Tag Archives: Tourism

Travel Guide: Mackinac Island In Michigan (4K)

Mackinac Island sits in Lake Huron, between Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. Mackinac Island State Park, with trails, woods and the limestone Arch Rock formation, covers most of the island. Founded in 1780, Fort Mackinac is a walled cluster of military buildings on a coastal bluff. The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum has local works, including Native American art, maps and 19th-century photos. 

Tours: Golden Sands Resort, Varna, Bulgaria

For many Germans, Golden Sands near the town of Varna in Bulgaria is a more affordable alternative to the Spanish vacation island of Mallorca. Loud music, packed beaches and plenty of cheap booze – an irresistible combo for primarily young tourist revellers. But what’s it really like to holiday on the Black Sea, with the war in Ukraine raging across the water to the north? And is the war having an impact on tourism in Bulgaria? DW’s Lukas Stege asked around. But he also found time to party – and said it felt like home.

Golden Sands is a major seaside resort town on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, adjacent to a national park of the same name in the municipality of Varna. Located 17 km north of downtown Varna, it is virtually connected to the city by a continuous swath of resorts and villa communities.

Covers: France-Amérique Magazine – August 2022

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France-Amérique Magazine, August 2022 – This month, we celebrate French education in all its diversity. Read our investigation on how to become a professeur de français in the United States (Spoiler: It’s difficult, but not impossible); meet the French couple behind the first franchise for bilingual education in North America; and discover the latest edition of our French Education Guide, a comprehensive state-by-state directory of French dual-language programs in the United States. And because summer is not over yet, visit the Hôtel Les Roches Blanches, a hotspot for Art Deco enthusiasts on the Mediterranean coast; read all about les espadrilles; and meet American pastry chef Amanda Bankert, the donut queen of Paris!

Views: The 2022 Laguna Beach Festival Of Arts

As one of the nation’s oldest and most highly acclaimed juried fine art shows, the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts has offered a breathtaking showcase for artists and art lovers for 90 years.

Set in a beautiful open-air gallery, this highly acclaimed juried fine art show features the work of over 100 award-winning Orange County artists. From paintings, glass, ceramics, photography and more, the Festival showcases a variety of mediums and artwork styles for avid collectors and festivalgoers to browse and purchase directly from the artists.

From early July through the end of August, the Festival of Arts opens its doors daily for visitors to not only enjoy the award-winning work of exhibited artists, but also art demonstrations, live music performances on select days, opportunities to meet the artists and more.

Travel Guides: Top Things To Do In Oslo, Norway (DW)

There’s so much to discover in Oslo: beaches, bars and clubs, restaurants and culture in abundance. But how to choose? Here are three unmissable attractions in the Norwegian capital.

Oslo, the capital of Norway, sits on the country’s southern coast at the head of the Oslofjord. It’s known for its green spaces and museums. Many of these are on the Bygdøy Peninsula, including the waterside Norwegian Maritime Museum and the Viking Ship Museum, with Viking ships from the 9th century. The Holmenkollbakken is a ski-jumping hill with panoramic views of the fjord. It also has a ski museum. 

Beach Resort Tours: 24 Hours In Placencia, Belize

If you only have 24 hours in a location, it’s hard to decide how to plan the perfect trip and not feel like you’ve missed any must-see locations. That’s why SI Swimsuit tasked tour guide Edward Cano in coming up with an amazing list of stops for Jasmine Sanders and Leyna Bloom during their time in Belize.

Placencia is a beach resort on the Caribbean coast of Belize. It’s at the southern tip of the Placencia Peninsula, known for its palm-lined beaches. Between the peninsula and the mainland, Placencia Lagoon is home to manatees and saltwater crocodiles. Offshore, there are dive sites on the coral Belize Barrier Reef. To the north, the Garífuna community of Seine Bight is a hub for traditional drumming and dance.

Belize City is a port city in the Central American country of Belize. It’s divided into north and south sides by Haulover Creek, which opens into the Caribbean Sea. The manually operated 1920s Swing Bridge, a busy crossing point, links the two. On the north side, the Museum of Belize traces the country’s history, with exhibits including Mayan artifacts. The Image Factory gallery shows local contemporary art.

French River Cruises: Southern Burgundy

Hotel barge L’Impressionniste glides gently through the picturesque Ouche Valley in Southern Burgundy through locks with their charming lock houses. You will see medieval villages perched on hilltops and have the opportunity to discover a region famed for its history and viticulture, with visits to such places as Beaune, the regions ‘wine capital’, and the elegant city of Dijon.

What is hotel barging? Despite the growing popularity of cruising, especially on large river vessels, hotel barging is still a little known niche concept. Most hotel barges started life as cargo vessels but have since been painstakingly converted to offer luxury boutique accommodation for small groups of up to 20 passengers. This is cruising, but in a very different style to ships plying the big rivers or oceans.

The pace is slow, with a 6 day cruise covering maybe just 50 miles along a rural canal. Passengers can walk or bike the towpaths as their floating hotel glides gently along. Guests enjoy an intimate atmosphere, high levels of personal service and immersion into the culture, history and gastronomy of regions of Europe such as Burgundy, the Midi, or the Italian Veneto. Every day there is an excursion, perhaps to a chateau, a vineyard for a wine tasting, or some other ‘off the beaten track’ location.

About half of European Waterways’ bookings are for whole boat charters, ideal for families. Otherwise, clients book a cabin to join other like-minded people. A ‘slow boat’ European Waterways barge cruise offers the ultimate in experiential travel. A truly unique experience! European Waterways offer luxury hotel barge cruises on the beautiful canals and rivers of Europe, such as through Burgundy, the Midi, Alsace, the Po Valley, Holland and the Scottish Highlands.

The exclusive collection of hotel barges accommodate up to 20 passengers who may charter a whole barge with family or friends, or join a small group of like-minded travellers on an individual cabin basis. Each barge is fully crewed with a Captain, chef, hostesses, deck-hand and tour guide. The 6-night cruises include gourmet meals, fine wines, open bar, excursions and the use of facilities such as bicycles and spa pools.

Find out more: http://www.europeanwaterways.com/

Travel Preview: Italia! Magazine – August 2022

Italia! Magazine – August 2022

Captivating Castelli

Italy is so liberally sprinkled with castles, it’s difficult to choose just a few favourites. From solid medieval stone affairs to elegant 19th-century palaces, the nation has a dizzyingly diverse collection of castelli, many of which offer a palpable sense of their region’s unique history and culture. In this feature, however, we’ve risen to the challenge and combed the country to bring you a smattering of the very best castles to visit today (and a few that you can stay in!). Today these fortifications offer wide-ranging reasons to stop by, so whether you fancy soaking up the atmosphere and views, basking in the cultural heritage or enjoying produce from the local vines, one of these places is certain to enhance your next trip to Italy. And if you really love Italian castles, turn the page for options that are available to buy, so you can live the dream like true royalty.

Tourism & Climate Change: The Future Of Air Travel

Exotic destinations, or staycations? As we make choices like these, we ask ourselves: Will we ever be able to fly without feeling guilty again? This film examines the tourism business today, and asks how the industry envisages the future.

The pandemic brought the tourist industry to a standstill. But it also highlighted something we have long suspected: Namely, too much travel is bad for the environment.

Not only that, but tourism transforms entire regions – not always for the better. It profoundly impacts communities and often brings benefits for only a very few. But our wanderlust remains. So, do travelers have to decide between the two extremes: exotic destinations (and high carbon footprints) or holidays at home? Given the climate emergency, can we fly without feeling guilty? How environmentally damaging are cruises? And what does it mean to have a sustainable holiday?

This documentary examines an industry that had gotten ahead of itself, even before it was hit by the pandemic. We hear from mayors, tourism managers, a climate expert, an internet activist and a sociologist. The film travels to the European tourist hotspots of Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik. The tiny island of Palau in the Pacific Ocean demonstrates how sustainable travel can be sensibly organized, and a Parisian start-up develops a concept for virtual travel experiences.