As dissatisfaction grows with recent election results, protests have given way to violence in some Mexican cities; many say the conflicts will escalate, further endangering the country’s citizens, businesses, and tourism industry. After a tight loss in the July 2nd presidential election to National Action Party candidate, Felipe Calderon, and the partial vote recount still […]
On July 1st, The Qinghai-Tibet Railway made its first passenger trip from Xining, the capital of northwest China’s Qinghai Province, to Lhasa in Tibet. Called the “sky train,” the 4.2 billion dollar railway was built by the Chinese government to “promote stability” and boost tourism. Construction for the project started four years ago. Now complete, […]
In 1990, Lebanon finally saw the end of a bloody and destructive civil war which had been raging within its borders since 1975 and had left most of the nation in ruin. Since then, with the help of substantial foreign investment, Lebanon’s economy had made a sound recovery. Rebuilding of cities and infrastructure began in […]
Since the conflict in Southern Lebanon and Northern Israel began on July 12 of this year, nearly 40,000 people have fled to the small Mediterranean island of Cyprus (1) to escape the deadly fighting. Tens of thousands more are expected to follow (2). The Republic of Cyprus’ government has publicly expressed its limited capacity, and […]
Following the May 27th 6.2 magnitude earthquake in the Bantul region of Indonesia and further disruptions in tourism after the volcanic eruptions of Mt. Merapi, the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism formed the Java Media-Crisis Center. Under the patronage of the Ministry’s leader, Mr. Jero Wacik, the information center pools the resources of public […]
Surviving for more than 14 centuries in the Jordanian desert, the ancient city of Petra is no stranger to invaders. This former capital city of the Nabataean dynasty has withstood Roman conquest, natural disasters, and Swiss bulldozers. A majestic city intricately carved almost entirely out of the canyon’s vibrant pink rock walls is bound to […]
Last month, Ethical Traveler’s News Feed included a report of rumors in Burma that the health of legally elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi had been deteriorating. When the military junta ruling Burma extended Suu Kyi’s house arrest, these rumors strengthened, despite assurances that a high UN official had seen Suu Kyi and her health […]
In what may be the latest setback in Turkey’s ambitions to join the European Union, Judge Mustafa Yücel Özbilgin of the Second Chamber of the Council of State was fatally shot, and four other judges wounded, by an allegedly revenge-driven gunman. The gunman, a lawyer, was said to have shouted “I am a soldier of […]
Recently, considerable attention has been paid to tourism’s affect on particular travel destinations. One site under scrutiny is Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca city in Peru’s Andes Mountains. Geological research, controversial development projects, and actions by preservation groups have caused the world to turn an increasingly watchful eye on this historical landmark. A recent Newsweek […]
