Travel to the United States was off 5 percent last year, but this didn’t change how people enter the country. The top 15 ports of entry owned 85 percent of all overseas visits, gaining a full percentage point from 2008. New York JFK, Miami and Los Angeles took the first three positions and took 39 percent of the total, also picking up a full percentage point of “arrival share” relative to 2008. Five of the top 15 ports of entry actually gained inbound traffic over 2008, three of them in Florida: Miami, Orlando, Houston, Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale.
Virgin America announces new routes to Orlando, Toronto
The wait is finally over (and we know you’ve all been on the edge of your seats).
Early this morning, Virgin America announced plans to serve Orlando International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport with daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Orlando flights will launch Aug. 19, 2010 and, pending approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Virgin plans to start flying to Toronto as early as June 2010.
Amid all the excitement, however, is a bit of bad news. The airline has also announced that it will end service to John Wayne Airport (SNA) effective May 26, 2010. Silver lining: Virgin has promised all its John Wayne employees equivalent positions at LAX or in another area of the airline’s business.
But what good is a new route announcement without a new fare sale?
Never fear, flyers: Virgin America’s Los Angeles – Orlando fares start at $149 and San Francisco – Orlando fares start at $199 one way. Tickets are on sale today on Virgin America’s Web site.
It’s been a busy week for the Virgin team – on Tuesday, Virgin announced a partnership with Morgans Group Hotels, and rumor from the Virgin camp is the airline will announce at least three more new destinations to service in 2010 (our bets are still on Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas).
Use Facebook to plan your next park vacation
Municipalities are always feeling a financial squeeze, and the fallout from the financial crisis has only made an already grim norm even worse. It’s hard enough to get money for maintenance, let alone marketing. So, how can you get the info you need to plan your next park trip?
Try Facebook.
According to Inside Facebook, cities, counties and states are flocking to the social networking site to promote their parks to locals and prospective visitors from across the country and around the world. Most of the pages created, says Inside Facebook, focus on photos and Wall content, with few using notes and none really relying on Facebook’s discussion tools.
Most of the pages belonged to cities, though some states and counties were represented. Interestingly, larger destinations, such as New York City, Los Angeles County and Oregon haven’t experienced the level of success seen among smaller or less prominent locations. The little guy, it seems, already has a tight community feel that translates easily into a social media presence. Monterey, California’s page, for example, boasts 222 fans of a 61,000-person municipality. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County’s Department of Parks and Recreation Facebook page has only 55 fans. The county is home to 10 million people.Cost is among the reasons for the migration to Facebook. Using existing photos and content to populate a page brings no incremental cost to a medium that’s already free. Says Dan Costley, Monterey, California Park Recreation Superintendent: Literally we were told, ‘If you can borrow something from another department, cut back.’ You can look at something like Facebook and say, ‘Nobody is charging us for this.'” He continues, “So if it helps us save money and send the message to the right people, that’s always going to help us.”
Need some ideas? Check out these local park Facebook pages:
- City of Monterey
- Los Angeles County
- New York City
- State of Oregon
- Nashville, Arkansas
- Dobbs Ferry
- University City Dog Park
- Valparaiso, Indiana
Click here to become a fan of Gadling on Facebook.
[Photo: Flickr | Buck Forester]
Starwood bets on Hollywood allure
What do you do when lenders take over two of your hotels, as your coping with the worst recession in seven decades? Well, if you’re Starwood Hotels, you make a $350 million bet with a single property from your W line. The hotel opened on January 15, 2010, and it’s banking on the reputation of Los Angeles as the center of the entertainment world. Located on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, the new W Hotel hopes to attract star-struck tourists who want to get up close and personal with the movie industry.
The only problem is that fewer and fewer people are heading out to Los Angeles, which is putting a bit of a squeeze on the new property. There’s an opportunity hidden in the situation, however. Carlos Becil, W’s North American vice president, says, “When we come out of this down cycle we’ll own the upswing with all these newer hotels,” Becil said to Bloomberg News.
The financial crisis has been particularly hard on the W chain. The W San Diego was taken back by its lenders after Sunstone Hotel Investors, which had owned the property, couldn’t get the terms of its $65 million securitized mortgage changed. The W New York Union Square was bought by Dubai World in 2006. Well, it missed a payment, which wound up pushing the property onto the auction block back in December. Dubai World also has an interest in the W Washington, D.C., a loan on which is 30 days delinquent. The debt servicer and borrower are working on a solution.
Daily Pampering: Ona Spa’s Chocolate & Rose Treatment
LA’s beautiful Ona Spa has a decadent Valentine’s Day indulgence you don’t want to miss: The Chocolate & Rose Treatment.
Chocolate and rose aromas custom-made at the spa will tantalize your olfactory senses as you are scrubbled down with exfoliating cocoa powder and soothing aloe. After that, your body will be snugly wrapped in a jasmine and rose essential oil elixir and — here’s the kicker — you will be fed an organic truffle as the sensual mixture seeps into your skin. That’s pleasure from all sides.
Daniel Krasofski, who created the treatment, tells us that “The healing and normalizing properties of authentic rose oil has been used for centuries. It is used to balance all skin types while being ideal for stressed or mature skin. When the rose oil is applied with the special base oil, the skin can absorb more of the micro nutrients. The organic cocoa powder, when infused into the scrub, assists in exfoliation. It’s also believed that there are many antioxidant properties in cocoa.”
The treatment will hydrate and increase the elasticity of the skin, and the soothing fragrances and calm aura will bring your mind to sweet, sexy peace. You can get or give this 50 minute experience for $110.
Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.