U.S. Travel honors destination marketers with Mercury, Destiny Awards at ESTO 2023

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Terry and Al Hershey can afford to live anywhere they please after their successful careers—she in the corporate offices of Time Warner, he running businesses in medical device manufacturing and contract research and development. So, when they loaded up their 34-foot RV at their Bonita Springs, Florida home and hit the road to scout a second retirement locale, they headed to what might sound like a surprising place: Traverse City, Michigan, a small town (population 16,000) 250 miles northwest of Detroit, that sits on a bay opening to Lake Michigan. In 2021, the Hersheys moved into a 132-year-old, 5-bedroom Victorian three blocks from Grand Traverse Bay, where they spend six months a year with their goldendoodle and Aussiedoodle. Now both 76, they hike, bike, kayak and motorboat and can choose from scores of musical performances a year at the nearby Interlochen Center for the Arts and by the Traverse Symphony Orchestra. “We wanted a summer base,” Terry explains. Why not spend all year in Traverse City? They don’t mind the cold (they lived for many years in Colorado), but find the lack of sunshine during the winters in Traverse City too dreary, she says.

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The South Carolina Aquarium, commonly referred to as the Charleston Aquarium because of its location, has the deepest aquarium in North America: the Great Ocean Tank. In this 385,000-gallon tank that is so tall it stretches from the first to the third floor, you’ll see sharks, a 220-pound loggerhead sea turtle, and many more fish, each more intriguing and beautiful than the next. But the aquarium is home to all sorts of animals beyond fish: a rehabilitated bald eagle named Liberty, a large pink spoonbill named Pearl, and adorable river otters. Need another reason for visiting? The aquarium hosts adult-only night visits where you can wonder the galleries with a canapé on one hand and glass of wine in the other.

Tidal Jets’ philanthropic venture is uniquely innovative, with the introduction of its upcoming clothing line, TJ2 by Tidal Jets.

BPI Travel Advisors joins Signature Travel Network as its newest member starting August 2023.

During the initial phase of the project, development of real estate specific to the aviation sector will take place on the southern side of the runway. An investment of 30 million euros has already been allocated to this area, with the completion of the first structures targeted for 2025.

St. Pete/Clearwater awarded for its successful digital campaign with Travelzoo.

The latest Sustainable Travel Index for 2023, released by Euromonitor International, highlights Sweden as the epitome of sustainable travel within Europe. Notably, a staggering 19 out of the top 20 positions on this index are firmly held by nations belonging to the European Union and the Schengen Area, as reported by SchengenVisaInfo.com, citing Euromonitor—an independent provider of strategic market research.

Travel has always offered an escape from the ordinary. But it has classically offered escapism by creating what you might call “sensory deprivation bubbles.” It conjured the fantasy that troubles didn’t exist within the space of their resorts, cruise ships, theme parks, and first-class cabins. 

While there’s no shortage of stunning wine regions scattered all across the planet, few destinations can match the prestige of Napa Valley. First launched to international stardom in the wake of the 1976 Judgment of Paris, this sunny California county has earned worldwide acclaim for its high-end Cabernet Sauvignon—yet in the modern era, wine is far from the only amenity that draws visitors to Napa in droves.

TMC Hospitality has a theory about U.S. travel. It believes that more people are traveling in groups — for reunions, team meetings, and destination weddings — than before. But it also believes that the typical hotel today isn’t aren’t equipped with the amenities addressing these travelers’ needs.