Tourism | Digital Crosstalk

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Brian and team, who work for a digital marketing agency run this Digital Crosstalk blog.
Occasionally we might blog about companies and people we work with but for the most part we'll simply be blogging about stories and events which we find interesting.

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3rd
DEC

South Africa tourist chiefs warn against World Cup greed

Posted by Brian | Filed under tourism

: Image via Wikipedia

The World Cup heads to South Africa in 2010, but tourist chiefs have warned hotels, airlines and restaurants not to scare off potential visitors by hiking up prices.

With some 500,000 tourists expected to visit the country during the summer, tourism officials are worried that visitors may be deterred from returning by exorbitant costs as hotels and other accommodation seek to drive a profit by increasing prices.

Cape Town-based tourism official Calvyn Gilfellan said viewing the World Cup tournament as a cash cow will harm South Africa’s burgeoning tourism industry and put off potential visitors from returning to the country in the future.

“We are extremely concerned,” he told Associated Press. “It would be like killing the goose that laid the golden egg.”

Gilfellan’s sentiments were echoed by World Cup chief executive Danny Jordaan.

“We want fair prices, we want quality services … We want returning visitors and tourists and the only way we can get that is if people feel a sense of fairness in the prices.”

Tags: 2010, south africa, tourism, world cup

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8th
SEP

Guide wants tourists banned from climbing Uluru

Posted by Brian | Filed under tourism

: Image via Wikipedia

An Aboriginal tour group operator has called on a ban on tourism to the world-famous Ayres Rock or ‘Uluru’ and claims the iconic wonder is being used as a toilet by tourists.

The guide, Andrew Simpson of the Anangu Waai tour company told Northern Territory News that tourists are embarking on walks up the famous rock armed with toilet roll and are using the top as a public convenience when they reach the summit due the lack of toilet facilities.

Uluru is of great spiritual importance to local Aborigines and is considered a sacred site by them. Mr Simpson’s claims come as part of a submission into a draft management plan by the Australian federal government to prevent tourists from climbing the rock.

About 350,000 people visit Uluru each year and around 100,000 people attempt the 348 metre climb to the top, despite the wishes of Uluru’s traditional and spiritual owners who believe the climbing trail crosses a dreamtime path. The climb results in around 35 deaths each year.

Tags: australia, ayres rock, tourism, uluru

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26th
AUG

Thailand is deadliest holiday destination for Britons

Posted by Brian | Filed under road, tourism

: Image by FriskoDude via Flickr

If you’re going to Thailand on holiday then it is wise to take more care there than you might ordinarily do elsewhere says the Times newspaper online. That’s because latest figures from the Foregin and Commonwealth Office (FCO) suggest British tourists are more likely to be killed in Thailand than any other destination.

269 British tourists were killed in Thailand last year, giving the country the highest incidence of deaths in proportion to the number of British travellers of any other country in the world, with the main cause of death being motorbike accidents.

However, even if you manage to cheat death, Thailand also holds the unwelcome distinction of being the country where by the same proportion criteria is the destination where Brits are most likely to be hospitalised.

Motorbike accidents again account for the most hospitalisations in Thailand, with the majoritiy of the 324 reported hospital admissions of British tourists being attributed to this cause – with many proving fatal.

The actual numbers could be higher, however, as the reported figures only take into account actual documented incidences by the British consulates abroad. The full report, entitled the British Behaviour Abroad report (.pdf) can be downloaded via the FCO website.

Let’s be careful out there people!