The addiction figures are staggering. Fifty-three percent of the population does it in the bathroom, 37 percent have done it while driving and 12 percent even have done it in church. For 43 percent, it’s on their minds as soon as they wake up. It’s not booze, it’s not drugs, it’s . . . . More...

Some travel industry lists are opinions, some are facts. Forbes Magazine makes a solid case that its list of America’s most visited cities is verifiable.

The magazine analyzed data six ways to Sunday to compile its list of 30 cities and what draws travelers to them. One take-away tidbit is that the Top 10 are nicely scattered across the continent. Another is that the biggest of the big need a mixture of vacationers, business travelers and event attendees to achieve their totals. View the list.

Hotels want to be like Kermit the Frog
Green is more than the color of Kermit the Frog these days. Many hotels are seeing the environmental light—both for cost savings and because their guests expect it of them—and are trying to “go green.”

The greening of the industry is a major goal for the American Hotel & Lodging Association, which has established a Green Task Force and has compiled a "Green Best Practices" list for hoteliers. Non-hoteliers, businesses and individuals alike, can learn from the collected tips, case studies and media reports. More...

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

The concept of “destination loyalty” motivates many Americans when they decide where to vacation. Fully two-thirds of 1,000 consumers polled by the U.S. Tour Operators Association said destination is the determining factor when planning a vacation.

Price and value are important, but they enter the picture after the destination is chosen—and a third of those polled said they typically repeat favorite vacation spots. More...

Sometimes it’s wise to listen when a woman says, “I want to be alone.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explained in a piece about women-only floors in hotels. The big question, though, is whether the concept is a validation of traveling women’s clout or a step back in time. More...

AROUND THE SOUTHEAST

Diamonds sparkle in North Carolina
Another destination in the Southeast is sporting some new jewelry — five sparkling diamonds to be exact. The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary, N.C., is one of eight first-time recipients of AAA’s Five Diamond Award for hotels.

The full list.

Gulf Coast casinos on a roll
Mississippi’s casino business is back with a vengeance, setting an annual record less than three years after Hurricane Katrina delivered its knockout punch. The Mississippi State Tax Commission reported 2007’s gross gaming revenue was $1.3 billion, beating the previous record of $1.2 billion in 2005. December, normally one of the slowest months of the year, was a monthly record of $104.54 million.

STS members to volunteer in Asheville
A group of Southeast Tourism Society members will spend a productive half-day March 31 volunteering for RiverLink, an environmental and economic development organization that works with the French Broad River. The “voluntourism” project is a complement to the STS Spring Meeting in Asheville, N.C.

IMPORTANT STS DATES