Food tourism is now one of the hottest areas within the broad field of travel and tourism. Local cuisine has in fact been identified as one of the best ways to explore the culture of any place. This has prompted several tour operators and cruise liners to launch specific food tours. Such tours involve experienced gourmets and professional chefs. Black Tomato is one such operator to have launched the Tasting Notes programme. This business innovation is led by Michelin-starred chefs who take visitors out on tours across the world and even impart cooking lessons in kitchen classes known as Kokotxa. Spain, Slovenia, Peru and Argentina are some of their most popular destinations. Likewise, Italian cuisine and culture can be explored on bikes via the programmes offered Tourissimo. South Africa’s famous food and wildlife can together be sampled thanks to Roar Africa. In India and Sri Lanka, teas and spices may be better understood by enlisting the services of The Spice Circuit. Windstar Cruises does something similar in Polynesia, Aqua Expeditions does along the Amazon river and APT in Vietnam along the Mekong river.

Source:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/travel/food-tours-chefs.html

Uploaded Date:23 October 2018

A lot of European cities- notably Amsterdam, Barcelona and Lisbon- have taken steps to curb tourist numbers, citing overcrowding during the peak season. This prompted The United Nations along with Skift to undertake a marketing research assignment to gauge the true undercurrents. This survey was conducted in Munich, Berlin and Copenhagen in addition to those cities already mentioned. Surprisingly, it emerged that about a third of the residents in these cities do not favor caps on inbound tourist numbers. About a fourth even expressed that their cities had the wherewithal to further boost up the numbers. Skift reports that more than half the respondents have a positive image of tourism as it creates a vibrancy for their respective cities. It leads to enhanced protection of heritage sites. Europe has seen the steepest rise in inbound tourist numbers. Improved governance should dissipate most of the unfounded fears residents at tourist hubs have been experiencing.

Source:http://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/research-many-european-cities-dont-want-tourism-caps/

Uploaded Date:17 October 2018

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has published the results of its latest marketing research assignment undertaken. This was to gauge global tourism trends, with a special focus on the digital transformation the industry is presently undergoing. Sustainability was another major theme. As per international tourist numbers, France continues to lead the pack with more than 80 million inbound visitors followed closely by Spain and USA. The likes of China, Italy, Mexico, UK, Turkey, Germany and Thailand complete the list. In terms of tourist spending though, it is USA that comes out on top, with France relegated to third spot behind even Spain. The USA has ironically seen a decline in tourist numbers by 3.9% due to fears of a ‘Trump Slump’, but that has not yet translated into the revenues. The total spending by tourists in USA is much higher than Spain and France combined. The Asia-Pacific region saw solid growth for the year as did the countries of Australia and New Zealand.

Source:http://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/un-tourism-report-us-makes-most-tourism-dollars-despite-trump-slump/

Uploaded Date:17 October 2018

The town of Dubrovnik in Croatia has long been renowned for its heritage value. It has now even made to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. However, this has led to the town being clogged by mass tourism. On an average, each day brings in 8 cruise ships, each laden with about 2000 tourists in a town of barely 2500 permanent residents. While these ships do pay docking fees on the ports, the tourists do not spend much at local shops or restaurants as they have all-inclusive deals on their ships themselves. Thus, the generation of local tourism jobs directly as a result is sparse. This year number of visitors has risen further due to the buzz generated from Croatia’s magnificent display at the Football World Cup, resulting in a 6% rise in inbound tourists. A particularly busy day saw 13 cruise ships alight on the port. As a result of this overcrowding, residents have planned the “Respect the City” campaign though it is yet to formally start. The town of Ohrid in Macedonia is also being touted as a possible diversion to reduce the numbers. The popularity of Dubrovnik has further surged due to its association as one of the filming sites for the hugely popular TV series- “The Game of Thrones”.

Source:https://www.voanews.com/a/mass-tourism-threatens-croatia-s-game-of-thrones-town/4581869.html

Uploaded Date:16 October 2018

The MENA (Middle-East and North Africa) region is one of the highest growth areas for the tourism industry. Tourism consulting provided by the MENA Research Partners confirmed that the region is well poised to have total tourism receipts worth US$ 350 billion by the year 2027. Improved security is one of the major reasons for the rebound in Egypt. Some of the attractions cited to be of top value are the Louvre Museum in Abhu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World also in Abu Dhabi, the Marriott Mena House Hotel in Cairo, Qarawiyyin Library in Morocco and the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture in Saudi Arabia. Some lesser known tourism gems can be developed along Jordan and Morocco. Oman too has made a name for itself in high-end sustainable travel. But of all the destinations, it is Dubai that is reaping in the maximum benefits. A third of all inbound tourist receipts go to Dubai. The demographics have changed a bit, with Qataris no longer coming in. But there are more number of Europeans, Indians, Russians and especially Chinese coming in.

Sourcehttps://thearabweekly.com/tourism-grows-mena-region-dubai-drawing-one-third-foreign-tourism-receipts

Uploaded Date:27 September 2018

Being a ‘green tourist’ does not necessarily imply, camping out in the woods. Through simple measures, we can all become green tourists. Eco-tourism is developing in a very big way. Hotels and restaurants have also joined in by taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint, or offset their emissions through restorative steps. While packing, tourists must similarly take care to make reuse of existing material. One can pack toiletries or use from dispensable cartons rather than using hotels’ pre-packaged ones, which need to be disposed-off, after barely a handful of uses. Carbon emissions may be offset by contributing towards funds such as Native Energy, Terra Pass and the Conservation Fund. Hotels and restaurants are increasingly buying local to reduce their carbon footprints. Water and electricity need to be saved as far as possible. Instead of using taxis, one ought to use public transport, cycle or even walk. Eco-friendly tour operators and tourism consulting agencies such as the Hawaii Ecotourism Association ought to be roped in. Voluntourism can help give back to the environment, a lot taken. One must respect the reefs. The motto “take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints” needs to be adhered by all means.

Source:https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/how-travel-responsibly-green-tourist

Uploaded Date:27 September 2018

Portugal has been amongst the biggest beneficiaries of the international tourism circuit this decade. From a mere 6.8 million foreign visitors to start with back in 2010, to an 18.2 million recorded in 2016, the country saw an unprecedented 168% rise in just a few years. Indicative figures suggest similar growth the last two years as well. Only Japan has seen greater growth this decade in tourism. This has been great for the economy with the generation of numerous tourism jobs, however there has been a flipside. This unchecked growth has led to resentment among locals for rise in prices, overcrowding, erosion of culture and excess noise-related pollution. One of the worst offenders in this case has been the cruise industry where few incomes are shared with the docking points, but a lot of pollution generated. Cities across Europe have risen as a voice against such rampant tourism. This includes the likes of Dubrovnik, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Mallorca, but most notably Venice. To ward off such movements, the ministry has suggested adding newer destinations to the tourist bucket list and encouraging off-season travel. Some newer destinations have been identified away from the usual Lisbon and Porto. This includes notably- Coimbra, Alentejo, Olhao, Camporta and Serra de Estrela.

Source:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/portugal/articles/overtourism-lisbon-portugal/

Uploaded Date:26 September 2018