
Archive for June, 2008
30 Jun, 2008
Lone Aussie Monastic Town Seeks Visitors, And Monks
About 135 kms northeast of Perth, a little village said to be Australia’s only Benedictine monastic township wants more visitors — and more monks.
more…23 Jun, 2008
Australia Tourism Struggles To Cope With Slowdown
PERTH: Affected by high fuel costs and the strength of its currency, the Australian tourism industry is struggling to deal with what appears to be a pronounced slowdown in visitor arrivals. The industry ended 2007 with a fractional arrivals growth of 2.5% to 5.6 million. In Jan-April 2008, visitor arrivals totalled 1.9 million, unchanged over […]
more…22 Jun, 2008
Call for Israeli Apology to Palestinians As a Prelude To Peace
Originally Published: 22 June 2008 Barely a few months after this column forecast that one day Jews would have to apologise to the Palestinians, a dissident Jewish peace activist has suggested that an Israeli President or Prime Minister do just that, and even drafted a “historic speech” that could be delivered on the occasion. Writing […]
more…20 Jun, 2008
Review Travel Advisories, Says “Australia 2020” Report
A high-level report submitted to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd calls for the advisories to be reviewed because they affect Australia’s wider goals of promoting cultural exchange and travel for education.
more…18 Jun, 2008
Aussies Invest A$3.75b in M.I.C.E. Infrastructure
New travel & tourism infrastructure to the value of an estimated AU$3.75 billion has emerged recently all over Australia, and is continuing to emerge.
more…16 Jun, 2008
Former PATA Chairman Calls for Deep Financial Audit, Membership Survey
(TTR Weekly Editor Don Ross contributed to this report) A former chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association has made an unprecedented public call for a comprehensive probe into PATA’s financial management as well as a thorough membership survey to determine its future directions. Responding to the recent travel trade press reports about errors in […]
more…16 Jun, 2008
As Growth Stalls, Oz Battles Winds Of Change
The Australian Tourism industry ended 2007 with a fractional arrivals growth of 2.5% to 5.6 million. The impact on aviation of high fuel costs, and the strong Australian dollar are among the factors being cited for the lackluster performance of the A$81 billion industry.
more…13 Jun, 2008
India Says Travel Advisories Should Go
The Tourism and Culture Minister Mrs. Ambika Soni has urged member countries of the UN World Tourism Organisation to back off from issuing knee-jerk travel advisories.
more…12 Jun, 2008
Ex-PATA Chairman Calls For Independent Financial Probe
A former chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association has called for a comprehensive probe into PATA’s financial management as well as a thorough membership survey to determine its future directions.
more…10 Jun, 2008
India Wary As Chinks Emerge In Its Economic Armour
Although India’s economic strength and growth potential dominates the headlines, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also notes that “the most important lesson of the 20th Century is that no nation is an island into itself.”
more…9 Jun, 2008
U.S. Frequent Flyers Cutting Back on Travel
American frequent air travellers are cutting back on flying, thanks to lengthy lines for check-in and security screening, flight delays, cancellations, longer flight times, baggage issues and other such hassles, according to a survey commissioned by the US Travel Industry Association. “Compared with other parts of the travel experience including renting cars, staying at a […]
more…8 Jun, 2008
Ex-White House Spokesman Exposes “Culture of Deception”
Originally Published: 8 June 2008 “I did a lot of Soul Searching,” is how former White House press secretary Scott McClellan described his state of mind when exposing the “marketing strategy” for “selling” the U.S. attack on Iraq, in his new book, “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception.” McClellan […]
more…6 Jun, 2008
Small Steps Are Best — World Environment Day Message
World Environment Day, commemorated on 5 June, is intended by the United Nations to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and remedial action. This year’s slogan was “Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy.”
more…3 Jun, 2008
PATA Faces Questions Over Financial Reporting
A media investigation into the financial affairs of the Pacific Asia Travel Association has raised questions about its compliance with the disclosure requirements of the US Internal Revenue Service and membership reporting requirements of its own by-laws.
more…2 Jun, 2008
Indian Buddhist Sites Slated For Upgrade
The Buddhist pilgrimage sites of Bodhgaya, Varanasi and Nalanda are among the 20 “mega-destinations” and “mega-circuits” prioritised for infrastructure investment by India’s Tourism Ministry in the next few years. With foreign visitor inflows having crossed the five million mark in 2007 and domestic tourism booming, thanks to improved air, road and rail linkages, the ministry […]
more…2 Jun, 2008
Media Probe Yields “Clerical Lapses” in PATA’s IRS Report
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) was last week forced to “update” its filings with the US Internal Revenue Service after a media investigation showed up two instances of a “clerical lapse” that could have seen it face penalties and possible fines. The same investigation by the Bangkok-based travel publication TTR Weekly also showed up […]
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