The Travel Industry News

Walking Softly ...

There is no way to see a city or wonder at the beauty that surrounds us unless you walk and allow yourself to become familiar with the nuances of the seasons or the history of the buildings. Sadly today I read of the passing of a friend, a cricket team mate, a man who was described as “the J.D.Salinger of the high country“. Colin Fletcher wrote seven books including "The Complete Walker”, “The Thousand Mile Summer” & “The Man Who Walked Through Time”. He was talented. cranky, unique, a Welshman and a good cricketer .. the world is poorer without him.

Fortunately we here in the Pacific Northwest have the Portland based wholesaler ‘ Walking Softly Adventures’, owned and run by Amy and John Osaki. This friendly and knowledgeable company has been in business since 1995 and today they offer Hiking experiences in such varied destinations as Northern Greece; New Zealand; the Swiss Alps; Bulgaria; Spain; the Dolomites: the Pyrenees and Japan. New trips for 2008 .. with a focus on culture and easy walking ... explore the Gem Cities of Europe ... and because of the response, they are adding a second trip to Patagonia. Visit the 2008 trip calendar at www.walkingsoftly.com

Website: www.nordicsaga.com

Nordic Saga Tours

SPECIALISTS IN :
Scandinavia, Russia and The Baltic’s
Call for help with your Independent FIT’s
Check out our Escorted Tours on our Website

425-673-4800 or 800-848-6449

Fax 425-673-2600 Email NSTours@nordicsaga.com

Siberia, the Silk Route, St. Petersburg & Beyond

* Private Rail Journeys via DeLuxe Private Train along the Trans-Siberian & Silk Routes
* Scheduled small group cultural tours to Russia, Central Asia & East Europe
* ’Destination by Design’ custom services for FITs and special interest groups
* On-site offices in Western Russia, Siberia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan
* Preferred contracts with four and five-star hotel properties
* Special business and economy fares
* 20 years of destination expertise MIR

Journeys to Legendry Destinations at the Crossroads
of Europe & Asia since 1986
MIR Corporation 800-424-7289 * 206-624-7289 * www.mircorp.com * info@mircorp.com

San Juan Island (WA) & Whale Watch Begins ...

Clipper navigation announced that the 30th of June will mark the start of this year’s San Juan Island - Whale Watch excursion.

Each morning, the Victoria Clipper lll will depart downtown Seattle’s Pier 69 and cruise to Friday Harbor, via Deception Pass. Upon arrival, passengers can disembark or remain on board to enjoy a 2.5 hour Whale and Sealife Search. The Victoria Clipper III is a perfect platform for whale watching. In addition to the 230 seats inside, outdoor viewing is available on all three decks. Additionally, the trained naturalist will narrate and educate passengers about whales and other marine and wildlife in the area.

Following the Whale & Sealife Search, all passengers will have a couple of hours to explore Friday Harbor on San Juan Island before returning to Seattle.

The one day advance purchase summer fare, including transportation and the Whale & Sealife Search is $75 / Adult Mon. - Thur., $90 on Fri.-Sat.-Sun., and only $60 Sept.4 -29 Children under 12 years are free with a paying adult ( one adult per free child ). Overnight packages, multi-city packages and Kayaking excursions are also available.

For more information or to make a reservation, please call:

206-448-5000 or 800-888-2535 or visit www.clippervacations.com

( Send TIN your ‘Chit Chat News’ to keep in touch! )

Pac NW TA CHITCHAT

AIR FRANCE HAS LANDED ... at 14.35pm at Sea-Tac on June 11th and thus begins a new direct service between Seattle and Paris. This becomes Air France’s 13th U.S. gateway. They held a party in downtown Seattle at Benaroya Hall, I was there briefly .. said hello to about 20 people I knew ( out of about 200!!) and then headed back to my own Island. The Seattle flight will be serviced with an A330-200 featuring Air France’s New Travel Concept in a two-class configuration: 40 seats in l’Espace Affaires Business Class and 179 in Tempo Economy Class. This new concept adds more space. new seats and chic interiors to provide passengers with a relaxing and comfortable travel experience. This is a daily non-stop service.

Foreign Tourists are avoiding the USA according to the U.S. tourism industry. Visits from the UK, Japan , Germany and France have dropped 5%. These four countries normally supply almost half of all foreign tourists visiting the USA.

AEROMEXICO will offer a new non-stop service between Sea-Tac and Mexico City (Continuing on to Guadalajara) commencing July 4th Visit www.aeromexico.com

ACCORDING TO an article that was written by Kansas City Star’s Angela Curry, ’Travel Agents Make A Comeback’. The gist of the thing is that people still like to receive personal service .. but we knew that didn’t we?

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINE was just ranked #9 Globally in annual passenger traffic

‘ Turf & Surf Package ‘
“Take to the Sky before going out to Sea”
Start and end your cruise vacation in the Sky! Enjoy beautiful views of Seattle and surrounding lakes and mountains before setting sail. Avoid the expense of parking your car for a week at a pricey downtown lot. Upon your return to port, spend a night relaxing in luxury before heading back to the grind!

Package Includes:
Accommodations in a King Sky View Room
Continental Breakfast
Parking for duration of cruise
Transfer to cruise terminal
* Two night minimum. Two nights at start or end of cruise or one night at beginning and one night at end of cruise. Package starts at $179 per night + tax. for 2007 season.

1-800-899-0251 or www.hoteldeca.com

THE BEST TRAVEL INSURANCE

ACCESS AMERICA now has kids free, primary coverage & the ability for your clients to cancel for divorce, if they have to work or if the hurricanes have destroyed their destination.

Call LAURA MILLER at 360-566-1030

More Ups and Downs ...

As man walks successfully in outer space and travels back and forth on time, ‘Airline Man’ continues to stumble around the tarmac, here are a few ‘inner space’ reports.

Beginning December 15th travelers who have not used their American Airlines ’frequent flier accounts’ for the previous 18 months will lose their accumulated miles. This is down from the 36 month grace period that has been allowed.

United States airlines during the first four months of 2007 recorded the worst on-time record since the US Bureau of Transportation started keeping records in 1995. Only 72.5% of flights were on time. Lowest was US Airways with 63.1% .. next lowest - JetBlue Airways at 64.8%.

Two new European low-cost carriers are out to challenge Ryanair. The names are Wizz Air & Air Italy flying out of London’s Stansted airport, currently the third-busiest airport in the U.K.

Bob Crandall, former CEO of American Airlines recently said - “ the airline industry is in a complete state of disprepair” - he should know !!

Meanwhile .. over the intercom .. “Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we’ll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you or your money, more than Southwest Airlines”.