Recommend December 2010 - (Page 54)

brAzil 14th annual beautiful avanti’s latin beat rca Best Tour Operator, 14th annual winner rca Sexiest Romance/Honeymoon winner Latin America W carla hunt FOR AWARDS PIECES Destination in Latin America carla hunt FOR AWARDS PIECES rca 14th annual readers’ choice award winner FINAL LOGO.indd 1 When we think of brazil, the images that come to mind are probably those of rio de Janeiro, its smiling, sexy Carioca residents, its curve of white sands, its sky-high landmarks of Corcovado and Sugar loaf mountains, its stores full of sparkling native gemstones, and its swinging nightlife. Surely when brazil captured this year’s Recommend’s Readers’ Choice Award for Sexiest Romance/Honeymoon Destination in Latin America, rio was top in everyone’s mind. However, today’s travelers are also finding that the roads to romance lead to many spectacular and special corners of brazil offering new comforts and luxury in boutique pousada hotels in colonial cities, in sybaritic seaside resorts along the northeast coast, and in eco-lodges where the wild things are in Amazonia. Miguel Jeronimo, who heads the Brazilian Tourism Office in New York is, of course, delighted with, but perhaps not surprised that, brazil is the readers’ pick for romance. He feels that, “brazil’s romantic spots can go toe-to-toe with most honeymoon getaways worldwide, although the magnet is certainly beautiful rio whose lifestyle is all about having round-theclock fun.” Over the next decade, brazil will be promoting a new breed of romantic traveler: the sports lover. Jeronimo reports that, “From 2011 on, our marketing efforts will focus on the 12 cities that will host the World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016.” Under the promotion umbrella, “brazil is Calling You,” the U.S. market will be introduced or re-introduced to these dozen host cities: n in the Southeast region—rio de Janeiro, a.k.a. cidade marvilhosa and recently named to the New Seven Wonders of the Word list; Sao Paulo, the biggest South American city, in fact brazil’s “big Apple”; belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais state and gateway to the “Cities of Gold.” n in the South region—Porto Alegre, a port city lying at the confluence of five rivers; Curitiba, with one of the world’s highest densities of urban green spaces, often called the “environmental capital” of brazil. n in the Central region—brasilia, celebrating 50 years as the modern capital of brazil; Cuiaba, capital of Mato Grosso and northern gateway to the wildlife-rich Pantanal wetlands. n in the Northeast region—Salvador, the spiritual heart of brazil’s Afro-brazilian culture; recife, a leader in healthcare, design and gastronomy, whose beachside neighbor Olinda is a UNESCO World Heritage site; Natal, heralded for its beaches such as nearby Ponta Negra; Fortaleza, brazil’s fifth largest city and jumping-off point for some spectacular beaches, dining and idyllic coastal towns. n in the North region—Manaus, riverside gateway to the Amazon rainforest. in getting ready for World Cup and Olympics arrivals, hundreds of infrastructure projects are underway, including a high-speed rail line linking Sao Paulo and rio. by the time the opening whistle blows for the World Cup matches, new hotels—led by international hotel chains—will have changed the accommodations profile of the country. And already helping to put brazil more solidly in the mainstream for U.S. travelers is the phenomenal boom in air services between the two countries. Eight airlines now operate flights from 12 U.S. gateways to seven cities in brazil. November alone was a big month for startup services: American Airlines debuted the only nonstop flights between New York and rio, as well as nonstop service from Miami to brasilia. And Delta Air Lines opened the first-ever air connection between Detroit and Sao Paulo. in the New Year, brazil will continue sponsoring travel industry educational workshops in cooperation with Brazil Tour Operators Association (BTOA). l readers’ choice award winner 11/10/10 4:46:57 PM rca 14th annual FINAL LOGO.indd 1 “[Argentina and Peru] are two of the destinations in South America that are more exciting than ever.” Harry Dalgaard, President, Avanti Destinations 11/10/10 4:46:57 PM Avanti Destinations copped Recommend’s Readers’ Choice Award for Best Tour Operator, Latin America, and president Harry Dalgaard called to say, “thank you” from Ushuaia, Argentina, where he was about to start filming a “live from Patagonia-Small Ship Cruises” webinar. “Argentina is booming this year and next year looks even better,” he reports, “and the same is true for Peru. These are two of the destinations in South America that are more exciting than ever, due to big infrastructure expansion and increases in regional air services, all giving us many more options for customizing vacations.” Lan Peru’s new flight from lima to Easter island is just one example, Dalgaard gives, another is the new ease of traveling between countries, combining Argentina and Chile by air, by boat and bus in the lake District, by small ship cruises between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas. Dalgaard points out Avanti Destinations’ biggest demand is for customized vacations, for which the company has dozens of packages guiding agents to the possibilities of travel in latin America. There are close to 20 alone for Costa rica, for instance, which agents easily mix and match into client vacations by using Avanti’s PRO-F.I.T. booking engine. Also online is an archive of educational webinars, starring Avanti staff introducing various destinations: “live on location.” l contact information contact information Brazil Ministry of Tourism (Embratur): embratur.gov.br 54 december 2010 Avanti Destinations: (800) 422-5053; avantidestinations.com recommend.com http://www.avantidestinations.com http://embratur.gov.br http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2010

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk-Marriott International
Tour Talk-Globus
Services-SABRE; Apple Vacations & Travel Impressions
Ritz-Carlton
Hertz & Hawaii
Las Vegas
Tauck World Discovery
Florida
Southwest Airlines
France
Ireland
Italy
Delta Air Lines & Rail Europe
China
Thailand
Singapore Airlines
2011 Taiwan Travel Planner
Tahiti & Goway Travel
Costa Rica
Brazil & Avanti Destinations
Egypt
South Africa
Abercrombie & Kent & Isram World of Travel
Israel
Jamaica
Sandals & Beaches Resorts
St. Lucia
GOGO Worldwide Vacations
Cancun
RIU Hotels & Resorts & Apple Vacations
Riviera Maya
Celebrity Cruises & Royal Caribbean International
Princess Cruises
Carnival Cruise Lines & Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Crystal Cruises & Viking River Cruises

Recommend December 2010