Travelography #92: The Summer of Flight Delays, and Two New Attractions

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- 30% of US Airline Departures were late this summer, up from 25% last year, and passenger complaints against airlines have nearly doubled.
- AvoidDelays.com lists the airports, airlines and flights to avoid month by month
- Delta's is offering business class seats and meals, in downtown Manhattan
- Larry Craig's restroom at the Minneapolis airport has become the country's newest tourist attraction.

The Worst Times And Places To Fly

AvoidDelays.com

Nearly 30% of airline flights delayed in August:

Most flights in U.S. are late, and it could get worse

FAA Meets Gourmet: Airline Opens Eatery in NYC

Minn. airport bathroom draws tourists after Craig arrest

Geography for Travelers - this website

Travelography News on Twitter

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

Travelography #91: China Web Bookings, Flight Attendants, + Europe's Disabled

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Online bookings in China lag far behind much of the rest of the world due to thin travel agent profit margins. Flight attendants have one of the toughest jobs in travel. The Europe Union passes new laws to protect disabled air travelers.
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Links:

China's online travel services ready for take-off (?)

Flight attendants say morale is near rock bottom

Airline victory for disabled travellers in Europe

Geography for Travelers - this blog/website

Travelography News on Ning

G4T #58: Discussing Tourism and Ethics - part 2

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

This is the discussion that followed Professor David Fennell's presentation on Tourism and Ethics at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in April 2007. The session was sponsored by the Tourism Geographies journal and the AAG's Recreation, Tourism and Sport Specialty Group.

To hear the presentation, go to show #57 at http://TravelGeography.info - where you can find the full show notes for Geography for Travelers.

AND to both Hear and See this presentation as a Slidecast, go to http://Slideshare.net/alew

You can also download the MP3 file here.

Travelography #90: Tourism Challenges in Greece, Tibet and South Africa

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Stories in this week's Travelography Podcast:

1. British tourists causing trouble on Greek islands.
2. Tibet struggling to manage large influx of train tourists.
3. South Africa seeks to stem crimes against tourists.

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LINKS:

British tourist convicted of biting Greek policeman

Tibet to Reject Industries, Funds That May Harm Environment

South Africa crime deterring tourists

Geography for Travelers (this website)

Travelography News on Ning

Travelography News on Twitter

Travelography #89: Seat Upgrades, EU Air Carbon Trading, and New TSA Airport Delays Coming

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Airlines in the US are offering more opportunities for upgrading to business and first class. Europe wants all airlines flying to and in the EU to participate in a carbon trading program. Now the US wants to fingerprint people leaving the country, which could seriously slow down the airport check-in process.

LINKS:

Why It's Easier to Get A First-Class Seat

U.S. Airlines Under Pressure To Fly Greener

Ready, Set, Wait

Geography for Travelers

Travelography News on Ning

Travelography News on Twitter -- Listen to Travelography on you Phone +1 (360) 227-5594 -- Try GoToMyPC free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/podcast --

Travelography #88: Tourism Challenges for Hawaii, the Caribbean and Europe

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Hawaii's June tourist arrivals are slightly down from last year, while the Caribbean has seen a 5 to 10% drop for a variety of reasons. US travel to Europe remains strong, through the high costs for Americans is forcing them to live more on the cheap.

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LINKS:

Hawaii Visitor arrivals declined in June

Caribbean frets over drop in American tourists

10 ways to keep Europe within reach

Tour operators are banking against the euro

US tourists flock to Paris despite prices

Geography for Travelers (THIS SITE)

Travelography News on Ning

Travelography News on Twitter

Try GoToMyPC free for 30 days! Click here for this special offer

Ethics and Sustainable Tourism - with David Fennell (Slidecast)

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast post - Click on the title above to download the .mp3 file - OR - Play the Slidecast Version Here: (length: 48 min 32 sec)

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Today's Geography for Travelers Podcast is a recording of a presentation by Prof. David Fennell of Brock University at the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers, 17-22 April 2007. The title of his presentation is:

Ethics: We're Stuck With It [in Tourism]...Whether We Like It Or Not!
This was a 45 minute plenary presentation sponsored by my journal, Tourism Geographies, and funded by the journal's publisher, Routledge/Taylor and Francis, Ltd.

Part 1 of this podcast is the actual presentation. Part 2 of this podcast will is the questions and answers that followed the presentation. I will post that in about 1 to 2 weeks as a separate podcast.

ALSO - A Slidecast version of this podcast, which is linked to David's Powerpoint slides, is available above, as well as at http://www.slideshare.net/alew.

Here is the Abstract of David Fennell's presentation from the conference program:

Trivers' (1971) theory of reciprocal altruism, emerging from animal behaviour studies, is premised on the belief that human social behaviour is said to have evolved in relatively small, stable communities where groups of people had opportunities to forge cooperative relationships over time through repeated interaction. The more time we have to engage in altruistic acts—acts that are returned in kind— the better chance for individuals and groups to set up longer term cooperative relationships. Cooperation of this sort can be challenged in tourism because of limited interactions based on restricted periods of time, with implications at the micro scale (tourist-host interactions) and at the macro scale (collective interactions within the region as a whole). Despite these challenges, ethics and trust have emerged from reciprocal altruism as mechanisms that induce both short-term and long-term cooperative relationships for mutual benefit. Implications of these relationships are discussed in the context of generating ways to improve cooperation for the tourism industry as a whole.
Keywords: ethics, reciprocal altruism, cooperation

Original Show Notes for this podcast are at: http://TravelGeography.info

Travelography #87: Top 10 Travel Destinations: US, Food and Honeymoons

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Three recent Top 10 Lists

• Top 10 US Destinations
• Top 10 World Foodie Cities
• Top 10 Honeymoon Destinations ... and more

-- LINKS:

• Man-made attractions trump Grand Canyon as top tourist draws
• Hungry? The best cities for foodies
• Italy No. 1 honeymoon spot
• Geography for Travelers - this site
• Travelography News on Twitter
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Travelography #86: Space Tourism Accident + UNESCO World Heritiage Issues

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Rocket accident shows dangers of space tourism. UNESCO considers tourism threats to World Heritage Sites, and hears calls for separate criteria for Asian World Heritage designations. And the Galapagos Islands tries to deal with threats from tourism and immigration.

Fatal blast may halt plans for space tourism

UNESCO ponders if World Heritage Sites endangered by mass tourism

Should tourism to the Galapagos Islands end?

Geography for Travelers

Travelography News on Ning

Travelography News on Twitter

Travelography #85: Overbooked, Delayed and Canceled Flight Tips

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Not really news this week, but some tips for how to avoid and deal with being bumped on oversold flights, delayed flights and canceled flights.

Everything you ever wanted to know about bumping

Ten tips for avoiding delayed/cancelled flights and what to do if all else fails

Geography for Travelers

Travelography News on Ning

Travelography News on Twitter

Originally posted by Alan A. Lew at http://travelgeography.info

Travelography #83: Passport Cards + Errors - and - Cruise Deaths + Taxes

This is a PCN Travelography Podcast related post. Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

A passport card will soon to be tested for US citizens traveling in North America. With the flood of new applications, about 1% of new US passports are found to contain errors. Along with a rise in passengers, cruise ship deaths are also increasing. And Alaska struggles to tax gaming revenues on cruise ships.

U.S. to test passport card for border crossings

Got your passport? You sure it's OK?

Number of Cruise Ship Jumpers Appears Headed for Record

missing link to AK cruise tax story - sorry

Geography for Travelers

Travelography News on Ning

G4T #56: A Soundseeing Trip to China's Danxiashan World Geopark

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

Danxiashan is a sandstone mountain region adjacent to the city of Shaoguan in northern Guangdong Province in China (north of Hong Kong). The landform is similar to the sandstone regions of northern Arizona (Sedona) and southern Utah, but in a subtropical vegetation zone.

I was at the Danxiashan World Geopark last week and recorded this week's Geography for Travelers Podcast while hiking around on the top of one of the more visited peaks.

My photos of Danxiashan and the surrounding area can be found here:
- http://flickr.com/photos/alew/tags/danxiashan/



Notes:

1. Due to time constraints we did not go to Danxiashan's two most famous rock formations -- the male rock and female rock. A search on those terms will find photos of these two less-than-family-suitable stone formations.
2. This soundseeing tour was recorded on my Zoom H4 stereo recorder. Wear earphones for the best experience.

The Geography for Travelers Podcast is found at http://travelgeography.info

Travelography #82: Return of the Travel Agent, Family Travel, and Gladiators

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Frustrated with the Internet, a growing number of travelers are returning to travel agencies. A poll of American Express travel agents found Family Travel to be one of the hottest growth areas this year. And a Roman Gladiator attacks a American Tourist in Rome.

Happy Returns for Travel Agents

Caribbean Family Travel

Fake Roman soldier snaps over size of tourists’ tip

Geography for Travelers

Travelography News on Ning

Travelography #81: Private vs Commercial Jets - and - Airlines Banned in EU

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Commercial airlines accuse private jets of not paying their fair share of the cost of upgrading air traffic controls in the US. The European Union bans all Indonesian airlines from Europe. And US airlines get and "F" for corporate responsibility.

Let's Fix ATC (air traffic control)

Get on Board - ATC reform

Airlines Seek Small-Jet Limits in New York for July 4 Holiday

EU extends airline ban to all Indonesian operations in latest blacklist

Big Six airlines fail crisis management 101

Geography for Travelers

Travelography News on Ning

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ADDENDUM: Correction to my comments on US Airlines and Crisis Management: American Airlines gave $500 vouchers (with limitations) to customers who they left stranded at the DFW airport last December to compensate for the trouble they caused.

Travelography #80: Africa Tourism Growth; China & Singapore Open Their Doors

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Despite major challenges, Kenya's tourism revenues increase and Mozambique sees a rise in tourism numbers. China will fully open its domestic market to foreign travel agencies for the first time this year. And young tourists from selected developed countries can seek employment in Singapore during their holiday visits.

Kenya records increased earnings in tourism

Hunting tourism revenues in Mozambique rise 27.6 pct in 2006

China opens domestic travel market to foreign travel agencies

Singapore to encourage tourists to look for jobs

Geography for Travelers

Travelography News on Ning