Every year, the city of Basel - with its historic architecture and legendary beauty - welcomes the people who matter, from across the world. BaselWorld, an event which traces its origins back to over three hundred years, is a valentine to beauty, taste and glamour and a gathering of the connoisseurs of ultra-luxurious jewelry and watches, every year in Basel.

BaselWorld has six sprawling halls that have 2,000 booths from 45 countries, spread over an area of 160,000 sq m. Over 600 watch stands and 750 jewelry stands showcase the finest collections of the year.

BaselWorld, in its ancient form, was an annual fair that Emperor Frederick III permitted Basel the right to hold every two years. It evolved into the first Swiss fair in 1917, until it was thrown open to the whole of Europe in 1973, and later to the whole world in 1986. Since then, BaselWorld is regarded as one of the finest jewelry and watch fairs in the world and the hallmark of Swiss excellence.

The fair is a joint enterprise between the City of Basel and MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd, which organizes more than 30 annual exhibitions and fairs.

If you want to see world class art museums, get a great view of Lake Erie, see the best orchestra in the world, and experience the most underated city in the country, now is the time to act. Cleveland has just been named the most affordable destination in the U.S. by travel experts Leisure and Leisure Magazine in their latest rankings of America's Favorite Cities. This marks the first time that Cleveland has been ranked by the magazine as one of the top getaway cities, and may have impact on the tourism industry.

It wasn't all good news for us Clevelanders though. Despite giving us kudos for the great orchestra, the West Side Market, and museums, the people over at Travel and Leisure think that Clevelanders are a bit on the ugly side. Out of the 30 cities listed, Cleveland came in at 28th when ranking attractiveness. Cleveland also fared rather poorly in terms of weather (#29), and people-watching (#28). Cleveland was also ranked dead last on the list of spring break destinations at #30, probably because during March and April there's a good chance of there might still be some lingering snow on the ground.

JetBlue is taking an innovative approach to ramp up its post-Labor Day travel by offering an all-you-can-fly pass which is good for one month for just $599. Good between September 8 to October 8, those who take advantage of the deal can fly to any or allof the 56 places JetBlue flies to in the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, Costa Rica and Columbia.

These long stretches of warm, sunny days that we've been experiencing lately have really made me want to run out the beach or the pool for a fun-filled day of sun and water. However, if you're like me and most of the world that's dealing with the sagging economy, funds are tight. If you haven't booked any vacation plans this summer and are struggling with where to get the most bang for your buck, let me turn you on to a great travel idea - cruises!

Why is a cruise a great idea for a summer vacation? For one, it's easy to plan for last minute. And best of all - they're all inclusive. The fee includes all of the accomodations, food and entertainment that you can handle on your cruise, so there's no need to budget for dozens of different incidentals. The options for cruise destinations are also endless - you can cruise the Caribbean, or along the Nile, the Mediterranean, or even Hong Kong. If you can think it, you can probably take a cruise there.

This summer as the economic situation continues to worsen, and job cuts becoming increasingly common, many Americans are deciding to forgoe the traditional summer vacation either to save money or because they simply can't afford it. But with so much stress, don't we all deserve a break now and then?

HomeAway is heading up a campaign to get tired and stressed out workers another vacation day this summer. The "Save Our Summer Vacation" movement aims to petition Congress to proclaim August 7 as a "National Vacation Day." The more signatures they can gather, the better the chances. So get your friends and family to sign the petition now!

In addition, HomeAway is also searching for the person most deserving or a week-long summer vacation. The grand prize winner will be awarded a $10,000 getaway to the vacation rental of their choice. Two runners-up will each receive a $5,000 trip. To enter, all you ahve to do is sumibt a short text, video or photo entry by July 2 explaning why you deserve to have your vacation saved by HomeAway.

We may have the worlds best orchestra, the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, a world class art museum, vibrant nightlife, and relatively new sports stadiums but Cleveland couldn't escape the tag as being labeled boring. At least we aren't Detroit who was given the title as least favorite city from a study by TripAdvisor.

New York City was interestingly selected as most helpful and least helpful city. The Big Apple also scored the "grand prize" as favorite city. Here is how the study turned out:

This summer, thrill seekers will have an exciting new roller coaster to check out in Ohio, and it's not at Cedar Point. Rather, the new Diamondback steel coaster will open to the public at the Kings Island amusement park on April 18.

The final piece of the track for the nearly 1-mile long new high-rise, high-speed roller coaster was added Monday. Park officials say that the Diamondback is 230-feet tall at its highest point, and riders will experience travel at speeds more than 90mph. The ride, which lasts 3 minutes, starts off with a 215-foot plunge before winding through more drops and twists and ending with a splash into water.

Is it your dream to tour the Smithsonian, check out the nation's historic monuments, or even just hang out at a favorite local restaurant? Akron-Canton Airport has teamed up with US Airways for an exciting new contest that will see winners take their dream trip to Washington D.C.

To enter the contest, you simply need to submit an essay of 500 words or less, detailing what you would do if you got a "Dream day in Washington D.C.". Unfortunately going to Barack Obama's presidential inauguration is not an option, and they cannot arrange a face-to-face meeting with the president, but CAK can give you a fun-fille day of memories and work to make your special day a reality.

Participants must be able to department from CAK on Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 6:20am, and will return at 9:20pm the same day.

The winner will receive:

• Air Fare on the INAUGURAL (1/25/2009) flight to and from CAK to DCA aboard US Airways for the winner and one guest (must travel ON this date)
• $100 in cash to be used towards transportation and daily expenses.
• A FLIP video camera to document your dream day
• Your individualized, one-day itinerary - detailed by you and fulfilled by us!

Florida International University professor Dr. Stephen Leatherman, better known as Dr. Beach, chose Caladesi Island State Park as his top U.S. beach for 2008. Nine other beaches from around the country made the list, which was unveiled just in time for the upcoming long holiday weekend.

Caladesi Island is located just north of Clearwater, Florida, and was formed by a hurricane in 1921 which separated it from the nearby Honeymoon Island. It's beaches became a state park in 1968. According to Dr. Beach, the waves are generally low on Caladesi, which adds to the already family-friendly atmosphere. Additional, Caladesi beaches have showers, restrooms, kayak and beach chair rentals, as well as a snack bar where you can pick up burgers and beer. It costs $9 to take a ferry to the island, and there's a four hour limit on stays.

Looking for international getaway without the hassle of a layover? You are in luck if you want to go to the "City of Lights". The long awaited nonstop flight from Cleveland to Paris debuts later this afternoon and everyone involved is excited about the service that will run from May 22-September 1.

"Cleveland is important to Continental and we are pleased to add Paris to our portfolio of flights from this hub," said Continental Airlines President Jeff Smisek. "Including the new service to Paris, we will have launched flights from Cleveland to 10 new destinations so far in 2008."

While the flight will see its fair share of tourists, Mayor Frank Jackson sees another benefit. Cleveland's Mayor sees it has a way to help Cleveland on the international business scene.