Travelography - Experiencing The World: March 2006

Friday, March 31, 2006

ReVista -- Tourism in the Americas

This is a Travel Geographer Blog only post

(this is a blog, not a podcast)

David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (Harvard University)

I'm not sure what or why this is, but it is a potentially useful compilation of some 30 very short articles written by some known names among tourism academics. It is sort of a mini-online-edited book. Worth checking out, especially if you are interested in Latin America.

Monday, March 27, 2006

G4T #29: Telluride, Colorado Winter Sound Tour

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast related post

(click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

Spring Break brought me to the old mining town, and now upscale tourist and ski resort of Telluride, Colorado. With my less than trusty recorder in hand, I take you on an early morning walk through downtown Telluride, then up a chair lift to the Mountain Village resort area. I recorded some obervations while skiing down the 4.6 mile Galloping Goose run, and then some observations from my hotel room. Next week I will be back to my "normal" podcasts.

(Length: 35min, 58sec)

Link: Teluride Ski Resort, Colorado

Downtown Telluride

Telluride from the top of Lift #7

The $12,995,000 home for sale that is mentioned in the podcast

Tags: Telluride, Colorado, Skiing, Snow, Soundseeing Tour, Mining, Historic Preservation, Real Estate

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Travelography #19: How to Have a Safe Cruise Excursion

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post

(click on the title above to go to the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY web page)

A fire breaks our on a Princess Cruise ship and 12 people die on a cruise excusion in Chile. Find out how you can protect yourself from potentially dangerous tour excursions.

Links to stories in this week's Travelography podcast:

Congressional Hearing on Cruise Industry Safety

Passengers praise ship crew after fire

Cruise ship fire survivors count themselves lucky

Avoid Crashing When Traveling Abroad

Cruise passengers unaware of risks in international ports of call

Is your shore excursion safe?

Email: PCNTravel@gmail.com

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Travelography #18: Brits Ban Australia, Choice Seats , and Cruise Victim Rights

(click on the title above to go to the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY web page)

Australia's 'Bloody Hell" tourism campaign is banned from UK television; Asian tourism growth is export heaven for Australian beef industry; Northwest Airlines starts charging extra for prime isle and emergency exit row seats; US Airfares went up last week; and the US Congress holds hearings on cruise ship crime and safety issues.

Links to this week's Travelography stories:

Australia undeterred campaign ban in Britain, says it will generate priceless publicity

Asian tourism boost demand for Australian beef

Northwest charges extra for seats with more legroom

Air fares rise on major U.S. carriers

Cruise industry safety topic of hearing

Cruise Victims Testify, Ask for Clearer Industry Laws

International Cruise Victims Organization

Thursday, March 09, 2006

G4T #28: Global Warming and Tourism, plus China's Great Walls

(click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

The news items in this podcast are all about China, including the Great Wall and the "Great Green Wall", which is designed to stem the rapidly expanding Gobi Desert. Historically, the invading nomadic tribes from Central Asia periodically brought havoc to the settled agricuturalists of China. In the long run, Chinese culture overcame these invations by acculturating the nomads and making them "Chinese." The advancing desertification from Central Asia today probably threatens the heart of Chinese civilation more than any invading group ever had. We will probably know sooner than later (like by the 2008 Beijing Olympics) whether or not the Great Green Wall will have any hope of stemming the advancing deserts.

This issue leads into the main topic of today's podcast -- the projected impacts of global warming on the major tourism regions of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a very upbeat topic. But it is one that needs to be discussed and addressed to prevent the environmental, social and economic chaos that could result from global climate change within our lifetimes.

Links to items discussed in today's podcast:

China to Spend Staggering Amounts on Surveying the Great Wall
Patrols to Protect China's Great Wall
The Green Wall of China
Climate Change and Tourism (Final Report UNWTO .pdf)
Climate Change Poses Risk to Tourism WTO Warns (press release)
Tourism and Global Environmental Change Ecological, Social, Economic and Political Interrelationships, by edited by Stefan Gossling and C. Michael Hall

Tags: China, Great Wall, Green Wall, Gobi Desert, Global Warming, Climate Change, Tourism Impacts, Travel Geography

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Travelography #16: China Calling: Beijing to Tibet, plus the World Leisure Expo

(click on the title above to go to the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY web page)

This podcast is all about China, including the China Help Line translation service, Tiananmen Square "For Sale", the highest train in the world from Beijing to Tibet, and the First World Lesiure Expo in Hangzhou.

Tags: China, Chinese Translation, Tiananmen, Souvenirs, Tibet, Railroad, Hangzhou, World Leisure Expo, Travelography, PCN, Podcasternews

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Dubai Architecture to Draw 15 million Tourists (not Terrorists?)

(this is a blog, not a podcast)

Where will you find the world's largest:

- Indoor ski facility
- Shopping center
- Tallest building
- Underwater hotel
- Artificial islands
... and more ... ?

These architectural extremes have either been built, are under constructions, or are in the planning stages in the Dubai United Arab Emirate. (Dubai is the same place that is the current boogie-man in the US terrorist landscape due to their intent to purchase the British company that currently operates several large US east coast ports.) The goal of all these projects is to increase tourism to Dubai to 15 million by the year 2010. Hopefully they will not also be a draw for the region's terrorists ?!

Click on the title to this blog to go to the Business Week online article and slide show of Dubai's architectural plans. THIS IS A MUST SEE !!!

Friday, March 03, 2006

Travelography #15: London is Down, Florida is Up, & Cuba Remains an Issue

(click on the title above to go to the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY web page)

This past year was a big for tourism in many parts of the world, including Florida, Cuba and Vietnam. However, tourists have been avoiding central London since last July's terrorist bombings, and a Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City is in hot water with both the US and Mexican governments for expelling a Cuban delegation there to meet US business leaders.