Travel Geography Podcast #64: Diving at Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

This is a Travel Geography Podcast related post (click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

This podcast is a series of four audio postcards that I made in May 2008 when I went diving at the Lembeh Strait near the city of Manado on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. This is near the center of the Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia. They were originally published on my travelography 2.0 podcast. Here, I have combined them into a single podcast.

(about 45 minutes long)

Photo: Pygmy Seahorse (copyright Alan A. Lew, all rights reserved)

More photos from thi trip described here can be found on my Flickr.com site.



Photo: Electric Clam, lodged in a crevice in a sea wall (Creative Commons Copyright Alan A. Lew, non-commercial, attribution, share-alike)

The homepage for this podcast is at TravelGeography.info

Travelography #122: Las Vegas Spending More Green on Green

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 4 August 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• Congress: No Cell Phones Mid-Flight

  The committee's action comes as the European Union is moving to allow airline passengers to talk on their cell phones during flight...And some lawmakers worry that domestic airlines might try to get the cell phone ban lifted so they can charge passengers.

• Delta to offer Wi-Fi on mainline domestic fleet [by mid-2009]

  Several other airlines either offer similar service or plan to, though on a much more limited number of flights.... A flat fee of $9.95 will be charged on flights of three hours or less, and $12.95 on flights of more than three hours.

• U.S. Starts Online Screening for Foreigners

  Europeans and others who travel visa-free to the United States can start registering in August for a new online security screening check that will become mandatory in January to enter the U.S.

• Las Vegas bets on environmentalism

  The projects gunning for LEED certifications include the $2.9 billion Fontainebleau Resort, the $1.9 billion tower addition to Caesars Palace, the $4.8 billion Echelon resort and the $9.2 billion, six-high-rise CityCenter complex.

• Green China Travel Tips

  If you're in a big city, the idea of a "green hotel" might seem counterintuitive, but even in the heart of Shanghai or sprawling outskirts of Shenzhen, you'll find accommodations that have gone green to one degree or another. International chains like...

• The 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time

  “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine

Travelography #121: $Billions for Medical Tourism

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 28 July 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• $2.1 billion spent by Americans overseas for care SAVE

  More than 750,000 Americans left the country last year for less expensive medical treatments, a number projected to grow to six million by 2010, potentially costing the U.S. health care system billions.

• Hawaii visitor arrivals drop 14.2% in scary situation for tourism SAVE

  "June's visitor statistics reflect the loss of two Norwegian Cruise Line ships, increased fuel costs and a continued soft travel market, especially from the U.S. Mainland" ... Among the top three visitor markets, visitors from the U.S. West dropped 16.5%

• U.S. Railroads: Back on Track?

  Travel by train consumes 18 percent less energy per passenger mile than flying and 17 percent less than driving. ... In fact, Amtrak reports that ridership has increased steadily over the past several years,

• Philly Tour Guides Sue Over License Test : NPR audio

  A city law set to take effect this fall requires tour guides to pass a written licensing test or face hefty fines. Similar laws are already on the books in Washington, New Orleans and Charleston, S.C.

Travelography #120: Europe's Airline Woes

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 21 July 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

1. Germany | Pilot walkouts ground nearly 1,000 Lufthansa flights

   Meanwhile the German division of British no-frills airline easyJet said it hoped to cash in if Lufthansa is hit by lengthy strikes. "A strike at Lufthansa would of course be just fine by us,"...

2. Lanzarote, Turkey - close enough?

   The family had booked an all-inclusive holiday in a five-star hotel in the Canary Islands and were supposed to be flying into Arrecife, Lanzarote. But instead they found themselves in Bodrum airport, Turkey where they then had to pay a £10 visa charge...

3. World's most expensive tourist attractions

   A family of four would have to pay 549.30 pounds if they wanted to take part in all 10 activities in London, compared with 386 pounds in Paris, 376pounds in New York and 216 pounds in Rome.

4. Airlines deliberately ignoring safety regulations and getting away with it

   ...the majority of European pilots do not always report defects as and when they occur. They are delayed until it is more convenient for the airlines to carry out repairs.

5. International travel booming despite oil prices

   A report commissioned by Amadeus also showed that growing global migration would fuel thirst for international travel. Many migrants remain strongly connected to their country of origin with many reasons to return, such as visiting family and friends...

Travelography #119: Let's see.. shall I take the A380 or the RV ?

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 7 July 2008. In addition to Podcasternews.com and Travelography.info, This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com.

1. Dublin Airport shut down after radar malfunction

   The decision forced dozens of flights to be grounded at airports across Europe or, if already in the air, to be diverted. The airlines hit most heavily by delays were the airport's two biggest users, Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

2. Brussels Approves CO2 Trading Plan for Airlines

   All flights starting and landing in Europe will be included in an EU Emissions Trade System from 2012, following a vote in the European Parliament. Airlines say it will drive up the cost of air travel.

3. U.S. Loses Grip on Foreign Tourists

   Nearly 26 million people traveled to the United States from overseas in 2000.... The number bottomed out in 2003 with 18 million overseas visitors, and with 24 million last year still had not returned to previous levels.

4. Emirates to launch first commercial A380 service to US

   ...Emirates Airline's state-of-the-art A380...on August 1 when the airline launches its first A380 commercial service from Dubai to New York JFK. The 14-hour non-stop flight will also be the first-ever commercial A380 service to the United States.

5. U.S. tourists' visits to Canada hit 36-year low

   Among the hardest-hit are communities and businesses that rely on short-term, drive-in tourists. In March, Americans made only 730,000 same-day car trips, down 2.5 percent from February and 68.3 percent from 2001.

6. RV Vacations Are Least Expensive, Study Shows

   Fuel prices would have to more than double for typical motorhome vacations to become more expensive than other forms of travel, according to PKF Consulting. The study also shows that fuel costs would have to more than triple for trips in lightweight...

Travelography #118: Travel Woes and the Jamaican Bobsled Returns

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 1 July 2008:

1. Car rental companies issue profit warning

   "...As with the entire industry, we are confronting rising fuel costs, weaker-than-expected enplanements, lower commercial travel volumes and lower time and mileage rates per day," said [the Avis Budget Group Inc] Chairman

2. Yellowstone reports record June visitation

   Visitation to Yellowstone National Park hit a new record in June, and is on a near-record pace for the first six months of the year. Park officials say Yellowstone recorded more than 612,000 recreational visits last month.

3. Rental Upgrade to Gas Guzzler? No T'anks

   When I went to the counter, they had upgraded me from a compact to a big SUV at the same price [as my compact reservation]. After arguing with the counter person, the manager came out...He then explained that all they had left were the big SUV.

4. China doubles the price of its tourist visas ahead of Olympics

   Many hotels in Beijing are struggling to find guests, some large travel agencies have temporarily closed branches, and people scheduled to travel here for seminars and conferences are cancelling...

5. Business Travel Coalition warns congress about airline industry failure

   "Unless something is done to move toward some kind of fix, we're going to see every one of our major airlines in bankruptcy....Virtually all airlines will be out of cash by early in 2009 if oil stays in its current range."

6. Canada's tourism industry on verge of crisis

   Many things have been blamed for recent downturn of the Canadian tourism industry including gas prices, the high Canadian dollar, the downturn in the U.S. economy, 9-11 and the SARS crisis.

7. New [US] Airline Passengers Rights Bill A Victory

   ...These plans must detail how the air carrier will provide food, water, restroom facilities, ventilation, and necessary medical treatment for passengers on board an aircraft that is on the ground for an extended time period without terminal access.

8. Bhutan increases tourism tariff for foreign tourists

   The country will increase daily tariff for tourists entering the country by US$50...from $200 to $250 [to offset the deline in the US$ and increase in tour operating costs]. However, the revised tariff will be applicable only during the peak seasons.

9. Australia | Desperately seeking a tourist trap

   Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has pilloried the previous government's "so where the bloody hell are you" tourism campaign, calling it a "rolled-gold disaster". Tourism Australia is expected to announce the name of the advertising agency this week that will...

10. TripAdvisor acquires VirtualTourist and OneTime

    TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel community and an operating company of Expedia, announced it has acquired VirtualTourist.com, Inc., a leader in user-generated travel content since 1999, and OneTime.com, Inc., a leader in travel booking comparison.

11. New Zealand tourism revenue hits record

    International tourism contributed $6.7 billion to total New Zealand exports, and domestic tourism expenditure was $8.6 billion, the agency said. International visitors increased 2.8 percent to 2.5 million in the year to March 2007...

12. Unique bobsled tourist attraction opens in Jamaica

    The expansive multi-million-dollar tourism attraction features an exciting and unique Jamaican Bobsled ride through the lush tropical forest, a chairlift journey over the verdant countryside, a zip-line canopy adventure through the treetops, an island...

Travelography #117: US-UK Border, Quake-Lakes, and Best Travelers

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 23 June 2008:

1. US and UK border agencies agree to expedite travel

   the Global Entry pilot program builds upon other trusted traveler programs, such as NEXUS (with Canada) and SENTRI (with Mexico), designed to facilitate and expedite the entry process for pre-registered low-risk international travelers into the US.

2. China to turn dangerous 'quake lakes' into tourist spots

   "The scientific development of the quake lakes will be an important part of the rebuilding plan of new Beichuan," Chen Xingchuan, head of the Communist Party's Beichuan Rebuilding Committee was quoted as saying.

3. Beijing tourists to France drop 70 percent, ambassador says

   According to a recent survey cited by the China Daily, many Chinese have developed negative feelings toward France after the Paris leg of the international Beijing Olympic torch relay was thrown into chaos by pro-Tibet protesters in April.

4. Hoteliers vote Japanese world's best tourists

   They rated the travellers on manners, willingness to learn the local language and sample the cuisine, tidiness, generosity and stylishness. The Japanese won top prize for being overall best tourists...American tourists came in at number 11 overall.

5. Lyndhurst [NJ] is suing travel websites for its local hotel tax

   ...the internet travel sites negotiate room prices with hotels at a wholesale rate, then charge travelers who book through their websites a higher retail rate. However, the companies remit taxes only on the lower wholesale rate, the lawsuit charged.

6. State panel kills cruise safety bill that would have put peace officers aboard ships sailing from California ports

   It would have been the most stringent regulation in an industry that victim-rights advocates contend is governed by a vague web of federal and international rules that allows crime and crime reporting to fall through the cracks.

7. Bush-Wacked! President Causes 40K Delays

   Nearly 40,000 travelers will remember U.S. President George W. Bush's stopover in London. Their flights were canceled or delayed at Heathrow Airport to accommodate him, according to British Airways.
   
   

Travelography #116: Carry-On Baggage Police + Other Innovations

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 16 June 2008:

1. Olympic Fever in Xinjiang

   With the Beijing Olympic torch expected in Xinjiang on its nationwide tour, authorities have also confiscated the passports of some Muslims, Uighurs told AFP. "They are afraid people might travel abroad and join some sort of plot against the Olympics,"

2. Murders prompt warning to Jamaica tourists

   After three people were murdered in Jamaica last weekend, travellers to the island were warned not to hire self-drive cars but instead to take organised tours and taxis.

3. Orbitz to automatically refund travelers when their airfares drop

   If that happens, Orbitz will issue a refund for the difference, between $5 and $250 per traveler. Orbitz will continue tracking until the day of the customer's flight. Each time the price drops and another customer books, the refund amount will increase.

4. Turkish private airline restarts regular flights to Nothern Iraq

   Although Arbil is a high-risk area in terms of security, charter companies have always been interested in flying to the region because of the high profitability.

5. The carry-on-baggage police will soon be out in force at US airports

   American and United will station airline employees or hired contract workers at entrances to security screening lanes to intercept customers exceeding the carry-on limit of one bag small enough to fit in an overhead bin and one personal item like a purse>

6. 60 percent of couples fight on holiday

   The reasons for holiday tiffs differ enormously throughout Europe. With their latin temperaments, the Spanish are especially prone to react aggressively to their partners’ flirting: 60 percent of them named jealousy as the reason for arguments.

7. Top 10 travel innovations of the past 10 years

   So many ideas came in that they put the 20 finalists to a vote at BudgetTravel.com - results: Online maps, Digital cameras, Online checkin, GPS, Worldwide ATMs, Cell phones, Global Internet access, TripAdvisor, Online booking, and Roller bags

Travelography #115: WW3 on the Beach and Wilding the Great Plains

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Stories discussed in this podcast from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 9 June 2008:

Camera Karma: Find Your Lost Pics Here! http://tinyurl.com/6p4agn

India tourists stranded after group calls strike
http://tinyurl.com/6ds9q2

U.S. Tightens Rules for Foreign Travelers
http://tinyurl.com/4ntpzy

Mexico reimburses foreign tourists for sales tax expenditures
http://tinyurl.com/5gq7ty

Germans, Brits at War Again...Over Towels http://tinyurl.com/5ekobq

The Great Plains Restored and Ready for Eco-Tourists http://tinyurl.com/5ctqo4

Travelography #114: Families NOT First, $FO & Hello Kitty

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Links to this week's stories

(also available at http://twitter.com/travelography)

American and United airlines takes on family pre-boarding: Families with small children may request.. http://tinyurl.com/6ja7py

Americans take 41 million fewer flights, survey shows: More than half of respondents said either.. http://tinyurl.com/6f7x26

French tour operators say Chinese boycottof France ‘catastrophic’: French authorities are trying to.. http://tinyurl.com/6xvh3b

San Francisco rakes in billions in traveler dollars: retweet @latimestravel - On my last trip there.. http://tinyurl.com/5qnjj8

Hello Kitty to be appointed Japan's tourism ambassador: It will mark the first time a cartoon .. http://tinyurl.com/5jddjv

Eco-communities around the world open up to tourists: Environmentally conscious travelers can find .. http://tinyurl.com/6xz8me

TGPodcast #63: Dubai World Tourism Conference in 15 Minutes

This is a Travel Geography Podcast related post (click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

This is a soundseeing (sst) tour from the World Travel and Tourism Council Summit in Dubai (20-22 April 2008) that I attended. It includes three elements:

1. About 5 minutes from an Intro to Dubai city tour,
2. A short and interesting segment of a presentation from the conference, and
3. A segment of the Gala Dinner, which closes with my visit to a fortune teller (entertainment for the dinner guests).

The whole presentation is about 20 minutes due to my introduction section. The actual Dubai part is 14 minutes.

SOME PHOTOS:

The conference site was adjacent to the Burj Al Arab (literally, 'the Arab Tower') - the self-described 7-Star Hotel, with daily rates running US$1,200 to $12,000 a night.


The Dental Spa - near the area where the tour guide talks about houses owned by Emerati that are rented out to expatriate workers.


Fortune telling, henna, and Arabic calligraphy were some of the entertainment for guests at the conference's Gala Dinner.


More Dubai photos can be found on my Flickr site at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alew/sets

Travelography #113: China, Thailand, UK, US, Iraq, and Airlines

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THIS WEEK'S STORIES: China's Premier On-Line Travel Booking Site Launches in the U.S.: China's premier and fastest-growi.. http://tinyurl.com/58sppl about 22 hours ago
Tourism Authority of Thailand launches the amazing Experience Video Contest and the Thailand Portfo.. http://tinyurl.com/6rjn7u about 22 hours ago
Green Hotel Rating System Launched in Great Britain: The Green Start project aims to encourage a â€.. http://tinyurl.com/5wzdft 06:08 PM May 05, 2008
Iraq signs deals for 40 planes from Boeing: "Today, the process of developing economy has started,".. http://tinyurl.com/6kpmjk 06:08 PM May 05, 2008
Global Traffic Continues to Slow: The slowdown in the demand growth continues the sharp downward tr.. http://tinyurl.com/65warx 06:08 AM May 04, 2008 Airline torches woman's baggage: The airline reportedly issued Blewitt a "baggage irregularity rece.. http://tinyurl.com/5ocuds ----- THESE AND OTHER TRAVEL AND TOURISM STORIES CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT HTTP:/TWITTER/TRAVELOGRAPHY LOOK FOR THE NEW TRAVELOGRAPHY PODCAST COMING IN JUNE 2008

Oman's Musandam Peninsula - A Travelography 2.0 Podcast

Three Photos from Oman's Musandam Peninsula. More photos can be found in my Oman Set at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alew


Our "Dhow" - traditional Omani wooden fishing boat -- though these are for tourists.

View of part of Bhuka, Oman

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST - in case the player below does not work for you.

Mobile post sent by alew using Utterz. Replies. mp3

TGPodcast #63: A Rennaissance in the 21st c. - by D'Arcy Dornan

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast related post (click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

REPOST WITH SLIDECAST: This Podcast was originaly posted in late November 2007. I recently made it into a Slidecast (with the original slides from D'Arcy Dornan), so am reposting it today.

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Today's podcast is the last of my recordings from the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, held in San Francisco, CA in April 2007. I also talk about changing the name of the Geography for Travelers Podcast to the Travel Geography Podcast.

And I talk about my new Travelography 2.0 Podcast for NaPodPoMo on Utterz.com.

Length: 36min 03sec
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Abstract from the AAG.org website:

Tourism Geographies: a Renaissance in the 21st Centurytrave
Author: D'Arcy J. Dornan, Ph.D. - Central Connecticut State University

Geography departments are seemingly well positioned to take advantage of the growth in the popularity of tourism as a field of study. The ever-growing international reputation of the journal Tourism Geographies is a good case in point if we can use this journal's success as an indicator of this trend. This paper aims to evaluate and discuss the impacts of academic managerialism and capitalism and related processes to the development of programs, both academic and professional, relating to the geography of tourism, the geography of tourism and hospitality, and to the professional development of tourism. Concrete and recent examples of the aforementioned program types will be drawn from program development efforts in both California and Connecticut. These 'case studies' will be examined and used to illustrate their significant impacts on the growth of this field within geography. Additional comments and conclusions will be taken from one of last year's panel discussions on a different but related topic entitled: 'Tourism geography: lost realities and prospective opportunities,' which sought to assess the current situation and future trends in the academic tourism geographer community in its ability to meet the needs and challenges of the tourism and hospitality industry and of academia.
Keywords: tourism, geography, impacts, California, Connecticut

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Direct .MP3 download: G4T-TGPod-60-28Novt07-TourismGeographies-DArcyDornan.mp3

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TGPodcast #62: Defining Place Authenticity: My Heritage Can Beat Up Your History

This is a Travel Geography Podcast related post (click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

This is a recording of a classroom presentation made by me in April 2008 at the National University of Singapore. The entire podcast is 50+ minutes long. I do two things in this podcast: (1) discuss four thematic communities / retail districts in the state of Oregon (Sisters, Junction City, Oakland and Florence) -- based on my Master's Thesis from many years ago; and (2) discusses five perspectives on authenticity which are then applied to the four cases studies. There is also some background perspectives on the issue of authenticity and some conclusions at the end.

The powerpoint slides for this presentatin can be found here:
http://www.slideshare.net/alew/slideshows

I also created the Slidecast, below. However, I had a hell of a time working with the interface -- not sure what the problem was. So only the first few slides are synchronized with the lecture. You have to make your own way through the remainder.

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Direct download: TGPod62-13Apr08-Defining-Authenticity.mp3