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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: tourism

tourism stories: 101 news summaries

1 - 20 of 101 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>

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Green Joyride Sours
for Paris' Rental Bikes

Vandalism, theft hurt pioneering program

Oct 31, 09 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - A public bicycle-rental program launched in Paris in 2007 amid green good feeling has found reality to be a rough ride. Locals and tourists alike get unlimited access to Vélib’s fleet for about $1.50 a day, but some 80% of the $3,500 bikes have been stolen... More »

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crime • tourism • Paris • bicycles • green transportation • V?lib'

 Tourists Seek Mythical  
 Lesbian City in Sweden 

Men looking for city of 25,000 women badger Swedish tourist authorities

Oct 8, 09 1:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rumors of a city of 25,000 lesbians have led hordes of men to contact Swedish tourist authorities and swamp the nation's Internet providers. Chinese media especially have spread the tale of “Chako Paul City,” supposedly founded in 1820 in northern Sweden by a man-hating widow who banned... More »

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China • tourism • lesbians • Sweden • Lesbian

(Newser) - Author Stephenie Meyer had never even been to Forks, Wash., when she chose it, with a little help from Google, as the setting for her wildly popular Twilight books. But that hasn’t stopped fans of the series and the movies it has spawned from flocking to the town,... More »

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entertainment • film • tourism • Washington state • movies • Twilight • Robert Pattinson • Stephenie Meyer • Kristen Stewart • Forks, Washington

 Melting Ice Opens Arctic 
 to Trade, But US Lags 

Climate change opens north to shipping, tourism, resource development

Sep 6, 09 5:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - Climate change is melting away the main barrier to business in the Arctic—ice—but the US lags behind other countries seeking to exploit the region, the Anchorage Daily News reports. As receding ice opens the area to shipping, resource exploitation, and tourism, it's Russia and Canada who have established... More »

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climate change • Russia • Alaska • global warming • tourism • Canada • Arctic • Coast Guard • resources • shipping • Bering Strait • transport

2010 Winter Olympics Feel
a Chill in One Host Town

Construction hassles, dim future depress Whistler residents

Aug 31, 09 3:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Whistler Village, Canada, celebrated when it learned it would host many events as part of the 2010 Winter Olympics in nearby Vancouver. But the honeymoon is pretty much over, the Seattle Times reports. Clogged roads, endless construction, and soon-to-be-closed schools have residents ruing the decision. And their ire doesn’... More »

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tourism • Canada • development • British Columbia • skiing • Olympic Village • Whistler Blackcomb • 2010 Vancouver Olympics • Winter Olympics

(Newser) - The famous Blue Grotto of the Italian island of Capri has been closed after its striking cerulean waters were fouled by raw sewage believed to be dumped by the Mafia, reports the Independent. La Grotta Azzurra, a favorite haunt of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, is celebrated for its striking... More »

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tourism • Italy • Naples • mob • Mafia • sewage • waste disposal management • Blue Grotto • cesspool • Capri

Writer Wrestles With Visit to Long-Necked Thai Tribe

Overcomes angry tour guides, conscience

Aug 23, 09 6:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - Most travel companies refuse to take tourists to Thailand’s Burmese Padaung tribe—whose women wear neck coils that artificially elongate their necks—arguing that the practice is exploitative. But Amit R. Paley, writing for the Washington Post, ultimately found a guide and wrestled down his conscience. "My ability... More »

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travel • Thailand • tourism • women • tribes • Burma • exploitation

(Newser) - Fewer Americans visited Canada last month than at any time since record-keeping began in 1972, as new passport controls and a weak US dollar kept tourists away. One-day car trips dropped 26% from May to June, and US tourists in Canada fell to half their number 5 years ago. The... More »

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travel • tourism • Canada • United States • passport • US-Canadian border • travel restrictions

 N. Korea to Reopen 
 Border With South 

Tourism and reunions with relatives in SK now possible

Aug 17, 09 1:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - North Korea pledged today to reopen its borders with the south for tourism and family visits after reclusive leader Kim Jong-il met with the head of the South Korean Hyundai Group in Pyongyang, reports Reuters. Hyundai's Hyon Jong Un met the ailing Kim to secure the release of a detained... More »

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North Korea • South Korea • tourism • Hyundai • Korean War • Kim Jong Il • border


 Israeli Town 
 Will Pay $1M 
 for Mermaid Pic 

Tourists swarm town after mythical(?) creature siting

Aug 14, 09 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Mermaid fever has hit the Israeli town of Kiryat Yam: Several eyewitnesses recently reported spotting the mythical creature—described as a cross between a girl and a dolphin—frolicking off the coast at sunset. Whether that’s true or not, tourists have been flocking to Kiryat Yam in hopes of... More »

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Israel • tourism • reward • Mermaids

(Newser) - Snorkelers and scuba divers aren’t the worst threat to the embattled coral reefs of the world—climate change, commercial fishing, and pollution take top honors—but the casual tourist can lessen, and even mitigate, the damage he or she causes, Slate reports. Of course, snorkelers shouldn’t purposefully snap... More »

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climate change • environment • pollution • global warming • tourism • ocean • coral reef • diving • snorkeling

Greek Woman Torches
Randy Tourist's Genitals

26-year-old claims Briton removed pants, forcibly fondled her

Aug 6, 09 7:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Greek woman is being hailed as a hero after torching a lecherous British tourist’s genitals, the Telegraph reports. A 23-year-old Briton had allegedly taken off his pants and flashed his privates at women in a nightclub in the resort town of Mallia on the island of Crete. When... More »

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alcohol • tourism • sexual harassment • Greece • Britain • sexual assault • Crete

 You, Too, Can Visit North Korea 

Prepare to be followed by officials everywhere you turn

Aug 6, 09 8:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - You don’t have to be an ex-president to visit North Korea: In fact, your average “private citizen” can make the trip, if he or she doesn't mind a few inconveniences, writes Christopher Beam for Slate. To head to Pyongyang, apply for a visa via North Korea’s UN... More »

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North Korea • travel • tourism • Bill Clinton • Pyongyang

(Newser) - Being the site of one of the world's worst nuclear accidents is an unlikely thing to build a tourist trade on, but the people of Palomares plan to give it a shot, the Wall Street Journal reports. Four hydrogen bombs fell on the tiny Spanish village after a US bomber... More »

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Spain • tourism • nuclear weapons • US military • radioactive • nuclear sites • hydrogen bomb

(Newser) - Nepal's once-pristine natural beauty has been ravaged by years of civil war, neglect, and corruption, the Washington Post reports. Dangerous levels of pollution now cloud Kathmandu, forcing many residents to wear masks. Even the top of Mount Everest is marred by litter left behind by generations of climbers, and many... More »

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environment • pollution • tourism • Nepal • air pollution • Mount Everest • Kathmandu

TRAVEL

 Beat the Crowds to Ghana 


Jul 16, 09 7:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama's visit has put Ghana in the spotlight and anybody planning to follow in his footsteps should aim to visit while it's still off the beaten track, travel consultants tell Forbes. The West African country surrounded by volatile neighbors has long been considered a peaceful "diamond in the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • Africa • travel • tourism • Ghana

(Newser) - Tourism is down in the City of Lights, and the Paris tourist board thinks the city’s unfriendly reputation is to blame, Reuters reports. So it's begging the city’s populace to smile more, and has even recruited “smile ambassadors” to greet visitors near popular destinations. “We have... More »

MORE ABOUT:
tourism • Paris

 Reality TV Puts 
 LA Tourism on Map 

Who cares about Grauman's Chinese Theatre when you can shop near Paris Hilton?

Jul 13, 09 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - Gone are the days when tourists came to Hollywood to gawk at the stars on the Walk of Fame. The new hot attractions are reality TV locales. And Los Angeles—hurting for visitors, with hotel occupancy rates down 14%—welcomes the attention: “It’s a new element that we... More »

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entertainment • reality TV • Hollywood • tourism • Los Angeles • tourists • LA Ink • Spencer Pratt • Heidi Pratt • reality shows • Walk of Fame

(Newser) - When the island nation of Palau agreed to help President Obama close Gitmo by taking in 13 detainees, few Americans had heard of the tiny country. But the US and Palau share a close bond, NPR reports. “It’s a small island nation, but its status as a sovereign... More »

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tourism • Guantanamo Bay • military bases • Guantanamo prisoners • jellyfish • Palau

 French Are 
 World's Worst 
 Tourists: Survey 

Poll of 40,000 hotels ranks visitors on politeness, generosity

Jul 9, 09 3:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - The French are the world’s worst tourists, AFP reports. A global survey asked staff at 40,000 hotels to rate tourists on categories ranging from politeness to generosity to willingness to learn local languages—and the French finished last in several categories. Japanese tourists took honors in just as... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Spain • Japan • globalization • tourism • list • hotel • German • Japanese • tourists • French

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