October Leisure Group Travel Magazine

OCTOBER 2009

A Premier Tourism Marketing publication • www.leisuregrouptravel.com

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contents Vol.19, No. 5

October 2009

COVER STORY

COVER STORY

16

ADVENTURE TRAVEL Today’s groups want something to write home about

16 Consumer Trends Bode Well For Adventure Travel Niche by jim forberg

18 Adventure Travel Summit

On My Mind

10

by cindy bertram

by jeff gayduk

8

On Culinary Travel by holly hughes

On Cruises

50

On Technology by john kamm

FEATURES 12

Student Travel Planning Guide

21

Europe Outlook 2010 by randy mink & jeff gayduk

26

NORTHEAST Sampling Vermont by randy mink

31

SOUTH Taste of Louisiana by randy mink

40

MIDWEST Amish Country Fixin’s by colleen kitka

46

WEST Western Adventures by elana andersen

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ON THE COVER: A whale of a time in Quebec. Photo courtesy of Tourisme Québec

LOUISIANA

31

New Orleans Metropolitan CVB / Sarah Essex

6

Moab Area Travel Council

COLUMNS

Vol.19, No. 5 October 2009 Editorial & Advertising Office

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

NEWS AS IT HAPPENS • PERSPECTIVE • TOOLS

Online Exclusives

Senior Editor – John Kloster john@ptmgroups.com

Senior Editor – Elana Andersen elana@ptmgroups.com

Director, Design & Production – Robert Wyszkowski

G

REAT DESTINATION ARTICLES DON’T STOP WITH THE PRINT EDITION -

LeisureGroupTravel.com features online-only destination features, breaking news and commentary from four travel blogs. Check out our Online Exclusives for the inside track on hot group travel destinations. Articles are available in new digital page flip and pdf formats for easy downloading and storage! From the home page of LeisureGroupTravel.com scroll down the left margin to the Online Exclusives section.

InSite On Religious Travel ur latest e-magazine targets the fast growing religious travel marketplace, with destination ideas, packages and inspiration on faith-based group travel. InSite on Religious Travel is both a website and e-magazine, with the “best of the best” content and directory resources gathered each month and delivered via email to your inbox.Visit http://insite.religioustraveldirectory.com to subscribe.

O

Back To School top by the Group University bookstore for a full line-up of educational seminars and books on developing and managing your group travel business. Titles include Marty de Souto’s How to Plan, Operate, & Lead Successful Group Trips (132 pages), seminars in print on starting and managing a group travel program, organizing group cruises, pricing strategies and negotiation tactics. Order directly online and save – visit www.GroupUniversity.com today!

S

rob@ptmgroups.com

Regional Sales Managers International – Richard Haymaker

P 630.794.0696 • F 630.794.0652 richard@ptmgroups.com

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 proftampa@aol.com West – John Gibbs

P 415.929.7619 • F 415.358.5550 johng@ptmgroups.com

Western 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:

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publication

All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.

on my mind ❖

jeff gayduk

The Riches are in the Niches FEW WOULD ARGUE THAT niche and affinity group travel is the future of our industry. Traditional group planners need not look further than their current client base to recognize that their core group of seniors are exiting their prime travel years. We’ve all had a dose of truth serum over the last decade as the younger generation of travelers just doesn’t hop on the next bus to Branson.

Riding on the see-saw as we balance the needs of conventional group travelers while ushering in new waves of travelers with unique wants and

CARVING UP NICHE MARKETS In a bold move during the worst recession our nation has experienced in the last 70 years, we are developing a cutting-edge series of print and online publications and resources for select niche group markets. We have selected four core market segments – Sports, Students, Reunions and Religious Travel – all very powerful segments of the group travel industry, all growth-oriented markets. Our staff is hard at work establishing our series of planning guides, e-magazines and directories for these niche travel markets.

Our objective is to help you develop your niche & affinity group business

Is religious group travel in your future?

Are you keen on marketing your services to student/youth groups? Does the growing reunion market interest you?

Or are sports events your bag? Our objective is to help you develop your niche & affinity group business with these components as a core resource.

Other ideas and niche markets will surely grow over time, as this is just the beginning of the process. In the meantime, go to LeisureGroupTravel.com and click on the Niche Group Travel link under Online Exclusives to learn more about these products.

Happy Traveling,

Jeff Gayduk, Publisher desires, we have been diligent about creating niche market coverage in Leisure Group Travel and on LeisureGroupTravel.com. Each issue of the magazine contains fresh ideas on how to diversify your business to reach some of these fast growing markets.

August, for example, had an expansive section on Religious Travel, and this edition covers both Adventure and Student Travel.

It’s long been my philosophy that destination knowledge is worthless if you don’t know how to fill up a coach, so we’ve taken a leadership role in providing this sort of education in hopes of bringing these niche markets to life, and help you determine where your best opportunity lies.

6 October 2009

The planning guides provide vision – with advice, checklists and how-to ideas that explore the mechanics of developing and executing niche market events and trips. The e-magazines provide a timely dose of inspiration on new destinations, packages and best practices, and the directories provide a backbone of destination information with key contact information on CVBs, attractions, tour/receptive operators and hotels to facilitate planning. Of course, we’re linking all these together to provide a unique combination of how to, where to and why to resources, each of which are custom-designed for their respective market segment.

So which niche market do you fancy?

Jeff was lured into the advertising world by hundreds of “See Ruby Falls” billboards he encountered on family trips from Illinois to Florida.

IN MEMORY OF JOHN GAYDUK October’s Leisure Group Travel is dedicated to my father, John Gayduk, who left this world on Aug. 26 at the age of 89. My dad would give you the shirt off his back if he thought you could use it more than he, and had an innate ability to make the best of any circumstance.

Our cross-country family trips spurred me to explore my passion for travel.

He will be missed.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

on culinary travel ❖

holly hughes

Catching the Wave of Culinary Tourism TWENTY YEARS AGO, WHEN I was editing travel guides from a desk in New York, it was a radical move to hire local food writers to provide restaurant reviews. Publishing wisdom decreed that the same writer who tramped through museums and thumped motel mattresses could also throw together a list of eateries, mixing tried-and-true white-tablecloth standards with an upscale diner or two for budget travelers.

Zagat only published one slim guide, to Manhattan; Michelin’s red guides only covered Europe. I never imagined that someday there’d be a market for my international travel guide, 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers.

Oh, how things have changed.

I blame Peter Mayle’s 1991 bestseller A Year In Provence. Once it was enough simply to drive through the South of France, admiring its scenery and sampling local cafes. Now, every visitor to Provence or Tuscany has to lug home a suitcase weighed down with bottles of olive oil, jars of preserves and obscure items of cookware.

The change took us all by surprise. By 1998, when the term “culinary tourism” was first coined, it labeled a trend that was already in full swing. Now there’s even an International Culinary Tourism Association (www.culinarytourism.org), founded in 2003 as a clearinghouse for travel professionals interested in booking the best dine-arounds, winery tours, farm visits and spa dining.

There was a time when cooking classes and chef demos were only for spouse programs – nowadays, both halves of the couple show up, spatulas 8 October 2009

in hand (all those aspiring Rachael Rays and Anthony Bourdains!). And it’s not enough just to labor over a hot stove — most cooking schools also usher their students into local markets, onto the fishing docks to see (and smell!) the day’s catch hauled off the boats, or into the very fields, orchards and gardens where their ingredients grow.

Even Anthony Bourdain nowadays appears more often on the Travel Chan-

Word of the Year – a sure sign that food and place are ever more inextricably linked in people’s minds. At first, being a locavore referred to how daily eating habits relate to one’s home community, supporting sustainable agriculture and local farmers. But it didn’t take long for travelers to jump on the locavore bandwagon too. Learning about local foods has become an essential part of pre-trip research, from identifying native crops

Learning about local foods has become an essential part of pre-trip research nel than the Food Network. As Michael Pollan (author of the bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma) noted recently in the New York Times Magazine, while the Travel Channel offers more culinary travel shows, the Food Network itself features fewer how-to cooking shows and more eating travelogues.

The new culinary tourism is distinct from gourmet tourism. It used to be that travelers bragged about scoring a hard-to-get reservation at a five-star restaurant when they came home from vacation. The new trophy restaurants?

No-name backstreet “finds” that aren’t listed in any standard travel guide — mom-and-pop diners, seafood shacks, ethnic storefronts, the dives only locals know. Authenticity is the name of the game.

A NEW WORD In 2008, the New Oxford American Dictionary declared “locavore” the New

(blueberries and lobster in Maine, oysters and okra in Louisiana) to making a checklist of regional dishes to sample. Whetting your appetite before a trip is half the fun. Bird-watchers keep their own life lists – why shouldn’t a barbecuelover work on a life list of famous shacks, from North Carolina to Texas?

It’s a moving target, though. Restaurants close, chefs move, menus change.

The same goes for wineries, microbreweries and farm tours – new stars rise every season. I expect that my next edition of 500 Places For Food & Wine Lovers will feature a raft of must-see culinary destinations that don’t even exist today. Staying ahead of the curve is a challenge – but the research sure is fun.

Holly Hughes is the author of Frommer’s 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers (Wiley Publishing, Inc., 471 pages, $19.99).

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on cruises ❖

cindy bertram

A New Generation of Shipboard Dining WHAT BEGAN WITH TWO seatings in the main dining room, simple lunches and no alternatives beyond room service has changed dramatically.

Dining onboard today is about flexibility and choices, from casual fare to highend cuisine, as new ships debut and cruise lines offer more options. A new generation of dining awaits your groups.

Norwegian Cruise Lines’ “Freestyle Dining,” launched in 2000, and Princess Cruises’ “Anytime Dining” really pioneered dining flexibility. Now other cruise lines have incorporated similar programs, and they’re available to groups. Royal Caribbean International, for instance, has “My Time Dining” and “My Family Time Dining.” Holland America Line’s “As You Wish” dining allows guests to choose traditional pre-set seating and dining times or a completely flexible schedule. With flexible dining, passengers can make reservations ahead of time or simply walk in. Finally, after doing a pilot program in 2008, Carnival Cruise Lines just launched “Your Choice Dining” in April as a third dining choice with a “Your Time” open seating. It’s currently being rolled out fleetwide and will be featured on all Carnival ships by summer 2010.

Specialty restaurants are now the norm and usually involve an additional per-person surcharge. Exclusive to Holland America Line’s Eurodam is Tamarind, a Pan-Asian restaurant with a capacity for 144 guests. MSC Cruises’ MSC Orchestra has Shanghai Chinese Restaurant, the only dedicated Chinese restaurant at sea. On Royal Caribbean 10 October 2009

International’s much anticipated Oasis of the Seas debuting in December, Keriann Von Raesfeld, an internationally acclaimed chef, will be heading up 150 Central Park, the ship’s signature restaurant in the Central Park area. And when NCL’s Norwegian Epic debuts in 2010, she will offer 17 different dining options,

Policies vary from cruise line to cruise line, but most do have an option for groups to reserve dining at a specialty restaurant. A critical factor involves group size – larger groups might have to split up and dine at different times.

With Princess Cruises, each group is assigned to a group onboard service co-

More choices in dining styles and times gives cruise groups an ocean of options including the largest teppanyaki restaurant at sea. Celebrity Cruises has introduced some new restaurants as well, including the Silk Harvest Restaurant, showcasing the exotic tastes of Asia on its Solstice-class ships. An extremely popular experience that debuted on Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess in 2008 is the Chef’s Table, a private, behind-the-scenes dinner. Available to 10 diners per night with a surcharge of $75 per person, it is being rolled out across the Princess fleet with a few exceptions.

GROUP RESERVATIONS Dining for your group can still be requested in advance – that really hasn’t changed. MSC Cruises ships continue to offer just main and late dining, but with more lines offering three dining options (main, late and a flexible dining time), it’s important to find out what your group members prefer. Do they want to dine together all the time, or break it up and dine in smaller groups at some of the alternative restaurants?

ordinator who sends information out (to the booking agent) covering onboard venue options about four months prior to the sailing date. The coordinator then handles any special onboard requests for the group, including pre-arranging reservations for any of the restaurants. Holland America groups, depending on the size, can set up and make advance reservations at an alternative restaurant. Group reservations for MSC Cruises’ specialty restaurants are handled through the operations manager. Carnival Cruise Lines will take advance reservations for groups at the supper clubs, but there are “waves of guests, spaced 15 minutes apart.” So your group members would have to be assigned this way.

With all the options now available, your group can enjoy the latest waves in the evolution of shipboard dining.

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

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on student travel ❖

New Guide Will Aid Student Travel Planners This December, Premier Tourism marketing (parent company of Leisure Group Travel magazine) launches Student Travel Planning Guide, a comprehensive how-to resource for planning student/youth trips. The Planning Guide assists buyers in a variety of facets related to planning and executing a successful youth trip. chapters include: • First Decisions – developing a purpose & objective of your trip • creating a Timeline - what needs to happen when (pre-trip) • choosing Destinations and Travel Date • setting budgets & Fundraising efforts

WOrKiNG WiTh TOUr PrOViDers The section on working with student tour providers stresses that regular communication with the tour operator by telephone or email, at least biweekly, is important because it will diffuse potential problems and clarify questions. Teacher group leaders, according to the student Planning Guide, should let the provider know their most important considerations after contracting with the tour provider. examples include: • specific flight patterns (longer or shorter layovers)

Group leaders need to do their homework and keep up with pre-trip deadlines • how to Work with student Tour & receptive Operators • Working with hotels • meals & entertainment • Transportation solutions • student cruises • Negotiating with Vendors • etiquette and Discipline while traveling • chaperones – developing guidelines and a sense of cooperation • Travel insurance + safety & security • rules of the road • Post-trip evaluation/Next Trip Planning Teachers, tour operators, travel agents and other readers will find the guide to be a gold mine of practical tips. The following preview touches on just a few of the subjects covered.

12 October 2009

• Location of hotels (within the cities or outside of urban areas) • meal upgrades (may increase the per-person price of the tour) • Participants traveling from gateways other than the group matters on paperwork requested by the tour provider revolve around keeping up with deadlines, which include: • Any liability contracts or agreements to act as a group leader • Gathering of student information such as passport data • creation of an emergency calling tree • reminding participants and parents of payment schedules • enrolling participants on optional tour excursions • matching passport names with

names on the trip roster The final point is highly critical, the guide explains, because there can be no difference between the name on the provider’s roster and the name in the passport. “correcting this in the days before departure can cost hundreds of dollars.”

TOUr hOTeLs The student Travel Planning Guide’s section on tour hotels suggests that quality and price can vary considerably and will be in line with the overall cost of the student tour. students are generally lodged three or four to a room; adults are placed two to a room. most hotels on student tours will be two or three stars, but it is not uncommon for groups to be lodged in a more expensive hotel.

Group leaders with specific requests should make those known to tour providers months in advance.

Questions regarding hotels should include: • is the hotel in the city • if not, how far from the inner city is the hotel • has this particular hotel been used by the tour provider before • if breakfast is included, is it continental, buffet, or a full, hot breakfast • if in the city, is the neighborhood safe • is there internet access • Does the hotel maintain independent security • Are the guest rooms furnished with mini-bars Groups with alcohol policies must LeisureGroupTravel.com

advise the tour provider and on-site tour directors to avoid student use of mini-bars. even if no alcoholic beverages are in these refrigerators, the prices on everything from sparkling water to coke are highly inflated. some minibars can be locked by hotel staff. Those that cannot be locked must be manually divested of alcohol, but this may entail an additional charge for the room.

Among the planning guide’s tips on checking in to a hotel: • Prepare rooming lists ahead of arrival • Give each student a hotel business card in the event they get lost while in the city • Look over the neighborhood before allowing students to leave the hotel during free time • Let students know where breakfast will be served • The on-site tour director will post the daily itinerary in the hotel lobby; students should know where this is. • hold a brief meeting that reemphasizes hotel behavior • Advise against using in-room telephone service readers also are advised about the most common hotel problems involving student groups. They include: • students congregating in the hotel halls and disturbing other guests • slamming of room doors • excessive noise from student rooms after curfew • students missing breakfast and wanting to eat on the coach • Taking food from the breakfast room to use for lunch • Leaving rooms in disarray and failing to dispose of garbage properly Teachers can get a good overview of assigned hotels by looking over the hotel web page and reading reviews of the hotel by other patrons. it is also helpful to ask the tour provider to provide the LeisureGroupTravel.com

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on student travel ❖ names of other group leaders who stayed in that particular hotel. chOOsiNG chAPerONes choice of adult chaperones is another key to a successful student trip. most student tour providers offer “free spots” that are based on the number of paying

14 October 2009

participants. This ratio is usually 1-6 but can vary depending on the tour provider. While chaperoning a student tour is an attractive proposition, chaperones should realize that this is not a free vacation.

All chaperones should have some experience with students either as teachers,

school administrators, or some other educational, professional venue. initial recruiting should include the following: • Ability to attend all meetings before the tour • Assist with documentation such as obtaining passports and visas • Prepared to spend money on items not covered in the free spot such as lunches or beverages • Ability to chaperone small groups of students on flights if the departure and/or return flights are split The student Planning Guide points out that it is best to avoid chaperones who are family members of the teacher group-leader, parents of student participants, spouses of chaperones and older students who may be school alumni.

Any adults involved in leading or chaperoning a student tour must be prepared to be on call at any hour. if there are a number of chaperones, it is helpful to divide responsibilities and give each chaperone at least one night off during the tour. Duties on tour will include: • responsibility for small student groups throughout the tour • Assisting with student discipline • helping to facilitate curfews and room-checks at night • staying behind if a student is too ill to participate in the activities on any particular day • Accompanying a student home if severe illness or disciplinary problems warrant such last resort actions • monitoring students during their “free time” • Willingness to accompany students on free day excursions LeisureGroupTravel.com

© BMP / PHOTO BY JAMES PORTO

ONLiNe resOUrces Alongside the Planning Guide, Premier is also relaunching two complementary products for the market.

StudentTravelDirectory.com contains the most comprehensive directory resource for the student travel market today. With listings and links to thousands of student/youth friendly destinations and businesses, it’s designed to be the premier research tool for the market. Additionally, InSite on Student Travel is a monthly e-magazine, debuting in January 2010. insite takes its cue from the firm’s popular insite on Leisure Group Travel e-magazine for the group tour & travel market, with a regular dose of ideas, inspiration, best practices and new destinations.

For more information, visit www.studentTravelDirectory.com.

CREATIVITY INSPIRES Blue Man Group will engage and motivate your students through an unforgettable stage event that combines theatre, music, art, science and technology. This unique theatrical experience is a form of entertainment like nothing else, guaranteed to be an outing that your student group will never forget. Visit BLUEMAN.COM/EDUCATION for more information.

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on adventure travel ❖

jim forberg

Consumer Trends Bode Well for Adventure Travel Niche THE DAYS WHEN THE phrase “adventure travel” brought to mind images of rock climbers hanging from a ledge by their fingertips are long gone. Today, more travelers of all ages are adding active and experiential elements to their vacations and becoming adventurers. In fact, adventure travel has become the fastest-growing segment of travel and tourism globally.

From scuba diving in the Caribbean to riding a zipline through the treetops in Costa Rica to rediscovering one’s roots on a heritage-based journey, adventure travelers want experiences that are memorable. With “time” seen as the new luxury, adventure travelers are looking for a “vacation of a lifetime” – every time. Adventurers seek travel options that challenge them physically, spiritually or intellectually and allow them a chance to reassess and reflect on their lives at a time when most are being asked to do more with less.

ing classes and time for relaxing by the pool, I believed it couldn’t get any better. Well, little did I expect to be in Italy at the very time the country claimed a World Cup victory. Standing side by side with the locals in their celebration is indescribable and a memory that will stay with me forever.

ENRICHING EXPERIENCES The common thread among adventure travelers is their desire to immerse themselves in an experience that allows them to connect with their inner being, explore their interests and enrich their lives. What’s more – they look to share their travel experiences much like others might display their possessions.

The term “ego-tourism” has recently surfaced, with the best travel “experiences” at the center of the discussion.

It’s no surprise that even with the current economic downturn, adventure travel has been among one of the

Even in this economic downturn, the adventure travel outlook appears bright A walking tour through Ireland might be one person’s adventure while exploring the rainforest in Belize might be another’s. For me, it was a 10-day bike tour through Tuscany with a reputable tour operator. My adventure was a perfect blend of biking through the beautiful hills on the coast, visits to historic sites and unmatched local cuisine.

With four-star accommodations, cook16 October 2009

few travel segments that has held up remarkably well. Adventure travelers value travel as part of their lives to such a degree that they are willing to sacrifice other things before cutting out a vacation. That being said, current economic conditions will affect how and where these travelers will take their vacations.

In a recent survey conducted by Adventures in Travel Expo, 76 percent

T

op destinations identified by active and adventure travelers include:

Europe Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific Caribbean Africa U.S. – Alaska/Hawaii Asia/Southeast Asia South America U.S. – Mainland Central America Mexico Source: Unicomm, 2009

of respondents indicated that they were more likely to take less expensive vacations, with 64 percent looking for better travel deals to help finance their vacations. With long-haul international travel now value-priced like never before, there is a chance for many consumers to visit places that were not within their reach just a few years ago.

Consumer trends continue to bode well for adventure travel according to a survey completed by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA). As an example, there is a trend towards an increase in family adventures, women-only trips and theme travel (e.g. culinary, wine, archaeological, sport). Adventure travelers have shortened the time beLeisureGroupTravel.com

tween booking and actual travel and are cutting the lengths of their trips slightly to realize cost savings.

Clearly, the affluent and adventure travel segment appears well positioned for continued growth, especially in the 35-65-years-of-age demographic.

Whether you are a bird-watcher or boogie-boarder, go find your next great vacation and make it memorable.

In the words of author Henry David Thoreau: “We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character.”

Jim Forberg is the COO of Unicomm, organizers of Adventures in Travel Expo and Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show – the nation’s largest series of travel events. He led the team that created the Green Travel Summit, which successfully launched this past March to focus on the business of responsible travel with co-sponsor NBTA. Contact Jim at 203-878-2577, adventureexpo.com.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

October 2009 17

on adventure travel ❖

UNPRECEDENTED SOCIETAL, economic, climatological and geopolitical shifts, paired with higher threats of pandemics and other crises, have contributed to equally impressive changes in traveler preferences, seemingly overnight. For leisure group travel experts – operators and travel agents in particular – altering perspectives to adapt to the new operating environment and morphing consumer interests takes on new meaning. It’s not just an option, but a necessity to survive and thrive.

Adventure travel has emerged as one of the more vibrant sectors, one that mainstream leisure travel is monitoring to better serve the maturing preferences of more enlightened travelers. Adventure travel is one niche that for decades has served the unique traveler and weathered and rebounded well from scores of volatile periods. It’s an innovative sector that has spearheaded global conservation efforts, pioneered sustainable tourism, helped to alleviate poverty in rural areas worldwide, enhanced cultural immersion and understanding, and has created experiences for travelers that led to the popular distinction between “tourists” and “travelers.”

The global Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) will host its 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit from Oct. 19-22 at the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in Charlevoix, Quebec. Leisure group travel experts interested in engag18 October 2009

Moab Area Travel Council

Adventure Travel Summit in Quebec to Offer Insights on Leisure Group Sector

Four-wheeling enthusiasts enjoy the Hell’s Revenge Trail during Moab, Utah’s annual Easter Jeep Safari.

ing more directly in the adventure travel sector will have the opportunity to connect with industry veterans who will convene by the hundreds to address the impact of issues that are influencing changes in tourism.

ATTA’s Summit is considered by many to be the “event of the year” for the global adventure travel market. Its annual conference attracts the who’s who of the industry. The emphasis is on networking, business and professional development, and education – and its organizers strive for intensive delegate involvement. Topics range from sustainability and social media collaboration to standards and best practices and collaboration between travel agents and adventure travel operators. Sitting quietly in the audience is seldom an option as sessions encourage delegate interaction.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

ATTA draws not only upon travel industry experts for the event but introduces insights from non-endemic sources, lending perspectives from an array of fields that allow a steady stream of new thought to permeate the market.

Seattle-based ATTA (adventuretravel.biz) is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, networking, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market. Its members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, specialty travel agents, guides, accommodations, media and service providers. And while leisure group travel has not been emphasized in the association, ATTA gradually has begun to receive overtures from those interested in exploring more direct engagement in the adventure travel sector. Its Summit is the perfect venue to initiate such discussions.

Despite economic realities, there’s been a surge of momentum in support for the fall 2009 Summit. In fact, the association has fielded an increasing number of adjacency meetings and events requests from groups that want to tap into the energy generated by the Summit. New special guests, sponsorships and activities are helping to drive the surge. Meetings and events that will coincide with this year’s Summit include: • TIES – The International Ecotourism Society will co-lead this year’s sustainability topics alongside the ATTA, bringing with them conservation experts from the ecotourism sector.

• ISO Adventure Tourism Working Group (ISO TC 228) – The first meeting of this newly formed (Aug. 22, 2009) standards organization will feature leadership and risk management experts from around the world.

• VAST – Virtuoso Active & Specialty Travel, which is bringing some of the LeisureGroupTravel.com

industry’s top specialty travel agents to the Summit • Association Partners – ATTA partner associations such as Brazil’s ABETA, Mexico’s AMTAVE and other adventure and ecotourism associations will participate.

• Trusted Adventures – This alliance of highly respected, smaller, owner-involved companies will be in full force at the Summit.

The list of dignitaries, featured speakers, special guests and influencers is growing. Here’s just a glimpse of the new voices you’ll hear: • Daniel Gauthier – One of the world’s top minds in the world of entertainment, he is the co-founder of Cirque de Soleil.

• Hubert Reeves – Famed astrophysicist who brings cosmology (and conservation) to the masses • David O’Connor – President, Aid to Artisans, 30+-year innovator of efforts to preserve handmade traditions worldwide • Hitesh Mehta – Eco-architect and sustainable tourism pioneer and one of the “25 Most Powerful People in Adventure” • Michael Brown – Acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and pioneer in adventure filmmaking • Jeff Dossett – Top 50 digital executive leading new media thought • Dr. Wallace J. Nichols – Leading ocean conservationist For the leisure group travel market, ATTA’s 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit offers those new to adventure travel an intensive, four-day immersion that will leave delegates transformed.

Additional background on the Summit agenda, special activities, a list of preregistered delegates, attending press, and information about the growing list of Summit contributors is available at adventuretravelworldsummit.com.

October 2009 19

on europe: ❖

randy mink and jeff gayduk

EUROPE OUTLOOK 2

•

0 •1•0

German National Tourist Board / Keute, Jochen

Industry pros share their views on how transatlantic travel is shaping up as the global economy continues to struggle

Medieval towns like Quedlinburg, Germany, captivate American tourists in search of storybook charm.

T

he forecast for American travel to Europe next year is not exactly rosy in some quarters of the industry, but tour operators and national tourism office representatives are cautiously optimistic about a rebound and believe the worst may be over.

Michael Gigl, director of the Austrian National Tourist Office, North America, said, “I don’t expect things to improve rapidly, but I think we’ve seen the bottom.”

Citing a downturn of 10 to 15 percent in the first part of 2009, he said the drop in American tourists to Austria has been gradually leveling off, with numbers down only three percent in July. Gigl said he’s hoping 2010 will bring a double-digit increase over 2009.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Michael Gigl Mike Schields, director of group sales and emerging markets for Globus Family of Brands, views 2010 with optimism, noting that booking volume is

up 30-40 percent over 2009 levels.

“Deposits are up 100 percent, which indicates buyers are more serious and have sat on the sidelines long enough.

They have sacrificed their vacations in 2009 and are jumping back into the market.”

Schields said Europe in 2010 will be generally less expensive than in 2009 because of the dollar’s improving strength against the pound and euro, and “a soft travel environment accounts for more favorable rates from suppliers.”Because of the fixed cost of cruising, Globus’Avalon Waterways river cruise division is leading the recovery. France, Spain and Oberammergau also are selling well.

Tommy Ryder, head of the groups department at Travel Bound, said, October 2009 21

on europe ❖ “Bookings for 2010 are already higher than those for 2009. Europe is still our #1 destination, and there the strong seller is Oberammergau, which started slowly but is gaining momentum.”

Ryder said group travel to Italy is rebounding for 2010, and “we are also seeing much more interest in Spain than previously.” France and the UK continue to be popular destinations for

Mike Schields group travel, he added, and “bookings for Greece are on the rise, particularly pre-/post-cruise.”

SPAIN SNAPSHOT Patricia Wood Winn, public relations manager of the Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago, said supplier feedback indicates an upturn in American visitors for 2010, with group cruises into Barcelona a big seller.

Spurring travel to Spain, she said, will be Holy Year celebrations in Santiago de Compostela, an important religious pilgrimage destination. The city’s ornate cathedral is home to the reputed relics of St. James the Greater and attracts an annual average of 2.5 million visitors, a figure expected to quadruple in 2010, decreed by the Pope to be a Jubilee Year because the feast day of St. 22 October 2009

James falls on a Sunday ( July 25).

Thanks to a dip in hotel prices caused by a rash of new hotels that need to be filled, “Spain is doing well in comparison to other destinations,” said Morris Stroz, president of Travel Priorities in Skokie, Ill. “Spain is still a bargain. The hotel rates in Barcelona are the lowest I’ve ever seen.”

Besides Spain, Travel Priorities sells trips to Eastern Europe, Italy, England and France. Stroz said lower hotel rates in Italy and a better exchange rate against the British pound are promising signs. Travel Priorities handles many repeat groups and maintains a diversified client base, from medical to student, but group sizes are smaller in 2009 than they were last year, Stroz said. It’s hard to predict what 2010 will bring, he said, because “there’s a lot of last-minute stuff—people don’t think ahead of time.

It just doesn’t work like that anymore.”

Nigel Osborne, president of Virgin Vacations USA, also reports late commitments as people are keeping money close to the vest. He said enquiries are up 30 percent over last year, but a lot of these are shoppers. Trips are slightly shorter, averaging 10 days instead of 12 or 14.

With tour prices in some cases lower than a decade ago, now is the time to travel, Osborne said. He noted that Virgin’s 2009 six-night “London Fling” is only $669, compared to $939 for its six-night “London Jaunt” in 1998. Good deals are also available in France, Ireland, Central Europe, Spain and Greece, Osborne said.

worst is behind us.”

McDonagh said VisitBritain works closely with group operators and mentioned religious travel as “a new area we’ve been developing since last year.”

He said attending the first World Religious Travel Expo in Orlando last year with such partners as Visit Scotland, Canterbury Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral (celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2010) was “good for us.”

McDonagh looks forward to even more networking opportunities this November in Reno when the second religious expo is held in conjunction with the NTA convention.

Britain is also going after the adult educational market, targeting university alumni groups and organizations like Smithsonian and Elderhostel. McDonagh said the annual Travelearning.org conference, set for February in Providence, R.I., will provide a platform for suppliers to meet with tour planners.

The outlook for U.S. traffic to the

BRITAIN BOUND

island of Cyprus next year “looks promising,” according to Tasoula Manaridis, director of the Cyprus Tourism Organization in New York. “In 2010 we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Cyprus’ independence.

Paul McDonagh, business development executive at VisitBritain in New York, is optimistic about a rebound for American travel to Britain in 2010 and sees things picking up. “I hope the

Paul McDonagh

LeisureGroupTravel.com

faith-based incoming agency

First

in

Tasoula Manaridis Many important events, such as concerts, exhibitions, theater performances and festivals, will take place all over the island the whole year.”

Manaridis said more tour operators are including Cyprus in their programs, noting that Central Holidays and Group IST, a major religious tour operator, have recently printed brochures dedicated to Cyprus.

Dan Sullivan, president of Collette Vacations, said, “We have seen a surge for 2010. With booking incentives in place, we are up over 57 percent in group reservations across the board.The economy will be better, but not robust, at least through the first quarter of 2010.”

Sullivan said Collette’s new “Discover Tuscany” in February is doing well, as is Explorations by Collette, the small-group division (16-24 passengers). He also is bullish on the bank market and the religious sector, particularly to Oberammergau.

PASSION PLAY SCENARIOS Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other Central European countries expect a significant tourism boost from the once-a-decade Passion Play in the Bavarian village of Oberammergau. The LeisureGroupTravel.com

monumental event will be staged from May 15 to Oct. 3.

Ricarda Lindner, regional manager of the Americas for the German National Tourist Office, said, “The Passion Play will be a huge part of the overall groups coming to Germany in 2010. The play is a great opportunity to showcase Germany….Therefore, we have incorporated it in all our activities and communication channels in 2009.”

Lindner said she is optimistic about an increase in U.S. tourists in 2010 and points out two other major events—the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest in Munich and European Capital of Culture festivities in the Ruhr region of Western Germany.

Mirko Capodanno, Central USA & Canada manager of the Swiss National Tourist Office, said, “Of course, Oberammergau is important for us,” noting that Switzerland is only two hours away. Capodanno said Switzerland has recently seen an increase in U.S. travelers after a decline since fall of 2008. “I have seen that people tend to book more all-inclusive packages, where they can better foresee travel expenses. This clearly speaks well for group travel.”

From bargains in Spain to special events in Germany, opportunities abound for group travel planners with Europe on their radar in 2010. Slowly improving economic conditions, combined with pent-up demand for a European vacation, may well give us something to cheer about. LGT

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October 2009 23

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Berlin: Potsdamer Platz

beginning in the afternoon and the second part in the evening hours. Oberammergau is also famous for its traditional art of woodcarving, with religious figures and Nativity scenes on display from many centuries.

About 120 wood sculptors work in Oberammergau, selling carvings which range from religious figurines to household goods.

The town’s “Lüftlmalerei,” or wall paintings, have also contributed to its popularity.

Dresden: view of the city

24 October 2009

© DZT/Jochen Keute

For more information on accommodations, events, transportation and travel tips in Germany, please visit www.cometogermany.com.

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on location: northeast ❖

randy mink

Sampling

Vermont

Crowd-pleasing

attractions satisfy the appetites and curiosity of groups State of Vermont/Dennis Curran

touring the state’s cozy villages and rural hamlets Flaming fall foliage dapples the postcard-perfect Vermont countryside.

or travelers seeking simple pleasures and hometown comforts, Vermont is as inviting as a stack of warm fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup, the “real” stuff found in every gift shop and general store in the Green

Mountain State. Pure maple is the only kind I buy and always brings back sweet memories of this delicious slice of New England.

With tour operators from around the country, I recently sampled a smorgasbord of attractions on a whirlwind fam sponsored by Vermont Tourism Network.

Our favorite stops were food stores that double as tourist attractions. Groups like nothing better than eating and shopping, so such places as Vermont Country Store, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Ben & Jerry’s, Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks and Cabot Creamery are smart choices for Harvest-season visitors to Billings Farm & Museum examine a display of apple varieties. itinerary planners. Many stores

F

26 October 2009

offer abundant free samples in hopes of selling their Vermont-made goodies to the nibblers and noshers who come through their doors. Most have demonstrations, videos, tours or exhibits that show how the foods are made.

Filling up on free cheese, crackers, cookies and candy, however, means that overzealous grazers may not be hungry at meal times, so tour members should be advised to pace themselves.

Famous for cows, red barns, white church steeples and glorious fall foliage, Vermont has the image of being oldfashioned and out of the mainstream, a rural backwater with quaint villages and Main Street charm. That’s fine with me. I bought a Vermont T-shirt that says “What happens here, stays here.

But nothing ever really happens.”

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Pancakes with Dakin Farm maple syrup taste as good as they look.

Yet the growth in niche farming enterprises and artisan products has put Vermont on the cutting edge of culinary trends. And the state is at the forefront of social thought, green technology and civilized living in general. Roadside billboards have been banned since 1969.

In Burlington, Vermont’s largest city (pop. 39,000), our group made a beeline to the Lake Champlain Chocolates factory store. We had just eaten breakfast, but that didn’t stop us from sampling the freshly made, all-natural, preservative-free truffles produced for more than two decades and sold nationwide by this artisan chocolatier. Flavors range from the signature maple crunch and evergreen mint to the more unusual molé, lemon ginger and raspberry pink peppercorn. Tour members can watch the gourmet confections made before their eyes, view the “from bean to chocolate to you”video and save on factory seconds. The company also has a store at Church Street Marketplace, a lively pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington.

Four cruise operators in Burlington offer excursions on Lake Champlain, LeisureGroupTravel.com

Shelburne Museum

the nation’s sixth largest lake (after the five Great Lakes). The Spirit of Ethan Allen III, the largest tour boat, has sightseeing, lunch and dinner cruises.

Groups with culinary interests may want to consider cooking classes at The Essex, Vermont’s Culinary Resort & Spa. Formerly known as The Inn at Essex, the Burlington-area resort hosts classes in partnership with the New England Culinary Institute.

South of Burlington is an attraction that merits a half day. Shelburne Museum, spread across 45 bucolic acres, houses an eclectic collection of Americana in 39 exhibition buildings, many of them historic structures transplanted from other locations. Perhaps most impressive is the 220-foot luxury steamboat Ticonderoga, which once plied Lake Champlain. It was moved here in the 1950s on a specially built railroad track.

Just the thought of visiting Dakin Farm, the name of a store in Ferrisburgh, makes me drool. They’re famous for hams and bacon smoked over smoldering corn cobs and cured with a touch of maple syrup. Besides sampling the meats, cheeses, mustards and syrups, visitors can see workers glazing the hams, tour the smokehouse and syrup cannery, and try “sugar-on-snow,” a mixture of maple syrup and crunchy snow. Don’t leave without posing outside by a larger-than-life jug of Dakin Farm maple syrup.

Our group also satisfied its sweet tooth while learning about the syrupmaking process at New England Maple Museum in Pittsford, which has the largest collection of maple sugaring artifacts anywhere, and Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks in Montpelier, the capital of Vermont.

The Waterbury area in Central Vermont makes a good base of operations

Shelburne Museum displays this 1871 Lake Champlain lighthouse.

for visits to destination stores that offer tours and generous tastings. At Cold Hollow Cider Mill, New England’s

October 2009 27

on location: northeast â?–

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28 October 2009

largest producer of apple cider, groups can see the cider press in operation during the fall production season. The store gets 300,000 visitors a year and as many as 25 buses a day. It’s hard to leave Cold Hollow without getting a cider donut for the road.

Just down Waterbury-Stowe Road (Route 100, the most traveled stretch of road in the state) is Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory, one of Vermont’s signature attractions. Looking through a window onto the factory floor, we saw them making Brownie Chocolate Chunk and Cinnamon Bun. After the 30-minute tour, which explains how childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield turned a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making into a global phenomenon, guests sample the flavor of the day.

Cabot Creamery, which claims to make the “World’s Best Cheddar,� has an annex store on Route 100 between Cold Hollow and Ben & Jerry’s.

Groups can see how cheddar is made on the factory tour in Cabot.

The 1875 train station in Waterbury is home to the visitor center of Green Mountain Coffee. Through exhibits and videos, groups can view the coffeemaking process from “tree to cup.� Coffee samplings for groups ($2 per person) include a roasting demonstration and packet of coffee.

In the idyllic town of Woodstock is Billings Farm & Museum, a model dairy farm that dates back to 1871.

Groups can see the Jersey cows, view the afternoon milking operation, tour the 1890 farmhouse and have ice cream.

The first-rate attraction operates in partnership with the Marsh-BillingsRockefeller National Historical Park, where mansion and garden tours are available.

Vermont is all about nostalgia, so the Orton family’s Vermont Country Store LeisureGroupTravel.com

in Weston enchanted me and other Baby Boomers in our group. In addition to sampling jellies, cookies and sausage, we found many reminders of our childhood. The store (“Purveyors of the Practical and Hard-to-Find”) sells everything from Lamb Chop puppets and Bosco chocolate syrup to gumballfilled hula hoops and Fizzies flavored tablets (awful-tasting stuff I used to plop into a glass of water for an instant soft drink). Other discoveries include flutophones, bike horns (the kind you squeeze) and long-forgotten brands of cosmetics, soaps and shampoos.

In addition to visiting scenic, historical and retail attractions, groups can get a glimpse at little Vermont’s industrial might. In a former marble mill in Proctor, just north of Rutland, the Vermont Marble Museum offers a 12-minute movie and more than 100 exhibits that shed light on the marble industry. The Hall of Presidents features marble busts of U.S. presidents. Visitors also see carvers at work, chipping and sanding away. The quarry itself, still being mined, is a short walk or bus ride away. Items in the gift shop range from cheese trays and rolling pins to chess sets and burial urns.

Barre, near Monteplier, is the “Granite Capital of the World.” Groups at Rock of Ages can tour the factory, visit the quarry and sandblast their own souvenir at North America’s largest maker of cemetery markers.

Granite and marble seem to symbolize the bedrock values and solid Yankee traditions of Vermont, a cozy place that charms visitors with its sense of community and Norman Rockwell simplicity. Change comes slowly to Vermont, and that’s a good thing. LGT

PLAN IT! Vermont Tourism Network: 802-863-1122, vermonttourismnetwork.travel Vermont Department of Tourism: 800-837-6668, vermontvacation.com LeisureGroupTravel.com

October 2009 29

on our radar: northeast ❖ MARYLAND The National Aquarium in Baltimore, one of Maryland’s most popular group travel attractions, recently updated its dolphin show and introduced a jellies exhibit. Our Ocean Planet: The New Dolphin Show explores dolphins’ intelligence, agility and power through new dynamic behaviors such as underwater flips and favorites like vertical spins. The aquarium’s sixth dolphin show is the first to have a strong global message about protecting the environment and the connections between humans and animals. Jellies Invasions: Oceans Out of Balance examines these translucent creatures and the impact ocean health has on their success. The exhibit features as many as nine different species and shows how they are changing the balance of the earth’s aquatic ecosystems. (aqua.org)

MASSACHUSETTS The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is undergoing a building project that, when completed in late 2010, will have increased its space by 28 percent.

For the first time since the museum’s founding in 1870, the art of North, Central, and South America will be presented together in its own space, the American Wing. The MFA has approximately 15,500 objects in its American collection and approximately 5,000 of them, or 30 percent, will be on view when the new wing opens. This is more than double the number of works previously on view. The American Wing’s four levels of galleries will be arranged chronologically: prehistoric Native American and pre-Columbian collections on the first level, the Colonial period on the second level, the 19th century on the third level, and 20th cen-

Only Hot Springs gives you luxury and excitement like this – from sunup to well after the sun goes down. Bring your group to the South’s famous Spa City, home of historic Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park. Hit the jackpot at Oaklawn Racing and Gaming now with an all-new gaming center. Shop for art and charming gifts in one-of-a-kind boutiques. Explore all the glories of nature at Garvan Woodland Gardens. Enjoy all of this and a whole lot more in America’s First Resort.

LGT/09

For a free Group Tour Planner, call 1-800-922-6478 or visit www.hotsprings.org.

tury works in all media on the top level.

Completed components of the building project include the renovation of the Huntington Avenue entrance on the Avenue of the Arts, opened in April 2009, and the opening in June 2008 of both the State Street Corporation Fenway Entrance and the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Center. (617-267-9300, mfa.org) NEW YORK Lincoln Center plans to open its new visitors center, The Atrium at Lincoln Center, on Nov. 12. Located adjacent to the performing arts center, the new space, designed as an urban arts oasis, provides increased access to the iconic campus and a vibrant neighborhood gathering place. And for the first time in Lincoln Center’s history, the box office will offer day-of discount tickets to performances across the campus.

The visitors center is part of an overall $1.2-billion development project to modernize and open up the 16-acre campus and a key element in Lincoln Center’s 50th anniversary year.

The Atrium at Lincoln Center will feature free performances on Thursday nights (from dance and jazz to classical and opera), informal dining, lush 21-foot-high vertical gardens, a floorto-ceiling fountain and dynamic media wall with visitor and performance information. The visitors center is also a new departure point for tours of the campus. In addition to the Atrium’s new amenities, resident organizations like the New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts offer exciting seasons with new commissions and special opportunities and discounts for groups during the anniversary celebration. (lincolncenter.org) LeisureGroupTravel.com

on location: south ❖

randy mink

Taste Of

LOUISIANA Southern hospitality and foods with funny-sounding names whet the appetites of groups eager to savor the state’s culinary cornucopia f you like it spicy and “ricey,” the Bayou State is for you. A fan of fresh seafood? All the better. And if the very thought of Southern-fried home cooking spells bliss, you’re in the right place.

Trying regional foods is half the fun of travel, and folks have always come to Louisiana to eat, long before culinary travel became a buzz term and the state tourism office concocted a network of culinary trails.

A gumbo of exotic flavors spices the Cajun and Creole dishes developed by early settlers from Spain, France, French Canada and other lands. You know the menu—jambalaya, étouffée, boiled shrimp and crawfish, red beans and rice with spicy andouille sausage…the list goes on. Be a little daring—add a dash of hot sauce to your bowl or sink your teeth into some alligator chunks. Top off the meal with a sugary praline, bread pudding or a slice of pecan pie.

Cajun food is the earthy, robust creation of fishermen and farmers in the bayou country of Southwest Louisiana. Creole refers to the cosmopolitan fare of New Orleans, a mix of Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. Both cuisines are exotic to most American palates and use the “holy trinity” of seasonings—chopped celery, onions and bell peppers—blended into a roux, or gravy base.

For a taste of Cajun culture, groups can’t do better than Lafayette, the unofficial capital of French Louisiana. Lafayette claims more locally owned restaurants than any other city in the state. Many Grammy Award-winning Cajun and Zydeco artists live in Lafayette. Laissez les bons temps rouler (“let the good times roll”) at Cajun/Creole eateries like Prejean’s, Randol’s and Mulate’s, which offer nightly music and dancing.

For a pot of gumbo (top), a chicken and sausage barbecue platter (right) or boiled Gulf shrimp, it doesn’t get any better than in the Cajun restaurants of Southwest Louisiana.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

October 2009 31

www.monsoursphotography.com

I

New Orleans Metropolitan CVB/Carl Purcell

on location: south ❖

Tourists linger over beignets and coffee at Café du Monde in New Orleans.

32 October 2009

lies the Tabasco Pepper Sauce Factory and Jungle Gardens at Avery Island.

Tours start with a short video and continue to a viewing gallery that overlooks the bottling and packaging operations.

Guests learn that red peppers are crushed into a paste with salt from Avery Island mines and ferment for three years in oak barrels. The aged mash is mixed with vinegar, stirred for a month and poured into little bottles with the familiar red octagonal cap, green foil neckband and diamond-shaped label. The Tabasco Country Store sells logo items, from neckties to bloody Mary glasses, and offers samples of sauces and dips.

A drive through Jungle Gardens, a

New Orleans Metropolitan CVB/Richard Nowitz

A favorite group destination in Lafayette is Vermilionville, a living history museum dedicated to Cajun and Creole folkways. In original and reproduction buildings that portray life between 1765 and 1890, visitors can mingle with artisans, musicians and other interpreters. In the schoolhouse, for example, you learn that speaking French was prohibited in Louisiana classrooms from 1916-1968. Many area residents still converse in French at home and with friends.

La Cuisine de Maman, the restaurant at Vermilionville, is modeled after a Creole plantation overseer’s house, offering local dishes in the main room and a glassed-in porch overlooking the Vermilion Bayou. I enjoyed a bowl of chicken and sausage gumbo, served with rice and French bread. Desserts include bread pudding, fruit cobbler and gateau de sirop (syrup cake), similar in texture to gingerbread.

Jean Lafitte Acadian Cultural Center is conveniently located next to Vermilionville. Exhibits and a movie explain how the French-speaking Acadians were deported from Nova Scotia in 1755 and established a new life centered on fishing and hunting in the bayous of Louisiana.

South of Lafayette, near New Iberia,

200-acre wetland preserve, reveals garden-covered hills, alligators in bayous and gnarled oaks draped in Spanish moss. Most memorable are the hundreds of snowy egrets that flock to platforms at a pond nicknamed Bird City.

Other intriguing pockets of Cajun Country are the Lake Charles area, near the Texas border, and Houma, not far from New Orleans. Both areas— fresh new discoveries for me—abound with swamp-dwelling alligators and eateries specializing in fresh seafood.

Lake Charles itself is a busy petrochemical port with oil and natural gas lines everywhere. At Steamboat Bill’s on the Lake, I tried my first pistolette, a puffy white roll piled with hot shrimp or crawfish sauce and eaten with a fork. Since the crawfish season was about to end (late May), I was moved to order crawfish étouffée, a bowl of rice covered in a tomato sauce loaded with morsels of these succulent little cousins to shrimp (also called mudbugs or crawdads).

Lake Charles serves as a gateway to the Creole Nature Trail, a 180-mile scenic byway through wetlands known as the Louisiana Outback. Exploring this wilderness stretching to the Gulf Coast, our tour group visited nature centers

Oyster shuckers delight lunch-goers at New Orleans’ Acme Oyster House.

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www.monsoursphotography.com

the Terrebonne Parish Courthouse square, we sampled another Louisiana treat—the sno-ball. Also spelled “snowball,” this refreshing cup of shaved ice (known to many of us as a snow-cone) is generously drenched in a flavored syrup and tastes better than any snowcone you’ve ever had. Flavors range from coconut cream and strawberry

daiquiri to bubble gum and sour apple.

Add condensed milk, cream or ice cream, if available. You’ll find sno-ball stands, some of them no more than roadside shacks, all over the state.

In Shreveport-Bossier City, billed as “Louisiana’s Other Side,” the dining scene reflects influences from neighboring Texas and Arkansas—think bar-

Cajun dance spots preserve local traditions in Lake Charles, La.

with boardwalks built over the marshes and stopped at roadside bayous to watch locals crabbing and casting for shrimp.

In Houma, the “Heart of America’s Wetland,” you sense you’re in the “real” Louisiana. Gliding down a cypresslined canal on a Munson’s Swamp Tours pontoon boat, we got our fill of alligators as they slithered behind our boat and snapped up the chicken our guide dangled over the side. Enthralled by this wildlife adventure, I chose alligator in picante sauce for lunch that day at Bayou Delight restaurant.The zesty tomato sauce smothering my plate of gator chunks and rice was so good that it almost disguised the meat (slightly firmer than chicken).

For another typically Houma dining experience, try 1921 Seafood. Decorated with fishnets, stuffed gators and aquariums, it’s a cement-floor joint where you need to roll up your sleeves and use paper towels as you dig into platters of boiled crawfish, clams and shrimp. (Groups can arrange a tour at an area shrimp or oyster processing plant.) Work off your meal across the street at the Jolly Inn, a dancehall where Cajun and Zydeco bands will get your feet tappin’.

At a downtown Houma festival on LeisureGroupTravel.com

Translation: Drop by for a visit. In Cajun country, we’ll make you feel right at home – whether you prefer to dance at a festival or catch a sunset over the cypress trees.

With Zydeco rhythms, Cajun & Creole flavors, Louisiana scenery and Southern hospitality, you’ll agree – there’s no place like

Lafayette.

October 2009 33

becue, fried catfish, country-fried steak and other hearty favorites associated with Southern-style cooking. And though Northwest Louisiana may be hours away from Cajun Country, you won’t have trouble finding good seafood and gumbo either. It’s where steak sauce meets hot sauce.

I actually had my first Louisiana crawfish at downtown Shreveport’s Mudbug Madness Festival on Memorial Day weekend. Members of our fam group tackled crawfish dinners complete with red-skin potatoes and corn-onthe-cob, watching to see how the locals extracted the meat from the bony little crustaceans boiled in vats with spicy red seasoning. Vendors also offered crawfish pies (turnovers), crawfish pizza and crab patties in crawfish cream sauce. At the fest I savored pecan pralines—the best

New Orleans Metropolitan CVB/Sarah Essex

on location: south ❖

Save room for bananas Foster, a signature dessert in New Orleans.

I’ve had—made by Panderina Soumas, a Creole cook, historian and storyteller who runs Soumas Heritage Creole Gift Shop in Bossier City.

e r e H ts r ta S ty r a P T he in kin’ tent party located will never forget this roc rs ur tou nta up Ce gro of ior we sen Kre r You e from the isiana’s Other Side. Choos Shreveport-Bossier: Lou s Bash.

Gra rdi Ma i min Ge we of Mardi Gras Bash or the Kre tunes, see outrageous cuisine, dance to Cajun na l isia Lou tic hen aut Savor some beads! No one wil , and don’t forget to catch Mardi Gras personalities leave empty-handed.

* per perss on w! $25irt, Cus Book no d, and live entertainment.

Bea Gra di Mar tom l, a Mardi Gras T-Sh Includes mea

Krewe of Centaur Mardi Gras Parade Saturday, February 6, 2010

Krewe of Gemini Mardi Gras Parade Saturday, February 13, 2010

Contact Erica Howard at 1-800-551-8682 ext. 104 or ehoward@sbctb.org for group rate information and more details. To learn more about the ShreveportBossier area, visit www.shreveport-bossier.org

34 October 2009

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The next morning we had breakfast at Strawn’s Eat Shop, “the finest greasy spoon you can find.” A Shreveport institution since 1944, Strawn’s original location on Kings Highway served us fluffy, plate-size pancakes with big pats of butter. The biscuits, great with sausage gravy, are to die for. Because Strawn’s is famous for pies, we had to have strawberry pie (with homemade whipped cream) for dessert. The Southern-accented lunch menu includes fried chicken, meatloaf, chicken-fried steak, cornbread, blackeyed peas and mustard greens. Suitable for groups, the high-ceilinged main room is adorned with whimsical murals depicting the Three Stooges, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, presidents and pies.

The most memorable overnights on my recent trip were spent at two plantations along the Great River Road. I was especially excited because I had toured the majestic homes on Delta Queen Steamboat shore excursions when the paddlewheelers offered Mississippi River cruises from New Orleans.

Nottoway Plantation, a sugar estate dating back to 1859, has taken on a spiffy new look in the past year, the result of an extensive facelift completed in June. Chef David Reyes, recruited from Chicago, oversees Ramsay’s, an elegant breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant carved from the rotunda of the whitepillared mansion, the South’s largest remaining plantation home. Groups also can be accommodated in Randolph’s, a restaurant now used for special events.

Nottoway, a half hour from Baton Rouge, offers 18 guest rooms in the mansion and outbuildings.

Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie is another throwback to the Old South, a place to unwind and go back in time.

From my 19th century cottage on this working sugar estate, I had the luxury of prowling the grounds by flashlight, walkLeisureGroupTravel.com

ing under the canopy of massive 300year-old live oaks that frame the “Big House,” an 1839 beauty that conjures up visions of Gone With the Wind.

While waiting for our hoop-skirted guide to begin the house tour, we bought mint juleps from the refreshment stand to slake our thirst and get in the mood. In

a covered area across from its gift shop and restaurant, Oak Alley can serve groups a lunch buffet that might include crawfish étouffée, gumbo, jambalaya and bread pudding.

Before checking into Oak Alley, we had lunch at Spuddy’s Cajun Foods, a down-home diner in the little town of

October 2009 35

on location: south ❖ Vacherie, right across the street from cane fields. Large enough for groups, Spuddy’s serves everything from fried chicken and fried okra to gumbo, crawfish stew and potatoes stuffed with shrimp and crabmeat. I had the daily special—a plate heaped with roast chicken, dirty rice, coleslaw and peas.

New Orleans is synonymous with good food, and dining there cannot be overrated. We were looking for turtle soup and someone recommended Muriel’s Jackson Square, in a former private residence near St. Louis Cathedral. Besides the soup and Bananas Foster Strudel at this contemporary Creole establishment, we enjoyed the views of historic Jackson Square and clip-clopping horse carriages that rolled past our window.

Other French Quarter standbys include The Court of Two Sisters, where a daily jazz brunch affords more than 80 different items, from eggs Benedict and spicy oysters Bienville to roast beef and bread pudding. Classic Creole restaurants like Antoine’s, Galatoire’s, Arnaud’s and Tujague’s attract devoted followers year after year.

Don’t miss the Cafe du Monde, where patrons at all hours come to people-watch over café au lait and beignets, those square French donuts fried to crusty perfection and generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. At the nearby French Market, tourist shops sell beignet mix, pralines, seafood seasonings, hot sauces and dozens of other Louisianamade products—perfect souvenirs of a flavorful trip to this one-of-a-kind state.

From mom-and-pop diners and elegant eateries to festivals, food factories and gift shops, the culinary trails of Louisiana lead to some of the best eatin’ anywhere on the planet. LGT

PLAN IT! Louisiana Tourism: 800-9948626; louisianatravel.com 36 October 2009

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on our radar: south ❖

ALABAMA A new museum devoted to baseball’s Negro Leagues and Southern League is under construction in Birmingham, across the street from Rickwood Field, the oldest baseball park in America. The Black Barons and later the city’s Double A farm team, the Barons, played at Rickwood Field. A number of baseball greats graced the field there during its heyday, including such legends as Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Satchel Paige.

The museum is expected to be complete by next summer, in time to help mark Rickwood’s centennial. (rickwood.com) FLORIDA Universal Orlando Resort’s highly anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open in spring 2010. Inspired by J.K. Rowling’s stories and faithful to the visual landscapes of the films, the new land at Universal’s Islands of Adventure will provide visitors with multiple attractions, shops and a signature eating establishment.

Guests will be able to sip Butterbeer in Three Broomsticks, buy Extendable Ears at Zonko’s, see roosting owls in The Owlery, and ride the Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff roller coasters. (universalorlando.com) KENTUCKY Kentucky Stage, a new summer stock theater group, makes its debut in the summer of 2010 in Danville. Classic and new works will be presented at the Weisiger Theatre in the Norton Center for the Arts on the Centre College campus. (kentuckystage.org/plan.html) Eddie Montgomery’s Steakhouse opens this fall at Skylar’s Landing, a new development in Harrodsburg that eventually will include a hotel, outdoor amphitheater and family-focused attracLeisureGroupTravel.com

Nostalgia abounds at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

tions. The log-structured restaurant will feature stone fireplaces, waterfalls and a stage showcasing country music artists. (eddiemontgomerysteakhouse.com) LOUISIANA Three new venues will open Nov. 6-8 during a star-studded weekend at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, marking the first phase of a $300-million expansion to be completed by 2015. The 250-seat Victory Theater will be home to Beyond All Boundaries, a multi-sensory cinematic experience. Using an array of special effects, rare archival footage, voices of Hollywood stars and an advanced format 4-D technology, it will provide an immersive journey that spans the global scope of World War II, from the bombing of Pearl Harbor to epic battles and final victory. Audiences will feel the tank treads rumbling across North Africa’s deserts, brush snow from their cheeks during the Battle of the Bulge and flinch as anti-aircraft fire tries to bring down their B-17 on a bombing run over Nazi Germany. Some of the life-sized props will rise from the floor or descend from the ceiling.

The museum’s Stage Door Canteen will be a sentimental tribute to 1940s entertainers who boosted the troops’ morale on the home front and abroad.

Its one-hour production will feature swing dancers and an Andrews Sistersstyle girl group that dances and sings to Big Band tunes. Food and drinks will be served. Besides the signature show, some of New Orleans’ best musicians will perform at the Canteen, which will segue into The American Sector, a casual restaurant featuring the creative American cuisine of Louisiana celebrity chef John Besh, a veteran of the Gulf War. The restaurant is named for the historic area of New Orleans where the museum is located. (504-527-6012, nationalww2museum.org/victory).

NORTH CAROLINA The NASCAR® Hall of Fame has announced May 11, 2010 as the official grand opening date for the state-of-theart facility under construction in Charlotte, N.C. The attraction will comprise 150,000 square feet, including exhibit space, a theater, a Hall of Honor that will house the commemorations of Hall of Fame inductees, numerous interactive October 2009 37

on our radar: south ❖ entertainment experiences, a themed restaurant and retail outlet. The Hall will be owned by the City of Charlotte and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

Artifacts on the origins of NASCAR and racing will include a reproduction of a Charlotte Speedway track poster from 1924, which illustrates Charlotte’s deep roots in racing, and an original entry blank from the first-ever NASCAR Strictly Stock series event, held June 19, 1949, at Charlotte Speedway.

Among the 1,000 other artifacts will be the Plymouth Belvedere that Richard Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967 and blazer that Ned Jarrett wore while he commentated the 1993 Daytona 500 in which his son, Dale, staved off Dale Earnhardt to claim his first Daytona 500 win. (nascarhall.com) VIRGINIA Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach on Nov. 21 opens its $25-million Restless Planet renovation, featuring 12,000 square feet of new habitats, exhibits and aquariums. Home to 6,000 new animals and 367 new species – including Komodo dragons, cobras and hedgehogs – Restless Planet will more than double the aquarium’s animal collection.

(757-385-3474, virginiaaquarium.com)

38 October 2009

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on location: midwest ❖

colleen kitka

Hearty home cooking keeps travelers well-fed in Midwestern Amish communities

Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury, Indiana, serves heapin’ helpings of stick-to-your ribs Amish fare.

COUNTRY FIXIN’S S

imple cuisine that consists of much more than shoe-fly pie and jams and jellies borrows from a rich cultural past laced with German and Swiss roots.

Using seasonal produce, the Amish share with travelers a rich food heritage that is kept alive through strong family ties and community gatherings. Favorite dishes are passed down through the generations, and mothers teach their daughters to cook by “feel” rather than simply following a recipe. Fresh and canned fruits, pickled vegetables, 40 October 2009

and home-baked breads and sweets are just a few of the items identified with the Amish culinary tradition.

Amish communities in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio abound with restaurants, specialty stores and markets that offer a taste of the wholesome country fare that many have come to know and love.

ILLINOIS

Around 4,000 Amish make their homes in Central Illinois, mostly in and around the towns of Arthur and Arcola.

Rising farmland costs have encouraged many to go into greenhouse, carpentry and other businesses. Some Amish work in the food industry. The Dutch Kitchen is one such example. Located in downtown Arcola, it offers a homey Amish-style menu. Entrée specials include ham and beans, chicken and noodles, homemade dumplings and fried chicken, with homemade pie for dessert.

For those with large appetites, Yoder’s Kitchen offers an all-you-caneat Amish buffet with heaps of mashed LeisureGroupTravel.com

Holmes County Chamber of Commerce

potatoes, pork chops and more. As Arthur’s largest restaurant, it can comfortably accommodate tour groups and provide banquet rooms if necessary.

Also in Arthur, Roselen’s Coffees & Delights, the only Amish-owned coffee shop in the state, offers coffee specialties along with 24 ice cream flavors, wraps, deli sandwiches and pastries.

Amishland Red Barn Buffet is located in Tuscola, just off I-57. A 400seat Amish buffet, bakery, cheese and meat store, and Amish handicraft shops sit under one roof in a 72,000square-foot barn.

Rockome Gardens Family-Style Restaurant in Arcola is a great value with its $11.99 family and groupfriendly meal of two meats, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade noodles or dressing, vegetable, bread and pie. For a lighter option, their plated dinners, starting at $6.99, come with similar Amish fare. Rockome Gardens, a popular group tour attraction, has seven gardens with creative rock sculptures, a horse-powered sawmill, and shops selling Amish and country crafts and foods.

For a truly unique experience, visitors can arrange for an Amish farm tour

Enjoy Amish home cooking at Boyd & Wurthmann Restaurant in Berlin, Ohio.

or home-cooked meal in an Amish home through the Illinois Amish Interpretive Center in Arcola. The Kitchen of Doris Yoder offers the same experience and can accommodate any group size.

INDIANA

The nation’s third-largest enclave of Amish resides in northern Elkhart County, creating an oasis for Chicagoans and other travelers seeking to escape their high-tech lives.

Groups never go hungry at Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Northern Indiana.

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Amish Acres Restaurant Barn in Nappanee dishes out an authentic dining experience and is acclaimed to be Indiana’s best meal. The Thresher’s family-style dinner delivers iron kettles of hearty bean soup, platters of chicken, ham and beef and other Amish fare, all served on antique tables in a centuryold barn.

Outside town in Middlebury, Das Dutchman Essenhaus is a destination in itself with all-you-can-eat, familystyle diners. For dessert, choose from 29 different kinds of pies made on-site at their bakery, where diners can buy an extra indulgence to take back home.

From April through December visitors can start their day off right with an oldfashioned breakfast buffet.

In downtown Shipshewana it is hard to miss the Blue Gate Restaurant and Bakery, one of the largest restaurants in Indiana. With a seating capacity of 600, it can comfortably serve Shipshewana’s 536 residents and any party size. Patrons can feast on a family-style dinner of fried chicken and roast beef, homemade meatloaf or smoked ham, mashed potatoes, homemade noodles, chicken dressing and October 2009 41

on location: midwest ❖ inn, market and old-fashioned ice cream shop, plus occasional gospel concerts and dinner theater productions.

Widely known for its broasted chicken, slow-cooked roast beef and mashed potatoes, the Amish Door was named by USA Today as one of the “top 25 meals of 2006.” Diners eat in what resembles an oversized Amish house and can choose the family-style option or order from the menu.

The cream-filled whoopie pie is a treat at Amish Door Restaurant in Wilmot, Ohio.

Dutch Valley Restaurant in Sugarcreek imparts similar fare with family-style or entrée menu more, or choose from the breakfast, lunch or dinner menu.

Many other area establishments provide snacks and treats to hold you between meals. JoJo’s Pretzels in Shipshewana is a must for all soft pretzel enthusiasts. Popcorn lovers can fill up at Yoder Popcorn in Topeka, and those with a sweet tooth can take home a variety of baked goods from the Dutch Maid Bakery in Goshen. Stock up on jams, jellies, homemade noodles, salsas, spices, cheeses and farm-raised beef at Yoder’s Meat and Cheese Co. in Shipshewana. During the summer months Many Amish families in Holmes County, on Tuesdays and Wednesday, the Ohio, sell foods from their homes.

Shipshewana Flea Market hosts nuoptions. It welcomes bus groups with merous vendors selling a variety of reservations. Save room for the bestAmish goodies and fresh farm produce. selling favorite, peanut butter cream pie. When full, meander onto the porch OHIO and digest while relaxing on rocking chairs and gazing out across the fields.

Ohio has the country’s highest conA Mt. Hope establishment dishes centration of Amish. Most live in the up a bit of the unusual along with the northeast counties of the state, close to typical Amish fare. Concord grape pie, the Pennsylvania border. Holmes date nut pudding, old-fashioned County contains the largest Amish cracker pudding and the spring seasonal population with approximately 18,000. dandelion gravy are just a few of the Amish Door Restaurant and Vilspecialties Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen cooks lage in Wilmot is nestled in the hills of up on its rotating menu.

Ohio Amish country. It has shops, an 42 October 2009

Holmes County Chamber of Commerce

Amish Door Restaurant and Village

The Dutchman Restaurants offer an Amish gastronomic experience with restaurants in Sugarcreek, Walnut Creek, Waynesville and Plain City.

Meals can be ordered from a menu or enjoyed family-style. The Dutch Kitchen in Plain City has a generous barn-raising buffet served from 11:30 till closing.

Guggisberg Cheese Co. in Millersburg, home of the original baby Swiss, produces award-winning cheeses made from Doughty Valley Amish farmers’ milk. Guests can take samples, buy from a selection of more than 40 cheeses and take a peek at the cheese-making process. For those with a sweet tooth, Goblentz Chocolate Co. in Walnut Creek supplies 114 varieties of candies like chocolates, caramels, clusters, creams, meltaways, jellies and fudges.

Bulk food stores are another great place to stock your pantry. Swiss Village Bulk Food in Sugarcreek has baking supplies, candies, dried fruits, nuts, over 80 spices, and organic and health foods. For a real treat, grind your own peanut butter or purchase pure raw honey in bulk.

Illinois, Indiana and Ohio abound with ways to relish Amish country fare.

No matter which community you visit, hearty country cooking and the simple way of life is sure to keep your groups coming back for more. LGT

PLAN IT! Illinois Amish Country: • amishcountr yillinois.com • amishcenter.com • illinoisamish.net Northern Indiana Amish Country: amishcountr y.org Ohio Amish Country: • holmescountychamber.com • oacountr y.com.

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ILLINOIS Shrek The Musical will launch its national tour next year in Chicago, playing the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre for a limited engagement from July 13Sept. 5, 2010. Tickets are now available for groups of 15 or more. The show is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek! as well as the DreamWorks Animation

LeisureGroupTravel.com

film Shrek, the first chapter of the Shrek movie series. The musical tells the story of a swamp-dwelling ogre who goes on a life-changing adventure to reclaim the deed to his land.

Joined by a wise-cracking donkey, the unlikely hero fights a fearsome dragon, rescues a feisty princess and learns that real friendship and true love aren’t only found in fairy tales.

The Broadway production opened on

Photo by Joan Marcus

on our radar: midwest ❖

Shrek The Musical takes center stage next summer in downtown Chicago.

October 2009 43

on our radar: midwest ❖ Dec. 14, 2008 at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. Other 2010 Broadway in Chicago productions include Billy Elliott the Musical, opening March 18 for an extended run. (312-977-1710, shrekthemusical.com, broadwayinchicago.com.)

The Celebration Belle, an 800-passenger riverboat based in Moline, will begin offering cruises to St. Louis and Winona, Minn. in 2010. Port cities will include Dubuque, Guttenberg and Lansing, Iowa; and La Crosse and Prairie du Chien, Wis. Operated by Celebration River Cruises, the boat is the largest non-gaming excursion vessel on the Upper Mississippi River. (800297-0034, celebrationbelle.com) IOWA Davenport’s German American Heritage Center in October will open

44 October 2009

a new interactive, audio-visual exhibit that explores what it was like to be an immigrant to the Quad Cities in the 1800s. Housed in a 19th century hotel used by immigrants, the exhibit will feature a theater, education stations, and two restored hotel rooms.

The center has undergone a $2.8-million interior renovation since 2007 and has increased exhibit space by six times. (563-322-8844, gahc.org) MINNESOTA The Red Wing Shoe Museum, which features the world’s largest boot, just opened on Main Street in Red Wing, Minn. The boot, created in 2005 for the company’s centennial, is a size 638½ D, stands six feet tall and weighs 2,300 pounds. The store attached to the museum sells Red Wing shoes and boots. Tours of the factory are available. (redwing.org, redwingshoes.com) The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition will open March 12, 2010 in Saint Paul at the Science Museum of Minnesota and run through summer or beyond. The ancient documents, some of which are more than 2,000 years old, include fragments of the earliest known texts of the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). After their initial discovery by a shepherd in caves along the shores of Israel’s Dead Sea near the ancient settlement of Qumran, archaeologists have pieced together thousands of scroll fragments into more than 900 separate documents, from biblical manuscripts and commentary to religious legal writings. The fragments, now archived by the Israel Antiquities Authority, are occasionally put in display at major museums. The Science Museum’s exhibition also will include artifacts that provide a glimpse into life in ancient Israel.

(651-221-9426, smm.org)

MISSOURI The Independence Events Center, a multi-purpose facility for sports events, concerts, touring shows and festivals, opens in November in Independence, Mo. It will be the home of a new Central Hockey League team, the Missouri Mavericks. The state-of-the-art center, 17 miles east of downtown Kansas City, will feature an arena with 5,800 fixed seats, 25 luxury suites, restaurants and a community ice rink. (816-795-7577, independenceeventscenter.com) In 2004 the Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) sent all of its inmates to be housed in a new correctional facility.

Now, five years later, people are lined up to get back inside the walls. The Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau has partnered with the Missouri State Penitentiary Redevelopment Commission to offer a “Hard Hat Tour” of the old penitentiary. The tour showcases cells dating back to 1836, when MSP was built, including those of famous inmates such as heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, who learned to box during his time in the big house, and James Earl Ray. Other stops on the tour are the gas chamber where 40 men and women were executed. (800-769-4183, visitjeffersoncity.com) OHIO The new Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery has opened at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Dynamic displays and interactive video kiosks highlight every Super Bowl, featuring the great plays and the game’s stars. Game artifacts are displayed throughout the 4,000-square-foot space. Exhibits explain the significance of the first four Super Bowls and how the game has risen in popularity worldwide. Visitors see a movie about the most recent game. (profootballhof.com) LeisureGroupTravel.com

on our radar: west ❖

OKLAHOMA The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa has opened as the only Hard Rock in America’s heartland and the seventh Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in the world. Operated by Cherokee Nation Entertainment, the new resort features 350 hotel rooms and suites; more than 125,000 square feet of gaming space; five dining venues including Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill and McGill’s on 19, a fine dining penthouse restaurant; and five nightclubs and entertainment venues including the 2,500-seat Hard Rock Hotel & Casino event center scheduled to open in 2010. Center Bar has an 80-foot-long frozen bar top. The casino features more than 2,300 electronic games and 70 poker and table games. Cherokee Hills Golf Club championship golf course is located adjacent to the property. (cherokeestarrewards.com)

WASHINGTON Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau’s 2009-2010 Professional Tour Planners Guide is available to tour operators and travel agents interested in offering new ideas for client travel to the Pacific Northwest. Covering Seattle

and surrounding areas, the guide offers tour planners information on accommodations, group transportation, attractions, dining options, shopping and sample itineraries. (206-461-5815, visitseattle.org/travelplanner/services/re quest.asp)

A DOWNTOWN RENAISSANCE AND SHIMMERING NEW RIVERFRONT.

TEXAS Collette Vacations has announced the nine-day “Heart of Texas,” a new 2010 tour with multiple-night stays in Austin, San Antonio and Fort Worth.

Highlights include a full day at a dude ranch, where clients will learn the art of saddling and roping; a rodeo; and a ride on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad.

Culinary features include a Tex Mex cooking class in San Antonio and dinner at the Moonshine Grill, located in one of Austin’s most historic areas. The tour also features tastings at two wineries, Bob Bullock Texas History Museum in Austin, Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch in Stonewall and a Dallas city tour that includes the Sixth Floor Museum and Dealey Plaza, where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. (collettevacations.com) LeisureGroupTravel.com

A BURGEONING ART SCENE AND WORLD-CLASS MUSEUMS. THE FLAVORS OF THE WORLD AND THE COMFORTS OF HOME. OKLAHOMA CITY ISN’T JUST A DESTINATION – IT’S AN INSPIRATION. COME SEE OUR PRIDE & GLORY. OUR PRESENT & FUTURE. OUR

V ISITOKC.C OM T he O kl ahoma St ate C apitol D ome and the O kl ahoma C it y National Memor ial & Mu s eum

October 2009 45

on location: west ❖

elana andersen

s your group eager to experience the thrill of a new adventure? Explore the unknown? Adventure travel has taken a dramatic turn from being limited to death-defying, adrenalincharged, physically demanding activities to soft adventures that tone down the heroics and turn up the emotions.

Great soft adventure experiences throughout the West will energize spirits and excite the five senses.

Here are some examples of adventures you may want to plan for your group:

I

ALASKA

Warbelow’s Air Ventures has introduced a new “Arctic Adventure” package to view polar bears. The twoday journey takes travelers to Kaktovik, an Inupiat Eskimo village located 260 miles north of the Arctic Circle, during its annual subsistence whale hunt, September-October. The illusive bears gather in the area for a short time each year to forage the hunt’s remains. The package includes transportation, meals, accommodations and viewing expeditions. Warbe-

low’s offers both scheduled and group charter service. (warbelows.com) ARIZONA

The thrill of flightseeing combined with land excursions to places less traveled is a fantastic way to experience Arizona. Westwind Air Service tours from Phoenix include the “Grand Canyon West Rim Adventure,” which features several experiences. It begins with a scenic flight to the canyon’s West airport.

First land stop is a walk on the clear glass Skywalk that jettisons 65 feet out over

Discovering the Softer Side of

Western Adventures From rafting in Idaho to llama treks in Washington, groups kick it up a notch with active outings that spotlight some of America’s most scenic landscapes

Montana’s Glacier National Park offers a stellar backdrop for ambitious bike riders and other adventure seekers.

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Photos by Donnie Sexton

The wild rivers of Montana and other Western states provide travelers with a raft of whitewater thrills.

the 4,000-foot depth of the canyon. There is a visit to the Hualapai Indian Cultural Village and stop at Guano Point for lunch, hike along the rim and photo stop at a 270-degree canyon viewing site. The highlight of the afternoon is a helicopter ride to the canyon floor and a pontoon boat ride on the Colorado River. (westwindairservice.com) CALIFORNIA

Good food and drink, fitness and a healthy respect for preserving the earth—combined, these tenets of the California lifestyle will create an indulgent adventure. In Sonoma County, for example, there is a plethora of recreation options and culinary choices, including more than 250 wineries, 200-plus specialty farms and artisan food purveyors, 20 farmer’s markets, and ocean-to-inland mountain landscapes. Enjoy a bicycle tour of wineries paired with a gourmet picnic (sonomavalleybiketours.com), a casual Russian River rafting trip through villages and nature reserves (rradventures.info), and field-to-table restaurant and winery culinary packages that feature local products (fromfarmtotable.com, farmtrails.org).

COLORADO

Taking a ride on the wild side is far from rustic when vacationing at a Colorado dude ranch. In many cases it’s downright luxurious. The fun of ranch vacations comes with the outdoor atmosphere, spectacular scenery and wide-open spaces. Standard activities include horseback riding, hiking, swimming and fishing.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

October 2009 47

on location: west ❖ The camaraderie at the dinner table and around the campfire is hard to beat.

Meals are hardy, accommodations are private and well-appointed, the staff is attentive and friendly. Other adventures may include hot air ballooning, Jeep tours, rock climbing, cattle drives, whitewater rafting, golf and tennis. The Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association (coloradoranch.com) represents about 30 ranches.

IDAHO

Can’t decide which adventure you want to do first—sport fishing, whitewater rafting, wilderness trail rides or immersion into the life and times of Sacajawea? All these adventures and others are available through Kookaburra Rafting from its base in Salmon on the Salmon River. Visitors may choose to experience one type of adventure or do something new every day. River rafting is mainly Class 2 and 3, horseback riding is at an easy pace and drift boats take visitors to the best steelhead holes. The historical immersion programs, in cooperation with the Sacajawea Interpretive Center, focus on Native American culture and Lewis & Clark’s Corps of Discovery.

Overnight accommodations are available in Salmon. (raft4fun.com).

MONTANA & WYOMING

Both states offer many opportunities for sportsmen and outdoor adventurers at all skill levels. Options range from fishing and hunting to whitewater rafting, cattle drives and just hanging around a guest ranch. Tour companies and outfitters are accustomed to adapting activities to meet the abilities and pace of their guests. For adventure travel ideas, contact the Montana Outfitters & Guides Association (montanaoutfitters.org) and Wyoming Guides and Outfitters Association (wyoga.org).

48 October 2009

UTAH & NEW MEXICO

The World Outdoors organizes guided walking adventures in some of the Southwest’s most beautiful locations.

The “Utah Canyonlands-Escalante Hiker” program explores Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef national parks and the Grand Staircase-Escalante area. The “New Mexico Hiker” adventure starts near Santa Fe and follows a path to an Anasazi settlement, landscapes that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe, the canyons and pueblos near Taos, Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Rio Grande’s inner gorge. Both are easy to moderately paced six-day packages led by two guides. The World Outdoors also offers similar itineraries offering multisport activities. (theworldoutdoors.com) WASHINGTON

Sea kayaking through the San Juan Islands with Adventure Travel Associates is a great adventure even for those who have had no previous experience.

The crafts are stable, the waters calm, and the marine life is abundant with seals, porpoises, eagles, sea birds, otters and orca whales. Guided trips range from day outings to six-night itineraries. Accommodations are at rustic resort lodges offering private cabins with services and amenities. (adventureassociates.net) Some wilderness treks require the use of pack animals to haul camping, sport and survival gear. Deli Llama Wilderness Adventures operates llama packing treks (up to seven days) into the high country of North Cascades National Park, Northeastern Cascade Pasayten Wilderness, and the rainforest valley and alpine highlands of Olympic National Park, May through September.

In early spring, a special three-day program is designed to acquaint new trekkers with the ease and pace of this style of adventure. (delillama.com) LGT LeisureGroupTravel.com

It’s Unreal How Real We Are

Listen closely and you’ll hear the centuries-old echoes of ancient Native Americans, Spanish Conquistadors and Wild West legends.

on technology ❖

john kamm, ctp

Adventure Tech: Tracking Trekking Technologies ADVENTURE OPERATORS STRIVE to provide their guests with an optimum adventure experience and at the same time operate their businesses in a manner that expresses a deep appreciation and commitment for preservation of our natural ecosystems. This is no mean feat and many are leveraging technology to make it happen.

in Angels Camp, Calif., said they have also moved to email for client communications and that the company has eliminated faxing lengthy rosters and passenger requirement reports to their remote operations managers. Instead, OARS has set up a web-based report site so that managers can log in from anywhere in the world to view concise

Innovative office systems take hold in the competitive adventure travel arena Adventure-seeking clients in particular are very aware of how a company conducts itself. Mat Unger, adventure systems manager for Natural Habitat Adventures, Boulder, Colo., notes that about 90% of its clients are providing email addresses for invoices and other documents, up from about 30% just a few years ago. NatHab has added secure web forms to their website to collect necessary traveler information such as dietary preferences, medical history and passport information. This saves paper, postage and staff time because they are freed from the task of reentering the data into the reservation system.

Matt Zeugin, IT director for OARS

reports. He notes this not only saves expensive fax paper but the reports are more up-to-date because the information is coming directly from the reservation system.

Remote access to the central databases is a critical technology for each of these companies. Micato Safaris’ technical director, Sean Wilsen, reports his company has implemented an intranet (private website for employees only) to share and coordinate resources among the company’s far-flung offices (New York, Cape Town, Nairobi, Mumbai and New Delhi). Instead of printing, shipping and filing content for brochures, documents, itineraries,

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.

50 October 2009

manuals and other company communications, it is stored and transmitted via the website.

The inherent complexity of the adventure travel experience also drives the development of the technologies. Unger points out that NatHab’s primary automation goal is to provide support tools for their customer service team: “In any interaction with the guest we want it to be correct the first time, there must be flexibility and system programming must be focused on minimizing human error.”

“If you are in the vast expanse of Masai Mara and you have forgotten something, you will do without; not exactly what well-heeled guests are expecting,” Wilsen said. “Sharing information through our global network gives us the quality control we need.”

Looking beyond analytics, OARS is incorporating social networking technology into its new website. “Facebook and Twitter provide a virtual community for our clients and prospective clients,” Zeugin said. “Our YouTube channel has been a big hit.”

Green business is good business but without current technologies, it just would not be feasible. At the same time, clients are demanding more personalized service from operators. High tech enables high touch. The challenges are clear and fortunately the technology tools are available to help you succeed.

John Kamm is CEO of TourTech Systems, Inc., developers of TourTools®, the most popular tour reservations solution in North America. Visit www.tourtools.com for more information.

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