Received this e-mail from my brother this morning.
Friends-----
I am quite excited to share the following May 9 press release from TripAdvisor (below) .
Breaux Bridge , Louisiana (my home town and where I now live) has been named the
No. 2 Travel Hotspot in the world, and the No.1 Travel Hotspot in the nation !!!
I spent time this morning with Dona Richard (St. Martin Parish Tourism Director) Conni Castille and Alison Bohl ( writers and directors of the film documentary "I Always Do My Collars First) while they obtained video footage of Breaux Bridge to submit to CNN-----CNN requested footage to do a story about the town. Please scroll down to the TravelCast section to see Breaux Bridge's rankings.
Geaux Pont Breaux !! (translated = Go Breaux Bridge)
WOW !!!
Frank
Travelers Discovering New Destinations
Emerging Travel Hotspots Include Las Terrenas , Dominican Republic
and Breaux Bridge , Louisiana
NEEDHAM, Mass. – May 9, 2007 – TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel community, today announced the results of its annual summer travel survey of nearly 3,000 travelers worldwide. Fifty-nine percent of travelers intend to take at least half their annual vacation this summer, up from 54 percent in 2006. Twenty-nine percent of travelers intend to take more vacation this summer than they did last summer.
Intrepid Travelers
The popularity of outdoor activities continues to grow, as 40 percent of survey respondents plan to go hiking and camping this summer, up from 36 percent last summer. One quarter of travelers are taking vacation at a lake/mountain destination this summer. Nearly 20 percent of travelers said they will try an activity such as scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing or whitewater rafting for the first time this summer.
New Horizons
Fifty-five percent of travelers intend to take summer vacation at a destination they have never visited before. Thirty-three percent of travelers will go to the same destination they did last summer, about half of which will stay at the same hotel, resort or rental.
Nothing Routine
Fifty-seven percent of travelers will disconnect from work while on their summer vacation, with 54 percent avoiding returning phone calls and emails. Thirty-seven percent no longer stick to a diet or eat healthy food, and 30 percent take a break from the gym and working out while on summer vacation. Forty-six percent of travelers give up watching television.
Summer Abroad
Sixty-three percent of travelers will be traveling outside their home country for their summer vacation. Despite the weakened dollar, 46 percent of Americans will be traveling outside the U.S. this summer, up from 43 percent last summer.
By Land, Air and Sea
Seventy-eight percent of travelers will take a vacation via car this summer, 78 percent by airplane, and 25 percent by boat or ferry. Seventy-nine percent of travelers said that the cost of fuel and rising airfares will not affect their summer travel plans.
The Spend Trend
Thirty-one percent of travelers intend to spend more this summer than they did last summer. Thirty-eight percent of respondents estimate they will spend between $1,000- $2,999.
A Week Excuse
Eighty-six percent of worldwide travelers surveyed will be using their vacation days in a block of one week or more. Sixty-five percent of all travelers, and 68 percent of Americans, plan to take between one and three weeks of vacation time this summer.
Not Feeling the Burn
Forty-seven percent of travelers surveyed use sunscreen whenever they are exposed to direct sunlight (43 percent of Americans, 52 percent among travelers outside the U.S. ). Not surprisingly, getting a sunburn (59 percent) was the greatest concern for travelers at the beach. Aside from concerns about sunburn, jellyfish stings, riptides and theft are the biggest fears among beachgoers this summer. Fourteen percent of travelers worry about a shark attack.
Las Terrenas , Dominican Republic , The Next Travel Hot Spot
TripAdvisor® also released its TravelCast, a barometer of what’s hot and what’s not in travel destinations, for the second half of 2007. Emerging hotspots include Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic , Breaux Bridge , Louisiana and Seminyak in Bali , Indonesia . The complete world and U.S. top ten lists are provided below. TravelCast is based on several criteria including changes in search activity and postings on
tripadvisor.com.
R20;Travelers are throwing down the gauntlet this summer, committing to taking more time off and unplugging from work,” said Michele Perry, director of communications for TripAdvisor. “People appear to be more intrepid all around, even with rising airfares, the majority of travelers are vacationing to new destinations this summer.”
TripAdvisor TravelCast Top Ten World Travel Hot Spots:
Las Terrenas , Dominican Republic
Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Seminyak, Bali , Indonesia
Los Suenos, Costa Rica
Pula, Croatia
Ko Lanta , Thailand
Sayulita, Mexico
Puerto Madryn, Argentina
Can Tho, Vietnam
Sapa, Vietnam
TripAdvisor TravelCast Top Ten U.S. Travel Hot Spots:
Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Anna Maria, Florida
Mason, Ohio
Panama City Beach, Florida
Venice, Florida
New Orleans, Louisiana
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Franklin, Tennessee
Cocoa Beach, Florida
Port Saint Joe , Florida
I bought a new hat. Well, that's about the most exciting thing that's happened in the last few days. We're getting a lot of smoky haze blowing in from the wildfires in Georgia. This weekend will be very active. On Sunday our friends from Tallahassee are hosting a party on the docks complete with a steel pan band.
These pictures are from the website. My photography skills are still in the point and shoot stage.
I drove down to South Shore Harbor (worst managed marina on the Gulf Coast) for lunch with some old friends. Picture on the left is Dee and son Corey, next picture is Jim, Dee's hubby, and Brannon. They all committed to coming to visit us up on Kentucky Lake or in the fall when we're back in Destin. I plan to hold them to their commitment.
