The United Nations agreed last month to allow Botswana to have a one off sale of approximately 20,000 kilogrammes of ivory from elephant tusks, expected to be stockpiled by 2004. Similar bids have also been approved to take place in Namibia (who have 10,000kg of elephant tusk ivory) and South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have also asked to do the same. Some environmental and conservation groups have reacted angrily to the news, saying the decision could “spell doom” for elephants and will encourage poaching. The African elephant population has fallen from 1.3 million in 1980 to between 300,000 and 450,000 today.
Category Archives: Sidebar
So You Think You.re Well Travelled?
Here’s a little Beetle quiz based on airport codes. See how many you get right! Go on, have a guess!
Which cities are served by airports with the following codes:
1. CPT
2. NBO
3. VCE
4. ORD
5. PRG
For the answers, see at the end of the e-newsletter.
Orang-utans Found
Orang-utans, like gorillas and chimpanzees, are often described as the closest relatives of humans. They are in grave danger of extinction, because their habitat is under threat from illegal logging, forest fires and gold mining. According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the annual 5% loss of habitat means there will be virtually no intact forest left for them by 2030. Wild orang-utans exist only on two southeast Asian islands, Borneo and Sumatra.
A secret population of orang-utans has been discovered in the forests of the island of Borneo. Conservationists believe about 2,000 rare apes are living out of sight in a remote lowland region of East Kalimantan. The find, if confirmed, will raise the number of known orang-utans in the world by about 10% and represents hope of saving the endangered primate from extinction in the wild. Primate experts have predicted that the apes will be found only in zoos by the year 2020 unless immediate steps are taken to protect them.
Source: BBC
Shiva Exhibition
In an exhibit billed as “The Sensuous and the Sacred,” the Smithsonian Institution introduces the public to a Hindu deity called Shiva, noted for being the Lord of Dance.
Admission to the exhibit is free. After it closes in Washington on March 9, it will be seen at the Dallas Museum of Art, April 4-June 15, and at the Cleveland Museum of Art, July 6-September 14
Tourism Based Economies Will Suffer
Tourism revenues are a major and important earner for many countries in South East Asia. Consider, then, the effect of government travel warnings. We have already seen the deserted beaches in Bali, after more than 190 people were killed on October 12th.
The US State Department recently issued a warning specifically mentioning Malaysia as a country where US nationals could be at risk of attack by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network, blamed for the Bali bombing.
A Malaysian senior minister says: “Our forecast of visitors is now between one to 1.1 million (tourists every month) compared with 1.3 million before, which is 100,000 to 300,000 less that what we'd hoped for,” …..”if not for the travel advisory and the Bali bombing tragedy, the situation might have been better. Now everyone thinks the entire (Southeast Asian) region is affected,” he said.
UK Visitor Numbers Drop
The number of foreign tourists visiting the UK saw its biggest fall in 20 years in 2001, according to the National Statistics Office, particularly from US, who are traditionally the UK’s biggest visitor group.
The impact of September 11 and the foot-and-mouth outbreak contributed to the sharp decline, which saw a £1.5bn drop in the amount spent by visitors to the UK. Visitor numbers fell 9% to 22.8m. Because more Britons chose to holiday overseas, rather than stay in the UK, they spent £14bn more than the amount spent by tourists in the UK.
Visitors from nearby European countries, Spain, Germany etc., have come back to holiday in the UK quite quickly, but the high spending US and Japanese markets are not so quick to return.
The British Tourist Authority (BTA) recently announced a long-term plan to increase the UK's income from tourism. Their “Leading the World to Britain” campaign aims to build on emerging markets in eastern Europe and the Far East, as well as putting more emphasis on the distinctiveness of Britain's three nations, and increasing UK tourism's Internet presence.
E-Bookers
Europe's biggest online travel agency, Ebookers, (which sells package holidays, flights and car rentals over the Internet in 11 European countries) has just announced its financial results.
The company said that its losses after tax for the three months to September 2002 came in at £2m, ($2.9m) down from £3.5m during the same period one year earlier, while sales jumped 58% on the year to £77.9m and is firmly on track to start turning a profit after tax.
They have kept costs under control by moving their ticket and payment processing operation to India, where running costs are lower. The firm estimates that having its back office operation in India rather than Europe saves it about £1m every three months.
Ebookers' strong growth in sales partly reflected growing demand for package holidays, car rentals, and hotel bookings, the company said. It added that it had benefited from the success of no-frills airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet, saying they had encouraged more people to go on holidays, and had helped popularise online travel bookings.
Bats and Rabies
A man has died after contracting Britain's first case of rabies for 100 years, hospital bosses have confirmed. David McRae, a 56-year-old conservationist from Guthrie, Angus, Scotland, failed to recover from European Bat Lyssavirus (EBL), a type of rabies found in several northern European countries. Mr McRae, who was licensed to handle bats, was bitten by one of the creatures on at least one occasion.
In Europe, where the EBL strain is common, there have only been three cases of humans catching rabies since 1977.
If you are planning on visiting countries where there are bats, please don’t pet them. If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, you are at risk of infection and should seek urgent medical advice.
Globetrotter Travel Award
Under 30? A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?
Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?
Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we'll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!
Have you got a tale to tell??
If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell. Then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized Bites
Japanese Warned Against Australia
Terrorism fears have prompted the Japanese Government to issue a travel warning for Japanese subjects about Australia. Government to Government discussions are now underway in Japan and efforts to sell the image of a safe Australia to the Japanese public are also being stepped up due to a multi-billion dollar tourism industry at risk.
Mutual Aid
Reynold from the US would like to hear from anyone with info and advice on independent travel in Laos and Burma. Please e-mail at ren477@yahoo.com He is also interested in any advice e-newsletter readers could give him on winter stays in Cyprus and grassroots trips to Cuba.
John from the UK is planning to go from Hawaii to Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, South Africa, Europe, the UK, the US, and Hawaii plus any points in between, depending on limitations of the ticket. Because he intends to start from Hawaii, the UK travel agents have been giving him some very high quotes. Can anyone help him by suggesting a good travel agent, not necessarily in the UK to give a quote? He would also welcome any advice on backpacker travel insurance for the over 50's, with sailing included. To contact John, please e-mail at Coehabit@aol.com
Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or country – want to share something with us – why not visit our Mutual Aid section of the Website: Mutual Aid
Galicia’s Shores Under Threat
If you were thinking of visiting Spain’s beautiful north western coast, your walks along the beach may be spoilt and it may be an idea not to order locally caught fish. A 35m gash in the side of a Greek owned oil tanker, the Prestige, has caused a major oil spill, about 1,500 tonnes of oil so far.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warns that if all 77,000 tones of the Prestige's cargo were to leak, the spill would be twice the size of the catastrophic Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska.
Floating barriers and pumping systems have been in place to try to contain the spill, but nonetheless, thick patches of oil have been washing up along a 40-kilometre stretch of coastline.
UK DVT Group to Sue
A group of UK airline passengers representing 56 claims relating to passenger DVT-related deaths and injuries are starting a landmark legal case against 28 airlines for failing to warn them about the risk of deep vein thrombosis.
Their lawyers will argue a combination of cramped flying conditions and long hours in the air can give rise to the condition DVT, also known as economy class syndrome.
The airlines have denied liability, arguing that they are protected under the 70-year-old Warsaw Convention from paying compensation for medical problems classed as a passenger reaction to the normal operation of an aircraft.
The group legal action is aimed at persuading the high court in London that DVT should be classed as an 'accident' under the convention. If successful, this could lead to airlines having to pay out significant damages to victims or their families.
Tips to lower the risk of developing DVT include walking around the aircraft during a flight and wearing tight stockings.
So You Think You’re Well Travelled?
Here’s a little Beetle quiz based on airport codes. See how many you get right! Go on, have a guess!
Which cities are served by airports with the following codes:
- BJS
- NBO
- BFI
- KUL
- CPH
For the answers, see at the end of the e-newsletter.
Have you got a tale to tell??
If you have a travellers tale that you're [!!!] aching to tell, then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized Bites
London Buses
Buses are a great way to get around London and ideal for sightseeing too. There are over 17,000 bus stops all across London so you are never far from a bus route.
Fares cost 70p for bus rides in outer London and £1 for journeys in central London (zone 1.) Children under 16 years old can make any bus journey in London for a flat fare of 40p (14 and 15 year olds require a Child Photocard).
Most bus drivers and conductors are very friendly and will help you if you are not sure that you are travelling in the right direction. Just ask, and if not, they will stop at the next stop for you to get off, cross the road and catch another in the right direction. We all do it!
If you are planning on doing quite a bit of travel around London in one day, it makes sense to buy a One Day Travelcard. This has the added advantage that it can be used on the London Underground and trains within a certain area. There are several zones you can buy cards to cover: Zone 1 covering central London and Zones 2, 3 and 4 covering outer London. Then there is 5 and 6 that covers Heathrow airport. You can buy these travel cards from tube stations and some newsagents. To stop a bus, just put out your hand and the bus will stop, unless it is already full. To get off at a Request stop ring the bell once and in good time to let the driver know.
Night buses run all through the night from midnight on certain routes on a reduced timetable and are prefixed with the letter N. At £1 or £1.50, they are a lot cheaper than a taxi!
Most of London's buses are red, but some come in other colours for example, there is a gold painted bus to commemorate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee; all will display the London Bus Service sign.
Cuba and Central American Cocktail Party
Wednesday 4th December, 6:30 pm: CUBANA 36 Southwick Street, Paddington, London, W12 1JQ
£10 or (£8 for members) includes cocktail, tapas and entry to prize draw.
A different format from the African event, more mingling and no central presentation. There are 100 tickets avalible, for more information visit www.ifworldwide.com or contact is events@itchyfeet-uk.com or 07900 975 413
McDonalds Pulling out of 3 Countries
Love them or hate them, the one thing McDonalds has, all over the world, is clean bathrooms! As a part of a cost cutting exercise, and increasing competition from the likes of Wendys and Burger King, McDonald's is to stop operating in three as yet unnamed countries, in the Middle East and Latin America. It also plans to close 175 restaurants shedding 600 staff to beef up profits.
Did You Know…. Paris, Texas and France
Ever wondered how far it is from Paris, France to Paris, Texas? Well, as the crow flies, it is 4847 miles (7800 km) or 4212 nautical miles.
Expedia.com’s lowest return fare flying from Paris, France to Dallas, the closest international airport to Paris Texas on 30th November costs $626.86, which is equivalent to around 13c a mile.
And in case Paris, Texas catches your eye: Paris received recognition in 1998 for being named “Best Small Town in Texas” by Kevin Heubusch in his book “The New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities.”
Paris, Texas is located approximately 100 miles northeast of Dallas, in the Heart of Red River Valley. It was founded in 1839 and became the Lamar County seat in 1844. It later became incorporated in 1845 and today plays a major role in Texas economy within Northeast Texas. Aside from the numerous parks to stroll around, Paris, Texas has the “Second Largest Eiffel Tower in the Second Largest Paris.”