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The little things count, says Flemming Friisdahl, and one of them is a bold, new colour scheme for the logo of The Travel Agent Next Door. Featuring more vibrant shades of the previously soft palette colours, the strength of colours represents the confidence of the host agency in emerging from the pandemic and looking ahead going into its ninth year.

Indeed, TTAND’s CEO noted that the organization now has over 1,000 agent members in 2022, which is a far cry from its 60 agents (and three staff members) when it started in 2014. It’s even a boost over the course of the pandemic, where 250 members left the industry, but 450 new one joined.

Moreover, TTAND’s initial-year sales figure of $7 million will not only hit an expected $255 million this year but has increased almost 54% since 2019 ($165 million).

Speaking at TTAND’s annual VIP Supplier Event at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto last week, Friisdahl admitted, “We didn’t expect that; we thought it would be 2023 before it (business fully) came back.”

He added, “We believe we are the largest host agency in Canada.”

As for the logo, it also reflects TTAND’s new milestone numbers, including the tagline, ‘1,000+ agents strong,’ and is available in a customizable B2C version that lets members choose their own message/strengths, such as cruise, Europe, or weddings/honeymoons.

“We want agents to be able to promote their specialty,” explained TTAND’s new director of marketing, Antje Splettstoesser.

And in a nod to her German roots, she showed off an advent calendar promotion for December that offers members special supplier incentives.

Splettstoesser also revealed that TTAND is working on a new groups program and B2C website with self-management capabilities for consumers.

Looking ahead to 2023, Friisdahl says he expects TTAND to grow to 1,200 agents, 50 staff, and a “minimum” $305 million in sales.

Of the latter, he says, “For us to be there, I think that means something!”

He noted to the supplier audience that everything TTAND does is mindful of their partner relationships, explaining that “if you’re not successful, we aren’t successful.”

To that end, he added, TTAND keeps it preferred partnerships modest (about 40), so sales are not diluted.

A notable new program coming next year, Friisdahl revealed, will be Z.I.P. (Zero Interest Program) – an adaptation of the extremely successful ‘travel now, pay later’ incentive offered by the former Sears Travel, which will allow clients to make deferred payments three, six, or 12 months after booking.

Friisdahl also showed a couple of videos: the first touting TTAND’s significant charitable support for Pencils for Kids, which supports schoolchildren in Africa; the second amusing clip – starring himself – at the site of next year’s annual conference at Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres, Mexico in April.

He noted that TTAND agents won’t have to pay to attend, nor will their membership fees (at $69/month and $19/month for primary and associate agents respectively) won’t increase in 2023.

More “little things” that count.

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

Among last week’s notable news, Destination Canada revealed this country’s latest travel recovery projections, Canada Jetlines will be seeing (rock) stars on an upcoming flight, Transat unveiled its summer 2023 program, Carnival ‘celebrated’ a new ship in Miami, and details emerged for New York’s upcoming Hotel Week.

NEWS

Despite ongoing challenges, Destination Canada says the recovery trajectory for Canada’s tourism sector is strengthening, bolstered by the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and resilience in travel demand. Leisure travel is now expected to recover to 2019 levels by 2024 – considered a remarkable feat – one year earlier than previously forecasted in the Spring. Domestic travel market spending is expected to reach 92% of 2019 levels by the end of 2022 and fully recover in 2023.

Globally, the UNWTO says international tourism is on track to reach 65% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022 as the sector continues to bounce back from the pandemic. An estimated 700 million tourists travelled internationally between January and September, reports the UNWTO, more than double (+133%) the number recorded for the same period in 2021. This equates to 63% of 2019 levels.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport, reopened Runway 06L/24R, the airport’s second-busiest runway, after an eight-month rehabilitation. The project is one of the largest in Pearson’s history and extends the life of the runway for another 30 years.

BY THE NUMBERS

With 275 flights a week to more than 40 destinations at the height of the 2023 summer season, Air Transat will strengthen its position in Europe, increase the number of connections to the South and the United States, and enhance its domestic service. At the height of the season, the airline will offer 88 direct flights weekly to 19 European destinations from Montreal, including 14 to Paris, seven to London and Rome, and six to Marseille. Out of Toronto, 73 direct flights a week are scheduled to 15 cities in Europe, including 14 to London, seven to Glasgow, Rome, and Paris, and six to Dublin and Manchester.

AIR

Passengers flying from Calgary to Toronto with Canada Jetlines on Dec. 8 will have a special opportunity to meet rock star Gene Simmons. The KISS co-founder will join passengers after boarding, where he will share samples of his new MoneyBag Vodka to all interested guests during an on-board meet and greet before departure. The spirit will be offered to all passengers aboard any flight in the Canada Jetlines network.

Air Canada has launched Live TV on select aircraft and domestic routes, notably offering customers the ability watch sports teams in real time or watch live national news onboard a flight. Live TV on Air Canada flights currently features six Canadian English and French channels which are available as part of the airline’s complimentary inflight entertainment programming.

Direct flights from Edmonton to eight different sun destinations are now underway with Sunwing, with the carrier serving Cancun (5x weekly), Liberia (1x), Los Cabos (3x), Mazatlan (1x), Montego Bay, (1x), Puerto Vallarta (2x), Punta Cana (2x), and Varadero (1x). Flights continue to various dates through April.

Air France and KLM are launching their first credit card in Canada – Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard – with partner Brim Financial. Issued and managed on Brim’s state-of-the-art digital platform, the card will provide Canadians with the ability to earn Flying Blue Miles with their everyday purchases.

Commercial flights between Colombia and Venezuela have resumed as relations improve between the South American neighbours following the election of Colombia’s first leftist president. The first flight to connect both countries was operated by Turpial, an airline owned by a retired Venezuelan air force coronel, while Satena, owned by Colombia’s air force, operated the second flight between the countries from Bogota’s international airport.

DEALS

Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts is offering instant savings available on select Air Canada Vacations packages booked through Dec. 4 for travel Dec. 1-April 30, 2023. Based on a 5-night minimum stay in any room category, savings range from $250 to $1,300 depending on the resort and room category. Booking ID: ACV Black Friday Instant Savings.

Starting today (Nov. 28), Uniworld Boutique River Cruises is launching its first-ever “12 Days of Christmas” event, with new offers and savings that will be unveiled each day through Dec.13. Travellers can check Uniworld.com/ca/12Days daily to explore new deals, which will vary widely across ships and over 15 itineraries around the world. Deals will include complimentary roundtrip airfare, category upgrades, trip extensions and savings of up to 50% off.

Contiki is celebrating the cyber holidays with up to 25% savings on over 60 trips worldwide in 2023. The sale continues through Dec. 1.

TOURS

G Adventures says it has made a significant financial investment in restorative travel technology start-up Reforest to start taking action via tree-planting. The Australia-based digital platform connects travellers with local communities that are actively restoring their ecosystems using reforestation.

This festive season, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will glide through some of Europe’s most picturesque winter-scapes on one-night journeys to Florence, Paris, Venice, and Vienna, marking the first December journeys for the Belmond Train. Expanding its annual season (typically March-November), the 10 routes available this December will include classic journeys from Venice to Paris and Vienna to Paris as well as recently launched routes to/from Florence.

HOTELS

Hilton has announced the reopening of the 478-room Hilton New York Times Square, located on 42nd Street in the heart of Times Square and easily accessible from Grand Central, Penn Station and several subway lines, The pet-friendly hotel is within steps of dozens of Broadway and off-Broadway shows, attractions and Restaurant Row. Soaring 44 stories above Times Square with some of the largest standard size rooms in the neighbourhood, guests will have incredible skyline and Hudson River views, with select rooms looking out to the iconic New Year’s Eve ball drop.

Expected to be Japan’s largest hotel and entertainment complex, the massive Tokyu Kabukicho Tower will open in spring 2023. It will feature two luxury hotels – the Hotel Groove Shinjuku and the Bellustar Tokyo. The complex will also feature the Bandai Namco amusement centre, concert venue Zepp Tokyo, two floors of live theatres and cinemas, and an entertainment food hall.

RESORTS

InterContinental Hotels Group and Iberostar Hotels & Resorts have struck a long term commercial agreement that will see 70 of the latter’s hotels and 24,200 rooms added to IHG’s system under the Iberostar Beachfront Resorts brand. Iberostar will become the 18th brand for IHG, boosting its global system size by up to three percent. Through the strategic alliance, Iberostar, a 65-year-old family-run business based in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, will retain 100% ownership, preserving its autonomy and values.

A new Blue Diamond Resorts resort is on the way in Jamaica. Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters Montego Bay will open in late 2023 as a 352-room adults-only all-inclusive experience on the shores of Trelawny. Features include elevated suite amenities, day-to-night activities for adults, a world-class spa, fitness centre with modern equipment, unlimited international and local liquors in eight bars, and eleven exclusive culinary options including its signature Dorado restaurant, set to debut for the very first time in Montego Bay. Guests will also have access to the facilities of the neighboring Royalton Blue Waters Montego Bay, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort.

CRUISE

Carnival Cruise Line’s new flagship Carnival Celebration arrived at its PortMiami homeport and was christened by actress Cassidy Gifford Nov. 20. The festivities were befitting of the ship’s name and underscored Carnival’s year-long celebration of 50 years of fun. An innovative Excel-class sister to the ground breaking Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration is launching year-round service from its hometown of Miami.

Viking has taken delivery of the company’s newest ocean ship, Viking Neptune. While identical to Viking’s other ocean ships, the Viking Neptune is equipped with a small hydrogen fuel system, making it the cruise industry’s first ship to test the use of hydrogen power for on board operations. The Viking Neptune will spend her inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean before embarking on the company’s 2022-23 world cruise from Fort Lauderdale to London, which spans 138-days, 28 countries and 57 ports, with overnight stays in 11 cities.

ATTRACTIONS & THEME PARKS

Real Madrid has plans to launch its own theme park in Dubai. The famed Spanish football club announced a deal with Dubai Parks and Resorts to build a Real Madrid theme park to be inaugurated “in the final quarter of 2023.” The 14-time European club champion said the park will feature “Real Madrid-related attractions,” including “a museum, amusement rides and games of footballing skill” in addition to shops.

Disneyland in Anaheim, Ca., has added two new characters in wheelchairs to its iconic “It’s a Small World” attraction, saying it wanted a “more accurate representation of diversity around the world.” The animatronic dolls are among some 300 costumed dolls representing singing children from many nations featured in the attraction. One is in the Latin American section of the boat ride and the other appears in the finale.

AWARD WINNERS

The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) recently honoured its best-selling Saint Lucia travel advisors at the 2022 Global Piton Awards for the top-producing Saint Lucia Experts from the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and the Caribbean (photo). The awards were bestowed upon travel advisors who booked the most room nights from July 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2021, and the Canadians included Sharon Boissonneault, House of Travel; Lois Barbour, Travel Time, TPI; Alexandra, Maloney, Glenny Trave; Kim Hartlen, Kim Hartlen Travel, TPI; Pauline Denise Blacoe, Shine Travel.

The 1000, a club for the world’s most influential travel advisors, has named its inaugural supplier award winners. The 1000 Growth Partner Award (2023) is Abercrombie & Kent (finalists: Classic Vacations, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Tauck, and Viking Cruises); and New Partner Award winner: Micato Safaris (finalists: Aman, Belmond, Explora Journeys, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Southern Crossings). Nearly 500 suppliers were nominated.

DESTINATIONS

From Dec. 23 to Jan. 8, the pedestrian village at Tremblant, Que., will be transformed into a Christmas wonderland. With activities, stories, carols, and even a visit from Santa Claus, there will be something for all ages. Porter Airlines flights from Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto (YTZ) restart Dec. 16 and a new mobile app for Tremblant is set to be launched.

Reservations are now open for NYC Hotel Week (nycgo.com/hotelweek), Jan. 3- Feb. 12, featuring up to 23% savings off standard room rates are available at more than 140 hotels across all five boroughs. Featured hotels include Hard Rock Hotel New York; Lotte New York Palace; The Beekman, A Thompson Hotel; The Hoxton, Williamsburg; The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue; New York Marriott Marquis; and more. NYC Hotel Week marks the countdown to the return of NYC Winter Outing, NYC & Company’s annual citywide value program, which also includes Restaurant Week, Broadway Week, Must-See Week. Bookings for all open Jan. 10 at nycgo.com/winterouting.

LAST WEEK IN TRAVEL HISTORY

In 1977 British and French Concorde airliners made their first flights with fare-paying passengers to New York.

Send info to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

A couple of years ago, in those heady days before the world was turned upside down, I began a series on my annual London pub crawl, conducted on the Sunday before World Travel Market each November. Alas, while you’ll undoubtedly recall the first two – The Grenadier (for its famous Bloody Marys) and The Nag’s Head (for its jazz jams) – the final stop, The Star Tavern, fell through the cracks of COVID. Call it “pub interrupted.” Until now.

The Star, visited again earlier this month for the first time since 2019, was the last of the trio to be added to our roster, discovered by chance when the first two didn’t seem quite enough for a Sunday afternoon foray. (How many pubs make a crawl one wonders, though the prospect nowadays of crawling on hands a knees does seem extreme.)

Besides proximity – being just a short walk from the other two, albeit in the dizzying streets and lanes of Belgravia (for reference, think kind of near Harrod’s in embassy district of central London) – we picked The Star for it’s unusual history.

Indeed, the pub is known for its role in one of Britain’s most notorious escapades, which is detailed on a sign on the wall, declaring: “This very room was the location for the planning for what was the century’s biggest heist – the Great Train Robbery – which netted the 18-man gang £2.6 million (about £40 million in today’s money).”

The train thieves were just some of the “master criminals” who reportedly hung out at The Star in the 1950s and ‘60s alongside the city’s rich and famous, such as Peter O’Toole and Albert Finney.

And while we lured by the notoriety of the 1963 heist, made more notorious by the fact that most of the money was never found, we stayed (and return), for the atmosphere, particularly the venue’s upstairs “library,” a pleasant sitting room with plenty of space to spread out on couches or at a table if desired.

The room boasts its own bar, though we’ve yet to see it open, but the main station downstairs suitably serves, and waiters attend patrons upstairs at regular intervals.

And what’s a library without books? Not that we’ve ever been inclined to read one. Nevertheless, the collection is curious, ranging from an antique three-volume set of “Modern Heating and Ventilation” to more recent editions of The Good Beer Guide. If you have the time, there’s a collection of Dickens, and other vintage volumes to spare.

Of course, pubs are equally about the beer, and The Star, a Fuller’s affiliate, also serves cask conditioned ale, and proudly notes that it has been listed in every edition of the aforementioned Good Beer Guide. And it was named WL CAMRA (campaign for real ale) Pub of the Year in 2017, and last year received a CAMRA Golden Award, recognizing the pub’s significant contribution to the cause.

A worthy wine list is also available.

Meanwhile, food embraces the farm-to-fork ethos, with menu items ranging from pies of the day to burgers and sandwiches, and more eclectic fare like gnocchi and chicken Kiev.

The Star Tavern is located at 6 Belgrave Mews West, a short walk from Knightsbridge Station (and Sloane Square and Victoria). It’s open from noon to 11 p.m. (9 on Sundays).

With glass purposefully in hand, we at Travel Industry Today continue our series on some of the planet’s best bars, patios and rooftop venues. For more articles in the series, click here:

PREVIOUS ARTICLES: https://travelindustrytoday.com/pub-patio/

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

What’s not to love about Paris? The City of Lights manages to live up to its every accolade around each corner. Marvel at the steel and lace of the Eiffel Tower. Breathe in the aroma of freshly baked buttery croissants oozing from a bakery on the Left Bank. Spend an afternoon with the lovers at Musée Rodin. Window shop ‘til you drop along the Rue du Faubourg Sainte-Honoré Visit the haunts of Ernest Hemingway and Julia Child.

Some might opine that “budget Paris” is an oxymoron. I beg to differ. Many of the pleasures in the city that Ernest Hemingway described as “a moveable feast” are free and there are savvy ways to scrimp and save. But just because you haven’t won the lottery doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a few frivolous fantasies. Here’s how to make the most of your euros and enjoy la vie en rose. (Note: all prices are approximate.)

THE ‘CHEAP THRILLS’ SAVE LIST

An Unpretentious Little Hole in the Wall

Oh Purée (9 Rue Tournefort), just steps from Place Monge and Rue Mouffetard, serves up yummy seasonal dishes in a tiny rustic space. I recommend the mushroom ravioli, scallops with Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut cheesecake. Starter, main course, and dessert cost €32. (www.ohpureeparis.com)

Fantastic Falafels

In the heart of the Jewish quarter of Le Marais, L’as du Fallafel (34 Rue des Rosiers) reigns as king of kosher Middle Eastern food. Folks line up for the garlicky chickpea fritters, served in a pita with hummus, pickled red cabbage, salted cucumbers, fried eggplant and just-hot-enough harissa (€9). It’s so good you might contemplate becoming a vegetarian!

My (No Longer) Secret Hotel

Finding a well-located, quiet, commodious hotel room in Paris is easy if you’re on an expense account or related to the Rockefellers. But for those of us who don’t want to blow most of our Paris budgets on beds, I’ve found a moderately priced gem in the fifth arrondissement. Hotel des Grandes Ecoles (75, rue Cardinal Lemoine) has 51 spacious and immaculate rooms. Some, on the main level, open into the garden. What sets this apart from most Left Bank hotels is the idyllic, peaceful location down a cobblestone path leading to a Provence-style courtyard garden where guests mingle and enjoy alfresco picnics.

Proximity to the Sorbonne explains the hotel’s name. The Metro Cardinal Lemoine is two minutes away. The Luxembourg Gardens, Notre Dame Cathedral and more delights of the Latin Quarter are all nearby. Lively Rue Moufftard, two minutes away, is crammed with inexpensive restaurants, bars and cafés, plus butchers, bakers, fromageries, fruit vendors, chocolate makers and more. (www.hoteldesgrandesecoles.com)

Take a Free Walking Tour

There may be no free lunch, but Discover Walks offer free walking tours of various parts of Paris. I have toured Montmartre, from the Moulin Rouge to Sacre Coeur. I also learned a lot about the trendy Marais area, including where Victor Hugo lived on the Place de Vosges. Although Notre Dame is still closed after a devastating fire in 2019, the Left Bank, Notre Dame and Latin Quarter tour taught me much about the cathedral’s iconic gothic architecture, showed me the location of Shakespeare and Company, Paris’ famous English bookstore and (now) also a coffee shop, and ended at the Pantheon near the Luxemburg Gardens. Book online and meet your guide, who wears a pink vest, at the designated time and place. Note: Your guide’s income is based on tips, so be generous if you liked the tour. (www.discoverwalks.com)

Le Petit Pontoise

I always book dinner at Le Petit Pontoise (9, rue de Pointoise), a cheery bistro that never tries to be cool or chic. Try their delicious artichoke tart followed by herb-crusted rack of lamb served over roasted vegetables. Other specialties include duck parmentier—a sort of gourmet shepherd’s pie consisting of layers of duck confit and mashed potatoes topped with foie gras. But who’s counting calories in Paris? (www.lepetitpontoise.fr)

Scenes from the Seine

Embarking from the foot of the Eiffel Tower, a cruise along the Seine aboard Bateaux Parisians offers the ideal way to soak up the major sights. A tape-recorded commentary provides history and anecdotes as the boat floats under Paris’ many beautiful bridges, passing the Assembly National, the Musée D’Orsay, the Louvre, Notre Dame cathedral, plenty of joggers and the odd troll who’s camped out along the shores, Parisian monuments and architecture seem even more impressive when viewed from the water. The approximate hour-long cruise, €16, also offers new camera angles for avid shutterbugs. (www.bateauxparisiens.com)

Romancing Rodin

The Rodin Museum gets my vote as the most beautiful in Paris. Start in the park, fragrant in summer with masses of old-fashioned roses. Sit on a wooden bench and admire the master’s work. Le Penseur seems to be thinking with every muscle and sinew of his body. Walk around the Burghers of Calais and note the anguished facial expressions. Inside, the 18th century Hôtel Biron houses more masterpieces, including Rodin’s pièce de résistance, Le Bazier (The Kiss). Musée Rodin is closed Mondays; admission to park and museum, €13. (www.musee-rodin.fr)

Take a Pass

Paris is vast. You’ll want to explore its many neighbourhoods on foot, but to get from one end of the city to the other, buy a Paris Visite ticket (three days €29.40) for unlimited travel on the subway, RER trains and buses in zones one to three. The bus system is well mapped and often preferable to the metro. Wouldn’t you rather see more of Paris’ streets and less of its tunnels? (www.en.parisinfo.com)

Pay Your Respects

If ever there were a who’s who of cemeteries, it would have to be Père Lachaise. Named after Louis XV’s confessor, Father Lachaise, the 43-hectare park is the final resting place of Molière, Balzac, Edith Piaf, Chopin, Proust and rock star, Jim Morrison, to name but a few. Oscar Wilde’s Egyptian-style gravestone is covered with lipstick kisses. You can easily spend a peaceful afternoon wandering through the maze of graves. Buy a map at the gates or nearby tabac store.

THE ’YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE’ SPLURGE LISTCafé Society

Opened in 1927 La Coupole is an unabashedly brash brasserie in all the best ways. The glamorous Art Deco setting is the ideal spot to dive into a dozen or more oysters or tackle the tiered platter of shellfish. Ernest Hemingway and his literary pals were regulars at this Montparnasse eatery. (www.lacoupole-paris.com)

Trace Julia Child’s Footsteps

Eating Europe offers food-walking tours in several European cities. If you were a fan of Julia Child, who co-wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking, consider the In the Footsteps of the French Chef Food Tour. You will savour decadent eclairs, sample a classic quiche, taste wines and cheeses at Café Flore and see where Julia and hubby Paul lived. Tickets cost €109. (www.eatingeurope.com)

Window Licking

We say window-shopping. The French say lèche vitrines, which literally means window licking. No society creates more delicious displays. Start with a stroll down the fashionable rue Fauberg St. Honoré. At Hermès (number 24) you might be tempted to buy the ultimate French status item, a silk scarf or tie.

Château Envy

The Château Versailles has been the stuff of legends and movies, but why not visit the Château de Vaux-Le-Vicomte, the estate that inspired Louis IV to build Versailles?

Its creator, Nicolas Fouquet, was appointed superintendent of finance to King Louis in 1653. Fouquet, who had a flair for hiring genius, brought together architect Louis Le Vau, painter Charles Le Brun and landscape gardener André Le Notre. With a seemingly unlimited budget, the talented trilogy created a palace and gardens of unparalleled beauty and harmony. When the King visited Fouquet’s masterpiece, it is said that he was envious and went on the hire Le Notre to create the gardens of Versailles.

The audio tour of the Château is entertaining, and the gardens are truly magnificent. If time is short, rent a golf cart. To get there, take the RER R train (about 30 minutes) from Gare de Lyon to Melun and take a 10-minute taxi from the Melun station to the Château. Buy tickets on-line. (www.vaux-le-vicomte.com)

Eat With Locals

Eat With is a website that offers the opportunity to dine in the homes of Parisians. You can choose from an elegant dinner with wine pairings in Montmartre to taking a soufflé lesson and lunch in in the 17th arrondisement. A couple of years ago I selected “A Cozy French Luxury Dinner” for about, €80.Carla and her husband were the consummate hosts. Their apartment was stylish and Carla was a fantastic cook. Somehow, they managed to orchestrate a gourmet dinner with fine wines and still be on hand to chat and make guests feel like friends. This was a five-star experience for me and four other diners from the US. When I return to Paris, I will try another Eat With experience, sans doute. (www.eatwith.com)

Puttin’ on the Ritz

I doubt Hemingway ever forked over €40 for a cocktail, but the intimate Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Hotel with its comfy leather armchairs and paneled walls covered with photos and memorabilia from the Nobel Prize-winning author is worth a stroll and a sip down memory lane. Legend has it that in 1944 Hemingway stormed into the hotel and declared he was liberating the Ritz Bar from the Nazis. He rang up a tab for 51 dry martinis. The Bar Hemingway was named in his honour in 1994. Colin Peter Field, head bartender, has been ranked best bartender in the world and the Bar Hemingway the best bar in the world. So, splurge! (www.ritzparis.com)

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

A little Chuck Berry, a touch of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and guitar case full of blues, Gary Clark, Jr., is a shining light of the blues-rock world, having already scored four Grammys (and six nominations) in his just over 10 years on the scene.

During that time, he has shared the stage with the likes of Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones and B.B. King, as well as Stevie Ray’s brother Jimmie Lee in the pair’s mutual hometown of Austin, Texas.

Clark has appeared multiple times on the iconic TV show Austin City Limits, from which we extract this sizzling performance of “Travis County.”

Lyrics

Travis County took my picture
But no, I didn’t smile
They told me I was gonna be here
For a pretty long while

One day I was walking down the street when
I should’ve been walking down the hall
Heard a voice calling out, saying
“Ooh, where you going, y’all?”

Now before I could’ve gathered my thoughts
I turned around and I saw the cops
I pointed arms up right when
He told me I better stop

Oooh, oooh

They put my hands in cuffs
Oh boy, they even locked me up
When I thought that it was all a bluff
Till they started taking my stuff

Now I’m sittin’ ’round in my cell
Just a looking at the wall
I didn’t even get to make
My one phone call

After I was just sittin’ ’round
You know I started getting down
When they let me out
All I could do is scream and shout

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News