Last year, www.travelmanitoba.com got over 1.2 million views – meaning that is how many people saw us when searching for tourism related products online! Over 650,000 visited our site and we directed just under 60,000 visitors to you - our industry. The most effective way to get that traffic directed back to your website is through banner ads that appear on www.travelmanitoba.com. For as little as $400 a year, you too can have a banner ad on our website. Contact Michel LaRiviere MLariviere@travelmanitoba.com to discuss your banner ad today.

http://www.travelmanitoba.com/images_tr/pdf/ti_banner_partner.pdf

A Manitoba Queen's Bench court has conditionally approved the sale of Hecla Resort to Lakeview Management.

The Lake Winnipeg resort has been in receivership for two years and while there may be a new owner approved by the court, there are significant hurdles to overcome before it can reopen.

Lakeview must negotiate a land lease with the province, as the resort is located in Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park. There are also repairs required to get the property into shape.

"We're up for the challenge," said Lakeview's Keith Levit. "It will be a considerable job to get the hotel back up and ruining but we are confident we can do it."

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/hecla-resort-has-new-owner-180314471.html

Complete: While some local motorists have lamented the slippery driving conditions during recent snowfalls, skiers and snowboarders in the area have embraced the white stuff.

Roz Pulo, director of marketing at Asessippi Ski Area and Resort, estimates that about 30 centimetres of snow fell during the most recent winter storm. The snowfall was a welcomed asset to the resort and a stark contrast compared to last year when temperatures remained well above seasonal norms and precipitation was at a minimum.

"We had a good run for snow making for a while, but now it’s a little too warm," Pulo said. "It probably reduced our snow-making time by three or four days."

Asessippi is still on schedule to open Dec. 7, Pulo said, and once the temperature dips back down, snowmaking, utilizing the hills 38 guns and extensive snowmaking system, will begin to ensure the slopes have a strong base.

"People are already booking their equipment online," Pulo said. "It’s amazing to see the increase in action. You can feel the excitement building for the season and for the resort."

When the resort does open this year, Asessippi will feature 25 runs with three chairlifts, two terrain parks and a giant snow-tubing park that has doubled in size from last year.

Another new addition is the snow carpet. Measuring 650 feet in length, the carpet is the ideal way for beginners and children to get from the bottom of the hill to the top, eliminating the fear of getting hung up on a T-bar lift or not being strong enough to hold onto a handle tow.

"It’s like a moving sidewalk," Pulo said. "You step on and you can leave your skies on, your snowboard on or hop on with your tube and at the top it rolls you off."

The carpet is strategically placed so that it takes skiers, snowboarders, or tubers to the top of the snow-tubing park, which features a slow and fast run, or the bunny hill, a great area for young or beginner skiers to start out.

"If you’ve never tried skiing it’s the perfect resort to learn how," Pulo said.

But Pulo also said the resort offers some challenges for more experienced skiers, offering black diamond runs for expert riders and rails, tables and jumps for freestyle riders.

"There’s lots of variation and different things with the mogul run and ski-cross course, so there is something for everyone," Pulo said.

About 80,000 people pass through the resort in a typical year, Pulo said, and the resort is always trying to branch out and offer snow enthusiasts more options.

One unique feature is that Asessippi now hosts weddings, adding another dimension to the slopes.

"We think we’re the only area in Manitoba where you can get on a lift and go to the ceremony and have the bridal party come up that way," Pulo said.

In Brandon, Cam Wirch, owner of A&L, has seen an increase in customers coming in who have been bitten by the winter-sports bug.

"We’ve had a lot of early interest this year," Wirch said, adding that ski and snowboard equipment, protective gear and outfits have generated a lot of interest.

"There is a lot of excitement and I think people are in the mood now," he said.

According to Wirch, his family skis and snowboards regularily at Ski Valley in Minnedosa, which is also busy making snow in anticipation of the opening of the ski season.

"The hills are so close and there’s great snow and a great atmosphere," Wirch said.

He’s also part of a volunteer group that works to groom a series of cross-country skiing loops open to the public in the Brandon Hills south of the city. The early snowfall, close to 30 cm, has resulted in ideal conditions on the trails.

"The trails were created for the Canada Games in ’79 and there is 2.5, 5 and 7.5-kilometre loops," Wirch said. "It’s already groomed out there so it’s really nice skiing right now and it’s through the hills which is a really scenic area."

The different distances really open up the trails to the beginning skier to the more advanced, and Wirch said cross-country skis are available for rent by the day or weekend at the store.

The volunteer grooming group is also currently fundraising for a piece of equipment that is designed to ensure that the snow is broken up and sifted prior to being groomed to prevent the trails from icing up. Anyone who would like to donate towards the purchase of the equipment can do so at A&L.

http://www.brandonsun.com/local/early-snowfall-brings-a-lot-of-excitement-180136681.html

EVEN organizers of Dauphin's Countryfest were surprised by a record sellout sparked by the announcement of its star-studded 2013 lineup.

Platinum-selling American Idol artist Carrie Underwood, along with country stars Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and bands such as the Florida Georgia Line are headlining next summer's Countryfest (June 27-30).

Fans rushed to snap up weekend passes Monday morning when tickets went on sale. By evening the event was sold out.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/fans-snap-up-tix-to-star-studded-countryfest-180314431.html

THE MTS Centre is quieter than usual this fall, but there are signs of life on the other side of Donald Street.

The 93-year-old Metropolitan Theatre is slated to reopen next week after a quarter-century of inactivity, thanks to a $16-million renovation, expansion and heritage restoration.

Winnipeg's Canad Inns Corp. has issued invitations for a Nov. 30 unveiling of the newly revitalized theatre, which has been converted into what the hotel chain has called a "multi-function event space."

Canad Inns has spent two years restoring the main theatre space, installing lounges in the lobby area and building a new structure on the south side of the building to house kitchens, elevators and washrooms. The project included efforts to restore heritage elements such as mouldings that originally adorned the venue when it opened in 1919 as the Allen Theatre.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/old-met-theatre-making-comeback-180314771.html

They're Chilliwack teenagers proud to represent their country, the Fraser Valley, and the province of B.C. in a research competition. 

A pair of students are taking a local tourism initiative all the way to the global stage — at a conference in Monte Carlo, Monaco this week. 

Ashley Fisher, 17, and Megan MacDonald, 18, will represent Canada with their 'Handpicked in the Valley' research project at the Global Travel and Tourism Partnership (GTTP) conference, along with teacher CATT Cheryl Tourand from G.W. Graham middle-secondary...   ..."I think the girls did an excellent job with their presentation," said teacher Cheryl Tourand. "They defined innovation in tourism, and they chose something that was researchable. 

"They made connections in the industry. Right off the bat they went above and beyond and that really shone through."

The students zeroed in on the website, Handpicked in the Valley, with its snappy tag-line "where adventures take route." It's an online marketing partnership by a trio of tourism organizations in Chilliwack, Abbotsford and Langley, which helps visitors and day-trippers with pre-planned itinerary suggestions that are "handpicked" or creating their own day trips based on interest in events, attractions, local facilities, and accommodations.

http://www.theprogress.com/news/180195111.html

The controversial Jumbo Glacier Resort moved another step closer to reality with the establishment of a resort municipality for the site, but critics are already calling the move undemocratic.

B.C.'s Community Development Minister Bill Bennett formally announced the creation of the Mountain Resort Municipality of Jumbo Glacier and appointed former mayor of Radium Hot Springs Greg Deck as the community's first mayor...   ...Plans have been on the books for decades for a Whistler-style ski resort and village with hotels, about 55 kilometres from the town of Invermere. The original concept was first endorsed by former NDP premier Mike Harcourt in the early 1990s.

But the project was thought to be all but dead after years of divisive debate, with many local residents, environmental groups, the B.C. NDP and at least one First Nation opposed to the project.

Then in March, the provincial government announced it had approved the development plans.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/11/19/bc-jumbo-ski-resort-announcement.html

An accomplished nature photographer is urging a tourism boycott of the Alaska Highway next year to protest a contest offering cash and prizes for hunting wolves.

John Marriott, who grew up in Salmon Arm but lives in Canmore, Alta., said he believes the hunt is unethical and should be stopped immediately. "Hunting is a time-honoured tradition that is about putting food on your table and getting out on the land; it is not a contest for killing the biggest this or that or for nurturing a hatred of one species."

A story in The Vancouver Sun on Tuesday revealed that hunters who enter the contest and kill the biggest wolves stand to receive $250 to $1,000 and up. There is also a booby prize of $150 for the smallest wolf and draws for prizes such as a rifle and free taxidermy work. The contest continues through March 31.

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Wolf+hunting+contest+backlash+threatens+northern+tourism/7587676/story.html

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Big Apple's tourism sector is gearing up for the holidays and trying to get out the message that all but a handful of attractions and hotels are open following Superstorm Sandy.

The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the New York Aquarium at Coney Island remain closed, along with a couple of Lower Manhattan hotels: the Best Western Seaport Inn Downtown, the Holiday Inn Express New York City on Wall Street, and the World Center Hotel. But the 9-11 Memorial park downtown is back to normal, as is nearly all subway service. Gas rationing ends in the city Friday.

The busy holiday season kicks off Thursday as planned with Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The tree at Rockefeller Center is scheduled to be lit Nov. 28 and performances of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular run as scheduled through Dec. 30

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/nyc-tourism-gearing-up-for-busy-holidays-despite-slight-dropoff-in-some-sectors-post-sandy-180215361.html

(Excerpts from an article published originally in the WFP, Nov.  '72)

A ground security program designed to combat hijacking attempts will be implemented at most Canadian international airports by mid-1973, the president of the Canadian Airline Pilots Association said here Tuesday C. H. Simpson of Montreal, an Air Canada pilot, told a news conference at the Winnipeg Inn that when the program is fully implemented "it will be as good as any country's and belter than most." The system involves government trained special guards, simple hand-baggage searches and a magnetometer to detect large metal objects. "We think the program will work. Right now it's a matter of getting the system in operation," Mr. Simpson said after the opening session of the three-day C A L P A convention which opened Tuesday. Canada, explained Mr. Simpson, is larger than most countries and therefore an airport security system program has been late getting started. "That sounds like a pretty critical thing to say but a system of this type takes time." He said the federal government is training personnel to serve as special duty guards at international airports and is completing the detection system that win be used. "There's a lot of other things that we're not talking about at all," said Mr. Simpson, referring to recent talks between the association and the federal department of transport. In the president's address! To the 40 delegates representing five Canadian airlines, Mr. Simpson said CALPA "must continue to press the government to take the strongest possible stand…..           …He said if Cuba begins prosecuting hijackers other countries would follow suit and air piracy would die out. .Stiff sentences to the three Southern Airways hijackers by the Cuban government will be “one helluva deterrent for others," he said.