Group Tour Blogs

By David Hoekman

As The Jamies used to sing, "It's summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime."

The July issue of Western Group Tour Magazine is now online, and the print version is on its way to tour planners' mailboxes.

In addition to writing about patriotic places in the western part of North America, my article about a January trip to Sonora, Mexico, appears in this issue.

One of the interesting attractions I visited was Delfinario Sonora in Guaymas. The facility puts on dolpin and sea lion shows and offers dolphin-assisted therapy for people with neurological, motor or mental disorders and those suffering from stress or chronic illness.

Here's a short video I made at the Delfinario Sonora dolphin show.

Where are your groups going this summer?

David Hoekman, the managing editor of Group Tour Media, lives in Holland, Mich. He occasionally rides his bicycle to work in the warm summer weather.

By Aaron Ogg

With the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign in full swing, Americans are bound to hear the words “patriotic,” “unpatriotic,” and their various derivations thrown around freely and cheaply.  

It is popular rhetoric among politicians, and with good reason. Their connotations often vary from person to person, and frequently arouse great fervor.

What constitutes true love, support and defense of one’s country is hotly debated and, unfortunately, used to further personal agendas — moral, fiscal, whatever.

I remember being a kid not more than 5 years old and being asked (not sure it was optional, in retrospect) to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school. Of course, I was too young to know what any of it really meant. Reading the ingredients on a box of Pop Tarts probably would have impacted me about the same. Nevertheless, there is something to be said for early seed planting.

Today I know what the words in the Pledge mean, technically, but what they stand for is no less ambiguous. Like all words, they exist as symbols — important, certainly, but not exactly static. Your idea of liberty and mine might differ. Must that make one of us wrong? I’d like to think not.

The theme of Group Tour Magazine’s July Western issue is “Patriotic places.” In his feature, GTM Managing Editor David Hoekman writes about scenery, monuments and military installations known to stir national pride — the Alamo, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park and more.

In “Canadian gold,” he explores the nation’s four national parks in the west, the Calgary Stampede (aka The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth), and its hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games — an incomparable point of pride for any place on the planet.

I leave you with a great quote from a man I consider to be a true patriot, Mark Twain: “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”

Aaron Ogg is Group Tour Media’s content marketing director. He resides in Grand Rapids, Mich., and enjoys social media, Apple products, games of chance, punctuality and the occasional meal of sushi. Follow him on Twitter, @aarongrouptour.

It’s been sweeping through the office lately. I’m not talking about an illness or an inside joke—I’m talking about reading The Hunger Games.

My colleague Erin, wrote an excellent article about tours based on the Hunger Games, so I don’t feel like I need to write about the book per se. What impressed me the most was its description of fashion, so I thought I’d check around to see how groups can incorporate fashion-forward locales into their tours.

The first idea that comes to mind is to visit the centers of the fashion universe: New York, Milan and Paris all have untold riches for group tours.

Manhattan’s famed Metropolitan Museum of Art is home to the Costume Institute, a collection with more than 35,000 items of clothing and accessories. While the entire collection is not on display, The Met hosts frequent clothing-related exhibits, and its Alexander McQueen exhibit broke all kinds of records when it was on display last year.

Beyond the hallowed halls of the Met, New York—along with Paris and Milan—is home to galleries and shops filled with designer duds. Local receptives who do this better than anyone can take groups to the boutiques and sample sales.

Fashion Perspective Tours, based in Richmond, Va., takes groups around the world in search of fashion and its origins. Owner/operator Pam Sexton has a number of itineraries on the docket, including an October Trip along the Silk Road of western Asia. Talk about finding fashion at its source!

Several museums throughout the world are dedicated to fashion, dress and textiles.

In the U.K., the simply named Fashion Museum is located in Bath. It offers guided tours for groups, led by docent or audio wand, that delve into the history and story behind these pieces of fashion. Its exhibits cover the past as well as the future of fashion, allowing imagination an important place at the table.    

Los Angeles also is home to a fashion-forward group tour spot: the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum & Galleries. Groups can arrange for docent-led tours to learn more about the exhibits and behind-the-scenes curator tours. The museum is located within walking distance of the Los Angeles Fashion District, a place where Effie and Cinna would dream about shopping for those Hunger Games outfits. 

Where would you take a fashion-forward tour? Keep the conversation going at Twitter (@grouptour and @amandagrouptour) and Facebook. 

*DISCLAIMER* This blog should not be interpreted as expert medical advice. I am not a doctor, psychotherapist, or affiliated in any way with the mental health professional community. I do know of a few good counselors.

By Aaron Ogg

I was checking out a BBC slideshow the other day about strange travel phobias and one in particular caught my attention: Hodophobia — the fear of road travel.

Wouldn’t that be a bummer? Depending on the severity, I suppose that could preclude sufferers from going on motorcoach tours, or even driving to the grocery store.

By no means do I consider myself fearless (you’d better have linoleum flooring if you put a snake within 50 feet of me), but I don’t suffer from any debilitating phobia. That includes phobophobia (the fear of phobias — not making that up).

Ever heard of exposure therapy? It is a behavioral therapy technique that involves confronting feelings or situations that the sufferer fears in order to overcome them.

I have no idea whether this is an effective form of treatment. What I do have is Internet access, which allows me to find lots of useful information. 

Here is a list of actual phobias along with confrontation therapy “prescriptions” that also happen to be group-friendly.

Acrophobia — the fear of heights

Prescription: Willis Tower, Chicago — At 1,450 feet and 110 stories high, it is the tallest skyscraper in the U.S. However, it’s only the seventh tallest in the world, so it’s not as extreme as it could be.

Ailurophobia — the fear of cats

Prescription: Feline Historical Museum, Alliance, Ohio — This museum, operated by the Cat Fanciers’ Association Foundation, houses works of art and literature related to the cat. As far as I know, there aren’t real cats there, so that should be of some comfort.

Botanophobia — the fear of plants

Prescription: Montréal Botanical Garden, Montréal — Covering 190 acres and 22,000 plant species, this garden features flora from all over the world. Perhaps this is just the way to ease into confronting xenophobia (the fear of people from other countries).

Chronomentrophobia — the fear of clocks

Prescription: National Watch & Clock Museum, Columbia, Pa. — Operated by the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, this attraction has more than 12,000 timepieces and related items. Don’t count on bumping into Captain Hook here.

Hyelophobia — the fear of glass

Prescription: Ohio Glass Museum, Lancaster, Ohio — In addition to glass exhibits, this central Ohio gem also features a glassblowing studio. Perhaps watching the creation process will allow sufferers to nip their fear in the bud.

Motorphobia — the fear of automobiles

Prescription: The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Mich. — Groups can visit a world-class museum that in part showcases America’s love affair with the automobile and also go on a Ford Rouge Factory Tour and watch the assembly process.

Ichthyophobia — the fear of fish

Prescription: South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, S.C. — Home to more than 6,000 plants and animals, its fishy characters include poisonous types such as jellyfish and pufferfish. Just stay on the other side of the glass and you’ll be fine.

Pediophobia — the fear of dolls

Prescription: Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum & Library, Santa Barbara, Calif. — Touted as one of the largest doll museums in the U.S., this museum also happens to be the largest teddy bear museum in the U.S. That should take some of the edge off, right?

As a side note, those with microphobia also should take solace in the fact that Best Western International recently rolled out black light inspections and UV sterilization methods to combat germs on highly touched areas such as telephones and light switches.

Aaron Ogg is Group Tour Media’s content marketing director. He resides in Grand Rapids, Mich., and enjoys social media, Apple products, games of chance, punctuality and the occasional meal of sushi. Follow him on Twitter, @aarongrouptour.

By David Hoekman 

Shebby Lee, the innovative tour operator based in Rapid City, S.D., emailed me her June newsletter yesterday. The email, packed with colorful photos, highlights upcoming departures of group tours offered by Shebby Lee Tours.

She also pointed out she had just attended Travel Alliance Partner’s Tap Dance marketplace in Shreveport, La., and will be sharing new destinations in the months to come.

The newsletter included a link to Lee’s blog, Trail Talk.

Her June 1 posting began with a quote from Don Hewitt, the masterful producer of CBS News’ 60 Minutes for 30-some years. Hewitt’s mantra for the program was one simple sentence: “Tell me a story.”

“This is good advice, not only for television news but for just about any human endeavor,” Lee wrote. “People are hungry for authentic experiences which can give meaning to their lives, and seek such experiences even when on vacation. Or perhaps especially on vacation.”

Lee goes on to say that for 35 years Shebby Lee Tours has been featuring tours that tell a story.

She explained, however, it’s not enough to just hear the stories.

“We also see where they took place, what the conditions were like and meet some of the characters themselves along the way. For example, we might hear a lonely soldier describe his life in a windswept frontier post as he goes about his daily routine, or help a pioneer woman attempt to cook a nutritious meal for her family out of cornmeal and salt pork cooked over an open fire,” she wrote.

I think Lee is exactly right in her approach of stories plus places and characters. As a newspaper reporter and now here at Group Tour Media, my main question has been: tell me your story. For the most part, people are glad you asked. They want to tell their stories. And readers and viewers are eager to read and see those stories.

And meeting characters on a tour — that is a memorable and powerful method of storytelling.

In today’s social media-rich environment, there are all kinds of ways to alert others to stories. Heck, even I am posting messages on Twitter.

On its website, Shebby Lee Tours has neat Facebook and Twitter buttons that look like covered wagons.

Earlier this week, I received my July print issue of Travel + Leisure, published by American Express Publishing Corporation.

The cover announces: 7 Reason Social Media Will Change the Way You Travel.

The magazine also lists the winners of its first Social Media in Travel + Tourism awards, known as SMITTY Awards for short.

Now that Travel + Leisure is acknowledging social media in travel and tourism, it’s almost as if social media has arrived for the industry. It’s gained a certain level of acceptability and legitimacy.

SMITTY Awards were given for best use of a social media platform, best single social media promotion and best social media promotion of travel deals. 

My next question: Tell me your social media stories.

David Hoekman, the managing editor of Group Tour Media, lives in Holland, Mich. He is starting to think in Tweets.

By Erin Albanese

I am feeling inspired.

I want to buy produce from farmers markets, select unprocessed food at the grocery store and even make homemade granola bars from scratch. I want to limit stuff in my kitchen that I really don’t want my kids eating.

We are pretty nutritional eaters at my house now, but aren’t close to as good as we could be. I’ve always been annoyed when people point out that something I’m eating has high-fructose corn syrup or trans fats in it, but the more I learn about the subject of food the less I want those things in it.

I have been writing about food tours this week for a new Group Tour Media special section on food. My topic is seasonal eating, so I’ve talked to tour leaders committed to the local food movement. They bring groups to farms and restaurants to learn about and taste food grown within their local agricultural economy.

Tours like Local Roots Food Tours, in Sacramento and the Well Traveled Fork, in Bend, Ore., demonstrate how food goes from farm to table, and how eating seasonally has real benefits. It really gets you thinking. I haven’t been very good about steering clear of processed foods, meat from factory farms, or items with a list of ingredients I’m not sure how to pronounce. But maybe I should be.

As a population with easy access to nearly any type of food at any time, it’s easy to stop thinking about where food comes from when we pluck a tomato out of the produce section in January. The tour operators I talked to noted that many people don’t know potatoes are grown in the ground, and many kids think of chicken as nuggets. Many have the impression that food magically appears at the store.

It’s so easy to not notice where food has been shipped from, what ingredients it consists of, or what cheap sweeteners are added in large quantities. It’s even easier to stay in blissful ignorance than to learn the truth about what processes affect our food supply. It seems natural for kids to name fast-food chains as their favorite places to eat.

Fruits, vegetables, coffee, beer and wine are all a reflection of their climate, and tour groups can learn the creative ways to enjoy them all. I like writing about tour companies that have found a cool niche, and food tours are another one. Groups get to eat high-quality food, explore the area it comes from, and learn about what makes really good dishes. What could be better than that?

For me, the best part of being a writer has always been getting the chance to learn about new things and really explore topics by talking directly to the experts. It’s fun to pass on the knowledge. Nearly all group tours involve food, could learning a bit more about it be interesting to your groups?

Group Tour Media Staff Writer Erin Albanese really plans to learn to cook! A graduate of Central Michigan University, she currently resides in Wyoming, Mich. 

By Amanda Black

A tiny planet in a tiny solar system has finally branched out.

The Voyager I spacecraft is reaching the end of our home solar system — and it’s the first manmade vessel to reach this milestone. The spacecraft was launched at the end of the 1970s, and it’s been tooling through outer space ever since, sending back data along its journey.The recent information it’s been gathering has really excited scientists. It’s reaching a point between our solar system and “interstellar space” as NASA scientists have called it.

NASA scientists can do a much better job than me explaining Voyager’s amazing journey at the spacecraft’s homepage.

Radiolab, a masterful public radio show also does a fantastic job of this too with a recent story.

I hope this wonderful story captures the attention of a new generation because I fear that attention to and awe of space is on the wane.

A few years ago, I visited Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry with my neighbors. The adults stood in awe of the artifacts in the Henry Crown Space Center, and the kids were totally uninterested. “But that was in space!” I pleaded. Didn’t work. The kids didn’t care.

But now is a great time to connect with the world beyond ours. Tour planners have many options for adding space-themed attractions to their next group outings.

NASA has been really good about opening its operations to the public. Looking at the complete list, I see 13 different locations counting the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum.

The list includes the well-known Johnson Space Center (Houston of “Houston, we have a problem) and the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., as well as some other cool places.

The Stennis Space Center opened a brand-new public facility last spring in Bay St. Louis, along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Infinity Science Center, a $30 million project, has a ton of fun and interesting experiences waiting for groups.

Beyond the NASA sites, groups have the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., the made-for-groups Space Camps and even sites related to Star Trek.

My favorite might be Vulcan, Alberta, a small town that loves its connection to Spock.  

Many science centers have planetarium shows that will make groups look to the stars. The last one I saw was the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Ga. I can still remember how exciting it was to see actual photos of Saturn. We have Voyager to thank for those. 

Here’s a video from a striking planetarium show at the Anchorage Museum.

What keeps your groups looking up?

By Rick Martinez

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Pork, plantains, potatoes and Puerto Rican rum.

Is there anything else that one really needs when visiting Puerto Rico? 

Well, OK, beaches, sunshine, a little poolside time, nightlife, natives and natural locales are a plus. But cuisine and spirits are key ingredients in embracing any local culture and truly getting to know the locals, at least for me.

My four-day visit in San Juan ended Sunday, having taken up the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau on an invitation to see how Puerto Rico puts its best efforts in hosting meetings, conventions and group gatherings.

The bureau’s slogan is “Puerto Rico Smooth,” and the travel media research trip — where I was accompanied by eight other editors and writers from across the U.S. — definitely lived up to its pre-visit promotion.

While the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino was my home, greater San Juan was my base for exploring Puerto Rico. 

My first visit to the Caribbean island and U.S. commonwealth was engaging, to stay the least.

I got to embrace my Puerto Rican roots (full disclosure: those also include French-Canadian). I got to explore San Juan’s Condado and Old San Juan neighborhoods. I got to visit some distinctive lodgings and resorts. I got to see and learn about architecture, culture and heritage dating back centuries to Spanish explorers like Ponce de Leon and Christopher Columbus.

Besides the pleasant personalities of the people I met in Puerto Rico, what remains with me is the fare — food and beverages.

The food — native, local, Caribbean and fusion — was amazing and mouth-watering. The fruits and vegetables found on the island are coupled in many dishes with rice, pork, poultry, seafood and beef.

Jam, Budatai and La Concha — A Renaissance Resort’s Perla were the dinner destinations, with their fare a delectable mix of Caribbean, American, African, Spanish, Taíno, Asian and Italian influences with a Puerto Rican flair prepared by ambitious chefs pushing the criolla envelope. 

Lunch was served on the upper-floor The Bellavista veranda of the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino while caressed by a San Juan Bay breeze; and in a progressive fashion on an afternoon walking tour of Old San Juan with Flavors of San Juan Food & Culture Tours, stopping in at Aromas Coffee House, Spicy Caribbee of San Juan, Rosa De Triana and St. Germain Bistro & Café.

Breakfast each morning was a simple delight at San Juan Marriott’s La Vista Latin Grill & Bar, with an Atlantic Ocean view and trade winds.

Also, being that we were in Puerto Rico, we had to sample at least some Puerto Rican rum because Puerto Rico is the Rum Capital of the World.

We stopped in at the Bacardi (pronounced Bah-car-dee) rum distillery in nearby Cantaño. Lucky us because we were visiting during Bacardi’s 150th anniversary year and got to go on a free tour of the Casa Bacardi Visitors Center.

The Bacardi tours are given every 20 minutes in English and Spanish, take about an hour and include tickets for two free rum samples. The tour guides, which include a bartender, share the considerable history of the Bacardi family and company from its humble Cuban roots to the present-day Bahamas-based spirits empire (which is considerable) and details how rum is made and what it’s good for (which is plenty).

Meanwhile, it seemed like everywhere we stopped, someone was ready to offer a rum-based Bacardi-and-Coke (or Pepsi, which is not embraced by Bacardi officials), Mojito, Pina Colada or Cuba Libre.

I’m not complaining. After all, this was my latest stop on a purely unintentional and unexpectedly eye-opening and rewarding Western Hemisphere spirits tour. Within the past couple months, I’d also had rather grand opportunities to sip Kentucky bourbons in Louisville and Michigan wines in Traverse City and on the Leelanau Peninsula. 

Needless to say, my Puerto Rico stay was muy bueno and buen provecho indeed.

Rick Martinez is Editor of Group Tour Media.

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By David Hoekman

My colleague Amanda Black’s blog about the TV show Dallas and travel reminded me of England and Downton Abbey.

Right from the top I must state I have not seen an episode of the popular TV period drama shown in the United States on public TV’s Masterpiece Classic.

Downton Abbey is not my cup of tea.

What intrigues me about Downton Abbey, however, is a tour and a high-end one at that.

Zicasso, an online luxury travel service based in San Francisco, is offering Downton Abbey, an exclusive seven-day trip to England to visit the filming locations used in the making of Downton Abbey.

As everyone but me knows, Downton Abbey is the fictional Yorkshire country house of the Earl and Countess of Grantham. The series tells the story of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants beginning in 1912.

The custom tour is available from July to September and starts from $4,500 per person based on double occupancy, depending on final hotel choices.

Put together a group and there are benefits.

The price per person is lower when there are more travelers per private group.

For more information, visit: http://www.zicasso.com/luxury-vacation-uk-tours/downton-abbey-themed-vacation

According to Zicasso, guests immerse themselves in early 20th-century English culture and aristocratic society as depicted in Downton Abbey. “For fans of the TV series, this vacation will leave them with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the culture and scenery,” Zicasso’s news release said.

Expert guides will accompany the private and fully customizable tour.

Trip highlights include:

· Visits to Highclere Castle, used as the Crawley home and where most of the drama unfolds, and the real Oxfordshire village that was used for the village scenes in the series.

· Expert historian guides on World War I, the British monarchy and noble society, providing in-depth knowledge of the Downton Abbey period.

· Visits to the cities of Oxford and Cambridge, where most privileged children were sent away to school and university.

· Day trip to Henley-on-Thames with its rich history and beautiful scenery. The home of rowing in England, this city is still one of the highlights of the elite’s calendar, with a visit to the Henley Royal Regatta each summer for the races.

· Sightseeing tour of London taking in all the well-known sights including the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace.

Zicasso says it matches discerning travelers with the industry's top 10 percent travel specialists.

It’s not a tour operator or an online travel agency.

Zicasso describes itself as a luxury travel referral service that connects buyers (travelers) with sellers (travel agencies and tour operators) — somewhat like eBay being a marketplace that brings buyers and sellers together.

“We do the homework to match you with up to three relevant quality travel companies and provide a platform which facilitates easy communications and transaction with the travel companies. When you decide which travel company to purchase from, you pay them directly,” the company says on its website.

You may not be able to put together a TV tour for your group that is as extensive Zicasso’s Downton Abbey.

But you can devise a tour itinerary that ties in some sort of TV element.

It can be as simple as going to lunch at the Mayberry Café in Danville, Ind., or touring the WISH-TV studios in Indianapolis.

Are TV tours your cup of tea?

David Hoekman, the managing editor of Group Tour Media, lives in Holland, Mich. He watches a really old TV.

By Aaron Ogg

The social media universe is abuzz with chatter over the Swedish government’s Curators of Sweden project, which places the country’s @sweden Twitter account in the hands of a different citizen each week.

The project, which reportedly launched in December as a tourism promotion effort, garnered a high level of scrutiny this following a New York Times article detailing the government initiative.

Some of the @sweden tweets are laden with profane and racist remarks and other questionable content, while others have included a boar hunting photo, a chewing tobacco tin and a Robocop reference.

“No one owns the brand of Sweden more than its people,” Thomas Brühl, VisitSweden CEO, told Mashable when the project started.

“With this initiative, we let them show their Sweden to the world.”

This might just be my love of all things Robocop talking, but as an exercise in information democracy and innovative social media engagement, my hat is off. Clearly the Swedish government values its citizenry and understands that its national identity is comprised of many (many, many) personality types.

That said, there is that not small matter of you never know what some people will say when given a very tall soapbox.

Every day I plunge headfirst into the tourism marketing end of numerous social media channels: Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube and more. So many CVBs and DMOs consistently knock it out of the park. Often it’s nothing fancy — a “good morning,” an evocative photo or some other simple effort to interest residents, visitors and faithful followers. Genuine engagement attempts that don’t read as sales pitches tend to get lots of mileage.

However, tourism marketers also deal with their fair share of gripes, complaints and other negative feedback. What seems to separate the winners from the losers is how effectively they manage criticism. Industry experts soon learn that a converted kvetcher can make one of the most powerful brand representatives imaginable. When ignored, they quickly can become a viral nightmare.

In Sweden’s case, one could easily say that this filter-less approach is asking for trouble. Perhaps they don’t see it that way and are simply embracing a style of social sharing in which safeguards and censorship take a symbolic backseat to the noble cause of supporting absolute freedom in the digital space.

Either way, it never ceases to amaze me what some folks will say. I’m interested to see if and how the Swedish government addresses the issue.

Aaron Ogg is Group Tour Media’s content marketing director. He resides in Grand Rapids, Mich., and enjoys social media, Apple products, games of chance, punctuality and the occasional meal of sushi. Follow him on Twitter, @aarongrouptour.

I’m finally old enough to watch this now: a blog about the return of the TV show ‘Dallas’ as group tours to Southfork Ranch continue

By Amanda Black

I watched a lot of TV growing up, but the risqué network TV of the ’80s was off limits. I was not ready for prime time, at least according to my mother.

Not to say I didn’t watch them…I used to sneak over to a friend’s house to watch taped copies of Moonlighting, which was much too frisky of a show for us to watch. But we did anyway.

And there was my grandparents’ house. They didn’t have the same limits on TV, so I watched what they watched. That meant Oprah (back before she was a national icon and queen of the media), Golden Girls, Murder She Wrote, and Dallas.

Looking back, all of those shows are lot tamer than half the cable dramas I watch now, but I’m not 8 years old anymore.

Anyway, 20 years on, it seems like the perfect time to return to Dallas thanks to TNT. The stakes are even high in today’s energy- and money-hungry climate. It’s now an exciting new cable drama that I’m looking forward to adding to my schedule.

In case you need a refresher or you weren’t old enough to watch the first show, TNT has put together this video.

JR and Bobby are back (Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy) and they’ve brought Sue Ellen along (Linda Gray). Now there’s a new generation jockeying for power and relevance, led by Josh Henderson (playing John Ross, the son on JR and Sue Ellen), Jesse Metcalfe, Bobby’s adopted son looking into alternative energy. Of course there are lovely ladies — Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo and Brenda Strong.

Like the first show, the current incarnation of Dallas takes place among the backdrop of the Southfork Ranch. It’s no Hollywood set — Southfork is a real place in Parker, Texas, just outside the namesake city. Many of the scenes for the new show were filmed here, just like the 1978–1991 series.

For years, fans and group tours have been flocking to the site, which was purchased in 1992 by the founder of Forever Resorts Rex Maughan. The mansion is open for tours and attracts more than 400,000 people a year. There’s also a Dallas Museum, great shopping in the Ranch Roundup Visitor’s Center, conference rooms and some Texas longhorns grazing on the lawn. Groups also can arrange for chuck-wagon suppers.

Tour planners should contact Southfork Ranch in advance of their visits at (972) 442-7800 and visit www.Southfork.com for more details. 

Catch up on the latest Dallas news at www.tnt.tv/series/dallas and via Twitter @Dallas_TNT. 

While you’re at Twitter, why don’t you follow Group Tour Magazine @GroupTour and me @AmandaGroupTour?

Thanks to my colleague, David Hoekman, for the idea for this blog. Follow him at @DavidGroupTour.  

Amanda Black has spent the last 10 years with Group Tour Magazine uncovering the best attractions and tours for groups. She lives in Holland, Mich., with a lovely view of a meadow and duck pond. Amanda is big fan of fresh food and TV dramas as well as all things cute.  

By Erin Albanese

It’s cool to catch up with people who are making things happen.

Over the years, I had often heard about fellow Wyoming, Mich., native Jason Beukema, who has journeyed around the globe as a tour manager, embracing adventure and life as a young entrepreneur.

His career has taken him on many cruises – he’s now been on 49 – but he said the voyages always left him wondering where the party was.

Because of his own opinion concerning activities offered onboard, he realized a segment of the market could be better targeted. Traditional cruises didn’t offer much for his own demographic, those in the 25-35 age range without kids in tow who would rather turn up the volume and dance than head to a 5 p.m. dinner buffet before some ballroom dancing.

He envisioned a new product best described as a floating dance music festival, and, in 2004, launched The Groove Cruise, through his business Whet Travel. His first cruise, customized for himself and a group of friends, grew to 125 passengers, and the party hasn’t stopped since. Now, eight years and many voyages later, he’s booked his biggest yet. Ready to leave Miami Jan. 25 is a sold-out full-ship charter with a capacity of 2,300 revelers ready for a three-day non-stop party. He works with many affiliates and has received big-name sponsors.

It seems like an obvious formula for success: electronic dance music, dancing, energetic people, a huge cruise ship and tropical locations. It’s like Spring Break for adults, a hedonistic free-for-all, a cruise given a huge shot of adrenaline.

I talked to Jason, who lives in South Beach, Fla., the other day. After catching up on what’s new in our shared hometown, I asked him how it feels to see the crowd come together and the party take place.

He said he has to pinch himself sometimes, realizing he’s created an unforgettable experience, kind of a playground for adults.

The Groove Cruise, on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, offers a dozen dance parties throughout the weekend and music playing the entire 72 hours. Contests and themes enhance the parties. There’s no set-schedule, meals are always available, and within reason, anything goes. The destination from Miami is Great Stirrup Cay, a private island in the Bahamas, where more than 40 artists perform.

It’s interesting to think about how niche markets in the group travel industry are often created. Someone realizes an industry or product isn’t serving their needs or doesn’t appeal to their tastes and tweaks it. Someone searches fruitlessly for something they would really like and puts it out there. Jason decided to offer a group-travel option gone wild, because it was to tame for him and his friends.

My last blog was about Geek Nation Tours, founded by Teras Cassidy, an entrepreneur who knew there was a market for people with non-mainstream hobbies and created tours “for geeks by geeks.” I’m also working on an article about fans of The Vampire Diaries television show who have attracted guests from all over the world to their Mystic Falls Tours.

All three of these businesses show that sometimes going the non-traditional route really pays off, and all it takes to get started is to look inside yourself. What niche do you see missing?

By Rick Martinez

One never knows where their travels will take them.

That is the case for me this week. I’m heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a meetings-related visit with the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau and its partners.

This is definitely a business trip. Our group's agenda is packed visiting convention centers, resorts, hotels and related destinations, with a strong focus on meetings and conventions.

However, that said, I hope to squeeze in a little time exploring on the side on what my Dad’s family considers as home soil.

My Dad, may God rest his soul, was a first-generation American who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. Both his parents, my grandparents, were born in Puerto Rico before moving to the United States 90-some-odd years ago.

While I know I have relatives — second cousins and the like — in Puerto Rico, the reality is I’ve never met them. Ever.

It’s not that my Dad’s side of the family is not proud of their heritage. That is definitely not the case.

It’s just that my Dad didn’t embrace it much. While it was a big part of him, his roots weren’t something he spent much time discussing with us growing up or even making time to visit family back home in New York.

For me, personally, that changed in 1980. On my way home from college, I reconnected with Dad’s side with a week-long stay in Brooklyn with the family of my aunt (his favorite sister).

It was a refreshing and reinvigorated connections to aunts, uncles and cousins that I maintain to this day (although I wish I could see more of them).

My efforts to maintain my roots have roosted strongly in my children.

Last month, my oldest son was in New York on week-long trip to complete a college course on Bohemian New York. While there, he made a special effort to look up my Dad’s old Brooklyn neighborhood near the Brooklyn Bridge, and ended up toting his entire class with him.

On my Mother’s side, those roots are French-Canadian with Quebec and New England ties and are much stronger. On her side, I know relatives as distant as second and third cousins and twice- and third-removed.

Suffice it to say my French-Canadian heritage is much stronger than my Puerto Rican heritage. But with my business trip to my grandparents’ birthplace, I’m supposing that’s going to get adjusted somewhat.

It’s interesting how travel can impact you, in ways both expected and unexpected.

Rick Martinez is Editor of Group Tour Media. He works in Holland, Mich., and resides in Jenison, Mich.

By Amanda Black

Without irony, I want to admit a love for a certain genre of music that’s having another day in the sun. This music involves big sounds and even bigger hair.

The movie Rock of Ages hits the movie theaters June 15, building on the success of the Broadway musical. I have to admit, I loved it as soon as I saw the trailer. Seeing Tom Cruise dressed like Axl Rose and singing Bon Jovi should have struck as some kind of heresy, but I found it really delightful. That’s the thing about late '80s rock (or hair metal), it’s all about the fun.

Perhaps I love it because I am too young to remember the classic rock of the ’60s and ’70s. When I first started listening to the radio, long-haired musicians like Poison, Warrant and Slaughter ruled the airwaves. It wasn’t quite heavy metal or rock ’n’ roll, but my 13-year-old self thought it was great. My thirtysomething self still loves it, even though I know it’s a cliché.

Tour planners have many options for weaving hair band music into their itineraries. As groups are getting younger, these out-of-the-box options just may attract the attention of a new generation of travelers.

Most of the major movie theater chains offer group discounts or will rent out theaters. Since movie-going is such common currency these days, it makes perfect sense to include it on a tour. It would be a whole lot of fun to see Rock of Ages with a group.

The stage show that inspired the musical is still rocking the Broadway stage — bringing the tale of big hair and big dreams in the 1980s to buoyant life. For 10 or more tickets, Broadway.com offers special discounts for the show at the Helen Hayes Theatre.  

Many of the actual bands are out touring, playing county fairs, theaters and stadiums far and wide.

The Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas is going hair band crazy this summer. On Saturday nights this summer, some of these former sporters of big hair are playing shows in the concert series called Rock of Vegas. Cover bands will rock the stages nightly through Labor Day weekend at this top Las Vegas attraction. 

As Steve Perry from Journey so eloquently said: “Anyway you want it, that’s the way you need it.”

I’m not entirely sure what he’s talking about ;), but that wisdom applies to group tours too. Today’s people love fun movies, live music and enertaining Broadway shows. 

Why not give groups what they want?

Amanda Black has spent the last 10 years with Group Tour Magazine uncovering the best attractions and tours for groups. She lives in Holland, Mich., with a lovely view of a meadow and duck pond. Amanda is big fan of fresh food and TV dramas as well as all things cute.   

By Aaron Ogg

During a Nashville press trip in October, I sat waiting in a motorcoach with fellow journalists outside the Bridgestone Arena, home ice for the NHL’s Nashville Predators.

A banner hung from the exterior promoting what local hockey fans refer to as “Smashville” and its young, upstart team. I texted a photo to my buddy, a fellow diehard Detroit Red Wings fan, with the caption, “Jealous?”

I won’t repeat what he, a U.S. Navy first-class petty officer, texted back, but I shot him a quick response: “These guys could be trouble.”

Right I was. The Preds drubbed the Wings in April, knocking them out of Stanley Cup contention in the first round, four games to one. Nashville would go on to lose to the Phoenix Coyotes in the next round.

However, they proved they are a force to be reckoned with and that they play in a great, burgeoning hockey city. Despite some financial turbulence, Music City has indicated it supports its team.

National sports teams are a wonderful regional tourism draw. It’s fun to rally behind the home squad, especially if they are good (Sorry, Amanda).

There also is great partnership potential, even across national boundaries, as current Stanley Cup finalists the Los Angeles Kings revealed this week.

The team announced that Travel Alberta will be the “Official Travel Destination of the LA Kings” for the 2012-13 season.

“The tourism industry can be as tough as the competition on the ice and we are looking forward to sharing the Alberta story with all our fans and partners,” said Bill Pedigo, senior vice president of corporate partnerships for the Kings, in a press release.

Alberta tourism seems to be getting a lot right lately. Its “(remember to breathe)” campaign has created significant buzz, with one of its videos drawing more than 1.2 million YouTube views.

As part of Travel Alberta’s collaboration with the Kings, they will offer fans an away game travel package, among other promotions. Calgary, Alberta, is home to the NHL’s Calgary Flames franchise.

In my opinion, this is the sort of opportunity that destination marketers must seek aggressively, and professional sports seem like a gold mine for either individual or group travel promotion. With so many clamoring for the same tourism business over numerous media, it’s important to be creative with limited resources, and that often means tapping into new industries. I can’t wait to hear how this particular partnership pans out — even if it is a long way from Hockeytown.

Aaron Ogg is Group Tour Media’s content marketing director. He resides in Grand Rapids, Mich., and enjoys social media, Apple products, games of chance, punctuality and the occasional meal of sushi. Follow him on Twitter, @aarongrouptour.