-
Seven Twitter critters that define destinations on social media
DestinationsTourism boards can border on boring when they push out a stream of scheduled tweets that shout dates of upcoming events at followers. And it can be difficult to create one voice to define a destination that is filled with all kinds of attractions and locals. That’s why tourism boards, museums, and travel attractions are turning [...]
-
Tourists are wrecking stingrays’ eating, sleeping, and mating habits
DestinationsEach stingray on this sandbar off Grand Cayman earns the islands about $500,000 every year in tourism revenue. Globally, this kind of interactive wildlife experience is big business, generating about $165 billion each year worldwide. Careful monitoring of these primordial-looking creatures revealed that the lifestyle of stingrays on the sandbar [in Stingray City] was barely recognizable as [...]
-
Norway’s Svalbard Islands are looking to hire a polar bear spotter this summer
DestinationsWant to work in the great outdoors? Comfortable around bears? Norway may have the job for you. The governor’s office on The Svalbard Islands –located in the Arctic Ocean, halfway between Norway and the North Pole – is looking for a polar bear spotter. The role involves standing guard and warning research teams working on [...]
-
Hawaii turns to tourists to ease its abandoned pup problem
DestinationsThe lanky, charcoal-gray dog with a distinctive, wiry hairdo would stand out in most other animal shelters, but no one gave him a second look on Hawaii’s island of Kauai. But thanks to a tourist willing to take him across the Pacific, an Airedale Terrier-Irish Wolfhound mix named Grady now enjoys a spacious California loft [...]
-
Puerto Rico’s governor chooses conservation over hotel development
DestinationsPuerto Rico’s governor on Saturday signed a law to protect a swath of land along the island’s northeast coast that is a top U.S. nesting site for the world’s largest turtle species. The law ends a 15-year fight that environmentalists and celebrities including actor Benicio Del Toro had waged against developers eager to build hotels, [...]
-
Theme park owner Seaworld files to go public with a $100 million IPO
DestinationsLooks like Shamu may soon be making a splash in the stock market. SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. on Thursday filed for an initial public offering of stock that could raise $100 million. That number is likely to change as the company’s bankers gauge interest from investors. Private equity firm Blackstone Group LP, which owns SeaWorld, will [...]
-
DogVacay, the Airbnb for dog sitting, just raised another $6 million to expand operations
DigitalThe sharing economy trend continues with the “Airbnb for Dogs,” Santa Monica-based DogVacay, which helps dog owners to find a home for their pets while they’re away. The company announced today that it has secured $6 million in Series A funding from Benchmark Capital. DogVacay was co-founded by Aaron Hirschorn and his wife, who hosted [...]
-
India lifts ban on tiger reserves, giving tourists green light to start booking again
DestinationsThe Indian Supreme Court lifted the tourism ban on tiger reserves’ core zones Tuesday morning. In its place, state governments must draw up a plan for “regulated low-impact tourism” by limiting tourism to only 20 percent of tigers’ breeding zone and following guidelines set up by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The decision was made [...]
-
A bird strike may have caused the deadly plane crash in Nepal Friday morning
TransportReports have suggested that today’s plane crash in Nepal was caused by a bird strike. Despite a variety of measures to mitigate the risks, it remains a major problem.
Bird strikes have been one of the biggest threats to passenger safety since the earli…
-
Pets have a place to stay at JFK airport with $32 million kennel on the way
TransportA new $32 million facility that will provide kenneling, grooming and other services for about 70,000 domestic and wild animals a year is going to be built at the airport. ARK Development LLC will use Building 78 at JFK, which is currently empty, as well as 14.4 acres of the grounds for the project. It [...]
