Rent-a-fort in India’s Rajasthan
JAIPUR, 20 January 2012: One of India’s prime tourist attractions, the princely forts and palaces of Rajasthan state, are hoping for a new lease on life — literally.
More than 2 million domestic and foreign tourists visit Rajasthan every year for a glimpse of the state’s royal past and to experience the architectural legacy of kingdoms that lost their identity when India became a republic.
Topping the must-see list in the desert state are sites like the majestic Mehrangarh Fort, which dominates the skyline over the city of Jodhpur, and Jaipur’s 16th century Amber Palace. Read more
Asia Pacific sustains Q1 growth
May 23, 2011 by TTRweekly Staff
Filed under News, Pacific
BANGKOK, 23 May 2011 – Asia Pacific tourist arrivals improved 5% during the first quarter of 2011, according to data provided by the Pacific Asia Travel Association late last week.
PATA monitored a sharp fall in arrivals to Japan following the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, coupled with the decline in arrivals from the Middle East and North Africa. It caused a “subdued 3% growth” in the region during March.
International visitor arrivals to South Asia grew by 10% in March and 13% in the first quarter. All the leading destinations in the Indian-subcontinent – India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka – reported double-digit growth for the quarter. Read more
Fiji resorts swamped by waves
WELLINGTON, 20 May 2011 – Huge waves swamped dozens of hotel rooms and damaged sea walls at tourist resorts in Fiji, Friday, but there were no reports of casualties, police said.
The waves hit the Coral Coast, Fiji’s main tourist destination, Friday morning, dumping logs and debris, police said.
They said some tourists at the Tambua Sands resort had to move to higher ground after water entered their rooms and 30 rooms were swamped at the Shangri-La resort. Read more
Scott returns to Pata
BANGKOK, 18 May 2011-Pacific Asia Travel Association has teamed up with its former communications director, Ken Scott, to run its public relations efforts over the next few months.
Mr Scott follows on from Punam Mohandas, who left the association last Friday, after just 10 months working for the organisation.
He declined to give any details of his “arrangement” claiming it was a private matter. However, he did say he was “happy to be working for such a respected international organisation.” Read more
Wanted: Sharks alive not dead
PARIS, 3 May 2011 – A single reef shark can be worth nearly US$2 million in tourism revenue over its lifetime, according to a study released Monday by researchers in Australia.
The analysis from the Pacific island nation of Palau shows that sharks — hunted worldwide for their fins, a Chinese delicacy — are worth many times more to some local economies alive than dead.
“Sharks can literally be a ‘million-dollar’ species and a significant economic driver,” said lead author Mark Meekan, a scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Christchurch travel bookings collapse
March 7, 2011 by Paphada Apimonton
Filed under News, Pacific
BANGKOK, 7 March 2011 – About 80% of all travel bookings to New Zealand’s southern island were cancelled according to reports by Thailand’s leading outbound travel companies specialising in the destination.
On 22 February a 6.3 magnitude earthquake devastated down town Christchurch causing NZ$15 billion damage and forcing authorities to order demolition of all damaged buildings at the core of this historic town.
Global Link International managing director, Rathanint Pharnintra, said immediate cancellations after the earthquake touched 80% and that included trips departing throughout March and April.
Christchurch hit by dust storms
CHRISTCHURCH, 2 March 2011 – Strong winds whipped up huge dust clouds in earthquake-hit Christchurch Wednesday, as officials defended the devastated city’s building standards.
Gusts of 70 kmph (44 mph) buffeted emergency crews in the ruins of New Zealand’s second largest city, hampering the search for bodies amid fears of masonry dislodging and trees toppling.
“In some places it was difficult to stand up, you’d look across the city and see these enormous clouds of dust blowing down the main avenues — it’s been a terrible day,” mayor Bob Parker said.
Downtown Christchurch in ruins
CHRISTCHURCH, 28 February 2011 – Earthquake-scarred Christchurch braced for a violent windstorm as intense aftershocks rocked the city Monday, creating treacherous conditions for rescuers scouring the rubble.
The battered city also faced a new danger when cracks opened in a cliff overlooking suburban streets, forcing more residents to flee their homes in the wake of last Tuesday’s 6.3-magnitude tremor.
The death toll from the disaster reached 148 Monday but police have already said they expect the final tally to exceed 200, with more than 50 still listed as “unaccounted for” in the rubble of New Zealand’s second largest city.
Floods hit Aussie tourism
BRISBANE, 17 January 2011- Brisbane is a travel hub for tourists and the gateway to the pristine beaches, rugged outback, tropical rainforests and Great Barrier Reef of Australia’s famed ‘Sunshine State’.
But the floodwaters that surged through the city last week, depositing tons of putrid mud and debris, have shut down Brisbane’s arts precinct, closed cafes, damaged hotels and scarred the image of tourist friendly Queensland.
“We depend on backpackers, yes, they are scared, they don’t want to go to Fraser Island or the Whitsundays, or the Gold Coast, they are afraid of being stuck on the road,” explains Lindsey Frazer of backpacker specialist Wicked Travel.
GSTC board names Pacific rep
January 12, 2011 by TTRweekly Staff
Filed under News, Pacific
SYDNEY 12 January 2011 – The Board of Directors of the new United Nations endorsed Global Sustainable Tourism Council has appointed Australian-based, Steve Noakes, as it sole representative from the Pacific region to its recently formed Washington DC based board.
Noakes is a founding director of an international project management company, Pacific Asia Tourism Pty Ltd, a director of Eco-lodges Indonesia, member of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics and adjunct professor at Griffith University, Australia.
