AUSTRALIA'S $180 million "Where The Bloody Hell Are You?" tourist promotion is part of a dud run for Australia in the world travel market, according to industry players.
"We need to do something to address it and in a concrete way or, quite seriously, I could be driving trucks in a couple of years," said John Milanese, whose Melbourne-based Mr John Tours takes Japanese tourists down the Great Ocean Road and to see Phillip Island penguins.
In Tokyo, the sales manager of Qantas Holidays Japan, Brad Crump, said that the number of travellers to Australia in August — traditionally the peak month for the Japan market — was "way down" on previous years. Read More....
HAVANA - U.S. law blocks most travel to communist-led Cuba, but the Caribbean nation will be represented next week at an international travel show in Orlando.
A U.S.-based group known as the Travel Industry Committee on Cuba will promote travel and business links with the neighboring island at a convention Sunday through Tuesday, spearheaded by the American Society of Travel Agents, the world's biggest travel agent group. Full Article...
Don't wait much longer to get a passport if you're planning a winter cruise to the Caribbean or Mexico.
Industry watchers such as Mike Driscoll expect delays at passport offices in the weeks leading up to Jan. 8, which is the day new government rules take effect. The rules require all cruisers to carry passports, even on three-day trips.
Previously, many itineraries required that the passenger have only a driver's license and birth certificate.
"There could be a surge in applications come January," says Driscoll, editor of Cruise Week newsletter. "By the time October rolls around, cruisers booked for January who don't have a passport likely will require expedited service, which doubles the cost." READ ON...
Recent findings from an independent survey by Aberdeen Group, Inc. reveal that 26 percent of respondents plan on adopting an end-to-end travel booking and expense reporting solution within the next two years.
The Travel and Entertainment (TandE) Expense Management Report focuses on the challenges companies face in efficiently managing TandE expenses, which, according to Aberdeen, account for approximately 8 percent to 10 percent of total operating expenses, on average. READ MORE...
PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning yesterday said the United States is ignoring the security threats facing the Caribbean region and Trinidad and Tobago may have to consider shifting its LNG exports away from the US to emerging markets in Latin America.
Addressing the inaugural British Gas energy luncheon at the Hilton Trinidad, the Prime Minister said TT remains very concerned about regional security and about the fact that the US’ emphasis on combating global terrorism has placed its war against drug traffickers “on the backburner.”
Manning added that South American drug cartels have not reduced their activities in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US and “we are now seeing a heightened use of Caribbean countries as transshipment centres” as drugs move from South America to the US and Western Europe. READ MORE...
If you equate education with intelligence, then the smartest city in the United States is Seattle - 52.7 percent of its residents age 25 or older have completed a bachelor's degree or higher.
Seattle's also been ranked as the most literate city in the United States by Central Connecticut State University, beating out Minneapolis, Washington and Atlanta. That rating was based on such things as the number of booksellers, libraries and newspaper circulation - as well as educational attainment.
Many brainy people have flocked to the Seattle area to work in what's called the "knowledge economy." Companies headquartered there and in surrounding towns, including Microsoft, Amazon, Cray, Washington Mutual and Costco, all use heavy doses of information technology. Even another of the area's biggest employers, old-line Boeing, is also a glutton for technological solutions. Source: http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/29/real_estate/brainiest_cities/
1.)Seattle WA 2.)San Francisco CA 3.)Raleigh NC 4.)Washington DC 5.)Austin TX 6.)Minneapolis MN 7.)Atlanta GA 8.)Boston MA 9.)San Diego CA 10.)Lexington-Fayette KY 11.)Denver CO 12.)Charlotte NC 13.)Portland OR 14.)St. Paul MN 15.)San Jose CA 16.)Colorado Springs CO 17.)Honolulu HI 18.)Oakland CA 19.)Pittsburgh PA 20.)New York NY 21.)Albuquerque NM 22.)Anchorage AK 23.)Omaha NE 24.)Nashville-Davidson TN 25.)Columbus OH
Irwin's manager John Stainton said Irwin was being videotaped diving on a reef off Australia's northeast coast for a television show. He told Australia's Network 10 that Irwin managed to pull the barb out of his chest but said it was too late, as the poison had already entered his body. Irwin then went into cardiac arrest, news reports said. Stainton described the footage of his friend dying as "terrible."
"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone," Stainton said. (
"That was it. The cameraman had to shut down (after that)," Stainton said. Stainton will talk more about the footage on "Larry King Live" tonight at 9 ET.
Watch Stainton describe Irwin's last moments, and various other videos, including how a Stingray strikes: CNN VIDEOS
Khalid Hassen, who had shot dead more than 17 000 African crocodiles in a hunting career, which had spanned over four decades, said: "I'm very upset to hear about it. I know that he led a dangerous life, but it just doesn't seem right that a fish should kill him... It is an unfitting death for him. "I'm a hunter, I'm a killer" Hassen, a successful Malawian businessman, had probably killed more crocodiles than anyone else, but he said he had huge respect for Irwin and his non-lethal methods of trapping the big reptiles.
Hassen, who hunted at night by boat with a heavy calibre rifle in the waterways of southern Malawi, where dozens of peasants are attacked each year by man-eating crocodiles, said: "He was a conservationist and I'm a hunter, I'm a killer." Full Article
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Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44. News Articles
STAY TUNED on our Big City Travels Homepage for a SPECIAL STEVE IRWIN TRIBUTE
FOOTAGE of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin being fatally gored by a stingray has been handed to police, according to media report.
The Australian reports that the footage shows that Irwin was swimming above a 2.5m stingray before it turned on him.
"The ray stopped and turned and that was it," boatowner Peter West, who viewed the footage afterwards, is quoted as saying in tomorrow's edition of The Australian newspaper.
"Something happened with this animal and made it rear and he was in the wrong position at the wrong time and if it hit him anywhere else we would not be talking about a fatality," Mr West says in the report.
The larger-than-life Irwin, 44, was off Port Douglas in far north Queensland, filming for his daughter Bindi's TV series.
Tonight his manager admitted he always feared that Irwin would meet his "demise" while working with the wildlife he loved.
But John Stainton said although Irwin got into plenty of "close shaves" with his antics involving various dangerous animals over the years, his star charge never feared death.
"You think about all the documentaries we've made and all the dangerous situations that we have been in, you always think 'Is this it, is this a day that maybe is his demise?'," he said in Cairns.
"We've been in some pretty close shaves.
"(But) nothing would ever scare Steve or would worry him. He didn't have a fear of death at all."
Mr Stainton, who was producing the underwater documentary, said Irwin died instantly.
He said Irwin had gone "over the top of a stingray and a stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart''.
Mr Stainton said Irwin had been rushed back to his research vessel at Batt Reef but had not regained consciousness despite desperate attempts to revive him.
"We got him back within a couple of minutes to Croc One, which is his research vessel,'' Mr Stainton said.
"We tried to quickly trip back to Low Isle where we were going to meet the emergency rescue people to do immediate and constant CPR, try and resuscitate him back into life.
"When we got there it was probably ten to 12, and by 12 o'clock when the emergency crew arrived they pronounced him dead.
"It's likely that he possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I don't think that he ... felt any pain.''
Mr Stainton, an old friend who has worked with Irwin for years, added that the star had been looking for "things that can kill you in the sea".
"We were in the Cairns, Port Douglas area shooting a documentary for Animal Planet called Ocean's Deadliest, which was basically looking at things that can kill you in the sea," he said.
"This morning Steve decided to shoot a couple of segments for a new TV show that he's doing with his daughter Bindi, and with the cameramen went out onto the reef ... to film a segment on stingrays.''
It is not believed Bindi, eight, was on the reef trip.
Paramedics flown to the boat found Irwin had a puncture wound to the left side of his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Eritrea: Anniversary of the Start of the Armed Struggle France: The Fête d'Automne, a major arts and film festival, opens in Paris and continues until December. Libya: National Day (Commemorates the 1969 overthrow of King Idris I, which led to the establishment of a republic.) Mexico: State of the nation address by outgoing President Vicente Fox (Protesters in Mexico City have announced their intention to disrupt the address, which is Fox's last.) Mexico: State Of Union Address (National holiday) Slovakia: Constitution Day (Public holiday. Offices and businesses close.) Taiwan: Launch of indefinite protest rally in Taipei's New Park to demand the resignation of President Chen Shui-bian. Uzbekistan: Independence Day (All government offices, businesses and many shops close)
3 September
France (Lille): La Braderie (Street festivals in Lille. Occurs annually on first weekend in September.) San Marino: Foundation Day (Public holiday) Qatar: Independence Day (from Britain in 1971. Offices and businesses close; street celebrations organized.) Russia: Anniversary of Beslan hostage crisis (Commemoration events scheduled)
4 September
Vietnam: National Day (Government offices and businesses close.)
5 September
Germany: Anniversary of 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack.
6 September
Bulgaria: Unification of Eastern Rumelia with Bulgaria in 1885. Mexico: Last day election officials have to declare a president-elect or annul the election (The naming of Felipe Calderon as president will likely cause an escalation of his opponent's protests taking place in Mexico City, the capital.) Pakistan: Defense of Pakistan Day. Swaziland: Independence Day.
7 September
Brazil: Independence Day (Public holiday) Mozambique: Victory Day.
8 September
Macedonia: Independence Day (Public holiday. Most offices and businesses close.) Malta: Victory Day (Public holiday; government and business offices closed.) Christianity: Nativity of the Virgin Mary.
10 September
Belize: St. George's Caye Day (Commemorates the victory over the Spaniards in the Battle of St. George's Caye in 1798.) Gibraltar: National Day (Public holiday in Gibraltar; government and business offices closed) Montenegro: Parliamentary elections
11 September
Chile: Revolution Day/Anniversary of the 1973 coup led by Augusto Pinochet (Violent demonstrations may occur in Santiago and other cities) Ethiopia: Ethiopian New Year. Gibraltar: National Day observed (Government offices and businesses closed) Pakistan: Anniversary of death of Quaid-i-Azam, founder of Pakistan (Public holiday) Spain: Catalonia Day (Catalonia only) United States: Anniversary of 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. http://www.airsecurity.com/hotspots/hotspots.asp#127583
Hurricane John continues to move toward the Baja Peninsula on 1 September 2006. According to meteorologists at Wilkens Weather Technologies, John has strengthened to a Category 3 storm. At 0800 UTC, it was located at 21.8°N, 108.8°W, which is approximately 100 mi/161 km southeast of Baja. The storm is moving northwest at 10 mph/8.6 kt and has winds of 115 mph/100 kt. John is expected to bring heavy rains and strong waves, and landslides are expected to occur. Hundreds of tourists have evacuated the Baja Peninsula and long lines have been reported at Los Cabos International Airport (MMSD/SJD) as travelers attempt to evacuate. More than 10,000 local residents have been evacuated from the area.
Holiday travel. Business trip. Honeymoon. Family vacation. No matter where you’re going, air travel is an essential part of your trip. The TSA says they are dedicated to getting you there. Not without making relatively certain you are not doing anything deemed to be sketchy in today's fragile travel environment, however.
Here are some handy links to better serve your holiday travel needs:
Fodor's editors are, as you might expect, a well-traveled lot, and they've picked their favorite end-of-summer parties from coast to coast -- from small-town affairs to big city blowouts! CLICK HERE!
Reports indicate that renewed gang-related violence flared in Sao Paulo over overnight on 29 - 30 August 2006. Most attacks were directed against financial institutions located in upscale neighborhoods of the city of Sao Paulo. Attacks targeting private vehicles and at least one police station and a police vehicle also occurred in the interior of the state. Following the attacks, the police force increased security at all police stations, as in the past these have been the main targets of the attacks. Despite the attacks, business is being conducted as usual in Sao Paulo on 30 August.
The Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) criminal organization, which staged attacks in May, July and early August, is claiming responsibility for the attacks and threatening "attacks in proportions never seen before" to protest against what they consider to be unfair treatment of prison inmates. Authorities were aware that violence was going to resume in the state, as they had intercepted a written order to renew the attacks. Reports indicate that the PCC has ordered the kidnapping of a politician, which would reportedly take place on 30 or 31 August.
Travelers to Sao Paulo and those already in the city should exercise increased caution in the coming days, particularly during night hours, when most attacks occur. In addition, travelers should keep abreast of local developments at all times.
Hundreds of demonstrators are expected to take part in an anti-crime march on 30 August 2006 at Plaza de Mayo in downtown Buenos Aires. Juan Carlos Blumberg, who is the father of a kidnap-for-ransom victim killed in 2004, is organizing the march. In the past, Blumberg has organized demonstrations that have drawn thousands of protesters. In 2005, he managed to introduce modifications in the criminal code that increased prison times for those who commit violent crimes.
The protest action has widespread public support; however, some opponents believe that the march is a political strategy of the opposition (Blumberg will possibly run for governor in 2007) and that the toughening of the criminal code has also resulted in a more violent police force. There is a possibility of a counter-demonstration organized by pro-government groups. Reports indicate that at least 1,000 police officers will be deployed in the area to prevent any violence from occurring. The demonstration is scheduled to begin at 1915 local time.
On 27 August 2006, protesters mobbed the vehicle of U.S. diplomat Jendayi Frazer as she arrived in Khartoum. Protesters surrounded the convoy, carrying signs stating, "Go back home" and "We need peace." Frazer met with government officials in an attempt to convince the Sudanese to accept a possible U.N. force to assist the African Union in Darfur. However, Sudan is ignoring pressure from the United States and the United Kingdom, while Sudanese Islamist leaders claim they will take up arms to expel any U.N. forces in Darfur, even if the government were to accept the international troops.
Meanwhile, Sudan is reportedly building up its military in the Darfur region despite the May 2006 peace deal. On 28 August, the U.N. Security Council is scheduled to discuss a proposal to deploy 20,000 U.N. troops and police officers, despite rejection by the Sudanese government.
Emerging reports indicate that an explosion occurred in the Turkish resort of Antalya on 28 August 2006, killing one person and injuring five others. No further information about the incident has been released. On 27 August, three simultaneous explosions injured more than 20 people in the southwestern coastal resort town of Marmaris. The explosions in the Bagcilar district injured 10 British tourists and at least 11 Turkish citizens. One of the three bombs detonated below a seat on a minibus. Officials suspected the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was responsible for the bombings. Another explosion also occurred in Istanbul's central district the same day, injuring six people, three seriously. It is not known if the bombings are related.
On 25 August, two small bombs exploded in the Kucuksaat area in central Adana, injuring four people and shattering windows near the sites of the explosions. The first bomb detonated outside of a bank at approximately 1630 local time (1330 UTC), while the second exploded approximately five minutes later near the local offices of the Human Rights Association. Although no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, Kurdish militants are suspected of carrying out the attack.
