Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Travelography #160: Tourism and the Internet: A Match Made in Heaven

  
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Travelers primarily use tourism-related social networks to get up-to-date information, as do a lot of business travelers. Southwest Airlines is flying its new green plane. Bali is raising baby coral.  Thailand find a home for retired elephants. And Cyprus is a major wedding tourism destinations for certain couples from Israel and Lebanon.

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


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


Monday, April 27, 2009

Travelography #153: Mexico and Thailand's Tourism Challenges, and more...

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 21 to 27 April 2009. This podcast is available at PodcasterNews.com, Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.


  • Canada is one of the few remaining countries that hasn't been granted "approved destination status," known as ADS, by the Chinese. As a result, the Canadian tourism industry cannot actively market Canada in China, and Chinese travel agents can't advertise and promote Canadian trips. But that may be about to change.
  • Tourism was hit particularly hard by recent street violence in a long battle between royalists, the military and urban Thais who back the current government and supporters of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra whose power base was mainly drawn from the millions of rural poor. "The combination of the impact of the slowdown of the global economy and the social unrest domestically means that we're anticipating tourist arrivals, originally forecast at 14 million, to be something closer to…
  • “With passengers voting overwhelmingly for a ‘fat tax’ we are now asking them to suggest which format the charge should take. The above four points seem to us to be the simplest, fairest and administratively easiest to apply. In all cases we’ve limits at very high levels so that a ‘fat tax’ will only apply to those really large passengers who invade’ the space of the passengers sitting beside them."
  • By a show of hands citizens of the tiny canton (state) of Appenzell Inner Rhodes voted overwhelmingly at their traditional open-air annual assembly to impose a 200 Swiss franc ($176) fine on violators. Only a scattering of people on Sunday opposed the ban on the back-to-nature activity that took off last autumn when naked hikers — primarily Germans — started showing up in eastern Switzerland. RT @markwilliams
  • Given the circumstances (Tijuana's 843 murders last year doubled 2007's), it takes moxie to launch a [tourism] campaign. Number one on the list: "Take a picture with the famous Tijuana zebra donkey." Number 75: Get out of town by "Flying direct to Narita, Japan, from Tijuana Airport." Delusional thinking or marketing optimism?
  • The ID cards are embedded with an image of the traveler's eye that is used to verify his identity. Industry groups say the program will encourage travel to the USA by reducing the hassles of clearing customs.
  • "The revenue from tourism could drop 35 percent... to only 350 billion baht from 540 billion baht in 2008," ... The kingdom's tourist-friendly image was dented by a nine-day seizure of Bangkok's airports at the end of last year that left thousands stranded, and was further affected by rallies held by rival demonstrators last week.



  • Monday, April 06, 2009

    Travelography #150: PATA Numbers, Hawaiian MICE, Antarctic Tours, & More Nudes

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    Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 30 March to 6 April 2009. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.


  • Gov. Linda Lingle, 90 business leaders and Hawaii's four mayors wrote Obama last week urging him to oppose any measure restricting companies that receive federal funds from using business meetings "as a legitimate business tool."
  • The new U.S. proposal contains no specific enforcement mechanism or penalties for limiting tourist operations. But it would require signatories to the pact to ensure that Antarctic tour operators bar ships with more than 500 passengers from landing sites, restrict landings to one vessel at a time per site and limit passengers on shore to 100 at a time. It would mandate a minimum of one guide for every 20 tourists while ashore, according to the documents.
  • Thai authorities have indefinitely closed tourist spots near the Preah Vihear temple as Thai and Cambodian soldiers clashed twice in the vicinity today (Friday), leaving two Thai and two Cambodian soldiers dead and several injured.
  • It used to be the signature sound of gambling: the clacking of coins spilling into metal trays on slot machines. But newer electronic machines that spit paper vouchers or credit winnings to cards now emit only canned noise.
  • The report urges the tourism industry should receive the highest priority in receiving stimulus funding. "Until tourism gets well, the rest of the economy cannot," ... "And the Hawaii tourism industry is in a crisis mode now."
  • Investors plan to set up a hotel catering exclusively to nudists in the picturesque Black Forest town of Freudenstadt, which incidentally translates as Town of Joys. Guests will be required to remove their clothes at the entrance and must be naked at all times while on the premises
  • The PATA (Pacific Asia Tourism Assn) Tourism Forecasts 2009-2011, to be published this month, suggest growth in international arrivals for many destinations across the region - despite the global economic downturn. The Forecasts indicate a very mixed bag of results with significant variations across Asia Pacific.


  • Sunday, November 30, 2008

    Travelography #137: Bummer Week of Travel News

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    Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 24 November 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

    • Budgets Shrink, and Holiday Airfares Follow Suit

      The travel industry is bracing for a painful holiday season as people scale back their discretionary spending. But that is good news for anyone who has yet to book a winter getaway, with hotels, airlines and cruise operators introducing last-minute deals to entice vacationers.
    • Tourism Situation in Thailand - as of November 27, 20:30 hrs. (Bangkok Time)

      TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) is cooperating with the Thai Hotels Association (THA), Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), AoT, and Thai Airways (TG) to set up a Crisis Networking Center on the fourth floor of the Departure Terminal in Suvarnabhumi International Airport in order to facilitate the stranded passengers and tourists until the airport resumes normal operations.
    • Commandos battle room by room to save tourists - Mumbai

      Helicopters buzzed overhead as the commandos, faces blackened, moved into one of the hotels, the Oberoi, where 20 to 30 people were thought to have been taken hostage and more than 100 others were trapped in their rooms. A 15-strong Air France team was among those unable to get out.
    • Thai PM declares emergency at two airports

      Thailand's tourism minister says authorities plan to begin flying thousands of stranded travellers out of one or two military bases in the next 48 hours. Meanwhile, it's the hour of reckoning for thousands of anti-government protesters in Thailand who are trying to force Prime Minister Somchai to resign.
    • In Pictures - Bangkok airport disruption

      Passengers queue in front of check-in desk inside Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands of passengers are stranded after Suvarnabhumi Airport had been ordered closed because of a blockade by anti-government protesters.
    • Nearly 80 killed in multiple Mumbai, India shootings, blasts against tourists

      A group calling itself the "Deccan Mujahedeen" claimed responsibility for the assaults on the landmark Taj Mahal and Trident hotels in the south of the city and a number of shooting and bombing incidents elsewhere, the Press Trust of India said. One report spoke of militants taking hostages and demanding US and British passports.
    • Airport Travelers Caught In Thailand Protests

      The takeover "damaged Thailand's reputation and its economy beyond repair." The airport, the 18th-busiest in the world, handled over 40 million passengers in 2007.
    • Crisis in paradise: Economic meltdown creates ghost resorts in the Caribbean

      ...the sprawling Atlantis resort in the Bahamas laid off about 800 workers, citing low occupancy rates. Baha Mar Resorts Ltd. laid off about 40 employees at its Sheraton Resort in the Bahamas and 40 more at the Wyndham Nassau Resort. The Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union has called a demonstration Thursday to demand government aid.

    Friday, September 12, 2008

    Travelography #126: Tourism Challenges All Over the Globe

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    Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 8 September 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

    Thousands stranded by XL collapse

    Chairman Phil Wyatt said he was "totally devastated" by the failure which has grounded XL's 21 planes. The company flies to about 50 destinations. There are 67,000 stranded who booked directly with XL, and another 23,000 who booked via other companies.

    XL Leisure Group Plc [including XL Airways] goes into administration [bankruptcy]

    My kids are sat at the TV crying -- Taking a holiday to Greece this weekend and I have just told them them that we will not be now.

    Caribbean Islands Assess Damage From Hurricane Ike

    According to The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, thousands of pink flamingos on the island of Great Inagua were unharmed when their breeding colony — the world's largest — took a direct hit from Ike. All the country's hotels and other tourist facilities are open.

    BEIJING 2008: TOURIST NUMBERS FELL DURING OLYMPIC GAMES

    Far from causing a tourist boom, the Beijing Olympic Games actually caused a drastic fall in the numbers of visitors to the Chinese capital. ... In August, hotels in Beijing welcomed a total of 708,000 guests from other areas in China, 47% less than last year.

    Rain washes away £200m on tourism [in SW England]

    Britain had its wettest August since 2004 with Devon and Cornwall getting 179% of the 1971-2000 average and Cornwall 157% say the Met Office. Malcolm Bell, chief executive of South West Tourism, said: "Tourism is a massive industry for Cornwall, it's worth about £1.5bn.

    Tourism Authority of Thailand issues situation update

    TAT has also participated in several online travel forums such as Tripadvisor.com, Lonely planet.com and VirtualTourist.com. ... As part of Thailand’s tourism recovery plans, TAT will be hosting a “Thailand Invitation” mega familiarization trip (‘fam’ trip) for over 800 media representatives and travel operators from around the world.

    Infamous Abu Ghraib prison gets a museum makeover

    Abu Ghraib, which housed about 2,000 inmates, of which the prison's U.S. commander estimated 90 per cent were innocent, was closed in 2006. There's no mention in the announcement whether the abuses by U.S. soldiers will be covered in the museum's exhibitions.

    Italy's Tourism Hits Defining Moment

    Though plenty of visitors flock to Italy's cities, beaches and countryside all year round, over the past three decades the country has lost its primacy as a tourist destination to France, Spain, the U.S. and -- more recently -- China.

    Spanish tourism feels pinch of economic downturn

    After 50 years of uninterrupted growth, Spain's overbuilt and relatively expensive resorts seem ill-placed to cope with a downturn, at a time of increasing competition from cheaper, less-crowded destinations like Croatia and Turkey.

    The ice melts quickly, generating polar disputes that may fester for decades

    Among the trends that concern them are reports that fishing fleets are venturing farther north in search of new grounds as stocks become depleted at traditional fishing sites. Cruise ships are also making headway into Antarctica and the European and Canadian Arctic, raising concerns over the negative ecological impacts of ship discharge and solid waste disposal.

    Wednesday, May 07, 2008

    Travelography #113: China, Thailand, UK, US, Iraq, and Airlines

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    THIS WEEK'S STORIES:

    China's Premier On-Line Travel Booking Site Launches in the U.S.: China's premier and fastest-growi.. http://tinyurl.com/58sppl


    Tourism Authority of Thailand launches the amazing Experience Video Contest and the Thailand Portfo.. http://tinyurl.com/6rjn7u


    Green Hotel Rating System Launched in Great Britain: The Green Start project aims to encourage a รข€.. http://tinyurl.com/5wzdft


    Iraq signs deals for 40 planes from Boeing: "Today, the process of developing economy has started,".. http://tinyurl.com/6kpmjk


    Global Traffic Continues to Slow: The slowdown in the demand growth continues the sharp downward tr.. http://tinyurl.com/65warx

    Airline torches woman's baggage: The airline reportedly issued Blewitt a "baggage irregularity rece.. http://tinyurl.com/5ocuds

    -----
    THESE AND OTHER TRAVEL AND TOURISM STORIES CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT HTTP:/TWITTER/TRAVELOGRAPHY

    LOOK FOR THE NEW TRAVELOGRAPHY PODCAST COMING IN JUNE 2008


    Wednesday, March 26, 2008

    Travelography #111: Euros, Spies, Crime and Tourism

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    The first story today is about the trend for some large tourist cities on the east coast of the US to accept Euros in addition to dollars because of the many Europeans who are going shopping in the US. Reminds me of my recent trip to Cambodia, where they prefer dollars over the Cambodian Riel.

    This is followed by a warning from the US State Dept that Americans (and anyone else) going to China for the Olympics (and in fact any other time) need to be aware that their hotel rooms, movements and conversations may all be bugged/monitored by Chinese authorities. So, when in China, smile -- you are on candid camera!

    Also in China is a discussion of an increase in crimes againsts tourists, as Chinese theives seem to becom more emboldened. Still on the crime topic, Thailand's tourist police will be issuing whistles to women in "risky spots" (which seems like just about everywhere, in an effort to reduce crime concers following a year of negative publicity over murders and rapes of tourists (mostly females) in Thailand.

    A final tourism and crime story comes from Sicily, Italy where a new tourists guide to the Mafia has been published -- again in an effort to reduce tourists fears of visiting the island, and to help them spot Mafiosi on the streets of the city!

    GET MORE TRAVELOGRAPHY TRAVEL AND TOURISM NEWS STORIES ON TWITTER at: http://twitter.com/Travelography

    Alan A. Lew

    Sunday, March 04, 2007

    Travelography #64: Thailand, Tanzania, Las Vegas, Cuba, and PCNTravel

    This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post (click on the web page) title above to go to the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY

    Terrorism and crime hits tourist destinations in Thailand and Tanzania. Las Vegas had a record year in tourist arrivals in 2006, and expects more growth in 2007. US citizens may soon be vacationing in Cuba. Virginia offers customized song to promote its music road. And checkout "PCNTravel" on Del.icio.us.




    Friday, September 22, 2006

    Travelography #44: Thai Coup Impacts, China - US Travel, & Travel with Skype

    This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post (click on the title above to go to the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY web page)

    The coup in Thailand is impacting tourist arrivals, but hopes are high that a new government will have more success in dealing with Muslim rebel attacks in southern Thailand that killed a Canadian tourist last week. More Chinese want to come to the US and four US airlines vie for a coveted new route between the US and China. And Skype goes shopping for a travel industry partner.

    Click on the title above to go to the PCN website for links to these stories.

    Click Here for the .MP3 File