Remember voting for which travel companies you thought were the best in the British Travel Awards? Altogether, 700,000 votes were received. Last Wednesday the winners were announced.

After some years where we have stayed away from the United States and Florida in particular, the position has changed this year. Visitor figures from us to them has gone up by 29% compared to last year. And that is a bit unexpected.
We have been told that air passenger duty (APD) would deter people from travelling. Air fares are high during the summer much higher than they have been for some time and America also charges a visa fee. In spite of all of this we seem not to care.

CD Traveller speaks to Greg Norman – golf’s most successful off course businessman – about his quintet of quality courses in the Caribbean

As you will know by now, the biggest booking time is just after Christmas. If it is mild, bookings tend to drop. If the weather is bad bookings go up. And that seems to be just what has happened this year. Although the snow hit most of us before Christmas, there was still quite heavy snowfall in the north and Scotland afterwards. The first reports seem to suggest that bookings are well up on last year. By 18%. Bad weather makes us think about holidays more.

Following in the footsteps of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival ( a four day destination event designed to raise money for Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism) comes the 2010 China Wine & Food Festival. Susan Gladstone, director of the China Wine & Food Festival Tianjin, dishes the dirt on the inaugural event

If you believe the media why would you want to go on holiday to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama or Florida? All the beaches are covered with oil, wildlife is dying and you can’t go swimming. You would be right in thinking that the sentence above is bunkum but what is the truth? We saw on TV with our own eyes the catastrophe as it evolved. The newspapers had page after page of appalling stories of how fishermen were losing their livelihoods and that it would take years before the coastline and the environment got back to normal.
What is the state of play?

There has been an apology.
Not from the English, French or Italian world cup teams. Not from bankers or hoteliers that raised prices during the volcanic ash problems. Not from BA’s Heathrow based cabin crew who caused passengers so much disruption with their strikes and probably not from the tube strikers in London who are about to go on strike.
No this has come from the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau who admit that they may have offended the UK with their recent advertising campaign

It’s one of the must-see things to do if you visit Florida. Pictures are conjured up from countless flms as goodies chased baddies or vice versa on airboats as they hurtled through narrow waterways, Even Del-boy in Only Fools and Horses had a trip on an airboat.

Chris Thompson, chief operating officer at Visit Florida, speaks to CD Traveller about the sunshine state, skiing and safaris

My first thought on hearing the two names coupled together was that this was some comedy duo that were probably playing in panto as the ugly sisters or the baron’s henchmen this Christmas.

Was I the only one who was a little surprised to hear that Swindon has been chosen to twin with Florida’s Disney World in 2010? Amongst the 500 entries, 3 people had nominated Swindon and it was the entry of Rebecca Warren that was successful.

Each year, Frommer’s (the people who produce travel guidebooks and magazines) poll their readers to see what the destinations for 2010 would be. Primarily American vote for this so it does tend to reflect where Americans holiday but this year it includes the Scilly Isles. It doesn’t really say why they were voted for but just gives a potted tourism pitch. I’m not complaining but sometimes when surveys like this take place it would be nice to know what appeals to readers.

There are lots of reasons to visit the Scillies; the weather, the sandy beaches, the subtropical plants that grow there and, lets face it, the fact that you don’t have to change currency or speak another language. Frommer’s only warning is to book well ahead because accommodation is limited particulary in May when the gig races take place.

So what are the other selections by Frommer?

Being in Miami, I thought I would spend a few days in Miami Beach which is a long strip of land connected by bridges to Miami proper. Obviously this is the beach area and the beaches are gorgeous. Long, long wide strips of sand being lapped or thrashed, depending on the weather, by emerald green seas. Yes it looks that good. I am not exaggerating.