Travel Calendar

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tourism officials in Tennessee are counting on football games and special events to keep the travel business steady during the usually slow month of December.

December is not a key month for Tennessee tourism, a $14 billion-a-year industry. Bad weather restricts some travel, and holiday shopping and parties occupy consumers’ time. Youngsters are still in school, which cuts into family travel lasting more than a weekend. And household budgets can get strained at Christmas.

“Strangely, things around the world affect our industry, too,” said Douglas Browne, general manager of The Peabody in Memphis.

“Uncertainty affects people’s spending,” he said. “People are being much more careful.”

Nashville will host the Music City Bowl Dec. 30 and Memphis will have the Liberty Bowl Dec. 31, creating an influx of visitors for the state’s two largest cities.

Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have declined 6.7 percent this year, but there’s plenty to do the rest of the year for those who do come.

“Winterfest in the Smokies” is celebrated by the resort towns of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. An event billed as “The World’s Largest Outlet Extravaganza” runs through Dec. 11 with three outlet malls involved. Additionally, there are holiday shows at most of the musical theaters in Pigeon Forge. All three cities are heavily decorated with holiday lights.

“All three have made it a point to give people holiday things to do,” said Rick Laney, a public relations executive who represents several businesses in the resort region.

On New Year’s Eve, a ball will drop 407 feet from Gatlinburg’s landmark space needle to mark the start of 2012.

In the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, 4 million lights drape the attraction as five Christmas shows are presented.

“December is one of the busier times of the year,” Laney said.

In Nashville, the Rockettes are back for their 10th season with their Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Additionally, there is an ice sculpture attraction and Christmas dinner parties with singer Louise Mandrell, plus events with DreamWorks characters like Shrek.

Jack Cawthon, who owns a barbecue restaurant in the heart of Nashville’s entertainment district, said business in December is good because of bowl visitors, New Year’s Eve activities and other events.

“People from other cities like Birmingham drive in here just for a weekend trip,” he said. “Historically it used to be a slow month, but not anymore.”

Elvis Presley’s Graceland home in Memphis, a top tourist draw, is decorated inside and out for Christmas. There are hundreds of blue lights along the driveway, a life-size nativity scene, Santa and his sleigh and much more originally displayed by “the king of rock ‘n’ roll.” The interior has his traditional red velvet drapes and family Christmas artifacts on display.

In Chattanooga, “the scenic city,” the Convention Visitors Bureau says visitors can do the following:

“Sing Christmas carols on a river cruise; build gingerbread houses; catch the high tide of a tropical adventure with coral reef Santa divers; or watch the grand illumination and boat parade.

“Then just minutes away, bundle up for an amazing evening on Lookout Mountain in a nocturnal fantasyland with 1 million star-bright twinkling lights illuminating the sky; go deep below the mountain at an enchanting underground waterfall or just 15 minutes from downtown, hop on board the train for a North Pole adventure.”

At the 464-room Peabody, Browne boasts that the hotel has hosted only three losing teams in some 50 years of bowl games.

“If a coach has any kind of superstition, they usually want to stay with us,” he said.

And, if they win, “A lot of teams or families stay over; they are happy.”

In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there already have been repeated snowfalls at elevations above 3,000 feet.

“Snow puts everyone in the holiday spirit,” Laney said.

By MICHELE MAATOUK

LONDON—The outlook for U.K. tour operators is darkening as consumers tighten their purse strings, increasingly turn to the Internet to create their own holidays and eschew traditionally popular vacation destinations such as North Africa following the Arab spring uprisings.

Beleaguered travel operator Thomas Cook, whose shares have plunged 91% this year, reflects the challenges faced by the U.K.’s dominant tour companies.

After issuing three profit warnings in 2011 and coming close to breaching its banking covenants, Thomas Cook last week announced a new £200 ($304) million bank facility, running until April 2013. Despite the positive initial reception, the new facility is widely viewed as little more than a short-term fix that essentially leaves the group more indebted.

London-based brokerage Shore Capital expects the business to shrink materially, assets to be sold and potentially fresh capital to be raised—all of which are likely to lead to a significant deterioration in earnings.

But as consumers lose confidence in Thomas Cook, rival U.K. operator TUI Travel, whose shares have fallen 31% in sympathy, could well gain business. Daniel Pasini, equities portfolio manager at ACPI Investments Ltd. in London, highlighted one important difference between the two: cash flow.

“TUI has been generating real cash over the last few years—even accounting for capital expenditures—while taking non-operating losses, which decrease the amount of nominal income,” he said. “Thomas Cook appeared to have positive income over the year, but actually its cash flow generation after capital expenditure was at best erratic. In addition, Thomas Cook’s cash-flow generation is not able to support the current debt load, including the new facility.”

Indeed, TUI has sought to take advantage of Thomas Cook’s misfortune. Late last month, it ran full-page newspaper adverts for Thomson, one of its holiday company brands that operates in the U.K., which read: “Another holiday company may be experiencing turbulence, but we’re in really great shape.”

Other European tour operators, such as Swiss-listed Kuoni could also benefit from Thomas Cook’s woes. Given that U.K. travelers account for a smaller portion of its business and that it focuses on upmarket travel, the benefit may be less pronounced than for TUI.

“Kuoni has a fairly clean balance sheet, consistently generating cash,” says Mr. Pasini.

Kuoni shares are down 41% this year.

Others are more skeptical about the sector. London-based brokerage Evolution Securities said recent trends support an “awful” industry outlook, which faces near-term consumer spending and confidence pressure, high fixed costs, changing consumer trends and growing competition.

“We do not think that the leading U.K. tour operators…have the flexibility in their operating models to continue to generate the significant cost efficiencies and top-line growth required to drive reliable earnings or growth,” the firm said.

Write to Michele Maatouk at michele.maatouk@dowjones.com

It’s the forefather of American snowbird vacations, and dazzles visitors with its mojitos and good-looking locals. While the Florida city staged a major comeback from last year’s No. 15 position, it’s still a little daunting to some travelers. Miami ranked as one of the noisiest and most expensive cities, and it took the title for having the nation’s worst drivers.

See More of America’s Best Cities for Winter Travel

Photo: iStock

The property where the Thrift Travel Inn is located in Salisbury was condemned by the city and ordered demolished.  The owner has failed to comply and was fined and hearing scheduled for Monday.  However, now the property has had a transfer of ownership.  While the city can still try to prosecute the citation for failing to demolish the building – the condemnation process has to start over again to allow the new owner a chance to bring the property into compliance.

—————————————-

NEWS RELEASE:  Transfer Stalls Progress on Demolition of Nuisance Property
Thrift Travel Inn – 601-603 N. Salisbury Blvd

Mayor James Ireton, Jr. and many citizens have long considered the Thrift Travel Inn on N. Salisbury Boulevard a public nuisance. Over the past several years multiple City departments, including police, fire and code compliance have responded to calls for service at the property nearly 1600 times. These calls for service place a strain on City services and keep those agencies from providing higher levels of service in other areas of the city.

The Thrift Travel Inn property was condemned and ultimately ordered demolished by the Department of Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance (NSCC). The owner failed to raze the derelict property as ordered and was eventually fined for non-compliance. A hearing was scheduled for Monday, December 5, 2011. At the last moment before this hearing, the property changed owners from Pramukah Incorporated in Salisbury to a company represented by a lawyer, Joseph Jackson in Mclean, Virginia. This change in ownership means that the City may still attempt to prosecute the citation for failure to demolish the structure but the condemnation process must start over again.

According to the City’s legal Department NSCC is required to reissue a condemnation notice to the new owner. The new owner must then be afforded the opportunity to bring the property into compliance.

“The timing of the transfer of the property, just before the court hearing regarding demolition, is an event of great interest to the city. The property transfer to a new owner delays any movement on demolition or improvement of the property, and that fact is not lost on me as mayor, on our code enforcement officers, our police and fire personnel, or the public. I assure our residents living in the vicinity of the Inn, and the retail establishments and businesses along that 13N corridor that we will vigorously pursue every avenue to rid the city of the blight that has become the Thrift Travel Inn. My confidence in Mr. Stevenson and his department’s ability to rid the city of properties like this has never been higher,” said Mayor Ireton.

December 04, 2011, 3:41 PM EST

By Donna Abu-Nasr

(Updates with fighting today in second paragraph, Syrian reaction in sixth.)

Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) — The Arab League ordered a freeze on the assets of 19 Syrian officials, a ban on their travel and a reduction in flights to the nation as security forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad battled protesters and army defectors.

Seventeen people were killed in fighting today, Al-Arabiya television reported, citing anti-government activists. Some of the 25 people killed yesterday died in fighting between security forces and rebels that began in a city near the Turkish border, Al Jazeera said, also citing activists.

Assad faces growing economic and political pressure to end a crackdown against protests that began in mid-March, inspired by movements that toppled leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The violence risks moving Syria closer to civil war as military personnel defect and take up arms against the government.

“As Arabs we’re concerned that if this situation persists events will escape our control,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim Al Thani told reporters yesterday.

The travel ban and flight reduction will go ahead if Syria doesn’t comply today with an Arab League plan for releasing political prisoners and admitting international monitors. “We’re waiting for a response,” Sheikh Hamad said.

Syrian officials are negotiating with the Arab League on allowing the observers in, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told reporters today in Damascus. He said messages were being exchanged over a deal that would also preserve Syrian interests and sovereignty.

Travel Ban

Maher al-Assad, the president’s brother, and businessman Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of Assad, are among those who won’t be allowed to travel in Arab League states and whose financial assets in those nations will be frozen, the league said in a statement in the Qatari capital yesterday after a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers.

Half of air travel to and from Syria and Arab League states will be cut starting Dec. 15, the statement said.

Syrian Interior Minister Mohamad Ibrahim al-Shaar called the Arab League decisions “unfair” and said at a police graduation ceremony yesterday that the measures serve U.S. and Israeli interests, state-run SANA news agency reported.

He said Syria’s campaign to arrest “armed terrorist groups” continues, according to SANA. Syrian officials have said their crackdown is targeting foreign-backed Muslim radicals bent on destabilizing the country.

‘Economic War’

Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem on Nov. 29 called Arab League sanctions against his country, which were adopted on Nov. 27, a declaration of “economic war.” They included a halt to dealings with the central bank.

The UN Human Rights Council’s independent commission of inquiry last week said its probe found that Syrian military and security forces had committed “gross violations of human rights.” The commission, which interviewed 223 “victims and witnesses,” said it is “gravely concerned that crimes against humanity have been committed” throughout Syria.

The UN estimates that at least 4,000 people have been killed since the start of the protests, while human-rights activists put the figure at more than 4,500.

Arab League measures follow U.S. and European sanctions.

Syria’s $60 billion economy, which grew 5.5 percent in 2010, may shrink 2 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund, or at least 5 percent, according to the Institute of International Finance. The government expects growth of 1 percent, Finance Minister Mohammad Al-Jleilati said in September.

Economic Sanctions

The economic sanctions are the first the Arab League has imposed on a member state since its formation in 1945. In 1979, the league suspended Egypt’s membership after President Anwar Sadat signed a peace agreement with Israel. It reinstated the North African nation in 1989.

Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000, has moved to ease Syria’s economic isolation and encourage foreign investment. He had encouraged private industry in Syria’s state- dominated economy to provide long-term financing for development and economic reforms.

Banque Saudi Fransi, a Saudi lender part-owned by Credit Agricole SA, said on Nov. 26 that it will sell its 27 percent stake in the Bemo Saudi Fransi Syria bank, citing “the financial risks” in the country.

–With assistance from Zaid Sabah and Nadeem Hamid in Washington and Massoud Derhally in Beirut. Editors: Andrew J. Barden, Louis Meixler, Digby Lidstone.

To contact the reporter on this story: Donna Abu-Nasr in Manama at dabunasr@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net

The Olympia Mountaineers’ 2012 winter travel course will begin next month. The course is really two classes, one on snowshoeing and the other on nordic skiing.

The series of four lectures will include an orientation, avalanche awareness and safety, the 10 Essentials, backcountry winter travel etiquette, cold-weather ailments, clothing and equipment.

The classes will be 6:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 11-12 and 17-18. All lectures will be at the Lacey Realtor Hall. The ski field trip will be Jan. 21 and the snowshoe field trip will be Jan. 22.

The course is open to anyone in the community. Students may take the courses separately or together. The fees are $25 for Mountaineer members for either course, and $35 for nonmembers. To take both courses (which would require both field trips) would be an extra $15 for Mountaineers or nonmembers.

For more information on the Course call Judson Lang at 360-352-2794 or send emails to judson.lang@us.army.mil or langjjc@comcast.net.

Compiled by Jeffrey P. Mayor, jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com

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I wish you safe travels. If you’re planning a holiday excursion, may the experience be a pleasant one and difficulties getting to your destination — and back — held to a minimum.

As I write this column, my husband and I are sitting in a crowded airport awaiting a plane that was supposed to leave yesterday. Or was it the day before? Our issues began on the second leg of our flight home after a Thanksgiving-week getaway. It started when the pilot announced “leaky brake fluid.”

We were returning from a week-long trek to Honduras, a tiny country to which I had not given much previous thought — and which I now think of fondly as a wet nirvana in Central America.

When we told our children we were traveling to a tropical rain forest over Thanksgiving, the response was, “You’re doing what?!” — offered up at a decibel level that’s hard to convey with the printed word.

The decision was reached after my husband was invited to speak at a seafood conference in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, and the hosts encouraged him to bring his wife. It was irresistible. For much of our trip we stayed in an eco-lodge and hiked in jungle-like settings with incredibly colorful birds as close as a pair of binoculars. Families of howler monkeys “entertained” us with their eerie wailing, and we snacked on lychee nuts by plucking them directly off the trees.

Getting to our destination was uneventful and being there was exquisite, but returning to the States presented issues. In the process of confronting travel challenges I learned more about being part of an aging demographic of travelers. There are lots of us. I saw hundreds of adults in their seventh decade and beyond, often with significant sensory and ambulatory problems but always with great resilience — and no apparent fear of flying. But I’ve also heard painful stories about older adults and travel nightmares.

So, I have a few suggestions. If there is a key, it’s pre-planning. And traveling as a team, especially internationally, is important. Know your personal hurdles. Our hearing is compromised and airports are noisy places, so we found it essential to repeat aloud any piece of information provided by a gate attendant to ensure accurate understanding. When we got “canceled, canceled, canceled, stranded,” we looked for the least-distracted gate agent and smiled a lot. When we found that the plane we thought we were on had left early, and another opportunity was not going to occur until the following day, we asked for hotel and meal vouchers (Keep smiling — it may involve some negotiation) and we requested those “refresh” kits they keep behind the podium.

If you have a husband like mine, there’s an airline plane-tracker app on an iPhone, and the direct line to the airline “Help Desk” is programmed into that same phone. We didn’t have — but next time, we will — an emergency kit with disposable underwear and socks. My lightweight backpack should have contained a large, warm scarf to serve as a lap robe when it got chilly. We carried medications in their original containers, of course, as well as high-protein snacks and an up-to-date emergency contact list. My husband, the more veteran traveler, has taught me to be quickly creative in dealing with the unexpected. We actually enjoyed rising to the moment — most of the time.

Ultimately it’s sort of like life. In the end, what we all want to have are safe travels and happy landings. And maybe “… an occasional nirvana.

Sharon Johnson is an associate professor in health and human sciences at Oregon State University and on the faculty of the OSU Extension. Email her at s.johnson@oregonstate.edu or call 541-776-7371, ext. 210.

December 04, 2011, 9:11 AM EST

By Donna Abu-Nasr

(Updates with Syrian remarks in eighth paragraph.)

Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) — The Arab League froze the assets of 19 Syrian officials, banned their travel and reduced air travel to the nation yesterday as 25 more people died protesting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Some of the protesters were killed in fighting between Syrian security forces and rebels that began in a city near the Turkish border, Al Jazeera reported, citing the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Army tank rounds were fired into the Bab Amro district of Homs, wounding 15.

Assad faces growing economic and political pressure to end a crackdown against protests that began in mid-March, inspired by movements that toppled leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The violence risks moving Syria closer to a civil war as military personnel defect and take up arms against the government.

“As Arabs we’re concerned that if this situation persists events will escape our control,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim Al Thani told reporters yesterday.

Syria, which has until today to sign an accord to allow in observers and avoid fresh sanctions, was invited to come to Doha “and we’re waiting for a response,” Sheikh Hamad said.

Travel Ban

Maher al-Assad, the president’s brother, and businessman Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of Assad, are among those who won’t be allowed to travel in Arab League states and whose financial assets in those nations will be frozen, the league said in a statement in the Qatari capital yesterday after a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers.

Half of air travel to and from Syria and Arab League states will be cut staring Dec. 15, the statement said. The travel ban and flight reduction will go ahead if Syria doesn’t comply today with an Arab League plan for releasing political prisoners and admitting international monitors.

Syrian Interior Minister Mohamad Ibrahim al-Shaar called the Arab League decisions “unfair” and said at a police graduation ceremony yesterday that the measures serve U.S. and Israeli interests, state-run SANA news agency reported.

He said Syria’s campaign to arrest “armed terrorist groups” continues, according to SANA. Syrian officials have said their crackdown is targeting foreign-backed Muslim radicals bent on destabilizing the country.

‘Economic War’

Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem on Nov. 29 called the Arab League’s sanctions against his country a declaration of “economic war.”

The UN Human Rights Council’s independent commission of inquiry last week said its probe found that Syrian military and security forces had committed “gross violations of human rights.” The commission, which interviewed 223 “victims and witnesses,” said it is “gravely concerned that crimes against humanity have been committed” throughout Syria.

The UN estimates that at least 4,000 people have been killed since the start of the protests, while human-rights activists put the figure at more than 4,500.

The Arab League measures, which follow U.S. and European sanctions, will also halt dealings with the Syrian central bank.

Syria’s $60 billion economy, which grew 5.5 percent in 2010, may shrink 2 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund, or at least 5 percent, according to the Institute of International Finance. The government expects growth of 1 percent, Finance Minister Mohammad Al-Jleilati said in September.

Economic Sanctions

The economic sanctions are the first the Arab League has imposed on a member state since its formation in 1945. In 1979, the league suspended Egypt’s membership after President Anwar Sadat signed a peace agreement with Israel. It reinstated the North African nation in 1989.

Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000, has moved to ease Syria’s economic isolation and encourage foreign investment. He had encouraged private industry in Syria’s state- dominated economy to provide long-term financing for development and economic reforms.

Banque Saudi Fransi, a Saudi lender part-owned by Credit Agricole SA, said on Nov. 26 that it will sell its 27 percent stake in the Bemo Saudi Fransi Syria bank, citing “the financial risks” in the country.

–With assistance from Zaid Sabah and Nadeem Hamid in Washington and Massoud Derhally in Beirut. Editors: Andrew J. Barden, Louis Meixler, Digby Lidstone.

To contact the reporter on this story: Donna Abu-Nasr in Manama at dabunasr@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net

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DAMASCUS: An Arab League ministerial committee has imposed a travel ban on 19 Syrian officials and gave Damascus until yesterday to accept observers to monitor Syrian unrest.

Twenty-three people were reported to have been killed on Saturday, a day after the UN Human Rights Council urged tougher action against Damascus and condemned its ”gross violation” of human rights.

The US Vice-President, Joe Biden, said Washington was running out of patience with the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, accusing him of threatening to ”fan the flames” of sectarian conflict in Syria and beyond.

In Doha on Saturday, the Prime Minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, urged Syria to accept the observers. ”We are waiting for a reply,” he said. ”As Arabs we fear that if the situation continues things will get out of Arab control.”

He was speaking after a meeting to discuss a set of Arab League sanctions against Damascus over its bloody crackdown on more than eight months of anti-regime protests.

The meeting issued a list of 19 Syrian officials banned from travelling to Arab countries and whose assets are being frozen by those countries.

Among those named are Mr Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad, his cousin and telecommunications magnate Rami Makhlouf, as well as military and intelligence figures.

The meeting also decided to cut by half all Arab flights to and from Syria, including those of the national carrier Syrian Air.

Last Sunday the Arab League approved sweeping sanctions against the Syrian government over the crackdown, the first time the bloc has enforced punitive measures of such magnitude on a member.

The violence in Syria led talks on Friday between Mr Biden and the Turkish President, Abdullah Gul, in Ankara.

”Assad and his regime are the source of instability in Syria now and pose the greatest danger to fanning flames of sectarian conflict not only in Syria but beyond,” Mr Biden told Mr Gul.

The leader of the opposition Syrian National Council appealed on Saturday for a UN Security Council resolution to end the regime’s crackdown on civilians, while ruling out military intervention.

Agence France-Presse

Week 13 Ravens Fantasy Forecast

The Ravens travel to Cleveland. This is another road game they SHOULD win after a physical game last time out.

A few things to consider:
• Ray Lewis is likely out.
• Peyton Hillis is back for the Browns.
• Ravens have struggled to beat losing teams this year.

QB: Joe Flacco is ranked as the 19th-best QB. He is a borderline start in most leagues, and Up-and-Down Joe is hard to start. Plus, the weather may be a factor.

RB: Ray Rice is the No. 1-rated RB this week. In a points-per-reception league, he is No. 1 as well. The Browns are simply terrible against the run.  

Ricky Williams: Not a fantasy factor usually, but worth a flyer if you’re in injury jail.

WR: Anquan Boldin comes in at No. 27 this week. This looks to be more a Rice-type game.

Torrey Smith: Smith checks in at No. 34. I see one long one this week for Smith.

TE: Ed Dickson comes in ranked at No. 18 this week. Not enough consistency to start him.  

Kicker: Billy Cundiff is the seventh-ranked kicker. He is a must start.

Defense: The Ravens are the No. 3-ranked defense. They have played well without Ray Lewis, but can their stars shine on the road?  

IDP (Individual Defensive Players): Ray Lewis is not ranked this week, Terrell Suggs is the No. 5 DL, Haloti Ngata is No. 7 among all DLs and Ed Reed is not ranked for DBs.

Good luck, and go Ravens!

KZ

Posted Dec. 2, 2011