Mexico to Develop "Magical Villages" to Improve Tourism

Mexico is planning on turning 35 of it's towns into Pueblos Magicos, or Magical Villages, in hopes of improving tourism for the country.

They won't be dissappearing villages, or anything like that. The country is investing $150 million into transforming these villages, whic will include renovating museums and galleries, and restoring convents and churches with historical value, and hopefully give each village it's own identifiable personality.

Some of the picturesque locations include Real de Catorce, Delores Hidalgo, Taxco, and San Cristobal de las Casas.

To get started booking your next vacation to Mexico, or anywhere else, contact a Professional Travel Agent today!

World of Harry Potter opens in Orlando

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a mini-park inside Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park, opens later this week, on June 18.

Almost 13 years after the first of a seven book series began chronicling the boy wizard's adventures, imagination has finally become reality at Universal Orlando Park. Once through the grand stone archway and the steam-belching Hogwarts Express, the fictitious city of Hogsmeade unfolds amid snowcapped, dingy rooftops and storefronts with shops straight from the books and movies.

The shopping opportunities are very extensive, one can buy anything from broomsticks to magic wands and Gryffindor scarves. At the Owl Post, guests can stamp mail with a genuine Hogsmeade postmark, or try chocolate frogs from Honeydukes Confectionary. Towering over it all is a perfect reproduction of the imposing, many-spired castle of Hogwarts, where Harry and his friends went to school.

There are only three rides at the park. Two roller coasters, and the biggest ride, Forbidden Journey. It combines the sensation of flight with tactile experiences like drops of water and smoke as it takes guests through encounters in Potter's chaotic life, from the Quidditch field to the mouths of giant spiders and dragons.

There's no additional admission for Wizarding World once you pay to enter the Islands of Adventure.

To get started booking your next vacation, contact a Professional Travel Agent today!

A Study on Effects of Volcanic Ash on Turboprop Engines

Coming just after the Icelandic volcano ash cloud stopped most flights to and from Europe for several days, Honeywell has announced that they will be analyzing the effects of volcanic ash on turbo prop engines.

The studies will be done on two of their TPE331 turboprop engines that were used to gather scientific data during recent volcanic eruptions and flights into the subsequent ash cloud over Europe. The engines accumulated 10 hours of operation in the volcanic ash cloud and an additional 22 hours of operation in the outer zone of the cloud. The engines have been returned to Phoenix for analytical teardown and evaluation.

“The industry has little information on the effects of volcanic ash ingestion in turbine engines and we hope the data we gain from this effort will help define operational impact to the engine and any damage to components,” said Ron J. Rich, Vice President, Propulsion Systems, Honeywell Aerospace.

Might be interesting to see if their findings affect commercial flights should volcano ash get in flight paths again.