According to the Chicago Tribune, expediting passports may soon be a thing of the past. With the increase of passport applications after 9/11, and new laws stating that crossing any country boarder (including Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean) now requires a passport, the State Department is overwhelmed with passport processing. So overwhelmed, in fact, that they have hired hundreds of new employees, and even shipped ex-employees back to the United States to try to deal with the backlog.
Usually, people can pay an extra $60 fee to have their passport expedited in a week. Now, the realistic wait for an expedited passport is three weeks, or longer. A regular passport, usually taking 6 weeks, can take anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks. Though the State Department website can be checked regularly to see how fast expediting is, there is no guarantee for when your passport will be returned.
August 17, 2007 No Comments
Denver Business Journal stated this week that the Dollar and Thrifty rental-car services around Denver, Colorado are starting to offer services where car renters can pay a fee up front to cover toll payments on the E-470 and surrounding toll routes (though the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group is actually based in Tulsa, Oklahoma). The service is called Pass24, and is already offered in Houston and Dallas, along with the three Dollar and Thrifty rental offices in Denver (including Denver International Airport).
Pass24 covers a total of 65 miles of highway, such as the E-470, the Northwest Parkway and the I-25 express lanes. Travelers can sign up for the service at the rental counter to pay $8.95 per day for Pass24. This enables them to drive an unlimited number of times through toll booths, without any sort of electronic device (the technology is provided by Rent A Toll, a Texas technology company).
August 15, 2007 No Comments
Three weeks ago, Belfast Today made it public that Ryanair is going to start daily flights to Liverpool, East Midlands and Glasgow, in an attempt to increase tourism. In fact, 10,000 of the first seats are for sat at £10. But the destinations are also to extend to Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Madrid, Brussels and Pisa. Ryanair is hopeful that this will increase the amount of visitors in Belfast, and will also create almost 300 jobs at Belfast City Airport. Rival airlines such as EasyJet, and British Midland have already started flying direct from Belfast to Glasgow and Liverpool, increasing the interest in Belfast and Northern Ireland in terms of tourist from continental Europe. Not only would the new routes boost the economy, but the new routs are expected to carry almost 300,000 new passengers a year.
Surprisingly, there was little worry about a runway extension at Belfast City Airport, nor at Aer Lingus’ announcement that they will be flying direct from Belfast International Airport to London Heathrow. Officials say that growth in terminals and runways, if any, will come gradually in the future, and that they are fully prepared to deal with the new Ryanair deal.
August 13, 2007 No Comments
Reuters Africa published an article last month, stating that there has been a sudden fall in tourist visits to Morocco. For the last few years there seemed to have been a huge boom in the Marrakesh tourist industry. But all that was brought to a halt by what hotel managers and officials are calling an ‘increase in activity by Islamic militants’.
In March and April, seven suicide bombers bombed outside U.S. diplomatic buildings in Casablanca, killing several people. Locals claim that this set off a chain of events to give Morocco a bad image, including al Qaeda’s associate in Morocco threatening to widen its war against regional rulers and their Western ties. Officials also fear tourism future because the security alert was raised to the maximum level.
The target for 2010 is to boost the number of tourists to 10 million, but the fact that the number of tourists to Marrakesh was up only 1% does not bode well for that goal. Hotel bookings are predicted to drop anywhere from 20 to 50%, as well, because of recent fears.
August 13, 2007 1 Comment
The Prague Daily Monitor recently published an article claiming that Russia is discouraging Russian tourists from traveling to the Czech Republic by introducing stricter visa procedures. Many Russian travel agencies, for example, have already removed offers for trips to the Czech Republic. In its place, travel agencies are suggesting countries such as France, Slovakia or Poland. Because of these new, stricter procedures, the Czech Tourism Office’s estimate of 280,000 Russian tourists is unlikely to be met.
In order to travel to the Czech Republic, Russian tourists must submit a travel contract that they signed with the travel agency, and a signed declaration that they will not abuse the visa for anything other than tourist purposes.
This is quite a blow to the Czech Tourism industry, because Russians are said to make up the most profitable tourists to visit the Czech Republic. Last year, 240,000 Russian tourists visited the Czech Republic.
August 13, 2007 No Comments
According to ABS-CBN, despite the tsunami in 2004, Thailand’s tourism is still thriving. In 2006 alone, there were around 14 million visitors. The Tourism office quickly started a new “Amazing Thailand” campaign to promote Thailand post-tsunami, and more recently there has a “Seven Amazing Wonders of Thailand” campaign that incorporates culture and heritage to attract tourists. Because of this, Thailand is expecting 15 million tourists this year, and has already attracted three million visitors in the first quarter of 2007.
Also, the recent military coup in September 2006 has not hurt tourism as much as expected. Thailand’s shift to a parliamentary system of government has boosted the economy. It is said that out of all the countries in Southeast Asia, Thailand is one of the only ones that was not colonized by the West, and therefore has the most cohesive sense of culture. This, coupled with exchange rates, makes Thailand an attractive destination for those looking to explore the Asian continent.
August 13, 2007 No Comments
Naturist tourism, though already mainstream in Western Europe, has begun to pick up speed in Hungary, according to Oringo and Caboodle.
Naturist beaches can be found all around the country. Many of the beaches that are not specifically for naturists, are naturist-friendly, and have designated areas for them.
For instance, the Balatonberény beach and campsite owns an area of almost six hectares and is one of the largest naturist spots in Europe. During the past 20 years, over 1 million Euros has been invested into the complex, but plenty more renovations and expansions are still in process.
In addition to that, investors have found it profitable to start building a naturist hotel for beachgoers and fishers. This, combined with a ‘wellness center’, should be constructed within the next two years. Rumor has it that it will be accessible by sail boat, and plans are in place for a port able to hold around 250 ships (it will apparently be built in 2009, for around 4 million Euros
August 10, 2007 No Comments
According to Belize publication, Lovefm, The Belize Carnival Association has officially launched this year’s carnival season. It is claimed that this season will be much better organized, and will be affiliated with the National Institute of Culture and History. Funded by the Belize Tourism Board, Traveler’s Liquors Limited, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, Angelus Press Limited, and Tenchtronics, the carnival season also has a theme song has been written by Kenny G and the New Creation Band, and is called “Jump Fi Carnival”.
On top of that, there will be seven senior bands, five junior bands, and two non-competitive bands, making it the biggest turn-out yet. Not only that, but the cash prizes have increased, and trophies, in order to top last year’s carnival. Though the date for the carnival isn’t until September 8th, the Carnival Association is still looking for business to fund the bands themselves, so that they won’t need to foot the bill.
August 10, 2007 No Comments
Independent Business news website, Scoop, recently reported on New Zealand’s latest tactic to score Australian tourists – technology.
The campaign, launched this week, states that the New Zealand Tourism office will be using text downloading, interactive billboards, WAP technology, and ‘live’ film advertisements, along with regular television commercials to try to bring in more Australian tourists. Chief executive of the National Tourism Organization pointed out that the idea came from the realization that people were using their mobile phones for news, sports and weather, so the tourism office wanted to jump on the bandwagon.
The official offer is called the ‘Spring Pass’. Prospective tourists with the Spring Pass will get offers sent to their phone, and will be directed to the new WAP site, as well as the regular tourist sites, where they can find a New Zealand travel deal to suite them. They can also continue to receive offers on their phone once they arrive in New Zealand.
Interactive billboards set up in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will send messages to BlueTooth capable phones as they pass the billboards, offering them travel deals.
Journalists from Australia and abroad have been invited to see demonstrations of all the new features that the progressive Tourism office has to offer.
August 10, 2007 No Comments
An Australian publication, The Age, recently reported on the growing need for tourists traveling to Egypt to be guaranteed a safe, hassle-free trip.
Egypt is famous for its touts; infamous merchants who make a living offering rides around monuments, such as the Pyramids in Cairo, for a low, hourly fee. Touts usually rise as early as 5 a.m., in order to beat their competition, and tour around visitors on horses, donkeys, or camels. Some are fortunate enough to have a “licence-to-hassle”, and most started working as a child, bypassing any formal education.
With recent crises in the Middle East, tourism has become a top priority for the Egyptian Government. And, because of its deep-rooted ancient history, tourism is Egypt’s second biggest earner, after the Suez Canal. Though there was little problem between authorities and touts in the past, the government is recognizing the increasing irritation from tourists. There was even a touts’ protest march to protest a potential ban from the Pyramids.
However, unfortunately for the tourists and authorities, the touts seem to play an integral role in the tourism industry. For example, if a tourist is driving towards the Pyramids in a taxi was persuaded by approaching men to divert down a side road, and take a camel or horse up the plateau, the taxi drive would get a commission, and the guy who persuaded them would get a commission, not to mention the tout himself. And in order to stay off the radar, the touts sometimes have to pay off the tourist police as well, so most are benefiting.
If the touts were ever to be banned, there would not only be outrage, but a large unemployment increase. Almost all touts are uneducated, and with today’s heavy reliance on computers, they are unfit to do anything else.
August 10, 2007 No Comments
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