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Richard Branson leading initiative to protect Caribbean marine environment
DestinationsIn a bid to safeguard biodiversity and the Caribbean’s tourism-based economy, regional political leaders and corporate executives will gather Friday on billionaire Richard Branson’s private island with the aim of protecting 20 percent of the region’s coastal resources by 2020. Participants are expected to announce various commitments to advance the “Caribbean Challenge,” an initiative that [...]
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Alaska’s first cruise season with tougher emissions laws begins now
TransportMore than 1 million cruise ship passengers are expected to visit Alaska this year, but industry officials fear new fuel standards intended to limit pollution from large ships could drive vessels away and lower that number later. This will be the first full cruise season in Alaska under rules that require cargo carriers and cruise [...]
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The fragile ecosystem in Baja California that’s under threat from a Spanish resort chain
DestinationsI was scuba diving in Mexico in the Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, a 27.5-square-mile ecosystem with an unusual history and an uncertain future. At least 226 fish species live in the park, and it is home to the only living hard coral reef in the Sea of Cortez. But environmentalists fear that a major [...]
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The business case for responsible tourism
DestinationsA new meta-analysis of dozens of recent tourism surveys and market studies finds “increasing recognition among both travel professionals and consumers of the importance of responsible travel.’ The analysis by the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC and affiliated with Stanford University, also finds “strong evidence” that responsible travel [...]
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Philippines wants to become the top diving destination in the world
DestinationsThe Department of Tourism (DOT) is planning to make diving as one of the major drivers in promoting the Philippines. “If you come to the Philippines and you don’t like what you see on land, just stick your head under water and you will be okay,” said Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. during yesterday’s World [...]
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How one hotel turns leftover bars of soap into something better
RoomsWhat do hotels do with bars of soap that guests leave behind? Stonewall Resort in Lewis County is having them recycled. Stonewall and the Weston Wal-Mart are partnering to make old into new. Resort community outreach director Samantha Norris says Stonewall will collect used soap from guest rooms and ship it to the nonprofit Global [...]
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Obama launches ocean and coastal protection plan, will help boost tourism
DestinationsThe White House released a plan on Tuesday aimed at protecting oceans, coastal and Great Lakes environments around the United States while safeguarding related businesses that support more than 44 million jobs. The plan drew criticism from some Republican lawmakers who called it bureaucratic overreach but was lauded by environmental groups as smart management that [...]
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Four global megatrends forcing the travel industry to adapt or die
DigitalThe World Trade and Tourism Conference took place this week in Abu Dhabi. The conference has ended, but interested parties can still comb through the taped sessions that discuss the trends and challenges that the industry is facing in the future. Dr. Daniel Stelter of The Boston Consulting Group provided an economic context for the changes that the industry [...]
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SkiftStats: Water use in hotel industry & the coming crisis in Asia-Pacific
RoomsSome fascinating and troubling numbers on water usage in the tourism and specifically the hotel industry, in this eye-opening report prepared by a leading research consortium supported by Australia’s EarthCheck Research Institute. The report cautions that water scarcity could severely limit the growth of the booming Asia-Pacific tourism industry, and offers strategies and tactics for [...]
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Huge algae outbreak threatens multi-billion dollar Lake Erie tourism economy
DestinationsIt was the largest algae bloom in Lake Erie‘s recorded history — a scummy, toxic blob that oozed across nearly one-fifth of the lake’s surface during the summer and fall of 2011. It sucked oxygen from the water, clogged boat motors and washed ashore in rotting masses that turned beachgoers’ stomachs. It was also likely [...]
