tourism

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Step Up to New 'Ledge' at Sears Tower

Glass balconies jut 4 feet into the air

(Newser) - The view from Chicago’s Sears Tower just got more vivid. Starting tomorrow, visitors can step into glass enclosures that extend 4 feet out from the building’s 103rd floor and see all 1,353 feet straight down, the Tribune reports. Designed by the original architects of the soon-to-be-renamed Willis...

Wax Obama Tours Eiffel Tower
 Wax Obama Tours Eiffel Tower 
Jun 29, 2009 2:33 PM CDT

Wax Obama Tours Eiffel Tower

(Newser) - Complete with new gray hairs and two bodyguards, a wax version of President Barack Obama took a trip to the Eiffel Tower today. The hot summer sun threatened to melt the fake president's face, prompting helpers to shade him with an umbrella. The statue then traveled to Paris' Musée...

17 Dead in Acapulco Shootout
 17 Dead in Acapulco Shootout 
Jun 7, 2009 12:35 PM CDT

17 Dead in Acapulco Shootout

Violence further damages resort's tourism industry

(Newser) - A fierce, 2-hour gun battle between drug agents and Mexican authorities in Acapulco has left 15 gunmen and 2 soldiers dead, the BBC reports. After receiving a tip, troops ambushed a house in the resort town last night, as gunmen hurled grenades and crashed their cars trying to flee. Upon...

Mexico Devotes $92M to Luring Back Visitors

Prez urges citizens to shake off swine flu, travel domestically

(Newser) - Mexico’s tourism board is taking a trickle-down approach to luring vacationers back after the swine flu outbreak, Advertising Age reports. It’s kicking off a $92 million campaign by urging Mexicans to counteract the negative perceptions and show visitors “that Mexico is not only a beautiful country but...

New Zealand Hosts 'Penguathlon'

Event draws attention to world's penguin capital

(Newser) - Penguins and people are swapping places at New Zealand’s Penguathlon, a sort of penguin Olympics. As the birds face off in icy versions of soccer, Frisbee, surfing and waddle races, spectators are invited to try waddling themselves in giant penguin feet. The month-long event is meant to showcase how...

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—...

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