There’s still family, turkey and football, but one Thanksgiving tradition is taking a hit this year. Millions of Americans
are spending the holiday at home, saying the poor economy has made it unaffordable to hit the road or board a plane.
Until the first George Bush opens his presidential library, I’ve seen them all.
Indianapolis Visitors Channel, which airs on closed-circuit networks
in more than 6,400 area hotel rooms, highlights some of the city’s most popular attractions and promotes local businesses—both
through traditional advertising and sponsored features.
Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari amusement park in southern Indiana has set an attendance record, drawing more than 1 million visitors for the fourth year in a row.
One of the best things our government ever did was to set aside land for national parks and to keep each in pristine condition
while making them accessible for people to visit. Each is different and has its own unique setting and breathtaking beauty.
Indiana’s casinos are facing increasing competition from gambling ventures in Michigan and Ohio that could pose a threat to
the $900 million in tax revenue the industry generates for the state.
There are cruises to the Antarctic in large luxury ships that go near the islands—close enough to afford
magnificent views. But those ships are too big to get close enough to go ashore.
The City-County Council voted 15-14 last night to approve raising the local hotel tax from 9 percent to 10 percent in a move
intended to help the cash-strapped Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board close a $47 million operating deficit.
Earle Travel Co. has been weathering challenges as the recession has deepened and H1N1 influenza spiked
earlier this year. Those problems have nearly capsized many travel agencies, but co-owner Kelly Shea said Earle’s business
slumped only 8 percent last year.
There’s nothing like following the wildly influential thinker Charles Darwin’s own footsteps, which I had the pleasure of doing by visiting the beautiful, mysterious, isolated and enchanted Galapagos Islands.
Conrad Indianapolis has been recognized as the No. 1 U.S. hotel by Expedia Insiders’ Select List 2009.
Lackluster economy be darned, Indianapolis’ tourism trade gained ground in 2008. And the city’s new head cheerleader has even
higher hopes for this year and beyond.
For eight years, we’d gone out of town for the holidays. But in this particular year not too long ago it looked like we had
no choice but to stay put. So we decided to do the same thing here that we would have done in Utah—sightsee.
An obscure not-for-profit has become a financial powerhouse since it was founded here 19 years ago. But now it’s in the crosshairs
of a New York state investigation into whether it and others that organize study abroad programs for college students offered
universities perks to become their preferred providers.
The new owner of Ambassadair travel club has eliminated membership fees and will add a flurry of charter flights in January under a plan to revive an Indianapolis institution that shuttled thousands of Hoosiers around the globe for 34 years.
