Ha! Now this is funny. As you surely know, I love to whine and complain about things I don’t like, including banal, regurgitative, one-upsman, and/or... »
Cultural Tourism
Tourism Dollars and Sustainable Land Use vs. Loss of Culture at the Gocta Falls
This Slate story and the accompanying video are pretty interesting. They tell of a remote village in Peru whose people had been living in the shadow of a huge waterfall that no on else in the world knew about. Once it was “discovered” in 2005, tourism has become popular and the village has changed... »
The Around the World Dream Becomes a Reality (Soon)
Now this is exciting. We have a big new project that is going to keep us super busy (along with our paying jobs, volunteer activities, family obligations, soccer on the weekends, drinking red wine, and avoiding Facebook): Planning a year-long, around-the-world trip! Sadly, this trip is not for us, but it is for someone very... »
This Week’s New York Times: Homestay in Guatemala and a Low Opinion for Slum Tourism
Whenever we travel, we don’t feel like writing about travel – ironic, no? So, since we just got back from a nice road trip in Chile, we’ll leave you with the following two articles from this week’s New York Times: 1. An opinion column on the nastiness of slum tourism. We’ve written about this before but... »
Fake Cultural Tourism in Guam?
Dave Davis writes a thought-provoking column about Guam’s cultural tourism (or lack thereof) in this week’s Pacific Daily News. He argues that while Guam’s history and indigenous people can claim authentic and unique cultural cultural aspects, these are not the ones presently shown to tourists. He writes: “… nearly everything purported to be culturally indigenous almost certainly... »
Promoting Indigenous Tourism
With all the different types of tourism, sometimes it’s hard to sift through and find the ones that are truly worth the effort. Poorism? Not so much a fan, thanks. Staycation? Uh, no. But here’s one that absosmurfly should be on your radar screen if you’re interested in socially conscious tourism, ecotourism, or sustainable tourism:... »
Ecotourism and Cultural Tourism in Cyprus – Opa!
Cyprus is a small island country in the Mediterranean Sea south of Turkey. Though a small country both in land and population, because of its location, Cyprus has been occupied by major powers throughout history: Hittites, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, and Ottomans. These occupations have led to Cyprus now being able to... »
Building from Scratch the Best Eco-Tourism Project in the History of the Universe
After a particularly inspiring trip to Chile this holiday season, we are embarking on a plan to fulfill a long-awaiting dream of opening and operating our own ecotourism facility and program. Yes, unless we get financial backing (dream on, sistah), this plan and its implementation may be many years in the making. But, we... »
Cultural Tourism in Argentina Heating Up
Is it finally time to head down to Buenos Aires like you know you’ve been wanting to do for years now? Sure, buy a leather jacket, eat some steak, but don’t think you’re going to find your own Maria Belen right away, alright? Let’s not go overboard on the whole cultural tourism thing, people. »
Orbitz’s Petition on Travel to Cuba: Fidel, Here We Come!
Check out Orbitz – getting’ all political! The online travel company has put together a website and petition promoting the legalization of travel for U.S. citizens to Cuba. We applaud their efforts and encourage all of you to sign the petition. We won’t attempt to do a better job than they have of just why this transcends... »
Cruising with Karl
How fitting is this? Karl Rove and a bunch of other Bush apologists are inviting you to spend up to $14,000 to come pollute the ocean and the air with them on a luxury cruise in the Mediterranean. But it figures. According to the League of Conservation Voters (and other environmental organizations): “The Bush administration has arguably... »
