Travelography - Experiencing The World

Travelography 2.0 podcast

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With this Travelography #101 podcast I am changing to a more informal format -- mostly because it is easier for me, but also because I enjoy it more. I hope you like it, as well.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Travelography #100 - Theme Parks Boom, Gorillas Grow, and Air Hostess Games

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Today's Stories:
- Amusement parks are doing well world wide
- Mountain gorillas bring high end tourist money to Uganda
- Women compete for airline hostess positions on a new game show in China

Links:
Amusement park and attractions business to grow in Asia and Europe but will go steady in US
Rare mountain gorillas prepared for tourists
China's airline clones

Travel Geography Podcast (this website)
Travelography News on Ning
Travelography News on Twitter
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Sunday, December 02, 2007

Santa + Ski Jump @ Arctic C Pt 2

PART 2 - Recorded last night at the University of Oulu Research Center at Finland's Oulanka National Park. One Correction: The three events were Ski Jumping, Cross Country Skiing, and Nordic Combined (both jumping and x-country skiing). Sorry about the sound quality - I will try to avoid using that recorder in the future (or learn how to use it appropriately).

PHOTO: Ski Jump at the Ruka Ski Area in Finland, near the Russian border.

Mobile post sent by alew using Utterz.

Replies. mp3

Santa + Ski Jump @ Arctic Circle

PART 1 - Recorded last night at the University of Oulu Research Center at Finland's Oulanka National Park. One Corrections: The three events were: Ski Jumping, Cross Country Skiing, and Nordic Combined (both jumping and x-country skiing). Sorry about the sound quality - I will try to avoid using that recorder in the future (or learn how to use it appropriately).

PHOTO: Sun at about noon time in Oulu, Finland

Mobile post sent by alew using Utterz.

Replies. mp3

Thursday, November 29, 2007

NaPodPoMo - Travelography 2.0 - Daily Podcast Challenge - Week 4

For 29 November 2007- First Impressions of Oulu, Finland

Pretty slow internet connection here at the university, but with patience it works and I did get today's podcasts posted on Utterz. Sunrise was a 9:30 am this morning, well after the conference had started; sunset was at 2:30 pm. It is now 4pm and pitch dark outside. Seems like I should be getting ready for bed now -- probably the jetlag. At our downtown hotel, stores are be open until 9 pm and the snow-packed streets are busy with shoppers.

Additional postings about my trip and conference are at http://twitter.com/alew

For 27 November 2007 - Flying by Car to Phoenix - My morning flight was canceled, so I had to drive to Phoenix to make my connecting flight!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Travelography #99: T-Day Travel, HI Superferry, and Japan Whales and Fingers

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Today's Stories:

- Weather, among other factors, help make for smooth traveling during the Thanksgiving weekend in the US.
- Hawaii's Superferry to re-start on December 1st between Honolulu and Maui.
- Travel boycott called against Japan as it dramatically increases its whale catch.
- Japan starts fingerprinting all foreign visitors to prevent terrorist attacks.

Story Links:

Fearing worst, U.S. air travelers find smooth going

Hawaii Superferry Employees Heading Back to Work

Boycott Japan - Save the Whales

Tourists given the finger

Travelography 2.0 on Utterz.com

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Sunday, November 25, 2007

NaPodPoMo - Travelography 2.0 - Daily Podcast Challenge - Week 3

Week 3 of National Podcast Post Month (NaPodPoMo)

I joined NaPodPoMo a few days late, but you can find my posts week 1 (Nov 7-9) here and for Week 2 (Nov 11-19) here. Nov 10 + Nov 19 were my regular weekly Travelography podcast.

For 25 November 2007

Orbitz TLC Letter - Surprisingly helpful letter from Orbitz.

For 24 November 2007

Turkey Congee - I am amazed by all of the traffic heading north from Phoenix this weekend! And I talk about our traditional post-Turkey Day meal of turkey congee (rice porridge). Here is one of many turkey congee recipes available online: http://esyurl.com/2pj - also check out: http://napodpomo.ning.com/ For 21 November 2007

For 23 November 2007

Black Friday Urban Fix

For 22 November 2007

Happy Thanksgiving

For 21 November 2007

Angkor Wat and Ha Long Bay - I talk about a couple of places that many people (especially Americans, I think) do not know about, but really should be on their must visit someday list of places: Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

For 20 November 2007:

Report Airline Abuse @ FlyerRights.org

Monday, November 19, 2007

Travelography #98: Turkey Day Air Travel, Fuel Surcharges, and Forever Travel

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Stories covered in today's podcast include:
- The US government institutes policies to reduce Thanksgiving air travel -- we'll see if it works!
- Airlines and cruise companies adopt new fuel surcharge fees to cover increasing costs.
- Are you a potential Forever Tourist?

Links:

More Highways in the Sky to Ease Travel

Airlines, Cruises Add Fuel Surcharges

Forever Tourism Truly Offers a One Way Ticket

NaPodPoMo

Travelography 2.0 on Utterz.com

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Sunday, November 18, 2007

NaPodPoMo - Travelography 2.0 - Daily Podcast Challenge - Week 2

Week 2 of National Podcast Post Month (NaPodPoMo)

I joined a few days late, but you can find my posts from last week (Nov 7-9) here. Nov 10 was my regular weekly Travelography podcast.

For 18 November 2007:

Travelography 2.0: Getting Older... -

For 17 November 2007:

Travelography 2.0: China's Golden Weeks Explained - I just finished an essay on Domestic Tourism for the Encyclopedia of Modern China (due out sometime next year) -- so in today's podcast I talk about China's Golden Weeks -- what they are and how they are changing.

For 16 November 2007:

My Travel Podcast Susbscriptions - Only a fraction of the 100 podcasts that I subscribe to are related to travel and tourism. I talk about those in today's podcast. And OOPS - I forgot to mention the Home Based Travel Agent podcast -- sorry Barry ...

For 15 November 2007:

Traveler Resilience - Record numbers of Americans will hit the roads next week despite gas prices being $1 more than last year.

For 14 November 2007:

60 MPG Downhill - for NaPodPoMo

For 13 November 2007:

For 12 November 2007:

Two PR Emails - a right and a wrong way to contact bloggers
relate link: Web 2.0 Travel Tools

For 11 November 2007:

NaPodPoMo for Sunday - Interview with my Son

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Travelography #97 - Great Wall of Sand, 750 mi. Golf Course, and Cold War Tours

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Stories in today's podcast include: (1) Growing sand storms are eroding away the Great Wall of China; (2) Australia building 750 mile / 1200 km long golf course; (3) US National Park Service offering nuclear reactor tours in Washington State; and (4) New tour of life in a Communist town in Poland.

Main Story Links:

Sandstorms Are Eroding Great Wall, China Says

Australia will fund world's longest golf course

Nuclear reactor a tourist hot spot

Poland's showcase of communism becomes offbeat tourist draw

Other Related Links:

NaPodPoMo (National Podcast Post Month)

Travelography 2.0 on Utterz.com

Listen to Travelography on you phone +1 (360) 227-5594

Friday, November 09, 2007

NaPodPoMo - Travelography 2.0 - Daily Podcast Challenge - Nov 7 to 9

So I was wondering what NaVloPoMo was that CherlyColan on Twitter was talking about, and I stumbled on the NaPodPoMo website on Ning.com. NaPodPoMo = National Podcast Post Month, and those who sign up in the month of November as supposed to post a podcast every day for 30 days.

Even though I came down with a head cold a couple of days ago, this sounded kind of fun, and I had just signed up for Utterz.com, so I though I would give it a try. I am calling these NaPodPoMo podcast posts "Travelography 2.0" as they will be very short, un-edited versions of my Travelography: World Travel and Tourism News podcast. I will add them to this blog entry as they are recorded.

Here is the first one for 7 November 2007:

Travelography 2.0: Pumpkin Pie and Yucky Glasses - click to listen - Websites mentioned in this podcast include:
Consumerist.com: Dirty Glasses Story
RSS Feed for the Travelography 2.0 Podcast - use this to subscribe either with your podcatcher or other feed reader

For 8 November 2008:

Travelography 2.0: Humidifier Attack and Travel 2.0 - click to listen - Sorry for the coughing, but my head cold has gotten much worse today! Websites mentioned in this podcast include:
* Great Travel 2.0 Websites (The Ratings Guy)
* Web Travel Sites (Washington Post)
* My List of Travel Sites
* My Other Hubpages

For 9 November 2008

Travelography 2.0: Nokia N800 and Cruiseship (and other tourist) Crimes - click to listen - Enjoying my recently purchased Nokia N800 Internet Tablet. Quite a few tourist crime stories in today's nes feeds. I focus on cruiseship crimes. Links mentioned:
* Travelography News Feeds on Twitter
* Travelography Show Notes (this website)
* My Utterz.com site - http://www.utterz.com/~h-alew/
* Cruise Ship Crimes story

Monday, November 05, 2007

Travelograpy #96:Cruise Rapes and Pollution, and What Loch Ness Monster?

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Today's Stories:
- Sexual assaults on North American cruise ships are much higher than in US overall.
- The US EPA is sued for not regulating air pollution from ocean ships, including cruise lines.
- Tourists are cancel their trips as Iceland resume whaling.
- Shy Loch Ness Monster has Scotland's tourism industry worried.

Links to original stories:

Rapes and sexual assault rife on high seas

EPA sued for not regulating cruise ship smokestacks

The resumption of whaling hurts Iceland tourism

Nessie no longer a tourism dra w

other links:

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Saturday, October 27, 2007

Travelography #95: Global Warming Challenges for Travel and Tourism

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Stories in Today's Podcast:
- Global warming to alter when and where we travel.
- Honolulu's Waikiki will be under water within 100 years.
- UN and travel industry executives look for ways to reduce tourism's carbon footprint.
- Environmentalists protest the enlargement of London's Heathrow Airport.

UN: Climate will alter travel patterns

The Drowning of Hawaii

Tourism industry leaders pledge to 'rapidly respond to climate change'

Environmentalists protest bigger Heathrow

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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Travelography #94: Nepal Maoists, Resorts Protest in India, and Monkey Attacks

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Stories covered in this weeks podcast are:

Nepal's Maoists politicians try to calm the nerves of the tourism industry as they demand the overthrow of the monarchy.
Kerala's fisherwomen protest against new beach resorts that limit their access to the India's southwest coast.
Cambodia puts a bounty on monkeys who are attacking tourists in Phnom Penh.

Nepal's Maoists assure they have no intention of harming tourists during protests

Fisherwomen Question Tourism's 'Magic'

Bounty for 'gangster' monkeys terrorising tourists at Cambodian temple

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NEW: RECENT SLATE EXPLAINER PODCAST ON HOW TO WARD OFF MONKEY ATTACKS

Friday, October 19, 2007

G4T #59: Teaching Tourism with Social Software

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast related post (click on the title above to open the .mp3 file)

CLICK THE EMBEDDED LINK BELOW TO HEAR AND SEE THIS PRESENTATION

Today's podcast is a presentation that I gave at the NAU eLearning Institute in May, 2007. I gave a 1 hour presentation on how I used social media, especially blogs, podcasts and wikis, to teach an online class in Spring 2007. The class was titled "Planning for Sustainable Tourism."

Total Length: 54m 48sec

Here are some links related to this presentation

Course outline posted on Web20Teach blog
Elluminate.com
InnerToob.com
My Slideshare.net page - Powerpoint slides and forthcoming Slidecast for this podcast
--- Slidecast for this presentation
--- Bicycle Touring slidecast (from the 30 June 2007 G4T podcast)
My Twitter

| View | Upload your own

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Note that this version of the Powerpoint presentation is slightly different from the audio file. There are a couple of slides at the start and at the end that were not in the presentation when the audio was recorded, and there is one slide at the end that I mention (very briefly) that is not in the slidecast. --- Long story....

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Travelography #93: China's Golden Week and Hong Kong Disneyland Struggles

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Lot of tourism news from China and Asia...
- China, Hong Kong, Macau and Malaysia are leading Asia to a record tourism year in 2007
- Huge numbers of tourists during China's National Day holiday causes some to question the value of Golden Weeks
- Over 1500 foreign tourists get lost in the mob of domestic tourists at China's Tiananmen Square
- Hong Kong Disneyland is under-performing as visitors say it it too small and culturally insensitive

Asia Pac Region sets record for international visitor arrivals

120 million Chinese celebrate Golden Week

Tienanmen Square scare: Tourists lose way

Poor attendance gives Hong Kong Disneyland financial woes

Geography for Travelers - this website

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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Travelography #92: The Summer of Flight Delays, and Two New Attractions

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- 30% of US Airline Departures were late this summer, up from 25% last year, and passenger complaints against airlines have nearly doubled.
- AvoidDelays.com lists the airports, airlines and flights to avoid month by month
- Delta's is offering business class seats and meals, in downtown Manhattan
- Larry Craig's restroom at the Minneapolis airport has become the country's newest tourist attraction.

The Worst Times And Places To Fly

AvoidDelays.com

Nearly 30% of airline flights delayed in August:

Most flights in U.S. are late, and it could get worse

FAA Meets Gourmet: Airline Opens Eatery in NYC

Minn. airport bathroom draws tourists after Craig arrest

Geography for Travelers - this website

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Monday, September 24, 2007

Travelography #91: China Web Bookings, Flight Attendants, + Europe's Disabled

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Online bookings in China lag far behind much of the rest of the world due to thin travel agent profit margins. Flight attendants have one of the toughest jobs in travel. The Europe Union passes new laws to protect disabled air travelers.
--
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Links:

China's online travel services ready for take-off (?)

Flight attendants say morale is near rock bottom

Airline victory for disabled travellers in Europe

Geography for Travelers - this blog/website

British tourist convicted of biting Greek policeman

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

G4T #58: Discussing Tourism and Ethics - part 2

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast related post (click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

This is the discussion that followed Professor David Fennell's presentation on Tourism and Ethics at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in April 2007. The session was sponsored by the Tourism Geographies journal and the AAG's Recreation, Tourism and Sport Specialty Group.

To hear the presentation, go to show #57 at http://TravelGeography.info - where you can find the full show notes for Geography for Travelers.

AND to both Hear and See this presentation as a Slidecast, go to http://Slideshare.net/alew

You can also download the MP3 file here.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Travelography #90: Tourism Challenges in Greece, Tibet and South Africa

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Stories in this week's Travelography Podcast:

British tourists causing trouble on Greek islands.
Tibet struggling to manage large influx of train tourists.
South Africa seeks to stem crimes against tourists.

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Listen to Travelography on your Phone +1 (360) 227-5594
--

LINKS:

Tibet to Reject Industries, Funds That May Harm Environment

South Africa crime deterring tourists

Why It's Easier to Get A First-Class Seat

Monday, September 10, 2007

Travelography #89: Seat Upgrades, EU Air Carbon Trading, and New TSA Airport Delays Coming

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Airlines in the US are offering more opportunities for upgrading to business and first class. Europe wants all airlines flying to and in the EU to participate in a carbon trading program. Now the US wants to fingerprint people leaving the country, which could seriously slow down the airport check-in process.

LINKS:

U.S. Airlines Under Pressure To Fly Greener

Ready, Set, Wait

Hawaii Visitor arrivals declined in June

Travelography News on Twitter

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Saturday, September 01, 2007

Travelography #88: Tourism Challenges for Hawaii, the Caribbean and Europe

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Hawaii's June tourist arrivals are slightly down from last year, while the Caribbean has seen a 5 to 10% drop for a variety of reasons. US travel to Europe remains strong, through the high costs for Americans is forcing them to live more on the cheap.

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NEW: Listen to the latest Travelography on your phone at: +1 (360) 227-5594
--

LINKS:

Caribbean frets over drop in American tourists

10 ways to keep Europe within reach

Tour operators are banking against the euro

US tourists flock to Paris despite prices

Geography for Travelers (THIS SITE)

Try GoToMyPC free for 30 days! Click here for this special offer

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Ethics and Sustainable Tourism - with David Fennell (Slidecast)

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast post - Click on the title above to download the .mp3 file - OR - Play the Slidecast Version Here: (length: 48 min 32 sec)

Today's Geography for Travelers Podcast is a recording of a presentation by Prof. David Fennell of Brock University at the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers, 17-22 April 2007. The title of his presentation is:

Ethics: We're Stuck With It [in Tourism]...Whether We Like It Or Not!
This was a 45 minute plenary presentation sponsored by my journal, Tourism Geographies, and funded by the journal's publisher, Routledge/Taylor and Francis, Ltd.

Part 1 of this podcast is the actual presentation. Part 2 of this podcast will is the questions and answers that followed the presentation. I will post that in about 1 to 2 weeks as a separate podcast.

ALSO - A Slidecast version of this podcast, which is linked to David's Powerpoint slides, is available above, as well as at http://www.slideshare.net/alew.

Here is the Abstract of David Fennell's presentation from the conference program:

Trivers' (1971) theory of reciprocal altruism, emerging from animal behaviour studies, is premised on the belief that human social behaviour is said to have evolved in relatively small, stable communities where groups of people had opportunities to forge cooperative relationships over time through repeated interaction. The more time we have to engage in altruistic acts—acts that are returned in kind— the better chance for individuals and groups to set up longer term cooperative relationships. Cooperation of this sort can be challenged in tourism because of limited interactions based on restricted periods of time, with implications at the micro scale (tourist-host interactions) and at the macro scale (collective interactions within the region as a whole). Despite these challenges, ethics and trust have emerged from reciprocal altruism as mechanisms that induce both short-term and long-term cooperative relationships for mutual benefit. Implications of these relationships are discussed in the context of generating ways to improve cooperation for the tourism industry as a whole.
Keywords: ethics, reciprocal altruism, cooperation

Original Show Notes for this podcast are at: http://TravelGeography.info

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Travelography #87: Top 10 Travel Destinations: US, Food and Honeymoons

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Three recent Top 10 Lists

Top 10 US Destinations
Top 10 World Foodie Cities
Top 10 Honeymoon Destinations ... and more

-- LINKS:

Man-made attractions trump Grand Canyon as top tourist draws
Hungry? The best cities for foodies
Italy No. 1 honeymoon spot
Geography for Travelers - this site
Travelography News on Twitter
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Monday, August 20, 2007

Travelography #86: Space Tourism Accident + UNESCO World Heritiage Issues

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Rocket accident shows dangers of space tourism. UNESCO considers tourism threats to World Heritage Sites, and hears calls for separate criteria for Asian World Heritage designations. And the Galapagos Islands tries to deal with threats from tourism and immigration.

Fatal blast may halt plans for space tourism

UNESCO ponders if World Heritage Sites endangered by mass tourism

Should tourism to the Galapagos Islands end?

Everything you ever wanted to know about bumping

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Travelography #85: Overbooked, Delayed and Canceled Flight Tips

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Not really news this week, but some tips for how to avoid and deal with being bumped on oversold flights, delayed flights and canceled flights.

Ten tips for avoiding delayed/cancelled flights and what to do if all else fails

U.S. to test passport card for border crossings

Originally posted by Alan A. Lew at http://travelgeography.info

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Travelography #83: Passport Cards + Errors - and - Cruise Deaths + Taxes

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

A passport card will soon to be tested for US citizens traveling in North America. With the flood of new applications, about 1% of new US passports are found to contain errors. Along with a rise in passengers, cruise ship deaths are also increasing. And Alaska struggles to tax gaming revenues on cruise ships.

Got your passport? You sure it's OK?

Number of Cruise Ship Jumpers Appears Headed for Record

missing link to AK cruise tax story - sorry

Happy Returns for Travel Agents

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

G4T #56: A Soundseeing Trip to China's Danxiashan World Geopark

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast related post (click on the title above to open the .mp3 file)

Danxiashan is a sandstone mountain region adjacent to the city of Shaoguan in northern Guangdong Province in China (north of Hong Kong). The landform is similar to the sandstone regions of northern Arizona (Sedona) and southern Utah, but in a subtropical vegetation zone.

I was at the Danxiashan World Geopark last week and recorded this week's Geography for Travelers Podcast while hiking around on the top of one of the more visited peaks.

My photos of Danxiashan and the surrounding area can be found here:
- http://flickr.com/photos/alew/tags/danxiashan/

Notes:

Due to time constraints we did not go to Danxiashan's two most famous rock formations -- the male rock and female rock. A search on those terms will find photos of these two less-than-family-suitable stone formations.
This soundseeing tour was recorded on my Zoom H4 stereo recorder. Wear earphones for the best experience.

The Geography for Travelers Podcast is found at http://travelgeography.info

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Travelography #82: Return of the Travel Agent, Family Travel, and Gladiators

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Frustrated with the Internet, a growing number of travelers are returning to travel agencies. A poll of American Express travel agents found Family Travel to be one of the hottest growth areas this year. And a Roman Gladiator attacks a American Tourist in Rome.

Caribbean Family Travel

Fake Roman soldier snaps over size of tourists’ tip

Let's Fix ATC (air traffic control)

Monday, July 16, 2007

Travelography #81: Private vs Commercial Jets - and - Airlines Banned in EU

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Commercial airlines accuse private jets of not paying their fair share of the cost of upgrading air traffic controls in the US. The European Union bans all Indonesian airlines from Europe. And US airlines get and "F" for corporate responsibility.

Get on Board - ATC reform

Airlines Seek Small-Jet Limits in New York for July 4 Holiday

EU extends airline ban to all Indonesian operations in latest blacklist

Big Six airlines fail crisis management 101

Kenya records increased earnings in tourism

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ADDENDUM: Correction to my comments on US Airlines and Crisis Management: American Airlines gave $500 vouchers (with limitations) to customers who they left stranded at the DFW airport last December to compensate for the trouble they caused.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Travelography #80: Africa Tourism Growth; China & Singapore Open Their Doors

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Despite major challenges, Kenya's tourism revenues increase and Mozambique sees a rise in tourism numbers. China will fully open its domestic market to foreign travel agencies for the first time this year. And young tourists from selected developed countries can seek employment in Singapore during their holiday visits.

Hunting tourism revenues in Mozambique rise 27.6 pct in 2006

China opens domestic travel market to foreign travel agencies

Singapore to encourage tourists to look for jobs

Turkmenistan opens door to foreign tourists

Saturday, June 30, 2007

G4T #55: Mike Pesses on Authentic Spaces of Bicycle Tourism

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast related post (click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

This is another presentation from the Association of American Geographers annual meeting in San Francisco, California, April 12-21, 2007. Here is the abstract from the AAG.org website:

Author: Michael W. Pesses - California State University, Northridge

Abstract:
In the past thirty years, bicycle touring has become a legitimate form of tourism. This paper serves as an attempt to examine bicycle touring as an "authentic" form of tourism as well as to examine how the trip affects the bicycle tourist's sense of identity. Through a qualitative analysis of the journals of bicycle tourists, this paper will look into how authentic space and authentic experiences affect the individual's concept of identity and self. The authenticity of the toured space is in constant tension with existential authenticity; one cannot exist without the other in bicycle touring. To find meaning in one's travels, and consequently in one's life, both forms of authenticity are constantly being challenged by the experience and the landscape.
Keywords: Tourism-bicycle, authenticity, landscape, produced spaces

Also mentioned in the podcast intro:

B.E.S.T. Eduction Network Think Tank/Conference
Photos from my Alaska cruise
This original blog post (for sploggers)

Friday, June 29, 2007

Travelography #79: Can Islam be Re-Branded? How about Fiji + Cuba?

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Turkmenistan welcome tourists -- and cell phones. Pakistan's tourism minister resigns after death sentence is is issued for hugging her elderly male teacher. Can Islam be re-branded for the better? Fiji hoteliers call on their military government to lighten-up. And Cuban tourism declines due to new US restrictions and higher air prices from Europe.

Pakistan Tourism Minister resigns

Can the Muslim world be re-branded?

Fiji hoteliers: Tourism low continues

Cuba tourism industry sagging