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| Emerald Waterways' newest ship will replace the Emerald Belle (pictured), which was damaged in a February fire. |
Happy Friday! Close out the week on a high note with our roundup of the four travel stories you need to be aware of to stay knowledgable about travel.
Emerald Waterways Starts Over on Fire-Damaged Ship
Emerald Waterways has decided to replace the Emerald Belle, which was damaged in a fire back in February, with a new ship dubbed the Emerald Destiny, Cruise Critic reports.
The Emerald Belle caught fire while still under construction at the Den Breejen Shipyard in the Netherlands. Scenic, which is a sister line to Emerald Waterways, also had a ship under construction nearby, but it was able to be moved to safety with nothing more than damage to its exterior paint job.
Now Emerald Waterways Marketing Manager Judith Hainke tells Cruise Critic that the line has decided to start over with Emerald Destiny, which is a brand-new ship. It’s scheduled for an April 2017 launch as the fifth vessel in the line’s Star Ship class, sailing itineraries on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. 2017 will also see launch of two other new ships, Emerald Liberté and Emerald Radiance, offering river cruises in France and Portugal.
Stormy Weather: Weekend Edition
Have a client hitting the road this weekend? Be on the lookout for potential flight cancellations and delays, as CNBC is reporting that a weather system in the Caribbean, just named Hermine for now, could approach Florida as Tropical Storm Hermine or even Hurricane Hermine over the weekend.
While it’s too early to think about canceling at this point, Dan Leonard, a senior meteorologist with The Weather Company, told CNBC, travelers headed to Florida and the northwestern Bahamas should keep a close eye on the situation. Also good to know: now may be a good time to check the fine print on your travel insurance policy, just in case.
Riviera Nayarit Reflects on Great Month in July
July proved to be a pretty excellent month for the Riviera Nayarit: the destination just posted a July 2016 hotel occupancy rate of 86.22 percent. That’s a big 12.94 percent increase from the same month last year.
Other feel-good stats: July 2016 visitors totaled 196,265 people, up 12.94 percent year over year, and tourism income jumped 29 percent over the previous year.
An Extremely Long Yet Mesmerizing Way to Get Excited About Iceland
Iceland is a perennial fixture on “hot destinations” lists these days, and the country has just provided us with a new way to get excited about a vacation to the destination.
As part of the country’s “slow TV” movement, which celebrates slow-moving, relaxing television, Iceland’s national television recently released a 24-hour (yes, that’s 24 entire hours) video depicting a drive on Route One, the iconic highway ringing the country. That video is now available on YouTube with a soothing soundtrack by famous Icelandic band Sigur Rós:
Try giving part of it a watch when you don’t feel like doing any more work today — or send it to a client who might need some relaxation (or inspiration).
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