India Imposes Temporary Ban On Tiger Tourism

by Jessica Festa on

The Supreme Court of India has placed a temporary ban on tiger tourism, closing India‘s tiger parks indefinitely as they look into a claim that ecotourism is having a negative impact on the habitat of this endangered species.

The government has been trying to create positive changes in the industry for months now, taking the welfare of these animals very seriously. In fact, six states that did not comply with the count’s April mandate to identify core and buffer zones of their tiger reserves were fined 10,000 rupees (about $178).

According to the World Wildlife Fund, India is home to 1,706 tigers – the world’s largest population. However, the number of tigers has decreased from more than 100,000 in the beginning of the 20th century, due to poaching and habitat encroachment.

So, why is this happening? Toby Sinclair, vice president for the Ecotourism Society of India, told CNN he believes the government is allowing too many visitors into the parks.

“The eco in ecotourism has changed to economy,” he says.

Shashanka Nanda of New Delhi, a wildlife enthusiast and photographer, also has an opinion. He believes that, while the court’s heart is in the right place, its not going about the situation the right way.

“Responsible and regulated tourism forges a human connection to wildlife. Just seeing tigers in textbooks won’t affect people to change,” he said. “If you stop tourists and enthusiasts, you’re losing half the battle of wildlife conservation.”

Worried about the future of tiger tourism? The court’s final ruling will be decided on August 22 of this month.

[Flickr photo via Keith Roper]

US Tourist Ordered To Pay $6500 For Cuba Trip From 14 Years Ago

by Jessica Festa on

Think your past won’t come back to haunt you? A U.S. tourist has agreed to pay a $6,500 fine for taking an unauthorized trip to Cuba 14 years ago.

According to Reuters, Zachary Sanders, 38, had been living and teaching English in Mexico in 1998 when he decided to take a trip to Cuba. Sanders was 23 at the time, and had wanted to learn about how a socialist country worked in practice.

“I had no illusions,” said Sanders in an interview. “… I’m not like some diehard supporter of the (Cuban) government or anything like that.”

The United States has restricted U.S. travel to Cuba for a long time as part of a 50-year-old trade embargo aimed at penalizing Cuba’s communist government. When Sanders traveled, he did not obtain the mandatory U.S. Treasury license to visit Cuba. A custom’s official became suspicious when he noticed Sanders had come back into the country via the Bahamas, without declaring he had been in Cuba. The official also took a box of Cuban cigars from his luggage.

%Gallery-161509%The Dispute

Two years later, the U.S. Treasury asked Sanders to document his expenditures from Cuba; however, Sanders lost the receipts and missed the deadline to return the required form. After another two years, the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) reviewed his case during a Bush administration crackdown on Cuba travel. Sanders was fined $1,000.

Both sides appealed; however, in 2009, the Treasury Department raised the fine to $9,000 in an attempt to discourage people from ignoring OFAC forms. Sander’s lawyer, Shane Kadidal of the Center for Constitutional Rights, responded that Sanders had a constitutional right not to provide evidence that would incriminate him.

Sanders ended up suing OFAC, the Treasury Department and the Justice Department in federal court in 2009, appealing the fine as impulsive and autocratic. After losing, Sanders turned to the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York, where the case was settled on July 24 with the traveler agreeing to pay a fine of $6,500.

Can U.S. Citizens Travel To Cuba?

For U.S. citizens looking to travel to Cuba in 2012, it has become much easier. Certain restrictions on travel have been lifted by the Obama administration, and the Treasury Department has issued a new set of guidelines, making travel easier for religious and educational groups, people-to-people exchanges and journalists. Moreover, companies like Friendly Planet Travel and National Geographic Expeditions are licensed to bring travelers over to Cuba via a guided tour.

Take a virtual tour of the country’s capital, Havana, by checking out the gallery above.

[Above image via Elemaki; Gallery images via Big Stock]

In-N-Out Burger Pop-Up In Singapore Sells Out In Less Than 5 Minutes

by Jessica Festa on

Who knew locals of one of the most world-renowned food destinations on Earth would go crazy over American burgers?

On July 24, an In-N-Out Burger pop-up restaurant opened in Singapore, lasting less than five minutes before they were completely sold out of patties. Originally scheduled to run from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., locals began lining up for the event at 9:30 a.m. By that time, 300 wristbands, which were necessary to claim one burger per person, had already been distributed.

According to CNNGo, the passionate response was due to the chain’s legacy of being “the” place to get great fast food. Even celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay admit to chowing down on their Animal Style burgers.

The first In-N-Out Burger opened in 1948 in Los Angeles, and has since spread to various locations around the western United States. However, after the response from the pop-up, In-N-Out Burger may want to consider opening a permanent shop in Singapore.

[Image via chunkysalsa]

Paris Transport Board Launches Campaign To End Rudeness

by Jessica Festa on

Often thought of as a rude culture, the French don’t have the best reputation when it comes to politeness. However, the Paris transport authority, RAPT, is attempting to put an end to this with a new poster campaign showing locals how their actions appear to onlookers.

According to news.com.au, the campaign features large posters depicting Parisians as animals, as the people around them stare in shock (shown right). To allow everyone to voice their frustrations, RAPT has also created a website where people can submit their own captioned photographs.

Are they creating this campaign completely based off stereotypes? Not according to data. A recent RAPT survey found that 97 percent of passengers had witnessed “uncivil” behavior on Paris public transport. This comes two years after a separate survey completed by tourists voted Parisians the rudest people in Europe. Additionally, in 2007 a report by the Committee for Modernization of the French Hotel Trade found that 25 percent of customer complaints were caused by rude service in France.

Do you think this campaign will help or hinder rudeness in France?

[Image via RAPT]

Olympic Athlete Kicked Out Of Olympics After Racist Tweet

by Jessica Festa on

July 27 will mark the first day of the Olympic Games, and participating athletes are certainly excited. Many are even taking to social media to express their feelings and, while mostly positive, some are having a bit of trouble watching what they say.

This was the case for Greek triple jumper and track and field athlete Voula Papachristou, who tweeted a racist comment in her native language about African immigrants. According to Digital Trends, the tweet translated to, “With so many Africans in Greece … At least the West Nile mosquitoes will eat home made food!!!”

After followers criticized the remark and called it insensitive, Papachristou deleted the comment and apologized on her Facebook page, saying she was “very sorry and ashamed” and “never wanted to offend anyone, or to encroach human rights.”

Unfortunately, the apology was not accepted, at least not by Olympic’s officials, and the athlete has been banned from competing.

Papachristou’s coach, George Pomaski, does not agree with the punishment, stating, “It’s too much, the penalty should not have been so strict. She has already apologized for her remarks. This is a big disappointment not only for her but for her family and for myself, and anyone involved in the Greek team.”

Do you think Papachristou’s punishment was too harsh?