tourism

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In Recession, Sewage Tour, Offbeat Destinations Thrive

Offbeat local museums, tours see record demand

(Newser) - With fancy island getaways now out of most people's price range, alternative attractions are gaining ground, Newsweek reports. Local families have begun flocking to Louisiana's oil rig museum, San Francisco's sewage-plant tour, and Ireland's Famine Museum, perhaps in a spirit of "things are bad, but at least they're not...

Today's Bargain: Australia's Islands

(Newser) - No man is an island—but now is the time for him to own one. Australia’s ritzy Queensland island resorts are going for bargain prices, but between the recession, a slew of natural disasters, and a nasty oil spill, no one’s biting, reports the Telegraph. Dunk Island is...

Mexico's Ailing Tourism Hit by Swine Flu

Outbreak whacks industry already reeling from drug violence

(Newser) - The swine flu outbreak is wreaking havoc on Mexico's tourism industry, already severely weakened by a worsening drug war. Tourism dropped 20% over the weekend, the head of a hotel association tells the New York Times. With most attractions closed, tourists already in the capital were seen in masks as...

Travelers Flock to Nazi Tours

For many tourists, Germany means beer and Hitler

(Newser) - The world has moved on in many ways, but for many tourists, a visit to Germany often boils down to two things: beer and Hitler. "I'm no Nazi," said an American who's spending most of his four-day visit on Hitler's trail. "I'm just interested in Germany....

US, Others to Curb Antarctic Tourism

(Newser) - Nations led by the US have pledged to check the quickly growing Antarctica tourism industry, the BBC reports. Nearly 30 nations signed a treaty to bar ships carrying more than 500 passengers from landing on the continent and to limit the number of people from a ship on shore to...

Berlin Pols Target 'Disneyland' Soldiers

They're turning serious monument into 'Disneyland:' officials

(Newser) - German politicians want the fake Cold War soldiers who pose near Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate gone, because they’re turning a somber symbol of the nation’s unification into “Disneyland,” Der Spiegel reports. The performers don American, East German, and Soviet military gear and snap photos with tourists...

Artsy Americans Offer Preview of Cuba Thaw

Travel to Cuba shows signs of loosening

(Newser) - American tourists are flooding into Cuba as the freeze between the countries shows signs of thawing, reports the Los Angeles Times. For the recent Cuban Biennale art show, young Americans arrived to enjoy the culture and nightlife, defying the longstanding travel ban. With a bill to lift restrictions pending in...

Religious Tourists Still Flocking to Italy

Easter likely to see 100,000 in St. Peter's Square

(Newser) - While industries around the world feel the weight of recession, Italy’s religious tourism appears fairly immune, USA Today reports. “It's one of the only areas where things haven't slowed down much," said a religious tour marketer. "Religious pilgrims still want to have the same experiences”—...

Tourists Return to Iraq
 Tourists Return to Iraq 
Mar 21, 2009 3:18 AM CDT

Tourists Return to Iraq

First group of Western tourists since invasion arrive in Baghdad

(Newser) - The first package tourists since the days of Saddam Hussein have arrived in Baghdad, the Guardian reports. The group—four Brits, two Americans, a Russian, and a Canadian—are on a 17-day tour of the country, taking in the sights of ancient Mesopotamia in a journey that would have been...

Tibet's Long History of Isolation

Since 1800s, governments have secluded region from world

(Newser) - Isolation has long defined Tibet and fueled the region's exotic history, Edward Wong writes in the New York Times. While China's recent clampdown is purely political—this is the 50th anniversary of an attempted uprising—natural remoteness and anti-imperialist struggles have also sealed its borders. “A large element of...

Verona Wants You to Wed Romeo and Juliet Style

(Newser) - Verona, Italy, the scene for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is making a bid to become a “wedding capital,” ANSA reports. Packages include an exchange of vows on the Juliet Balcony, thought by some to be the locale for her famous “Romeo, Romeo” speech. It won’t...

Grumpy Berliners Learn to Smile

Friendliness campaign gives city an image makeover

(Newser) - Berlin may not be a city of churlish insults and bad manners much longer. Long known for the rudeness of its residents, the German capital is on a “friendliness offensive,” Der Spiegel reports. Pegged to its annual tourism convention, Berlin’s campaign aims to boost the number of...

Thais Woo Tourists With New Cocktail

Authorities hope concoction will cure hangover from airport protests

(Newser) - Thailand's tourism authority is hoping the Siam Sunray will wash away the lingering aftertaste of airport anarchy, the Guardian reports. The newly invented cocktail—made with vodka and traditional Thai ingredients like Kaffir lime and lemongrass—was unveiled yesterday as part of a campaign to bolster a tourism industry battered...

Western Tourists Return to Iraq (With Armed Guards)

(Newser) - A group of tourists is heading to Iraq next month for a whirlwind tour of a dozen sites including Baghdad, Babylon, and Basra, the Daily Telegraph reports. It’s the first time Westerners have dared vacation in the country since 2003, and the Surrey-based Hinterland Travel organizing the tour isn’...

The World's Worst Vacation: Zimbabwe
The World's Worst Vacation: Zimbabwe
travel
Feb 10, 2009 10:32 AM CST

The World's Worst Vacation: Zimbabwe

Amid disease and starvation, a tourism industry clings on

(Newser) - Zimbabwe's currency is worthless, its population is almost entirely unemployed, and a thuggish government uses intimidation, censorship, and torture to maintain an iron grip on power. Why would any tourist want to go there? For Jocelyn C. Zuckerman, writing in Gourmet, a trip to Robert Mugabe's ruined nation is eye-opening—...

Strip Clubs Look to Score at Super Bowl

Super Bowl venue is lap dance capital

(Newser) - The road to Super Bowl XLIII is paved with Tampa's 43 strip clubs, and their owners are expecting a bonanza, the AP reports. Some are going the extra mile to attract free-spending Super Bowl tourists, spiffing up their interiors, hiring extra dancers, and keeping doors open around the clock. Although...

Heady Times for DC Hookers, Coke Dealers

Both are booming as tourists flock to inauguration

(Newser) - Barack Obama has already done his part to boost the economy—for Washington’s prostitutes and drug dealers, who tell New York they’re experiencing quite the boom in business thanks to inauguration travelers. Some prostitutes came into town specifically for the event and are already “pretty booked up;...

Amid Recession, Visitors Flock to National Parks

Every dollar spent on parks generates $4 in spending

(Newser) - Local economies enjoyed a federal bailout of sorts from National Parks visitors, who spent $11.8 billion in businesses surrounding parks and monuments last year. For every government dollar dispensed on upkeep and some 200,000 workers, $4 were generated in local spending, reports the Washington Times. Sales were up...

Calm Is a Tourist Boon for Bethlehem

West Bank sees record influx, boost to Palestinian economy

(Newser) - More than 1.3 million visitors took advantage of the relative peace between Israel and Palestine to visit Jesus Christ’s birthplace this year, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The streets around Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity—abandoned except for Israeli military jeeps just 6 years ago amid an...

Hawaii Tries in Vain to Cash In on Obama Fame

Obama tour operators say business is slow

(Newser) - The Hawaii tourist trade is doing its best to spin some dollars out of Obamania, Politico reports. Tour companies are hyping visits to the president-elect's old Honolulu neighborhood, and the Baskin-Robbins where Obama worked as a teen is selling a new "Swirl of Change" flavor: chocolate, caramel, and nuts...

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