Our caravan of four Mitsubishi vans raced across the low arid brush of the Gobi desert on another day of endless blue skies. Each van had found its groove, so to speak, in parallel tire tracks of hardened dirt and we were racing for the lead. Our Mongolian driver, Tulgaa, short and round but as …
Haimark, the luxury river expedition company based in Denver, Colorado, is expanding into new waters. Started in 2012, its current fleet includes eight all-suite luxury river ships, two of which will set sail for the first time next month and four more to launch in 2015. As if there’s not enough excitement in Haimark’s shipyards, …
Amid threats of a snowstorm and frigid temperatures, travel professionals and the public came out for the 11th annual The New York Times Travel Show. Held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from February 28th through March 2nd, the show is the largest trade and consumer travel event in North America. For the three-day …
Air India has reason to celebrate. As 2013 was coming to an end, the Star Alliance voted unanimously for Air India’s entry into this elite group. If all goes well, the airline should officially be a part of the Alliance by mid-2014, stated John Massey, Manager, Marketing Programs and Industry Affairs for Air India. The …
I’m sitting on the sun deck of the charming riverboat, Bengal Ganga, chartered for an inspection trip by the rapidly expanding riverboat company, Haimark. Based in Breckenridge, Colorado, Tom Markwell and Marcus Leskovar, both former executives with Pandaw River Cruises and Giang Hoang Hai, an experienced ground operator in Southeast Asia, have partnered to launch …
According to industry statistics, there’s been a 14 percent annual increase worldwide in river cruising in the past ten years. But there has been an astounding 50 percent jump in Asia river cruising in the past two. If timing is everything, the partners of Haimark are right on the money. They’re the new kid on …
Once off tourism radar, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia’s charming colonial city and busy seaport, is now back in the crosshairs of a tourist boom. Cobblestone streets echo with the sound of horse-drawn carriages. Waiters at the many outdoor cafes are busy serving rounds of cold Club Colombia beer. Salsa music moves through the air raising …
There is an energy that is palpable when you walk the streets of Cartagena. It is part historic charm, part Latin heat, part old world Spanish ambiance. You are struck by the echoing sound of horse hooves on cobblestone, the saturated pink and turquoise of historic building facades, the whiff of jasmine mixed with the …
On a cold, crisp New York weekend, consumers streamed in to the New York Times Travel Show with visions of tropical beach vacations and exotic cruises. Celebrating their 10th anniversary, this annual event, held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, showcased more than 500 travel destinations from all over the world. It offered seminars on travel …
There’s lots of activity at the Sura Design Hotel and Suites. Busboys rush by with fresh flowers as hotel staff put the finishing touches on this new addition to Istanbul’s short list of distinctive boutique hotels. It’s about to have its “soft opening” and there’s excitement in the air. This elegant 60-room hotel is right …