ITB Berlin News - Day 1

28 SPECIAL FEATURE

28 SPECIAL FEATURE ADVERTORIAL CITY BREAKS SpeedVegas VEGAS: GATEWAY TO THE NATIONAL PARKS The Entertainment Capital of the World Las Vegas breaks record with 42 million+ visitors in 2015 Everybody, it seems, is going to Vegas these days. Las Vegas set another new record by surpassing 42 million visitors in 2015 for the first time. The city of many names (The Entertainment Capital, City of Lights, The Gambling Capital of the World, Sin City and others…) is not just for high rollers. Visitors on city breaks-- if they visit in October 2016-- might see some of America’s very highest rollers. The final candidates who are betting they might become President of the United States will visit Vegas on October 19th, 2016. The Commission on Presidential Debates named Vegas as one of four host cities with debates which will decide who moves into America’s White House. What no one debates is that Las Vegas is so much more than gaming tables and dinner shows. For one example, if gaming drives you crazy, visitors can head over to new Speedvegas, a 100-acre million motorsports complex that features a 1.5-mile supercar track, multilevel welcome ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 9 th March 2016 center, large event center, simulators and the opportunity to drive the world’s most sought-after exotic and muscle cars. Tourists who want a slower pace can try out the Las Vegas Strip’s first park. In April, MGM Resorts will debut a park with an eclectic blend of restaurants, bars and entertainment tucked into desert landscaping. An interactive and social environment, the Park aims to build a sense of community through innovative programming and events. It connects the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts as well as the new 20,000-seat world-class T-Mobile Arena. And that’s not all that’s new on the Strip. The first Las Vegas Strip development in nearly a decade is underway. When the Chinese-themed Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) opens in mid-2018, it will include three hotels, multiple restaurants with Asian cuisines, more than 100,000 sq. feet of gaming, numerous retail offerings, and a nightlife venue. Even the most classic Vegas icons are being refreshed. To BEGINNING IN JUNE, EUROWINGS WILL SOON OFFER TWICE WEEKLY NONSTOP SERVICE BETWEEN LAS VEGAS AND COLOGNE BONN AIRPORT celebrate its 50th anniversary, Caesars Palace is now spending a billion to update its property. The iconic hotel’s original tower, the Roman Tower, just finished a million transformation into the newly-opened 587-room Julius Tower. No wonder international airlines keep adding Las Vegas as a destination: beginning in June, Eurowings will soon offer twice weekly nonstop service between Las Vegas and Cologne Bonn Airport. Hall 2.1 / Stand 480 Mention the largest city in Nevada, Las Vegas, and what comes to mind: the huge resort hotels lining the famous “Strip,” with their sparkling lights, fountains, and glamorous shows. Yet Las Vegas lies in the desert, surrounded by barren hills. City break-ers will discover it’s called “the gateway to the national parks” because Vegas is a convenient starting point for exploring 10 destinations run by America’s National Park Service (NPS). These 10 destinations, cover nearly 10 million acres (40,468.5 sq. km or almost the size of The Netherlands). Within a five-hour drive (or onehour scenic airplane flight) from Las Vegas are: Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Death Valley National Park, Great Basin National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument The closest to Las Vegas, just 32 km from the Strip, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, is the newest NPS National Monuments, preserving an Ice Age paleontological site where mammoths, lions and camels once roamed ancient wetlands. Hall 2.1 / Stand 480 www.itb-berlin-news.com

CITY BREAKS SPECIAL FEATURE 29 ADVERTORIAL © BirdAir Home of the Pina Colada Puerto Rico’s Old San Juan… What could be better than a city break in the New World with Old World charm? Coney Island Amphitheatre New York City… What Else? The city that never sleeps is busier (and more fun) than ever! No city in the world can match New York City’s unparalleled energy, or the tremendous pride New Yorkers take in opening their arms to their more visitors. There is always something fun, exciting and inviting to do here, no matter what kind of experience you prefer. Present at the Brand USA booth at ITB, NYC indeed has a lot to talk about. Here are just a few “snippets” of what’s coming soon from the Big Apple. THE 14TH FACTORY LOWER MANHATTAN - OPENING APRIL 2016 The 14th Factory, orchestrated by artist Simon Birch, will transform 120,000 square feet of the historical, former JP Morgan Building at 23 Wall Street, Manhattan, into a collaborative, immersive installation. The installation allows the audience to explore themes of universal and personal interconnectedness, via towering sculptures, otherworld landscapes and cinematic experiences (the14thfactory. com). CONEY ISLAND AMPHITHEATRE CONEY ISLAND BOARDWALK Set to open in July 2016, the 5,000 seat amphitheatre will be host to a full summer series of live music, comedy shows and family entertainment. The stage will serve as an outdoor venue in the summer months, and then an indoor entertainment space in the winter (coneyisland.com). JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER 2016-17 SEASON LINCOLN SQUARE, MANHATTAN Kicking off September 22, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2016-17 season will consist of more than 110 concerts in Rose Theater and The Appel Room, more than 350 nights of music in Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, and a diverse and extensive range of education and community programs for all ages. CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF WOMEN’S HISTORY AT THE NEW- YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM & LIBRARY UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN In early 2017, the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library will unveil the transformation of its fourth floor Henry Luce III Center to a permanent space devoted to women’s history exhibitions and scholarship – the first of its kind in a US museum. Hall 2.1 / Stand 480 Puerto Rico’s district of Old San Juan, known as Viejo San Juan, provides global travelers a city break to a magnificently preserved Spanish colonial city. Puerto Rico’s oldest settlement is more exciting than any single museum, boasts seven-blocks with historic art, museums, fortresses, churches, government buildings and homes. The district is a lively neighborhood with numerous hotspots to enjoy great Hispanic food, nightlife, shop or stay. Worth a city break for your customers? Here’ s a short preview of how they could spend three days in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Standing guard at the entrance of the San Juan Bay, El Morro is part of the San Juan National Historic Site and is one of only 20 national parks included on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list. Nearby is the Museo de Las Américas with these permanent collections: African Heritage; The Native People of the Americas; Conquest and Colonization; and Art and Culture from North, Central and Viejo San Juan South America and the Caribbean. A typical lunch at the Cinema Bar 1950 (which has a sweeping view of El Morro) might include the fried plantain filled with ceviche, the Puerto Rican sausage – Orocovis style – with mango marmalade, croquettes filled with serrano ham and manchego cheese, or the Puerto Rico-style Caprese salad. The Catedral de San Juan Bautista (San Juan Cathedral) is the second oldest cathedral of the Western Hemisphere. La Fortaleza (The Fortress), the Western Hemisphere’s oldest governor’s mansion in-use. Castillo San Cristóbal (Saint Cristobal Fort) covers 27 acres, the largest Spanish fortification in America. El Museo del Mar (Sea Museum) contains a vast collection of model ships and other mechanical devices used in sea travel from ancient to modernday times. And if your city break tourists get tired of the pina coladas, they can take a short ferry ride to the largest premium rum maker in the world, Bacardí Rum Distillery. Hall 2.1 / Stand 480 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 9 th March 2016