphia before coming to the DIA. (313-833-7900, dia.org) 22 October 2010
Israel Ministry of Tourism
Religious News
An elevator at Jerusalem’s Western Wall will provide access to the disabled.
NEW ISRAEL TOUR Identity Travel Israel, an educational cross-cultural tour operator based in Modiin, Israel, has launched “This is Jesus: Prophet of Nazareth,” an eightday itinerary that aims to provide a complete portrait of Jesus in literature and life. It explores the most up-to-date information from recent archaeological finds and historical research while visiting all the major Christian sites. Jesus’ story is conveyed by a tour guide and by speakers with academic and theological backgrounds who will join the tour group at selected sites. The tour includes Tzipori, Nazareth, all the Ministry of Galilee sites, Jerusalem, the Stations of the Cross, Gethsemane, the pool of Bethsaida, The Mount of Olives, Emmaus, Masada, the Dead Sea and more. (identitytour.com) FAITH TRAVEL CONFERENCE Unicomm and Travel with Spirit jointly announce the introduction of the Faith Travel Conference & Exposition™. This annual event will bring together all segments of the faith tourism
industry, including group leaders, ministry organizations, and fundraising professionals, that actively book group travel and want to connect with the travel industry’s leading domestic and international destinations and suppliers. The inaugural event is scheduled to take place May 19-20, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Faith Travel Conference and Exposition is expected to draw thousands of Group Travel Planners and 150 destinations and suppliers. Faith travel planners will be offered a blend of informative sessions offering tools and best practices to develop effective mission, outreach and retreat group travel programs, along with insightful keynotes from influential pastors and leaders. “Faith-based travel isn’t a new concept, but in the last five years the movement has matured,” said Honnie Korngold, host and editor of Travel with Spirit Television and Magazine and Faith Travel Conference & Expo chairperson. “This event marks a turning point for the industry.” For more information, visit faithtravel.net. LeisureGroupTravel.com
Mediterranean panorama of Lake Lugano
Switzerland’s Heritage. Switzerland’s diversity is seen not only in its beautiful scenery but also in the four national languages, its people and different cultures. Easy to explore on one of the best public transport networks in the world. Ticino Travelers can admire the mediterranan panorama of Lake Lugano from the church of Santa Maria del Sasso in Morcote. Visit the historic center of Bellinzona, take part at the traditional Easter procession in Mendrisio and enjoy the gastronomy of the Ticino under palm trees. Lucerne and Lake Lucerne Region Lucerne enjoys the distinction of being the only Swiss town that began as a monastery. Switzerland’s only born saint “Brother Klaus” family house and chapel of the 15th century can be visited near Lucerne. The black Madonna in the Abbey of Einsiedeln marks as the most visited pilgrimage site in Switzerland. Zürich Zürich made its most significant mark on Christian History in the early 16th century.
Here, Huldrych Zwingli was the father of the Swiss Reformation. The St.Peters Church was a landmark in Swiss Reformation History and the Anabaptist caves outside of Zürich are a reminder of the Anabaptist believers in the area. Swiss Travel System: all-in-one ticket Swiss Travel System turns any journey into an unforgettable experience. Whether you‘re travelling by train, boat or post bus, a glance at the surrounding countryside is enough to capture the cultural wealth and geographical variety of this country. Your ticket for the Swiss Travel System: The Swiss Pass. It offers free travel on this transportation system which is unique in the world. The highlight of any Swiss trip is a ride along one of the many scenic routes. Enjoy Switzerland‘s natural beauty from a boat deck or drink in the breathtaking vistas from a yellow postal bus.
For information please visit MySwitzerland.com/heritage. For bookings please call Reformation Tours at 1-800-303-5534.
on location: midwest ❖
nadia beidas
The Warrens Cranberry Festival, attracting nearly 100,000 people the last full weekend in September, offers cranberry marsh tours.
Wisconsi n f o Music, crafts and culinary specialties await group travelers at small-town events that showcase the best of the Badger State hink America’s Dairyland and images of cows and cheese inevitably come to mind. So do soft buns wrapped around fat, juicy bratwursts. Wisconsin has a reputation for satisfying travelers’ appetites with foods fresh from the farm, the orchard, the bog and the woods.
T
24 October 2010
Group itineraries that incorporate a food festival add an extra helping of appreciation for the state’s cornucopia of good things to eat. Below is a sampling of food fests throughout the state: Green County Cheese Days in Monroe, located about an hour south of Madison, is held in even years during
the third weekend in September. Dating from 1914, the food festival honors Wisconsin’s cheese industry, dairy farming and the region’s Swiss traditions. Entertainment includes yodeling, polka bands, polka lessons and the “So You Think You Can Polka” polka contest. Guests also enjoy yodeling lessons, LeisureGroupTravel.com
cheese and beer pairing seminars, and product sampling from Monroe-based Swiss Colony, plus rock and blues music. The festival features a cow-milking contest, old-time copper kettle cheese-making demonstration, vintage tractor show, children’s parade led by a Cheese Days prince and princess, dairy farm and the Swiss Colony Cheese Days Parade, led by a decorated herd of Brown Swiss cattle. Culinary delights at the food booths include deep-fried cheese curds, cream puffs and cheesecake on a stick. (608-325-7771, cheesedays.com)
400 pounds. A retort cooks one ton of corn every 17 minutes. The festival features family activities, stage shows, musical entertainment, mini-golf, a craft show and parade. (608-837-4547, sunprairiechamber.com) In Sheboygan, Brat Days is held every year around August. Attendees can taste bratwurst in many forms with a variety of sauces such as hot garlic or teriyaki. Also try brat lasagna and brat jambalaya. The festival offers a brat eating contest, family area, carnival, parade and marketplace. (920-207-6606, bratdays.org)
R.J. and Linda Miller
Bake-Off has two divisions—junior for contestants under 17 and senior for those over 18. Cranberry baked goods are divided into four categories: breads & muffins, cookies & bars, desserts & cakes, and pies. There are over 300 craftspeople, a flea market, farmer’s market and pancake breakfast hosted by the local fire department. (stonelakecranberryfestival.com)
Jerry Tyler
Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival (left) and Festa Italia (above) are popular food fetes in Madison. The Sweet Corn Festival takes place in nearby Sun Prairie.
o d f e s t ival s The Stone Lake Cranberry Festival, which began in 1978, is held every year on the first Saturday in October in Stone Lake. Reserve a luncheon in advance and feast on such delights as cranberry cake on the Friday before the festival. Hop on a bus from the festival and take a cranberry marsh tour at harvest time. The Cranberry Festival Parade features high school bands and floats, and the Crate Derby follows. The LeisureGroupTravel.com
The Sweet Corn Festival in Sun Prairie began in 1953 and served about 13,000 ears of corn. Today about 100,000 people attend the four-day festival, usually held in August. Almost 70 tons of sweet corn are cooked in a boiler and five retorts, which is similar to a rice steamer but ten feet deep and three feet across. Inside each retort are four cast iron baskets holding about 450 ears of corn, and each basket weighs around
The Strawberry Festival is held in Cedarburg on the fourth full weekend in June. Strawberry culinary delights include the “original” strawberry brat, strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, strawberry crepes, strawberry slush, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry ice cream and strawberry blush wine. There is a strawberry pie and sundae eating contest. The Strawberry Pancake Breakfast on Sunday is acOctober 2010 25
R.J. & Linda Miller
on location: midwest ❖
The ketchup slide is a slick event at the Hamburger Fest and Balloon Rally, an August celebration in Seymour.
companied by live, outdoor music. Berries are also sold in quarts. The festival’s Arts on the Avenue includes Cedarburg Cultural Center’s Fine Art Fair, Cedar Creek Settlement’s Arts Fair and Ozaukee Art Center’s Fine Art Fair. (888-894-4001, cedarburgfestivals.org/strawberryfestival. Taste delicious mushrooms at the Morel Mushroom Festival, held the weekend after Mother’s Day in Muscoda. The festival also offers wine tasting, a parade, arts and crafts, flea market and carnival. (608-739-3182, muscoda.com) Visit the “Home of the Hamburger” in Seymour and attend Hamburger Fest and Balloon Rally. Held in August, the festival honors Charles Nagreen, who, according to legend, invented the hamburger and served the first one in 1885. See the 14-foot statue of “Hamburger Charlie.” Events include the World’s Largest Hamburger Parade, the ketchup slide, burger press and hamburger eating contest. There are hot air balloons, music and games. (920833-6688, homeofthehamburger.org) The Bayfield Apple Festival in Bay26 October 2010
field, gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, offers over 60 orchard and food booths. Held in early October, the festival features orchard visits, 150 artists and crafters, a parade, stage entertainment, a fish boil, carnival rides and an evening boat pa-
rade. Festivities also include apple pie/dessert and apple peeling contests. Listed among the Top Ten Autumn Festivals in North America by the Society of American Travel Writers, the event attracts 50,000 people.(800447-4094, bayfield.org)
June’s Strawberry Festival in Cedarburg offers a fresh taste of summer. LeisureGroupTravel.com
from local restaurants. There are culinary demonstrations, raffles and silent auctions. (262-245-8635, lakegenevawinefestival.com) An advance look at Wisconsin’s travel events calendar will provide a kettle full of ideas for working in other festivals that spotlight the agricultural bounty of this popular Midwestern getaway spot. LGT
Summer festivals in Wisconsin feature mouth-watering fruits of the season.
Lake Geneva Wine Festival, held in September since 2007, is a cultural event to support local nonprofit organizations. Events include sampling seminars such as “Seminar: Wine 101,” which focuses on the grapes involved in wine-making, pairings with food and the difference between a $5
Obtain Wisconsin visitor guides and itineraries – and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly – at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info
and $50 bottle of wine. In “Seminar: Wine Sense, A Blind Tasting,” participants are taught the difference between ONLINE EXCLUSIVE grapes and vintages. For a look at additional Wisconsin food festivals that may captivate your tour groups, see the article on During “Grand TastLeisure Group Travel’s website. Log on to http://leisureing,” wines are paired grouptravel.com/?p=20344. with food samples
November 5-7 The world’s foremost art fair of post-craft masterworks bridging design, decorative and fine art.
Navy Pier is Chicago’s top-visited, year-round attraction, featuring restaurants, rides, shops, dining cruises, free entertainment and so much more!
LeisureGroupTravel.com
October June 2010 2008 27
on location: northeast â?&#x2013;
angela verrier
fall festivities
in Massachusetts
Spooky events, harvest celebrations and plenty of New England charm highlight the Bay State during the prettiest weeks of the year
A
colorful fall cornucopia beckons group travelers to the cradle of American history. From the blazing palette of fall foliage to the dazzling jewel-tone shades of fruit ready for harvest, Massachusetts is the ideal canvas for planning an autumn tour.
Here is a look at some of the crowning festivals and events to consider when planning fall tours in Massachusetts: 28 October 2010
Tim GraďŹ&#x20AC;t/MOTT
As the first cool breeze of fall blows through the trees, anticipation grows for the fall festivities and approaching holidays. Visitors pour in to experience the bounty of Massachusetts as colors change from emerald greens to vibrant shades of orange, yellow and red.
LeisureGroupTravel.com
MOTT
Cranberry Harvest FestiSEPTEMBER Brimfield Antique and val, Wareham. Cranberry bog Collectibles Show, Brimfield. tours, helicopter rides, cookThe largest outdoor antique ing demonstrations, crafters show in the world, this weekand musical performances are long exposition is thoughtall part of the fun. This colorfully organized in grassy fields ful event is sponsored by the along the roadside with tented Cape Cod Cranberry Growbooths, making strolling ers’ Association and the through the 6,000 antique A.D. Makepeace Company, dealers easy and fun. To refuel the world’s largest cranberry after a day of shopping, samgrower. Take a wagon ride ple tasty New England treats and explore a spectacular crimlike fresh lobster. Whether son cranberry bog. 2011 dates: you are looking for a specific Oct. 8-9. (508-322-4000, piece for a design project or a cranberries.org) hardcore collector looking to Topsfield Fair, Topsfield. The Topsfield Fair, held every October, is America’s add to your collection, sorting It was here, in the famed longest continuously running agricultural fair. through the trove of old treasNew England Giant Pumpment park. Watch a fall cranberry harures is a delight. 2011 dates: Sept. 6-11. kin Weigh-off, where a 1,689-pound vest aboard the train and enjoy live (413-283-2418, brimfieldshow.com) pumpkin earned its place as heavymusic and other entertainment as the New England Dessert Showcase, weight champion in the Guinness Book park celebrates cranberries with arts, Boston. A premier culinary experience of World Records in 2007. Established crafts and food. Be sure to stay for all on the East Coast, this mid-September in 1818, America’s oldest continuously the rides and attractions, set against a event features the finest exhibitors running agricultural fair offers 10 days backdrop of fall foliage. 2011 dates: Oct. and samples of their chocolates, ice of action-packed fall mania during the 8-10. (508-866-8190, edaville.com) cream and more. Caterers, restaurants, first weeks of October. Witness the craft bakeries, chocolatiers, specialty cake of butter sculpting and watch as 300 designers, pastry chefs and ice cream pounds of butter is sculpted into a cow. makers all gather to share a sweet 2011 dates: Sept. 30-Oct.10. (978-887taste of Massachusetts. (617-381-4746, 5000, topsfieldfair.org) nedessertshowcase.com) Apple Fest, Princeton. Mount Wachusett offers loads of winter fun in OCTOBER the colder months but doesn’t disapApple Days, Sturbridge. Marking point in the fall. Apple Fest is spread the apple harvest at Old Sturbridge over two weekends in mid-October, ofVillage living history museum, this fering both an Oktoberfest theme and a tasty weekend event celebrates all Celtic fest theme, simultaneously staythings apple. Sample fresh cider, made ing loyal to New England traditions. from an animal-powered mill, and the Sample all-American treats as competimany varieties of crisp heirloom apples. tors square off in the Great American Enjoy the smell of apples cooking as Apple Pie Contest and a BBQ cook-off. you stroll through the village orchard Enjoy a ski-lift trip up the mountain to with a horticulture expert and learn lay eyes on the brilliant fall foliage. about the art of preserving and storing (978-464-2300, wachusett.com) fruit that was such a part of early New Davis Mega Maze, Sterling. InEngland life. 2011 dates: Oct. 1-2 & spired by a traditional English maze in 15-16. (800-733-1830, osv.org) a countryside manor across the AtNational Cranberry Festival, lantic, the layout for this corn labyrinth Cranberry festivals in Eastern Carver. Celebrate this Columbus Day was drafted by a renowned architect. Massachusetts offer tours of cranberry bogs at harvest time. tradition at Edaville, an historic amuseSpread over eight acres, the complexLeisureGroupTravel.com
October 2010 29
on location: northeast ❖ NOVEMbEr America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Day Celebration & Food Festival, Plymouth. Historical reenactments, patriotic concerts, vintage cars and a food festival boasting the area’s best chowders, soups and desserts bring history to life during this colorful holiday celebration. Considered the birthplace of Thanksgiving, Plymouth honors its past as Pilgrims, Native Americans, soldiers, patriots, and pioneers emerge from the
The Topsfield Fair features the New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off. A 1,689-pounder made the Guinness Book of World Records in 2007.
maze boasts elevated bridges and over 100 variations in routes. For a modern twist, navigate through the towering corn maze using mobile GPS devices or connect to WiFi and communicate with friends while inside the maze. Attracting international visitors looking to test their skills, this mega maze offers a challenging adventure to all. The maze is open daily during the month of August and through early September, but remains open on weekends until midNovember, or as long as the crops last. (978-422-888, davismegamaze.com) Bluegrass and Brews Sunday, Bolton. Family-owned Nashoba Valley Winery celebrates the fall season in style. This annual one-day event in late October highlights the region’s own hand-crafted, micro-brewed beers, allowing for a relaxing afternoon to sit back and enjoy some bluegrass music and wander by the pavilion and try a cider doughnut, a caramel apple or some savory barbecue. Winery tours and tastings of award-winning wines are available. 2011 date: Oct. 22. (978779-5521, nashobawinery.com) 30 October 2010
Haunted Happenings, Salem. A month-long October festival in the bewitching historic seaport of Apple Fest at Mount Wachusett offers all-American Salem involves a series of food and fun on two October weekends. spooky events that includes haunted houses, storytelling tours and a pages of history books and onto the Grand Parade. As the colorful fall landstreets. The Grande Parade even offers a scape saturates the evening sky, the thrill chronological look at America’s rich herof Halloween slithers into the streets of itage throughout the past centuries and Salem. The Haunted Happenings Caran impressive display of creative floats. nival runs during the celebration’s last The festival kicks off with a free concert two weeks. (978-744-1692, hauntedand concludes with a waterfront turkey happenings.org) dinner on the weekend before ThanksFright Fest at Six Flags New Enggiving. 2011 dates: Nov. 18-20. (508land, Springfield. Are you brave 746-1818, usathanksgiving.com) LGT enough to enter the Midnight Mansion or the Wicked Woods? JawObtain Massachusetts visitor guides dropping rides make for a thrilling and itineraries – and contact groupday of fun, but when the sun goes friendly suppliers down the fright-factor goes soaring directly – at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info as Six Flags New England is transformed into a Halloween celebration ONLINE EXCLUSIVE For more New England fall itinerary ideas, go on weekends in the online and see the article on what Vermont offers groups ghostly month of during the leaf-peeping season. Log on to http://leisuregroupOctober. (413-786travel.com/?p=20346. 9300, sixflags.com) LeisureGroupTravel.com
on location: south ❖
randy mink
A juicy eating contest highlights the Mississippi Watermelon Festival in Mize.
From Corinth to Biloxi, flavorful food fests highlight culinary traditions and agricultural heritage
L Festivities at the Muscadine Jubilee in Pelahatchie, Miss. include a grape stomp. LeisureGroupTravel.com
ooking for creative ways to whet the appetites of potential travelers? Then consider concocting a Deep South itinerary that includes such gut-busting extravaganzas as the World Catfish Festival or Hog Wild BBQ Festival. It could be a recipe for tour recess. Everyone likes to eat, and food fests offer foot-tappin’ entertainment, shopping for locally made crafts and chances to meet friendly folks who provide a taste of their hometown culture. Small-town festivals take travelers off the beaten path, exposing them to places and events that had never entered their minds. Following are some Mississippi food
festivals that reflect the spirit of the South: Slugburger Festival, Corinth. Taking place the second weekend in July in the state’s northeast corner, this food fest pays homage to one of Corinth’s local delicacies. What is a slugburger and where did its name come from? While opinions vary, one thing is for sure...slugburgers are not made from the terrestrial gastropod mollusk of the same name. The most widely agreed upon story is that during the Great Depression, an extender (such as cornmeal) was used to make the ground beef supply last longer. Each hamburger sold for a nickel, also known as a slug; thus the slugburger was born. These days, October 2010 31
on location: south ❖ slugburgers are still made with a mixture of beef and extender (usually soybean meal). They are deep fried to a golden brown and served on a hamburger bun with mustard, pickle and onion. Many local diners specialize in the slugburger. The festival, sponsored by Main Street Corinth, features evening entertainment, carnival rides and a slugburger-eating contest. 2011 dates: July 7-9. (662-287-1550, slugburgerfestival.com) World Catfish Festival, Belzoni. Bring your appetite and feast on fried catfish and hushpuppies in Missis-
sippi’s Delta region. Attracting 20,000 people, this celebration has made ABA’s Top 100 Events in North America. The downtown party, held since 1976, pays tribute to the farmraised catfish industry in Humphreys County, the “Catfish Capital of the World.” Festivities include a catfisheating contest, crowning of Miss Catfish, musical entertainment and four streets devoted to arts and crafts booths. At the Catfish Museum and Welcome Center, a video tells the story of catfish, from fingerling to frying pan. Outside is “King Cat,” the world’s largest catfish at over 40 feet tall. Catfish ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Go online and check out the three Mississippi events on Parade, a downthat made the American Bus Association’s list of Top 100 town public art projEvents in North America for 2011. Log on to http://leisureect, showcases more grouptravel.com/?p=20342. than 40 catfish stat-
32 October 2010
Chicken wings and blues music keep guests crowing at the Wing Dang Doodle Festival in Forest.
ues. 2011 date: April 2. (662-2474838, belzonims.com) Vardaman Sweet Potato Festival, Vardaman. Billing itself as the “Sweet Potato Capital of the World,” Vardaman celebrates its claim to fame for a week starting the first Saturday in November. At tasting booths on the kick-off day, visitors can try everything from sweet potato punch to pies, cakes and candy made by farm families from the fiberrich vegetable full of beta-carotene, potassium and vitamin A and C. The day also features arts and crafts, a barbecued chicken dinner and pie-eating contests, plus an antique tractor show and displays of sweet potato farm equipment used on the fertile soil of North Mississippi. The festival committee publishes a sweet potato cookbook packed with recipes for treats like sweet potato sausage balls and sweet potato chewy bars. 2011 dates: Nov. 512. (662-682-7559, vardamansweetpotatofestival.org) Mississippi Watermelon Festival, Mize. It’s all you can eat – all day long, courtesy of Smith County’s watermelon farmers. Besides slurping up juice from red and yellow melons, visitors enjoy country music, clog dancers, camel rides, a classic car show and an auction for the largest watermelon. There also are watermelon-eating and seed-spitLeisureGroupTravel.com
ting contests. Held the second-to-thelast weekend in July, the festival (looking ahead to its 33rd year) is set among the pines, oaks, dogwood and magnolias typical of South Central Mississippi. 2011 dates: July 22-23. (601-733-5647, mswatermelonfestival.com) Biloxi Seafood Festival. Fans of fresh seafood are in heaven during the second weekend in September as they go from stall to stall, sampling shrimp, oysters and other catches from the Gulf of Mexico. Treats also might include shrimp tamales, crab cakes in lemon butter sauce, jambalaya and crawfish pies in Creole sauce. The public can sample entries in the gumbo contest. Music, arts and crafts, and children’s festivities round out this family-friendly fest, which is held on the Biloxi Town Green. The 2010 festival was one of the ABA’s Top 100 Events in North America. Festival organizers received a grant this year from Harrison County Tourism, which passed on money received from the BP oil spill fund. 2011 dates: Sept. 10-11. (228-604-0014, biloxi.org.) Wing Dang Doodle Festival, Forest. Staged on the last Saturday in September, this event features two favorite Mississippi products—blues and chickens. The day of music and food is highlighted by wing-eating and cooking competitions. Some of the cooking teams dress up as chickens. Top prize is $1,000. The fest’s name comes from “Wang Dang Doodle,” a song by the late Mississippi blues artist Willie Dixon. 2011 date: Sept. 24. (601-4694332, forestareachamber.com). Hog Wild BBQ Festival, Corinth. Savor barbecue pork sandwiches at this Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned event, which draws cookers from all over the country to historic downtown Corinth. More than $8,000 in prize money and trophies is given in such categories as barbecue sauce, chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. Hog Wild features a carnival and stage enLeisureGroupTravel.com
tertainment each evening. 2011 dates: Sept. 29-Oct. 1. (662-287-1550, hogwildfestival.com) Muscadine Jubilee, Pelahatchie. This late-summer festival pays homage to the muscadine grape, used in Southern wines, jellies and pies. Folks can buy grape goodies, shop for crafts and enjoy musical entertainment. (Country star Marty Stuart performed this year.) A local berry farm sells bags and boxes of
muscadine grapes, plus the actual plants. Local politicians and celebrities take part in a grape stomp, using their bare feet to make juice. 2011 date: Sept. 10. (601854-5224, pelahatchie,org) LGT Obtain Mississippi visitor guides and itineraries – and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly – at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info
February 19 – July 17, 2011
More than 200 important and beautiful works of art—including paintings, prints, and decorative objects—illuminate the development of Japan’s enduring influence on the West. 1-866-VIEW ART | msmuseumart.org 380 South Lamar Street, Jackson, Mississippi The Mississippi Museum of Art and its programs are sponsored in part by the city of Jackson and the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau. Support is also provided in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The Annie Laurie Swaim Hearin Memorial Exhibition Series
William Merritt Chase (American, 1849–1916), The Japanese Woodblock Print, circa 1888. oil on canvas. 20.16 x 24.25 in. Collection of Neue Pinakothek, Bayerische Staatsgemaeldesammlungen, Munich, Germany. Inv. 8401. Photo Credit: Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz / Art Resource, NY. Unknown Artist (Japanese, 19th century), no title, circa 1870. watercolor, ink, metallic leaf on off-white paper. 15.75 x 25.39 in. Courtesy National Park Service, Longfellow National Historic Site.
October 2010 33
South on our radar
Groups touring Dixie can choose from some exciting new sightseeing options Here is just a sampling of what’s creating a buzz in the South: ALABAMA GulfQuest, the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, opens in late 2011 on the downtown waterfront in Mobile. The ship-shaped structure will include a full-size replica of a container ship. Exhibits will cover early settlements, maritime archaeology and shipwrecks, animal and plant life, weather and hurricanes, maritime and coastal environments, commerce and shipbuilding, and offshore oil/gas platforms. The first museum dedicated to the Gulf Coast’s rich maritime heritage and third interactive maritime museum in the world, GulfQuest will be the centerpiece of Mobile Landing, which now includes a convention center, cruise ship terminal and riverside park. The
museum building will house a ferry terminal. (gulfquest.org)
destroyed by fire in 1957. Highlights include leaded-glass windows and iconic Tiffany Studios lamps as well as art glass and custom furnishings. (407645-5311, morsemuseum.org)
FLORIDA The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, the most comprehensive collection of Louis LOUISIANA Comfort Tiffany materials in the world, The National World War II will open a new 12,000-square-foot Museum, home to the new Solomon wing in February 2011. The addition Victory Theater, Stage Door Canteen will provide, for the first time, longand American Sector Restaurant, is term public access to the recently continuing its $300-million expansion restored Daffodil Terrace from Louis with construction of the United States Comfort Tiffany’s celebrated Long Freedom Pavilion: Land, Sea and Air, Island home, Laurelton Hall. ONLINE EXCLUSIVE The 11 new galleries will Go online and read the article about a new four-state also feature approximately alliance, Gulf Coast Economy: Ready 4 Takeoff, that aims to 250 art and architectural bolster the region’s tourism prospects. Log on to http://leisureobjects from or related to grouptravel.com/?p=20296. the long-lost estate,
TAMMY WYNETTE: First Lady of Country Music Presented by
August 2010 – June 2011 Don’t miss this exhibit that tells the powerful story of the woman whose talent and
NEW
determination took her from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the heights of stardom.
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum
UNIQUE GROUP TOUR PACKAGES AVAILABLE
Dow n tow n Nas hvil l e , Te n n e s s e e
800-852-6437 CountryMusicHallofFame.org
Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, Inc., a section 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964.
34 October 2010
Follow us on: LeisureGroupTravel.com
due to open in spring of 2012. The museum’s largest building, it will feature aircraft, including the Boeing B-17G “Flying Fortress,” and an immersive submarine experience representing the USS Tang in the Pacific Theater. (504-528-1944, nationalww2museum.org) MISSISSIPPI The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum will be part of a new museum complex set to open in Biloxi in spring of 2012. The original museum was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. Besides the maritime/seafood attraction, the complex will include a Mardi Gras Museum and Katrina Museum. The trio of museums will be located on Highway 90, just to the east of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art and across from the maritime museum’s Schooner Pier complex, where a pair of 68’ two-masted Biloxi Oyster Schooners are moored. Some of the maritime museum’s exhibits will include Native Americans/Colonial period, Boatbuilding, Tools of the Trade, Shrimping, Oystering, Crabbing, Marine Blacksmithing, Wetlands, Barrier islands, Biloxi Seafood Factory, Historic Boats of Biloxi, Managing Marine Resources, and Nets including Turtle Excluder Devices. One artifact on display for the first time since Katrina will be the restored Ship Island Lighthouse Fresnel lens, made in Paris and dating back to the 1820s. It was completely shattered during Katrina. (228-435-6320, maritimemuseum.org)
LeisureGroupTravel.com
NOW MORE TO RIDE FOR! New Motorcoach Lobby Now Open s ,ARGER FASTER BOARDING AREA s $EDICATED ,OADING :ONE FOR lVE FULL LENGTH coaches – with casino level entrance s $RIVER S ,OUNGE s 7ORLD CLASS GOLF JUST MINUTES AWAY AT Sequoyah National, a Troon Golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II Call toll free, at 1-877-778-8138. Or email bwebb@cherokee.harrahs.com Harrah’s Cherokee Now Serving Alcoholic Beverages!
Cherokee, North Carolina Bus Companies are independent bus services and are not affiliated with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel. Must be 21 years or older to enter casino and to gamble and have 2 forms of ID, one being a state or federal photo ID. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. An Enterprise of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. ©2010, Harrah’s License Company, LLC.
October 2010 35
on location: west ❖
sue arko
Eventful Arizona
Miller Photo
Towns ThroughouT The sTaTe celebraTe everyThing from cowboy and indian lore To apples and leTTuce 36 October 2010
Visions of the West enthrall groups at Prescott Frontier Days – The World’s Oldest Rodeo and the Navajo Nation Fair.
A
n Arizona vacation is much Navajo Times sweeter when choosing a package based on your group’s special interest. And a great way to customize your visit is to include one or more of Arizona’s numerous festivals and events into your itinerary. A wide variety of niche events can be found throughout the state and themes are as diverse as Arizona itself. Themes include holiday, cultural, sports, arts and crafts, wine and culinary, faith-based and educational. Following are just a few top events with an Arizona flavor: LeisureGroupTravel.com
RODEO EVENTS Prescott Frontier Days – The World’s Oldest Rodeo, Prescott. July 4, 1888, became the birthday of professional rodeo when a group of Prescott merchants and businessmen organized the first formalized “cowboy tournament” and offered cash prizes. These “Cowboy Contests” continued, and rodeo has grown into a multi-million-dollar sport with more than 700 professional rodeos in 50 states. In addition to bull riding, steer wrestling, bronc riding and other events at the world’s oldest rodeo, this week-long festival includes the Frontier Days Parade, a dance, fine arts and crafts show, Kiddies Parade, and Rodeo Queen Contest and Coronation. Date: June 28-July 4, 2011. (866-407-6336, worldsoldestrodeo.com) PARADES Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade, Phoenix. Presented by Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona’s largest single-day spectator event annually attracts thousands of people who line the downtown Phoenix parade route. It is a favorite of locals and of fans traveling to Arizona for college football, featuring colorful floats, helium balloons, marching bands and equestrian units. Groups can easily get to the parade via Phoenix’s new METRO Light Rail. Date: Dec. 31, 2010. (480-3500900, fiestabowl.org/index.php/events/parade) Parada del Sol Horse-Drawn Parade, Scottsdale. An annual event since 1953, the world’s largest horsedrawn parade features about 150 entries marching up Scottsdale Road. The theme for 2011 is “Scottsdale Salutes the Troops in Cowboy Boots.” As the parade concludes, a big party called Trail’s End offers kids’ games, pony rides, Old West gunfights and trick roping. Parada del Sol is a non-profit corporation that provides financial and volunteer support to local charities. Date: Feb. 12, 2011. (480-990-3179, paradadelsol.us) CULTURAL Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff. The museum produces four festivals, plus monthly programs, that highlight the region’s cultures. The festivals offer a balance of ancient and modern cultural presentations, performances and activities, providing insight into the Hopi, Navajo, Zuni and Hispanic cultures living on the Colorado Plateau and in the Four Corners region. 20th Annual Zuni Festival of Arts and Crafts, May 28-29, 2011. A celebration of the Zuni way of life and Zuni expressions of creativity. 77th Annual Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture, July 2-3, 2011. A celebration dedicated to encouraging the survival of Hopi arts and crafts. LeisureGroupTravel.com
October 2010 37
on location: west ❖ 61st Annual Navajo Festival of Arts and Culture, Aug. 6-7, 2011. An authentic presentation of the Navajo “Beauty Way” philosophy of living in harmony. 7th Annual Celebraciones de la Gente, Oct. 29-30, 2011. An exemplification of the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, an ancient Meso-American holiday held throughout Mexico, Latin America and the Southwestern US. (928-774-5213, musnaz.org) Navajo Nation Fair, Window Rock. The largest Native American fair in the country features cultural experiences, including a pow-wow, an arts and crafts fair, and traditional song and dance performances by numerous Indian tribes. Miss Navajo is crowned annually during the festival and the Navajo Art Walk fine art exhibit is held
Yuma Lettuce Days, set for March 11-13, celebrates the area’s veggie business.
at the Navajo Nation Shopping Center. The Navajo Flea Market is buzzing with excitement during the fair, and dances are held nightly in big tents along the highway. Date: Sept. 8-11, 2011. (928-871-6647, navajonationfair.com) HOLIDAY EVENTS Ghost Tour and Historical Walk, Mesa. This Halloween-season walking tour of downtown Mesa pairs historical sites with tales of ghosts and goblins. Docents lead guests above and below Main Street. At several stops business owners provide accounts of paranormal happenings in some of Mesa’s oldest buildings. Downtown Mesa’s architectural history is displayed as guests visit establishments that date back to the early 1900s as well as more recent buildings. Private group tours can be arranged with advance notice. Date: Oct. 21-22, 2011. (480-835-7358, mesahistoricalmuseum.org)
Willcox hosts a harvest celebration. Guests can pick Red Delicious, Rome and Criterion apples, fill up on pancakes doused in cider syrup, or opt for peaches and pears, which are also ready for pickin’. Also stop at Stout’s Cider Mill, known by locals as “that apple place in Arizona,” for an enormous piece of delicious apple pie made from home-grown apples. Local wineries, you-pick orchards, and plenty of places to hike and picnic make the Apple Harvest Celebration a fun-filled day for tour groups. Date: Sept. 3-5, 2011. (520-384-2084, appleannies.com) Yuma Lettuce Days, Yuma. In partnership with the Southwest Ag Summit, this event connects the agricultural industry with the community and visitors. The celebration of Yuma’s thriving veggie business includes seminars, games, kids’ activities, live music and a farmers market. New in 2011, the festival will include a new epicurean component, where local chefs, restaurants and grocery stores provide an array of tantalizing tastes highlighting Arizona’s produce. A surprise celebrity chef, along with other nationally recognized regional chefs, will demonstrate their skills throughout the weekend. Date: March 11-13, 2011. (928-782-5712, yumalettucedays.com) LGT Obtain Arizona visitor guides and itineraries – and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly – at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info
CULINARY Apple Harvest Celebration, Willcox. Southern AriONLINE EXCLUSIVE zona’s elevation is For more ideas on group-friendly Arizona events, go perfect for orchards, online and see the article on yuletide celebrations in Mesa, and every Labor Prescott, Flagstaff and Lake Havasu. Log on to http://leisureDay weekend Apple grouptravel.com/?p=20348. Annie’s Orchard in 38 October 2010
LeisureGroupTravel.com
on location: west ❖
elana andersen
California Academy of Science Leaps into the Future This reborn San Francisco standby, a model of “green” technology, gives natural history exhibits a dynamic new home hat was old is new again and stands in tribute to San Francisco’s enduring respect for and curiosity about the wonders of nature. The new California Academy of Science is comprised of a natural history museum, aquarium and planetarium all under one roof and is now the largest “green” museum in the world. Founded in 1853, the Academy is one of the city’s oldest public museums and has been in Golden Gate Park since 1916. It is recognized throughout the world as a preeminent natural history museum and research center. Unlike older museums, there aren’t many walls, barriers or dark hallways separating exhibit areas. The new building’s open design promotes easy flow from one area to another. The museum’s entry ticket includes access to all exhibits, scheduled shows, and demonstrations and activities. Timed-entry passes are used for the planetarium show and special exhibitions. There are three retail shops and two dining venues. The Planetarium is the largest alldigital planetarium in the world. Its current featured show, Journey to the Stars, is followed with a scientist talk about what’s happening today in the universe. The Aquarium, located on the lower
W
40 October 2010
Groups visiting the Academy’s new building will enjoy the African Hall (center) and witness green technology systems on the Living Roof (right).
level, is home to 38,000 live animals representing more than 900 species. Exhibits include the Philippine Coral Reef, Northern California Coast, Water Planet and Discovery Tidepool. Underwater views of the Flooded Amazon Rainforest and the Swamp are also on this level. The Aquarium’s Penguins display is in the African Hall. Natural History exhibits are found throughout the museum and focus on current issues – the evolution and sustainable future of life on Earth. It is in these areas that the museum draws from its 150-plus years of research and 26 million-specimen collections. Static and interactive displays challenge visitors to participate in formulating solutions for the Earth’s sustainable future. Featured exhibits include Islands of Evolution - Madagascar and the Galapagos, Science in Action, Climate Change and the African Hall. The Rainforests of the World features more than 1,660 live animals including 250 birds and butterflies. The Living Roof has a 2.5-acre California Native Plant garden and is the location for the Telescope Star Gazing events. This is a great photo-op
location for cityscapes, and docents are on hand to talk about the garden, wildlife habitats and the various conservation/green energy systems. GROUP SPECIALS All groups are welcomed with a guided tour of the museum. Talks with scientists, behind-the-scene tours, advance planetarium and special exhibition tickets, meal plans and other activities can be pre-arranged for groups. Two new evening programs for adults: Thursday is NiteLife, 6-10 p.m. An after-hours exploration of the museum features special activities, entertainment, and food and drink for adult palates. The NiteLife VIP Experience adds a one-hour, behind-the-scenes tour with a private viewing of the renowned gem and mineral collection, interaction with researchers at one of the working labs, and preferred access to the Rainforest and Planetarium show. Sunday’s Wine and Dine party features a VIP tour of the museum, private wine reception and a gourmet dinner. Contact: California Academy of Science, 415-379-5210, toursales@calacademy.org, calacademy.org. LGT LeisureGroupTravel.com
Over 500 Locations Service, Value, Variety Free meals for your driver and group leader • Ample free motor coach parking • All-inclusive nationwide pricing • Food that’s ready for a quick, hassle-free stop • A wide variety of foods to accommodate specific diet choices Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner
Reservations made easy. Visit www.buffet.com/leisuregroup email: groupsales@buffetsinc.com or call 866-840-6654
© 2010 Buffets, Inc.
on technology ❖
john kamm, ctp
Browsing the Browsers ALICE HAD HER LOOKING glass. We have our web browsers, the portals that connect meatspace with cyberspace. Although we have become somewhat blasé about the technology, cyberspace is still a magical world, full of adventure, profit, entertainment, romance and danger. The application that brings us a front row seat to this galaxy of content is usually taken for granted but that’s by design. What are the top picks in the browser line-up? According to w3school’s site statistics, Mozilla’s Firefox leads the pack at 46% of users; 30% of us are using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) 6, 7 or 8; Google’s Chrome comes in next at 16% (up from around 6% same time last year); Apple’s Safari holds 3%; and Opera squeaks into the top 5 with about 2%. The point is – you do have a choice and different browsers offer different features. Some of those features affect how secure and extensible your browser will be. SECURITY THREATS Security, first and foremost, should be handled by the software located in that gooey stuff between your ears. But, we do count on the computer’s software to help us along. Most security threats exposed through the browser are phishing,
cross-site scripting or maleware attacks. The top 5 do a good job of protecting you against these threats - in conjunction with a good anti-virus scanner and a bit of common sense. Users may want to customize their browser to add new or specific features. If you want to update all your social network sites with a single post, get an extension or add-on. FireFox is currently the most extensible browser offering thousands of choices from the Mozilla
You do have a choice and different web browsers offer different features library. IE and Chrome offer some extensions while Opera and Safari not so much. Microsoft and Google have grandiose plans for their utilitarian browsers: world domination. Well, more accurately “cloud” domination. Think of the vast global network of computers as a “cloud.” Both of these companies envision a time when all of our data and applications will reside “out there,” a few clicks away on any device we might have handy from any place we might be. To that end both have released productivity applications to run in their browsers.
Become a fan of ours on Facebook and we’ll keep you informed of the latest news in the industry by sending you Facebook updates when news breaks. Simply search for “Group Travel” and look for the Premier Tourism Marketing logo! Leisure Group Travel is also joining the Twitter craze. Go to Twitter.com/LeisureGroup to get the latest “tweets” from the Leisure Group Travel staff.
42 October 2010
DEVELOPMENT COSTS The preponderance of web portals can impact you and your business in another way: website development costs. Web pages arrive in a browser as files of code written in HTML. Your browser deciphers that code and renders the page with text, graphics and even sound or moving images. At some point the web development community agreed on standards for HTML – how to encode bold type, how to
encode a graphic and so on. As you might imagine, some browser developers adhere to the standards a bit more rigorously than others. The predictable and often frustrating result is a page that looks great in three of the browsers and like a train wreck in the others. Resolving these issues takes development time and that costs money. The good news is, the new standard, HTML5, is evolving quickly. It promises to bring improved security, tightly integrated multi-media capability, greater flexibility across devices like smartphones and the opportunity to operate businessfriendly applications. One thing about technology – it’s a lot like the weather in the Midwest. If you don’t like it, wait a few days – it will change. John Kamm is CEO of TourTech Systems, Inc., developers of TourTools®. Visit www.tourtools.com for more information.
LeisureGroupTravel.com
INSTANT INFO CENTER OCTOBER 2010
❐ Please continue to send Leisure Group Travel ❏ Cancel my subscription Name ___________________________________________ Title ______________________ Company __________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________ City ____________________________________ State _________ Zip _________________ Phone ________________ Fax _______________ Email _____________________________ REQUIRED Signature ___________________________________________ Date ___________________ REQUIRED City of Birth _________________________________________
❐ Subscribe to InSite E-newsletter Where is your group planning to travel in 2011? ________________________
• Researching destinations, attractions and tour companies is a cinch, with Instant Info, from Leisure Group Travel! SM
Comments on Leisure Group Travel _________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
Request Advertiser Info ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
Apple Vacations Arizona Renaissance Festival, Apache Junction, AZ Buffets, Inc. Restaurants Collette Vacations Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville, TN Elko CVA, NV Ely Tourism and Recreation, NV Experience Columbus, OH Gahanna CVB, Columbus Area, OH Globus Family of Brands Go Ahead Tours Grand Hyatt, San Antonio, TX Greenbrier County CVB, WV Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel, Cherokee, NC
I prefer suppliers to contact me via:
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
Hyatt Regency, San Antonio, TX Louisiana Department of Tourism Mesa CVB, AZ Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS Navy Pier, Chicago, IL Nevada—America’s Wild West New Orleans Plantation Country, La Place, LA Palestine Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Princess Cruise Lines Switzerland Tourism U.S. Tours
❑ Virginia City Convention and Tourism Authority, NV ❑ World Religious Travel Expo
❐ Phone
Please send more information on companies in the following categories:
❐ Attractions ❐ Casinos ❐ Cruise Lines ❐ Destinations ❐ Hotels ❐ Restaurants ❐ Theaters ❐ Tour Operators ❐ Travel Insurance Send information on companies in the following states/countries.
• Connect directly with suppliers via email, web or phone or request brochures in one easy step.
List states/countries: _______________________________________________
RESPOND BY NOVEMBER 15
● Detach this card from the magazine, and affix postage ● or fax this page to 630.794.0652 ● Visit our Instant Info Center at LeisureGroupTravel.com
Short Circuit Your Trip Planning Process!
OCTOBER 2010
• New Tool Aids, Trip Research & Planning • Researching destinations, attractions and tour companies is a cinch, with Instant Info, from Leisure Group Travel! SM
Complete and return your Print Instant Info Card via mail or fax, or go online to LeisureGroupTravel.com and click on the Instant Info tab. SM
SM
❐ Search by state/country ❐ Search by keyword ❐ Search by category
Connect directly with suppliers via email, web or phone or request brochures in one easy step.
Return via mail or fax to 630-794-0652 Return your Reader Service Card by November 15 FOLD HERE
AFFIX POSTAGE HERE
Reader Info Center P.O. Box 609 Palos Heights, IL 60463
A JOURNEY YOU’LL FIND NOTHING SHORT
of divine. FEATURED VACATIONS
NEW! THROUGH THE AGES: ISRAEL, JORDAN & EGYPT 12 days from $3,079* TEL AVIV :: JERUSALEM :: EILAT :: PETRA :: DEAD SEA
JOURNEY THROUGH THE HOLY LAND 10 DAYS FROM $2,149* TEL AVIV :: HAIFA :: LOWER GALILEE IN A KIBBUTZ :: JERUSALEM
*Land only prices. Air-inclusive prices available.
TRACE YOUR FAITH’S HISTORY AND AWAKEN YOUR SPIRIT. From the
Mount where Moses received the Ten Commandments to the Mount where Jesus delivered the Beatitudes, the stories of the Bible will be brought to life in their original settings for your clients. With eight decades of travel experience, we offer the perfect combination of faith and fun. To book a religious vacation you can have faith in, call 877.797.8793 or visit globusfaith.com.