News Briefs:
- Disneyland Resort Celebrates Lunar New Year with a Touch of Disney Magic
- Ten New Experiences in Los Cabos
- Virgin Voyages Sets Out To Rival Food Scene Of World Famous Cities
- Medellin Continues Evolving as an Attractive Metropolis with Steady Tourism Growth from North American Travelers in 2018
- Winter Events at the National Museum of American Jewish History
- Philadelphia’s Sensory-Friendly Attractions & Performances
- Visitphilly.com Launches Accessibility Page
- Robin Hood Leads the Way for Two New Themed, Guided Tours of Nottingham
- TAP Air Portugal Adds NYC-Based Portuguese-American Chef George Mendes To Its Michelin-Star Winning “Taste the Stars” Culinary Team
- El Salvador National Pupusas Day
- New York’s SPYSCAPE Experience Now In Spanish!
Disneyland Resort Celebrates Lunar New Year with a Touch of Disney Magic, through Feb. 17, 2019
Disneyland Resort rings in the Year of the Pig this Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure Park, Friday, Jan. 25 to Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. During the 24 days of this multicultural celebration, guests will experience exciting live entertainment and musical performances, including an enhanced “Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession,” fun-filled arts and crafts, beautiful décor, delicious cuisine and themed merchandise for the whole family to enjoy. Even the Three Little Pigs join in the fun with a rare appearance. Guests at the Lunar New Year celebration will discover a touch of Disney magic as they experience Asian culture through inspired food, music and entertainment with their family and friends, all to welcome another year of good fortune. Lunar New Year, traditionally celebrated within Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures, commemorates the moment when both the sun and the moon begin their journey for another year. Highlights of the Lunar New Year celebration at Disney California Adventure include: “Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession,” a bright and bold parade hosted by Mulan and her faithful dragon, Mushu, that honors Lunar New Year and celebrates family and friendship. Four Asian marketplaces offering delightful foods inspired by Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures, all with a Disney twist; A special Lunar New Year menu at Paradise Garden Grill that offers items inspired by traditional Asian fare, plus a new Festival Food and Beverage Cart inside Paradise Gardens and more. For more information, visit Disneyland.com.
Ten New Experiences in Los Cabos
Los Cabos has created 10 new stunning experiences, tours and adventures now offered to travelers interested in nature, gastronomy, adventure, art and the local way of life. Here are three that are tailor made for culture seekers eager to get to know the original and local Los Cabos. Get to Know the Locals of San José del Cabo – Indulge Every Sense on an Immersive Tour. Experts impart all of their insights into the culture. Meet a barista on a coffee tasting, sample artisan ice cream an try a local liqueur. Visual artist and jewelers also populate San José del Cabo, while a renowned chef at Casa San José 23400 connects both worlds with an art-to-table meal. Art-to-Table Dining – Artistic Inspiration Leads to Culinary Exploration. Meet the artists and artisans on this special five-hour tour that immerses guests into the culture of Los Cabos. From the works of surrealist painter Leonora Carrington to an art-inspired meal at La Revolución restaurant, this is one experience that will remain forever imprinted on the canvas of your memory; San José del Cabo: Beyond the Bridge – Experience Charming San José del Cabo at a leisurely pace. Begin at the marina with a guided art walk among the works of Leonora Carrington. Champagne and canapés aboard an anchored yacht are followed by a trip to Huerta de Los Tamarindos for a true farm-to-table meal. More discoveries await at Acre as an expert mezcallier leads a tasting journey of artisanal mezcales. On Wednesday nights, guests can participate in a nocturnal show at Wirikuta – a desert garden where a tribute to Huichol culture bursts forth in a brilliant display. For more info, visit www.loscabosexperiences.com.
Virgin Voyages Sets Out To Rival Food Scene Of World Famous Cities
Virgin Voyages, the new lifestyle brand set to disrupt the travel industry, announced the breadth of its onboard eateries, which include an expansive array of restaurants ranging from haute cuisine to casual fare. With a total of 20+ food choices onboard Virgin Voyages’ first ship, Scarlet Lady, the company released new designs for their restaurants, seaside lounges and casual eateries by their Creative Collective, which includes world-renowned designers from Roman and Williams, Tom Dixon, Concrete Amsterdam and Soft Room, amongst others. The ship’s dining program, Razzle Dazzle, features a Drag brunch. Virgin Voyages does not believe in paying more for great food and ditched the traditional upcharges levied when dining in speciality restaurants at sea. Virgin Voyages has designed all eateries on board to offer exceptional made to order eats and opted to include all restaurant food in the voyage fare. Virgin Voyages will bring city-like eating to sea and throw out the traditional cruise dining rule book, with no buffet, no main dining room, no forced formal wear, no assigned seating, no assigned dining times and enhanced the choice for sailors to grab a bite by keeping restaurant doors open until well into the night and in some cases the early hours of the morning. #SeaLicious#ShipTease#virginvoyages @VirginVoyages For more information, visit www.virginvoyages.com.
Medellin Continues Evolving as an Attractive Metropolis with Steady Tourism Growth from North American Travelers in 2018
The Medellin Convention & Visitors Bureau announced impressive and continuous tourism growth with an 18 percent increase in travelers from the U.S. between January and August of 2018, as compared to the previous year. More than 528,000 Americans visited Colombia in 2017, of which 105,735 visited Medellin, representing 16 percent of the total arrivals. An emerging arts and cultural hub in Latin America, Medellin has developed into a diverse destination attracting both leisure and business travelers and offering a multitude of experiences. In January, it won the 2018 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award in the category of ‘Top Destinations on the Rise,’ an achievement based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from TripAdvisor travelers worldwide. In addition to leisure travelers, business travelers have increased in importance with the city welcoming an average of 83,000 business travelers per year since 2014, according to ProColombia. This is very representative of the city’s constant evolution, especially within the meetings segment. Every year, Medellin hosts numerous international events with the most well-known being the Smart City Business American Congress & Expo and the 6th IPBES Plenary Assembly in 2018, the World Economic Forum for Latin America in 2016 and the World Tourism Organization General Assembly in 2015. Another important segment for Medellin are expats and retirees. Colombia was listed as one of the top 10 places to retire in 2018 by International Living. One of the city’s most prized possessions is its selection of museums such as the Museum of Modern Art (recently renovated), the Museum of Antioquia (recently renovated), the Museum of the University of Antioquia and the Casa de la Memoria Museum, a multimedia memories museum that details the violence that has plagued the country since the 80s. There are also several smaller neighborhood museums, a series of public libraries, and cultural centers such as the Moravia Cultural Center – all of which breathe life into the city. Medellin hosts a variety of year-long festivals celebrating its culture and traditions. Among the most popular include: The International Tango Festival in June, which brings in professional dancers from across the world to celebrate the city’s vibrant tango culture; Feria de las Flores in August, a major festival commemorating Medellin’s paisa population through several events such as pageants, horse parades, concerts, among others; and the Festival of Lights and Christmas in December, a traditional seasonal event where businesses and locals alike join in celebrating the holidays by featuring extravagant light shows and displays across the city. For more information, visit www.medellinconventionbureau.com.
Winter Events at the National Museum of American Jewish History
The National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) announces a variety of programs and activities for all ages this season, from the special exhibition The Art of Rube Goldberg, to the onstage forum Antisemitism in America: Is Hate Speech Free Speech, to a film screening with live score. The Museum will be open and free on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and throughout the month of February. Explore stories of American Jews as they fought discrimination and overcame adversity within the larger context of America’s ongoing struggles for religious, ethnic, and racial freedom. Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 18. Explore an original letter written by George Washington to the Jewish community (on view at the Museum) and write your own letter to the president at the Freedom Family Presidential Corner. You might meet George Washington himself, he promised to stop by and say hello. To view NMAJH’s full programs calendar and to register for events, visit NMAJH.org/calendar.
Philadelphia’s Sensory-Friendly Attractions & Performances
Inclusivity is embedded in the original promise of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. Today, the region keeps that promise to residents and visitors with sensory sensitivity. Some of Philly’s most popular attractions, including The Franklin Institute and Please Touch Museum® have sensory-friendly policies and programming. So, too, do eminent arts organizations such as Pennsylvania Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Much credit for the region’s expanding sensory-friendly offerings goes to Roger Ideishi, program director of occupational therapy at Temple University. Ideishi facilitates arts and cultural environments that respect both the needs of people with cognitive disabilities and the expression of the artists and attractions themselves. See Philadelphia venues and groups that have recently expanded their sensory-friendly programming at this link https://www.visitphilly.com/media-center/press-releases/philadelphias-sensory-friendly-attractions-performances/.
Visitphilly.com Launches Accessibility Page
Planning a visit to the nation’s first capital, a hub of U.S. history, arts, culture, food and hospitality, just got easier for travelers with disabilities. In order to serve the one in eight people in the U.S. with one or more disabilities, VISIT PHILADELPHIA® has launched a new accessibility page, visitphilly.com/accessibility. With help from Art-Reach, a Philadelphia-based organization that creates, advocates and expands accessible opportunities to a full spectrum of society, VISIT PHILADELPHIA created a page that points users to the region’s top resources for getting around-and getting the best out of-the city and region by offering information on: Public transportation and parking for visitors who use wheelchairs or have mobility impairment, Local resources for visitors with visual impairments or blindness, Local resources for visitors with hearing impairments or deafness, Local resources for visitors with autism or sensory sensitivity and Accessibility information for museums, historic sites and other popular attractions. For more information, visit visitphilly.com/accessibility.
Robin Hood Leads the Way for Two New Themed, Guided Tours of Nottingham
Legendary folklore and modern charm collide in Nottingham, a destination known throughout the world as the home of outlaw hero Robin Hood – a character whose world-renowned tale has been retold over 800 years through medieval ballads, literature, television, film and theatre. The new itinerary will help tour operators plan trips to England, which explore the legend and other literary greats associated with Nottingham. The itinerary also suggests a trip to Newstead Abbey, a former home of one of Britain’s greatest poets, the ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’ Lord Byron. Visitors are invited to wander the grand gardens and romantic ruins of this 300-acre estate and meet the rebel Lord himself exploring his life story on a character-led guided tour of the 12th century abbey. The two new guided walking tours; The Robin Hood Town Tour with Lunch at England’s Oldest Inn and The Legend of Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest Tours both invite visitors to join award-winning character-led guide – Ezekial Bone. Ezekial Bone presents in the guise of Robin Hood, explaining the history of the legend and exploring historic Nottingham before passing over to expert guides, Cultural Heritage Tours, for an onward adventure to explore the historic landscapes of Sherwood Forest. The experiences have been created following extensive international research which identified that more than a third of overseas visitors want to see places from film and literature, and that almost half of them visited museums, art galleries, castles or historic houses on previous trips. The itineraries also recommend accommodation, with a focus on trade or group-friendly properties and those that relate to the theme or are quintessentially English. Also recommended are complementary experiences including food experiences, landscapes famous for film locations or other local sites of interest. For more information visit https://www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk.
TAP Air Portugal Adds NYC-Based Portuguese-American Chef George Mendes To Its Michelin-Star Winning “Taste the Stars” Culinary Team
TAP Air Portugal’s ‘Taste the Stars’ program featuring five Michelin star winning Portuguese chefs and the airline’s cuisine consultant Chef Vítor Sobral, is adding Portuguese-American Chef George Mendes to the roster. A first generation American born to Portuguese parents, acclaimed chef and cookbook author George Mendes brought elevated Portuguese cooking to New York City when he opened his first restaurant, Aldea, in 2009. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1992, Mendes spent 17 years honing his knowledge, technique, and style under the guidance of some of the world’s greatest culinary masters Alain Ducasse, and his most influential mentor, David Bouley. At Aldea, Mendes serves a menu of refined Portuguese-inspired dishes reflective of his classic training, Iberian experiences, and the flavors of his heritage-earning the restaurant a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide every year since 2010. TAP introduced “Taste the Stars” for Business Class passengers one year ago, offering a selection from one of the award-winning chefs as a choice from their inflight meal selections to promote the best of Portuguese cuisine around the world. Passengers from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport will enjoy a selection from George Mendes on their way to Lisbon (including his signature tastes/dishes such as Potato and Collard Green Soup; Cod with Potatoes, Onion, Tomato and Black Olives; and Pastel de Nata). As part of the “Taste The Stars” project, TAP offers a platform to promote young talents trained by the Chefs, who will also be given the opportunity to present their creations as part of the new inflight service. The Michelin chefs’ restaurants in Portugal are also part of TAP’s “Portugal Stopover” program, offering free bottles of wine for Stopover travelers visiting Lisbon or Porto, while en route to destinations throughout Europe and Africa. www.flytap.com
El Salvador National Pupusas Day
On the second Sunday of November each year, El Salvador celebrates National Pupusas Day. Travelers can visit Antiguo Cuscatlán, which became famous for obtaining the Guinness World Record for cooking the largest pupusa in the world. In 2005, Salvadoran Legislative Assembly declared pupusas the national dish of El Salvador. Pupusas are prepared with corn rice or rice dough, and are most commonly stuffed with pumpkin, pork crackling, cheese or a mixture of beans. They can also be stuffed with cheese and chipilín flowers, which are native to Central America. As Central America’s smallest country, El Salvador offers a wide array of travel experiences accessible within a short period of time. The country’s StopOver program allows travelers with layovers of five hours or more to get out of the airport and explore coastal attractions beloved to surfers, historic cultural sites and volcanic mountains, all less than an hour away from the international airport by car. Take a 45-minute drive to the coast for a surf lesson or to San Salvador for a tour of the historic center and El Boqueron Volcano. More information is available at https://reservas.elsalvadorstopover.com/.
New York’s SPYSCAPE Experience Now In Spanish!
SPYSCAPE, the immersive new spy museum and experience, announced an exciting new program to offer the entire SPYSCAPE visitor journey (audio, video and interactive challenges) in the Spanish language. Visitors to SPYSCAPE get to see the world and their own potential more clearly, through great spy stories and gadgets, using an interactive individual assessment methodology developed by top psychologists and a former Head of Training at British Intelligence. To celebrate the launch in Spanish, SPYSCAPE offered free admission in December from 9-11am. During these times the entire museum and experience was run in Spanish. From noon onwards each day the content reverted to English, but interactive challenges will continue to be available in both Spanish and English. After this initial launch week, SPYSCAPE will announce a regular schedule for running the entire museum and experience in Spanish from January onwards. SPYSCAPE also offers full-colour printed souvenir guides in Spanish, detailing all the dramatic spy stories, skills and world-class artefacts which appear in the museum. For more information, visit spyscape.com.
About This Newsletter
Multicultural Travel News newsletter (MTN) covers travel news of interest to ethnic and niche travelers and those who market to them. We write about destinations that interest multicultural travelers or have outreach campaigns to travelers of Hispanic, African American, Asian American and other cultural backgrounds; women; LGBT travelers and people with disabilities.
Multicultural Travel News is also written for leisure and business travelers looking for what to see and do and for marketing executives interested in ideas, best practices and the business case for targeting so-called “minority” travelers. We cover cities and countries, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, convention and visitor bureaus, tour operators and other travel marketers with a multicultural angle. Multicultural Travel News is written and edited by Lisa Skriloff.
Multicultural Travel News is published by Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. (MMR). To view past editions click here.
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