Now heading into the final quarter of the calendar year, it’s the end of the summer vacation period and the season of getting back down to business. Near the end of this quarter, Dec. 2-6, the U.S. Tour Operators Association will hold its Annual Conference and Marketplace at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles.

If you haven’t purchased your ticket yet, don’t sweat it. It’s sold out. It’s not a small conference, but it is limited in size. USTOA is the rare exception in the business world of an entity that does not seek growth.

The association limits its participation to what it sees as manageable levels. The conference gathers roughly 800 travel industry professionals for a few days of intense focus on current travel issues, as well as the pleasures and possibilities Read the rest of this entry »

American Cruise Lines continues to provide US river cruising with a look at their 2024 cruise season. With a total of 125 US ports of call and nine new itineraries, ACL has big announcements out.

Leading the announcement is two new 100-passenger ships, Coastal Cats, American Liberty and American Legend. These are the 3^rd and 4^th ships of the American series which will include 12 total. The first two coastal cats already in operation are American Eagle and  American Glory. Slated to sail New England, Chesapeake Bay, Hudson River and Florida, the American Liberty is set to cruise in June 2024 while American Legend is set for October 2024.

Adding to the 19 ships they will have in operation by October of next year are new itineraries. Including longer cruises like the 60-day itinerary exploring 20 states (August 16^th to October 14^th) and the 35-day Civil War Battlefields cruise exploring 20 Civil War battlefields (May 3^rd to June 6^th).

They’ve also announced new 2024 cruises at National Parks. Including Denali Fjords and Glacier Bay National Parks in Alaska, and Smoky Mountains National Park. Also available is the multi-national park cruise of Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton along the Colombia and Snake Rivers.

With new departures, new ships, more itineraries than featured here, and a maximum range of 90-180 guests per cruise, American Cruise Lines looks to be growing into the booming interest in cruises.

Bikes and riverboats go together. So much so that we have a whole page dedicated to bicycling and river cruising. As a bike enthusiast, last week I attended the Asheville, NC premiere of a new movie, Shadow Of A Wheel. I believe many of our readers will relate to the film.

Shadow Of A Wheel was produced by an old friend, Paul Bonesteel. The feature-length film tells the story of 31 teenagers who spent one epic summer crossing America by bicycle in 1982. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s fair to say that I have a love-hate relationship with the cities along the Danube. My Jewish family was granted equal rights here by Emperor Franz Josef I—and then forced to flee by the Nazis. When I hear German, I hear the sweet voice of my grandfathers speaking in the Yiddish dialect. But I give thanks that by 1920 they both had emigrated to New York.

Blue-Roads Touring got its current name from a man who went on a journey of discovery across America. William Least Heat-Moon began this road trip in 1978, a road trip that would take him 13,000 miles along “blue roads” around the United States. Meaning, William traveled mostly on secondary roads, with the sights and sounds of local folk in his chronicled collection titled Blue Highways.

Fitting for Blue-Roads Touring to gravitate to this name, as they take the traveler beyond Read the rest of this entry »

I’m on a press trip on the AmaSonata, sailing the beautiful (but not blue) Danube. But Jim Augerinos told me he’s at the Signature Travel Network Owners Meeting, and would love to do an interview about Maui, from Maui, I said, let’s do it next week.

Jim said the need is immediate, and the people of Maui can’t wait another week. So I asked him if he would write something up and send it along. Here’s Jimmy’s moving reply: Read the rest of this entry »

Ninety years is a long, long time. Tour operators often proudly promote the fact that they have been in business for 20 years, and rightly so. That’s impressive. Keeping a tour operator in business through all the wars, stock market crashes, natural disasters and recessions of the last 20 years is a major accomplishment. Such events have taken down many along the way.

International tour operation is a business that is affected by every economic tremor and major event in the world. It’s not for anyone who wants to make an easy buck Read the rest of this entry »

When you get an email under the subject “In 5 to 10 years, forget southern Europe in summer,” you just have to read it.

Indeed, James Thornton makes some interesting—and timely—points in the message he sent me. “In 5 to 10 years, I think it will prove challenging to travel around southern Europe during July and August,” the Melbourne-based CEO of Intrepid Travel said. “Most people just won’t want to, it will be far too hot.”

Against the backdrop of heatwaves and fires in the Mediterranean countries, particularly in Athens and Rome, many tour operators are changing their itineraries, and travelers are planning more vacations in Read the rest of this entry »

London is a city of history and culture, one of the most visited in the world. Yet, outside the city limits of this fascinating and rather large city are rolling hills of green around smaller cities that represent the varied paths of England’s past. The Cotswolds, and its rolling green hills. Bath, a city of Roman-era baths. Cornwall, where some still speak a Celtic language. These are all excellent examples of destinations outside the busy streets of London.

Chameleon Travel Shop is making the lives of travel agents easier when planning trips to Europe, South America, Australia, and New Zealand!

Chameleon Travel Shop (CTS) started in Atlanta, Georgia in 2015 by global tourism veteran Joseph Walker who has held executive roles in inbound tourism in the USA, Italy, Brazil, and beyond.  Stemming from Joseph’s earliest travel background, when he was a guide in Italy, he learned that travel is about making connections and experiencing destinations in a more authentic manner. When guests become travelers Read the rest of this entry »

At Africa’s Travel Indaba, the trade show held in Durban May 9-11, South African Tourism presented a seminar called USA Market Access Workshop. It was targeted at African tourism businesses looking for insights on how to penetrate the vast North American travel market. But the market intelligence presented could be equally valuable to American travel advisors looking for insights on how to tap into the potential American market for travel to Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

On dates ranging from March 17^th to October 11^th of 2024, Collette will be offering a special version of their ‘Memorials of World War II’ tour. The tour will focus on the 80^th anniversary of D-Day, June 6^th, 1944, during World War II.

The special tour will take the traveler through cities like London, where the traveler will learn about what is like during The Blitz and travel across the English Channel.

Also on the itinerary is France, specifically the first French town liberated from the Nazis, Saint-Mère-Église. While the tour ends in Paris, the city of light, with a dinner cruise along the Seine River.

And of course, a chance to experience the beaches of Normandy and honor the almost 9,000 Allied troop deaths when storming the shore.

“Throughout 2024, our travelers will have the opportunity to take this journey honoring the 80th anniversary of D-Day, traveling along the same paths as the nearly 160,000 Allied troops who battled for European freedom on June 6, 1944. The visit to Normandy is always an emotional one. It is such a moving experience to set foot on the same sand as so many heroes did that day.”, said Jaclyn Liebl-Cote Chief Customer Experience Officer at Collette.

Tour prices start at $3,499, and Collette says there are plenty of spots for travelers available.

For travelers who daydream of wandering through streets filled with art, beauty and indulging in delicious Italian cuisine, Florence is a top destination to consider.

As you stroll through the charming city of Florence, you may feel like you have been transported back in time to the Renaissance era, and it is no wonder why it was the birthplace of the Renaissance. The city, nicknamed “the jewel of the Renaissance,” is located in central Italy and attracts millions of visitors each year.

I keep getting this image of a world that has changed radically, but we have come out of hibernation with the pictures in our minds of the world we knew pre-hibernation. We are victims of the Rip Van Winkle syndrome, waking up in a world that is drastically changed from what you remember. Now, in 2023, many of the ravages of Covid are sinking into the past as fading memories. But if we are expecting the world to be as it was before the nightmare, we are likely to get hit with some reality adjustors.

Sky Bird Travel & Tours, one of the leading airline consolidators in the industry, has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Effective April 3, 2023, Norm Knowles assumed the role of CEO to lead the company’s future strategies and expansion plans. This announcement has been made by Arvin Shah, Chairman of Sky Bird Travel & Tours. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know an adventure enthusiast looking for a travel tour supplier that can fulfill their wildest dreams? Costa Rica Dream Adventures is a perfect choice. Their tours are tailor-made to satisfy the traveler’s thirst for excitement, discovery, and fun. CRDA offers a vast array of activities including canopy tours and ziplining, which will challenge limits and make the traveler’s heart leap with joy.

It appears that Israelis are just not having Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan to restructure the country’s judiciary. Demonstrations, that have been ongoing since Netanyahu announced his plans in January, were ratcheted up to a much hotter level last Sunday after he fired his defense minister. The minister had urged Netanyahu to ease up on his push to defang the judiciary because it was leading to dissension among the military. That created a “clear, immediate and tangible threat to the security of the nation.” The news stories might have raised the concerns of anyone thinking of traveling to Israel.

Did you know that many river cruise boats carry bicycles on board for guests to use? The bicycles are (or should be) well-maintained and capable of fitting guests of all sizes. Your ship often will have helmets and, of course, a liability form for you to fill out. If you’re squeamish about wearing a helmet that someone else has worn, carry your personal bike helmet. Simply strap it onto the outside of your carry-on luggage so that it doesn’t take up precious space inside your luggage. Or pack a foldable helmet. You’ll need to ask your local bike shop or do a web search for those.

One of the reasons many attendees consider the USTOA Annual Conference & Marketplace the best travel conference of the year is because the tour operator members send their top people to the conference. It creates opportunities for unparalleled access to the heaviest movers and shakers of the tour industry. Because the tour segment connects and aggregates the products of all the other segments of the travel industry, the USTOA conference is a central connecting point for the entire global travel industry.

Let’s face it. Cruises are now commodity products. Everyone sells the same ships and itineraries for similar prices. So how do you stand out from all the others selling the same cruise—maybe for a few dollars less?

Try focusing on things you can add to the cruise package.

Once the capital of a sprawling empire, Rome has persisted through the ages as a spectacle of awe. From the Colosseum, once a place that embodied this very spectacle, to the intricate stonework of the Trevi Fountain, to the immaculately maintained Pantheon—Rome is full of sights to behold. This classically romantic city has much to offer, even in the winter when the crowds have thinned out and the heat of a humid summer has subsided.