“AP TRAVEL AND LEISURE DIGEST for week of Dec. 21 - Daily Mail - Charleston” plus 1 more

---

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

AP TRAVEL AND LEISURE DIGEST for week of Dec. 21 - Daily Mail - Charleston Posted: 22 Dec 2009 01:39 PM PST Eds: Beginning late January, AP Travel features and news briefs will be transmitted daily rather than weekly. AP Travel for week of Dec. 21 CYBERTRIPS-SOCIAL NETWORKING Isahrai Azaria is heading to Austin in February, and thanks to Facebook, she already has 40 acquaintances, an invitation to go water tubing, and a line on the best vegetarian lunch place in town. Social media is changing the way people travel. It's replacing recommendations from experts and strangers with a targeted selection of information from acquaintances and their networks. By ANNE WALLACE ALLEN. AP Photo TRAVEL-YEAR AHEAD NEW YORK - Forecasts for 2010 predict that more people will be traveling, but numbers are still well below what they were before the recession. Still, if you can afford to get away, there's lots of travel news for the new year in places ranging from Shanghai to Orlando to South Africa. And here's a surprise: Mexico is turning up on lots of top 10 lists for 2010, despite last year's swine flu epidemic and worries over drug violence. By BETH J. HARPAZ. AP Photos. HAITIAN MIAMI MIAMI - From his corner convenience store in Little Haiti, Ashraf Mashni sees a thriving Caribbean village. It's a short drive inland from Miami's trendy South Beach, and it lacks the glassy newness of the city's condo canyons downtown. The shabby neighborhood can be tough, populated by "your good, your bad and your don't-know-no-better," he says. But Little Haiti has something the rest of Miami is often accused of lacking: authenticity. And there's no passport required to find Haitian culture in Miami - just the desire to forego the tourist carnival on the beach and try out the locals' everyday rhythms. By JENNIFER N. KAY. AP Photos WITH AP TRAVEL VIDEO Filename 1221trav_haiti BELIZE UNDERWATER CAYE CAULKER, Belize - It was a gray, rainy day. We don't go for monochrome excursions during our tropical adventures, so this was not acceptable. Fortunately, once we got below the water, on a snorkeling trip along the Belize Barrier Reef, we found a colorful world filled with fish and coral. By PAT WELLENBACH. AP Photos ALABAMA CASINOS SHORTER, Ala. - Alabama casinos are making a $500 million bet that luxury hotels, celebrity restaurants and big-name entertainment will give southbound tourists an alternative to Mississippi's Gulf Coast gambling destinations. Tourists headed through Alabama to the Gulf can now stop at top-line restaurants opened by country singers John Anderson and Lorrie Morgan, catch big-name entertainers like Hank Williams Jr. and Reba McEntire, and gamble in pricey new digs that look like they belong in Las Vegas rather than rural, Bible-belt Alabama. By PHILLIP RAWLS. AP Photos ARKANSAS ELEPHANTS GREENBRIER, Ark. - As you walk through the field beside them, it's difficult to tell if that rumble is the sound of their mighty footsteps or your heart thumping in your chest. Then just before you sink into the forest, one of the elephants throws her trunk into the air and trumpets, and you're certain what you're witnessing is nothing short of magical. You're not on an African safari. You're in Arkansas, in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, at Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary, which celebrates its 20th year in 2010. By DENA POTTER. AP Photos TRAVEL BRIEFS Eds: Items on passenger artwork, Vancouver Zagat guide, Lonely Planet 2010, Dodge City casino, Sleeping Giant, Michigan culinary tourism, Milwaukee art show, Keys resort, Georgia planetarium, W.Va. ski, Sunday River, AirTran, Vegas timeshware. Version of Dodge City item previously ran on financial wires AP Photo with first item on passenger artwork UPCOMING TRAVEL STORIES: Eds: For planning purposes, here are some of the print stories scheduled for the AP Travel package for the next few weeks (list subject to change). For Dec. 28 NC - skiing Skiing - East v. West Budapest - baths For the near future: Sun Valley resort, Idaho - early January Flushing, Queens - NY's other Chinatown - story mid January (Lunar New Year Jan. 26) Gasparilla Pirate Fest, Tampa - early January Atlanta - winter at Stone Mountain - early January Vancouver - one month out from winter OLY - late January Cruise trends - late January Miami- Super Bowl prevu (game is Feb. 7, story will run late January) Frank Lloyd Wright tour - Florida (tour is in February) Michigan - modern architecture Louisville Slugger factory - March Shanghai Expo - story late March/early April - event begins May 1 Motorcycle - tour rentals Catalonia AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz is reachable at bharpaz(at)ap.org. For AP Photos, call 212-621-1921. Reruns of stories are available from http://apexchange.com or from the Service Desk (800-838-4616). Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Extends, Expands Food and - Hospitality 1st (press release) Posted: 22 Dec 2009 01:40 AM PST

Buffalo, NY December 2009 Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services and its local partners has been awarded contract extensions that include expanded operation of restaurants and retail stores at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). The Austin City Council recently voted unanimously to approve a two-year extension of Delaware Norths food and beverage contract and a five-year extension of its retail contract. Delaware North will also operate an additional four new food and beverage locations near the Barbara Jordan Terminal for the next seven years. The new restaurants will be operated through a joint venture between Delaware Norths Brazos Concessions Co. affiliate and the owners of the original Salt Lick Bar-B-Q restaurant in Driftwood, Texas, with whom Delaware North already partners to operate the airports renowned Salt Lick location. A number of authentic Austin restaurant concepts are being discussed for the four new restaurants, which will replace shuttered Harlons Bar-B-Q locations. Harlons closed and went bankrupt earlier this year. Delaware North will renovate the spaces to develop the new restaurants. With these new locations, Delaware North has enhanced its position as the preferred hospitality company at Austin-Bergstrom, with its operations expected to account for about 80 percent of the concessions revenue at the airport, said Matt King, president of Delaware Norths Travel Hospitality Services subsidiary. I want to thank the City of Austin and its team at the airport for this opportunity to do even more to make a great airport even better, King said. We are committed to helping Austin continue to offer one of the best airport experiences a traveler can have. Since its partnership with Austin-Bergstrom International Airport began in 1999, Delaware North has focused on developing and operating exciting, high-quality concepts that fit the companys revolutionary Gateway Concept. Through the Gateway Concept, travelers are treated to restaurants, lounges and retail shops that allow them to experience Austin without ever leaving the airport. Local concepts at the airport include the Salt Lick Bar-B-Q, Maudies Tex-Mex, Earl Campbells Sports Bar, Amys Ice Creams, Schlotzskys Deli, Austin Java, Ray Bensons Roadhouse Bar, Mangia Pizza, Leftys Bar and Grille on 6th Street, The Longhorns Store, Austin City Limits, Waterloo Records, Book People, Austin Chronicle News, and Austin Warehouse District. Travel + Leisure magazine recently included the Salt-Lick-Bar-B-Q on its list of the nine best places to dine in airports across the globe. The Salt-Lick airport concept, a partnership between Delaware North Companies and the original Salt-Lick-Bar-B-Que in Driftwood/Hays County, Texas, connects travelers with the rich flavors and culture of the Lone Star state. Travel + Leisure praised the sauce-smothered sandwiches of Austins venerable barbecue franchise. Delaware North also helps Austin-Bergstrom International Airport invite passengers to catch a few minutes of music, another aspect of the Gateway Concept. With stages located in three restaurants and one record store, 11 live performances per week are (all by local musicians) offered on a daily basis to ticketed travelers inside the concourse. King credited Delaware North District Manager/General Manager Terry Mahlum and his team of dedicated associates for providing the foundation for the contract extensions and approval for expansion. They have a constant focus on superior operations and customer service through Delaware Norths proprietary GuestPath® program, King said. About Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies, is one of the worlds leading airport food service and retail companies, operating 300 restaurants and retail outlets in more than 25 airports worldwide, and serving more than 350 million customers each year. Its award-winning operations include airports throughout the United States, such as Los Angeles International Airport and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, as well as international airports such as Melbourne Airport in Australia and Gatwick Airport in London. About Delaware North Companies Delaware North Companies is one of the worlds leading hospitality and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International and Delaware North Companies Boston, owner of TD Garden. Delaware North Companies is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States with revenues exceeding $2 billion annually and 50,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com. | Media Contact: Glen White Corporate Communications Delaware North Companies 716-858-5753 |

You are subscribed to email updates from travel and leisure - Google News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610