Jetsettersblog

Imperial Tours launched a new brand of China tour products called China Escapades, a new FIT product targeted to more independent and adventurous travelers seeking greater autonomy and lower prices.

“With demand for travel to China growing, our research in the luxury travel advisor community has shown that there is a need for an alternative to our current hosted FIT product at a more accessible price point, so we developed China Escapades,” said Guy Rubin, founder and managing partner of Imperial Tours. “China Escapades affords greater flexibility to appeal to these distinct consumers who are more experienced, adventurous and often repeat travelers to China.”

With the launch of China Escapades, Imperial Tours is rebranding its existing FIT product, which will now be called Ultimate China, for clients who want a hosted luxury experience.

Ultimate China programs come with a China Host, a Westerner fluent in Chinese and living in China who ensures quality and service. Imperial’s two private programs are customized to the needs of the individual traveler but the scope of services varies between the Ultimate China and China Escapades products.

China Escapades is slightly more moderate and more independent, but still a luxury product.

Like Ultimate China, it will come with the best five-star hotels and room types available.

But China Escapades will have virtual concierge support rather than a host who accompanies clients.

While gratuities are included in Ultimate China, they are not in China Escapades. While all meals are included with Ultimate China, only breakfast and lunch are included with China Escapades. China Escapades clients seek more independence in their travels and not the extra service a China Host provides.

These customers opt for direct rather than mediated contact with local Chinese suppliers to add to their overall understanding of China.

For optimum service levels and the security of never being completely alone, China Escapades guests have access to a western Virtual Concierge through a pre-programmed mobile phone 24/7.

For enhanced flexibility, dinners are not included in China Escapades itineraries but Imperial provides guests with restaurant recommendations and designs suggested menus for them to enjoy in Chinese restaurants.

The freedom to choose their own dinner options appeals to the whimsical spirit of this traveler.

The Ultimate China client, on the other hand, prefers that a China Host take care of all the details (such as wake-up calls, restaurant menus, shopping recommendations to non-commissionable venues, fine-tuning an itinerary in real-time, and more).

The China Escapades tours do not offer Lhasa, Dunhuang or Huangshan because Imperial feels a China Host is essential to implementing the company’s unique experiences on the ground in these areas.

To create China Escapades and clearly define what distinguishes the two products, Imperial Tours ran test programs and captured guest feedback on the key elements of the itinerary. Regardless of the type of FIT tour, Imperial Tours has access to exclusive activities and venues as a result of the company’s extensive ‘black book’ of connections throughout China. In terms of price, Ultimate China programs cost approximately $1,300 per person, per day, and China Escapades are priced around $800 per person, per day (prices are based on two people traveling together on an FIT vacation).

Imperial Tours offers customized private tours and scheduled escorted group departures that combine local expertise with the high levels of service and quality expected by sophisticated Western travelers.

Through its portfolio of programs and themed excursions, Imperial Tours provides the “best of the best” in China encompassing accommodations, dining, sightseeing, experiences and much more at unrivaled value.

Founded by Westerners in 1999, Imperial Tours has offices in Beijing, San Francisco, Offenbach (Germany) and Poole (U.K.).

For more information, call 888-888-1970, email margot@imperialtours.net  or visit www.imperialtours.net

Tourism Fiji launched revised versions of its Romance Me guide and website targeting the international romance market.

The 18-page full-color guide offers comprehensive details on Fiji’s available romantic experiences and includes product and package details from popular getaways, mainland resorts, wedding service providers, inbound tour operators and cruise companies.

The revised website at www.fijime.com/romanceme can also be accessed as a useful resource tool while planning a Fiji vacation for soon-to-be weds, newlyweds and romantic couples.

Tourism Fiji has also launched revised versions of its Dive Me guide, in print and digital formats. While the full color guide contains a pictorial guide and testimonials to Fiji’s best dive experiences, the revised website at www.fijime.com/diveme  details information that includes Fiji’s marine reserves, dive operations, videos, blogs and other consumer-friendly features.

For more information, call 310-568-1616, email infodesk@tourismfijius.com  or visit www.fijime.com

Pan Pacific Hotels Group will open new properties Pan Pacific Ningbo and Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Ningbo in Zhejiang, China.

This follows the signing of a management agreement with Ningbo International Trade Investment and Development Company Limited at the 12th Zhejiang Investment and Trade Symposium on June 8.

The 430-room Pan Pacific Ningbo and 200-room Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Ningbo are located at the gateway of an upcoming industrial and economic zone in Ningbo, and are part of a mixed-used development by Ningbo International Trade Investment and Development Company Limited.

The mixed-used development also includes the Ningbo International Conference Exhibition Center which will feature 10 main halls. In addition a new commercial district and up market residential area is evolving in the immediate area.

The opening of these new properties in Ningbo is part of Pan Pacific Hotels Group’s Greater Shanghai strategy to establish its presence in Shanghai and the fast-growing cities surrounding it including Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shaoxing.

The Group also opened its seventh Global Sales Office in Shanghai earlier this year.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group currently manages Pan Pacific Xiamen and Pan Pacific Suzhou in China. Pan Pacific Suzhou was recently named one of China’s “Top 10 Most Popular Resort Hotels of 2010” in the Golden Pillow Awards. Now in its seventh year, the Golden Pillow Awards are jointly held by China’s top financial medium 21st Century Business Herald and China’s first Business + Travel magazine and decided on by a panel comprising business experts, media, hotel investors and millions of votes from netizens.

Pan Pacific Ningbo and Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Ningbo are scheduled to open at the end of 2011.

The latter marks Pan Pacific’s third Serviced Suites property and second outside Singapore, after Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Bangkok. Based in Singapore, Pan Pacific Hotels Group owns, manages and/or markets over 30 hotels, resorts and serviced suites with over 10,000 rooms in Asia and North America including those under development. The group comprises two brands: Pan Pacific and ParkroyaL.

For more information, visit www.pphg.com

The Fijian government has just gazetted legislation to allow foreign-flagged super yachts to charter in Fiji.

In anticipation of these changes and the expected growth in the super yacht charter industry, Adrenalin Fiji imported Bel’Mare to be the first super yacht registered in the Fiji Islands.

Bel’Mare is a floating five-star boutique hotel that enables exploration of the islands in luxury and customizes charter holidays to the desires of each customer.

The Bel’Mare is an 86-foot luxury power cruising motor yacht built in 2004 by Pachoud Shipyards in New Zealand. She comes with crew including captain, engineer, chef and steward and carries watersports equipment for snorkeling, diving, Jet Ski riding, fishing and kayaking.

Bel’Mare has as conducted overnight cruises for families and has recently hosted a corporate incentive day trip for 30 business people from Australia around the Mamanuca Islands and a gourmet BBQ lunch in between snorkeling and riding the Jet Ski.

She will also be available for special occasions such as weddings and honeymoons.

Adrenalin Fiji has a subsidiary company called Yacht Partners Fiji (YPF) which specializes in Super Yacht shore support. Aspects to cruising which YPF (www.yachtpartnersfiji.com ) can assist with are passage planning, charts and activities; shore support, including provisioning, laundry, flowers, etc.; mobile phone and GPRS Internet service; and medical facilities and arrangements and more.

For more information, email info@adrenalinfiji.com  or visit www.belmarefiji.com

Vail Resorts, Inc. has acquired Mountain News Corporation (MNC), which operates the world’s most visited online snow sports portal, OnTheSnow.com

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Following the acquisition, Chad Dyer will remain with MNC, continuing to oversee the operations as global managing director. Craig Altschul will continue as global editor-in-chief of the site. After a 30-year career with MNC, Publisher Rob Brown will be retiring from his position, but will be assisting Vail Resorts and MNC through the transition.

“Mountain News Corporation has a long and rich tradition in the snow sports media business with a dominant share in snow sports web traffic through OnTheSnow.com

Our acquisition of MNC is a reflection of our commitment to the importance of emerging digital mediums for the entire snow sports industry and our desire for the industry to be a leader in that effort,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “We intend to invest in the development of new content and digital applications, building on the great strength and talent of everyone at MNC.”

Mountain News Corporation is based in Orinda, Calif., where its offices and staff will remain.

The operations of MNC, including editorial content, will be maintained separate and independent from Vail Resorts’ five mountain resorts and lodging and real estate businesses.

OnTheSnow.com features snow reports for more than 2,000 ski and snowboard resorts around the world, along with live resort web cams, video, resort information and news, vacation packages and deals, user-generated resort reviews and a comprehensive ski and snowboard gear guide.

Through their global platform, they reach skiers and snowboarders in five markets around the world, including the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe (U.K., Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, France, Sweden, Italy and Benelux) and the South Pacific (Australia & New Zealand).

MNC is the top provider of snow reports to more than 1,200 websites throughout the world, including approximately 400 news media websites.

The Company’s pre-produced radio snow reports are delivered to affiliate stations in 17 radio networks and 800 stations across the country.

In addition to their snow reports and website, OnTheSnow.com publishes and delivers a weekly e-mail newsletter to its database of more than 250,000 subscribers worldwide.

MNC also operates MountainGetaway.com, the year-round headquarters for information regarding popular mountain resort communities and regions in the summer months.

The site’s content features regional resort guides prepared by professional mountain travel writers that include local events and activities, mountain resort profiles and statistics, travel deals, mountain news and feature stories, five-day weather forecasts, mountain cams, vacation lodging, travel packages and more.

MountainGetaway.com’s weekly e-mail newsletter reaches 145,000 subscribers worldwide with information, news and special travel offers.

For more information, visit www.vailresorts.com or www.snow.com

T.Mariotti shipyard reports it has delivered the new Seabourn Sojourn to The Yachts of Seabourn. It is the second of three 550 million euro ships.

The third sister ship is under construction for delivery in 2011. The new vessel, twin to Seabourn Odyssey delivered in 2009, is 32,000 tons and accommodates 450 guests.

A unique detail is the addition of a marina on the stern that lowers directly to the sea. “We are very pleased to take delivery of Seabourn Sojourn, whose first guests are eagerly awaiting her arrival in England to be named and start her maiden voyage,” said Pamela C. Conover, Seabourn president and CEO. “We thank the men and women of T.Mariotti for building us a beautiful vessel that will enable us to serve our guests in the finest style.”

M
exico Connection, a division of Condominium Connection, is now offering the four-property Encanto Resorts Collection in the Riviera Maya/Playa del Carmen area.

The addition of the luxury Encanto Resorts Collection brings Mexico Connections inventory to 75 hotels and condominiums in Cancun, Los Cabos, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.

The Encanto Resort Collection includes one- to three-bedroom suites, each with fully equipped, modern kitchens and spacious living and dining areas.

Activities in the immediate areas include golf, diving, yachting, fishing, and adventure and eco-archeological tours.

Sample rates for five-night, land-only packages start at $223 per night for a one-bedroom, ocean suite for two guests.

Rates include roundtrip airport transfers and resort taxes.

For more information, call 800-423-2976 or visit www.condoconnection.com

MGM Mirage has launched five free iPhone apps, available through iTunes. Vegas Reality, the city’s first dedicated augmented reality application, merges real Vegas with virtual Vegas for a multidimensional look at its hotels, restaurants and attractions. In addition, resort applications are available for Mandalay Bay, the MGM Grand and New York-New York, as well as Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss.

More apps are underway for additional MGM Mirage Las Vegas properties and attractions.

Entertainment of Las Vegas delivers access to video previews, show times, event calendars, directions and ticket purchasing for all the MGM Mirage properties in the city.

Key f of the Vegas Reality app allow users on the Strip to point their iPhones at resorts and casinos and watch information appear as floating text on their screens, using the phones’ cameras and GPS services.

With the app, users can virtually go inside the resorts to learn about their shows, nightclubs and restaurants; buy tickets and book reservations with one touch; access a property’s real-time Twitter feed for deals and events; select “fun facts” for information and videos sharing famous — and infamous — moments in Vegas history; explore CityCenter’s public art collection, including artist bios and facts about each piece; and explore Vegas virtually.

The resort apps, which are compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, allow users to access photos, videos and information and make bookings with one touch.

Among other features, users can preview videos of shows, grab last-minute tickets and check seating charts; bookmark their favorite activities to create itineraries for their trips; use GPS maps and indoor casino maps; order room service, browse restaurant menus and make reservations from anywhere; review rules for casino games or join the Player’s Club; email any page or offer to a friend; see targeted content and deals based on their location; check local weather; preview and reserve rooms at the hotels; for special events, work with their host property to load pass code-protected content viewable only to their attendees, including program schedules and party photos; preview event space; check out clubs, bars and nightlife; rate any of the featured services at the resort; see information in French, German, Italian, Japanese or Spanish; and view the live Twitter feed for deals and special events.

The Entertainment of Las Vegas app, which is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, allows users to explore shows, nightclubs and attractions at Bellagio, Aria Resort & Casino, the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Excalibur, Circus Circus, Luxor and The Mirage. Specifically users can see location-specific content that changes depending on where they are; find shows and attractions like stand-up comedy acts, Cirque du Soleil shows, the Lion Habitat and Shark Reef Aquarium; access overhead custom GPS maps of the Strip and get exact directions to where they want to go; use the embedded smart-search bar to find content by keyword; bookmark any page; comment about their trips or rate any of the featured services; check out the live entertainment Twitter feed; and send any page in the app to a friend.

For more information, visit www.mgmmirage.com

Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze & Candy Factory and Ripley’s Impossible LaseRace to open in time for Memorial Day weekend fun

OCEAN CITY, MD – Ripley’s Believe It or Not! will sweeten Ocean City Boardwalk offerings this week as it opens two new family fun attractions: Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze & Candy Factory and Ripley’s Impossible LaseRace.

These new, innovative, fun and tasty attractions will be opening their doors on May 28 in the Pier Building on the Boardwalk, four doors down from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, directly adjacent to the World Famous ThrasherâEUR s French Fries.

The Marvelous Mirror Maze features hundreds of mirrors, music, mysterious sounds and colorful lighting effects. The spectacular and colorful candy store has a splendiferous variety of candies of all kinds” from old fashioned root beer barrels to the most current confections, all set in a fantasy candy factory surrounding.

Imagine playing INSIDE a video game. At Ripleys new Impossible LaseRace, players step inside a laser-filled chamber and become part of the game as they jump, crawl, and straddle a gauntlet of laser lights.

The players mission is to beat the clock and reach the end without breaking a single laser beam.

Both of these attractions are fun and wonderful activities for the entire family to enjoy together. said Desi Knaub, general manager of Ripley Believe It or Not!

They are different from any other attractions now offered in Ocean City.

The new attractions are located just south of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in the Pier Building on the boardwalk at 401 South Atlantic Avenue.

All three Ripley’s are open daily, 9 a.m. to Midnight. A combo ticket that includes all three Ripley’s Boardwalk attractions is available and offers great savings for all family members.

The Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze and Candy Factory and Ripley’s Impossible LaseRace are the newest members of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. family, which includes more than 80 family attractions in 11 countries, including Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, Louis Tussaud’s Wax Museums, Ripley’s Aquariums, Ripley’s Haunted Adventures, Ripley’s Moving Theaters, Ripley’s Mini-Golf, and the Guinness World Records Museums.

El Remanso Rainforest Wildlife Lodge
www.elremanso.com

OSA PENINSULA, Costa Rica—The tiny patch of Costa Rica’s last remaining tropical humid rainforest holds about 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity, making it an ‘unspoiled’ travel destination for visitors who want to experience Costa Rica in its most pristine form.

El Remanso Lodge beckons both adventurers and people looking for a relaxing getaway in the exquisite natural paradise of the Osa Peninsula.

El Remanso Lodge’s 185 acre private reserve offers endless possibilities to discover the magic of a tropical rainforest acting as a buffer zone to the famous Corcovado National Park:

1. Waterfall Rappelling: Enjoy four waterfalls and four hours of heart-pumping adventure in a truly beautiful deep forest setting. This is the first tour of its kind in Costa Rica.

2. Zip-Line Tour and Canopy Breakfast: Within seconds of leaving their cabins, guests can enter the canopy world of the forest, riding a cable onto a platform that is 125 feet above the jungle floor. Guests can eat their breakfasts as they enjoy spectacular birding and wildlife watching while looking down into a canyon of leaves and branches

3. Hiking: El Remanso’s resident naturalist guide takes travelers on one of several different trails while travelers gaze at magnificent flora and fauna and have a biology lesson and close encounters with Costa Rica’s wildlife
4. Bird Watching: Guests can go on a bird-watching tour in the only country that has so many bird species (830 species).

Highilghts include spotting birds like Honeycreepers, Tanagers or the spectacular White Crested Coquette
5. Horseback Riding: Visitors can enjoy a three hour horseback ride through the rainforest and along the impressive Pacific Beach guided by Miguel Sanchez, a local neighbor, who will offer insights from someone who has been living in the middle of the rainforest his entire life.

6. Dolphin Watching: The “sweet gulf” or Golfo Dulce is one of four tropical fjords around the world and is home to a large variety of wildlife, including dolphins, whales (from August to November), rays, whale sharks, and sea turtles.

The tour starts early in the morning in Puerto Jiménez’s harbor where travelers take a private boat to go out and look for dolphins.

7. Surfing: Costa Rica is well known for its excellent surfing conditions because of its many spots with great waves and the warm year-round water temperature.

8. Kayaking: See different fish, birds, dolphins, and rays as you explore the beaches and mangroves of the Osa Peninsula in a kayak.

The sunset tour offers a special look at the area during a stunning part of the day.

9. Tree Climbing: The best way to see the forest is to get up into the tree tops where 80% of the forest species live.

Canopy touring has something for everyone: botanists, artists, photographers, birders, researchers and for those who like the thrill of adventure. Some platforms have ocean and forest views, a reward for the tree climbing experience.

10.Yoga: El Remanso offers an oasis of peace and there’s hardly any better place to practice yoga than their Yoga Platform, which is complete with surrounding forest views.

The isolated beach also offers an excellent setting for yoga, especially at sunset.

To learn more about planning an adventure on the Osa Peninsula, visit

www.elremanso.com