_HPFeature
Chilean Strike Impacts Thousands of Travelers
January 19, 2011
After Chile announced a 17 percent fuel price increase to take place on February 1st, approximately 50 Chilean transportation workers have used their vehicles to block access to a major Southern airport, cutting off thousands of travelers in Punta Arenas. CNN.com reports: The airport in Punta Arenas remains open, said airport spokeswoman Andrea Bahamonde, though travelers trying to leave the country continue to face difficulties reaching it… Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter said the government has decided to take legal action using what he described as an internal security law. The country is still reeling from a massive earthquake last year that buckled roads, collapsed buildings and bridges, and left parts of Concepcion, Chile’s second most populous city, without power for weeks. Read the full article, Travelers stuck in Chile as strike continues, on CNN.com Read More →
Canada’s Bay of Fundy is a Finalist for the New7Wonders of Nature
January 12, 2011
With the highest tides in the world, The Bay of Fundy, located between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, is among the 28 finalists in global campaign to draw attention to natural beauty. Photo Courtesy of Bay of Fundy Tourism and Derek Mason Photography ©2010 Atlantic Canada – The Bay of Fundy on the Atlantic coast of Canada is one of 28 global finalists in an international campaign to declare the New7Wonders of Nature. Initiated by the New7Wonders Foundation in Switzerland, the campaign draws attention to the majesty of the natural world around us. Renowned for the highest tides in the world, the Bay of Fundy is a 170-mile-long ocean inlet stretching between the Canadian coastal provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The top New7Wonders of Nature will be decided by popular vote between now and declaration day, November 11, 2011. Cast your vote for the Bay of Fundy at www.votemyfundy.com. The 28 finalists were chosen by worldwide public vote from an original... Read More →
Member Press Releases
JITOA Attending the “EMITT” in Istanbul Next Month to Boost Tourism from Turkey
January 11, 2011
The Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA) will represent Jordan at the 15th East Mediterranean International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (EMITT 2011) along with over 50 countries all over the world. EMITT is one of the growing tourism expos held in Turkey between 10th and 13th of February 2011. This participation is aimed at enhancing relations with the Turkish tourism market and further increase the number of inbound tourists from Turkey. According to the recent Turkish delegation visit that was headed by the President of Turkish travel agents association, he mentioned in his meeting with Jordan Minister of Tourism and Antiquities that Jordan is an important tourism destination for the Turkish market. He also stressed that the Turkish travel agents are ready to include Jordan in their programs. They discussed ways to cooperate in organizing combined tour packages with Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and establishing a tourist free area between them. Mr. Mohammad Samih, JITOA... Read More →
Live a Little Campaign Promotes Recreation as an Antidote to National Recession Woes
December 14, 2010
The Merry Experience card, available to give in lieu of gifts this Christmas. Assistant Editor’s Note: This post is a follow up to a previous article we ran about the Live A Little campaign being promoted by Joe Robinson, who is a previous ATTA Summit speaker and former publisher of the adventure magazine Escape. Robinson says, “To help shift the national mood, I’m launching the Live A Little campaign, with partners including the Huffington Post, Experience Life magazine, and the Adventure Travel Trade Association. We’re calling for activity providers across the nation to offer a free class — yoga, dance, volleyball, climbing and more — and for people to consider giving a recreational experience this holiday season. Visit the Live A Little page to find out how you can refer instructors and providers who can donate a class.” The campaign was recently featured in an article in the Huffington Post and is excerpted below. We may have avoided... Read More →
Bicycle Travel on the Rise in the United States
November 13, 2010
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from an article in the Orlando Sentinel about the growing bicycle travel trend. The full article is linked below. Bicycle travel continues to grow in North America, according to research and anecdotal evidence from tour operators and tourism promoters in the United States. Bicycle travel is becoming an increasingly visible part of the adventure travel market, which, according to a recent study issued by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, generates $89 billion annually. Here are some points: In January 2010, researchers at the University of Wisconsin calculated that out-of-state visitors traveling to Wisconsin for great cycling opportunities generated $532 million, or more than half-a-billion dollars, in economic activity. The State of Oregon has embarked on a similar study and expects its survey to come out later in 2011. Commercial tour operators in different market segments saw more interest in cycling vacations... Read More →
Oprah Visits Yosemite National Park to Help Encourage African Americans to Enjoy National Parks
November 13, 2010
Editor’s Note: Ted Nelson recently wrote an article for the Chicago Examiner on a special trip Oprah Winfrey took to Yosemite National Park. The following excerpt explains the special mission of this trip and its larger context of under-representation of African Americans as national park visitors. Photo courtesy of Oprah.com Chicago’s own Oprah Winfrey and her best friend Gayle embarked on an 11 day road trip culminating in an adventure in Yosemite National Park. The trip was inspired by a letter from Yosemite park ranger Shelton Johnson to Oprah. Mr. Johnson bemoaned the fact that he meets travelers from all over Europe and even Africa, but yet rarely meets African-American families from Chicago or Boston. African-Americans make up approximately 12.4% of the U.S. population according to Wikipedia as of 2009. Unfortunately, they only represent 1% of the visitors to America’s national parks. First of all, it is unfortunate that African-Americans do not or... Read More →
Member Press ReleasesPlaneterra Foundation Partners with STA Travel On New Voluntourism and Community Development Initiatives
October 15, 2010
TORONTO – Global voluntourism organization Planeterra announces a new partnership with UK-based STA Travel, the world’s largest student, youth and budget travel organization. STA Travel is committing $1 million over five years to a responsible tourism program led by Planeterra which will develop mutually beneficial volunteer travel and community projects targeted to STA Travel’s over 6 million passengers who travel annually to 90 countries. See: http://www.statravel.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/uk_division_web_live/hs.xsl/planeterra.htm “This is a significant partnership with STA Travel, a key industry player. The scope of their commitment signifies a major shift as more and more travel companies are now adopting full-scale sustainability as the centerpiece of their tour programming. We believe STA Travel’s passion to make a real difference worldwide is just now beginning to reveal itself,” said Edwards. Peter Liney, CEO of STA Travel, underscored that the company is now embarking... Read More →
Gorillas Back in Mgahinga National Park, Uganda
May 5, 2010
Story Source: Volcanoes Safaris The Nyakagezi gorilla group in Mgahinga National Park have for many years been a fairly nomadic rag-tag bunch. Made up of 3 silverbacks, 2 blackbacks and only one adult female – mother to the 2 blackbacks, they have been crossing in and out of Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC since 2005. In 2008 they crossed the border of Uganda deep into the Rwandan side of the Virunga Massif forests and did not return. However, recently the Ugandan Wildlife Authority has reported that the long lost Nyakagezi family have returned to Mgahinga National Park, and they have 2 new members in tow! An adult female with a baby have been stolen from another gorilla group in Rwanda and have joined the Nyakagezi group. This is great news for the gorilla group as the addition of another adult female will help to stabilise it and reports are showing that the group are already happier and more relaxed. The full family group now includes Nyakagezi, the lead silverback who is around 50... Read More →
Jordan Tourism Booms in the First Quarter
May 5, 2010
The first quarter of 2010 heralded good news for Jordan’s tourism sector in what could be another landmark year. Statistics by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the by the Central Bank of Jordan have shown across-the-board increases in both visitor numbers as well as tourism receipts. The Ministry of Tourism has said overnight tourist numbers have jumped 33.4% during the first quarter to 883,450 people from a total of 662,075 in the same period of 2009. Same day visitors were up 17.6% to 651,325 people from 553,929 in 2009. The Ministry said overall numbers in the first quarter totaled 1,534,802 visitors compared to 1,216,004 in the same period of 2009, and representing a jump of 26.2%. With the exception of African visitors whose numbers have declined by 5%, all other regions have witnessed increasing numbers particularly from Europe. American visitors increased by 8.7%, Asia-Pacific nationals by 27%, South Asians by 29.4%, Arabs by 20.8%, and Europeans by 35.5%. Figures... Read More →
UNWTO Secretary-General Calls for Continued Regional Cooperation along the Silk Road
May 4, 2010
Dushanbe, Tajikistan – Meeting with the President of Tajikistan, H.E: Emomali Rahmon, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, underlined the importance of regional cooperation in the growth and development of national economies. Referring to the UNWTO Silk Road Project, a long-term initiative to harness the tourism potential of the ancient Silk Road, Mr. Rifai called for the continued collaboration of all participating countries. The meeting was held in the framework of the Secretary-General’s first official visit to Tajikistan (3-6 May 2010), a UNWTO member state since 2007. “Regional cooperation is key to harnessing the tourism potential of Central Asia. The Silk Road is a concept that requires cooperation beyond individual borders and is an excellent example of such cooperation”, said the UNWTO Secretary-General. “Tajikistan is an important stop along the Silk Road and is working with other countries to convert this resource into an integrated tourism product.” The official... Read More →
