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Lebawit Lily Girma | (TNS) Bloomberg News When winter rolls around, travelers predictably turn their attention to beaches. And this year, it’s the destination that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” that’s experiencing outsize demand from Americans planning a warm island vacation. Talk about trashing stereotypes. Related Articles Travel | Would you pay $700 a night to sleep under the stars at this Colorado resort? Travel | Thailand’s starring role in ‘The White Lotus’ is about to pay off Travel | 5 under-the-radar travel destinations the UN says you should visit Travel | Gift ideas for people planning their next trip Travel | Lights and decor, réveillon meals make Christmastime special in New Orleans Puerto Rico has recovered overseas visitors (excluding those from Canada and Mexico) faster than any U.S. state or territory — a staggering 85% increase over its 2019 overseas inbound visitor levels as of 2023, according to an October study from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. There are now more daily flights from the U.S. West Coast, and hotel bookings are 6% higher so far in this last quarter of 2024 year-over-year. It’s a trifecta of tourism growth: more visitors, but also longer stays and a higher spend that reached a record $9.8 billion in 2023, boosting small businesses as well as major brands. “We don’t have a slow season in Puerto Rico anymore,” says Brad Dean, chief executive officer at Discover Puerto Rico. Even if they’re not booking, people are dreaming about “La Isla.” By tracking flight searches for trips between November 2024 and February 2025, a measure of “inspirational” demand, tourism intelligence company Mabrian Technologies reports Puerto Rico is up 9% compared with the same period last year and leads Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean proper. Only Costa Rica ranked higher in the wider region. Dean attributes Puerto Rico’s ongoing tourism growth to a strategic effort to reposition the island’s brand as more than a sun-and-sea destination, starting back in 2018. That led to the Live Boricua campaign, which began in 2022 and leaned heavily on culture, history and cuisine and was, Dean says, “a pretty bold departure” in the way Puerto Rico was showcased to travelers. He adds that at least $2 billion in tourism spend is linked to this campaign. “We (also) haven’t shied away from actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and that has opened up Puerto Rico to audiences that may not have considered the Caribbean before,” Dean says. Hotels are preparing to meet this growing demand: A number of established boutique properties are undergoing upgrades valued between $4 million and more than $50 million, including Hotel El Convento; La Concha, which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection; Condado Vanderbilt Hotel; and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar. That’s in addition to ultra-chic options that are coming online in 2025, including the adults-only Alma San Juan, with rooms overlooking Plaza Colón in the heart of Old San Juan, and the five-star Veranó boutique hotel in San Juan’s trendy Santurce neighborhood. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton San Juan in Isla Verde will also be reopening seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The travel industry’s success is helping boost employment on the island, to the tune of 101,000 leisure and hospitality jobs as of September 2024, a 26% increase over pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Efforts to promote Puerto Rico’s provinces beyond the San Juan metro area — such as surfing hub Rincón on the west coast, historical Ponce on the south coast and Orocovis for nature and coffee haciendas in the central mountains —have spread the demand to small businesses previously ignored by the travel industry. Take Sheila Osorio, who leads workshops on Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music and dance at Taller Nzambi, in the town of Loíza, 15 miles east of San Juan; or Wanda Otero, founder of cheese-producing company Vaca Negra in Hatillo, an hour’s drive west of Old San Juan, where you can join a cheese-making workshop and indulge in artisanal cheese tastings. “The list of businesses involved in tourism has gone from 650 in 2018 to 6,100, many of which are artists and artisans,” Dean says. While New Yorkers and Miami residents have always been the largest visitor demographic, Dean says more mainland Americans now realize that going to Puerto Rico means passport-free travel to enjoy beaches, as well as opportunities to dine in Michelin-rated restaurants, hike the only rainforest in the U.S. and kayak in a bioluminescent bay. Visitors from Chicago and Dallas, for example, have increased by approximately 40% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared with the same period in 2022-2023, and more travelers are expected from Denver now that United Airlines Holdings Inc. has kicked off its first nonstop service to San Juan, beginning on Oct. 29. Previously, beach destinations that were easy to reach on direct flights from Denver included Mexico, Belize and California, but now Puerto Rico joins that list with a 5.5-hour nonstop route that cuts more than two hours from the next-best option. Given United Airlines’ hub in San Francisco, it could mean more travelers from the Golden State in the near future, too. In December, U.S. airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing even Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s primary gateway, is projecting a record volume of 13 million passengers by year’s end — far surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019. As for Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” line, Dean says it was “a terribly insensitive attempt at humor” that transformed outrage into a marketing silver lining, with an outpouring of positive public sentiment and content on Puerto Rico all over social media. Success, as that old chestnut goes, may be the best revenge. “It was probably the most efficient influencer campaign we’ve ever had,” Dean says, “a groundswell of visitors who posted their photos and videos and said, ‘This is the Puerto Rico that I know.’” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Harris has ‘no knowledge’ anyone tried to get RTE to take down viral clip
Crypto mine to be turned into $6B data center in DentonThailand’s exports THCEX=ECI grew in October at the fastest pace in three months, beating analysts’ forecasts, as the commerce ministry anticipated strong final-quarter growth would see its full-year target surpassed. Exports, a key driver of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, rose 14.6% in October annually, well above a forecast 5.2% rise in a Reuters poll, and followed September’s 1.1% rise. Exports are expected to grow strongly in the last quarter of 2024 and increase by 4% for the year to beat the ministry’s target of 2%, said Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, head of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office. “We haven’t adjusted our target but will beat it,” he told a press conference. Exports rose 4.9% in the first 10 months of 2024 from the same period in 2023. Shipments will be supported by the recovery of industrial sectors in key trading partners, relaxed global monetary policies, growth in farm and food product exports during the holiday season, and reduced logistics costs, the ministry said. Poonpong said he was not concerned if the United States takes action on countries which it has trade deficits, which would include Thailand. “We are preparing. We not worried because that will apply to all countries, not just our country,” he said. The commerce minister planned to travel to the United States early next year to discuss the matter with U.S. officials, he said, adding “we’ll negotiate”. As Thailand is home to a number of U.S. companies, exporting goods to the United States would benefit them, Poonpong said. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday pledged tariffs on the United States’ three largest trading partners, Canada, Mexico and China. In October, Thailand’s exports to the United States, its top market, jumped 25.3% annually, while shipments to China increased 8.5% and to Japan, 7%. Exports last month were boosted by strong growth in shipments of technology-related products, particularly computers, equipment, and components, the ministry said. Imports rose 15.9% in October from a year earlier, stronger than a forecast rise of 6.5% in the poll, resulting in a trade deficit of $0.79 billion for the month. Source: Reuters (Reporting by Orathai Sriring, Kitiphong Thaichareon and Thanadech Staporncharnchai; Editing by John Mair, Martin Petty)
NoneGeorge Kresge Jr., who wowed talk show audiences as the The Amazing Kreskin, dies
By Jim Rossman, Tribune News Service (TNS) Everyone seems to be listening to something. I’m not sure what they’re listening to, because they all seem to be wearing headphones. I suppose they’re all listening to their favorite podcast or just their playlists. Here are a few gift suggestions for headphones that’ll make anything sound better. I’ve listed the retail pricing, but don’t be surprised if you find them on sale. We’ve all tried traditional earbuds. They can sound good if the fit is correct. The SoundCore AreoFit 2 ($99.99, soundcore.com) don’t fit inside your ear canal. Instead, they sit on the outside of your ear. The battery sits behind your ear, much like a hearing aid. The speaker is attached by a sturdy, yet flexible cable. The only adjustment is on the speaker end – it clicks to adjust the angle of the speaker to sit directly over your ear canal. The fact that they don’t insert into your ears means you can still hear the outside world, so you are not so isolated. These are great for jogging or biking. The sound is really nice. The full range of sound comes in very clearly and the form factor is comfortable to wear, even for hours at a time. There are four microphones, so your voice sounds clear on phone calls. They have an IP55 rating, so they can withstand water spashing, sweat or dust. They can also connect to more than one device, so you can keep them paired to your phone and laptop and switch easily between them. The AeroFit 2 can play for 10 hours on a charge. They live in a battery case that can keep them charged for more than 40 hours. The charging case can power up via a USB-C port or a Qi wireless charger. They are available in white, blue, green or black. The Soundcore C40i ($99.99, soundcore.com) is another fun option in a non-traditional form factor. Instead of going inside or even over the top your ears, the C40i earbuds are u-shaped and they clip on the sides of your ears. They are unlike anything I’ve ever tried, and they sounded surprisingly good once you get them in the right spot. They are a bit flexible, in that you can pull them apart slightly to get them in the right spot. Once you let go, they gently grip your earlobe. I must admit I was a little self-conscious when I first started wearing the C40i earbuds, as they look a bit like earrings. Related Articles The fit is interesting. The end with the speaker sits in front of your ear canal and the end with the battery and action button goes behind your ear. You can adjust them on your ear until the sound becomes clear. It’ll be obvious to your ears when you have them adjusted correctly. If your earlobes are thin, there are some rubber sleeves that can help with the fit. You want them to be snug, but not to the point where they are pinching your ears. There is a customizable button on the back of each earbud for call and music control. They are on the small side, so the battery life is seven hours before needing to return to the case for a charge. The case can charge them twice more before it needs recharging. The case charges via USB-C cable, but it is too small for wireless chargers. The earbuds have a 12mm x 17mm oval shaped driver and the sound quality is very good. Voice quality on phone calls also surprised me with its clarity. They sync with the Soundcore phone app to let you assign the button commands and tweak the sound settings. They also can pair to two devices at once. Frequent flyers know all about noise canceling over-the-ear headphones. These headphones usually have active noise canceling, which uses microphones to listen to the ambient noise and reduce it before it can get to your ears. What I’m noticing is more and more people wearing these during workouts or just walking around. The Baseus Bowie 30 Max noise canceling headphones ($79.99, baseus.com) are fairly generic looking headphones, but their performance is incredible for the price. Baseus says the Bowie 30s can eliminate 96 percent of noise, but that actual noise cancellation will vary depending on the ambient noise level. I can tell you the noise canceling is impressive. There is also a transparency mode that lets in outside sounds so you can have a conversation with someone without taking them off. You can pair them to the free Baseus phone app to unlock some additional features including spatial acoustics, bass enhancement and low-latency mode. These connect to your phone or PC wirelessly via Bluetooth or wired with an included 3.5mm cable. They last an impressive 65 hours on a charge without noise canceling or 50 hours with noise canceling enabled. The ear cups and piece that fits over the top of your head are nicely padded and the entire headset folds up to take up less room in your bag. ©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.How to get Notre Dame vs. Indiana College Football Playoff 1st round tickets
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