Air tour accidents are down according to a bizarre measurement. For the current decade, crashes are down from the 1990s. However you stack it up, though, this can only be seen as a positive development. For the past 10 years, there has been an average of 2.5 accidents per year. The decade before, it was 3.6 a year.
Last year was a below-average year (a good thing), with only two accidents. A plane crash on Mauna Loa killed three, and a forced helicopter landing in Hilo in February 2008 led to five minor injuries.
The improvement shows that a solid track record can still get better. Hawaii‘s 2.5 accidents/year is well below the national average 13 (down from 18). Stricter FAA rules, technological advancements and a “better dialogue between tour firms and regulators” are credited with the success.
If you or anyone you know is going to be in Hawaii this weekend, there is a killer festival going on at The Ritz Carlton in Kapalua (maui).
It’s the 17th Annual Celebration of the Arts, and it’s going on from April 10 through April 12. This year’s celebration is based on the saying “Lucky we Live Hawaii.” Kama’aina (local residents) and malihini (visitors) alike are invited to The Ritz-Carlton to watch exciting performances and presentations, participate in discussions and crafts, and learn about the culture and history of Hawaii.
This award winning festival (Kahili Award from the Hawaii Tourism Authority in 2005), will feature entertainment by Hawaii’s 2008 “Female Vocalist of the Year” Napua Greig, and a killer lu’au on April 11th with all the hula and traditional, exotic food one should expect from a AAA Five Diamond Ritz-Carlton!
There will also be an Easter Brunch and non-denominational beachside Easter service and egg hunt on Sunday, so don’t worry that all that hula will get in the way of your prayin’.
After being away from home for a month, you could say this photo is a sight for sore eyes. Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved my time in Cuba: the beaches are pristine and the water is crystal blue and clear. But something about the beaches of Hawaii (and in this case Maui) are so special and identifiable.
This photo, which comes to us from superdisco, does a great job capturing the tranquility of Maui’s moon-shaped Molokini island, the romance of Hawaiian sunsets, and the awesome silhouette of a lone (and leafless!) tree.
If you have some great travel shots you’d like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!
Another week of March is just about in the books, which means it’s time for Gadling’s Friday roundup of travel content from our friends at BootsnAll. What had us taking a second look this week? Read on below to check it out…
Long-term Volunteering – there are plenty of opportunities to donate your time while traveling. In fact spending a trip abroad donating your time is an increasingly popular option for many travelers. Laura-Claire Corson reminds us that a longer-term volunteer programs are yet another option. She’s got plenty of tips on how to finding and organizing a long-term volunteer opportunity.
Magnificent Monuments – do you remember the first time you laid eyes on your favorite monument? I remember gazing up at the Sagrada Familia and being totally awed by its design and scale. Deanna Hyland took a look at 10 “Magnificent Monuments” in her post earlier this week. There’s a few obvious choices like the Washington Monument (duh) and a few relatively unknown choices like the Hampi in India. Click through to see what else made the top 10.
Asian Faux Pas – this week Nellie Huang runs through a list of 7 of the Most Bizarre Asian Cultural Habits. Among the top choices were Japanese noodle slurping and spitting in China. Hey Nellie how about we add eating Durian to the list? Those things are pungent!
Rome 101 – sooner or later most travelers are going to find themselves in Rome. But with a wealth of great monuments (the Colosseum, the Vatican and the Forum all come to mind) it can be hard to know where to start and how to manage your time. Never fear, BootsnAll’s Italy blog has a some survival tips for first-time visitors. If you’re heading to the Boot any time soon it’s worth a look.
Hawaii Explodes! – our nation’s 50th state is bursting with volcanoes, both figuratively and literally. You simply cannot go to the Hawaiian islands and not be reminded of that fact – just look up and an active/extinct volcano is probably within eyesight. BootsnAll’s Hawaii blog has a rundown of some Hawaii’s most well-known volcanoes and offers a few thoughts on how to best experience these massive wonders of nature.
That’s it for this week! Stay tuned next Friday for more Gadling and BootsnAll Picks of the Week.
Back when Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show poked fun at Butte, Montana because of the Berkeley Pit, the shut-down copper mine that’s almost filled to the brim with toxic water, and is a tourist site anyway, I felt bad. I love Butte, Montana and visit every summer. It was one of my budget travel options back in January. The Daily Show’s version of Butte did not do it justice.
Now Hawaii is in the fray of popular culture tomfoolery. Saturday Night Live poked fun at Hawaiian tourism last week with a skit of fake hula dancers in a restaurant filled with tourists. Within the skit, issues of authenticity, lack of a working wage by those working in the tourist industry, race and other issues that highlight the clash between those looking for a dream vacation and those hired to make the dream happen were mixed together.
Linda Lingle, the governor of Hawaii, is mad about the skit because she feels that it sheds an unfair light on an industry upon which Hawaii depends to a large degree. Because of the economy, Hawaiian tourism is suffering. Bad publicity could do more damage. I’m not too sure about that — particularly if Hawaii uses the skit as a stepping off point to show just how much Hawaii has to offer besides hula dancers. [Saturday Night video after the jump.]
Before I went to Hawaii several years ago, I had Tiki statues and big wooden fork and spoon wall hanging sets in mind. What I found is a lush, culturally rich, gorgeous place that I was enthralled by. We didn’t stay in Waikiki, but with relatives who live on the other side of Oahu. What the governor needs to do is point out how Hawaii is a fascinating state with a history unlike any other.
I’m always amazed when I find out that people went there without going to The Bishop Museum or the Mission Houses Museum or the palace. The role of Hawaii during World War II is also important. A trip to Pearl Harbor and the Punch Bowl shows that. As part of our trip, we went to the Big Island where at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park learned more about volcanoes and Hawaii’s geological make up. These are just a few places that highlight Hawaii’s uniqueness.
I think what the skit did is point out the dissonance between people who head to a place with an idea in their minds about what the location is about without considering the darker side. Any place that tries to bring in tourist dollars could do a similar skit. Saturday Night Live just happened to pick Hawaii. So what if paradise has a darker side? Isn’t that true about anything? It’s the ying and the yang.
On the other side of the dark side is the light which is the reason why Hawaii is such a great place to go on a vacation–just don’t stop at the hula skirts. Have fun with the schlock, notice the disparity, but get out of the places that are geared for the cliche and explore. See what else Hawaii has to offer. It’s plenty, and these days Hawaii is a terrific vacation value.
Admittedly, I think the Saturday Night Live skit is funny. I didn’t watch the episode, but I headed to You Tube as soon as I read about the controversy. The reason I think it’s funny is because I loved watching Dwayne Johnson hula dance. His legs and arm movements just cracked me up. Plus, he looked like he was having a great time.
In case you didn’t see it, here it is. The copy isn’t the best, but you’ll get the idea.