Travelography #164: Goodbye Carbon Offsets, Hello Chinese Tourists

  

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The top story this past week was ResponsibleTravel.com's quitting carbon offset programs for travelers.  Everyone seems to be competing for China's tourists these days, even the country of China. Plus the Nine Nations of China, a surge in Rhino poaching, and Go-Sim.

This podcast is available at: PodcasterNews.com,  Blubrry.com  and  Travelgeography.info and the TravelCastNetwork.com.  And also follow Travelography  News on Twitter.com. 

Click Here for links to ALL of the News Stories discussed in this podcast.

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Travelography #159: Tourism and the Economy: Uneasy Bedfellows

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Business travel is in the dumps, and a new study is commissioned to try and turn that around. The Australian dollar is stronger than ever -- which is really bad for Australia's tourism. Finally, I can take my precious water on the plane -- in Europe. And are floating hotels the future is a global warming world?

This podcast is available at:
PodcasterNews.com, Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info. and TravelCastNetwork.com.

And also follow Travelography  News on Twitter.com. 

Click Here for ALL of the News Stories discussed in this podcast.

Travelography #143: Fire Tourists and Tweet My Spring Break

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 2 to 9 February 2009. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• Police warn 'fire tourists' to stay away - Australia

  People have died in their cars trying to escape the Gippsland fires and there are reports of a busload of Japanese tourists heading towards the Yarra Valley. Police say they will be blocking people who are driving towards dangerous areas and people could be charged with hindering police if they are caught sightseeing in "stupid" areas.

• Australia's forest fire toll climbs - 166 dead - Summary : Environment

  The body count reached 166 on Tuesday, more than doubling the death toll from Australia's previous worst forest fires in 1983. Authorities in the south-coast city of Melbourne warned the death toll would continue to climb as army bulldozers cleared a path for forensic teams to enter hamlets cut off by Saturday's inferno.

• Future Tech May Reduce Bird-Plane Collisions

  Most of today's anti-bird-strike efforts are ground-based, focusing on making airports less inviting to birds by removing ponds, exterminating the bugs birds eat, firing noise cannons, installing artificial owls, and so on. But the next frontier in bird-strike prevention is the sky. Bird-disturbing radar, pulsing lights, and reflective coatings may someday make aircraft more visible to birds, so they have time to dodge oncoming planes

• Travel firms respond to events, share news via Twitter

  Hotels, airlines, airports and other travel companies are joining the Twitter community, too, to pitch services, update travel conditions and respond directly to the individual needs of customers. They're finding the mobile nature of the technology is ideal for talking to travelers. "We consider our Twitter account akin to an information booth,"

• Economy won't stop the spring break party

  Bookings to popular beach destinations are strong, according to travel companies, and volunteering vacations continue to gain momentum. "Typically the student business is more resilient to the economy because it's like a once in a lifetime trip,"

• $50,000 to stay in a house shaped like a toilet?

  Traveling to Suwon, South Korea anytime soon? Feeling flush with cash and feel like staying in a house shaped like a toilet?

Travelography #138: Travel Now - Save the Economy!

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 1 December 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• TSA says new uniforms calm travelers and make spotting terrorists easier

  the new [blue] shirts project a more professional look and instill a greater sense of calm among passengers. In turn, the agency says fewer nervous travelers now make behavior profiling of potential terrorists more effective.

• De-icer shortage threatens US flights

  The federal government is warning airlines that flights could face disruptions this winter because of a severe shortage of a chemical used to keep runways free from snow and ice.

• Australians told to take a break for the economy

  The country's 11 million workers have hoarded about 121 million days of paid-leave entitlements which the government wants to unlock to help stimulate a tourism sector hard hit by the global downturn.

• 6 reasons we love to travel now

  Turn back the clock just a year and you'll find a dramatically different picture. Travelers were unappreciated -- even exploited -- by unscrupulous travel companies that were flush with profits. No longer. With just one notable exception, it's difficult to find any part of the travel industry that isn't being extra-nice to its customers.

• Lebanon tourism hits four-year high

  Arab tourists accounted for 54 percent of visitors in October, the ministry said, hailing the "stable political situation since May 2008" when Lebanon's political rivals struck an accord after deadly clashes in Beirut. Lebanon has witnessed a string of political assassinations since the Beirut bomb blast which killed Hariri in February 2005.

Travelography #133: Crocs, Scales and Greenhouse Gasses

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 27 October 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• 25 Non-Cliché Travel Songs (With Videos)

  Forget the tired tracks you’re used to hearing. Here are 25 inspiring songs that will have you hitting the road. - from the BraveNewTraveler blog

• Croc terrorises north Queensland, Australia, tourist mecca

  A major north Queensland tourist island is demanding compensation from the state government for dumping a croc on its beach. The government research program that unleashed the crocodile on Magnetic Island will be reconsidered,...

• Weak Australian dollar not enough to tempt tourists

  Rivals such as Cathay Pacific have been boosting flights into Australia to reduce the impact of falling demand, especially for corporate travel, on other routes....a 34 per cent fall in the Australian dollar against the greenback since July had also offset most of the benefits to Qantas of a recent fall in jet fuel prices.

• Reach for the sky: aviation emissions in UK Climate Bill

  The UK government has backed down on aviation and shipping, agreeing to include both in the Climate Change Bill's 80% emissions reduction targets. They had planned to let the industry grow as much as it liked while cracking down on other sectors, but changed their mind when faced with a major backbench rebellion. So in theory aviation emissions will have to reduce by 80% - and, as there are no sustainable fuels in the pipeline, that should mean a lot fewer flights.

• TSA likely to ease restrictions on liquids in 2009

  By the end of 2010, passengers should be able to keep liquids as they go through checkpoints... The restrictions are also likely to be eased in airports of other countries that adopted similar liquid restrictions two years ago after authorities disrupted an alleged plot to bomb trans-Atlantic flights with liquid-based explosives,...

• Inspections show inaccurate airline scales may cost travelers money

  Some airlines, including Miramar-based Spirit Airlines — whose scales at Fort Lauderdale passed inspection only 53 percent of the time and therefore ranked among the worst performers — allow their ticket agents to waive the fee for passengers with baggage weighing 1 or 2 pounds over the limit.

Travelography #132: Travel Downturn Hits NZ and A380 comes to LAX

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 20 October 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• Gloomy weather on New Zealand's tourist front

  The financial crisis has hit tourism - one of New Zealand's biggest earners - causing visitor numbers to plummet last month. Statistics New Zealand figures show the number of international tourists fell 6.6 per cent...

• Cancelled cruises bring loss to New Zealand and Australia

  Celebrity Cruises, the company which owns the 2038-passenger Celebrity Millennium, has cut Australia and New Zealand from its 2009-10 itinerary, choosing to focus on northern hemisphere destinations. High fuel costs and high airfare costs for passengers were reasons for the cancellations,...

• Recession may mean opportunities to some in the travel industry

  Leading hospitality, timeshare and fractional leaders all across the country express concerns over business during these hard times. However, they believe some sectors will stay afloat and find opportunities in deep recession.

• First A380 service between Australia and the US west coast begins for Qantas

  The Qantas A380 is configured with 450 seats in four cabins – 14 in First Class, 72 in Business Class, 32 in Premium Economy, and 332 in Economy Class – with interiors designed by world renowned Australian industrial designer and Qantas creative director Marc Newson.

• Study reveals what we love, and hate, about flying

  89 per cent of Taiwanese, 87 per cent of Americans, 84 per cent of Thais and 83 per cent of British travellers agreed they would appreciate a seat swap if they were less than thrilled with where they were asked to park their posteriors.

Travelography #125: The Trickle Down Travel Contraction

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog

for the week of 1 September 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info

Hanna-caused detour prompts 'mutiny' on Carnival Miracle

The New York-based ship was supposed to head to the Caribbean... But thanks to Tropical Storm Hanna, the 2,124-passenger vessel ... will be spending Friday more than 1,000 miles off course in -- get this -- Newport, R.I. The drastic change to the ship's itinerary -- no other ship has been forced so far afield by this week's storms -- has cause a virtual mutiny on board, according to passenger posts on cruise-focused websites.

Airline Flight Cuts End Up Hurting Airports and Hotels, Too

The carriers' misery is spreading, or is expected to spread, to virtually every industry they touch in the travel economy: hotels, rental cars, convention centers, websites that book travel, airports and others.

Gas Prices Cause Airline [in Canada] to Remove Life Vests

...all of Jazz's flights operate within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of shore. ... A commercial-style life vest weighs roughly a half-kilogram, meaning 25 kilograms would be saved by removing them from a Dash-8 aircraft with 50 seats.

Australia issues travel advisory warns of high risks for travelers to US

In a fresh travel advisory issued on Sunday, the Australian government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has warmed of "high risks" of terror attacks on domestic and international flights in and to the United States.

Fake Bomb Scare Brings Real $23,000 Fine

She asked an airline employee to make the plane come back with her bag and then asked what would happen if there was a bomb in her bag. Finally, she allegedly said that there was a bomb in the bag.

Somali pirates 'kidnap tourists'

Two French citizens and their sailing boat have been seized by pirates off the Somali coast, French officials say. ... The seas off Somalia have some of the highest rates of piracy in the world. The country has been without a functioning central government for 17 years and has suffered from continual civil strife.

Airbus to extend A380 to accommodate 1,000 passengers

Airbus SAS, the world's largest plane maker, is *considering* an extended 1,000-passenger version of the A380 aircraft...The A380, the world's largest commercial aircraft even in its current form, can carry 555 passengers.

Japan's Mt. Fuji draws record number of summer climbers

Some 247,066 people climbed the mountain in July and August, beating the previous record of 220,277, set in 1987, ... Four people also died from injuries sustained while climbing, marking the first deaths since 2005, ...

Travelography #123: Will the Next President Support Travel?

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 19 August 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• Tourism ads pressure White House hopefuls

  
  
  "Democrats, We'll be Watching." A small box of text calls on presumptive Democratic candidate Barack Obama to outline plans addressing everything from "unnecessary waiting lines at airports" to "marketing the U.S. as a premier destination."
  
  

• United pilots tell CEO to Stop Nickel and Diming Their Passengers

  
  
  The airline claims that rising fuel costs require these changes, although the real reason may be to enable the airline to further reduce flight attendant staffing, which would make onboard service noticeably worse.
  
  

• Wildlife tourism with kangaroos
  
  Our aim is to be the flagship of a ‘See Australia’ promotion based around wildlife tourism with the marvellous mob of marsupials - the kangaroos and their kind. Through partnerships with conservation agencies, tourism organisations, operators and ...

Travelography #118: Travel Woes and the Jamaican Bobsled Returns

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 1 July 2008:

1. Car rental companies issue profit warning

   "...As with the entire industry, we are confronting rising fuel costs, weaker-than-expected enplanements, lower commercial travel volumes and lower time and mileage rates per day," said [the Avis Budget Group Inc] Chairman

2. Yellowstone reports record June visitation

   Visitation to Yellowstone National Park hit a new record in June, and is on a near-record pace for the first six months of the year. Park officials say Yellowstone recorded more than 612,000 recreational visits last month.

3. Rental Upgrade to Gas Guzzler? No T'anks

   When I went to the counter, they had upgraded me from a compact to a big SUV at the same price [as my compact reservation]. After arguing with the counter person, the manager came out...He then explained that all they had left were the big SUV.

4. China doubles the price of its tourist visas ahead of Olympics

   Many hotels in Beijing are struggling to find guests, some large travel agencies have temporarily closed branches, and people scheduled to travel here for seminars and conferences are cancelling...

5. Business Travel Coalition warns congress about airline industry failure

   "Unless something is done to move toward some kind of fix, we're going to see every one of our major airlines in bankruptcy....Virtually all airlines will be out of cash by early in 2009 if oil stays in its current range."

6. Canada's tourism industry on verge of crisis

   Many things have been blamed for recent downturn of the Canadian tourism industry including gas prices, the high Canadian dollar, the downturn in the U.S. economy, 9-11 and the SARS crisis.

7. New [US] Airline Passengers Rights Bill A Victory

   ...These plans must detail how the air carrier will provide food, water, restroom facilities, ventilation, and necessary medical treatment for passengers on board an aircraft that is on the ground for an extended time period without terminal access.

8. Bhutan increases tourism tariff for foreign tourists

   The country will increase daily tariff for tourists entering the country by US$50...from $200 to $250 [to offset the deline in the US$ and increase in tour operating costs]. However, the revised tariff will be applicable only during the peak seasons.

9. Australia | Desperately seeking a tourist trap

   Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has pilloried the previous government's "so where the bloody hell are you" tourism campaign, calling it a "rolled-gold disaster". Tourism Australia is expected to announce the name of the advertising agency this week that will...

10. TripAdvisor acquires VirtualTourist and OneTime

    TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel community and an operating company of Expedia, announced it has acquired VirtualTourist.com, Inc., a leader in user-generated travel content since 1999, and OneTime.com, Inc., a leader in travel booking comparison.

11. New Zealand tourism revenue hits record

    International tourism contributed $6.7 billion to total New Zealand exports, and domestic tourism expenditure was $8.6 billion, the agency said. International visitors increased 2.8 percent to 2.5 million in the year to March 2007...

12. Unique bobsled tourist attraction opens in Jamaica

    The expansive multi-million-dollar tourism attraction features an exciting and unique Jamaican Bobsled ride through the lush tropical forest, a chairlift journey over the verdant countryside, a zip-line canopy adventure through the treetops, an island...

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

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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:

Geography for Travelers (this website)

Travelography News on Twitter

NaPodPoMo (National Podcast Post Month)

Travelography 2.0 on Utterz.com

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

Travelography #78: Gas Prices, Travel Trends, and Climate Concerns

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US automobile travelers will change summer vacation plans if gas prices reach $3.50+. Australia is developing a tourism action plan on climate change, but is it enough. Travel and tourism industry leaders identify key trends affecting their industry this year, and stress over climate change perceptions.

Listen to the podcast and click on the links below for these stories.

Survey: Tipping Point For Travel Is $3.50

Tourism hurt by climate inaction (Australia)

Airlines are defending their record over pollution

Tourism execs encounter guilt trip on green issues

Geography for Travelers (this blog)

Travelography News on Ning

Carbon Neutral Travel Blog

Travelography #68: Nepal is Up, Aussies are Flat, and Cell Phone are Out

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

To the relief of many, Nepal's tourists arrivals show a healthy growth in early 2007, while Australia is wondering why their tourist arrivals for 2006 only grew 1% -- despite the much discussed "Bloody Hell" advertising campaign. Also, a Bird Flu pandemic would hurt tourism-based economies the most, and the US FCC will probably not permit cell phone use on planes -- much to the relief of many passengers.

Nepal tourism records significant growth

Where the hell were the extra tourists? WHAT the bloody hell happened?

Bird flu would hit tourism states hardest

Jet passengers may not get to chat on cellphones after all

Travelography News website

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

Melbourne's Penguins -- and a whole lot more

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

In this week's Geography for Travelers podcast I talk about my recent visit to Melbourne, Australia. We did a lot during our three full days there, but the highlight for me was the penguin Parade on Phillip Island, south of Melbourne. There are a few soundseeing audio clips sprinkled in the podcast that I hope you will find of interest. You can find photos and a travel diary of my Melbourne visit at both VCarious.com and MyLifeOfTravel.com.

Click here to go to Martin Fluker's Travel Show Podcast (from Melbourne)

This is a long one -- 41min, 40 sec. -- mostly due to the soundseeing clips

And what they say about doing soundseeing tours is right -- it sure takes a long time to edit those!!!

G4T #37.5: Tourism Tech Talk: Teaching Tourism

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

Something really different this week. Like last week, this one comes from my recent trip to Australia and the conference I attended in Brisbane. David Timothy Duval (University of Otago, New Zealand) and I skipped out of a session of papers to sit down and talk about how we use technology in our tourism classes, and in everyday life. I cut a few things out of our over and hour discussion, but I also inserted a few clarifications. We cover a lot of territory, from podcasting to blogging to wikis to RSS aggregators to social bookmarking, and more. The result is my longest podcast yet, at 1 hr, 5 min, 44 sec.

I recorded this using my binaural microphones, with one mic set on one side of the coffee table and the other on the other side. The result is mildly stereophonic, though the telephone ringing at the end is very directional -- it sounds like it is on the table across my office everytime I hear it!

Hopefully you will find it of interest, as David and I are planning to do this again, via Skype, and probably with a more narrowly defined focus.

G4T #37: Travel 2.0: The Web 2.0 Travelscape

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

Something new! I recorded the paper I presented at the conference I just got back from in Brisbane, Australia. This was at a meeting sponsored by the Tourism Commission of the International Geographical Union. The title of my paper was: "Travel 2.0: The Emerging Virtual Travelscape."

Interestingly, when I asked how many people had heard of the concept of "Web 2.0," only two people in the 30 or so who were in attendance raised their hands. As a regularly listeners of ITConversations.com, this was a shock to me. This major (in my opinion) social trend is apparently not getting much play beyond the blog/podosphere!

Here are a couple of links related to my talk:

- Web 2.0 Travel Tools (this is one my blogs)
- IGU Tourism Commission Website (I am the webmaster for this group)
- My Australia Trip travel blog (at MyLifeofTravel.com)

NEW: Next wave of travel websites feels like MySpace (Christian Science Monitor article)

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

Tags: Australia, Bloody Hell, Australian Beef, Advertisement Ban, Britain, Legroom, Northwest Airlines, Congressional Hearings, Cruise Victims, Cruise, Travelography, PCN, Podcasternews, Alan A. Lew

G4T #16: Travel, Tourism and the Environment

-- Click on the title above to listen to this podcast --

Today's podcast focuses on the natural environment: how tourists relate to the natural environment, the impacts of tourism on the natural environment, and closing with a few words on ecotourism.

Ecotourism -- Personally, I prefer to pronounce ecotourism as 'ee-co-tourism' - with a long 'e', which I derive from the world "ecology." Some people (maybe the majority?) prefer to say 'e-co-tourism' - with a short 'e', as in 'elephant'. I assume they are basing this on the word 'ecosystem', which is sometimes (often?) pronounced with a short 'e'. Dictionary.com uses the long 'e' pronunciation, so perhaps I am in the majority.

Total Length: 30 minutes, 19 seconds. If you have any thoughts on this feel free to leave a comment, or email me at travelgeographer@msn.com

Here are the links to items mentioned in today's podcast:

* Australia Garners Friendliest Nation in the World Award - Travel News Wire
<http://www.travelwirenews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000063/006311.htm>
* Grand Canyon to Get Glass Bridge - National Geographic News
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0826_050826_grandcanyon.html>
* City OKs Subsidies for Downtown Hotel - Los Angeles Times
<http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/118690.html>
* Cruise Ship Repels Somali Pirates - BBC News (also has a link to a video news clip)
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4409662.stm>
* The Amateur Traveler Podcast
<http://amateurtraveler.com/>