A group of MP’s proposed that air travel taxes should be increased as a means to help reduce greenhouse gas production.

The team’s report slams the Transportation department for taking a laid-back approach to slashing emissions brought about by a burgeoning travel industry.

The MP’s also suggested that speed limits be either reduced significantly or meticulously enforced on all roads.

Stephen Layman, the Transportation Minister, stated that taxes pertaining to such carbon producers have already increased, with plans for further boosting already in place.

Figures from the Environmental Audit Committee of the House of Commons, however, show that the transportation industry is the only British economic sector that has seen a constant increase in carbon emissions since 1990. Additionally, aircraft-induced emissions have doubled during the same timeframe.

The Department of Transportation has been heavily criticised for apparently doing very little to curb the constant swelling of carbon dioxide concentrations caused by the growing travel sector. MP data suggests that, with air travel estimated to increase by over five times, taxes should be charged per flight, instead of per individual. Additionally, travel duties could be modified to encompass cargo as well.

The MP group lauds the newly-implemented variable Vehicle Excise Duty, which raises the taxes paid by heavy emitters like 4x4’s while eliminating any duties minimal carbon producers have to pay.

Raise tax to reduce gas proposed

Foreign exchange revenues from tourism are anticipated to fall by 16.5%, amounting to about $6.5 billion, compared to 2008 due to the economic slowdown globally and the terrorist bombings last month.

Jero Wacik, the Minister of Culture and Tourism in Indonesia, said on Tuesday that the condition was not favourable for tourism. Wacik had urged the ministry to maintain its intended number of tourists at a minimum of 5.5 million.

"However, I still hope our maximum target of 6.5 million of tourists", stated Jero. About 6.43 million foreign tourists visited the country last year.

Prior to the 17 July bombings of about two hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, which killed nine people and injured many, the industry of tourism had revealed a 2.17% increase in foreign travellers visiting Indonesia in the year’s first half, compared to that same period last year.

"I have urged my overseas colleagues to spread the word that Indonesia is still safe for business and pleasure after the bombings", he stated in the opening remark for the presentation of the ‘2009 Indonesian Tourism and Travel Fair’ (ITTF) in Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday.

Executive Director Carla Parengkuan of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), stated hotel accommodation rates would remain at 2008’s figure of 60%.

According to Deputy Director Sun Yongping of the Tibet Regional Tourism Bureau, before 2010 starts more than 1.37 million tourists moved in August in Tibet, this Himalaya area is expected to receive 5 million tourists.

The tourism bureau released the statistics which showed that Tibet had attracted an estimated 4.09 million foreign tourists and Chinese from January to August 2009, a 2.5 time increase over 2008. In the past eight months, a total income of 3.23 billion yuan was generated by the tourism industry. Tibet, in August, saw the highest count of tourists in a month with 1.37 million. Also, the total income of tourism reached to an estimated 1 billion yuan.

Most foreign tourists come from Japan, Germany, and US. According to the official, the best choices for foreign tourists are still the Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace.

Also, Sun predicts that next year, Tibet tourism will reach easily its target to have 6 million tourists. Tibet has necessary infrastructure and unique tourism resources to attract more tourists to support the economic development of the region, he explained. Its mild or cold climate and its location on mountain also makes it perfect for camping with friends.

The official said the tourism industry had given advantages to the Tibetans. Now, of the 34,979 people, 4,664 families had engaged in the tourism industry. Every family can obtain a yearly income of about 13,066 yuan. Tourism had contributed greatly to several Tibetans.

About 38 people were killed by a storm that hit northern Europe, and many other damages were recorded.

Winds, with a speed of 200 kilometres per hour, have made its way through England,  Ireland , the Netherlands, northern France, Denmark, Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and Poland.

During the storm, rescue choppers helped save a container ship on the verge of sinking. As a preventive measure, Deutsche Bahn temporarily stopped Germany’s rail services for the first time. Air travel in Europe was also disrupted, leaving many people stranded and flights cancelled.

The hurricane toppled trees, electricity pylons, and tore roofs of several houses. In addition, a power outage also occurred all over the country.

The storm claimed the lives of 12 in Britain, ten in Germany, four in Poland, five in Netherlands, three in Czech Republic, two in France and two in Belgium. Traffic accidents and falling debris caused some of these deaths especially among children.

According to British meteorologists, the wind from this hurricane was the strongest since January 1990.

This natural disaster however can't be compared to the tsunami that hit Asia where Thailand was amongst the most popular destinations.

Travel companies based in China's southern province of Guangzhou were dumbfounded by the lack of customers during the 2006 National Day Holiday.

Travel agents have also noticed, a week before the holiday, that tour package registration fell by forty percent. Previous national anniversaries have generated at the very least eighty percent in travel registration during the same period.

It was later determined that majority of the Chinese now prefer spending their festivals at home. The common sight during national holidays was the enormous number of people that tend to flock tourist spots which the bulkier portion of the population are now trying to avoid.

Figures from travel firms indicate that the commonly famous destinations have yielded a fifty percent reduction in travel reservations in 2006. It is also important to note that even the lower-priced tour packages have also lost a significant volume of its usual clientele.

To address the problem, travel agencies have readjusted tour packages by reducing extensive tours and increasing recreational or leisure tour packages.

Guangzhou tour operators have also lowered the travel prices earlier than scheduled to attract more customers.

Graphic design has been very vital in tourism, and graphic artist Kaie Wellman knows how to show tourists the different side of a city.

A native of Portland, Oregon, Kaie Wellman felt that travel guides should be taken seriously and colourfully.

A collection of her travel guides did not include the typical directions such as the whereabouts of the airport, the bank or the historic sites of a city. Instead, she gave much importance to the details, particularly her experiences on a particular spot in the city.

Surely, Kaie’s style became a hit to the Sex-and-the-City generation since her travel guide was more of a diary, describing the mood of a restaurant, a boutique and others.

Kaie then decided to maintain a website—eatshopguides.com—to give updates to her followers.

As the name of the website suggests, Kaie focused only on two things: dining and shopping. One person might find in the website some of the most interesting places in the city, which are unknown to the many. She consistently features the ‘underrated’ side of a city—small coffee shops, novelty shops and bazaars invisible to the naked eye.

Kaie’s travel guides are sold in local shops primarily due to the artist’s defiance and rebellion. According to her, she just wants to encourage tourism in a very artistic manner.

In the Kurdish region of Iraq, where three American tourists fell into the country’s custody, the attractions intended for intrepid travellers and hikers are many. Tourists shop for some crystal glasses as well as enjoy lengthy walks in luxurious mountain resorts that are popular for its pistachio groves.

Tourism safety is really an excellent selling point. Promoters of tourism boast that no tourist has been kidnapped or killed since 2003.

Nevertheless, in an area without a clearly-marked border, going outside Kurdistan region is very dangerous – as those American hikers realised after they wandered apparently in the wrong area of an Iranian mountain the previous week, and eventually were taken by Iranian guards into custody. After a hysterical call to a friend, the three hikers have not been heard from ever since.

The three foreigners -- Sarah Shourd, Joshua Fattal, and Shane Bauer – were arrested on Tuesday in Iran for entering the nation illegally. An Iranian legislator claimed authorities were determining whether to charge the three Americans of spying.

The US State Department denied the accusations, and Kurdish officials and relatives claimed they were just hikers who unluckily got lost. The controversial case is the recent source of conflict with the US as Iran currently is still in a political catastrophe.

The Rose Hall roadway has been regarded for being accident prone to passing motorists. To respond to this concern, Edmund Bartlett the Minister of Tourism formulated the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). The latter was regarded to be the foundation associated with funding of the Rose Hall roadway, estimated to be $300 million. The amount needed to improve the roads was stated to be more costly than a hotel built in East Central.

Unknown to many, the said project would divide the money in a strategic manner. The landscaping of the whole area was estimated at $100 million, while the remaining $200 million would be used for the lighting of the area. Since the land area included in the said project was vast, several properties would be included, such as the Half Moon, Ritz-Carlton, and the sandals Royal Caribbean.

A decline in spending by tourists amounted approximately $160 million from the economy of New Zealand this year. Nevertheless, the worst seems to be ended for the industry of tourism.

New data from the Ministry of Tourism reveals that tourists to the country spent about six billion dollars in 2009 up to the month of June, a decline from the last year.

This drop closely equalled the 2.8 percent decline in global arrivals on the period, according to Bruce Bassett, the research manager of the Ministry of Tourism.

“After nearly a full year in which the New Zealand tourism industry has been impacted upon by the global recession and the worldwide decline in tourism activity, it is reassuring that the impact on tourism expenditure has been limited”, he claimed.

“Even after a year of very unfavourable conditions, the tourism industry remains a major contributor to the New Zealand economy”, he added.

Overall expenditure by Australian visitors actually dropped $55 million (3.3 percent) to $1.6 billion in 2009 up to the month of June.

Despite the global economy crisis, Dubai is however immune to this situtation and is contantly thriving.

Total spending by tourists from the United Kingdom fell by 18.6 percent to $826 million but spending by visitors from the US only fell by 1.7 percent.

Chinese spending actually increased, soaring 28 percent to $334 million in spite a 13.2 percent unloading in arrivals.
 

The tourism department had to face the fuming-mad public just recently after it got accused of unreasonable splurging of funds amounting to £8,500 on a marketing campaign that centred on a perfume. The perfume, allegedly, could sum up what England is as a whole.

Reportedly, it was the quango VisitEngland that spearheaded the campaign. They manufactured and marketed 30 bottles of perfume under the name ‘By George!’ as part of their tourism campaign.

It was reported that the scent was sprayed on groups of newly-arrived tourists in airports and in known tourist destinations. However, it was also said that in order to produce that scent, they had had to prepare quite a large amount. The eau de toilette required £3,250 for a bottle and an additional £5,250 for its promotions.

Mark Wallace, one of the members of the complaining TaxPayers' Alliance, said in an interview: "This is a complete waste of taxpayers' money. Many firms in England's tourism industry are in real trouble, and [they] need real help in attracting visitors and generating business.

“What they don't need is some quango wasting taxpayers' cash on ridiculous gimmicks at their expense."

According to reports, it was CPL Aromas that was designated by the quango to produce the perfume. It was a PR firm that the quango also hired to handle the promos promotions.