The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the monarch butterfly as a threatened species on Tuesday, citing a significant decline in the iconic black and orange insects that has pushed them toward extinction. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Monarch butterflies, known for migrating thousands of miles (km) across North America, have experienced a decades-long U.S. population decline due to habitat loss caused by human activities such as farming and urban development, widespread use of pesticides and climate change. FILE PHOTO: Monarch butterflies land on branches at Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Nic Coury, File) Environmental groups have been pushing for U.S. protection of the winged pollinators for a decade. KEY QUOTE "T...
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A push by Venezuela to attract tourists and boost its flailing economy by building infrastructure including runways and hotels is doing environmental damage to ecologically-delicate areas, especially fragile Caribbean coral reefs already threatened by climate change, conservationists, scientists, government sources and locals say. The government of President Nicolas Maduro, who blames U.S. sanctions for his country's economic crisis, has called tourism the economy's "secret weapon". The push has so far failed to attract foreign investors, sources say, despite a tourism ministry meeting with French businesspeople and public overtures from Maduro to investors as recently as this month. People enjoy the beach as activists and volunteers collect garbage during the cleanup operation a...
Read MoreU.S. hotels and travel companies are aiming to tap a surge in Indian tourists to boost revenue as domestic leisure spending falters and demand from East Asian countries remains below pre-pandemic levels. Nearly 1.9 million Indian tourists visited the U.S. in the first ten months of 2024, a nearly 48% rise from 2019, according to data from the U.S. National Trade and Tourism Office (NTTO). The surge was driven by a 50% jump in visas issued for business visits and 43.5% increase for leisure, data showed. A tourist photographs a U.S. flag on the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in Washington, U.S., July 4, 2023. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson The expanding Indian middle-class population, higher travel budgets and increased flight capacity are also behind the South Asian country's inte...
Read MoreUN Tourism Global Conference concludes in Vietnam UN Tourism joined with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Vietnam to host the First Conference on Tourism for Rural Development in the historic town of Hoi An. The event brought together government officials, international and regional financial institutions, development agencies, tourism professionals, rural community leaders, researchers and NGOs to explore policies and strategies to maximize the role of tourism in progressing development in rural areas. Empowering Communities Sessions spotlighted the power of tourism to create jobs, safeguard nature and cultural heritage, and promote social inclusion, with a focus on empowering local communities, women and youth. Key discussions included topics such as policy frame...
Read MoreAnantara Iko Mauritius Resort & Villas unveils its new ‘Be Iko’ conservation initiative
Anantara Iko Mauritius Resort & Villas offers guests a new way to travel and experience the world, pairing luxury hospitality with eco-tourism with the launch of its new 'Be Iko' programme. Designed for travellers seeking deeper connections with the communities they visit, the programme offers a unique way to explore Mauritius through hands-on conservation and community engagement, leaving a positive impact on the island’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. From the resort’s beachfront, guests can participate in a coral farming initiative, led by the Currimjee Foundation in collaboration with local NGO Eco Mode Society and supported by MOL Mauritius International Funds. Weekly workshops guided by a resident marine biologist highlight the vital role of coral reefs, w...
Read MoreA huge poplar tree stands proud in Maribel Ek’s courtyard, adorned with a sign that reads: “Florece desde adentro” (“It blooms from within”). Deep underground, the tree’s long roots search for the water that makes this land special: a sinkhole lake, known as a cenote. Cenotes provide an important water source to Ek’s community of Homun, in the Mexican state of Yucatan, and a livelihood for locals who lead tourists from around the world into the caverns to bathe in their crystalline waters. But more than that, cenotes are sacred to Indigenous Mayans like her. Guardian of the cenotes, Maribel Ek, rests inside the Santa Maria cenote in Homun, Mexico, Monday, March 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) As she descends into the cavern, Ek shines a light on a stone covered in flowers, ...
Read More8% admit ending up in the wrong destination Much like the iconic mix-ups in the beloved Christmas film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, where characters hilariously find themselves in the wrong places, some travellers have shared their own tales of finding themselves unintentionally at the wrong destination. As we approach the holiday season, these anecdotes serve as both cautionary and comical reminders to double-check those travel details! According to a recent YouGov survey conducted by Visit Sweden, 8% of the respondents admitted to ending up in the wrong destination while travelling. Out of 80 million travellers identified as dreaming of visiting Sweden, nearly 8 million might accidentally find themselves in a different Sweden—not the original one. Oops! He...
Read MoreHappywhale tail-recognition software shows animal crossed oceans for an extraordinary migration In a whale of a tale about whales’ tails, a team of marine ecologists has tracked a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) more than 13,000 kilometers, from Colombia to Tanzania. The observation was made possible by modified facial recognition software designed to identify the giant aquatic mammals by the distinctive shapes of their tales, or flukes. It beats the previous of record for a humpback of 10,000 kilometers. Such a long migration “is extraordinary,” says Jeremy Goldbogen, a comparative physiologist at Stanford University who was not involved with the work, published recently in Royal Society Open Science. The observation also demonstrates the utility of the fluke-identification...
Read MoreHong Kong’s home airline is named Design Airline of the Year, Asia and wins Best New Business Class for Aria Suite and Best New Premium Economy Cathay Pacific has been honoured with three prestigious awards at TheDesignAir Awards 2024, including Design Airline of the Year, Asia, 2024. The airline received an outstanding overall Design Score of 81.9, placing it among the top six Design Airlines in the world and underscoring its commitment to excellence in design and customer experience. Hong Kong’s home airline also received Best New Business Class, 2024 for its recently launched Aria Suite and Best New Premium Economy, 2024. Both the Aria Suite and the new Premium Economy cabin products were launched in October 2024 onboard the airline’s retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. ...
Read MoreTourism Minister Mohamed Riyas launches multilingual Sabarimala Microsite and E-brochure Kerala Tourism has launched a multi-language microsite and an e-brochure providing comprehensive information about Sabarimala. Tourism and Public Works Minister PA Mohamed Riyas launched the two initiatives at a function here on Wednesday. The multilingual microsite provides pilgrims across the country with information about the hill shrine's traditions, customs, and culture, as well as the latest updates and geographical insights. The site is available in five languages: English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada. It also includes short footage providing all the details of southern India’s prominent pilgrim site. “The microsite and e-brochure are vital steps towards including our heritag...
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