Chinese Tourists Spend More Money Than Anyone Else

by Reena Ganga on

Chinese travelers have officially become the biggest contributors to the tourism industry, spending a whopping $102 billion on vacations and other travel in 2012.

Figures from the UN World Tourism Organization revealed the Asian country has dramatically upped its travel spending, with last year’s expenditure up 40 percent from the prior year.

The organization credits China’s increased spending to the growing numbers of people entering the middle class.

According to the BBC, not only are the Chinese dedicating more money to travel, they are also shifting their spending habits. Instead of taking organized tours and joining busloads of other tourists, more and more Chinese are hiring cars and traveling independently.

However, one thing hasn’t changed – the Chinese still love to shop. Purchasing souvenirs and luxury goods remains high on the list of favorite travel activities.

Other emerging countries have also shot up the list. Russia’s travel spending increased by more than 30 percent last year, boosting the country to fifth place.

The United States came in at third place behind Germany, with tourism spending totaling just under $84 billion dollars.

[Photo credit: Flickr user bigbirdz]

Colorado Locals Start Marijuana Tourism Business

by Reena Ganga on
Colorado could join Amsterdam as a pot-smoker’s travel destination if two Denver locals have anything to do about it.

Matt Brown and James Walker have started a travel company aimed at those looking to take advantage of the state’s new marijuana laws.

According to NBC News, the company known as My 420 Tours sets travelers up in “pot-friendly” hotels, takes them on tours of marijuana dispensaries, and secures tickets to pot-related events.

The state of Colorado legalized recreational use of marijuana towards the end of last year although the commercial side of things – that is, selling the drug to others – is yet to be approved. To get around this, Brown and Walker facilitate introductions between travelers and those involved in the local cannabis industry.

“It’s an opportunity for people who prefer marijuana to alcohol to come to Colorado and know that they’re not going to have to walk around downtown asking strangers for pot,” Brown told NBC.

Their first tour slated for the end of April has already been a sell-out, but the duo hopes to offer more pot-themed travel packages in the future.

[Photo credit: Flickr user eggrole]

Fourth Largest Cave In The World Discovered In Iran

by Kraig Becker on

A team of Iranian spelunkers exploring an underground cave system near Mehriz, Yazd have made a surprising discovery. Last year, the group of cavers stumbled across a massive underground chamber and after taking careful and exact measurements of its size, the cave is now confirmed to be the fourth largest in the world.

This new cavern is part of the Ghar-e-Dosar cave system located in central Iran, which has been known about for some time and is a popular destination for cavers in the region. The system hasn’t been completely mapped however so new aspects of it are still being discovered. Last February a team of eight entered the largest chamber there and set about taking precise measurements of its total expanse. Those numbers have all been crunched now and what they found is simply amazing.

The subterranean room measures 1263 feet across and 869 feet wide, covering roughly the equivalent of 20 acres. The cavern slopes downward over its length starting with a height of about 230 feet and plunging as low as 469 feet at its deepest point. Those dimensions are large enough to put it above Majlis al Jinn cavern in Oman and slightly behind the Torca del Carlista in Spain on the list of the world’s largest cave rooms.

It should be noted that this chamber ranks as the fourth largest in terms of size for a single cavern. Ghar-e-Dosar isn’t nearly as large as Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, however, which doesn’t have a single chamber that compares in size but does stretch for more than 400 miles of underground passageways.

Thanks to our friends at the Adventure Journal for sharing this story.

[Photo Credit: Iran Speleo]

Arthur Frommer Will Again Publish Guidebooks

by Meg Nesterov on

Last week, I wrote a lengthy tribute to guidebooks and the sad news that Frommer’s guidebooks would cease publication, and many readers here and on Twitter shared in my grief. Well, it’s time to remove the black armbands, because Arthur and his trusty guides are back! Don’t place your orders just yet; there’s still a lot up in the air, but the key news is that Arthur Frommer has reacquired his name brand from Google and confirmed to the Associated Press that he will resume publishing print, e-book and web content under the Frommer’s name. Google has retained all of the original Frommer’s content for its own Google+ and Zagat products, so Frommer will need to create all new content and find a new publisher for future books. Skift News has speculated on a few possibilities, as well as provided more details on the Frommer’s-to-Google migration. Long live Arthur Frommer, we look forward to what’s to come next.

Fear not, guidebook lovers; print isn’t dead.

[Photo credit: Darien Library on Flickr]

National Park Service Releases 2012 Attendance Numbers

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday the National Park Service released the official attendance numbers for each of the parks in 2012. The list gives us some insights into the most popular destinations with travelers in the U.S. park system with some very well known and iconic parks earning the top spots. The numbers also indicate that travelers don’t seem to be growing tired of the parks either, as more than 282 million people visited a national park last year. That’s up from 2011 and the sixth highest total of all time.

Of the 59 park units that fall under the jurisdiction of the NPS, the top ten most popular, along with their attendance numbers, are as follows:

  1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (9,685,829)
  2. Grand Canyon National Park (4,421,352)
  3. Yosemite National Park (3,853,404)
  4. Yellowstone National Park (3,447,729)
  5. Rocky Mountain National Park (3,229,617)
  6. Zion National Park (2,973,607)
  7. Olympic National Park (2,824,908)
  8. Grand Teton National Park (2,705,256)
  9. Acadia National Park (2,431,052)
  10. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (2,299,722)

These parks are all certainly deserving of being amongst the most visited. Each of them is a spectacular environment in their own right and it is completely understandable why they are chosen by millions of visitors on a yearly basis. The Great Smoky Mountains in particular have been on top of this list for years and the park remains a mainstay for backpackers, hikers, campers and other travelers.

If you’re a fan of the national parks and haven’t been to each of these yet, you could easily spend several vacations exploring each of these destinations. These are some of the most amazing landscapes in North America and the perfect settings for outdoor enthusiasts and adventure travelers alike.

[Photo Credit: National Park Service]