Multicultural Travel News

Madrid will host World Pride 2017, the largest LGBT celebration in the world. Madrid was chosen unanimously by the over 80 delegations from the five continents that form this international organization. This festival, which has already been held in Rome, Jerusalem and London, with the next to take place in Toronto in 2014, firmly establishes the Spanish capital as a truly diverse city and an example of harmonious coexistence worldwide. Madrid’s bid was presented at the 30th Interpride (International Association of Pride Organizers) Annual General Meeting held in Boston, USA, by AEGAL (Business Leaders and Professionals Association of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community of Madrid), along with representatives of Madrid City Council’s Visitors & Convention Bureau. It also had the backing of COGAM (LGBT Collective of Madrid) and FELGTB (Spanish LGBT National Federation). “Our bid had the support of the MV&CB and all political groups represented on the City Council” said Ignacio Fernández, CEO of Madrid Visitors & Convention Bureau. “Madrid’s election means a vote of confidence for the ability of our city’s hotel and leisure infrastructure to hold such an important worldwide event.” Visit www.spain.info/us.  Read more >>

During the month of November, Southwest Airlines demonstrated how deep patriotism runs in the company and employees’ hearts with its third annual month-long celebration dubbed “Military Heroes Month.” To show support for Veterans, service members, and their families across the nation, Southwest hosted an array of activities with nonprofit organizations focused on those who sacrifice so much. Southwest Airlines flew eight World War II Navajo Code Talkers from Albuquerque International Sunport to participate in the New York City Veterans Day Parade as a way to say thank you for their brave service to our country. The Navajo Code Talkers interacted with customers in the gate and during the flight to share their history and taught Southwest Airlines customers and employees to speak in Navajo Code. In its 42nd year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines and its wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways, the company now employs 46,000 people and serves 97 destinations in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, six near-international countries. Visit www.southwest.com.  Read more >>

The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) celebrates over 400 years of German American heritage with the re-launch of its heritage website. “This is an extremely important initiative for us and for our partners at the German Information Center (GIC) as German American heritage is vital part of our tourism and cultural efforts in the U.S.,” said Ricarda Lindner, Regional Manager of the German National Tourist Office. For the past 400 years, Germans and their descendants have been making waves in America. They first arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 but it was Franz Daniel Pastorius who, in 1683, created the first German settlement: Germantown just outside of Philadelphia. Famous German Americans or Americans of German descent are icons of American culture today from sports to show business and everything in between such as Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Marlene Dietrich, Kirsten Dunst, Kurt Vonnegut, John Steinbeck and Elvis Presley. Inventions from German Americans range from the theory of relativity to aspirin, air bags, the computer, tooth paste and even television. On the re-launched website, you will find links to ancestry websites; the history of famous German Americans and inventions of German origin; German products; an emigration time line; an interactive map of important German American heritage places; as well as community features, including cooking ideas and recipes, German American festivals and events in the U.S. and travel tips and places to share your travel and heritage stories and photos. With the relaunch of its German American heritage website, the GNTO is riding a wave of heritage travel and reaching out to German Americas who, at almost 15 percent of the U.S. population, make up the largest ethnic group in the United States. Two sophisticated heritage museums in Bremerhaven and Hamburg in northern Germany are highlights of any heritage trip to Germany. In southern Germany, in Bavaria, the homes and museums dedicated to Levi Strauss (of Levis fame) and to Daniel Pastorius (the founder of Germantown) are must-sees. The nearby UNESCO heritage town of Bamberg and the towns of Fuerth and Regensburg are the birthplaces or erstwhile homes of Henry Kissinger, Sandra Bullock and Oskar Schindler. Further west, history comes alive in the town of Ulm, Einstein’s birthplace in Baden-Wuerttemberg. For more information, visit http://www.germany.travel/.
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On the occasion of CityPASS’s 15th anniversary, Multicultural Travel News interviewed Annie Allen, Director of Tourism Sales & Marketing of CityPASS. Deborah Wakefield, Senior Director of Communications & PR of CityPASS also participated in the interview. The focus of the discussion was on how CityPASS connects with the multicultural traveler.  Read more >>

As we get closer to December 21st, a day that marks the end of the Mayan calendar, special events invite visitors to explore Cancun’s culture and heritage while celebrating the destination’s rebirth in the year 2012 welcoming a new era. For Cancun, the end of the Mayan calendar symbolizes a time of rebirth for humanity and symbolizes a turning point in how you experience the destination as a tourist. Cancun, a multicultural destination, embraces this important day, welcoming thousands of visitors from all over the world to celebrate a “new beginning.” From October 30 to November 2, Xcaret invites visitors to learn about Mayan history and its diverse characteristics across regions through the Day of the Dead. Visitors will get to learn and personally experience traditions and cultures. Macaws were very significant in the Mayan culture as they represent the sun, and on December 21 and 22, visitors will watch the freeing of 104 macaws, which will fill the sky with a red glow as the majestic birds fly away. From December 1 – 21, Xcaret invites guests to take a mystical journey and ponder what the rebirth of the calendar will mean while in harmony with nature through guided tours on the River of Paradise and jungle trails. Xel-ha, an ecological park that is the largest natural aquarium in the world with a large lagoon that juts into the Caribbean Sea, is also hosting events to celebrate the destination’s renewal. Locals and tourists are invited to bring recycled bottlers filled with handwritten well-wishes for the Pyramid of Positive Thoughts, a modern day pyramid under construction by artist Xavier de Maria y Campos to pay tribute to the Mayans’ legacy and precision regarding the energy of their calendar. Embrace a civilization that studies show dates back to 2600 BC while at the ancient Mayan ruins. For more information, visit www.cancun.travel.   Read more >>

The Emerson is set to host the first ever Women At Woodstock, a life inspiring retreat for women over 50. Women from all over the U.S. are heading to Ulster County to attend the first and only conference of its kind. Participants will experience three days and three nights of self-discovery, support, sharing and networking through a series of workshops and speakers. Topics such as marketing your business, finding love after 50, writing and getting published, getting fit and speaking with confidence will be presented by over-50 female success stories such as Amy Ferris, screenwriter and author of Dancing at the Shame Prom, Suzanne Braun Levine, Ms. Magazine’s first editor, Alice Barden, an actress and playwright who, on the opening night of the conference,  will perform “Alice and Elizabeth’s One-Woman Show”  Barbara Hannah Grufferman, author of The Best of Everything After 50 and Baker, who will lead a mastermind session on living your dream as well as a social medial workshop. Women of the baby boom era are choosing to embrace the grace, wisdom and strength gleaned from their “first 50.”  The retreat registration fee is $595 and includes all plenary sessions, workshops, speakers, welcome party, 4 personal Expert-Connect consultations, and the opening night performance of “Alice and Elizabeth’s One-Woman Show.”  Accommodations at the Emerson start at $565 and include all meals (3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners) plus a 10% discount on all treatments booked at the Emerson’s award-winning spa. For information regarding registration and fees, go to http://womenatwoodstock.com/register/ or call Women At Woodstock’s registration concierge, Bridget, at (917) 270-2351.     Read more >>

Travel among Affluent African Americans has increased by 30 percent in the past three years according to a new research report. The study also shows approximately 60 percent of the target group takes at least five overnight business trips and two-thirds of those traveling spend a minimum of $2,000. The findings come at a time when the overall travel and tourism industry is experiencing downturns due to the current economy. "The significance of the findings is not just in the surprising fact of an increase in travel among the Affluent African American market, but also how these trends impact industries outside of traditional travel and tourism," says Andrea Hoffman, founder and CEO of Diversity Affluence. "Restaurants, advertising companies, insurance companies, chambers of commerce, and arts organizations are only a few of the ancillary industries that also benefit from the increased travel among Affluent African Americans."  Key findings in the study include affluent African Americans travel frequently and they travel with others. Despite challenging economic conditions, this group is traveling more than ever with almost half of all respondents increasing their travel over the past three years. More than three-quarters of study respondents traveled with family and friends. By marketing to Affluent African Americans, businesses reach a larger market and thus experience a greater return on investment. Diversity Affluence, a diversity research, marketing communications and business development consultancy that uniquely helps brands and businesses understand and market to affluent ethnic consumers. Visit http://diversityaffluence.com/   Read more >>

Annual favorites and new cultural treasures are part of this years’ Philadelphia's Hispanic Heritage Month events. The anticipated Open Air Exhibition, a massive interactive public arts display by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, lights up the celebration along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, while on the Avenue of the Arts, The Philadelphia Orchestra brings West Side Story to the Kimmel Center. Penn's Landing's Mexican Independence Day Festival and the Puerto Rican Day Parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway draw thousands of people to celebrate, and the Philadelphia Phillies' Latino Family Celebration combines sporting and ethnic pride. The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit visitphilly.com or uwishunu.com.  Read more >>

The 6th annual SalsaFest will take place on Friday and Saturday, September 28-29 in the City of Safford, AZ Town Square. Safford’s historic Main Street will glow with hot air balloons on Friday evening as festivities begin. The SalsaFest is a celebration of everything Salsa, including an opportunity to win prizes and bragging rights in the annual Salsa Challenge. The Safford Lions Club & Foundation, September 28-29, live entertainment, eating food, watching Chihuahua races and a doggie costume contest, and sampling some of the greatest salsas in the Southwest. SalsaFest activities also include a salsa-making contest, vendors, food demonstrations, a Kidz Korner, a special Salsa Walk to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Gila Valley, the Hot Cars on the Salsa Trail Car Show on Main Street, Saturday sunrise Hot Air Balloon lift-off, and Jalapeño & Salsa eating competitions. The Salsa Trail is all about terrific Mexican food and the hometown friendliness you will find in the small Southeastern Arizona communities of Safford, Pima, Thatcher, Clifton, Solomon, Duncan, and York.  These communities have a dozen Mexican restaurants, a family-owned tortilla factory, and a lady growing chilies joined together by the Graham County Chamber of Commerce to make up the Salsa Trail. For more information, visit www.salsatrail.com. 
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The Navajo Nation Fair is an event that many people look forward to attending year after year in Window Rock, AZ. To continue this tradition, the Navajo Nation Museum Special Events Office and a host of volunteers will launch the 66th Annual Navajo Nation Fair on September 2-9th. The theme this year will be “Appreciating Tradition.” The Navajo Nation Fair will include six days of all-Indian rodeo, a country and western concert featuring Gary Allen, a traditional Navajo song and dance competition, a Navajo arts and crafts exhibition, an inter-tribal pow wow, a parade, a livestock and horticulture exhibit, a inter-tribal night performance, and other events. Navajo Nation, a rich and vibrant tribe is nestled in the heart of the Southwest and a captivating getaway for any Navajoland visitor to see. It is the Navajo people that makes Navajoland beautiful and unique. Within the four sacred mountains is the Navajo Nation Fair, which is the “Largest American Indian Fair in North America.” “The Navajo Nation Fair is the ideal place to experience American Indian culture, namely Navajo culture. So if you’re looking for a myriad of cultural excitement, make plans to join us here in the Navajo Nation capital in September.” Says Navajo Nation Fair Manager Norma Bowman. Over the years, other tribes were invited and it soon became known as the largest gathering of Indian nations in the U.S. that cultivates and nurtures indigenous expression. Today, it is a mecca and visual symphony for elegant Navajo art, dance, music, food and professional athleticism with a native touch. It is also where legends are matched with a new world of future champions vying for thousands of dollars in prize money. Visit www.navajonationfair.com.  Read more >>