LAS VEGAS – Speakeasies, bootleggers, gun-wielding crime bosses and tough-guy accents pay homage to Las Vegas' mob roots in a pair of new attractions showcasing Sin City's criminal history. An interactive attraction featuring gangster memorabilia and commentary from film mobsters James Caan, Mickey Rourke and Frank Vincent opens Wednesday on the Las Vegas Strip. And Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a former mob defense lawyer, plans to launch his Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and … [Read more...]

HONOLULU – For years, the Rev. Fay Hovey has held romantic ceremonies on the sand for gay partners who want to pledge their love in Hawaii. The couples take photos and memories with them, but they lack a legal and binding recognition of their relationship. That will change when same-sex civil unions soon become law in the Rainbow State. "They have that fantasy just like any other couple, to come and have a wedding and a honeymoon," said Hovey, of Aloha Maui Gay Weddings, who hopes for an … [Read more...]

I'm always surprised to run across someone who has never ventured outside the U.S., the borders of their own state or worse, the five-mile radius of their neighborhood. There are several theories as to why Black Americans don't travel as much as their White counterparts but sitting comfortably on theories simply turns them into excuses. It is a big fat myth that only rich people can travel. As someone who comes from humble beginnings yet has traveled all over the globe, I can tell you it … [Read more...]

DALLAS – Southwest Airlines is revamping its frequent-flier program with changes designed to nudge customers into buying higher-priced tickets by letting them earn bonus flights faster. Southwest says passengers will be able to redeem points for any flight without blackout dates. Southwest credit card holders will be able to redeem points for international flights on other airlines. CEO Gary Kelly says the overhaul will bring in "several hundred" millions of dollars in extra annual … [Read more...]

HAVANA – In Cuba, Santa's sleigh is a Boeing 737. Thousands of Cuban-Americans are heading to Havana this holiday season carrying everything from electronics and medicine to clothing and toiletries to help relatives back home supplement monthly salaries averaging about $20. Not only are Cuban-Americans visiting the island in far greater numbers since President Barack Obama lifted travel restrictions last year, they are bringing more stuff. One carrier says the average bag weight per … [Read more...]

As more governments approve same-sex marriage laws, officials here are hoping to attract a growing part of the tourism market: gay honeymoons. The first couple to wed under Argentina's recent law allowing same-sex marriages nationwide arrives in Mexico this week on an all-expenses-paid trip -- part of a new push by the government in Mexico City, Mexico to woo gay travelers. "We hope that many same-sex couples who get married around the world spend their honeymoons here," says Alejandro … [Read more...]