Travelography #163: Looming Challenges for Airlines and Travellers

  

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The US government is, for the third time in 16 years, going to try to fix our dysfunctional airline industry. But the challenges are huge. The UK started its Green Tax on air travel on Nov. 1st, and people are complaining but this more such taxes seem to be coming.  And is it the end of the World in Dubai?

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Travelography #149: Dark Tourism, East Africa, Vegas and the TSA

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Travel and Tourism News Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 23 to 30 March 2009. This podcast is also available at PodcasterNews.com, Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info

Tourists look for luck at Pol Pot’s grave

Cambodia - He was one of the greatest mass killers of the 20th century, but that doesn't stop the hopeful from praying at Pol Pot's hillside grave for lucky lottery numbers, job promotions and beautiful brides. Nor does it stop tourists from picking clean the bones and ashes from the Khmer Rouge leader's burial ground in this remote town in northwestern Cambodia.

McCook abuzz over tourism idea: ‘Old Sparky’ the electric chair

Residents of a small southwest Nebraska town have a question for state officials: You’re not doing anything with that old electric chair, are you? The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled last year that the state’s use of the electric chair was unconstitutional because it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Some people in McCook—population just under 8,000—think “Old Sparky’’ could be a tourist attraction and have offered to take it off the state’s hands.

East Africa: Region to Start Issuing Single Tourist Visas

The East African Community (EAC) has agreed to start a single tourist visa for the region, ... the EAC members were discussing a protocol to create and market the region as a single tourist destination. Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda make up the EAC.

FAA to seal bird-strike records

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says that the information could mislead the public and its release could prompt some airports and others not to report incidents, but the proposal is drawing sharp criticism from bird safety experts and public records advocates.

80,000 on TSA's 'cleared' fliers list

critics want stricter standards for deciding who goes on the watch list. The list is based on "nominations" from intelligence and security agencies, such as the CIA and FBI, which use a "reasonable suspicion" standard to decide whether a person's suspected links to terrorism are strong enough to put him in the database. "No one wants to be the person who was too cautious about nominating names … so every name ends up on the list when only a handful should be,"

MGM Mirage says Dubai lawsuit ‘without merit’

On Monday Dubai World's Infinity World subsidiary filed a lawsuit against MGM Mirage because of its concern about the viability of their $8.6 billion joint venture project under construction on the Las Vegas Strip. The 67 acre project is under a cloud after SEC returns filed by MGM indicated it may breach its debt repayment obligations. MGM Mirage is currently saddled with $13 billion of debt.

Travelography #119: Let's see.. shall I take the A380 or the RV ?

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 7 July 2008. In addition to Podcasternews.com and Travelography.info, This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com.

1. Dublin Airport shut down after radar malfunction

   The decision forced dozens of flights to be grounded at airports across Europe or, if already in the air, to be diverted. The airlines hit most heavily by delays were the airport's two biggest users, Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

2. Brussels Approves CO2 Trading Plan for Airlines

   All flights starting and landing in Europe will be included in an EU Emissions Trade System from 2012, following a vote in the European Parliament. Airlines say it will drive up the cost of air travel.

3. U.S. Loses Grip on Foreign Tourists

   Nearly 26 million people traveled to the United States from overseas in 2000.... The number bottomed out in 2003 with 18 million overseas visitors, and with 24 million last year still had not returned to previous levels.

4. Emirates to launch first commercial A380 service to US

   ...Emirates Airline's state-of-the-art A380...on August 1 when the airline launches its first A380 commercial service from Dubai to New York JFK. The 14-hour non-stop flight will also be the first-ever commercial A380 service to the United States.

5. U.S. tourists' visits to Canada hit 36-year low

   Among the hardest-hit are communities and businesses that rely on short-term, drive-in tourists. In March, Americans made only 730,000 same-day car trips, down 2.5 percent from February and 68.3 percent from 2001.

6. RV Vacations Are Least Expensive, Study Shows

   Fuel prices would have to more than double for typical motorhome vacations to become more expensive than other forms of travel, according to PKF Consulting. The study also shows that fuel costs would have to more than triple for trips in lightweight...

TGPodcast #63: Dubai World Tourism Conference in 15 Minutes

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

This is a soundseeing (sst) tour from the World Travel and Tourism Council Summit in Dubai (20-22 April 2008) that I attended. It includes three elements:

1. About 5 minutes from an Intro to Dubai city tour,
2. A short and interesting segment of a presentation from the conference, and
3. A segment of the Gala Dinner, which closes with my visit to a fortune teller (entertainment for the dinner guests).

The whole presentation is about 20 minutes due to my introduction section. The actual Dubai part is 14 minutes.

SOME PHOTOS:

The conference site was adjacent to the Burj Al Arab (literally, 'the Arab Tower') - the self-described 7-Star Hotel, with daily rates running US$1,200 to $12,000 a night.


The Dental Spa - near the area where the tour guide talks about houses owned by Emerati that are rented out to expatriate workers.


Fortune telling, henna, and Arabic calligraphy were some of the entertainment for guests at the conference's Gala Dinner.


More Dubai photos can be found on my Flickr site at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alew/sets

Oman's Musandam Peninsula - A Travelography 2.0 Podcast

Three Photos from Oman's Musandam Peninsula. More photos can be found in my Oman Set at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alew


Our "Dhow" - traditional Omani wooden fishing boat -- though these are for tourists.

View of part of Bhuka, Oman

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST - in case the player below does not work for you.

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