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World’s largest cruise ship sets sail Oasis of the Seas features 2,700 cabins, can accommodate 6,300 passengers The Associated Press updated 11:06 a.m. ET Oct. 30, 2009 HELSINKI - The world's largest cruise liner on Friday began its maiden voyage to Florida, gliding out from a shipyard in Finland with an amphitheater, basketball courts and an ice rink on board. The 16-deck Oasis of the Seas spans 1,200 feet (360 meters) from bow to stern. Its 2,700 cabins can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew. Commissioned by Royal Caribbean International, the ship cost $1.5 billion and took two and a...

CROC hunter Steve Irwin's dream of opening an Aussie zoo in Las Vegas is to be realised, three years after his death. Nevada officials say plans for an Australia-themed zoo in desert gaming mecca are back on the agenda. Representatives for the Irwins met Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman last week to discuss resurrecting their proposal for a US Australia Zoo featuring crocodile wrestling. "It looks like a great project with a crocodile-type enclosure where they would wrestle with the crocodiles and feed the crocodiles and have a real educational component to it and we're going to continue those discussions,"...

What was billed as Italy's first gay cruise took place last month, and by all accounts it was a resounding success. There was just one small hitch: Somehow a heterosexual couple ended up on board -- and they're not happy about it. News outlets in Europe this week are all atwitter over the story of the Italian couple, who now are suing the cruise line after reportedly being flummoxed by the experience. The UK's Daily Mail today reports the middle-aged husband and wife, who have not been named, said they booked the trip directly with the line and claim they...

Sometimes it's the journey, sometimes it's the destination—and sometimes, it's both. National Geographic Traveler has scoured the globe for the world's most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat road trips. Dive in to get directions, quizzes, photos, and more.

Looking for romance? Head to Honolulu. But if you are single, like live music, boutique hotels and want a wild weekend, New Orleans is the city to visit. In its latest survey of America's favorite cities Travel and Leisure magazine asked readers to pick the best places for everything from the most attractive, intelligent, stylish and the friendliest people to where to find the best museums, restaurants, bars, museums and affordable hotels. "The big news this year is that New Orleans received the most number one rankings over New York," said Travel and Leisure Assistant Editor Stirling Kelso. ...The city...

This year's summer season was the worst on record for Orlando-area hotels. the Orlando hospitality market wrapped up the three-month season by filling only 58 percent of its available rooms in August, or 8.9percent fewer than in August 2008. That's the worst August on record since Smith Travel Research started keeping track in 1987. The June and July occupancy rates were also the worst for those months since the hotel-tracking company began conducting its local surveys. And hotel operators were not able to make up for the empty rooms with higher prices: Room rates were down by double-digit percentages all...

Jürgen Ringbeck, Senior Vice President - Booze and Co: “It is very sad to see how weak political support for the tourism sector is, specifically in the more developed countries. (Tourism) is the key platform to connect the world and transfer wealth from developed to developing countries.”

Those curious about the polygamous community that has thrived on the Utah/Arizona state line for nearly 75 years may now take a guided tour through what promoters bill as "the largest and most secluded polygamist colony" in America. "Why the prairie dresses and long braids? No makeup? More than one wife?" -- all questions to be answered during "The Polygamy Experience: A Guided Tour of Colorado City." The four-hour excursion promises accounts from guides "who have actually lived and loved 'The Creek,'" the historic name for Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., home to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ...

VisitDenmark, the country's tourism agency, has removed an advert from YouTube following complaints it promoted promiscuity.The three minute video clip features a young, blonde woman holding a baby called 'August' saying he is the result of a fling with a foreign tourist. Speaking English in the clip, the woman says she is "trying to find August's father" through the video sharing website. In the advert she says: "I'm doing this video because I'm trying to find August's father, so if you're out there and see this, this is for you. We met one night a year ago when you...

A video promoting tourism in Denmark has been removed from YouTube after complaints it promoted promiscuity. The three-minute clip shows a young blonde woman, trying to find a man whom she had a one night stand with, who fathered her child "August". VisitDenmark's manager, Dorte Kiilerich said the film was supposed to be a "nice and sweet story of a woman". But Denmark's Economy Minister, Lene Espersen, said it "was not a very well-thought-out picture of the country". In the advert, the woman says - in English - that she was "trying to find August's father". "We met one night...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. customers who smoke in an Avis or Budget rental car after Oct. 1 will be fined up to $250, the Avis Budget Group said. The ban makes Avis and Budget the first major car rental companies to ban smoking in a North American fleet, USA Today reported Monday. "The No. 1 request we get is for a smoke-free car," Avis Budget Group spokesman John Barrows said. Avis and Budget cars will be inspected on return for the smell of smoke, Barrows said, adding it costs more to clean a smoky car because the car...

It could be all that fresh mountain air. Or maybe it's the altitude, a different time zone or even jet lag. Otherwise there's no excuse for what makes tourists ask the dumbest questions. There are some real gems, and it happens all the time. Just ask the patient and good-natured folks who make a living showing tourists around Banff National Park. "We get a broader range of people (in summer)," says Daymon Miller, general manager of Discover Banff Tours. "They're coming from a broad range of urban centres with generally no concept of the wilderness." When the speak-before-thinking zinger is...

After two notable and high-end San Francisco hotels defaulted on large loans last month, the city's hotel economy - a key contributor to municipal coffers - has only become bleaker. On July 8, owners of the stately, 97-year-old Renaissance Stanford Court on Nob Hill defaulted on an $89 million loan. Three weeks later, the glitzy Four Seasons Hotel, built on Market Street in 2001, withheld payment on $90 million it owed. The explanation for the ailing hotel industry is straightforward: High unemployment and job insecurity have meant that patrons aren't willing to pay as much as they have in recent...

While following a link from LGF, I was able to get to the official North Korean tourism webpage. Now I know that you're thinking, "Why does North Korea need a tourism page? Doesn't everyone already know it's a workers' paradise?" But you can still see the awesome on their page. While on the site, I noticed that there is an upcoming trip for those interested in visiting the DPRK-- except for those with American passports. I also read the indisputable fact that the South wants to reunite with the North, but a pesky 'wall built by the Americans' and 40,000...

Libya’s sudden decision to end its years in the international wilderness and embrace the West has abruptly transformed one of the world’s most isolated countries. Iason Athanasiadis reports from a nation in flux There is something of the pasha in Khalifa Mahdaoui, a descendant of one of Libya’s most influential tribes. It is not just the red fez perched on his head as he ambles in his suit and tie from his ground-floor office to the trellised porch outside, lights a menthol cigarette and takes a sip from the dainty cup of Turkish coffee delivered by an aide.The impression is...

<p>LACOSTE, France — The Marquis de Sade once lived here in this hotbed of Protestantism, a stunning town built of café-au-lait-colored stone, holding the heights across the Luberon River valley from the proud Catholic spires of Bonnieux. He was jailed and institutionalized after the residents of the town objected to his sexual and LACOSTE, France — The Marquis de Sade once lived here in this hotbed of Protestantism, a stunning town built of café-au-lait-colored stone, holding the heights across the Luberon River valley from the proud Catholic spires of Bonnieux. He was jailed and institutionalized after the residents of the town objected to his sexual and political views; his castle here was sacked in 1789.</p>

The Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia, is a window on the past. The museum traces the history of various immigrants who settled the Virginia frontier in colonial and early American times with buildings depicting the architecture and lifestyle of the folk of England, Northern Ireland, West Africa, and Germany who came to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Most of the houses and other buildings are the real thing. The English farmhouse was built in England in the 17th century; the Museum had it disassembled and reconstructed it in Virginia. The 1820s and 1850s American farm houses are likewise the...

German-Born TV Celebrity to Head Tourism OrganizationA Korean public corporation will for the first time in history be headed by a foreign-born naturalized Korean. Lee Cham (55), the German-born media celebrity, was appointed CEO of the Korea Tourism Organization on Tuesday. The KTO said a steering committee under the Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced Lee's appointment. Over the last 20 years, Lee has been a panelist on TV shows, university lecturer, and CEO of a company. He also hosts "Upgrade Korea" on KTV. During the last presidential election campaign, Lee served as a special advisor on the Grand Canal...

ITALY’S flame-haired tourism minister, Michela Brambilla, has announced a campaign to stop her fellow countrymen ripping off holidaymakers after a Japanese couple were charged nearly €700 (£605, or $992) for a seafood lunch in a historic restaurant in Rome. The worldwide headlines that the exorbitant bill attracted could not have come at a worse time for the Italian tourist trade, already suffering from a drop in foreign visitors because of the economic downturn and swine flu. The Japanese tourists – a 35-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman – complained to police last month after they were made to pay the...

Swine flu fears and the global economic crisis are taking their toll on bookings at hotels in the city of Mecca, two months before the start of a minor pilgrimage that attracts up to two million Muslim pilgrims. Umra can be performed any time of the year but most prefer to do it during the last 10 days of the fasting month of Ramadan, which will be around September 10 to 20 this year. The haj season, which falls in November this year, attracts some three million pilgrims. At Ajyad Hotel, favoured for its proximity to the Grand Mosque and...

Hotel foreclosures spread throughout California Andrew S. Ross Sunday, July 12, 2009 The "challenges" for San Francisco's biggest business are coming thick and fast. That oft-used word at last Tuesday's San Francisco Visitors & Convention Bureau luncheon rang loud and clear two days later when the Four Seasons Hotel on Market Street defaulted on a $90 million loan. Those who might have forgotten were reminded that Nob Hill's famed Stanford Court Hotel had gone into receivership two weeks earlier, owing $89 million after its new owners bought the place for $93 million two years ago and spent $32 million in...

Grand Strand marketers turn eyes toward Europe. BY MIKE CHERNEY MYRTLE BEACH — When it comes to attracting foreign visitors to the Grand Strand, some local tourism leaders are looking to Congress for help. The Travel Promotion Act of 2009, which has been introduced in the House and Senate, would create a nonprofit corporation to advertise the U.S. as a travel destination in foreign countries. The campaign would be funded by industry contributions and a $10 fee on foreign travelers who do not have to pay for a visa. The travel industry, including the U.S. Travel Association and the American...

July 03, 2009 R.I.P.: Budget Woes Spell Doom for Roadside Rest Stops Drivers Looking for a Break Keep on Trucking; Virginia Leaves Door Open for July 4 Holiday By MIKE ESTERL As millions of Americans take to the road for the holiday weekend, a humble highway fixture is under attack. Later this month, cash-strapped Virginia plans to barricade entrances and switch off the plumbing and electricity at nearly half its highway rest areas. Other states also are lowering budgetary axes on the public pit stops that have lined the interstate highway system since its creation in 1956. But rest stops...

When 21-year-old Rigoberto was working on construction sites in the US, he could earn up to $400 a week. Now that he is back home in Mexico, working as a farmhand, he makes just $65. And that is why there are estimated to be between eight and 12 million Mexicans in the US. It is also why the US economic crisis spells disaster for its southern neighbour. I met Rigoberto in a pretty little town in central Mexico called Jungapeo. I also met Martin, who has three sons working in the US. But times are hard for them too -...

As a way to capitalize on the growing increase of Russian tourism to Israel, Israel's Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov met in Moscow Thursday with Russia’s Minister of Transportation, Igor Levitin. The Tourism Minister recommended adding an additional carrier for regularly scheduled direct flights between Tel Aviv and Moscow, removing hitches in scheduling charter flights to various Russian destinations, and increasing the number of charter flights between Eilat and Moscow. The Tourist Ministry stated in a news release that Russia has brought the second largest influx of tourists to Israel in the last few years. Despite the world economic crisis,...

While celebrations are on-going this year to mark Charles Darwin's bicentenary, there's at least one place that won't be toasting his memory - a creationist museum in Kentucky, US.

A military official says 15 gunmen and a soldier were killed in a two-hour shootout in the heart of Acapulco’s hotel zone. The army colonel ... says the gunmen opened fire with assault rifles and about 50 grenades on soldiers who arrived at the house. The soldiers found four Guerrero state police officers inside the house who said they were being held captive by the gunmen.

When thousands of New Yorkers came to Boston for the NCAA Lacrosse championship at Gillette Stadium, the Boston Globe-Democrat ran a front-page article on the economic benefits of all those tourism dollars. "I love New Yorkers, especially when they leave so much money behind," the head of Boston's tourism bureau said. Then the boats of the Volvo Ocean Race came to town, "leaving $20 million in spending by spectators, sponsors and participants in its wake," according to the Boston Herald. "The boost came at an opportune time for the city’s hotels, restaurants, retailers and other businesses, compensating for a large...

The Swedish Tourist Association (STF) has launched the search for a suitable person to fill "Sweden's most Swedish job". Among the applicants is an Englishman who by his own admission is unlikely to win as he has recently turned fifty and "butchers the Swedish language". STF has launched the campaign to search for a fortunate soul to travel the length and breadth of Sweden during the summer months and "experience the best, eat the best and try the best" that the Scandinavian country has to offer. The competition is inspired by an Australian game show to find suitable applicants to...

More pain to come for Mideast economies By Andrew England and Roula Khalaf at the Dead Sea, Jordan Published: May 15 2009 13:33 | Last updated: May 15 2009 13:33 The Middle East is not yet through the worst of the economic crisis because non-performing loans are likely to rise and the full impact of declines in tourism and remittances has still to be felt, experts warned on Friday. Masood Ahmed, director of the Middle East and Central Asia at the International Monetary Fund, predicted that the level of NPLs would increase in the second half of the year. He...

Iraq's local government is to reopen the Babylon archeological site, which had been closed since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country. The city, located 85 kilometers south of Baghdad, was transformed into a military camp by American and Polish troops and a heliport was built on its ruins. The reopening will take place despite archaeologists expressing their concerns about further damages to what remains of one of the world's first great cities which is pending registration on UNESCO's list of protected World Heritage sites. Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage now says Babil's provincial government has illegal control...

Locations for the Garden of Eden have been offered many times before, but seldom in the somewhat inhospitable borderland where Angola and Namibia meet. A new genetic survey of people in Africa, the largest of its kind, suggests, however, that the region in southwest Africa seems, on the present evidence, to be the origin of modern humans. The authors have also identified some 14 ancestral populations. The new data goes far toward equalizing the genetic picture of the world, given that most genetic information has come from European and Asian populations. But because it comes from Africa, the continent on...

The swine flu scare is all set to surpass the dramatic turnaround in air travel caused by the Sars epidemic. The news of swine flu broke out in India on Monday and in just two days, the rate of cancellation has jumped for international travel. While airlines said it’s too early to comment, Amadeus — one of the biggest technology providers for ticketing — said 2-4% increase in cancellations has already happened and this could rise further in coming days. “Because of flu, we have seen a jump in cancellations for international travel transactions made in India in past two...

CBS 42 spoke to one man boarding a bus for Mexico at the Austin Greyhound station Tuesday. Cristov Leuman said he’s not overly concerned, since he’s not traveling to Mexico City. Leuman acknowledges, though, he'll change his habits during his ten day stay in Mexico. "Normal things like shaking hands, kissing people on the cheek could be dangerous now," said Leuman, who teaches in Mexico and regularly travels between Austin and Guadalajara. "So this could also mean we are becoming more separated. We will have less communication than we did normally." Despite the government’s travel warning – some health officials...

The state House of Representatives passed the gay marriage bill late Wednesday night - codifying the State Supreme Court's controversial decision that legalized gay marriage in Connecticut. The House voted, 100 to 44, several hours after the state Senate had voted, 28 to 7, to approve the codification. Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell says she will sign the bill into law. The bill was supported on the House and Senate floors by the two co-chairmen of the legislature's judiciary committee - Rep. Michael P. Lawlor of East Haven in the House and Sen. Andrew McDonald of Stamford in the Senate.

Watch video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJGFFNJOBtk We recommend touring Washington, D.C. during the brief period of cherry blossoms. We made this video, highlighting the Washington Monumement, Jefferson and FDR Memorials, on a day with clear skies.

HONG KONG -- This city's three billionaire Kwok brothers have just the answer for the rising waters threatening the global economy: the world's first life-size replica of Noah's ark, built to biblical specifications off the coast of this recession-struck Chinese financial center. The message in its 450-foot-long hull, its rooftop luxury hotel and 67 pairs of fiberglass animals: "The financial tsunami will be over," says Spencer Lu, the Kwoks' project director at Noah's Ark, which is opening soon. The land-bound ark wasn't built in response to the current global turmoil; it has been in the planning for 17 years. But...

Hawaii, suffering tourism drop, appeals to Obama Hotel occupancy rates in the winter are the lowest in at least five years. State officials urge the president to block any policies that would limit business travel. By Hugo Martín April 8, 2009 Hawaii has suffered one of the worst winters for tourism in recent years and has appealed to the state's most famous native son -- President Obama -- to help turn its fortunes around. Hotel occupancy rates in the winter were the lowest in at least five years, and in February -- traditionally the state's busiest month -- the rate...

On the outskirts of Jimmy Carter's ancestral home, miles from the nearest interstate, sits a state shrine to Georgia's native president. The Plains Visitor Information Center pays tribute to the peanut farmer-turned-president, and it also stands as a reminder that even one of the most sacred names in Georgia politics can fall victim to a budget crisis. It is the least-visited of Georgia's 11 state-run visitor's centers, attracting 65,000 people last year.

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is pushing to protect Antarctica's fragile environment by imposing mandatory limits on the size of cruise ships sailing there and the number of passengers they bring ashore.

<p>Some 1,200 people were laid off and 700 open positions will be left unfilled in the second phase of a reorganization begun in 2005 that was accelerated by the recession.</p> <p>The company did not say whether it would book a severance charge, or how much the cuts would save. "These decisions were not made lightly, but are essential to maintaining our leadership in family tourism and reflect today's economic realities," said Disney spokeswoman Tasia Filippatos in a statement.</p>

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. served up the most broad-based changes to Utah's alcohol policy in four decades Monday, signing legislation doing away with the state's one-of-a-kind private clubs law and changing the way restaurants can serve drinks. Since 1969, patrons at Utah's bars have been required to be members of a so-called "private club," a construct designed with the strong involvement and backing of the LDS Church and aimed at restricting the flow of liquor. "We made a little bit of history today," Huntsman said after signing the bill in The New Yorker, an upscale bar in downtown Salt Lake...

When a woman gushes about being in Hawaii for her honeymoon, telling the entertainers "it must be fun working here," they respond sarcastically. "Yeah, it's great. They make us wear grass skirts," Armisen says. "We make $7 an hour. It's a dream job." Johnson tells one visitor: "It's a fun fact about Hawaii. Our biggest export is coffee. And our biggest import is fat white tourists!" He later deliberately knocks over the drinks of a customer who points to the flower lei around his neck and makes a lame joke about getting "lei-ed." But others in the islands are laughing,...

Discovery Cruise Lines is offering a warm welcome to Spring Breakers -- a group cruise lines and most South Florida beachfront hotels have tried to discourage for years. "We do really well with the Spring Break crowd," spokeswoman Rene Mahfood said. "We have a beer drinking contest -- which you can imagine is very popular -- a Miss Discovery contest, a Real Man contest, karaoke. They just love to be in the sun and everybody is mixing and mingling and flirting." Discovery has seen its Spring Break business decline during the last decade, however. To drum up passengers, it works...

AUGUSTA, Maine — Innkeepers and others who make their livings in Maine’s tourism and wedding industries headed to the Statehouse today to ask legislators to support a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in Maine. They are expected to take part in a 10:30 a.m. press conference sponsored by the Maine Freedom to Marry Coalition, which is supporting the bill. Jim Davitt, the owner of Nonesuch Farm Bed and Breakfast in Bangor, will be one of them. He and others will present lawmakers with a report estimating that same-sex marriage would boost the state’s economy by $60 million...

Las Vegas's status as a convention hotspot is suffering as companies shun Sin City to avoid the appearance of holding decadent corporate junkets in the middle of a crippling recession. In the past month, more than 30,000 hotel room nights booked for conventions and business meetings were canceled, costing the city an estimated 20 million dollars in revenue, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That hurts for a town that saw a 4.4-percent drop in visitor numbers in 2008 compared to 2007 and a decline of 5.8 percent in the number of conventions held here over the...

The Northern California Visitor Industry Outlook Conference takes place today in San Francisco. The outlook is not good. In fact, it's gotten worse since the last time this column broached the subject back in December. "There's a world shrinkage in travel. There's no way we can avoid it," said Joe D'Alessandro, CEO of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. Tourism is San Francisco's biggest industry. In 2007, the 16.1 million visitors who came to the city spent $8.24 billion and generated $499 million in taxes. D'Alessandro said he doesn't expect Europeans and Asians, stuck in their own deepening recessions,...

Old Salem Inc. is far from alone in being hit hard by the recession. But the museum's struggle is especially distressing because it's an important tourism draw for Winston-Salem. For that reason, as Old Salem officials struggle to do more with less, area residents should help by touring the museum. Old Salem is an intriguing replication of life here, particularly Moravian life, roughly between 1750 and 1850. But it's too easy to take it for granted. History museums are struggling nationwide. Between the economy and the high gas prices of the last few years, people take fewer vacations. When they...

The House Democratic Caucus spent more than $500,000 in taxpayer money over the past five years for its annual retreats at resorts in Pennsylvania and Virginia. On Thursday, Democrats will head to the Kingsmill Resort and Spa in historic Williamsburg, Va., for the three-day planning powwow. The resort boasts multiple championship golf courses, a full-service spa and six restaurants. Individual lawmakers pay for most of the expenses related to retreat lodging through their campaign committees, but the Democratic Caucus subsidizes some of the costs for what aides consider “official business” — to the tune of nearly $100,000 each year, according...

Reader Ross Zelman writes: If you want to get a picture of how bad the US & world economy are doing, ask your readers to describe their holiday travel abroad. I’m in Aruba right now (having a great family vacation). This is our seventh trip in eight years; we’ve been timeshare owners for half that time. We aren’t experts in any sense, but simple observation and inquiry shows that hotels are at less than 50%, hotel staff are reduced, planes are flying less frequently and at less than full occupancy, restaurant reservations are easy to come by and fellow travellers...