When the voyageurs kick up their heels, we can rejoice that it's a sure sign spring may not be all that far away.

The annual Festival du Voyageur definitely breaks the back of winter.

Voyageurs in trade-blanket overcoats and bright Métis sashes moved among mammoth white snow sculptures Thursday as dozens welcomed Manitoba's premier and Winnipeg's mayor to a press conference for the 44th annual Festival du Voyageur at Fort Gibraltar in Voyageur Park.

"It's the greatest celebration of our history," said Premier Greg Selinger, speaking in English and French in front of the fort's spear log palisade. He was clad in a coat stitched from a blue trade blanket armoured with a chest full of festival medallions.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/annual-winter-festival-heats-up-191358641.html

Complete: Jilted suitor? Left at the airport altar? The city of Brandon doesn't think so.

In fact, they’re still wooing WestJet.

The airline, which announced earlier this week that Brandon wasn’t first on the list for its new Encore service, has been coyly playing hard-to-get for the past few months.

Several would-be destinations — including Brandon — travelled to Calgary last year to ask for WestJet’s hand, but on Monday the airline gave a rose to Fort St. John and Nanaimo.

Brandon hasn’t given up, however, and still seems to be pressing its case with lustful ardour.

Yesterday morning, the city tweeted a Valentine to WestJet. "Fear not; we will wait for you" it read in part.

It’s the latest creative manoeuvre from the city that hasn’t yet been kissed.

During the Calgary trip, city staff handed out specially made mockup magazines and fake boarding passes.

Last April 1, the mayor was photoshopped into a stewardess uniform for an April Fool’s Day prank that saw the city "land" air service.

And last Valentine’s Day, the city also tweeted out a romantic card.

The airline has taken the city’s advances in stride — normally responding with vague-but-encouraging messages.

In response to this latest, the company said, "That’s a whole lotta love. Thanks!"

http://www.brandonsun.com/local/brandon-still-woos-westjet-191372121.html

WINNIPEG - Hudson the polar bear's celebrity power was immediately evident when he took his first public romp around his enclosure at the Assiniboine Park Zoo.

"There he is! There he is!" someone observed Thursday as a furry head with a charcoal nose, two button eyes and cupcake ears poked out of his den.

The 15-month-old bruin then squeezed his rather broad backside through the opening and lumbered toward a clapping crowd that cheered "hip, hip, hooray!"

He cemented his star status by sliding down a small embankment on his big pigeon-toed paws. A ramble over to the fence where he stood on his hind legs to show off his formidable bulk — already at 185 kilograms — sealed the deal.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/diversions/hudsons-day-new-polar-bear-makes-debut-at-winnipeg-zoos-conservation-centre-191245331.html

Two Charlottetown bed and breakfast operators are among the top-rated in the country, according to a vacation review and advice website.

The Elmwood Heritage Inn and the Cranford Inn won Trip Advisor's Travelers' Choice award for 2013. They are two of the company's 25 highest rated B&Bs in Canada.

Trip Advisor asks people from around the world to rate accommodations after their stay.

"Those operators have been operating above the bar for a long, long time, and it's a great honour. Trip Advisor is a world-renowned, trusted online company that people use to decide where they're going. They're unsolicited comments from visitors, and they grade the comments," said Don Cudmore, executive director of the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2013/02/15/pei-bed-breakfast-award-584.html

Doug Parker has no problem donning rapper Psy's light blue tuxedo for Halloween and performing his own version of Gangnam Style before hundreds of employees. The CEO of US Airways even let a video of his dance get posted to YouTube. He's outspoken, confident, and persistent, and he is very close to being put in charge of the world's largest airline.

After the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Parker camped out in Washington for three months to secure a government loan to keep his airline in business. One executive who was with him said it often seemed like the other airlines just wanted America West to go out of business.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/after-doug-parker-dodged-a-career-in-computers-hes-poised-to-run-american-airlines-instead-191382671.html

Complete: BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana's newest campaign to attract out-of-state tourists centres on the state's rich musical heritage.

Jazz, zydeco, swamp pop and brass bands are featured in the series of 30-second TV commercials, print ads and online spots unveiled Wednesday by Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, the state's top tourism official.

The ads were created by Trumpet, a New Orleans-based firm. Dardenne's office says the ads will run in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Little Rock, Memphis, Atlanta and Chicago throughout the year.

The campaign can be viewed at www.LouisianaTravel.com/2013 .

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/louisianas-musical-heritage-is-centerpiece-of-states-new-tourism-campaign-191206181.html

Complete: NEW YORK, N.Y. - Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he wants to legalize for-profit youth hostels in New York City to help attract more young tourists.

The mayor said in his State of the City speech Thursday that his goal is to attract 175,000 more young tourists a year to New York.

The city estimates a record 52 million tourists visited last year. Bloomberg has made tourism an economic-development priority during his 11 years in office.

Speaker Christine Quinn and other City Council members have recently complained about buildings being rented out illegally as hotel rooms. Bloomberg says he aims to work with the council on the youth hostel issue.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/nyc-mayor-wants-to-legalize-for-profit-hostels-to-attract-more-young-tourists-191247401.html

TORONTO -- State officials in Florida scrambled Thursday to reassure anxious Canadians they don't need to worry about new rules requiring them to have an international driving permit to motor around the Sunshine State.

Changes are in the works to legislation requiring all visitors with foreign licences must have an international permit issued by their country of residence in addition to a valid licence from home, a spokeswoman with Florida's department of highway safety and motor vehicles said Thursday.

"I'm not sure exactly how we're going to end up working it, but we're going to determine how to modify it to accommodate the concerns of Canadians and others," said Kirsten Olsen-Doolan.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/sunshine-state-scrambles-after-licence-snafu-191359391.html

MOBILE, Ala. -- A cruise ship disabled for five nightmarish days in the Gulf limped under tow into port with more than 4,000 people aboard late Thursday, passengers raucously cheering the end to an ocean odyssey they say was marked by overflowing toilets, food shortages and foul odours.

"Sweet Home Alabama!" read one of the homemade signs passengers affixed alongside the 14-storey ship as many raucously cheered at deck rails lining several levels of the stricken ship Triumph. The ship's horn loudly blasted several times on its final docking approach as some gave a thumbs-up sign and flashes from cameras and cellphones lit the night.

"Hello, Mobile!" someone aboard shouted amid the cheering. Some danced in celebration on one of the balconies. "Happy V-Day" read one of the homemade signs made for the Valentine's Day arrival and another, more starkly: "The ship's afloat, so is the sewage."

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/vacation-from-hell-finally-over-191359411.html

(A complete article published originally in the WFP, Feb.  '77)

Organizers of Festival du Voyageur have asked the City of Winnipeg for permission to build a permanent site for their annual celebrations in Whittier Park in St. Boniface. The organizers appeared before civic works and operations committee Mon day to see whether permanent "wintering post" and wintertime midway could be built on about five acres of the park. The festival currently uses temporary facilities in Provencher Park. The committee was told that the festival had a budget of about $300,000 which produced tremendous tourist revenues. A permanent site in the park's riverbank section would help the festival develop into a bigger tourist attraction, organizers said.