Spring Break For Post 50s?

Spring break in Bermuda — for baby boomers? That’s what the island’s tourism board is proposing: A long weekend reunion for less than $600, plus airfare. It’s part of a growing industry trend: targeting deep-pocketed, post 50 travelers seeking a retreat from the beaten path.

Bermuda’s first-ever “College Week Reunion,” runs March 15-18 and includes hotel stay and three-day special event passes. It’s a nod to Bermuda’s famed College Weeks of the 1960s and 1970s (see the nostalgic video below for some campy footage.)

“The College Week Reunion will be a great way for folks who may have visited Bermuda during the heyday of their youth to come back and enjoy the island as an adult,” Wayne Furbert, Minister of Business Development and Tourism, stated in a press release. “We felt it was about time that adults get to experience their own grown-up Spring Break in a setting that fits their desires for a relaxing, sophisticated experience.”

Doris Gallan, a travel blogger and author of “The Boomers’ Guide to Going Abroad to Travel * Live * Give * Learn,” said she sees a potentially hot market for boomer spring break reunions. But post 50s should be wary of deals that are marketed simultaneously to the current college crowd.

“Bermuda’s idea of combining a week away with a college reunion and some reminiscing is a great idea,” Gallan noted in an email. But what boomers don’t want is “actual college kids, loud and drunken parties, all-inclusive resorts that insulate them from the culture of the area (and) tours that shuttle them from one place to another without enough time to enjoy a site,” she added.

via Spring Break For Post 50s?.

Delaware Launches Motorcoach Reward Program

Delaware will reward group tour planners for bringing groups to experience the First State.

Plan a trip, get rewarded, it’s as simple as that. Tour and travel professionals planning a group tour experience to Delaware and the visiting members of the group are eligible to receive a special advance gift as a thank you. To apply, complete the Delaware Motorcoach Reward Program application. Once the group verifies your information, your Delaware welcome gift will be mailed to you within 7 business days.

The visiting group must: Consist of more than fifteen 15 members Spend at least one 1 night in a Delaware lodging establishment Overnight groups will receive an extra special gift from Delaware Tourism Visit at least one 1 Delaware attraction as a day tripper

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION: In order to determine eligibility, please provide the following documentation/information to the Delaware Tourism Office. Visit http://www.visitdelaware.com/group-tour/dmrp/ for more informatino.

Alabama Promotes Year of Food in 2012

Alabama Tourism will officially kick off The Year of Alabama Food on Jan. 27 during the FoodBlogSouth event in Birmingham. The event is a conference for food writers, bloggers and photographers. It also will unveil a 30-second television commercial during the media event and will provide a sneak peek at the new “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die” brochure. The Year of Alabama Food website (www.yearofalabamafood.com) will be updated by the end of January.

“The new website is top-notch and we are sure it will be a great experience for those seeking the great culinary dishes our state has to offer,” said Lee Sentell, tourism director. “We think it offers something for every taste whether it’s fine dining, a meat and three buffet, or BBQ. It’s also a great way for folks to search the 300-plus food events happening in 2012.”

Alabama’s top restaurants can be explored from its small towns to its biggest cities. Visitors to the site can find a restaurant among the more than 250 listings by city or they can search by cuisine type. The site also introduces some of Alabama’s top chefs. The bios and stories include Wesley Tru in Mobile, Frank Stitt and Chris Hastings of Birmingham, and James Boyce of Huntsville.

For fresh produce a search feature on the site allows visitors to search for famers markets across the state, from Pepper Place in Birmingham to Mobile’s Market on the Square and Madison’s City Farmers Market. A click on the map will help locate more than 130 markets across 67 counties.

The website offers five culinary trails from each region of the state. The Coastal Cuisine trail offers fresh Gulf Coast seafood, while the Heartland Trails takes travelers from historic restaurants to college towns with down home cooking and BBQ. The Lower Alabama trail offers a variety of eats in the Mobile area, the Magic City Trail offers everything from meat and threes to fine dining in Birmingham, and the North Alabama trail takes diners through Huntsville and the Shoals with offerings from a Harvey milkshake to BBQ and steak.

Greenbrier County Debuts First Video

The Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) just unveiled its first video, “Welcome to the Greenbrier Valley.”

The 12-minute video showcases the beauty of West Virginia’s Greenbrier Valley. From fairs and festivals to attractions, activities and The Greenbrier, more than 120 locations throughout the county are included. Nearly 200 locals participated in the project acting as models or providing voiceovers. Local musicians provided the music, including The Dueling Fiddlers, The Jarmovers, The Wild Rumpus, Patrick O’Flaherty and Leah Trent.

“The Greenbrier Valley has always been known as a getaway destination thanks to The Greenbrier,” said Kara Dense, executive director of the CVB. “Now with The Greenbrier Classic and Lewisburg’s win as America’s Coolest Small Town, our exposure is increasing in new markets like never before. This video is the perfect tool for showcasing the Greenbrier Valley as a premier tourist destination.”
Portions of the video will be featured on the CVB website, used for future commercials and distributed to travel writers and group tour planners.

The seven-month project was directed and produced by local videographers Russell Williams and Annamarie Visclosky.

View video at: http://greenbrierwv.com/press/videos/welcome_to_the_greenbrier_valley/

 

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