After Katrina, the state of Mississippi recognized the danger of forcing their casinos to remain of floating platforms, so they amended the gaming laws to allow land based casinos. Now, all of the major casino operators are racing to get their properties open, and jobs going in this stricken area.

The Isle of Capri became the first business south of U.S. 90 in Biloxi to reopen its doors Monday to the beating of steel drums and the delight of hundreds of gamblers.

“Let the good times roll,” Isle of Capri general manager Bill Kilduff said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

It is the second Gulf Coast casino to reopen since Hurricane Katrina pounded the state, following the IP, which opened Thursday.

Officials changed the Isle of Capri’s entertainment and convention space into game rooms with 728 new slot machines, 29 table games and a poker room with nine tables.

More than 500 hotel rooms and three restaurants also are open. USATODAY.comi.

The Baths are usually the first thing people think of when they hear “Virgin Gorda”.

The Baths represent the stellar natural attraction of the British Virgin Islands, with exotic pools and grottos formed by giant boulders strewn across sand beaches.

Explorers will revel in the hidden rooms with shafts of light, snorkelers in the coral ledges and caves, sunbathers/ swimmers in the white sand beaches adding to the sparkling clarity of the water

Virgin Gorda is also a favorite of the boating crowd. The Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour is busy year round as sailors stop in to resupply and partake of the local restaurants and beach bars. Virgin Gorda has always been outside the typical travellers plans, so it is welcoming to those who prefer to travel unconventionally.

Travel And Leisure reviews the affordable and unique Guavaberry Spring Bay Villas:

“The tree-house villas at Guavaberry Spring Bay are on a curved bijou of a beach. A couple of picnic tables are available for lunching on items bought in the honor-system commissary (Guavaberry has no restaurant or room service). Rooms are spacious and adequate, though style-seekers would be advised to look elsewhere.

Other more expensive and more famous hotels include the Bitter End Yacht Club, Biras Creek, and Little Dix Bay.

Favorite Restaurants on Virgin Gorda include:

• Beach Grill Restaurant,  The Carvery, Chez Bamboo, Clubhouse Grill,  Fat Virgin Cafe, Fischer’s Cove Beach Hotel, The Flying Iguana Restaurant & Bar, Giorgio’s Table, Mine Shaft Cafe & Pub, Mad Dog’s, The Pub, The Rock Cafe, Top Of The Baths Restaurant, Olde Yard Inn,

Map of Virgin Gorda.

Air Jamaica is ramping up to be a larger force in the Caribbean.  I wonder if this is in response to the weakness the major US Airlines are showing. They know that American and Delta are in no position for a major Caribbean price war going into the busy season.

Air Jamaica will launch nonstop service between New York (JFK) and St. Lucia on Feb. 23. The flights will operate Sunday, Monday and Thursday, departing New York at 7 a.m. and arriving St. Lucia at 12:35 p.m.

On the return leg the flight will leave St. Lucia at 6:35 p.m. and arrive in New York at 10:15 p.m. via Travel Weekly

More information on St. Lucia.

This is great news from the area’s ravaged by the Tsunami.

Visa card-holders are now spending more in most of the countries struck by last year’s tsunami than in the period just before the disaster, the payments company said on Monday.

Visa said card-holder spending in the tsunami-affected markets as a whole grew by about 8 percent from a year earlier during the week ending December 11, the same as for all of the Asia-Pacific region.

“It is a good sign for 2006 that these holiday destinations are now welcoming guests at sustainable levels,” James Murray, Visa Asia Pacific’s executive vice president for South and Southeast Asia, said in a statement.

Tourist spending in the week ending December 11 was up 23 percent from a year earlier in India and 12 percent in Thailand. Even Phuket, which had a tough time recovering from the December 26, 2004, tsunami, reported 8 percent growth, Visa said. CNN.

The Top 50 Amusement Parks in the United States were up 4.2 percent for 2005.  This is the second straight year, after a rough period following September 11th, 2001.

1. Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Florida, 16.1 million, +6.5 percent
2. Disneyland, California, 14.5 million, +8.5 percent
3. Epcot at Walt Disney World, Florida, 9.9 million, +5.5 percent
4. Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World, Florida, 8.6 million, +5 percent
5. Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Florida, 8.2 million, +5 percent
6. Universal Studios, Florida, 6.1 million, -8.5 percent
7. Disney’s California Adventure, 5.8 million, +3.6 percent
8. Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando, Florida, 5.76 million, -8.5 percent
9. SeaWorld, Florida, 5.6 million, +0.2 percent
10. Universal Studios, California, 4.7 million, -6 percent

Looking at these numbers, it seems to me that  Disney had a banner year, and Universal Studios are struggling.

via CNN

The Swiss have decided that smoke filled trains are to be a thing of the past. They will be  joining Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden in making their trains  smoke free.

“In addition to protecting non-smoking passengers and staff from passive smoke, the ban will also free up more seats, as smoking compartments — typically underutilized — are currently being converted into non-smoking ones,” notes Fabrice Morel, President and CEO of the Rail Europe Group. Within 6 months, all ashtrays will be removed from SBB trains, a process that has already begun. Smoking is prohibited in Swiss rail stations except in designated areas and on the outdoor platforms.

This will be a most welcome transition for the non smoking traveler.

This list comes from MSNBC.com and I agree with most of them.

Top 11 Perfect Gifts for Travelers

• A GPS System
• IPOD Automobile Adapter
• Anything Gore-Tex
• Noise Canceling Headphones
• Traveling Workout Kit
• Travelpro Luggage
• LSD (Lightweight Shelter Device) Jacket
• Niche Guidebooks
• Photo Transfer Gizmo ( USB Anywhere)
• Magellan’s Travel Catalog
• Starbucks Card

I think that the travelpro luggage, noise cancelling headphones, and the Starbucks Card are the items I would love to have.

It looks like we are going to see a very busy day on Sunday on the roads.

 Unusually mild weather around most of the nation and the rarity of Christmas and the start of Hanukkah on the same date — Sunday — may boost holiday travel to record levels this weekend.

 The time between Christmas and New Year’s normally is the busiest U.S. travel period of the year. AAA estimates that 63.5 million Americans will go 50 miles or more from home this holiday season. That’s 1.8% more than last year’s all-time high of 62.4 million travelers.

Of those, 51.5 million are expected to drive, and almost 8.8 million are flying, said AAA spokesman Justin McNaull.

51 million on the roads, be careful with the eggnog and drive safely.

And Merry Christmas.

Delta has been the dominant airline out of Orlando for decades. But facing bankruptcy  and the rise of Southwest, who took the top spot earlier this year, Delta is trying to give away 16 gates in Orlando.

 In its latest bid to cut costs, bankrupt Delta Air Lines wants to close two-thirds of its gates at Orlando International Airport, a move that would officially end its reign as the region’s most powerful and largest carrier.

The request to shut down 16 of its 24 gates was made Thursday in New York bankruptcy court, where the airline filed for Chapter 11 protection in September.

The change “does not signal a reduced commitment by Delta to the Orlando market,” Delta spokesman Anthony Black said. The airline will not decrease its average of 115 daily flights, he said, though the number of seats will drop.

The move will cap Delta’s more than decade-long dominance in Orlando — a position that has eroded in recent years as the beleaguered airline industry struggled to regain its financial footing after 9-11 and low-cost carriers edged out profits over Delta and other legacy airlines. Orlando Sentinel

My bet, Delta will turn Orlando into a regional jet airport, which will allow many flights to use 1 gate.