London is in the midst of some of the city’s worst rioting of all time and it was unfortunately timed for the city’s Olympic organizers. Less than a year away from the 2012 Games, the city is now hosting International Olympic Committee execs and reps from close to 200 national Olympic committees as well as testing a few Olympic competitive sites.

“There’s no doubt that this is a very bad day, a worrying day, for Olympic organizers in London,” commented Tony Travers, a professor at the London School of Economics, to the New York Times. “They planned to protect London from conventional terrorism. But of all the things they might have thought might happen, I’d be surprised if civil insurrections was high up on their list of expected risk factors.”

Because of the violence, the city has canceled two international soccer matches that had been scheduled this week, and are considering the postponement of the first set of games in the English Premier League, the Times reports.Continue reading...

New York State is getting ready to celebrate its first same-sex weddings on Sunday.

Following last month's passage of marriage equality legislation, the state’s travel bureau is getting in on the action by “offering wedding packages for same-sex couples in some of the most world-renowned travel destinations – from Niagara Falls to New York City” on its I Love NY website.

New York City is expecting to break the record for most marriage licenses given out in a day on Sunday with 764 available, the New York Times reports. That’s 20% higher than the previous high of  621 set on Valentine’s Day 2003, the paper notes.Continue reading...

The British Tourist Authority is ramping up its tourism push ahead of the London Olympics in 2012. Visit Britain's "You're Invited" campaign, which "aims to increase the number of visitors (to the UK) by 4 million a year," according to Tourism Review. Below, check out the new spots featuring actors Rupert Everett, Dame Judi Dench and Dev Patel, along with model Twiggy and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.Continue reading...

There may be a bitter dispute over how to reduce the federal deficit, but that didn't stop Congress from authorizing the creation of a new entity whose job it is to pump up the USA as a destination for foreign travelers.

The Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP)  is a partnership between the travel industry and the federal government established late last year. The first funding for marketing will become available in October 2011, part of what is expected to be a $200 million budget. In May, CTP appointed Jim Evans, a long-time leader in the hospitality industry, as CEO.

Its next big hire: the organization is looking for a CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to promote 'Brand USA' internationally and improve America's tourism revenues — and reputation around the world.Continue reading...

Singapore is a hotbed of fashion, innovation and culinary excellence. Now this independent Asian city-state that sits at the tip of the Malay Peninsula wants the rest of the world to get a taste of what it has to offer.

The Singapore Tourism Board has created "Singapore Takeout," a unique pop-up restaurant housed in a custom-fabricated shipping container, to allow consumers around the world to sample Singapore's famed cuisine.Continue reading...

When you’re talking about almost $400 million, everybody wants a piece of the pie. That’s how much a “report last month from New York's Senate Independent Democratic Conference estimated the state would earn” in the next three years if it legalized same-sex marriages, according to USA Today.

Now that the bill has passed and same-sex couples can start tying the knot in the Empire State on July 24, New York City is planning an “I Do” marketing campaign to help draw wedding-bound couples to the Big Apple.Continue reading...

More than 150 people were arrested and put in jail during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and 1693. Of those, 14 women and five men, were executed by hanging. Another man was crushed to death under stones because he wouldn’t enter a plea deal.

Those were hard times for witches in those parts. But these days, it’s not the worst thing to be or be associated with in Salem, Massachusetts. The town’s businesses bring in about $99 million annually on the tourist trade and a major chunk of that is related to witchcraft — but it wants to be known for more than its history.Continue reading...

The Australian city of Newcastle, just 101 miles up the coastline from Sydney and home to about 290,000 residents, has had some rough times in recent years, even if it is still the largest coal exporting harbor in the world.

Back in 1993, there was 17% unemployment in Newcastle and things were particularly bleak there when a major employer, Melbourne-based mining, oil, and gas giant BHP Billiton, closed its Newcastle steelworks.

But now the city is attempting to get back on track with a colorful rebranding effort.Continue reading...