It has been said that those who are considering vacation travel to the great, golden state of California really have an underlying desire to “be Californians,” even if it’s only for the brief time that they are vacationing there. As a result, more and more potential California vacationers are looking to the state’s completely redesigned travel and tourism website to help them learn all about becoming a “temporary Californian.”
The state of California has an official department, or commission, that is structured to help promote and encourage people to travel throughout the vast state to take in all of the sights and wonders of the many tourist attraction destinations. It is the California Travel and Tourism Commission, or CTTC, which began promoting the idea of calling vacation travel visitors “Honorary Californians.”
The essential idea of this nomenclature is to encourage tourists to do much more than just visit the various tourist destinations. Instead, the California Travel and Tourism Commission wants vacationers to embrace the full experience of California’s easygoing, laid-back lifestyle and soak up the culture just like a local.
The CTTC has put together an extensive website. The impressive online presence is an attempt to compete aggressively for the attention of those planning to travel and who are looking for vacation ideas, for the ideal family vacation and great tourist destinations. They have provided an online tourism and travel guide that is intended to help potential visitors to the state to fall in love with the destination even before they arrive.
The CTTC website has gone a long way in accomplishing this goal by giving the website visitor a great deal of information about the “must see” tourist attraction options, as well as highlighting the many world renowned landmarks around the state. And, if that were not enough, there is also extensive revelations about “inside scoops” that further give people insights about where to go and what to see to make the vacation travel visitor feel even more connected and like a Californian, honorary or not.
And, true to the very image of style, fun and uniqueness, the state’s website provides all of this information, and much more, in a way that is visually appealing, engaging, and fun. This approach certainly helps to set the stage for the California experience and helps to draw people in and retain their attention. In the highly competitive world of travel tourism, this is very important and the consensus is that the CTTC has done a very good job at providing a compelling tourist guide.
From where to gingerly sip a trendy drink at a casual Los Angeles hideaway, to catching the rays on a sun-baked San Diego beach, to soaking up the high life at a posh Napa Valley spa, the California Travel and Tourism Commission’s website, at “Visit California”, has captured and cataloged the local California hotspots and revealed hidden state treasures. For travelers who like to pre-plan their itinerary, the site even offers an extensive menu of trip ideas, complete with Google maps.
By: Mike Selvon
Posts Tagged ‘Travel Guide’
The California Travel and Tourism Commission is a Great Touristic Resource
January 27th, 2010Cool India – Travel Tips
October 2nd, 2009
If you’ve picked India as your travel destination, here are some cool India travel tips that would make your journey enjoyable and as smooth as possible.
As with any other travel to a foreign destination, do research beforehand. Purchase a travel guide that has the basics that will be useful throughout the duration of your trip. This includes the weather, the language, currency, food, means of transportation and more importantly the culture. This will prepare you for the trip and will help you make adjustments if you have to.
The appropriate clothing when traveling to India would be to wear light pants. Shorts are to be avoided so you are safe to roam the cities and towns of the country. A safe tip when traveling anywhere is to always seek comfort before fashion. Wear comfortable shoes like sneakers or flipflops rather than heels or any other sandals that would kill your feet.
There are a lot of beggars in India. When you encounter them, it’s your decision to give them rupees or not. If you must, then give it to kids just before hopping into the car or you might get mobbed. It is not a requirement to give them alms.
The black market is also prevalent in India. A good tip is to avoid them at all costs. You won’t get good deals and might just end up going to the Indian jail.
When dining out, choose places that are packed instead of the empty ones. It’s okay to wait for a table rather than go to an empty place because this means that the food that the place serves might not be that fresh. If you have a picky tummy, then choose safe food choices like veggies rather than red meat. Red meat can cause greater damage to your body especially if it’s spoiled and India doesn’t have the best hospitals.
Be sure to carry around first-aid materials and medications. It’s safer to drink your own meds than to buy from Indian drug stores. Don’t order Western foods except if it’s from big, well-known fast foods. This is because not everyone orders these types of food, and chances are – they might not be as fresh.
To be safe, drink soda instead of water. If you must drink water, opt for bottled mineral water and be sure they’re sealed. You can never know if water from a foreign place is potable unless your stomach starts acting up.
Make hotel reservations ahead of time. This will eliminate the worries of having a place to stay and will also avoid rip-offs. A lot of people in India might take advantage especially if they see that you’re a tourist.
Don’t wear valuables when exploring the city. This is also part of the cool India travel tips because there’s no point showing off those flashy accessories. They might get stolen and you don’t really need them.
Have a local tour you around the place. This is for your safety and will ensure that you don’t get lost or charged double the price, say for a taxi or food.
By: Barry Lycka
