Georgia tourism monthly e-newsletter, August 2008

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Georgia Tourism - Peach Byte
May 8, 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this issue... 1) DIRECTOR OF GDECD'S REGIONAL REP PROGRAM BECKY BASSET SET TO RETIRE 2) HELP WANTED: HISTORIC HEARTLAND REGIONAL TOURISM REP 3) EXPLOREGEORGIA.ORG PARTNER ADMIN 1.0 IS NOW LIVE 4) TECHNO-TOURISM CONFERENCE WRAP UP - PODCAST AND PRESENTATIONS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE 5) GEORGIA...TOURISM FOUNDATION OFFERS UPCOMING TRAIN-THE-TRAINER WORKSHOP 6) TRAVEL MEDIA MARKETPLACE 2008 WRAP-UP 7) STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR PERDUE REGARDING DELTA- NORTHWEST MERGER 8) 'BIG HOUSE' RENOVATIONS BEGIN FOR ALLMAN BROTHERS MUSEUM IN MACON 9) TOURISM PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT GRANTS DEADLINE APPRAOCHING 10) GDECD SALES TEAM UPDATE 11) MAY IS HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH! 12) FOUR GEORGIA TRAILS FEATURED IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER APPALACHIA DRIVING TOURS MAP 13) ON GPB'S NEXT GEORGIA TRAVELER: 'RABUN GAP RAMBLE' 14) 2009 GEORGIA HERITAGE GRANT APPLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE 15) TRAVEL INDUSTRY EYES TAX REBATES 16) SUMMER EMPLOYERS BRACE FOR SHORTAGE OF FOREIGN WORKERS 17) SURVEY FINDS MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICANS HAVE LESS MONEY TO SPEND THIS YEAR ON SUMMER VACATIONS 18) NATIONAL PARKS MORE POPULAR THAN BASEBALL, FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, SOCCER

AND NASCAR
19) TRAVEL TRENDS: AMERICAN TO CHARGE $25 FOR SECOND CHECKED BAG
20) TRAVEL TRENDS: STRAPPED AIRLINES SEEN PUSHING FARES HIGHER
21) TRAVEL TRENDS: THE SUBPRIME SUMMER VACATION
22) TRAVEL TRENDS: SOFT-PRICE PAMPERING - SPAS REFLECT THE ECONOMY
23) TRAVEL TRENDS: MEETING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN
1) DIRECTOR OF GDECD'S REGIONAL REP PROGRAM BECKY BASSET SET TO RETIRE
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Becky Basset will retire on May 31, 2008 after 33 years with the department. Becky began her career at the Columbus Visitor Information Center (VIC) and in 1979 became the opening manager for the West Point VIC. In October 1981, Becky accepted the regional tourism representative job for the Plains Country region. Plains Country later changed its name to Presidential Pathways. In 2004, Becky became the Director of GDEcD's Regional Rep Program.
Q&A with Becky:
What will you miss the most? I will miss interacting on a daily basis with the Tourism Rep team, GDEcD marketing team and the tourism folks all over the state. I have a new computer and a new cell phone, so I do plan to keep in the mix a little bit.
What are you plans for retirement? I plan to take a little time off - work in my garden, do a few stained glass projects (it's a hobby I rarely have time for) and then do some project work in tourism development and marketing.
Fay Tripp, Historic Heartland Regional Tourism Rep, has accepted the Director of Regional Rep Program position and will begin her new role on June 2. 2) HELP WANTED: HISTORIC HEARTLAND REGIONAL TOURISM REP
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The GDEcD Tourism Division is looking for a new Regional Tourism Representative for the Historic Heartland region. If you are interested please e-mail your resume along with a cover letter to jobs@georgia.org no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 20th. You may also forward this announcement to anyone you feel will be a good candidate for Team GDEcD. For the full position description, visit www.georgia.org/AboutUs/Career+Opportunities.htm.
3) EXPLOREGEORGIA.ORG PARTNER ADMIN 1.0 IS NOW LIVE
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Driving tourism and stimulating the economy of Georgia is a primary initiative for the Georgia

Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). To support these efforts in a time when an increasing amount of travel planning is being done online, the GDEcD collaborated with Engauge Digital (formally named Spunlogic) to develop a website that effectively meets the needs of Georgia travelers.
The most important aspect of this new website is the redesigned tourism partner admin. This tool allows our tourism partners to easily update and enhance the information displayed on ExploreGeorgia.org. Tourism related businesses in Georgia now have a new tool to help effectively market their tourism business in a competitive online market. Existing tourism partners can now log on to the new partner admin and update their account by visiting http://www.exploregeorgia.org/partneradmin. Tourism related organizations can also now create new listings using the updated partner interface.
The new partner interface was built with the user in mind. The new system will make it easier for you update your information. All the information that was in the old system was transferred to the new system. With that being said, because of new features associated with the new site most profiles on ExploreGeorgia.org are currently incomplete. The new partner admin system has some exciting new features that will help you market your organization.
The new features include:
*New mapping technology *Image and brochure upload *Easy to use event features *Upload special offers
GDEcD will be offering training sessions for the new admin tool in the coming weeks. For more information on training in your area contact your regional tourism representative. If you have trouble logging into the new system or need any additional assistance, e-mail webrequest@georgia.org for assistance.
We are already working on the second release of the partner admin system. Version 1.1 will be released later this month. If you discover any "bugs" while working in the system, please report them to jrobertson@georgia.org. Please note - we are currently fixing/tweaking items we have recently discovered are flawed. They include:
1) Unable to upload brochures in listings 2) For event dates, single dates are displaying to user as various days - there is no error, just a display issue 3) Unable to upload coupons for special offers 4) Unable to see printable text coupon for special offers
4) TECHNO-TOURISM CONFERENCE WRAP UP - PODCAST AND PRESENTATIONS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
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Presented by the Georgia Tourism Foundation, the 2008 Techno Tourism Conference in Athens

on April 14-15 gave attendees the opportunity to learn about new technical innovations such as podcasting, geo-caching and effective email marketing strategies.
A podcast of the conference is now available at: www.citytrex.com/ttc.php
Presentations from the conference are available at: http://my.georgia.org/net/content/page.aspx?s=132833.72586.26.3011
The registration list from the conference is available here: www.georgia.org/foundation.
5) GEORGIA TOURISM FOUNDATION OFFERS UPCOMING TRAIN-THE-TRAINER WORKSHOP
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On May 14 the Tourism Foundation is hosting a Train-the-Trainer Workshop for the Creative Economies Business Development series at Central Georgia College in Macon from 10 am to 3 pm. The workshop is designed to organize the regional planning teams from across the state that will develop and conduct customized training programs for the arts centric business owners, operators and entrepreneurs in their community. The workshop will bring together resource partners from the public and private sector that can assist the local instructor teams with topics including marketing, taxes, labor laws, business planning and much more. The workshop will be interactive and attendees will leave with actual training templates that can be refined into curriculums. A working luncheon is included and the cost of lunch is $15 payable onsite. Participants must e-mail their RSVP to lbreland@georgia.org or gwatters@georgia.org in advance. For more information contact Leslie Breland or Gilda Watters at the e-mails provided.
6) TRAVEL MEDIA MARKETPLACE 2008 WRAP-UP
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This year's Travel Media Marketplace took place in Augusta from May 1 - 3. The event was a huge success! The Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau went above and beyond to make this event the best yet.
Twenty-nine travel writers participated in the host city activities and marketplace event. The travel writers had the opportunity spend time in Augusta during host city activities. The Marketplace allowed the writers to meet with representatives from around the state and with GDEcD's regional tourism reps to learn about the many new attractions, destinations and events bringing tourists to Georgia. Twenty-five travel writers participated in Post FAM tours from May 3 - 6 and ventured around the state on either the Genuine Georgia, Simply Southern or Georgia's Coastal Adventure trip.
Travel Media Marketplace is an annual event hosted by GDEcD's Tourism Division to showcase the very best that Georgia has to offer to travel media from around the United States and Canada. Past Marketplace events have been held in Savannah, Athens, Macon, Atlanta and Towns County.
7) STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR PERDUE REGARDING DELTA- NORTHWEST MERGER
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Governor Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding the merger between Atlantabased Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines:
"Delta has long been a cornerstone of Georgia's corporate community as well as one of our largest employers, and I am proud that the airline created from this partnership will continue to call Georgia home," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "I am confident that the combined company, which will be the premier airline in the world, will be better positioned to thrive in today's competitive airline industry, and I thank Richard Anderson and his leadership team for their tireless work to secure Delta's future."
For the official press release regarding the merger, visit http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=11034.
8) 'BIG HOUSE' RENOVATIONS BEGIN FOR ALLMAN BROTHERS MUSEUM IN MACON
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A chance encounter at a concert led a New York contractor to make a major donation to the Big House Museum that is being developed in Macon to preserve the home and history of the Allman Brothers Band.
Mark Franzoso stood next to Gary Giller, treasurer of the Big House Foundation, at a sold out concert in Saratoga Springs, NY and struck up a friendship that would bring him to Macon several years later to start the renovations needed to turn a 108-year-old stately Grand Tudor mansion into a unique, historic musical institution.
Franzoso's five-man crew had just finished re-roofing the 6,000-square-foot house where the members of the Allman Brothers Band lived from 1970 to 1973 and wrote some of their most acclaimed music, becoming the principal architects of the new genre of Southern Rock music under the Macon label Capricorn Records.
The Allman Brothers Band and members Duane Allman, Chuck Leavell, and Gregg Allman have been inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and the band is also enshrined at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
For more information visit the The Big House website at www.thebighousemuseum.org/.
9) TOURISM PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT GRANTS DEADLINE APPRAOCHING
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GDEcD's Tourism Division has launched a new Tourism Product Development Grant program to financially support tourism development activities at the local level. This year, for 2008 the Tourism Division has selected as the priority funding area - Georgia's Creative Economies with emphasis on Cultural and Heritage Tourism projects. Applications and guidelines can be found at www.MarketGeorgia.org. The deadline for submission is June 2, 2008. For further information please contact your Regional Tourism Representative

http://my.georgia.org/net/content/page.aspx?s=72594.72586.26.3011
10) GDECD SALES TEAM UPDATE
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Katie Baasen, Fred Huff and Pam Kruseck attended the Southeast Tourism Society Spring and Board Meeting in Asheville, NC March 31 - April 2. Seminars were held on topics ranging from National Parks, Travel Writers and Travel and Tourism Research.
Pam Kruseck attended the Atlanta Travel Expo from April 11 - 13 at the Cobb Galleria Center. Fifteen tourism partners participated in the co-op opportunity. 3,100 consumers attended the Expo to get travel information to use when planning their vacations.
GDEcD participated in the Healthy Living Expo at each of the Tour de Georgia stage finishes from April 21 - 27. Pam Kruseck managed the booth. According to Medalist Sports, more than 500,000 people attended the Tour de Georgia. The Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T is North America's premier, professional cycling event and rolling festival of community activities.
Katie Baasen attended the 2008 Meeting Exploration Conference (MEC) April 15 and 16 at the Cobb Galleria Center. The 2008 Meetings Exploration Conference had over 800 attendees and more than 220 exhibiting suppliers. Attendees included Meeting and Event Planners, Meeting Industry Suppliers, and anyone interested in learning more about the meeting industry. This conference is hosted by the Georgia Chapter of Meeting Professionals International.
Georgia will be participating in the Travel South Spring Campaign in Canada May 7-11. Travel South has partnered with the Southeastern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) and Longo's Grocery stores to bring the best of Southern cooking and fresh produce to the Greater Toronto Area. This campaign will showcase the best of southern tourism and agricultural products that can be found within the Toronto area. Armed with three ultimate southern culinary ambassadors, Travel South USA and SUSTA will be hosting in-store cooking demonstrations, a retail display contest for Longo's employees, an exclusive consumer giveaway donated by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), as well as a unique Southern cooking class at the brand new Burloak location.
Katie Baasen, Stefanie Paupeck, Anne Young, Wolfgang Streitbrger, and Carey Ferrara will be attending International Pow Wow in Las Vegas, NV June 1-5. It is the 40th anniversary of the tradeshow that is considered the travel industry's premier international marketplace and the largest generator of Visit USA travel!
American Bus Association will be accepting nominations for the Top 100 Events through May 16. The Top 100 Program is member benefit for your destination to showcase group tour events and attract new business. Seventy percent of our operators use the winners from the Top 100 publication to build their itineraries. As a professional publication, the Top 100 magazine helped local destinations record nearly 300 main-stream media hits in 6 months. Please contact Katie Baasen, kbaasen@georgia.org, if you have any questions.
11) MAY IS HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH!
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May is Historic Preservation Month in Georgia. This year's theme is Help Preserve Georgia's Special Places. Preservation-related events will be taking place in communities across Georgia. The Historic Preservation Division's Web site is always a great source for special event listings. Check the May Events Calendar for historic preservation month activities near you. http://hpd.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displayevents.asp?lstMonth=5&lstYear=2008
HPD will hold its twelfth annual Preservation Achievement Awards presentation in conjunction with the National Register Review Board meeting on May 30 in Mableton. Recognition is given to people and organizations throughout the state that have made significant contributions to protecting Georgia's historic and archaeological resources. http://hpd.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=325
12) FOUR GEORGIA TRAILS FEATURED IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER APPALACHIA DRIVING TOURS MAP
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On Friday, April 11 the Georgia Department of Economic Development's Tourism Division, Appalachian Regional Commission and National Geographic Traveler unveiled "Driving Tours: Appalachia" at the Sautee-Nacoochee Center in Sautee, GA. The Appalachia: Driving Tours map features four trails in North Georgia. The Chieftains Trail and Folk Potters Trail run solely through Georgia and the Southern Highroads (GA, NC, SC, TN) and Lookout Mountain Parkway (AL, GA, TN) are multi-state trails. The map is available in the April 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.
Our driving trails have something for everyone-rich history, natural beauty, welcoming towns, adventure and fun activities for the entire family. Discover endless opportunities to venture off the beaten path and uncover Georgia's hidden gems along the Chieftains Trail, Folk Potters Trail, Southern Highroads and Lookout Mountain Parkway driving trails.
The driving tours map is the result of a unique alliance between ARC and National Geographic to design maps that will stimulate economic development by showcasing the remarkable diversity of the Appalachian Region's natural and heritage assets. This is the second map resulting from a partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the National Geographic Society.
Map readers are encouraged to "visit Appalachia" online through the Web site www.visitappalachia.com. The site includes downloadable maps of the 28 driving tours, Google map features to help travelers plan their next driving vacation to Appalachia, and links to the 13 Appalachian state tourism offices for additional information.
13) ON GPB'S NEXT GEORGIA TRAVELER: 'RABUN GAP RAMBLE'
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On this week's episode of Georgia Traveler, we're on a "Rabun Gap Ramble", exploring the northeast mountains. The famed Dillard House in Dillard is our getaway and the whole team learns to ride the rapids on the Chattooga River. After an appropriate safety course, Phil is

experiencing the outdoors on a motorcycle, riding US 441. David finds family fun at Lake Burton in Clarkesville and Phil discovers food with a view at Isabelle's on the Gorge in Tallulah Falls.
Georgia Traveler's "Rabun Gap Ramble" Episode airs Friday, May 9 at 9 PM, Saturday, May 10 at 7 PM and Wednesday, May 14 at 7:30 PM.
For more information, check out our website at: http://www.gpb.org/georgiatraveler
Georgia Traveler is produced in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Tourism Foundation.
Watch Georgia Public Broadcasting on these nine stations across Georgia: Atlanta - Channel 8; Albany - WABW/14, Augusta - WCES/20, Chatsworth - WCLP/18, Columbus - WJSP/28, Dawson - WACS/25, Macon - WMUM/29, Savannah - WVAN/9, Waycross - WXGA/8.
Georgia Public Broadcasting is Television, Radio and Education: your PBS station serving all of Georgia; your source for great music and NPR news; and Georgia's source for top-quality multiple media educational products and services.
14) 2009 GEORGIA HERITAGE GRANT APPLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
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The SFY 2009 cycle for the Georgia Heritage Grant Program is just beginning. Eligible applicants include local governments and non-profit organizations (excluding church/sectarian organizations) for historic properties listed in, or eligible for listing in, the Georgia Register of Historic Places. Eligible activities include predevelopment projects such as preservation plans, feasibility studies or historic structure reports and development projects for actual "bricks and mortar" work. The amount appropriated this year for the 60%/40% reimbursable grant program is expected to be approximately $100,000, with the addition of funds from the sale of preservation license plates.
Applications are available on HPD's Web site at http://hpd.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=38. If you would like to receive a paper application in the mail or have questions, please contact Grants Coordinator Carole Moore at 404-463-8434 or carole.moore@dnr.state.ga.us. Applications must be postmarked on or before July 13, 2008.
15) TRAVEL INDUSTRY EYES TAX REBATES
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This week, the first of 130 million Americans will be getting tax rebate checks designed to help jump-start a sputtering U.S. economy. And travel marketers, already skittish about the effects of lofty airfares and record gas prices, are out to convince them it's their patriotic duty to spend the cash - up to $600 for individuals, $1,200 for couples and $300 for a dependent child under 17 on a trip away from home. But whether the come-ons will inspire plans for a summer vacation or spur resentment from debt-burdened consumers is open to debate. According to a USA Today/Gallup Poll of 1,016 U.S. adults earlier this month, only one in five respondents said they

were likely to use part or all of the rebate money for a vacation or travel, and 64 percent said they were "not at all likely" to spend it for that purpose. A March poll by travel insurance vendor Access America, meanwhile, found that 11 percent of surveyed households making at least $50,000 in annual income planned to spend the rebate on travel. However, accommodations properties are offering their own stimulus packages to travelers. To find out more, visit http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-04-24-tax-rebate_N.htm.
16) SUMMER EMPLOYERS BRACE FOR SHORTAGE OF FOREIGN WORKERS
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Employers around the country who thrive on seasonal business are preparing to lose thousands of foreign workers they've hired in past summers to work in restaurants, hotels, landscaping and other industries. New visa controls are cutting the number of temporary foreign workers eligible to return to the country, so employers are scouring job fairs for replacements, lobbying Congress for help and bracing for staff shortages they say will make business tough. Tourism and hospitality officials envision various problems if the jobs go unfilled. Restaurants may have fewer tables and longer wait-times. Hotel check-in times could be delayed as fewer housekeepers hustle to clean rooms. Resorts may offer fewer meals to guests. The shortage hit winter ski resorts from Colorado to Vermont and is expected to affect some summer hot spots, where businesses count on foreign workers to meet the tourist demand. Many seasonal workers have held the same job for years, and employers say they value their returning workers' experience and count on them to fill the critical, if unheralded, jobs that high school and college students typically aren't interested in. Foreign workers issued the visas, known as H-2B visas, are generally offered the same pay as an American worker would get for the same job, though the actual salary varies depending on the position and the location. To find out more, visit http://www.thestate.com/350/story/388268.html.
17) SURVEY FINDS MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICANS HAVE LESS MONEY TO SPEND THIS YEAR ON SUMMER VACATIONS THAN IN 2007
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According to a survey from AOL Travel and Zogby International, 57 percent of Americans feel they have less money to spend this year on summer vacations than they did in 2007 and are looking at ways to save on their travel costs. To save money, 33 percent of Americans are planning to stay with friends/family for lodging while 37 percent plan to drive rather than fly. Twenty percent of those surveyed are planning a vacation rental instead of a hotel this summer. These are just some of the many findings from a new interactive survey of Americans ages 18 and older that uncovers how Americans are planning to travel this summer. To find out more, visit http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1492.
18) NATIONAL PARKS MORE POPULAR THAN BASEBALL, FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, SOCCER AND NASCAR
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If tourism and pro sports had a Las Vegas prize fight, you'd have national parks in one corner and the major sports franchises in the other. At the end of 10 rounds, the national parks would eke out a victory because America's national parks tallied 275 million visits in 2007 - more than the total attendance of MLB, the NFL, the NBA, soccer and NASCAR combined. The gain over

2006 was modest (just 3 million), but that came in the face of higher gas prices. To find out more, visit http://southeasttourism.org/newsletters/tto/2008/march/national_parks.html and www.nature.nps.gov/stats/.
19) TRAVEL TRENDS: AMERICAN TO CHARGE $25 FOR SECOND CHECKED BAG
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American Airlines said this week it would join other major carriers and begin charging passengers $25 for checking a second bag to help offset rising fuel costs. The fee starts May 15 and will also affect passengers on the American Eagle commuter line. American's move comes after recent similar fees at United Airlines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines. According the Delta's website, Delta will be charging a similar fee this month. AirTran announced earlier this month it will begin charging $10 for a second checked bag, starting May 15. To find out more, visit http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-04-28-aa-bag-fee_N.htm and http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2008/04/airtran-adds-10.html.
20) TRAVEL TRENDS: STRAPPED AIRLINES SEEN PUSHING FARES HIGHER
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Airfares are on the rise as airlines keep a tighter rein on flights and seats - and that rise could accelerate if industry merger efforts bear fruit. The average cost of airline tickets in the U.S. was up 10.2 percent last month compared with a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as airlines struggle with surging fuel prices and a softening U.S. economy. Over the same period, overall inflation rose 4 percent. Already this year, most of the more than a dozen price-increase attempts have been matched by rivals. To find out more, visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120942804717051261.html?mod=2_1367_middlebox.
21) TRAVEL TRENDS: THE SUBPRIME SUMMER VACATION
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As families across the country plan their vacations, many are downsizing out of concern over the economy, spooked by talk of a recession, the weak value of the dollar overseas and home foreclosures. Add to that air-travel delays and the rising cost of gas, and some travelers are holding off planning, in hopes of nabbing cheap deals at the last minute. Some resorts and tour operators are responding with discounts and other incentives to try to fill rooms. Close-to-home destinations like suburban water parks and regional resort towns say they're bracing for a spike in business as Americans look for fun things to do that don't require much travel. To find out more, visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120916193704745877search.html?KEYWORDS=Travelocity&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month.
22) TRAVEL TRENDS: SOFT-PRICE PAMPERING - SPAS REFLECT THE ECONOMY
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Spas have been working hard over the past few years to market themselves as a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle, not an indulgence. But now that consumers are feeling anxious about paying for even more basic needs - like gas, house payments and butter - some spas are responding with a different strategy to appeal to stressed-out, maxed-out customers: discounts. A growing number of spas are offering deals to attract customers during tighter times, a trend that may have as much to do with technology as with the economy. To find out more, visit http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/travel/escapes/25spa.html?ref=travel

23) TRAVEL TRENDS: MEETING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN
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"Right-brain meetings" - conferences that use comfortable, colorful furnishings and accessories ranging from Slinkys to the video game Guitar Hero to help drum up better brainstorming - may be a trend, but several professionals say that such environments have not been readily available in most places. Now, vanguard hotels seem to have heard complaints and are offering meeting spaces that look more like lounges than boardrooms, with high-tech replacements for flip charts and yoga and wheat-grass shots on breaks. Such surroundings are meant to stimulate the right half of the brain, which has been linked to creativity, versus the left brain, said to be responsible for logic and other thinking. Rather than dictate through PowerPoints, rightbrain meetings are geared toward playfulness and hands-on learning to inspire employees and help them solve problems. The new method owes some debt to the books "A Whole New Mind," by Daniel H. Pink (a speaker at the 2008 N.C. Governor's Conference on Tourism), and "The Rise of the Creative Class," by Richard Florida. Both books expound on the need for creative thinking in the marketplace. To find out more, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/business/businessspecial/30right.html?ref=businessspecial.
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