Happy Friday, I'm sure you've earned it! It's a busy season in the tourism industry, with shows just finishing up and more coming around the pike and we're all starting to look a little drawn for the wear.

Being the kind girl that I am, I'll make it nice and simple for you. San Diego gives you 100 reasons you should be hopping on a plane right now instead of reading this newsletter. Katie Hull invokes the patriotism in all of us in a look at the Black Hills, and the ever-knowledgeable Ms. Elana Andersen brings us with her as she floats along western Europe, in our latest Cruising report. Don't forget to get your industry fix by learning how you can use Social Media Optimization think MySpace with dollar signs attached to it to your best advantage.

I hope you have a safe and only mildly scary Halloween. And, while you may never be too old to dress up, just remember if you do: someone will inevitably bring a camera.

Happy Halloween!

San Diego, says your faithful scribe, is one of those perfect places you would love to live in but aren't quite sure how you'd get any work done...

Whether it's a stroll down the beach at sunset or sunbathing in the morning or taking a dip... well, you get the idea!

But there's a whole lot more to experience in this small metropolis than the sand against your bare feet. Whether you take the gang out on the town in the Gaslamp Quarter, get the safari experience at the San Diego Wild Animal Park or paint the town red on the San diego Trolley, this city is more than just a beach town!

As publisher, one of my responsibilities is to scan the newswire for group-travel-related happenings - seeking trends, developments or potential problems. Last Tuesday, when word got out that St. Symphorosa Catholic Church's $3,200-per-person trip to Poland was cancelled by Christian Pilgrim Tours because the firm filed for bankruptcy, an uneasy feeling came over me. I sent a quick email to my colleague, Mike Schields at Globus who heads up their emerging markets division, which includes Globus Religious Journeys.

"We're all over it," exclaimed Mike, who saw the same story that I did. All "all over it" they were. Parishioners of the Southwest Chicago church said they prayed for a miracle and a miracle they got indeed, as Globus has agreed to make whole on the eight-day trip which follows the pope's life in Poland. The tour begins in Warsaw, ends in Krakow and includes several stops along the way, including the pope's hometown of Wadowice.

"I just couldn't let it go," Schields said. "This is just the right thing to do."

The ultimate goal of any marketing campaign is to put products or services in front of as many interested eyeballs as possible. Where the public leads, marketers, by necessity, must follow and if those eyeballs begin to congregate over there as well as over here, many marketers feel the need to move. Tens of millions of registered members populate dozens of social networks. People appear to enjoy the ability to form communities and inform each other. Online marketers looking for another winning venue are therefore turning to social media spaces as social marketing tools.

For the past five years, the number of high-traffic venues for search marketers remained fairly constant, consisting primarily of Google. More recently, the space has been supplemented by Yahoo, Ask and MSN. For the most part, five years of consistency has benefited the search engines, their users, online merchants and the SEO/webmaster communities. Nothing stays static very long on the Internet though. The online marketing metaverse has expanded yet again.

South Dakota's Black Hills have plenty to offer a group, with its Old West charm and stark natural beauty. The distinct landmarks and scenes found here have allowed for several area major motion pictures to be filmed, including Dances with Wolves. Let's take a look at an area made famous for free ice water and for the question: Will Crazy Horse ever be finished?

So read on and see if you can answer the most important question of all: how many miles are YOU from Wall Drug?

From the renovation and expansion of historic French Lick Springs to new glass museums in Ohio and a new dinosaur exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum, there's a lot new in the Great Lakes states. We also look at several of the region's top arts and crafts attractions.

Most travel businesses are so focused on increased website traffic or travel advertising, they overlook the other half of the tourism marketing success equation.

If you don't convert your travel marketing investments into increased qualified prospects, arrivals and sales you lose. Here’s how to "super charge" your travel website, brochures and advertising into "sales conversion cash machines."

Recall the old phrase, "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium?" Many long time travelers are likely to respond with a worn-out smile and memories of their first trip to Europe. For the younger readers, it typically went something like this: nine capitals in 14 days, spending a lot of time changing currency, shopping at designated gift shop stops, fast coaching through city and country highlights; and, by day three, you couldn’t tell one cathedral from another.

Thankfully, travel styles have been refined and travelers are offered many itinerary options for sightseeing and destination experiences that are more suited to their interests and pace.