Best job in the world promoting Great Barrier Reef includes a bonus

by Jamie Rhein on

Ben Southall, the British guy who won the “Best Job in the World” contest is now busy at work care-taking and exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia to promote them as destination hot spots. In case living on one island for six months sounds claustrophobic , there’s no need to worry about Ben.

His girlfriend, a former Canadian gymnast, went with him for this gig that comes with a sweet deal paycheck. Perhaps the $121,000 total rings a bell.

As a person who has lived in a remote place on my own, I think it’s great that his girlfriend is along with him. I can imagine that as the days pass, no matter how glorious paradise seems, it can get pretty lonely, particularly as tourists come and go since most visit on day trips..

His girlfriend has already added some excitement.

Just last week he had to carry her for awhile awhile after she hurt her right foot when doing cartwheels on a beach during a meet and greet with the press.

Here’s the link to Southall’s blog, “Island Caretaker.” I must say, he looks like he’s having a blast. It’s work, mind you, but fun.

Slum tours in Jakarta now operating

by Stephen Greenwood on

An Indonesian tour operator, is now offering tourists the chance to see the ‘other’ side of Jakarta – a side tucked away from the sprawling shopping malls and 5-star hotels.

Jakarta Hidden Tours is advertising 3 different separate routes through the slums, allowing you to “explore Jakarta with a local and see how the majority of people live, work and raise their kids”.

“Poverty tourism” has come into the spotlight since the release of Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire.

Robert Finlayson, from Volunteering for International Development from Australia, helps run the tours and believes that the tours help social understanding. “Guilt is like pity, it stops you from seeing people as they actually are,” Finlayson was reported as saying. “What we wanted to say is…People are the same all over the world.”

Head of the Jakarta Urban Poor Consortium advocacy group, Wardah Hafidz, disagrees. “”It creates more problems for us than it helps,” Ms Hafidz said. “If you come with money then it’s a complete language of money. It doesn’t develop the understanding that they (the slum dwellers) are powerful, that they can help themselves.”

What do you think? Should tourists support this type of travel?
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[via AFP]

World tourism to be slower than expected this year

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The UN World Tourism Organization just changed its mind about global travel and tourism this year. I guess forecasting is easy when you can always issue a new one … as long as the previous efforts are forgotten. Well, I wish I could tell you that the UN believes we’ve turned the corner – and that travel is going to spike this year. But, it isn’t. The group has added a bit more doom and gloom to its prediction, given continued economic instability and the swine flu situation.

Worldwide, the organization predicted a 4 percent to 6 percent international tourism decline for the year – this is down from the January prediction of zero to 2 percent. The changed direction coincides with the International Monetary Fund‘s sense of the global economic situation. In January, it called for economic growth of 2 percent this year. Now, it’s predicting a fall of 1.3 percent.

For the first four months of 2009, the World Tourism Organization noted an 8 percent drop in global tourism, with only 247 international tourism arrivals. Europe‘s results were more severe than those of the world as a whole, off 10 percent. Asia was down 6 percent, and Africa and South America were up 3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

Even in tough times, everybody wants to go to France, which remained the top tourism destination with 79 million arrivals. The United States moved into second place for the first time since the September 11, 2001 attacks, reclaiming its position from Spain.

Foreign spending in U.S. continues to fall

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Foreign spending in the United States continues its downward spiral. According to recent U.S. Department of Commerce data, visitors to the United States from outside the country fell 17 percent from April 2008 to April 2009, settling at $9.5 billion. In conjunction with struggles in the domestic market, the result is an even greater gap that remains to be filled.

Spending on travel and tourism-related goods and services amounted to $7.4 billion in April, down 17 percent (consistent with the overall result). This consists of such products and services as food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment and travel within the country. Another $2.1 billion came from travel to the United States from other countries. This represents a fall of 18 percent from April of 2008 and a decline of 4 percent from March 2009.

This is the sixth month in a row in which U.S. travel exports fell relative to the same month the previous year.

  • November 2008: -4 percent
  • December 2008: -2 percent
  • January 2009: -5 percent
  • February 2009: -9 percent
  • March 2009: -19 percent
  • April 2009: -17 percent

While the year-over-year declines softened from March to April, it’s clear that, in general, the slide of U.S. travel exports has accelerated significantly. This trend is also a drastic change from the 60 months of gains that preceded it.

For the year, the situation is dismal, as well. From January through April, U.S. travel exports reached $40.3 billion, which is off 12 percent ($5.7 billion) from the same period in 2008. The United States still has a trade surplus – of $6.4 billion – but it’s down $2.3 billion year-over-year.

Tough 2009 ahead for international visits, 2010 comeback

by Tom Johansmeyer on

We all expected it: fewer international visitors are going to come to the United States this year. Overall, revenue from foreign guests is expected to fall 8 percent, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Twenty-four of the top five arrival markets are likely to drop. Drops of 13 percent, 12 percent and 11 percent are likely for Ireland, Spain and Mexico, respectively, with the United Kingdom and France posting declines of around 10 percent. Canada’s anticipated drop is 6 percent.

Visits from Europe should fall 9 percent this year – the largest regional decline. It will take until 2013 for European visits to the United States to return to 2008 levels. The Asia-Pacific region is projected to fall l5 percent this year but will grow at a rate of 21 percent through 2013, leading to more than a net recovery, especially for India, China, South Korea and Australia. The 4 percent decline in South America is forecasted to turn around by 2013, with visits growing 23 percent relative to 2008. This will make it the second-fastest growing region in the world for foreign visitors to the United States.

Globally, visits to the United States from abroad are projected to grow 3 percent in 2010, followed by a 5 percent annual growth rate through 2013.