Tourism in the Tropics

Fueling up for the holiday weekend

The good news as this Memorial Day weekend approaches: Gas, at just over $3.85 for a gallon of regular, is cheaper than it was a week ago. The bad news, of course, is that it's painfully more expensive than this time last year.

But unlike last year, there's no oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico threatening to ruin summer beach plans. And unlike the year before that, there's no nasty recession keeping everyone home. So gas prices notwithstanding, hoteliers and local tourism officials say they're optimistic that the summer travel season that typically starts with Memorial Day will be a strong one.

Read more about the forecast, and what hotels are doing to drive business, in our story here.

 

Hello, front desk? I'll have a BMW, please.

Ever notice how nice the cars parked outside luxury hotels are? Turns out it's no accident.

Upscale hotels make it a point to leave the nicest vehicles in full view instead of having the valet driver hide them in a parking lot. (Many hotels keep their own fancy house vehicles out front.)

For hotels, a shiny new Jaguar parked outside lends some sheen to the property. For the provider of the car -- often a dealer or auto manufacturer -- the deal amounts to free advertising. BMW even sends its new vehicles to a handful of Ritz-Carlton hotels, including the Key Biscayne location, so guests can take a test drive or two. Or five, as we found on a recent visit.

We explored the business relationship between cars and hotels in today's paper. Read more here.

Carnival's new Breeze to call Miami home

Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines announced this week that it will base a new ship in Miami for the first time since 2004.

The Carnival Breeze, which launches next June in Europe, will start Caribbean sailings from Miami in November. Breeze will be the cruise operator's sixth ship to home port in Miami along with Imagination, Destiny, Liberty, Glory (which splits time between Miami and New York) and Valor, which debuted nearly seven years ago.

Carnival's most recent ship, Magic, started sailing earlier this month in Europe. It will be based year-round in Galveston.

Miami had zero new ships between 2007 and 2010, but that tide changed when the Epic, Norwegian Cruise Line's newest megaliner, arrived last summer. The Celebrity Eclipse, Costa Atlantica and Oceania Marina followed.

Museum-hopping a bargain in May

Culture shouldn't break the bank this month.

May is Miami Museum Month, with a record 17 participants offering buy-one-get-one-free admission.

Anyone who is already a member of any of the museums -- or joins during May -- can go to any other museum for free throughout the month.

Participating museums include Bass Museum of Art, the Haitian Heritage Museum, HistoryMiami, Miami Art Museum, Miami Science Museum and the Wolfsonian - FIU.

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau started the initiative in 2009. Four new museums joined this year: Ancient Spanish Monastery, Coral Gables Merrick House, Coral Gables Museum and Wings Over Miami Air Museum.

A full list and more information can be found online at www.MiamiMuseumMonth.com.