Survey finds travelers to head West

Seventy percent of leisure travelers surveyed said they would like to visit the western regions of the United States within the next two years, with national parks dominating travelers’ wish lists.

Two-thirds of leisure travelers are now very interested in visiting national parks.

The survey, conducted by the Ypartnership/Yankelovich 2009 National Travel Monitor, also found 62 percent of leisure travelers would like to visit the South. One-third of those surveyed said Florida was the destination they would like to visit most during the next two years, with the Florida Keys and Orlando holding top spots for Sunshine State getaways.

If a national park is one of your dream vacations, AAA Travel has a Grand Canyon Rails to the Rim departure this month (Sept. 10–14) that includes motorcoach transportation from Phoenix to Williams, Ariz., the departure city for a round-trip aboard the historical Grand Canyon Railway to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Additional departures in May and September 2010 soon will be announced.

Additional tours that include national parks are available through AAA Travel.

National park and history fans may be interested in a documentary, “Paving the Way: The National Park-to-Park Highway,” that was partially underwritten by AAA. The 76-day, 5,000-mile, inaugural tour of the National Park-to-Park Highway in 1920 is the focus of this award-winning documentary, which will air on select public television stations throughout the country between May 2009 and April 2012. To purchase the two-part series on DVD for $24.95 or for more information on the documentary, visit www.PavingtheWay.TV.

3 Branson hotels get green certs

Three Branson hotels–Comfort Inns & Suites Branson Meadows, Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills and Comfort Inn West–recently were certified as green by the Missouri Hotel & Lodging Association (MHLA). The properties are owned by Myer Hotels of Branson.

To qualify, hotels must display environmental information to educate staff and guests, achieve certain project levels within various categories (conservation, recycling) and pass random independent inspections.

There are 15 certified g reen MHLA hotels. Visit www.missourilodging.com for a complete list.