Travelography #49: Olympic Chinglish and Airline Profits and Mergers

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

San Francisco is hoping its top ranking by Conde Nast Traveler magazine among US cities will give it a boost in its bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. Beijing is working to cleean up its poor English grammar (known as Chinglish) ahead of the 2008 Olympics. US Airlines are about to report their most profitable year in the last five, though continuing problems in the industry will likely result in yet more merger.

San Francisco Wins as Global Travelers' Choice for the Best U.S. Destination City

A fresh attempt from China to wipe out `Chinglish’ ahead of Beijing Olympics

Chinglish examples and definition on Wikipedia

American to get airline-profit party started

US airlines looking seriously at consolidation

G4T #45: Ecotourism and the Grand Canyon, with Prof. Claudia Jurowski

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

In this podcast I interview Professor Claudia Jurowski of Northern Arizona University about her involvement with BEST Education Network and her research on different types of tourists to the Grand Canyon National Park, with some focus on the slippery topic of ecotourism and the ecotourist. Claudia teaches in the NAU School of Hotel and Restaurant Management (not Hotel and Tourism Management, as I stated in the podcast intro -- oops!)

To see the Grand Canyon Visitor Study (upon which Prof. Jurowski based her research study), go to the Tourism Library page of NAU's Arizona Hospitality Research and Resource Center. This site also contains many other tourism studies related to communities around the state of Arizona.

Length: 29min, 26 sec

Travelography #48: Hawaii Quake Impacts and Cruises Return to New Orleans

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

While scary, the immediate tourism impacts of last week's earthquake in Hawaii were minor compared to the potential longer term impacts that it my have. Regularly scheduled cruises from New Orleans will start up again this Sunday, marking the return of one of the fastest growing segments of the travel and tourism industry.

Here are links to these stories:

Quake could scare tourists away from Hawaii
Earthquake in Hawaii causes only limited tourist disruption
Earthquake leaves Hawaii unscathed
First post-Hurricane Katrina cruise scheduled for New Orleans

Travelography #47: Nuke Tourism in Iran, Travel Gear, European Travel Trends

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

Iran introduces nuclear power plant tourism for foreign visitors. Two items from the Travel Gear Blog: self-weighing luggage and spray on ironing. And a new report to looks at the potential impacts of European social trends on travel and tourism.

• Iran’s nuclear sites open to foreign tourists
• Self-weighing Luggage
• Dry Cleaning Spray - Travel Gear
• European Travel Commission

G4T #42: I Climbed Ayers Rock - I Did Not Climb Uluru

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

There are two popular t-shirts that are sold at Ayers Rock/Uluru in the middle of the Outback of Australia. One says "I climbed Ayers Rock" the other says "I Did Not Climb Uluru". In today's podcast I talk about recent visit to Ayers Rock last summer, and about the issue of "to climb or not to climb." As interesting as this issue is, most of the podcast is actually an even more interesting soundseeing tour of the Wala Walk along the base of Uluru. This is part of the podcast is only about a 22+ minute-long editing of the 1.5 hour long ranger-guided walk.

You can read more about my family's visit to Ayers Rock/Uluru National Park on either of these two travel blog sites:

MyLifeOfTravel

VCarious

Total Podcast Length: 33min 06sec

Travelography #46: Passports 2.0; Tibet Flight; Brazil Crash; Virgin Reality Show

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

The US Congress has extended to 2009 the due date when North Americans (US, Canada, Mexico & the Caribbean) will need passports to visit each other. Tibet received its first ever international air flight, while Brazil investigates its worst ever airplane crash. Virgin Galactic debuts its suborbital spaceship and plans a reality TV program for a free trip to space.

Tibet welcomes first nonstop overseas charter flight for tourists

Latest Passport Extension is Boost for Short Cruise Travelers!

Border security plan delayed

Ontario says lobbying against new U.S. passport rule has paid off

All 155 dead in Brazil plane crash

Branson unveils Virgin spaceship

Travelography #45: US Passports, Moroccan Train + Birds Head Indonesia

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

Now is the time to get your US passport if you plan to visit Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean in 2007. Morocco plans the first the Arab world's first high speed train. And scientists discover the riches marine ecosystem in the world in the Bird's Head area off the west coast of Papua in Indonesia.

New passport rules to take effect Jan. 8

Arab world’s first high-speed train planned

50 New Marine Species Discovered in Indonesia

Stunning finds of fish and coral in Indonesia This podcast was originally posted on Sept 29, 2006. I was at the Podcast and Portable Media Expo on that day and forgot to post the show notes here, as I usually do.