Tag: USA tourism

photo credit : Wisanu Boonrawd & missmeghanyoung The Utah Office of Tourism has appointed IndiJo Consulting as its official representative in India. IndiJo Consulting will carry out sales, marketing and PR activities on behalf of the tourism board. These include webinars, trade training, co-op promotions, social media initiatives, support product development, trade & media relations. Utah is a state in the western USA that is blessed with the most breath-taking landscapes. The 5 national parks, 7 national forests, 44 state parks, and vibrant cities make Utah one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world. Speaking on the occasion ... Read more

A report from the United States Travel Association states nearly half of the 16.9 million jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector were wiped out in March and April, but at least in Niagara Falls, there are some signs that brighter days are ahead. “We are seeing some slight indications of recovery now,” said John Percy, the President and CEO of Destination Niagara USA, adding, “We’ve seen that hotel bookings have increased 28% week over week on an average.”  There could be many reasons for the recent uptick. For example, pent up demand for travel. “Our areas match up to what our ... Read more

Here’s your chance to work from Las Vegas, if you had enough of working out of your home? MGM Resorts is rolling out the red carpet to target business professionals with a travel package called “Viva Las Office.” Incentives include cheap rooms, discounted jet service, private pool access and even an “executive assistant”, says a CNN report. There are three different “Viva Las Office” packages offering remote workers a playful workweek in Sin City. There’s a three-day minimum stay, and prices starting at $100 with your choice of amenities that include access to a private pool, free massage, daily food and drinks ... Read more

As Caribbean beaches and resorts begin welcoming back international tourists, there’s one group that’s increasingly being left out: Americans. Tropical vacation spots across the region are giving US citizens the cold shoulder amid fears they might spread the coronavirus, cutting Americans off from one of the few regions that was still accessible to them, Bloomberg reports. This week, the Bahamas will begin barring commercial flights and passenger ships from the US, even as it invites Canadian and European tourists to visit. The Dutch countries of St. Maarten and Curacao have also reopened to almost everyone but US travellers. With nearly ... Read more

Like governors in at least 15 states of the USA, New Mexico’s governor Lujan Grisham has ordered out-of-state tourists to self-isolate, citing data that about one in 10 of the state’s spiking COVID-19 cases comes from visitors. According to a Reuters report, enforcing the orders is proving difficult, given the lack of a national plan, police reluctance to take on the massive task, and Americans’ penchant for driving hundreds or thousands of miles to vacation, even in a pandemic. A US road trip this summer means navigating through a patchwork of quarantine regulations across various states, most of them voluntary. ... Read more

In an effort to persuade more travellers to visit a portion of Eastern Montana, a coalition is seeking improvement to facilities along a 163-mile stretch of the Yellowstone River between Hysham and the North Dakota border. The 12-member Lower Yellowstone River Coalition — composed of business people, conservationists, politicians and recreation-minded individuals — sees the initiative as a way to boost tourism at a time when outdoor recreation is surging amongst a pandemic-anxious public, Billings Gazette has reported. “Outdoor recreation along the Yellowstone has not been promoted, nor seen its potential fully developed east of Billings, and it’s time to improve that situation ... Read more

With many tourists putting a halt on travelling, the economy in the state of Nebraska has been affected. During crane season, boardwalks and pathways surrounding Rowe Sanctuary are normally packed, but due to COVID-19 this year, they haven’t seen the number of visitors they normally would, Nebraska TV reports. “Well during crane season, you’d normally see 25 to 30 thousand through the door in six weeks,” said the Director for the Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary Bill Taddicken. As COVID-19 swept the nation, Taddicken said they were barely open for one week before having to shut down. “It’s been a ... Read more

California has clamped new restrictions on businesses as coronavirus cases and hospitalisations soared, forcing the governor to close all popular entertainment destinations. Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, ordered bars closed and restaurants, movie theatres, zoos and museums across the nation’s most populous state to cease indoor operations. Gyms, churches and hair salons must also close in the 30 hardest-hit counties, Reuters reported. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to recognize soberly that COVID-19 is not going away any time soon, until there is a vaccine and/or an effective therapy,” Newsom said at a news briefing. The governor called the move ... Read more

The novel coronavirus has halted many of the usual events across Iowa, including the Iowa State Fair, that help draw tourism and income during summer. But not all of Iowa’s traditional events have been nixed: Des Moines’ Butter Cow Festival is still a go, according to a report by Des Moines Register. During what would have been the first weekend of the fair, attendees can enjoy live music from local bands, food vendors, and breweries from 4:30-11 pm on August 14 and 15 at Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park. The band line-up on August 14 will include Richard Arndt, Jason Brown and The Purple ... Read more

The Delaware Tourism Office (DTO) has launched a “Go-to-Guide” to encourage safe travel this summer. The DTO worked with Governor John Carney’s office and public health officials to launch the guide. “To help provide travellers with a kind of ‘what to expect’ when they arrive here in Delaware; everything from making sure you pack the face covering and also some hand sanitizers and some extra travel ideas – like traveling around not during peak times to help with social distancing,” said Delaware Tourism Office director Liz Keller. The guide was launched in part because of the number of calls they ... Read more

Travellers needing information on Arkansas can now stop at an Arkansas Welcome Centre. The state’s Welcome Centres were temporarily closed from March 20 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to a news release from Arkansas Tourism. The centres are now open 8 am to  5 pm, seven days a week. “Arkansas is one of the nation’s most beautiful and inviting destinations,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “Arkansas Welcome Centres offer our guests a friendly entry to The Natural State, as well as a rest and information stop to gather travel ... Read more

Based on a careful review of the metrics, travellers from Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey are now exempt from the 14-day quarantine requirement as well as the testing alternative option, Maine governor Janet Mills has said. Mills had previously announced that travellers from New Hampshire and Vermont were able to travel to Maine without these restrictions as well. The update will take effect this Friday, July 3.  Maine is the north-eastern most US state, known for its rocky coastline, maritime history and natural areas like the granite and spruce islands of Acadia National Park. Moose are plentiful in Baxter ... Read more

The fifth edition of the Music Tourism Convention, originally scheduled for this September in Cleveland, Mississippi, has been postponed until 2021. Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, event hosts Visit Mississippi, the city of Cleveland and Music Cities Events decided to move the dates of the convention to Sept 29 – Oct 2, 2021. The event will feature tourism organizations, the music and events industry and academics from around the world. “We’ve looked at all of the factors created by COVID-19 which are impacting this year’s event, and have decided alongside our partners that we need to postpone to ensure ... Read more

Texans travelling to New York, Connecticut or New Jersey will have to quarantine for 14 days under travel restrictions announced by governors in those states. The governors put the restrictions in place to prevent a new wave of coronavirus-infected visitors arriving from states where there has been a sharp uptick in cases following the reopening of businesses, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. Texas is one of nine states with infection rates high enough to fit into the required quarantine category, but other states could be added if rates increase, Dallas News has reported. ”We now have to make sure the ... Read more

With lockdowns beginning to ease, many countries are starting to think about how to restart tourism, a vital economic engine. Even so, international tourist numbers could fall by up to 80% in 2020, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). But, in a normal pre-coronavirus year, which were the most visited destinations? France is the world’s number one destination for international tourists, according to the most recent figures from UNWTO. Almost 90 million people visited the country in 2018. Spain isn’t far behind, with over 82 million visitors. The United States, China and Italy complete the top five. ... Read more