Spotlight on the Southwest Travel Trade Show Head to San Diego

Travel professionals from throughout the United States and Canada will gather at the Holiday Inn Bayside in San Diego for the 14^th Annual Spotlight on the Southwest Tourism conference on March 26-28, 2012. Spotlight on the Southwestern combines educational seminars, networking functions and a trade show. Operators hail from throughout the U.S. and Canada and range from small operations to large receptive companies and everything in between. The ratio of suppliers to operators is never more than 2.5 to 1.

Spotlight is casual and intimate and is not just about networking – but about building mutually successful and long-lasting business relationships. New tour itineraries to off the beaten path destinations are highlighted, using the closest Southwestern gateway cities as arrival and departure points.

Anne Basile from Mirage Tours comments, “Spotlight is one of my favorite annual conferences. It is great for developing relationships as I have made so many good business contacts and friends over the years.  I have attended 12 of the 13 past conferences and encourage other operators to attend.”

“I like to attend Spotlight because I get to meet with operators who don’t attend NTA, ABA, or any other show.  It’s a loyal group of tour operators who produce,” states Kevin Rice from the Palm Springs and Desert Resorts CVA. “Spotlight is one of the most enjoyable conferences that I have ever attended,” adds Bernadette Anthony from CasaBlanca Resort in Mesquite, NV. “It was a pleasure to meet new colleagues and get reacquainted with friends from the past.  I attended the conference as a supplier, but feel like I left as a true partner.”

A Pre-Fam, March 24-26, 2012, is sponsored by the San Diego CVB and will highlight San Diego’s favorite tour attractions, including SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, and the USS Midway.  Exploring LaJolla is also on the agenda for fam attendees.

The Spotlight Conference itself will begin on March 26with a welcome reception, sponsored by Bartell Hotels. March 27 will feature a seminar entitled “Selling Passion” followed by a two-hour trade show.  Travel Planners will be asked to take notes on special themes which evoke passion, thus creating new niche itineraries to different southwest regions.  Lunch will be followed by an itinerary planning workshop. Then a progressive dinner around San Diego will conclude the day.

The final morning Navajo Nation Hospitality will sponsor the tour operator breakfast which features a discussion on the power of social networking.

Anyone interested in tourism to the Southwest can join the Group “Spotlight on the Southwest” on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=114998145199522.

For more information please visit www.spotlightsw.com or call 480-926-5547.

Champion Holidays Offers China FAM Trip

Champion Holidays of New York is offering a March 17-25 educational FAM tour to China for those who book groups and for media representatives. The cost from Los Angeles is $1,695 per person, double occupancy; from New York, $1,795. Single supplement is $550.

Included are roundtrip international air, intercity airfares, ground transportation in China, deluxe hotel accommodations with American breakfast, meals as specified in the itinerary, escorted tours with English guide and tour admissions in each city, and deluxe Yangtze River cruise with outside cabin and private balcony and shore excursions on the MV President Prime.

Day 1/March 17 (Sat), US/Beijing
Take an Air China (CA) flight from the US to Beijing, China.
CA982: New York (JFK) 4:50PM Beijing 6:20PM (Next Day)
CA984: Los Angeles (LAX) 1:40AM Beijing 5:30AM (Next Day)

Day 2/March 18 (Sun), Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing, you will be met and transferred to your hotel by our tour guide. The rest of the day will be free for your leisure. Those who arrive in Beijing early today from LAX may take an optional tour of Hutong (Chinese alleyways) by riding aboard a rickshaw pedicab through the narrow lanes of the old residential quarters and the Temple of Heaven.

Day 3/March 19 (Mon), Beijing (AB, L, SD)
The highlight today is a trip to the astonishing Great Wall of China at Juyongguan Pass, one of the most remarkable feats of mankind. After lunch, you will visit the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the largest and most intact conglomeration of ancient structures of the imperial palace. Attend a welcome Peking Duck dinner tonight.

Day 4/March 20 (Tue), Beijing/Chongqing (AB, L, D)
Today, you will take a flight to Chongqing, the largest city in Southwest China with a population of more than 30 million. The city used to serve as China’s capital city during the World War II and has been referred to “China’s Chicago” by the Forbes Magazine. Upon arrival in Chongqing, you will take a city tour of Chongqing and enjoy the special hot pot food for dinner before being transferred to the pier for embarking on the Five Star MV President Prime Cruise. Spend the night on the cruise ship which is scheduled to depart later tonight.

Day 5/March 21 (Wed), Yangtze River Cruise: Chongqing/Fengdu (AB, L, D)
Arrive in Fengdu, the legendary home of the King of Hades – often referred to as the “ghost city”– in the morning. Go ashore to visit the Mingshan Hill’s Temples. Return aboard for lunch and be ready for Captain’s Welcome Party tonight. Continue sailing in the evening for Badong.

Day 6/March 22 (Thu), Yangtze River Cruise: Badong/San Dou Ping (AB, L, D)
Around mid morning, you will cruise through the magnificent Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge before arrival in Badong at noontime. Transfer to a small pea-boat for Shennong Stream Drifting to experience the breathtaking scenery. Resume your sail on the Yangtze River for San Dou Ping. Pass through the last gorge – Xiling Gorge. In late afternoon, the cruise ship will pass through the five-level locks of the well-known Three Gorges Dam, which gives you a unique opportunity to experience the grandeur of the world’s biggest dam project. Arrive in San Dou Ping, where the Three Gorges Dam Project Site is located, in the evening.

Day 7/March 23 (Fri), Yangtze River Cruise: Yichang/Shanghai (AB, L, D)
This morning, you will visit the Three Gorges Dam Project Site. After lunch, you will be transferred to Yichang Airport for flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival in Shanghai, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Shanghai. If time permits, you will take hotel inspection in Shanghai.

Day 8/March 24 (Thu), Shanghai (AB, L, SD)
Shanghai, China’s largest city (home to 16 million people), is also China’s principal port on a deep estuary of the Yangtze River. Often regarded as “the Paris of the East,” Shanghai has retained the flavor of its past European influences. The excursion today takes you to the Bund- a waterfront area that showcases many landmark buildings of western style built in the early 20th century, the bustling Nanjing Road, Chenghuangmiao Old Town, and Tianzifang, an old neighborhood with hidden alleyways full of boutiques and art galleries. You will also visit the well-known Shanghai Museum of Art and History, which ranks among the great museums of the world. Attend a farewell dinner celebration of Shanghai cuisine in the evening, followed by an optional cruise on Huangpu River to enjoy a fascinating night view of Shanghai.

Day 9/March 25 (Thu), Shanghai/Beijing/US (AB)
After breakfast, you will take a departure transfer to the airport for the flight back home.
CA1858: Shanghai 7:55AM  Beijing 10:15AM
CA981: Beijing 1:00PM  New  York 2:20PM
CA987: Beijing 2:00PM  Los Angeles 11:00AM
AB: American Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, SD: Special Dinner

(800-868-7658, info@china-discovery.com,
www.china-discovery.com)

Celtic Tours’ Ireland FAM Includes Castle Stay

Celtic Tours is offering an educational familiarization tour of Ireland for IATA, ARC, CLIA or True travel agents and one companion to discover the Emerald Isle. The six-day package, offered Feb. 11-16, 2012, is priced from $823 per person sharing with airfare from JFK, $867 from Boston or Chicago included.

The educational FAM will explore Roscommon, Limerick, Killarney and Dublin. It includes four nights in superior 4-Star hotels in Roscommon, Limerick, Killarney and Dublin, including a one-night castle stay; three dinners; all admission charges, local taxes and tips as per itinerary (with the exception of the tip to the driver/guide); deluxe touring motorcoach; professional Irish driver/guide throughout; and services of a Celtic Tours representative. For details, see http://bit.ly/rLZ06f.

Fam Trips to Israel, Egypt, Dubai and Jordan

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