The trustworthiness of Yelp, Angie’s List, and other “unbiased” ratings services is called into question in a new study by Consumer Reports. And the consumer advocacy publication is hardly the only one taking issue with …
Tourism
Toll Roads Rising: Why There Will Be More Tolls Down the Road
We are living through what one transportation expert calls a “renaissance in tolling.” What that means for American drivers is that they’ll face higher and higher tolls on roads, and more toll roads period.
The New Ride for Orlando Tourists: Electric Cars
A new initiative hopes to turn tourists visiting central Florida into the electric car owners of tomorrow.
To Woo Uneasy First-Time Cruisers, Carnival Launches Post–‘Poop Cruise’ Guarantee
Eager to convince the public that its ships are up to snuff, Carnival Cruise Lines is introducing a guarantee promising unsatisfied customers a 110% refund and a free (and speedy) trip back home.
36 Years After Elvis Presley’s Death, Could the King’s Popularity Be Dying?
Long live the King? By some indication, tourist interest in Elvis Presley is on the decline—which would make sense given that fewer and fewer people with firsthand memories of the King of Rock ‘n Roll in action are around. Yet …
Cheap Flights to Europe Take Off: Flights Under $500 Round Trip, Fees Included
Travelers who recall the ’90s heyday of sub-$300 round trips to Europe (taxes included) haven’t been happy in recent years, when a $1,000 flight began looking like a decent price. Their moods may improve now that one of Europe’s largest low-cost carriers is expanding in a big way, with new routes and inexpensive prices that could upend …
Travel Agents Fight Back, Insisting They’re Not Useless Or Obsolete
In the Internet age, the travel agent has become a punch line, cruelly bashed as unnecessary, useless, a dying breed. But no one (including, ahem, journalists) wants to be called obsolete, and travel agents have been fighting back and countering the insults with data and anecdotes demonstrating how valuable their services truly are.
Best Fall Foliage: Vermont or … Arizona?
Why One Theme-Park Company Swears It’s Happy to Be Attracting Fewer Visitors
SeaWorld appears to be losing the theme-park wars lately, with declining visitor numbers during the same months that Disney and Universal have seen admission sales soar. Is this all part of the plan for SeaWorld?
Hotel Brands Become World Travelers
In today’s world, there’s a large swath of travelers that—no matter which country they call home—owns iPhones, drinks Starbucks coffee, and furnishes their homes with the help of IKEA. It’s a safe bet they’re also attracted to the same kinds of hotels.
Atlantic City Casino Promotion Bashed By Watchdogs Is a Big Hit with Gamblers
The “You can’t lose” promotion, which promised to refund losses at slot machines Atlantic City’s Revel, appears to be a big winner for the casino—even if consumer advocates think the deal is misleading at best.
Foodie Havens Where They Once Never Could Have Been Imagined
For years, if your stomach was rumbling at the mall, an airport or a baseball stadium, the pickings tended to be slim, if not grim. Now that the foodie craze has gone fully mainstream, even these destinations are welcoming celebrity chefs and fancy dishes that transcend the old mall food court.