Abercrombie & Kent, the archetypal
adventure and exotic destination tour operator, could not
possibly allow itself to be left out of the opening act of the
emerging space tourism industry -- we're talking
outer space here. The company has been working feverishly behind
the scenes to establish its new space travel division and secure a
niche in the final frontier. Look for its menu of space travel
products to hit the streets any day.
Until now,
Rosewood Hotel & Resorts has stayed low on the radar
screen in terms of piggybacking its brand name on to the name of
the 10 upscale resorts and hotels it manages in the U.S., Mexico,
Japan and the Caribbean.
That's changing in
2007, when the Rosewood Maya Koba opens in Mexico.
Apparently, it's the start of a trend. TC hears that a new property
in California, which will open in 2008 with Rosewood as the
management company, will have the firm's name front and center.
Look for announcements regarding the Rosewood Sand Hill
Road in Palo Alto.
Could St.
John in the U.S. Virgin Islands be getting seaplane
service? The island, which has no airport, is tethered to St.
Thomas by a 25-minute ferry ride, which transports islanders,
tourists, cars and cargo. Seaplane travel could cut that trip to 10
minutes or less.
TC hears that
Seaborne Airlines, which offers flights between
St. Thomas, St. Croix and San Juan and will add Virgin Gorda in the
British Virgin Islands early this year, is eyeing a link to St.
John. Maybe the roar of propellers and the splash of an aircraft on
floats will soon compete with the blare of the ferry
horn.
Look for
Marriott to make additions to its Hotel
Excellence program, the training program it requires
agents to take in order to keep their 10% pay. Is it better
rewards? More training? Details are closely guarded.
TC hears
that some major U.S. airlines are in talks with providers
of carbon offset schemes, such as those that are being launched by
the Association of British Travel Agents. The
plans enable consumers to pay a few extra dollars to cover an
investment in environmental projects that could offset the damage
done by carbon emissions generated by their trip.