It started out much like other safaris. We piled into an open 4X4 safari vehicle with four rows of tiered seats and headed out into the bush. A few moments into the drive we encountered a wildebeest. We stopped and looked, as it looked back at us. Then we moved on.

Our guide, who was driving, told us, “It’s hard to compete with the Big Five.” There are no lions on the 47,000-hectare reserve known as the Cradle of Humankind. Only a 45-minute drive from Johannesburg, it’s not surprising that some of the larger, more charismatic wildlife have moved farther into the wilderness. There are leopards and waterbucks, and many other kinds of fascinating animals and plants, but this is not about the Big Five. What it has is something no one else in the world has: the oldest hominid fossils so far discovered on Earth Read the rest of this entry »

Next week is the week of Africa’s Travel Indaba, the travel trade show for all of Africa. It will be held in Durban, South Africa, at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) May 13-16.

The word “indaba” is Zulu for “the story.” For those interested in the African travel industry, Africa’s Travel Indaba is the time and place to get the story, directly from the people engaged in that industry, at the point where participants gather from around the world.

There will be 26 African countries participating in the show Read the rest of this entry »

Jerusalem — Maybe it’s because I respect war correspondents, who risk their lives to cover the story, and sometimes wish I was one. Maybe it’s because, since Covid, I appreciate the privilege of being among the first visitors to support a tourism industry in distress. Maybe it’s because my roots are here, in the only place on earth where Jews are not a minority.

Or maybe I’m just another Baby Boomer looking for a “safe adventure,” excited to push the boundaries and get my heart pumping a little, all the while knowing I really am likely to survive unscathed.

Take a dose of global warming, add an increase in tourism and a fire in Maui, and what do you get? In Hawaii, it adds up to a new tourist tax.

In his State of the State address, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green renewed the call for a “climate impact fee” to be charged to every visitor to the Aloha State.

A proposed $50 charge failed to pass the legislature last year. But this week, Green proposed a “modest” $25 fee, to be paid by every visitor who stays at a hotel or short-term rental on any Hawaiian island.

The resulting $68 million a year would be used for “beach preservation, fire breaks, and other prevention measures to help us avoid tragedies like the one last year in Maui,” Green said.

“A Climate Impact Fee on visitors would provide the needed resources to protect our environment and increase awareness of the impacts of climate change,” he noted. “I believe this is not too much to ask of visitors to our islands Hawaii’s natural resources — our beaches, forests, and waterfalls — are an essential part of our culture and our way of life.”

At a press conference following the State of the State, House Speaker Scott Saiki and Finance Committee Chair Kyle Yamashita said they will consider Green’s visitor fee, as well as an increase in the existing transient accommodations tax, currently 10.25%.

The people of South African Tourism are busy busy busy, always promoting South Africa anywhere they can. Recently they were on the road attending Africa Showcase North America, an event produced and operated by On Show Solutions of Johannesburg. It was a two-week series of gatherings with activities in four cities crisscrossing the United States: Seattle, Denver, Fort Lauderdale and Boston. Read the rest of this entry »

After a wildfire spread quickly across Maui last week, the Hawai’ian island is left with a recovery effort that could last several months.

At the time of publication, the wildfire is said to have taken the lives of 106 people in the affected areas. Though, efforts are still ongoing. The approach of Hurricane Dora, and the subsequent high winds, are thought to be the primary reason it spread so quickly across the highly visited island.

Last week, the Hawai’i Tourism Authority (HTA) asked all visitors to leave the island of Maui to help facilitate a rescue and recovery, and for the safety of visitors.

Now, the HTA is telling all visitors booked on a trip to Maui to reschedule their bookings for as far out as months, possibly several months.

“In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses.”, said the HTA in a statement.

After Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, announced her plan for tax cuts, the value of the country’s currency plunged. Now the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the British pound is outrageously good for American travelers. The dollar is now worth about £.90. That’s almost one for one. Considering that the pound was worth around two dollars as recently as the 2006-2008 period, that means the dollar has more buying power now in Britain than at almost any time in memory.

Beginning Sept. 7th, Japan will double its maximum number of daily visitors to 50,000. This announcement also comes with the allowance of non-guided package tours, both a huge reversal in COVID-19 restrictions.

The Japan Tourism Agency has determined to conduct a “test tourism” program in May prior to a full opening to travelers. Small group tours will be permitted into the country in May to ascertain how well protocol measures will prevent an increase in Covid-19 cases. Read the rest of this entry »

Lilly Ajarova, the CEO of the Uganda Tourism Board, visited New York last week in preparation of Uganda’s rolling out of a rebranding campaign.

The slogan for the country will change from “Uganda, the Pearl of Africa” to “Exploring Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.”

It’s only one word changed, but as Mark Twain said, the difference of one word can be like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

More important than the change of slogan, the tourism department is changing its idea of how to market itself and to whom.

“We’ve been able to define who our audience is,” Lilly Ajarova told me. “We are looking for travelers, not just tourists, people who are more responsible, more mindful, and travel in a responsible way, as opposed to Read the rest of this entry »

When I was in India I took an elephant ride. It’s an attraction that is offered tourists in countries such as India, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The elephants were decoratively adorned with colorful weavings. I sat over the shoulders and rocked with the movement as the elephant walked up a hillside toward a temple. It was a thrill to be on the back of such a big, wonderful animal that was generously allowing me to ride on his back. I felt gratitude and friendship for the gentle giant.

I admit, I didn’t give it a lot of thought. It was just a few moments of one day on a 10-day tour. I took the ride, enjoyed it, and then moved on to the next thing on my itinerary. Then one day I met Stephanie Shaw, the corporate liaison for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and I realized what should have been obvious to me in the first place. Of course. Why did I ever think that an elephant would work a day job carrying humans around on his back constantly of his own free will, hour after hour, day after day?

When I learned the story behind the elephant rides, I felt ashamed of myself for being so insensitive to the animal. I was sorry for having participated in it, for helping to perpetuate the practice of selling elephant rides, which requires a kind of captivity and treatment I can hardly bear to imagine.

I assume others who take the rides are like I was. They saw the elephant ride attraction and went on it, not thinking that much about how it came to be that the world’s largest land animal would be submitting itself to serving as a taxi at a tourist attraction Read the rest of this entry »

Here we are, a world opening back up after a global pandemic that has ground travel to a halt for more than a year. Travelers, advisors, suppliers, economies… all have been hampered by precautions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The countries within the European Union were no exception. But, as good news surfaces from around the world, many countries are opening their borders once again. The Republic of Poland, a popular member of the EU, and a land of diverse terrain and historic sites, is now accepting US citizens.

Even during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, Poland was preparing for the return of tourism. Its #CityWillWait campaign highlighted the cities around the country, and that they will await the traveler. From the capital of Warsaw to the old town of Gdansk, the wait has been worth it. Read the rest of this entry »