GSA Scandal May Damage Travel Industry

GSA Scandal May Damage Travel Industry
Travel Agent
Reflecting concerns with the economic impact of the ongoing General Services Administration (GSA) scandal, the US Travel Association is asking for industry input and reports it is actively working with policymakers and the industry to contain the ... 

Turkish tourism feels ripples of Arab Spring
Reuters
By Lin Noueihed | DJERBA, Tunisia (Reuters) - Thirteen months of unrest in Syria have hurt tourism in neighbouring Turkey, which expects visitor numbers to remain stable in 2012 at more than 30 million, Turkish Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay said on ...

President of Wyndham Vacation Rentals North America to Speak at Mountain ...
MarketWatch (press release)
This event will examine how the ever-growing "Daily Deals" phenomenon pioneered by companies like Groupon(TM) and LivingSocial is affecting the travel and tourism industry. Milne will provide commentary on how these deals can be used as an effective ...

A Minor Diversion: Playing House In A Vacation Rental
Huffington Post (blog)
By renting a vacation home instead of staying at a hotel, we've fooled ourselves into thinking we are Istanbullus. Our family has been traveling around the world for five months and has spent only a handful of nights in conventional hotels. We travel ...

Inntopia selected by Amadeus to provide Ski & Mountain Vacation channel to ...
MarketWatch (press release)
... 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Inntopia announced today it has been selected by Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, to power its ski channel for users of Amadeus Vacation Link, ...

LeaderSail Signs TripInsurance.com as Preferred Travel Insurance Provider for ...
MarketWatch (press release)
The shipboard seamanship training is structured to build character and promote leadership skills in the cadets, but enrollees are required to carry some form of travel insurance, including travel medical coverage before they sail.

Titanic relatives travel to Belfast to remember those lost in 1912 disaster
IrishCentral
They traveled from near and far to remember the Titanic dead in Ireland on the one hundredth anniversary of the liner's sinking. Belfast, the city that built the White Star's pride and joy, paid its own tributes to the victims of the 1912 disaster as a ...

Travel To Go Increases Sponsorship of Timeshare and Fractional Expo GNEX 2013
PR.com (press release)
The vacation services company will be a Gold sponsor of Perspective Magazine's timeshare and fractional industry networking and awards event. Orlando, FL, April 16, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Perspective Magazine announces that travel club membership company ...

Social travel sites start to rethink their tactics
GigaOM
By Ryan Kim Apr. 16, 2012, 7:36am PT No Comments In November Twigmore, a New York City start-up launched a Facebook-based social travel service into a crowded field — helping people plan trips by turning to their friends. One of the site's key ...

GigaOM

One Year after Quake, Japan's Tourism Still Strong
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Exploring Tokyo: One year after the earthquake, tsunami and partial meltdown, Japan's tourismis up. But some travelers are not quite ready. exploringtokyo.com (a contemporary online travelguide for travelers visiting Tokyo) takes a deeper look at ...

Vacation and investment home sales hit a five-year high last year
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Sales of vacation and investment homes across the country spiked last year, rising to their highest level since 2005, according to a annual survey of investment- andvacation-home sales from the National Association of Realtors.

Minneapolis Star Tribune

The Frugal Traveler: Making the most of vacation rentals
Sacramento Bee
By MYSCHA THERIAULT While peer-to-peer vacation rentals may provide a rock-bottom price point and the ability to whip up a bargain breakfast, their distance from main attractions and lack of amenities can sometimes result in additional costs such as ...

Tourism Queensland's search for the world's best bloggers
USA TODAY (blog)
Three years on from running the 'best job in the world' campaign, Tourism Queensland is once again searching for some of the world's best bloggers to come visit. Not only do they want them to come visit, Tourism Queensland wants to cover all the costs.

Tourism survey claims 'staycation' rise in Wales
BBC News
The Wales figures are the highest since the Great Britain Tourism Survey began in 2006. Business minister Edwina Hart said the figures were positive but the task was to improve on them. An additional £850000 has been allocated to the Visit Wales UK ...

BBC News

Thai Medical Tourism Market Analyzed in New Renub Research Study Published at ...
MarketWatch (press release)
LONDON, Apr 16, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Thailand is leading Asia as a medical tourismdestination, holding more than 40% share in the region's medical tourist arrivals in 2011. Its medical tourism market was around USD 2 billion last year, ...

Tourism promotion pays off
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Balmy weather, beautiful beaches and visitors with bucks to spend have long been the been the benchmarks for successful tourist seasons. This season, the weather has been pleasantly warm and dry, Siesta Beach has been ranked the best beach in the world ...

Business travelers are doing more on fewer trips, study says
Los Angeles Times
Many of them are staying a few extra nights to handle more work instead of making multiple excursions, according to the Global Business Travel Assn. report. A Transportation Security Administration agent demonstrates how to stand in an X-ray machine at ...

Los Angeles Times

When Consumers Talk, Contigo(r) Listens: First Handled Travel Mugs Featuring ...
MarketWatch (press release)
CHICAGO, Apr 16, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- With the launch of three new first-of-their-kind products, Contigo, a leading brand of innovative travel mugs and hydration bottles, shows it has a handle on what its consumers want when it comes to ...

Some cool travel websites
Sacramento Bee
By ELLEN CREAGER Lowdown: Leave your dog at a pet sitter's house instead of a kennel when you travel. This new site links up people willing to watch dogs overnight with travelers who need someone to watch Fido. Lowdown: Brides and grooms can register ...

Qatar Fund Buys Italy's Costa Smeralda Resort, Sheikh Hamad Says
Bloomberg
Italy's Costa Smeralda resort area on the island of Sardinia has been bought by Qatar's investment fund, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said. “We have invested in Sardinia given the importance of the area,” Sheikh Hamad said at a news ...

Palm Desert Resort Celebrates Recognition as a Top Tennis Destination with ...
PR Web (press release)
In honor of netting a prestigious nod from a national sports magazine, the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa will offer tennis players a deal that they will surely love. In honor of netting a prestigious nod from a national sports magazine,...

PR Web (press release)

Vacation.com Offers High-end Ship Inspections
Travel Agent
Vacation.com reports it will host its sixth in a series of seven high-end ship inspections on April 18 when a group of Vacation.com concierge hosts in theVacation Vignettes program will tour the Azamara Journey in New York, NY.

Travel Agent

Tunisia still wants sun lovers, Islamist gov't says
Reuters
By Lin Noueihed and Tarek Amara | TUNIS (Reuters) - Sun worshippers are welcome on Tunisia's beaches even though an Islamist government now runs the Mediterranean country which relies heavily on tourism to fill its coffers, its prime minister said on ...

Shadowbrook Resort to name tournament after 92-year-old member Fran Turner
Scranton Times-Tribune
By marty myers (STAFF WRITER) marty myers / staff photo Colin Hopkins, left, director of golf at Shadowbrook, presents Fran Turner with a plaque honoring him and naming the Wyoming County resort's opening-day tournament the Francis Turner Classic.

Scranton Times-Tribune

Angel Fire Resort to Add 20 Miles of New Mountain Bike Trails in 2012; Growth ...
MarketWatch (press release)
ANGEL FIRE, NM, Apr 16, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Angel Fire Resort, looking to cement its reputation as one of the best mountain biking destinations in the Rockies, has announced aggressive plans to grow its size and audience this summer.

Immigration mounts surveillance to check passport racketeering
By mbgolu
ABUJA—Newly posted comptroller of Ikoyi/Festac Passport Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mr Sessi Patrick Adeshola, said yesterday that the command had put in place intelligence/surveillance unit to checkmate touts and ...
Vanguard News

Workaholic Rihanna Had Trouble Relaxing On Hawaiian Vacation ...
Rihanna struggled to enjoy the month-long vacation she took at the start of 2012 as she was ridden with anxiety thinking about work. The hitmaker invited a group of friends to join her on a Hawaiian vacation after she wrapped up a lengthy ...
Starpulse Entertainment News

State Officials Consider New Tourist Attraction
DENVER (AP) -- State officials are considering a proposal to turn a Denver-metro area archaeological dig into a tourist attraction. The Denver Post reports the Colorado Economic Development Division this month will examine the proposal to ...
KKTV - HomePage - Headlines

Solo travel by train from India to Sikkim via Varanasi | Asia Forum ...
By Elisabeth54
Advice requested about following: off the beaten track solo travel to Kolkata, Varanasi, Darjeeling and Sikkim. Arr and dep Kolkata. Solo travel for four weeks during May, ... about itinerary in view of expected weather conditions. All advice and suggestions about travel, train and cars, accommodation, retreats, daytrips and e.g. clothing most welcome! ... We were not impressed with Darjeeling - and it certainly isn't off the tourist track. If you are interested, click on my name and you'll see a ...
Community

Gonzalo Lira: You Are Free To Travel—If The IRS Lets You
By Gonzalo Lira
The right to travel freely is sacrosanct—it's not some privilege that the government bestows on us: It's one of our basic freedoms as citizens. In point of fact, the countries that have limited their citizens' ability to travel—the Soviet Union, the ...
Gonzalo Lira

Gay traveler boom is targeted by Ireland's tourism industry | Irish ...
Gay traveler boom is targeted by Ireland's tourism industry: Large segments of Ireland's all-important tourism industry are pulling out all the stops to woo the moneyed gay traveler to the Emerald Isle. ... Given that the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association has valued the Irish gay tourism market at $400 million, it's not surprising that hoteliers and tour operators are keen to offer packages that appeal to same sex couples. According to a report in the Irish version of the U.K. ...
IrishCentral

Guyana's nature tourist arrivals climbing- CTO Chairman | Latest
By demerarawaves@gmail.com (Denis Scott Chabrol)
“The good news, colleagues, is that Guyana's decision to better manage its vast forest resources and to be responsible in its development strategy is attracting more and more attention from the world of travel and tourism, especially the ...
Home

Governments Eye Up Tourist Taxes
By Editor
Governments and tax authorities around the world are showing increasing interest in implementing more taxes on the tourist industry. ... upkeep of national parks, walkways and tourist facilities. However, both the Motel Association of New Zealand and the New Zealand Tourism Industry Association oppose the idea, and claimed that such a levy would be hard to collect and administer, and would lead to damage of New Zealand's image as a world class international travel destination.
Taxation: News & Information

CTO confab urged to tap adventure tourism here - Stabroek News ...
By Stabroek staff
The 13th annual Caribbean Tourism Organization conference yesterday opened in Georgetown with its keynote speaker lauding Guyana's effort to lead in.
Stabroek News

The Art of Shaving Travel Kit & Razor | Fashion Pulse Daily
By admin
Featuring the brand's signature “The 4 Elements of the Perfect Shave” (Pre-Shave Oil, Pure Badger Shaving Brush, Shaving Cream and After-Shave Balm), this Travel Kit also comes with a Fusion Razor found attached to an upscale, carved ...
Fashion Pulse Daily

The Season Begins for Reward Travel | Travel News from Fodor's ...
By ncampoy@fodors.com
Vacation season is fast approaching and that means travelers are cashing in rewards to book trips. According to a ... Twenty percent of those planning a family vacation this spring have redeemed or plan to redeem rewards for their travel.
Fodor's Travel News

Obama needs a vacation from questions about his vacations | The ...
By Jim Treacher
The great thing about narcissists is that they're fueled by spite. When you embarrass a narcissist and therefore damage his ego, he can't help but try to get back at you. Even if he ends up hurting only himself. Last week, in an interview with ...
The Daily Caller

Travel Kit - Pickpocket-proof pants and other gear to keep your ...
A long-planned adventure can quickly turn to mush if a pickpocket makes off with your passport, cash, credit cards or keys. ... “It seems to happen a lot in heavy tourist zones in London, Italy and even some Asian countries. ... ago. More families booking vacation rentals as alternative to hotels ...
travelkit.msnbc.msn.com/_.../11184638-pickpocket-proof-pan...

Obama in Colombia: 'Part of My Job Is to Scout Out Where I May ...
“When we travel, we've got to travel through Secret Service and Air Force One. ... trips home to Texas at this stage of his presidency, the Obamas vacation-day ...
cnsnews.com/.../obama-colombia-part-my-job-scout-out-wher...

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