Jetsettersblog

A collection of Costa Rica’s top tourism attraction and cruise excursion companies formed Costa Rica’s Elite Eco-Shore Excursions, also known as The Elite Group.

Their mission is to protect and preserve the environment while educating visitors about the wonders of their surroundings. The Elite Group was formed in early 2006 as a partnership of Costa Rican tour operators, and is made up of three distinct companies: Grupo Mawamba, Ríos Tropicales and Rain Forest Aerial Trams in Costa Rica. Individually, each partner of The Elite Group is known as an original pioneer in their respective areas. Collectively, members have over 40 years of experience in operating tours tailored for cruise passengers, and are now able to offer a wider variety of excursion itineraries with their combined expertise and resources. “In an effort to share our commitment to the conservation and preservation of Costa Rica’s natural bounty through innovative tourist attractions, we have combined our resources in order to reach a larger audience,” said Eugenia Solano, general manager of RFAT.

“We feel confident that The Elite Group showcases the best that Costa Rica has to offer and are excited to be working together with Grupo Mawamba and Ríos Tropicales to promote this destination.” The Elite Group members include Ríos Tropicales, Grupo Mawamba and Rain Forest Aerial Trams.

Ríos Tropicales has been offering guided kayaking and white-water rafting tours on the rivers of Costa Rica since 1985; Grupo Mawamba in the water based eco-systems of Costa Rica such as guided boat tours of the Mangroves near the Guacalillo Canals, kayaking trips through Tortuguero National Park and a boat trip down the Sarapiquí River and two hotels; and Rain Forest Aerial Trams has two parks in Costa Rica, including RFAT Atlantic and RFAT Pacific: both locations offer additional ways to experience the rainforest such as zip-line canopy tours, walking trails, a serpentarium, as well as a butterfly and frog garden.

Call 305-704-3350 or visit www.elitetourscr.com

With the launch of e-Miles, travelers can earn frequent-flyer miles with some of the world’s largest airlines quicker and more easily than before.

At no cost and in just four to five minutes spent each day engaging with e-Miles, a member can earn enough miles for a domestic roundtrip award ticket each year. To immediately start earning miles, consumers log onto www.e-miles.com, spend a few minutes providing enrollment data, view advertising or other marketing messages of interest and respond to two or three brief questions.

“We live in a time-starved society, and e-Miles is founded on the principle that we value consumers’ time and believe they should be rewarded for it,” said Hal Brierley, chairman and chief executive officer of e-Miles. “By awarding frequent-flyer miles to members, e-Miles offers the most-valued reward currency to consumers.” With a bonus of up to 250 frequent-flyer miles to each consumer who enrolls, e-Miles members can immediately start to earn miles which can be deposited into the frequent flyer programs of Continental, Delta, Northwest or US Airways.

The frequent-flyer miles earned by each member are deposited quarterly into his or her pre-selected frequent flyer program and all miles are subject to the individual airlines’ policies for booking reward travel and earning status levels. Based on the categories of interest pre-selected by each member and the frequency in which members choose to engage, frequent-flyer miles can be earned without leaving the ground. For example, a seven-hour roundtrip flight from Dallas to New York earns travelers about 2,800 miles with the average carrier; seven hours on e-Miles could yield more than 12,000 miles for that traveler.

“The e-Miles concept is very exciting for travelers and advertisers alike. Only e-Miles will reward consumers for viewing advertising with frequent-flyer miles,” said Mark Bergsrud, senior vice president, marketing programs and distribution for Continental Airlines.

Consumers will be invited to join e-Miles by their preferred airlines beginning in January 2007, or they can visit http://www.e-miles.com/

Acapulco is experiencing record-breaking investments in its tourism infrastructure, boasting new developments, hotel and spa openings and convention offerings.

Tourism officials announced that private investors and developers have invested more than $100 million into the destination; which is part of a larger plan to bring the new Acapulco back into the tourism spotlight. Recent investments have placed Acapulco among the principal tourist destinations in Mexico to receive the largest number of private investments from domestic as well as foreign sources, according to a recent study conducted by Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism, Sectur. Highlighting the transformation of Acapulco is the growth of the Diamante area, which stretches along the coastline.

New projects already underway include the new cliff-top Banyan Tree hotel slated for completion by yearend. Other upscale resort projects currently under development in the Diamante zone include the all-suite Mansion Imperial hotel, featuring 334 rooms at an investment of $125 million. Additionally, the Villas Imperial will offer 900 villas or 2,000 rooms with its investment of more than $85 million, while the Palace Imperial is slated to feature 360 suites for time-share sales at an additional investment of $85 million.

Acapulco resorts currently encompass 18,000 hotel rooms. This total is projected to increase by approximately 3,000 within the next two years.

Also underway is construction of the Expo Imperial and Imperial Forum, the new exhibition and convention center with exhibit and meeting space totaling over 360,000 square feet. These facilities are part of the master-planned Mundo Imperial Project, which additionally includes Casa Imperial, a hotel resort complex with 879 rooms and Fiesta Imperial, a 210,000-square-foot plaza comprised of restaurants, lounges, night clubs and cultural venues. The complex is projected to open in November 2007.

A $2 million renovation of the existing Acapulco Convention Center, the largest conference facility in Latin America, includes upgraded technological equipment as well as enhancements to its terraces and principal entrance.

For more information, visit http://www.visitacapulco.com.mx/

Opatija in Croatia was awarded the Silver Flower in city category, while Skradinski Buk won Bronze Flower in village competition for 2006 in an annual European competition for the most beautiful parks and ecological awareness of nominated cities and villages. Originally, there were 27,000 entries, and 12 finalists were chosen in each category to compete for Gold, Silver and Bronze Flower. Opatija, a vacationing place for European royalty and celebrities in 19th and early 20th century, is hosting the 10th Century Gastronomy festival through Dec. 15.

This event features gastronomy dating more than 150 years back. Twenty Opatija restaurants will prepare and serve food according to 19th century recipes. Visit www.opatija-tourism.hr. During the winter months, starting in November, Marin Drzic Theatre in Dubrovnik will feature different cultural programs every Tuesday at 5 p.m. Performers will include “klape” (Dalmatian vocal groups), folk dances ensembles, classical music concerts and choirs, dance performances etc. www.tzdubrovnik.hr.

The Dubrovnik Winter Card is a free card that offers over 80 discounts for all visitors who spend at least two nights in Dubrovnik (hotels or private accommodations) through Feb. 28. This promotion offers museums, theaters, restaurants, gift shops etc. The cards are available at hotels and tourist offices in Dubrovnik.

Visit www.tzdubrovnik.hr  For more information, call the Croatian Tourist Office at 800-829-4416 or visit www.us.croatia.hr  

Croatia and Slovenia Travel Map Excellent for route-planning and reference. This map of Croatia and Slovenia includes up-to-date information and features: • Motorways, principal highways, secondary roads (with road numbering where available) • Street maps of major cities • Distances between selected points • Points of Interest clearly marked • Tourist information and Attractions • Public Transport information • Index in Eight Languages: German, English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Swedish