One of the sites inscribed during the meeting is: Twyfelfontein or /Ui-//aes The site has one of the largest concentrations of rock petroglyphs, in Africa. Over 2000 figures have been documented at the site and most of them are well preserved. They include rhinoceroses, elephants, ostriches, and giraffes. There are also drawings of human and animal footprints. The site is located in Namibia and is the first World Heritage Site in the country. http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/359
The Galapagos Islands were moved to the List of World Heritage in Danger. The concern is that increased tourism has produced increased immigration and the inter island traffic has introduced invasive species in some areas. The number of days spent in the area by tourists has grown by 150% over the past 15 years.An interesting decision made by the Committee was the changing of the name “Auschwitz Concentration Camp” (so listed since 1979) to the new title of “Auschwitz Birkenau” and the subtitle of “German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945).” The Committee also adopted a “statement of significance” for the site. Read here. It is a powerful statement and lays it all out. http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/363
The Committee also took the unprecedented step of removing The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman from the World Heritage List because Oman reduced the area of the Sanctuary by 90%. The population of Oryx in 1996 was 450, today it is 65 and of those, only four breeding pairs remain. This rare antelope will probably not survive due the actions of the State Party of Oman encouraging hydrocarbon prospecting as well as their inaction in controlling poaching and site degradation. This is the first time a site was removed because the obligation to conserve was not fulfilled.
I read a quick article in one of my trade magazines about the Galapagos Islands being placed on the Danger List and went to the website to read about the Heritage Sites and the Danger List.
Since the Committee is holding their meeting this week, they are releasing quite a few press statements about what they are doing. There is a site (Dresden Elbe Valley, Germany) that is in danger of being removed because of the possibility of a four lane bridge being built. Germany has been warned that it has four months to come up with a satisfactory alternative or the site faces removal at next year’s meeting. My original thought of a quick look see at World Heritage Sites turned into an hour of reading through some press releases, viewing some of the sites and thinking about the stand they have taken with the Auschwitz name change and statement as well as the importance of conserving these sites.
Filed under: Specialty Travel, Travel Industry, World Heritage Sites
Moving Toward WHTI Implementation for Cross-Border Travel by Land and Sea
Release Date: June 20, 2007
The final decision, maybe, on passport or other secure document acceptance for those who travel by land, sea and air to and from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
It is a phased approach. read here…
Filed under: Air Travel, Cruise Industry, Travel Industry, airports
Cunard announced today that the QEII has been sold to Dubai World, a holding company for the Dubai government. The plan is that the QEII will be turned over to Dubai World in November, 2008 and will become a tourist destination for the The Palm Jumeirah.
The Palm Jumeirah is the largest man made island in the world and is located in Dubai.
Filed under: Cruise Industry, Specialty Travel, Travel Industry, cruises
I’ve been identifying honeymoons that are unique and out of the ordinary. A Volunter Honeymoon is one such experience.
Global Volunteers has been sending volunteers on community development projects since 1984. To date they’ve sent 20,000 volunteers to more than 19 countries. Global Volunteers has been granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations and has always sought work projects that were locally initiated and maintained.
Can you mix travel AND volunteering and end up being happy and satisfied? It’s an exciting way to experience a destination as a “non-tourist” while serving as a valuable resource in the host community. For volunteer-spirited clients, this truly is an unbeatable combination of two “loves”: International travel and service.
When a couple spends all or part of their honeymoon participating in a volunteer service program, they give and take from the experience. First and foremost, they have the ability to help others. In addition, they believe that they have grown on a personal level as well as a couple. A volunteer service program offers the unique opportunity of observing a side of life that most of us never see.
Because of my travel company’s partnership with Global Volunteers, We have been able to offer two different volunteer honeymoons to our customers. One project is in Italy and the other is in the Cook Islands. Details can be found at TravelEco.
Volunteerism allows us to give back to society. Global Volunteers helps us to give back in unusual and unconventional settings and the life experiences we gain are invaluable.
Filed under: Cook Islands, Italy, Specialty Travel, Travel Industry, Volunteer Vacations, honeymoon, unique honeymoon
One of my often used phrases has been “camping, do I hafta?” After seeing these photos and reading about Abercrombie & Kent’s version of camping, called “Glamping”, I’ll rephrase and say “glamping, do I hafta? Yes I do!”
Stylish tents offer a taste of glamorous camping on private tented safaris in Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve, on the Laikipia Plateau and in Samburu National Park. The spacious accommodations offer large arched windows, luxurious bedding and colorful accents of traditional African Kuba cloth.
The tents are huge with verandah fronts and are made of heavy duty canvas. The tents measure 28 feet long by 14 feet wide and 9 feet high, with a sewn-in floor and large windows made from netting. The bedding is 100% Egyptian cotton, 200 thread count, with duvets for cool nights. Each tent is furnished with two full-size single beds, bedside tables, a dressing table with mirror and wash basin and a private en suite shower and toilet. (A&K is one of very few travel companies to offer flush toilets in mobile tented camps in East Africa)
Because the camp is mobile and self-sufficient, you aren’t restricted to locations with game lodges. On private land, game walks, horse and camel back safaris, and night game drives are possible. Other activities may include fishing on Lake Victoria, bird watching and hot air ballooning.
Abercrombie & Kent is regarded as the “World’s Leading Luxury Specialist Tour Operator” by travel professionals from over 80,000 travel agencies in more than two hundred countries. When I take my African Safari, guess who I’ll use?
Filed under: Abercrombie & Kent, African Safari, Specialty Travel, escorted tours, tour operator
Recent headlines are full of reports predicting that this summer will be a record-breaker when it comes to airline passengers being bumped from their flights. Being bumped from your flight is not only inconvenient and annoying, but can be costly as well. Add to this the ever changing airport security regulations, mounting confusion over the change in passport rules and you have the recipe for increased delays and frustration at the airport.
And…you haven’t even started your trip yet!
Get an advance seat assignment. Passengers with seat assignments are typically only bumped if they arrive late and their seat assignment is released.
Check-in online. If you do not have an advance seat assignment, or you want to change your seat assignment, check-in online. Most airlines allow you to do so within 24 hours of departure. Seat assignments that were not available at the time of ticketing may be available when checking in online.
Don’t be late. If all else fails, get to the airport early. (get there early anyway) Some airlines reserve a portion of their seat assignment inventory for airport check-in. If you are denied a seat assignment at check-in, put your name on the “standby” seat assignment list.
Try these tips to stay cool, calm and collected. Have a great time!
Filed under: Air Travel, Travel Industry, Travel Tips
“WASHINGTON – The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security announced June 8, 2007 that U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda who have applied for but not yet received passports can nevertheless temporarily enter and depart from the United States by air with a government issued photo identification and Department of State official proof of application for a passport through September 30, 2007. The federal government is making this accommodation for air travel due to longer than expected processing times for passport applications in the face of record-breaking demand.”
The full text is here .
Bermuda was added to the list and that is good for my customers who will not get their passports in time for their Bermuda cruise. The”Caribbean” was also added to the waived list. Nicely done, but off the top of my head that waiver won’t apply to St Martin (French), Martinique, Guadeloupe and St Barthelmy. I think I’ll do a little research and find out which of my colleagues gets the first phone call telling her that Belize and Costa Rica do not require a passport, the U.S. Government says so. ‘The Caribbean is exempt, so there!’
Filed under: Travel Industry
‘Feds poised to suspend new rules requiring passports to cross…’
‘US Planning to Ease Rules on Passports, Official Says…’
‘Family Worries Passports Won’t Be Ready For Vacation…’
‘Passports coming … maybe’
These are just a few of the headlines today regarding the now 12 week, yes that’s right, 4 month wait for you to receive your passport. The backlog has grown dramatically as the hot summer travel season approaches. Now that people are in a state of wholehearted panic and travel agents are stressed out beyond belief comes the announcement that maybe, just maybe, the U.S. Government might temporarily waive the requirement that U.S. citizens are required to hold a valid passport for air travel between the United States and Canada and the United States and Mexico.
The catch… prove that you applied for but have not yet received your passport. Travelers will now have to present a State Department receipt showing their passport application is being processed, and a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license.
Umm, ok, so if you have to get a receipt from the State Department, why can’t you just get your passport? We offer counsel to our customers on various travel issues and questions every single day. Our office and every other travel agency office that I am aware of has actively, for at least the past year, advised our customers to apply for their passports NOW. Do not delay! At the moment we have at least 10 customers waiting and waiting and waiting for the passports that should have arrived 2 weeks ago.
In the meantime, if you would like to check the status of your application, click here .
Filed under: Travel Industry
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