Recommend November 2017 - 11

About 60.7 million tourists visited Florida
in the first half of 2017, representing a 4
percent increase from the same time period
in 2016. The reason, notes Madson, is that
"Orlando theme parks keep coming up with
new attractions to lure visitors back-Pandora
land at Walt Disney World has gained lots
of interest and existing events such as Epcot
Food & Wine Festival seem to last longer and
include more booths each year."
A top tour option for clients is Cosmo's
10-day Florida Discovery itinerary, visiting
Orlando, Cocoa Beach, Miami, Key West,
Fort Myers, St. Augustine, and Cape
Canaveral. A 2-day extension allows guests
to spend some time in Clearwater, too. Rates
start at $1,709 pp.

Hawaii
"A vacation to Hawaii transports visitors
back to a time when life was less complicated
and hurried," says Susan Pretkus-Combs,
owner of Combs, Catalina & Associates, a
Dream Vacations agency. "When they think
of Hawaii, they think of stunning, laid-back
resorts, beautiful beaches and golf courses, and
breathtaking landscapes."

In August 2017, the last month, as of
press time, for which the Hawaii Tourism
Authority visitor statistics were available,
visitors to the Hawaiian Islands spent a total
of $1.39 billion, an increase of 6.1 percent
compared to the previous year. Additionally,
through the first eight months of 2017,
arrivals rose from both the Pacific (+3
percent) and Mountain (+5.8 percent) U.S.
regions; and arrivals from U.S. East were up
compared to the first eight months of 2016.
"The reasons clients want to visit Hawaii
differ somewhat, but it's mostly about getting
away from it all to relax," points out PretkusCombs. "Families want fun in the sun with
watersports and beach activities. Couples
love the romantic islands for honeymoons,
anniversaries or vacations. Where else can
you take a bike ride down from a volcano at
sunrise or sunset?
"I find that first-timers want to see as many
islands as possible, which has made cruising
Hawaii so popular. The ability to visit the
four most popular islands, spending two days
on each with only having to unpack once, is
music to most of my clients' ears," she says.
"For those who have been there before, or

just want to spend time on an island or two,
I find Maui and Kauai to be the most popular
destinations. Both offer lovely beaches,
world-class golf courses and plenty of activity.
Oahu is having a renaissance of sorts, with
the Aulani, A Disney Resort and so many
changes and upgrades in Waikiki," she adds.
Intreprid Travel's popular 10-day Comfort
Style Hawaii Discovery itinerary takes guests
island-hopping, combining lounging on the
beach in Honolulu and enjoying a beachside
barbecue in Maui with exploring Kauai and
the Na Pali Coast, the Wailua River and
Waimea Canyon. There's also the opportunity
to discover Klauea-an active volcano on the
Big Island-and taking a sunset boat ride in
Waikiki. Rates start at $3,855 pp. ■

Contact Information
Alaska Travel Industry Association: alaskatia.org
Aulani, A Disney Resort: disneyaulani.com
Cosmos: cosmos.com
Hawaii Tourism Authority: hawaiitourismauthority.org
Intrepid Travel: intrepidtravel.com/us
John Hall's Alaska: kissalaska.com
VISIT FLORIDA: visitflorida.com

november 2017 11
http://www.alaskatia.org http://www.disneyaulani.com http://www.cosmos.com http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org http://www.intrepidtravel.com/us http://www.kissalaska.com http://www.visitflorida.com http://BookTravelBound.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend November 2017
