Recommend May 2015 - (Page 8)

ì editor's notes That's me with Soraya Zaoudi Marquez de Prado from the Tourist Office of Spain in Miami during an event promoting Andalucia. We've got two best-sellers in this May issue-a cover feature on Israel (page 50), which last year had the best year ever for American tourism to Israel; and on the other side of the vacation spectrum, a feature on Orlando (page 60), which welcomed more than 60 million people in 2014, making it the ﬁrst U.S. destination to surpass the 60 million visitor mark. And as the U.S. dollar continues to strengthen against global currencies like the euro, "travelers will ﬁnd greater spending power in destinations across the globe," states a recent USTOA press release, and that's a sure sign that visitor numbers across the world will continue to rise and, hopefully, even more tourism records will be broken in 2015. This issue highlights some other hot-sellers, including all-inclusive stays throughout the Caribbean and Mexico (page 12), with in-depth coverage on properties such as Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta (page 46) and Riu Palace St. Martin (page 18). For this month's Tour Talk column (page 11), we interviewed industry veteran Steve Gorga, CEO and president of Exclusive Group Travel-which currently offers bookings in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, and is expanding into Hawaii, Aruba, and the Bahamas, as well as other parts of the Caribbean-and he had some interesting points on all-inclusive bookings. The company is focused primarily on all-inclusive resorts, and the reason, points out Gorga, is because "we think the allinclusive product in Mexico and parts of the Caribbean has become an extraordinary value to travelers in the U.S. and we ﬁnd quite often that travelers, and even some travel agents, aren't totally knowledgeable about the all-inclusive product." You'll want to ﬂip over to page 57, too, where we've covered the new ships that are rolling out this year and into 2017, including Carnival Vista, MSC Seaside, Holland America's ms Koningsdam, Norwegian Escape, and Viking Star. For your Europe-bound clients, there's a piece on Andalucia (Andalusia) on page 48. Antonio Martin Machuca, international marketing director at the Andalucia Tourism Board, says that "most U.S. travel agents focus on Madrid and Barcelona, but then the following most visited destination [in Spain] would be Andalucia. Cities like Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba and Malaga are the real treasures and historical cities." trinidad & tobago travel agent specialist program Those hoping to learn more about Trinidad & Tobago, the most southern islands in the Caribbean, will want to check out the Trinidad & Tobago Travel Agent Specialist Program included in this issue. You can review the course material, either in the magazine or online at edu.recommend.com/ trinidad-tobago, take the exam (online only) and then engage in an incentive program that includes FAM trip opportunities, a customized certiﬁcate, and CEU credits. correction In the Alaska feature in the March issue (page 18), we stated that at the Waterfall Resort, located right outside Ketchikan, "groups of four get 25 percent off." We'd like to point out that that offer only applies to the Townhouse upgrade, not the land package.-Paloma Villaverde de Rico E-mail me at paloma@recommend.com 8 may 2015 8-9 MH Editors.indd 8 group publisher/editorial director associate publisher editor-in-chief managing editor associate editor art director latin america editor caribbean editor cruise editor contributing editor corporate director of marketing marketing associates laurel a. herman terence k. murphy paloma villaverde de rico deserae e. del campo michelle marie arean janet del mastro carla hunt ed wetschler vivian holley sergio ortiz sharon lewen kristina viera amor pagan irizarry production manager estrella bibas ad traffic coordinator daimee feliz chairman/founding editor hal herman president/editorial director laurel a. herman executive vice president gary herman miami corporate headquarters: 5979 nw 151st. st., suite 120, miami lakes, florida 33014, tel: (305) 828-0123; fax: (305) 826-6950 corporate director of sales: garey bell, garey@worthit.com, tel: (305) 828-0123; ext. 181; cell: (770) 235-8225 caribbean, central & south america, south florida, georgia: terry murphy, terry@recommend.com tel: (305) 828-0123; ext. 120; fax: (305) 828-0799 northeast usa, eastern canada, europe, maryland, virginia, D.C.: jean-claude chaouloff, jean-claude@recommend.com tel: (917) 244-7000; fax: (305) 828-0799 colorado, utah, idaho, montana, wyoming: garey bell, garey@worhit.com, tel: (305) 828-0123; ext. 181; cell: (770) 235-8225 florida, southeast and midwest usa: brenda goodwin, brenda@worthit.com, tel: (305) 828-0123; ext.160; fax: (305) 826-6950 hawaii: alan rock, alanrock1@gmail.com, tel: (310) 721-2825 mexico city: renata villa, renata@renatago.com, tel: 011 52 555-255-3212 cancun: margarita alvarez, margarissima@gmail.com tel: 011 52 998 287 1545; fax: 011 52-998 884-1716 RECOMMEND, Vol. 30, issue number 8, (ISSN 0034-1452) is published monthly by Worth International Media Group. OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: 5979 N.W. 151st St., Suite 120, Miami Lakes, FL 33014.Periodicals postage paid at Hialeah, FL and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RECOMMEND Circulation Department, P.O. Box 171070 Hialeah, FL 33017-1070. RECOMMEND is distributed at no charge to qualified travel agents and tour operators. Paid annual subscriptions are available for $48 in the U.S., $96 in Canada, payable in U.S. dollars in advance. Published for North American distribution. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Pitney Bowes International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Copyright© 2005 Worth International Media Group. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Recommend is not responsible for unsolicited photography, art or manuscripts. Subscriptions: To manage your subscription, visit www.recommend.com/subscribe or email subscribe@recommend.com. recommend.com 4/21/15 11:59 AM SAN 32 http://edu.recommend.com/ http://www.recommend.com/subscribe http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend May 2015

Editor’s Notes
Lodgings Take Comforts to New Heights
Exclusive Group Travel
What’s New in All-Inclusives
Riu Palace St. Martin
Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Cancun Resort & Spa
Trinidad & Tobago Travel Agent Specialist Program
Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta
Andalucia, Spain
Israel
Different Routes to Southeast Asia
The Guatemala Travel Experience
New Ships Bulletin
What’s New in Orlando
Orlando World Center Marriott

Recommend May 2015