In Hawaii, an Increase in Rare Brain Parasite Disease
Posted on 04/26/2017, 12:00 AM
In Hawaii so far this year there have been 11 confirmed cases of rat lungworm disease, which is caused by a potentially deadly brain parasite with one of the ugliest names in creation. Victims include a California couple honeymooning on Maui and two people who might have caught the disease by drinking a homemade herbal beverage. Tourism officials would like for you to keep in mind that the ...
Celebrate John Wayne's Birthday in His Iowa Hometown
Posted on 04/25/2017, 12:00 AM
You probably associate John Wayne with the American West. But the film legend was actually born in Iowa. His hometown, Winterset, is the site of the John Wayne Birthplace Museum, which organizes an annual celebration around the Duke's birthday at the end of May (born in Winterset on May 26, 1907, he died in 1979). This year marks the 10th anniversary of the event. On May 26-27, the town will ...
Bangkok's Famous Street Food Stalls Targeted for Removal
Posted on 04/24/2017, 12:00 AM
The days appear to be numbered for Bangkok's storied street-food scene. In an effort to clean up the city's thoroughfares, Thailand's government has begun removing the beloved food stalls where locals and tourists alike fill up on cheap but tasty rice dishes, noodles, and sweets—the best street food in the world, according to a recent CNN ranking. The first wave of the cleanup affected Ban...
The Latest Trend Aboard Cruise Ships: Lifeguards
Posted on 04/21/2017, 12:00 AM
Something that might surprise you if you're not a regular cruiser: As recently as five years ago, lifeguards were nowhere to be found at the pool areas of the major lines' ships. There were caution signs posted, but passengers swam at their own risk. Disney Cruise Line was the first to add lifeguards in 2013. Royal Caribbean International followed suit earlier this year. Now another big pla...
Emirates Airline's Decision to Cancel Flights to the United States Because of Administration Policies Will Reduce Income and Jobs Here
Posted on 04/20/2017, 8:00 PM
A sharp reduction in foreign tourism will do far more economic harm than can be offset by corporations adding American jobs here and there....
Emirates Cuts Flights to U.S., Citing Drop in Demand
Posted on 04/20/2017, 12:00 AM
The Dubai-based Emirates airline is reducing the number of flights it offers to the United States. As a reason for the change, the carrier cited a drop in demand among consumers following "recent actions taken by the U.S. government," including a ban on carry-on electronics affecting flights from certain Middle Eastern and Northern African nations, as well as efforts by the Trump administrat...
The World's Safest Country for Tourists
Posted on 04/19/2017, 12:00 AM
Finland has been named the world's safest country for travelers in this year's edition of the highly regarded Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report from the World Economic Forum. The annual study rates 136 nations according to a variety of factors, including natural resources, transportation infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and several others. Overall, Spain was found to be ...
Plan to Build Trump Hotel in Dallas Falls Through
Posted on 04/18/2017, 12:00 AM
Dallas won't be getting a hotel under the Trump Organization's new Scion brand after all. Through a spokesperson, the president's company announced that the project's developer, Mike Sarimsakci, has been told not to pursue work on the plan with the city council. Initially slated for an area of downtown Dallas undergoing redevelopment, the hotel was going to be funded in part by unidentifie...
Spirit Airlines Ending Flights to Cuba
Posted on 04/17/2017, 12:00 AM
Spirit Airlines is ending its flights to Cuba, the carrier announced last week. That makes it the third U.S. airline to halt service to the island, after Frontier and Silver Airways called it quits in March. As in those two cases, Spirit cited overcapacity as the reason for abandoning its Havana-Fort Lauderdale route. Put simply, there are too many flights to Cuba and not enough passenger d...
Ban on In-Flight Phone Calls Here to Stay
Posted on 04/14/2017, 12:00 AM
A proposal to relax the ban on in-flight phone calls has been dropped by the Federal Communications Commission, which since 2013 had been mulling over the idea of allowing more cell-phone chatter on planes. In a statement, FCC chairman Ajit Pai called the abandoned plan—introduced by a previous occupant of his job—"ill-conceived" and said that "taking it off the table permanently will be a v...
