Officials trying to lure visitors, tourist dollars back to storm-raked Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Caribbean tourism officials are working overtime to reassure reluctant travelers that plenty of sun-soaked islands were untouched by a recent spate of deadly tropical cyclones.

Storms so far have sidestepped Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the entire eastern Caribbean, including Martinique and Barbados.

Officials worry that potential visitors may wrongly assume the entire region was ravaged by four storms that pummeled several islands since mid-August, said Alec Sanguinetti, head of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.

The trade group is urging local tourism officials to use Web cams and broadcast live video of idyllic beach settings to counter concerns.

It's a challenging sell, since Caribbean weather reports and satellite images have shown an almost constant mass of spinning storms in recent weeks.

Tropical Storm Fay formed in mid-August, followed by Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike. The storms have killed more than 360 people across the western Caribbean and battered hotels and airports in Cuba, the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Tourism is the Caribbean's chief industry, drawing more than 15 million visitors to beach resorts and colonial capitals last year.

Government officials are still calculating damages. Johnson JohnRose, spokesman for the Caribbean Tourism Organization, said it is too early to say how many tourists canceled hotel bookings, and Sanguinetti did not estimate how much resorts have lost.

But Hurricane Ike caused an estimated $5 million to $10 million in damage to the cruise ship terminal in Grand Turk over the weekend, according to officials with Carnival Corp., which owns the cruise ship pier and terminal on the island. And in Cuba, officials evacuated about 10,000 tourists from seaside hotels.

Hotels in the Bahamas meanwhile lost about $1 million in storm-related cancellations -- although some income was recovered when cruise ships were later diverted there from other islands hurt by Ike, said Vernice Walkine, director of the chain's tourism ministry.

Best days for leaf-peepers, according to the Farmers' Almanac

LEWISTON, Maine -- If you're trying to figure out the best days to go leaf-peeping, consider using the Farmers' Almanac as your travel guide.

The 2009 edition of the almanac has peak fall color forecasts for all but a handful of states, as follows:

Sept. 28-Oct. 8: Vermont (northern)

Sept. 28-Oct. 29: New York, depending on elevation and distance from coast

Oct. 5-15: Colorado, Maine (inland), Michigan (northern), Minnesota (northern), Montana (central), New Hampshire (inland), New Mexico, Vermont (southern), Wisconsin, Wyoming

Oct. 12-22: Arizona, Idaho, Illinois (northern), Indiana (northern), Iowa, Kentucky (eastern), Maine (coastal), Massachusetts (inland), Michigan (southern), Minnesota (northern), Missouri (northern), Montana (western), New Hampshire (coastal), North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia.

Oct. 19-29: Arkansas (Ozarks), California (northern), Connecticut, Illinois (southern), Indiana (southern), Kentucky (western), Maryland (inland), Massachusetts (coastal), Missouri (southern), New Jersey (inland), North Carolina (inland), Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia (inland), Washington

Oct. 26-Nov. 5: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia (northern), Maryland (coastal), Mississippi (northern), New Jersey (coastal), North Carolina (coastal), South Carolina, Virginia (coastal)

The almanac notes that peak times are earlier at higher elevations.

The Farmers' Almanac has been published since 1818 and is not to be confused with the Old Farmer's Almanac, published since 1792.

Hudson 400th, Calif. jumping frog event and Ga. cherry blossom festival on top 100 events list

WASHINGTON -- The 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's river voyage, a jumping frog event in California and a Georgia cherry blossom festival are among the events on the American Bus Association's top 100 list for 2009.

The quadricentennial of the 1609 trip by the famous Dutch explorer who discovered New York is one of two 400th anniversary events in the East on the list. The other is in Vermont, marking the 400th anniversary of the trip that led French explorer Samuel de Champlain to discover the lake that bears his name.

Both New York and Vermont will have events throughout 2009 related to the celebrations. Details at http://www.hudson400.com and http://www.celebratechamplain.org.

Also on the list are the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival in Georgia, scheduled for March 20-29, while the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee at Angels Camp, Calif., which dates back to the 1800s and was made famous in a story by Mark Twain, is held May 15-18.

Other events taking place next year featured by the ABA include the Fire and Ice Competition in Ely, Nev., Jan. 17-19, a snow sculpture contest at Cave Lake State Park; Fiesta San Antonio in Texas, April 17-26; Buffalo Bill Days in Sheridan, Wyoming, June 23-28; and the National Folk Festival in Butte, Mont., July 10-12.

The American Bus Association is a trade organization representing companies that offer bus service, tours, charters, and other segments of the North American tourism industry.

Visitors to Atlantic City like the easy parking

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- What's the main reason people go to Atlantic City? Hint: It's not gambling.

A new survey by the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority finds gambling ranks seventh on a list of why people choose to come to the resort.

Easy parking topped the list, followed by the convenience of getting to Atlantic City, the ease of getting around within the city, dining options, hotel room availability, and the beach and Boardwalk.

Jeff Vasser, the authority's president, says the yearlong survey of more than 3,000 visitors shows that Atlantic City's efforts to transform itself into a destination resort where gambling is only one of the attractions are working.

"It validates the direction that Atlantic City is going," he said. "For some people, if you want to play a slot machine, there are options closer to home. Slot machines are not the compelling reason to come to Atlantic City anymore. It's the shopping, the dining, the entertainment -- the whole package."

The trend, which has been under way for the past several years, represents a big bet in the future of what has traditionally been aimed at day trippers who ride buses here, play the slots for a few hours and go back home.

Visitors to Atlantic City declined last year to 33 million from 34 million in 2006.

The survey also offers evidence of some of the challenges facing Atlantic City. More than a third of those surveyed also say they gamble regularly elsewhere, including Las Vegas (31 percent), Pennsylvania (20 percent), Connecticut (15 percent), Delaware (8 percent) and New York (8 percent).

Other reasons people gave for coming to Atlantic City were shows and entertainment, shopping, availability of mass transit to and from the city, and clubs and nightlife.

Italian American Museum opens in Manhattan's Little Italy

NEW YORK -- A museum dedicated to Italian Americans has reopened where it belongs -- in Little Italy.

The Italian American Museum originally opened in 2001 in midtown Manhattan, but it has just completed a move to 155 Mulberry St. at the corner of Grand Street.

The museum's mission is to explore the cultural heritage of Italian Americans and their European roots.

In the early 20th century, Little Italy was home to one of the largest Italian populations in the country. Today, the Italian community is very small, having been largely overrun by the expansion of Chinatown. But Mulberry Street's Italian restaurants and the annual Feast of San Gennaro (held this year through Sept. 21) continue to attract tourists.

The building where the museum is located was once the home of Banca Stabile, a now-defunct bank that provided vital services to the immigrant community. The museum's inaugural exhibition, on display through Nov. 23, is called "Banca Stabile: Cornerstone of Little Italy." The bank's original, preserved interior, with its old tellers' windows and light fixtures, is part of the display, along with documents found in the bank's storage basement and safe deposit boxes, including old passports, deeds and bank books.

The museum is open daily through Sept. 21 and thereafter Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Fridays. Suggested donation is $5. Details at http://www.italianamericanmuseum.org.

Mobile, Ala., gets larger cruise ship to replace aging Holiday

MOBILE, Ala. -- Carnival Corp. will replace its Mobile-based Holiday cruise ship with the larger Fantasy vessel next year, boosting its capacity at the Alabama port by 42 percent.

Carnival spokesman Terry Thornton said the 2,056-passenger Fantasy will undergo improvements this fall while in dry dock, turning some open decks into water parks with a 300-foot-long spiral slide. The ship, normally based in New Orleans, will move to Mobile in November 2009.

The 1,452-passenger Holiday, Carnival's oldest vessel, will operate from Mobile until then, when it will be transferred to Iberocruceros in Spain.

The Holiday has been based at Mobile since 2004 when the city entered the cruise market.

Mobile approved spending $3 million to upgrade the cruise terminal to handle a larger vessel and continues to search for a second ship for the city.

Since its arrival, the Holiday on average has sailed full, according to Carnival, and the Fantasy will bring more tourism dollars.

With the Fantasy based in Mobile, Carnival expects to carry about 170,000 passengers annually from the port.

Meanwhile, the cruise industry expects to benefit from the rising cost of air travel, Thornton said. He said airlines could cut capacity this fall.

The Fantasy runs four- and five-day cruises to the west Caribbean.

Train trips to Grand Canyon could increase under National Park Service proposal

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The National Park Service is considering allowing additional passenger trains to the Grand Canyon in an effort to reduce vehicle traffic at the South Rim.

Xanterra Parks and Resorts, which owns the Grand Canyon Railway, currently operates two day trips from Williams to the Grand Canyon.

Under the proposal, up to 1,046 people could board in Williams, Ariz., for a third round-trip offered by Grand Canyon Railway. The Park Service also wants to add an evening trip from the South Rim that would take up to 322 passengers a short distance outside the park.

Some 4.5 million people visit the Grand Canyon each year. More than 230,000 of them arrived by train last year.

The public has until Oct. 4 to comment on the proposal. Details at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/grca.

Florida Keys clean up from storms and start planning for the next party

KEY WEST, Fla. -- The Florida Keys have cleaned up from the recent spate of storms and are proceeding with plans for several events this fall, including the Halloween-themed Fantasy Fest and a party marking the end of hurricane season.

"This town knows how to clean up after a storm or a large party," Key West City Manager Jim Scholl said. "We're ready for visitors."

Although the island chain was spared major damage, visitor evacuations for Ike and Tropical Storm Fay, plus a brush with Hurricane Gustav, resulted in tourism revenue losses in the Keys of $29 million.

Fantasy Fest takes place on Key West Oct. 17-26, with 10 days of masquerade balls, costume contests and a parade. Get out your Sarah Palin glasses and dress up for the theme of this year's festival: "Pirates, Pundits and Political Party Animals."

A Pirates in Paradise Festival, scheduled for Nov. 29-Dec. 7, includes a National Walk the Plank Championship, Dec. 4, and the annual "America's Official End of the Hurricane Season Party," Nov. 30. Festivities include a ceremony in which Key West National Weather Service chief meteorologist Matt Strahan burns the flags used to indicate that a hurricane warning is in effect.

Other events include the Islamorada Sportfishing Festival, Sept. 26-28, and the annual family-friendly Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival, also Sept. 26-28, based in Marathon at Curry Hammock State Park with field trips throughout the Keys. Divers can work alongside marine scientists on build-a-reef opportunities in the Upper Florida Keys, Sept. 24-26 at Quiescence Diving Services in Key Largo, Oct. 8-12 with Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo and Oct. 29-31 with Florida Keys Dive Center in Islamorada.

Details at http://www.fla-keys.com.

Gettysburg reopens cyclorama painting Sept. 26

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- The famous cyclorama painting at Gettysburg will reopen for public viewing on Sept. 26.

The unveiling of the cyclorama comes a few months after the April opening of a new museum and visitor center at Gettysburg National Military Park April 14.

The massive 1884 oil painting was designed to place viewers in the middle of the climactic battle by offering a 360-degree view, painted in 14 sections. It depicts Pickett's Charge, the dramatic Union Army stand against Confederate troops on July 3, 1863.

Events for the weekend of the opening include a display of one of five manuscripts of the Gettysburg address in Lincoln's handwriting; a $100-per-person "Party Like It's 1863" event (period costumes welcome), and a ceremony attended by government officials with a performance from "Beyond Glory," a Broadway play that tells the stories of Congressional Medal of Honor winners.

Details are available at http://www.gettysburgfoundation.org. National park information is available at http://www.nps.gov/gett.

High holiday services around the world

NEW YORK -- If you're out of town for the Jewish high holidays of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, and you're looking for a place to observe and worship, the Chabad-Lubavitch organization says it is sponsoring services in hundreds of places around the world.

Among the places hosting Chabad services for the first time this year are Arush, Tanzania (near Kilimanjaro); Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Monrovia, Liberia; and Freetown, Sierra Leonne.

Closer to home, there are events all over the United States, from shofar-blowing in San Diego to Rosh Hashanah services and a holiday dinner in Cambridge, Mass.

Most services are free or can be attended for a small fee.

For a worldwide directory, visit http://www.Chabad.org/HighHolidayServices.

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