TRAVEL: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Unveils $80 Million Expansion in Florida Venue

Good news for Sealife lovers, and for those who just want to get out of the house to see something new and cool, Clearwater Marine Aquarium recently celebrated the unveiling of new viewing areas and exciting new guest experiences available to the public. This addition is part of the $80 million expansion which began with the unveiling of the 1.5 million gallon dolphin habitat in July 2020.

With five times the guest space previously accessible at CMA, guests can now enjoy a new retail area, new spacious café and culinary options, an enhanced ticketing experience, and above water viewing of the dolphin habitats with Clearwater Bay as a backdrop.

We’re proud to be a community asset for the Tampa Bay region,” said CEO Frank Dame. “This unveiling is just the beginning,” Dame continued, “We will continue to add new exhibits and experiences to delight and surprise our guests giving you a reason to keep coming back to see what’s new at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.”

CMA’s guests are invited to stop in to enjoy the new views as well as various pop-up locations placed throughout CMA for a socially-distanced indoor/outdoor event featuring local artists, conservation groups, and wildlife rescue partners. You can learn more and book a reservation at cmaquarium.org.

About Clearwater Marine Aquarium:
Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working marine rescue center dedicated to inspiring the human spirit through leadership in education, research, rescue, rehabilitation and release. CMA is home to rescued dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, stingrays, nurse sharks and more. Winter the dolphin’s story of survival, after an injury that caused her to lose her tail, has impacted millions of people around the world. Major motion picture Dolphin Tale (2011) features Winter’s story and its sequel Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) features the incredible story of Hope, a young resident dolphin of CMA. Through Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, CMA conducts important global research focused on protecting manatees, right whales and sea turtles. The mission and potential to change people’s lives differentiates Clearwater Marine Aquarium from any other aquarium in the world.

World Dog Surfing Championships 2020 Photo and Beach Fashion Results

The photographers and fashionistas were fierce for TasteTV’s World Dog Surfing Championships 2020 Surf Dog Photography and Beach Dog Fashion award categories

Fortunately, our judges enjoyed the challenge!

See the results:


BEST BEACH DOG FASHION

1) Flofy Tiny Surf Dog and Pal

2) Georgia Surf Dog

3) Jabez (Jabez von Haus)

4) Petey

 

BEST SURF DOG PHOTOGRAPHY 2020

 

1) Carson

2) Flofy

3) Lilo

World Dog Surfing Championships Livestream Hybrid Event Make Sports History

The World Dog Surfing Championships and TasteTV thank all of the fantastic dog surfers (and humans) who took part in the 2020 Livestream Hybrid Event. To our knowledge no other sports has ever attempted to organize and produce an event that utilizes the video and tech capabilities of Zoom to broadcast a live competition via livestream from multiple locations and multiple teams.

This was an historic, first-of-its-kind event, including both the heats live-streamed directly from various beaches across North America, as well as featuring recorded video from 2020. Realtime viewers and aficionados of the sport watching on Facebook Live numbered in the several thousand, and the amount of fans continues to grow daily as they watch and share the video replay of the event on Facebook.

Because of the unique nature of the Championships and the scarcity of live sports events at this time, enjoyment of the dog surfing event was extremely high.  A side effect was that judging was an unexpected challenge due to the great coordinated efforts of all of the surf dogs.

Teddy and Derby at the World Dog Surfing Championships

Below are the final results:

VIDEO HEATS

Highlight Reels
1 Carson
2 Charlie (tie)
2 Delilah (tie)
2 Flofy Tiny Surfer (tie)
2 Rothstein (tie)
2 Samson & Delilah Tandem (tie)

Small Dog Video
1 Carson (tie)
1 Flofy Tiny Surfer (tie)
1 Rusty (tie)
1 Tristan (tie)

Large Dog Video
1 Faith (tie)
1 Koa (tie)

Very Large Dog Video
1 Charlie Surfs up
2 Lily Lilo the Lab
3 Beezel

Tandem Dog Video
1 Brandy, Derby, Carson, Faith, Flofy, Rusty, Tristan
2 Rusty and Faith

Tandem Human/Dog Video
1 Koa and Oak (uncontested)

Fetch-Frisbee Video
1 Lani
2 Bamboo & Bobby Ellis

LIVE HEATS (LIVESTREAMED)

Small Dog Heat 1: LIVE
1 Carson
2 Delilah
3 Samson
4 Ziggy

Medium Dog: LIVE
1 Cherie
2 Tristan

Large Dog: LIVE
1 Faith the Surfing Pitbull (tie)
1 Rothstein (tie)

Very Large Dog: LIVE
1 Charlie Surfs Up
2 Derby
3 Teddy

Tandem Dogs Heat 1: LIVE
1 Derby & Teddy
2 Rusty & Faith
3 Samson & Delilah

Tandem Human/Dog: LIVE
2 Bamboo & Bobby Ellis (tie)
1 Derby & Kentucky
2 Quadruple tandem/Koa & Oak (tie)


WATCH THE CHAMPIONSHIPS REPLAY HERE ON FACEBOOK LIVE

TasteTV Partners with Cision’s PRWeb for Business Press Release Promotion

FOR PRESS RELEASES AND IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cision has created a special press release package in honor of the TasteTV events, partners, awards, and fans so that you can economically announce any of your achievements or partnerships.

Everyone is invited. This 15% discount applies to any Basic, Advanced, or Premium press release distribution through PR Web. To enjoy this promotion, new users should go to this PRWeb site to register, then login at app.prweb.com, and enter: Promo code (15% OFF): TASTE2021

If you are an existing PRWeb customer, you can login as usual at https://app.prweb.com/Login.aspx and then use the TASTE2021 promo code.

 

Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway Reopens to Guests with Revised Safety Protocols

One of our favorite upscale spots in Puerto Vallarta, the Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel, is available for private stays in comfort.

With Puerto Vallarta entering a new Phase of its economic and tourist reactivation and the reopening of its beaches, Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway has reopened its doors, while adopting new hygiene and safety protocols to ensure safe spaces and experiences for its guests.

The state of Jalisco, and Puerto Vallarta along with it, was recently recognized with the “Safe Travels” stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The specially designed stamp allows travelers across the globe to identify governments and companies that have adopted world-class hygiene and sanitation standards so that consumers can experience “Safe Travels.”

Beaches located in front of Puerto Vallarta’s hotels are open to visitors, and hotels are now authorized to operate with controlled capacity. Hotel swimming pools, beach clubs and restaurants are permitted to open, but hotel gyms and spas will remain closed.

Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway, as part of Buenaventura Hotel Group, has developed and implemented safety and hygiene protocols pointing out the five directives under which the protocol was created —  “HOGAR,” which stands for “HOME” in Spanish — to make you feel as safe as in your home:

  1. Hygiene & Disinfection
  2. Order & Control
  3. Guarantee of Everyone’s Well-being
  4. Accommodations and Social Distancing
  5. Responsibility

The following are some of the practices that will be implemented as part of this “new normal,” including investments in specialized equipment for disinfection, washing, rinsing and drying accessories in rooms and kitchens. There is also new equipment and procedures in place for disinfecting footwear, suitcases, bags and strollers upon guest arrival. Frequent cleaning and filter replacement of cooling systems and swimming pools will be strictly supervised.

As for customer service, social distancing of 6 feet between individuals in waiting spaces — such as check-in / check-out, access to bars and restaurants, and lounge areas, among others — will be maintained. Specific personnel for maid and butler service will be assigned to each floor and reservations at specialty restaurants will be suggested.

Antibacterial gel dispensers have been placed in common areas. To respect minimum social distancing of 6 feet, furniture has been relocated, thus reducing restaurant capacity, with a maximum of six diners per table. The distribution of lounge and beach chairs will respect social distancing and the allocation of rooms will be alternated, maintaining as much distance as possible between designated rooms. The constant use of airway protectors for all guests will be suggested and a personal protection kit for each guest will be included in the room amenities.

These safety and hygiene protocols follow the recommendations of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); the World Health Organization (WHO); and federal, state and municipal government guidelines, as well as the criteria and contributions of Puerto Vallarta’s Hotel Association for the reactivation of economic and tourism activity.

With these actions, Buenaventura Hotel Group and Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway aim to provide safe spaces for guests, suppliers, collaborators and, in general, society at large, while generating experiences of leisure, fun and comfort through products and services with quality and warmth, placing visitor well-being first.

For more information visit,
Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway

www.premiereonline.com.mx
Boutique Hotel, Adults – Only

Cars You Want: Lotus all-new Elise Classic Heritage Editions

Car lovers rejoice, Lotus has launched four new limited-edition versions of the Elise, each with a vibrant and distinctive color palette that pays tribute to the company’s pioneering and highly successful racing history. The collection is called the Elise Classic Heritage Editions.