Despite the weak dollar, USTOA (United States Tour Operators Association) chairman Nikos Tsakanikos said U.S. tour operators are optimistic about 2008 business because leisure travel today is perceived as a necessity for many.

In his address at the 2007 USTOA Annual Conference in Cancun, Tsakanikos, president of Homeric Tours, said, "Americans are still traveling and going to Europe, the industry remains strong, and international travel is holding its own, especially destinations that offer good value for the dollar." In fact, said Tsakanikos, the weak dollar will cause consumers to "increasingly think about the savings, convenience and the economic power of buying packages and tours. That will be very good for our industry. In fact, 2008 may well be the year of the tour operator."

A USTOA member survey revealed the top packaged travel destinations for Americans.
For the fifth straight year, Italy placed first as the most popular international destination, despite the declining value of the dollar. England placed a distant second. The survey also found that Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, are the most popular up-and-coming destinations, followed closely by South America and Asia. Egypt placed first as the best value for the dollar, with a three-way tie between Turkey, the U.S. and China as a distant second. Domestically, California tops the list of U.S. states most popular for tours and packages, with Alaska and Nevada right behind.

Passageways Note:
With the dollar as weak as it is versus the Euro, the package vacation becomes very advantageous as Mr. Tsakanikos notes. And it's important that you know that "package" does not mean the old "if it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" fast-paced escorted tour. Package today can mean "just the basics" or solely airport transfers, hotel and maybe a half-day city sight-seeing...or you can couple a short three or four day escorted component with a simple city stay and exploring on your own...or you can embrace a full escorted opportunity. The escorted tours are also not as they used to be...virtually all are now "paced"...from leisurely to a more taxing schedule. Dietary and mobility issues can be met in most cases as well. Talk to your Passageways professional about identifying just the right vacation opportunity for you.

Eurail Group has rolled out new branding, with a new logo and tagline. It also announced that two additional countries, Croatia and Slovenia, will participate in the Eurail program in 2008.

The new logo retains the classic blue of the old logo but incorporates green, Eurail said, to reflect the European landscape and the environmental advantages of train travel.

The group said the new tagline, "Your Pass. Your Europe," is meant to capture the essence of freewheeling, unlimited travel that a Eurail Pass offers.> Eurail will retain the current logo for corporate use, while the new logo will be used for its products, in an effort to make a distinction between the two, Eurail said.

With the addition of Croatia and Slovenia, Eurail's classic pass, the Eurail Global Pass, will give holders access to trains in 20 countries. Eurail also announced it will introduce three passes covering Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. Other new passes for 2008 are Finland-Sweden, Denmark-Sweden and Norway-Sweden passes, plus a single pass covering all four Scandinavian countries.

The additions bring to 42 the number of one-country and regional passes. The group said its rebranding was prompted by Eurail's takeover, earlier this year, of the management of the InterRail products aimed at the European domestic market.

Eurail countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Fore!

• Cancun Golf Club at Pok Ta Pok
• Cozumel Country Club
• El Camaleon Mayakoba
• Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort
• Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club
• Mayan Resorts Golf Riviera Maya
• Moon Spa & Golf Club
• Playa Nujeres Golf Club
• Playacar Spa & Golf Club
• Puerto Adventuras
• Puerto Cancun
• TPC Cancun La Roca Country Club

Join Passageways’ Bonnie Pintozzi on this 9-day trip which will show you the highlights of Italy, covering all the notable features from St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum and the Forum in Rome to Michelangelo’s David in Florence and St. Mark’s Basilica and Doges’ Palace with the Bridge of Sighs in Venice.
Local Guides in these cities will answer all your questions.