Travel Bug

Brazilian President Lula launches “Brazil is Calling You” campaign in Johannesburg, following South Africa officially handing over the keys to Brazil as the next host nation of the FIFA World Cup.

The new campaign, titled “Brazil is calling you! Celebrate life here”, consists of movies, images and social media elements which aim to encourage the world to visit Brazil for business and leisure and take advantage of the opportunities that Brazil brings as hosts of world´s greatest sports events.

The campaign will be broadcast from 12 July on television channels globally and on YouTube, and forms part of the Ministry of Tourism and Embratur’s strategy to increase international visitors to the country.

The main objectives of this strategy, called “Plano Aquarela 2020 – International Tourism Marketing”, is to secure a 300 percent increase in foreign currency inflows from international tourists and to double the number of these visitors to Brazil by 2020. Brazil aims to invest approximately US$30 million into this campaign by the end of 2010. This will include of a range of marketing initiatives. Read the rest of this entry »

A congressional committee has voted to lift the ban on U.S. travel to Cuba. The House Agriculture Committee voted 25-20 to allow travel to the island and to expand U.S. exports there.

Though the vote is only a first step toward Congressional approval of the changes, supporters view it as a significant step towards rebuilding trade and travel relations between the countries.

The end of the Cuba travel ban would mean a bonanza in tourism to the island at a time when Fidel and Raúl Castro are in desperate need of new revenue streams. But some argue that Cuba’s isolation preserves the dictatorship and that a flood of gringo tourists would weaken it.

Similar measures have failed in Senate in recent years and State Department spokesman would not say whether the Obama administration would support the legislation.

The bill, the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, must still go through the Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committees before it can be considered by the full House. Then the Senate would have to act. Read the rest of this entry »

Architects and officials last week unveiled the planned design for Spaceport America’s 100,000-square-foot (9,300-square-meter) main terminal, pictured above.

The southern New Mexico facility will serve as home base for Virgin Galactic, a space-tourism company started by Virgin Atlantic Airways founder Richard Branson.

According to the designers, the facility will blend into its dusty surroundings to resemble a rise in the desert floor. Groundbreaking on the low-lying structure—a collaboration between the URS corporation and the Foster and Partners architecture firm, is scheduled for early 2008.

Funding in the amount of 198 million U.S. dollars has been in place since April, when residents of New Mexico’s Dona Ana County approved a tax to finance the project.

From National Geographic.

Ah, Hawaii. Sun, sand, surf and… smoke monsters?

Okay, not exactly, but for six years, the TV series “Lost” made its home there, pumping approximately $400 million into the state’s economy, according to Pacific Business News. Fans come from far and wide, not just to enjoy the usual Hawaiian R&R, but to spend as much as 10 hours in a day checking out locations where some of the show’s most memorable scenes were filmed.

Like “Seinfeld” and “Sex and the City” before it, “Lost” tourism has become a business unto itself. One such tour is run by Ed Kos. “‘Lost’ just fell into my lap,” he said. “I was already doing a Hummer/off-road movie location adventure about a year before ‘Lost’ started to film. They started filming along the same roads and trails that I was driving. I never had to change the route.”

Kos, an “obsessive” fan of the show himself, offers four different tours of varying lengths ranging between $79 and $209. He’s been told by some fans that his tour is the reason they came to visit Hawaii. “We had a man propose to his girlfriend at the same location that Jack and Juliet embrace and kiss for the first time on the show,” he said. “We have people bring their own Dharma suits and wear them during the tour.” Read the rest of this entry »

Archaeological sites and monuments of Indian culture since the Spanish colonization, gorgeous beaches and tropical forests, national parks, the colorful carnival and exciting corrida - all these things you can get visiting Mexico.

You can travel through Mexico all the year round, but the best time is from October to May.
It’s quite hot from May to September and from December to February temperature can fall to zero. However, the climate of Mexico is diverse: it is hot and humid on coastal plains, but more moderate on the uplands of the country. It is better to plan your trip during the “off-season”, because the peak of holiday travels inside the country is after the “Easter holidays”, as well as the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Mexican line has become rather popular nowadays. Curious romantics of history, who are ready for days on end inhale the dust of ages and freeze in ecstasy before the pyramids of the Maya, are happy to visit Mexico. And more reach people prefer carefree relaxation on the beach. According to the statistics, the most popular places among the tourists, who gather in groups during vacation days, are a beach holiday on the Yucatan peninsula, such as the resorts in Cancun and El Cid Vacation Clubs. Read the rest of this entry »