TRAVEL BRIEFS

Parents magazine rates best beach resorts for families

NEW YORK (AP) — More beach resorts are offering pools with water slides, no-cost children’s programs and other amenities that make them attractive, affordable alternatives for families looking for one-stop vacations, according to Parents magazine.

The magazine evaluated more than 200 beach resorts in the United States and the Caribbean, based on room rates and other costs, quality of children’s programs, variety of family activities, pool and beach area and other factors.

The May issue of Parents lists the 10 resorts the magazine deemed to best meet those criteria.

“Our winners are practically rolling out the red carpet for families on a tight budget,” said Sally Lee, editor in chief of Parents. “Great kids’ programs and perks are no longer exclusive to resorts with high price tags.”

The resorts that made Parents’ list offer seven-night vacations, May-September, for prices ranging from $129 a night to $500 a night (for an all-inclusive with meals and activities covered), with most falling under $250 nightly.

The resorts are Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya, Bahamas; Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; South Seas Island Resort, Captiva Island, Fla.; Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas; Disney’s Vero Beach Resort in Florida; Beaches Negril Resort and Spa, Jamaica; Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii; Ocean Edge Resort & Spa, Brewster, Mass.; Loew’s Coronado Bay Beach Resort & Spa, San Diego; and Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort Casino & Spa, in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

Details at www.parentsmag.com.

New Orleans tourism nearly doubled in 2007

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The number of visitors to New Orleans nearly doubled last year compared to 2006, and the city is hoping to attract even more tourists with a new campaign to bring people in during the slower summer season.

“Come Out and Play” is the theme of ads set to run across a range of media, regionally and nationally, even in Times Square, touting the city’s music, food and cultural and family attractions.

The New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. rolled out the campaign with a jazz band and dancers in mid-April along with a survey that showed visitation grew from 3.7 million in 2006, the year after Hurricane Katrina, to 7.1 million last year.

“We are on some kind of roll this year,” Mayor Ray Nagin said.

Since Katrina, tourism officials have tried to sell prospective travelers on the idea that the city is open for business, but they’ve often come up against concerns about violent crime, misgivings about having a good time when people are still rebuilding their lives, and misperceptions that parts of the city are still under water.

After pulling off a series of successful events and bringing up tourism numbers, officials now feel they’ve turned a corner, said Lea Sinclair, a spokeswoman for the Tourism Marketing Corp.

“One of the biggest things we’re seeing now is making sure people understand that it’s OK to come and visit and have fun,” she said.

‘Christian Travel Planner’ a guide to faith-based trips

NASHVILLE (AP) — “The Christian Travel Planner,” a guide to faith-based trips, has just been published.

The $16.99 paperback includes information about missions and ministries; Christian cruises, camps and retreats; and Christian heritage sites over-seas in the Middle East, Greece, Italy, England, Germany and other places.

Domestic attractions noted in the book include the Holy Land Experience biblical park in Orlando, Fla., and “The Great Passion Play” performed in Eureka Springs, Ark. Listings for monastic guest stays include the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, N.M., and the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Ky.

The book from Nashville-based publisher Thomas Nelson was written by Kevin J. Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association.

Tourism officials launch Web site to lure ’green’ visitors

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia tourism officials are promoting environmentally friendly attractions with a new Web site, www.VirginiaGreenTravel.org.

The site is a guidepost to “cer-tified green” tourism businesses, such as lodging facilities, parks and other attractions.

The site also has links to out-door adventure programs, the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail, eco-friendly events and travel tips.

To be certified “green,” a business must commit to waste-reducing activities, such as recycling and purchasing environmentally friendly products.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality man-ages Virginia Green, a program that awards certification to tourism-related business that take voluntary actions to reduce harmful impacts on the environment.

Virginia Green worked with the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association to educate businesses such as hotels, inns and B&Bs about the benefits of green practices. The program has grown to 140 lodging facilities, 23 restaurants, 20 conference centers, two convention centers and six attractions.

DEQ plans to expand Virginia Green to include wineries, golf courses and Virginia’s welcome centers and rest areas.

Booking eco-travel online now easier

NEW YORK (AP) — A couple of travel booking Web sites are trying to make it easier for consumers to be environmentally friendly.

Orbitz is featuring energy-efficient hotels at www.eco.orbitz.com. These properties have earned an “ENERGY STAR” label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because they use nearly 40 percent less energy than average buildings and emit 35 percent less carbon dioxide. The Web site also makes it easy to book hybrid car rentals, take a volunteer vacation or purchase carbon offsets for your travel.

Expedia has a new “Going Green” store, which launched on Earth Day. The online store at www.expedia.com/gogreen also allows customers to browse for environmentally friendly hotels, hybrid car rentals, and carbon offsets.

Green places in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — For a big energy-gulping metropolis, New York City has some remark-ably environmentally-friendly places. Russell Unger, executive director of the New York chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, has come up with 10 great green places in New York. They are:

■ The Conde Nast Building, Four Times Square, by Fox & Fowle Architects, 1996-1999. The building was one of the first green skyscrapers, with state-of-the-art air quality and energy conservation systems, including a hydrogen fuel cell.

■ Grand Central. This com-muter rail terminal and subway hub epitomizes public transit, keeping millions of cars off the roads every day.

■ Natural Resource Defense Council’s offices, 40 W. 20th St. Unger said this building “kicked off the modern green building movement” in the city when it reopened following renovation in 1988. The windows, in particular, are highly efficient and use daylight to reduce energy consumption.

■ Schermerhorn Building, 380 Lafayette St. This building was green all the way back in 1992, after renovations by the National Audubon Society that included daylight dimming sensors, a recycling system and a gas-fired chiller-heater.

■ Bronx Zoo. The zoo has educated generations of visitors about wildlife preservation.

■ Battery Park City, Lower Manhattan, which has four LEED-certified buildings — more than any other neighborhood in the city. LEED is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design code developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to evaluate environmental efficiency in construction.

■ The Queens Botanical Garden’s Visitor Center, Flushing. The rooftops on the LEED-certified building feature a sloping garden and a system of collecting, cleansing and using rainwater to feed plants throughout the park.

■ General Theological Seminary, 175 Ninth Ave., Manhattan. This building houses the city’s largest geothermal installation, consisting of 22 drilled wells that provide cold water to cool and heat the building.

■ Neighborhood greenmarkets. Over 250,000 people a week visit city greenmarkets in peak season, supporting local farms and reducing pollution caused by transporting produce long distances.

■ Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Brooklyn and Queens. The 9,000-plus acres offer a crucial refuge for migrating birds.