Feature
Pre-9/11 Air Travel: Good Old Days That Were Good Old Days
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I smile when I think back about the full meals that were included in the price of one’s airfare. I can clearly remember how passengers complained about those meals.
InDepthNH.org (https://indepthnh.org/series/nh-travel-guru/page/4)
Mark Okrant is the author of nine books, numerous journal articles, more than 100 monographs on tourism, marketing and planning, and is a frequent contributor to El Coqui, a popular west coast Puerto Rico tourism magazine.
He has received several lifetime achievement awards, including the 2016 Dick Hamilton Award from the New Hampshire Travel Council, and two New Hampshire governors’ commendations for his work as a tourism researcher, educator, and author.
Okrant’s Kary Turnell tourism mystery series places his lead character in crime scenes at historic resorts and communities; several of these are set in New Hampshire. Visit www.markokrant.com to learn more.
I smile when I think back about the full meals that were included in the price of one’s airfare. I can clearly remember how passengers complained about those meals.
In reality, they are mini travel billboards, containing short phrases that promote a state’s brand. Together with electronic and paper marketing tools, these send a message designed to lure the uninitiated to cross a state’s border, then spend time and money inside.
As I-Spy Rangers, my brother and I found ourselves challenged to observe things on the landscape (readers’ note: construction of the Interstate Highways had barely begun; so, travelers were directly immersed in the empirical world of farms, small towns, as well as real people crossing the road without warning).
Tourism research is filled with anecdotal evidence that a majority of people travel to childhood vacation spots throughout their lives. The question is, why should it stop there?
Owing to an unfortunate circumstance that befell my wife during our recent trip to Cancún, México, I have further advice, particularly for those of you who are senior citizens and/or have chronic medical issues.
NH Travel Guru: Likewise, I have been true to my standards by utilizing only three of the seven swimming pools, and walking only three of the ten miles of white sand beach.
While English speaking Canadians are important to the Granite State, Francophone Canadians—primarily from Quebec and New Brunswick provinces—provide the largest contingent (59% in 2015). In order to lure these visitors, New Hampshire must compete with more popular destinations in Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
Tourism has become a leading element of the world’s economy. Spending—by travelers, and by the businesses that serve them—ranks no lower than fifth in most of the world’s nations. You cannot overstate its importance in generating jobs and revenue within New Hampshire.
Many motels and motor courts developed reputations as “dens of iniquity” and, in too many instances, this reputation proved to be unshakable.
During the 1950s, ‘60s, and into the ‘70s, motels became the most popular form of lodging for vacationing families, couples, and businesspersons. Built right alongside byways, motels had a decided locational advantage.