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October 2007 | |
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VANCOUVER AGAIN RANKED "MOST LIVEABLE CITY" |
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Vancouver has once again topped the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Rankings. The organization reviewed 132 cities worldwide on 40 indicators grouped into five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
The Global Liveability Rankings report is part of the EIU's Worldwide Cost of Living Survey. The survey rates cities on 40 criteria giving them a score of 0 to 100% (the lower the score, the more attractive the destination). Vancouver's overall score was 1.3%. Following Vancouver in the rankings were Melbourne (1.8%), Vienna (2.3%), Perth (2.5%), and Toronto and Adelaide (both with 3%). The survey was last released in 2005 with Vancouver also topping the list.
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| TOURISM VANCOUVER ANNOUNCES DINE OUT VANCOUVER™ 2008 | |||
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January 16 - February 3, 2008 Tourism Vancouver invites you to experience the city's outstanding food and wine scene during Dine Out Vancouver 2008, presented by Visa. From January 16 to February 3, visitors can enjoy a special three-course dinner at one of over 150 of Vancouver's hottest restaurants for $15, $25 or $35 per person, complemented by fabulous BC VQA wine pairing suggestions. This year marks the sixth anniversary of the promotion, and the culinary extravaganza has been extended from 17 to 19 days due to consumer demand. The list of participating restaurants and menus will be posted online during the first week of January and hotel packages will be available soon.. www.tourismvancouver.com |
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| FOUR SEASONS VANCOUVER BEAUTIFIES WITH $5.3 MILLION IN RENOVATIONS | |||
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Vancouver's luxury Four Seasons Hotel recently commenced a $5.3 million CAD renovation which will result in a brand new restaurant, bar and lounge, as well as refreshing the property's upper and lower lobbies.
Creating quite a buzz, the yet-to-be-named restaurant will feature an open kitchen and a bar set against the backdrop of a "green" wall of live foliage. Other focal points include Ottoman lounge chairs near a fireplace, an interactive kitchen counter/bar and various dining options including a communal table and intimate dining booths. The restaurant will also house an exclusive glass-enclosed private dining room with sketched images of coastal mountain scenes.
Work on the 6,750-square-foot restaurant/bar area and 5,000-square-foot upper lobby is scheduled for completion in November. The lower lobby will be renovated between January and March 2008. The hotel remains open for business throughout the renovations.
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| PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ-CARLTON | |||
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The world renowned Ritz-Carlton Hotel will touch down in Vancouver by 2011. A 127-room Ritz-Carlton hotel will occupy the first 20 floors of a new 58-storey twisting tower being built at 1133 West Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver. The area is becoming a hotbed of upscale boutique hotels. The 77-room Loden Vancouver is scheduled to open this fall at Melville and Bute. The Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver is also under construction at Georgia and Thurlow with a scheduled opening of September 2008. The new Ritz-Carlton will target high-end global business and leisure travelers. www.ritzcarlton.com www.lodenvancouver.com www.shangri-la.com |
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| SKI OR BOARD LIKE AN OLYMPIAN IN VANCOUVER | |||
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Visitors looking to try their hand at some Olympic sports this winter should head to Cypress Mountain - location of the Olympic mogul skiing events, aerials, ski cross, halfpipe (snowboard), parallel giant slalom (snowboard) and snowboard cross for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Cypress Mountain is only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver and is easily accessible by shuttle bus.
Once you're at the base of Cypress, take the Eagle Express chairlift up to 3,940 feet where you experience stunning views of the city of Vancouver, the Pacific Ocean and the Coast Mountain range. If you turn right and ski down Fork (blue) you'll be riding the route of the ski and snowboard cross (a new sport for the 2010 Olympics where many athletes race simultaneously on the same slope). If you're more adventurous, turn left at the top of Eagle Express Chair and bump your way down Trumpeter (a black diamond), which runs down what will become the snowboard parallel and giant slalom venue. After your day on the mountain, stop for a burger at Black Mountain Lodge. It's directly across the parking lot from what will be the new Olympic moguls and aerials venue.
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| DISNEY GIVES VANCOUVER (AND THE REST OF CANADA) A NEW LOOK | |||
| Walt Disney World guests will now get a glimpse of today's Canada in a newly enhanced 14-minute motion picture presented in Circle-Vision 360º - a new feature at the Canada pavilion in Epcot World Showcase. Titled "O Canada!" the film includes spectacular scenes that highlight Vancouver and Canada's other cosmopolitan cities, along with Canada's natural beauty and the diverse people who call the country home. In addition to new and updated scenes, the film is hosted by Canadian actor Martin Short, who lends his own personal charm, warmth and wit. | ||
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| SEE YOU THERE... | |||
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Rachael Nocera, Manager, Mid West US will be attending the PCMA Executive Edge Program on October 9 to be held at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business. PCMA has developed this all new, hands-on program specifically for leaders of the meetings and convention industry. The Canadian Tourism Commission and Tourism Vancouver are a strategic partner of PCMA and sponsor this program.
Wendy Surkan, Manager, Eastern US will be attending the Canadian Tourism Commission's New York Showcase event on October 16 which is being held at the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan. Wendy will be giving away a grand prize trip to Vancouver which includes air for two and four nights accommodation. Tourism Vancouver's Rick Antonson, President, CEO, Michelle Taylor, Manager, Canada and Susan Graham, Manager, Convention Services will be leading the Vancouver team at the 2007 CSAE National Conference & Showcase, October 18 - 20 in Hamilton, ON. The National Conference and Showcase brings together association leaders representing industry, professional, issue-specific and charitable groups from across the nation to explore innovative solutions to leadership and operational challenges. Approximately 500 members will attend the conference this year. Tourism Vancouver will also be pre-promoting our spectacular city as Vancouver is the host destination for the October 2 - 4, 2008 CSAE National Conference & Showcase. Brownyn Slade, Manager, Western US and the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre will be sharing a tabletop booth at the Canadian Tourism Commissions' Showcase Canada Los Angeles and Showcase Canada San Francisco on October 24 and 25 respectively. Sales calls in the Bay Area will be conducted around Showcase. Cirque du Soleil will be performing at these events which brings together corporate, 3rd party and association meeting planners and travel influencers in these markets.
Jacqueline Benear, Regional Director of Sales, Washington, DC and Dave Gazley, VP Meeting & Convention Sales will be participating in Hospitality Industry Golf Organization's (HIGO) 2007 Ladies' Golf Classic, October 21 - 23rd at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ. Tourism Vancouver will be sponsoring the Golf Hole on Tuesday, October 23. Richard Yore, Director of Sales Meeting & Convention Sales, is heading off to attend the 46th International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) Congress & Exhibition in Pattaya, Thailand which runs from October 27-31. Richard was elected by his colleagues to the position of ICCA Chapter Chair of North America this year. In this role, he will be representing Vancouver at a number of meetings with various international counterparts. Especially relevant this year, as the 2008 ICCA Congress will be held in Victoria and Tourism Vancouver is playing an active role on that organizing committee. More details on ICCA can be found at www.iccaworld.com |
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