Travelography #164: Goodbye Carbon Offsets, Hello Chinese Tourists

  

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

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.

*****

GET YOUR FREE INTERNATIONAL SIM CARD FROM GO-SIM

*****

Travelography #163: Looming Challenges for Airlines and Travellers

  

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

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?

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.

Travelography #158: Global Economy Hurting Tourism, Helping Sharks

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Summary of the some of the more interesting tourism news stories from this past week, most of which are related to the continuing global economic crisis in the tourism industry. There are, though, a few brights spots -- Natonal Parks, Cuba, Haiti, and Paulau's sharks. This podcast is available at PodcasterNews.com, Blubrry.com, TravelCastNetwork.com, and Travelgeography.info. And also check out Twitter.com/Travelography. Click Here for ALL of the News Stories discussed in this podcast. A couple of the top stories are: International Visitor Spending in the United States Down Sharply in July - July 2009 marks the ninth straight month in which U.S. travel and tourism-related exports were lower when compared to the same period of the previous year, having declined in November 2008 (-4%), December 2008 (-2%), January 2009 (-6%), February 2009 (-10%), March 2009 (-18%), April 2009 (-14%), May 2009 (-23%), June 2009 (-22%), and July (-24%). To protect tourism Palau creates shark sanctuary - In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Johnson Toribiong declared his country’s entire Exclusive Economic Zone, an area of 629 thousand square kilometers, or roughly the size of France as a "shark sanctuary," which will ban all commercial shark fishing. [I hope they can enforce it! - Alan]

Travelography #156: What do Brazil, Russia, Argentina have in Common?

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.
 

This podcast is available at PodcasterNews.com, Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info. And also check out my Travelography on Twitter.com.

International Visitation To US Down 11% In June 2009

 

June 2009 marks the eighth consecutive month of decreases in international visitors spending. In the first six months 2009, visitors spent $60 billion, down 15 percent from the same period in 2008.

 

Travelography #144: Business or Pleasure in Vegas, and Fleeing Tibet

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 9 to 16 February 2009. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• Sin City worries its image hurts business travel : NPR

  Born of carefully crafted slogans — "What happens here stays here" — and smiling, sequined showgirls, the image of a 24-hour adult Disneyland with free-flowing booze and casino chips is making the tourist destination seem radioactive to companies keen on not appearing frivolous as they seek government bailouts.
• Tower Rising in Las Vegas but Now, Not So High

  But because of what it is billing as structural defects, MGM Mirage announced recently it has decided to shorten a hotel-condominium project it is building on the Strip to 28 stories instead of the planned 49. Architectural experts say they cannot recall such a drastic midconstruction downscaling,

• Canadian passenger bill of rights will make airfares soar

  "The last thing, in this economic context, that airlines want to do is pass on that cost to passengers but they will have no choice. There is no way airlines could absorb that," said George Petsikas, president of the National Airlines Council of Canada.

• US airlines face sharp drop in international demand

  he now expects U.S. airline revenue to fall 11% for the year, compared to his prior outlook of an 8% decline. Hardest hit would be the lucrative international routes, particularly those of American parent AMR Corp. and Continental. Mainline international revenue could fall 12% for 2009, versus a prior forecast of a 6% decline,

• Tibetan Areas Closed to Foreigners

  Large swathes of Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces — home to large ethnic Tibetan communities — are now off limits to foreign travelers, local officials confirmed Thursday. Last year, protests to mark the anniversary spun out of control, with deadly riots breaking out in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

• Chinese migrants may flee Tibet as tourism stalls

  Many workers and traders from other ethnic groups who moved to the remote region in search of a better living said they were considering leaving for good, driven away by the tourism slump and icy anger of local Tibetans.

• Nepal seeks way to promote tourism between Nepal and China

  "China would tide over this phase of financial turmoil and come up as a much bigger player in the world economy, we, very close neighbor of China, hope that Nepal will also benefit from the strength of the Chinese economy,"

• Travel Industry: This Is No Time to Check Out

  "We've got to get away from the symbolism of corporate fat cats smoking a big cigar on a golf course and instead think about the symbolism of people meeting and thinking together and creating ideas and building their cultures,"

• Mayor to Obama: Your comments are harmful to Las Vegas

  Obama said during a town hall meeting this week in Indiana that companies shouldn't take trips to Las Vegas or go to the Super Bowl at taxpayers' expense.

• Downturn hits international travel; flights from USA cut

  With demand for international trips in free fall, most U.S. and foreign airlines are cutting international service to and from the USA. They're reducing the number of scheduled flights or parking big jets and putting passengers on smaller ones to avoid flying money-losing, half-empty flights.

• TwisitorCenter - your one-stop shop for finding visitor information on twitter.com

  Going somewhere? Get the insider information from those who know, the local tourism authority. Connect here with your final destination for all your traveling needs.

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

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

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...

Travelography #117: US-UK Border, Quake-Lakes, and Best Travelers

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 23 June 2008:

1. US and UK border agencies agree to expedite travel

   the Global Entry pilot program builds upon other trusted traveler programs, such as NEXUS (with Canada) and SENTRI (with Mexico), designed to facilitate and expedite the entry process for pre-registered low-risk international travelers into the US.

2. China to turn dangerous 'quake lakes' into tourist spots

   "The scientific development of the quake lakes will be an important part of the rebuilding plan of new Beichuan," Chen Xingchuan, head of the Communist Party's Beichuan Rebuilding Committee was quoted as saying.

3. Beijing tourists to France drop 70 percent, ambassador says

   According to a recent survey cited by the China Daily, many Chinese have developed negative feelings toward France after the Paris leg of the international Beijing Olympic torch relay was thrown into chaos by pro-Tibet protesters in April.

4. Hoteliers vote Japanese world's best tourists

   They rated the travellers on manners, willingness to learn the local language and sample the cuisine, tidiness, generosity and stylishness. The Japanese won top prize for being overall best tourists...American tourists came in at number 11 overall.

5. Lyndhurst [NJ] is suing travel websites for its local hotel tax

   ...the internet travel sites negotiate room prices with hotels at a wholesale rate, then charge travelers who book through their websites a higher retail rate. However, the companies remit taxes only on the lower wholesale rate, the lawsuit charged.

6. State panel kills cruise safety bill that would have put peace officers aboard ships sailing from California ports

   It would have been the most stringent regulation in an industry that victim-rights advocates contend is governed by a vague web of federal and international rules that allows crime and crime reporting to fall through the cracks.

7. Bush-Wacked! President Causes 40K Delays

   Nearly 40,000 travelers will remember U.S. President George W. Bush's stopover in London. Their flights were canceled or delayed at Heathrow Airport to accommodate him, according to British Airways.
   
   

Travelography #106: Hyrdofoils Collide, Tourists Molested & Selling the USA

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Three stories from Singapore's Straits Times newspaper from last week:

Two hydrofoils full of tourists collided in fog between Hong Kong and Macau, sending many to the hospital.

India starts a campaign to protect foreign female tourists from sexual molesters -- mostly groping, which seems to be a major problem in that country.

The US is still trying to gain back the international tourist arrivals that it received prior to 9/11. To do this, an increasing number of states and cities are running advertisements for the first time in Europe.

These stories came from the local newspaper in Singapore. I found the links above by searching online for similar stories.

Travelography #73: US Pow-Wow Border Troubles, and Airport Wifi Resource

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

This year's Travel Industry Association's International Pow Wow in Los Angeles highlighted the problems that foreign visitors have in coming to the US, at the same time that the US government is trying to fix its problems. And I talk about a good source of information on wifi availability at airports -- mostly in the US, but also worldwide. (Geography for Travelers)

Visitors say U.S. is no vacation

Travelpost.com's Airport Wireless Internet Access Guide

Travel New on Ning

Travelography #67: Grand Canyon Skywalk Opens + Open Skies over the Atlantic

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

Just two news stories today. The Grand Canyon Skywalk opened last week, though the ticket price is as steep as the canyon cliffs. And Europe finally approves an open sky agreement with the US, promising more flights, cheaper fares, and more jobs for both sides of the Atlantic.

First visitors set foot on Grand Canyon Skywalk

Canyon view for sale - AZ Daily Sun

Fliers could see lower fares, more choice as open-skies deal gets OK

Travelography News Feed

Travelography #62: Israel and the US Tourism Challenges, + Green Silverjets

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

Despite last year's record number of tourists arrivals (reporteded last week on Travelography), Israel and the US have been struggling to increase their international tourist arrivals. The Travel Industry Association [of America] has proposed a three phase plan to the US Congresss to grow international travel to the US. And the new airline Silverjet goes green with carbon offsets.

Israeli tourism industry hampered by war-influenced drop in arrivals

TIA Touts New Long-Range Plan to Reverse Decline in Travel to U.S.

Travel industry proposes 'trusted traveler' plan for foreign visitors

Silverjet, World's First Carbon Neutral Airline to Take Inaugural Flight

G4T #10: Tourist Travel Motivations

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

My Thanks to the group Turban Jones for the use of their song in my podcast. I hope you enjoy their song, Crazy Ways.

Tourist Motivation is the maint topic of this week's discussion, although I only spend the last 10 minutes on it. These news items were presented to show the importance of people's desire to travel (or perceived inability to not to). The travel public is a major source of income for destinations, and spawns entire sub-industries that employ large numbers of people. Understanding why people travel is important to a tourism destination's success...

* Firm Expects outbound Chinese tourists to top 115m [Travel News Wire]
* New era in Indian leisure crusing begins [Travel News Wire]
* TIA’s Overall Traveler Sentiment Index Remains Weak: Consumers Lack Time not Money for Travel [Travel Industry Association, 27 Sept 05]

---

- To subscribe to the RSS Feed - use this URL in your podcather: http://travelgeography.libsyn.com/rss

---