The United States and England are both considered endemic surveillance societies in this year’s report.
You can compare it to the 2006 edition. Do weak privacy protections and ridiculous security measures keep tourists away? Tourism is down 17% to the US, 1% to the UK, and 10% to China amid a global travel boom.
Those of you who have or had been planning on going to Kenya may be able to get a refund on your canceled vacation. Due to the recent unrest there if you do plan on going, make sure you understand the risks.
Make sure to rinse and wash glasses and mugs you find in hotel rooms before you use them. An undercover investigation found that they were not cleaned properly or at all in many cases.
Incentive programs at Marriott hotels, when compared to Hilton, have lead to more efficient hotels that are better for the environment.
Marriott has created incentive systems to award and highlight managers for their environmental initiatives. And on a corporate level, they are taking MEASURABLE steps toward reducing their energy and water use.
Simple Green Choices notes that both chains still have a long way to go. To really hotel it up green style, check the list of green certified ones.
[photo by: Daniele Muscetta]
India’s tourism minister explained the decision to prefer rupees over dollars as an economic one.
For years tourists visiting most sites in India were charged either $5, or 250 rupees.
After falling 11 percent in 2007, hitting nine-year lows to hoover around 39 rupees, the dollar is out.
Charging only rupees now seems more practical and will save tourists money because “the dollar was weaker against the rupee,” Tourism Minister Ambika Soni told the CNN-IBN news channel.
Entrance to the Taj Mahal will now cost Americans about $20 more. India is a country Western tourists shouldn’t fear visiting, though keep in minds their roads are the most dangerous in the world – second to Iraq.
The free Web application Flight Wait creates a simple graphical representation of flight delay statuses. Select your home airport and you’ll see green, yellow, or red lines to connected cities indicating the time you’ll be waiting.
If all lines are green, the wait is a maximum of 15 minutes. If the lines are yellow, your airport or area is reporting delays between approximately 16-59 minutes. A red line indicates a wait of an additional one to two hours, and if the line is black, you’re stuck for at least two hours.
To get more details that Flight Wait offers use the Orbitz Traveler Update or track your flights directly. Remember to reduce your delay stress and get a good meal.
[via Lifehacker]
Hi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More 
