It is the Holiday Season and we head to our home and hearth to enjoy time with family. We wish you and yours the very best during this festive season. So
Merry Christmas
Happy Channukah
Happy Kwanza
To all A Happy and Sucessfull New Year
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
QUEBEC CITY TO CELEBRATE ITS FOUR CENTURIES
Quebec City will be getting something of a makeover as the city edges closer to marking its 400th anniversary.
Pierre Labrie, general manager of Quebec City Tourism, told a recent Toronto gathering that the architecture in its old quarter can't be found anywhere else in North America, and its ambiance is winning the city accolades, with Conde Nast regularly placing it among the world's top 10 destinations, and National Geographic this year saying Quebec City belongs in the same select category as such destinations as Sienna and Versailles when it comes to preserving its heritage.
"However, this does not mean that Quebec City is a museum city, focused only on its heritage and history," he said. "On the contrary, it is a modern, people-friendly city, turned towards the future." Indeed, more than $350 million is now being invested on new public places and existing infrastructure as Quebec City approaches its 400th anniversary in 2008, a year that will see ongoing celebrations.
Among 2008 highlights will be the Louvre Museum in Paris lending Quebec City several hundred artworks for a special exhibition, and the development of the Promenade Samuel-de-Champlain, which is being described as a "long linear park that will be built along the St. Lawrence River." The Eucharistic Convention is expected to attract thousands of people from around the world, with Pope Benedict expected to celebrate a mass on the Plains of Abraham.
As well, the city will see a number of international organizations hold conventions in Quebec's capital.
"These are only a few of the events and embellishments that will take place in Quebec City in 2008," Labrie said. "A full year of surprises and discoveries awaits you." Quebec City normally sees more than 4.5 million visitors a year and visitations are expected to increase in 2008 "Quebec City is already vibrating to the rhythm of this exceptional anniversary that will be a gathering of visitors and locals, a celebration of history, our present and out future," Labrie added. "For us, this anniversary is like the 2010 Winter Olympics are to Vancouver. We are getting ready and will be more beautiful than ever." Meanwhile, the Quebec City-area Ice Hotel will be open from January to April, and hotel management notes it can hosts weddings, cocktail parties and private receptions. More information on the hotel is found at www.icehotel-canada.com.
Author
- First name: Canadian
- Last name: Travel Press
- Company: Baxter Travel Group
-Email: ctp@baxter.net
Pierre Labrie, general manager of Quebec City Tourism, told a recent Toronto gathering that the architecture in its old quarter can't be found anywhere else in North America, and its ambiance is winning the city accolades, with Conde Nast regularly placing it among the world's top 10 destinations, and National Geographic this year saying Quebec City belongs in the same select category as such destinations as Sienna and Versailles when it comes to preserving its heritage.
"However, this does not mean that Quebec City is a museum city, focused only on its heritage and history," he said. "On the contrary, it is a modern, people-friendly city, turned towards the future." Indeed, more than $350 million is now being invested on new public places and existing infrastructure as Quebec City approaches its 400th anniversary in 2008, a year that will see ongoing celebrations.
Among 2008 highlights will be the Louvre Museum in Paris lending Quebec City several hundred artworks for a special exhibition, and the development of the Promenade Samuel-de-Champlain, which is being described as a "long linear park that will be built along the St. Lawrence River." The Eucharistic Convention is expected to attract thousands of people from around the world, with Pope Benedict expected to celebrate a mass on the Plains of Abraham.
As well, the city will see a number of international organizations hold conventions in Quebec's capital.
"These are only a few of the events and embellishments that will take place in Quebec City in 2008," Labrie said. "A full year of surprises and discoveries awaits you." Quebec City normally sees more than 4.5 million visitors a year and visitations are expected to increase in 2008 "Quebec City is already vibrating to the rhythm of this exceptional anniversary that will be a gathering of visitors and locals, a celebration of history, our present and out future," Labrie added. "For us, this anniversary is like the 2010 Winter Olympics are to Vancouver. We are getting ready and will be more beautiful than ever." Meanwhile, the Quebec City-area Ice Hotel will be open from January to April, and hotel management notes it can hosts weddings, cocktail parties and private receptions. More information on the hotel is found at www.icehotel-canada.com.
Author
- First name: Canadian
- Last name: Travel Press
- Company: Baxter Travel Group
-Email: ctp@baxter.net
Monday, December 11, 2006
NOVA SCOTIA TOURISM PLAN GIVES NEW DIRECTION
Industry and government have launched a tourism plan that addresses the realities of the current global tourism market and sets new directions to ensure Nova Scotia remains competitive.
The plan, called New Realities, New Directions, was developed through the industry-led Nova Scotia Tourism Partnership Council and was launched Monday (Dec. 4) at the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia's annual summit.
"The Tourism Partnership Council has developed a solid, research-based plan that focuses on delivering exactly what our customers are looking for in vacation experiences," said Len Goucher, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "It's an innovative, ambitious plan that will take a number of years to implement. It sets new directions to ensure our industry adapts to change, and continues the long-term trend of growth."
Nova Scotia welcomed nearly 1.9 million visitors by the end of October -- on par with the same period in 2005 -- and room nights sold were up two per cent provincewide. The preliminary revenue estimate for the year is $1.31 billion, an increase of 1.7 per cent over 2005 and on par with 2004.
"The leveling off of our visitor numbers reflects the new realities in our global tourism industry," said Patricia Lyall, chair of the Tourism Partnership Council. Today's travellers have less time, want more value and want experiences that match their passions, so we have to adapt our product and our marketing."
"We developed the new multi-year tourism plan with three key strategies to keep Nova Scotia competitive in the face of these changes."
The courtship strategy will make fuller use of the Internet with innovative ways of luring potential customers to novascotia.com, giving them engaging samples of Nova Scotia experiences, and making it easy to buy more tourism products online.
The gateway strategy takes advantage of the trend of increasing air travel. Marketing will focus less on large geographic areas and more on target cities with air access to Nova Scotia, such as Washington, New York, Calgary and Frankfurt, while travel by road and ferries will still be promoted.
The third strategy is building Nova Scotia's tourism brand around the core experiences that match customers' passions, such as food, wine, music and history.
New Realities, New Directions can be found on the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage website at
The plan, called New Realities, New Directions, was developed through the industry-led Nova Scotia Tourism Partnership Council and was launched Monday (Dec. 4) at the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia's annual summit.
"The Tourism Partnership Council has developed a solid, research-based plan that focuses on delivering exactly what our customers are looking for in vacation experiences," said Len Goucher, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "It's an innovative, ambitious plan that will take a number of years to implement. It sets new directions to ensure our industry adapts to change, and continues the long-term trend of growth."
Nova Scotia welcomed nearly 1.9 million visitors by the end of October -- on par with the same period in 2005 -- and room nights sold were up two per cent provincewide. The preliminary revenue estimate for the year is $1.31 billion, an increase of 1.7 per cent over 2005 and on par with 2004.
"The leveling off of our visitor numbers reflects the new realities in our global tourism industry," said Patricia Lyall, chair of the Tourism Partnership Council. Today's travellers have less time, want more value and want experiences that match their passions, so we have to adapt our product and our marketing."
"We developed the new multi-year tourism plan with three key strategies to keep Nova Scotia competitive in the face of these changes."
The courtship strategy will make fuller use of the Internet with innovative ways of luring potential customers to novascotia.com, giving them engaging samples of Nova Scotia experiences, and making it easy to buy more tourism products online.
The gateway strategy takes advantage of the trend of increasing air travel. Marketing will focus less on large geographic areas and more on target cities with air access to Nova Scotia, such as Washington, New York, Calgary and Frankfurt, while travel by road and ferries will still be promoted.
The third strategy is building Nova Scotia's tourism brand around the core experiences that match customers' passions, such as food, wine, music and history.
New Realities, New Directions can be found on the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage website at