Explore the Best of Santa Fe This Fall Known for its natural beauty, artistic spirit and unique southwestern ambiance, the best of Santa Fe – The City Different – will be on display this fall with festive celebrations, art displays, and much more. Santa Fe fall destination highlights include: Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta Sept. 22-26 – the top attraction will be two Grand Tastings where more than 90 regional wineries and 35 local restaurants serve samples of their signature flavors. Throughout the week, wine seminars, cooking demonstrations, guest chef luncheons, and nightly wine dinners will be held around the city, as well as a Champagne Brunch at Four Seasons Rancho Encantado and the Rosé All Day finale. Santa Fe National Forest Fall Foliage – in the latter half of September, the Aspen trees that dominate the forest turn a bright gold color that makes it especially beautiful. The peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains tower above the high desert offering a breathtaking vantage point of Santa Fe’s natural landscape. Ahead of ski season, Ski Santa Fe opens its main ski lift exclusively on weekends and holidays in September for visitors to take in a birds-eye view of the foliage throughout the valley. Rodeo De Santa Fe – brings the top cowboys and cowgirls in the country to town Sept. 15-18 to compete in rodeo events like Saddle Bronc, Bareback, Bull Riding, Team Roping, Tie Down Roping, and Steer Wrestling. Harvest Festival – the first weekend in October, El Rancho de las Golondrinas – a 200-acre living history museum dedicated to 17th and 19th century New Mexico – will host the annual Santa Fe Harvest Festival where families enjoy cider making, pumpkin picking, and tortilla making while surrounded by historic adobe buildings and stunning high desert scenery. Canyon Road – the artistic hub of the Southwestern United States, the Canyon Road Arts District is home to more than 80 art galleries and studios within a half-mile, with crisp autumn air providing the perfect weather to explore the many mediums and styles on display inside and outside Pueblo-style adobe structures. Margarita Trail – experience the dozens of different styles of margaritas found along Santa Fe’s Margarita Trail. La Emi Fall Flamenco Season – Spanish influences found throughout Santa Fe take center stage in September and October, with weekly performances by New Mexico’s star Flamenco dancer and the owner of top local Flamenco dance company, La Emi. For more on Santa Fe, visit www.santafe.org. |
Las Vegas Celebrates Mexican Independence Day With Chart-topping Latin Entertainers The Entertainment Capital of the World invites visitors to celebrate Mexican Independence Day with a September lineup of exciting events and entertainment. Revelers can enjoy performances throughout Las Vegas by unforgettable headliners and hilarious comedians during the 2021 El Grito festivities. World-class Latin performers taking over iconic Vegas venues include: Comedian and star of film and television George Lopez brings his stand-up routine to The Mirage Theatre at The Mirage Hotel & Casino, Sept. 3-4; Legendary Mexican icon, Marco Antonio Solís will perform his only two U.S. solo shows this year at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Sept. 10-11; Iconic Mexican group BANDA MS will wow audiences with their signature sound at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay, Sept. 11; Multi Latin GRAMMY Award-winning Mariachi singer Alejandro Fernández performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at MGM Grand, Sept. 15-16; Mr. Worldwide himself – Pitbull – lights up the stage at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Sept. 18; Mexican pop rock group, CAMILA performs at Tropicana Las Vegas, Sept. 18; Top-selling Latin artist Enrique Iglesias and cross-over superstar Ricky Martin return to perform at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at MGM Grand, Sept. 25. To plan your unforgettable El Grito trip to Las Vegas visit www.VisitLasVegas.com. |
Visit Sacramento Announced New Leadership Position to Address Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Visit Sacramento announced that longtime leader and Chief Marketing Officer Sonya Bradley will become Chief of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). This new position was created specifically to address the organization’s commitment to taking action and creating change when it comes to DEI within Visit Sacramento, the tourism industry in the Sacramento region and throughout the country. Bradley, a 25-year veteran of the travel and tourism industry, has most recently overseen marketing at Visit Sacramento for the past 15 years. She helped lead the creation of the position after the killing of George Floyd prompted Bradley and the team at Visit Sacramento to reexamine its own actions around equity and inclusion and look more deeply at the organization’s role in the community. And after spending her entire professional career in tourism, Bradley feels a personal call to pave the way for the next generation of tourism workers. Bradley has already begun establishing steering committees to inform her work, made up of local leaders and experts who can speak to the challenges and experiences of people of color, the LGBTQ+ community and other historically underrepresented groups in Sacramento. She currently serves as the chair for the CalTravel (California Travel Association) DEI committee established last year. |
 Divine Feminine Interventions of Vickie Pierre Assemble Deeper Truths about Race, Colonialism and Who Gets to be the PrincessLike the town crier in a fractured fairy tale, “Be My Herald of What’s to Come” rings in Vickie Pierre’s premiere solo museum show at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. In this new exhibition, her works cast a feminine deity spell within the Museum gallery. In the installation she created in 2020, titled “Black Flowers Blossom (Hanging Tree),” the artist honors the souls of people lost to racial injustice, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the many others. Grounded in the Arts and Crafts movement, her installations have a storybook feel. A fractured fairy tale is, after all, a new twist on an old story, reimagined and restructured for a contemporary sensibility. Just as fractured fairytales can be more subversive than the traditional fables, the playfulness and whimsical flourishes of Pierre’s assemblages are underscored by her pull towards the beautifully grotesque. The exhibition was curated by Kelli Bodle, the Assistant Curator of the Museum, and is on view until September 5. Vickie Pierre has also been commissioned to create two murals for the Museum’s entrance courtyard, as part of the new Sculpture Garden. She is best known for her wall installations that blend elements of her Caribbean heritage with contemporary culture. Vickie Pierre is a multimedia artist, born and bred in Brooklyn. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1997. She currently lives in Miami. Her continued focus is on the universal themes of identity with references to design and nature, alongside the interconnectivity between her Haitian heritage (including the larger Caribbean community) and global cultural mythologies, while considering feminine and historic tropes that are relative to contemporary cultural politics. Visit bocamuseum.org/visit/virtual-visits to enjoy the Museum’s current online content, including video tours and digital gallery guides. Support for #BocaMuseumatHome and #KeepKidsSmartwithArt virtual programming is provided by Art Bridges Foundation and PNC. Museum hours, admission prices and more visitor information available at bocamuseum.org/visit. |
 State-wide Trail System To Be Developed Celebrating Indiana’s Heritage – State of IndianaLt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Destination Development Corporation announced the development of the Heritage Trail plan. In partnership with the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement, the Heritage Trail aims to tell comprehensive stories inclusive of all backgrounds with a concentration on sharing typically underrepresented heritage. Heritage trails are recreational and educational walking, biking and driving routes that provide opportunities to explore and experience regional histories. Heritage trails come in many forms, with many using a combination of informational exhibits, staffed demonstration sites and a wide range of digital and interactive media to help us learn about our past while shaping our future. By combining exciting physical sites and cutting-edge digital components, the Indiana Heritage Trail will provide a valuable opportunity to showcase the state’s commitment to learning and innovation for all communities. Through the development of the Heritage Trail plan, project coordinators will research best practices for heritage-related trails across the U.S., conduct an analysis of historic and significant sites in the state of Indiana, gather public input, identify and map potential trail themes and form a planning committee to bring the project to fruition. Project planners will explore potential trail themes including Black history, Native American history, European immigration patterns, industrial and environmental impacts and arts and culture heritage. The final plan for the Heritage Trail is expected to be completed by June 30, 2022. Currently, IU CRE, OCRA and IDDC are working to identify and conduct outreach to key stakeholders, and plan to develop maps and themes for the Heritage Trail plan by January of 2022. To share ideas for sites, stories, and events that could be included in the Heritage Trail, visit bit.ly/HeritageTrailIN. |
Indiana Gov. Holcomb Announces State Equity Chief Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced Karrah A. Herring as Indiana’s first-ever chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer. Herring started her new role on Feb. 1, 2021. In addition to naming Herring, the governor also announced that the CenterPoint Energy Foundation is supporting the state’s diversity and inclusion programs and services. Herring previously served as the director of public affairs for the University of Notre Dame, where she worked since 2011. From 2014 until 2018, she served on Notre Dame’s Human Resource’s Senior Leadership Team as director of the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX coordinator. In this role, Herring provided oversight and support of the university’s efforts to comply with federal and state civil rights laws related to policies prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Herring created Notre Dame’s affirmative action plans, had oversight of employee disability compliance for the campus, and oversaw workplace investigations falling under Title VII and Title IX. Herring earned her undergraduate degree from Purdue University and her law degree from Valparaiso University. Gov. Holcomb announced the creation of the chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer during his August address to the state. The officer focuses on improving state government operations as well as drive systemic change to remove hurdles in the government workplace and services the state provides. Herring helps agencies develop strategic plans to remove any barriers. As a member of the governor’s cabinet, Herring reports directly to the governor. Through its charitable foundation, CenterPoint Energy has been in discussions with the state since the announcement of the position in August to help understand how they may partner with the state of Indiana to enhance diversity and inclusion programs. The CenterPoint Energy Foundation, through its strategic giving areas, supports programs that serve under-resourced populations to help communities thrive. |
Explore Charleston Launches Internship Program for Minority College Students Explore Charleston, the Lowcountry’s top destination management and marketing organization, introduced the inaugural class of its new Intern Cultural Enrichment Program (ICEP) on May 25, 2021. This initiative connects underrepresented minority students, many from historically-black colleges and universities (HBCUs), with world-class internship opportunities in the local travel and hospitality industry. ICEP is a ten-week leadership development program that complements the students’ paid internships. Participants engage in a weekly curriculum that introduces information about the local community and culture, fosters interaction with business and civic leaders, and cultivates peer relationships. The ICEP was established to prepare the students to hold hospitality leadership roles in the future, so many are shadowing general managers and rotating through several properties and multiple departments throughout the summer. The concept for this program came from Explore Charleston’s “Heart for Hospitality” initiative. Launched in 2019, “Heart for Hospitality” is a living story that invites Charleston’s large and diverse community to advance the Lowcountry with raised awareness and action for inclusion. Thirteen students from six universities were accepted into ICEP, including Benedict College, Morgan State University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Virginia State University. Other non-HBCU schools include Johnson and Wales (Charlotte, NC) and University of South Carolina. Internship partners include Belmond Charleston Place, Charleston County Aviation Authority, Charlestowne Hotels, Hotel Bennett, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Lowcountry Hotels and Wild Dunes Resort. There was no cost to the students for participation in ICEP and Explore Charleston is covering all summer housing costs. |
Gilded Age, Modern Day and Colonial America Newport in 5 Days On the weekend that Juneteenth National Independence Day, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, was officially recognized as a Federal Holiday, we were touring Newport RI, with its own paradoxical history of the “co-existence of religious freedom with the poison of racism.” So quoted our guide at Touro Synagogue, (the oldest synagogue in the country,) whose informative talk started with the history of how the Newport Jews came to settle in the seaport, starting from Spain to Recife, Brazil, to New Amsterdam (New York City) where they “received no warm welcome from Peter Stuyvesant.” The descendants of these Conversos, who fled the inquisitions in Spain and Portugal, founded the Congregation in Newport in the late 1600s. Following his visit here, George Washington, in his 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, pledged that the new nation would give “to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” Yet at the same time, the “trade and export activities…that were the main engines of economic growth during the 18th century, (were) inexorably linked to Newport’s participation in the slave trade and widespread ownership of slaves by families throughout the city” as we learned at our visit to the Museum of Newport History. Today’s Newport is more human rights forward. During this same visit, Newport was celebrating June is LGBTQ Pride Month, and, with organizations such as Newport Out welcomes the community all year long. We also learned about Newport’s “Sail To Prevail – The National Disabled Sailing Program,” the first sailing program for individuals with disabilities in the United States. Newport’s most well-known attractions are the Gilded Age mansions, once the summertime homes of America’s wealthiest families, where our audio tour app supplied the stories of how Doris Duke, Cornelius Vanderbilt and Edward Berwind lived. For Multicultural Travel News, our 5-day itinerary spanned Colonial America, the Gilded Age, and modern-day Newport with a reserve list of attractions for our next visit. Read our detailed itinerary and recommendations in Multicultural Travel News here. |
About This Newsletter Multicultural Travel News newsletter (MTN) covers travel news of interest to ethnic and niche travelers and those who market to them. We write about destinations that interest multicultural travelers or have outreach campaigns to travelers of Hispanic, African American, Asian American and other cultural backgrounds; women; LGBT travelers and people with disabilities. Multicultural Travel News is also written for leisure and business travelers looking for what to see and do and for marketing executives interested in ideas, best practices and the business case for targeting so-called “minority” travelers. We cover cities and countries, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, convention and visitor bureaus, tour operators and other travel marketers with a multicultural angle. Multicultural Travel News is written and edited by Lisa Skriloff. Multicultural Travel News is published by Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. (MMR). To view past editions click here. For a free subscription to Multicultural Travel News and its sister publication, Multicultural Marketing News, sign up here. Lisa Skriloff, Editor Multicultural Travel News Multicultural Entertainment News Multicultural Marketing News Dance Travel News Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. 212-242-3351 |
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