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China: Hot travel spot as 2006 begins
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-29 15:50
Mexico and the Caribbean : Closer to home, because of the impact of Hurricane
Wilma on the Mexican coast, "many of the Cancun reservations are shifting to
Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic as well as to Jamaica," said Bonavita of
American Express Vacations. She said demand is also high for other Mexican
destinations like Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco and Zihuatanejo.
New Orleans : Finally, New Orleans hopes to make a comeback. The Mardi Gras
tradition there celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2006, and the city has
scheduled a 10-day party -- slightly smaller than the two-week event of past
years -- from Feb. 18-28. Laura Claverie, editor of New Orleans Online, a
tourism Web site, says 20,000 hotel rooms are expected to be available by then,
and about half of the flights into the city will have resumed to pre-Katrina
levels. The festivities will include participation by 31 of the 34 parade
organizations that existed before the storm, and more than 700 restaurants are
expected to be open.
"It's not just a great tradition and a great social
event," Claverie said. "It's also a $1 billion industry. So coming to Mardi Gras is also a way
for people to endorse our economic development."
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