With the latest UN Tourism Data showing that the sector is on track to reach 96% recovery of pre-pandemic numbers by the end of the year, the 122nd Session of the Executive Council looked to the future, with investments and innovation high on the agenda. The Session welcomed representatives of 47 countries, including 21 Ministers and Vice-Ministers of Tourism, alongside key strategic partners from the private sector, civil society and international finance. Opening the session, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili welcomed the example set by Colombia in "betting on tourism" to provide a better future for the country, including for previously-marginalized groups. He said: "Colombia has chosen to invest in tourism, not in weapons or war, and as the only country to have hoste...
Read MoreMonth: November 2024
In the polar bear capital of the world, a community lives with the predator next door and loves it
Sgt. Ian Van Nest rolls slowly through the streets of Churchill, his truck outfitted with a rifle and a barred back seat to hold anyone he has to arrest. His eyes dart back and forth, then settle on a crowd of people standing outside a van. He scans the area for safety and then quietly addresses the group’s leader, unsure of the man’s weapons. “How are you today?” Van Nest asks. The leader responds with a wary, “We OK for you here?” “You’re good. You got a lot of distance there. When you have people disembarking from the vehicle you should have a bear monitor,” Van Nest, a conservation officer for the province of Manitoba, cautions as the tourists gaze at a polar bear on the rocks. “So, if that’s you, just have your shotgun with you, right? Slugs and cracker shells if you have or a ...
Read MoreGrowing up in a North Bay suburb, I always referred to San Francisco as “the city,” as if there were no others. This Californian cultural hub is where I snuck off to see 1980s new wave bands or drink coffee in cafes once frequented by Beat poets. A week after graduating from college, I moved into a Victorian flat in the heart of the Haight-Ashbury district, where Summer of Love devotees, clad in tie-dye with flowers in their hair, still congregate. A pagoda built in 1915 at the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo In subsequent years as a journalist in and around San Francisco for Reuters and other news organizations, the high tech hub – also the headquarters of the largest appellate court in the U.S., the Ninth Circuit – has been a perch for me to cov...
Read MoreChristmas or New Year eve travellers should check how many pages are left in their passport this festive season; else risk being turned away at the airport. Travel insurance experts from Quotezone.co.uk have warned to anyone heading abroad this Christmas to celebrate the festive season in other countries with friends and family. Running out of space in a passport is a real possibility for keen travellers who need entry and exit stamps when travelling abroad. All passport holders must have at least two blank passport pages when they travel, otherwise the document could be seen as invalid. The little-known passport rule is essential to ensure no chance of being held up or turned away at the airport this Christmas. Standard passports have 34-36 pages, but jumbo pass...
Read MoreJapanese authorities seeking to reduce the carbon footprint and overcrowding at Mount Fuji will propose a trackless, rubber-tyred tram system made by China's CRRC to transport climbers, a person with direct knowledge of the plan said. The new proposal, which has not been previously reported, would replace the original plan to build a light-rail system connecting the base to the fifth hiking station of the popular Yoshida Trail, which goes to the top, after a local city and other parties, voiced concern over its environmental and cost impact. Yamanashi Prefecture, home of the most popular route used by climbers of the 3,776-metre (12,3388-foot) volcano, is set to announce the plan soon, the person told Reuters, asking for anonymity because the information is not yet public. Mo...
Read MoreThe ancient Roman Colosseum will be the venue of gladiator fights — albeit staged — for the first time in two millennia under a $1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb that aims to promote “a more conscious tourism.” But some visitors to the monument Thursday, as well as housing activists, were skeptical about the value of the arrangement, citing ongoing controversies in many cities over the role of short-term rental platforms in fueling overtourism and limiting affordable housing for residents and students. Under the deal announced by Airbnb and the Colosseum on Wednesday, the sponsorship by the short-term rental giant will cover the renewal of an educational program inside the ancient Roman amphitheater covering the history of the structure and gladiators. FILE PHOTO: A gener...
Read MoreA flip of the switch, some oohs and ahhs from a crowd of onlookers, and a giant decorated Christmas tree went up in lights on Vienna’s town hall square as the Yuletide season got rolling in Austria’s capital on Saturday evening. Mulled wine was poured, frosted gingerbread cookies dangled from the roofs of vendors’ stalls, kiddies rode a carousel and a brass band tooted out Johann Strauss II’s “The Blue Danube” waltz as the holiday merriment set in. Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig joined the ceremonial illumination of the 30-meter (about 100-foot) spruce that bedecked the square in front of town hall, which also was bathed in light. This year Vienna upped the ante by decorating the tree with 2,000 LED lights and 1,000 Christmas baubles at the market, which drew 3.3 million visitor...
Read MoreSwiss chocolate giant Lindt serves up Middle Eastern flavors Hundreds of curious shoppers, some equipped with camping stools and rain gear, lined up for hours on a drizzly Thursday in the western German city of Aachen. They weren’t waiting for the latest phone or luxury handbag release: they were after a taste of a new chocolate bar. Swiss chocolate giant Lindt has drawn the crowds with a new treat — a confection known as “Dubai chocolate” that features a crunchy mixture of chocolate, pistachio cream and knafeh, a crispy filo dough that is better known for its use in baklava. Lindt executives want to show the nearly 180-year-old Swiss chocolatier can mix it up with a product first concocted by an Emirati upstart and expand the boundaries of a centuries-old industry largely do...
Read MoreAfrican elephants are Earth's largest land animals, remarkable mammals that are very intelligent and highly social. They also are in peril. Fresh evidence of this comes in a study that documents alarming population declines at numerous sites across the continent over about a half century. Researchers unveiled on Monday what they called the most comprehensive assessment of the status of the two African elephant species - the savanna elephant and forest elephant - using data on population surveys conducted at 475 sites in 37 countries from 1964 through 2016. FILE PHOTO: A bird flies over elephants as it walks at the Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya, April 4, 2024. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi The savanna elephant populations fell by about 70% on average at the surveyed sit...
Read MoreDiscover the 55 new Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism where rural communities are shaping the future of sustainable travel Rural destinations consolidate their position as key players in sustainable tourism and community development as UN Tourism announces its Best Tourism Villages 2024. In this fourth edition, 55 villages from all regions received the recognition, chosen from over 260 applications from more than 60 UN Tourism Member States. Another 20 villages were chosen to join the Upgrade Programme. “Tourism is a vital tool for inclusion, empowering rural communities to protect and value their rich cultural heritage while driving sustainable development,” said UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “The Best Tourism Villages initiative not only recognizes the r...
Read More
You must be logged in to post a comment.