Tourism Review Online Magazine - 12/2009 by Tourism Review Digital Network

DECEMber, 2009

Dear readers, Welcome to the windy fall issue of Tourism Review Online Magazine. If you don’t have enough of snow and frosty weather let us invite you to one of the most affordable destinations in the crisis stricken world – Iceland. Open the Destination part and explore their fabulous nature, hot springs and Northern lights. If you are rather planning your next expedition to the undersea world let’s get familiar with several unique and less known sites you should not miss. Read the Active supplement. Spirituality and faith tours are the topic of the Religious part this time focusing specifically on places that can’t be usually found in common guidebooks. Professional supplement tries to answer the question – why do people buy (often worthless) souvenirs? Read about the latest trends in this billion dollar industry. However, if you rather fancy a comfy sofa and fashionable environment let us invite you to the world of upscale boutique hotels. Open the Heritage supplement and enjoy the idea of fluffy pillows and inspiring atmosphere.

Milada Sovadinova Editor

CONTENTS

DECEMBER, 2009 ETHICAL

H E R I TAG E Boutique Hotels witH unique AtmospHere

Religious TouRs off The BeaTen PaTh

Boutique hotels – luxurious, inspiring and unique. How popular are they in today’s globalized world? Do they have any chance to survive? Check out the latest trends and visit Quebec or Slovenia.

Every year more and more people opt for religious tours discovering the roots of their faith. Yet, there are thousands of unique places not well known by the modern pilgrims. Let’s travel to the Holy Land, Alberta or even Egypt.

HERITAGE: Boutique Hotels with Unique Atmosphere..................4

Boutique Hotels: Fashionable and Inspiring. ...........................................................5 Quebec City’s Archaeological Hotel Digs History. ...................................................7 Sun House: Slovenian Experience of Dwelling..........................................................9 Boutique Hotels Are Most of All about Quality & Service. ...............................11

ProfeSSional

ETHICAL: Religious Tours Off the Beaten Path.....................................36

Emerging Yet Lesser Known Destinations for the 21st Century Religious Traveler............................................................................................................37 Alberta’s World-Class Passion Play: Dramatic Scenery Sets the Stage.................39 The Holy Land from a Different Perspective..........................................................42 Cairo Offering Much More Than Expected. .............................................................44 Take a Modern Pilgrimage to Spiritual Wales. .......................................................46 DE st I Nat IoN

SouvenirS All Around

ICELAND

Perhaps most of them are useless kitsches but travelers simply love them. Souvenir shopping is an important part of many peoples’ vacations. What kind of products tourists buy? Where are the fantastic souvenirs produced anyway?

Iceland – the land of geysers, Northern lights and beautiful nature. Explore the local lava fields, go for a whale watching trip or enjoy the beautiful sights of the capital Reykjavík.

Professional: Souvenirs All Around.........................13

Destination: ICELAND.........................................................48

An Ode to Souvenirs: Sentimental Journey..............................................................14 Souvenirs and Shopping in Egypt.................................................................................17 Made in Ukraine?................................................................................................................19 Entrepreneur’s Tide Comes in with Beach Souvenirs. ..........................................21 Mackinac Island: Tourists Want To Stretch Dollars..........................................23

Glaciers, Geysers and Hot Springs...............................................................................49 Travel and Tourism in Iceland.....................................................................................51 Destination: Reykjavík. ...................................................................................................53 Whale Watching from Reykjavík..................................................................................55 Living on a Lava Field Shrouded in Folklore..........................................................57 Tourist Guides: The Ambassadors of Iceland..........................................................59 Inbound Tour Operators.....................................................................................................61

ADVENTURE

Fairs & Exhibitions

Heritage under Sea LeveL Underwater caves, monuments, shipwrecks – they are the most popular and adventurous objects of exploration for most divers. Yet, their protection is also a hot issue these days. Visit the distinctive underwater world of Mexico, Pacific or Philippines.

T r av e l / T o u r i s m

ADVENTURE: Heritage under Sea Level................25

Cultural Heritage on the Seabed................................................................................26 Truk Lagoon … lead in….................................................................................................28 Extreme Cave Diving in the Philippines.....................................................................31 Mexico: Underwater Museum to Protect Coral Reefs..........................................33

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Fairs & Exhibitions: Travel/Tourism in DECEmBER 2009 by regions..................................................64 Western Europe..................................................................................................................65 CENTRAL Europe..................................................................................................................65 Africa/MIDDLE EAST. ..........................................................................................................66 North America. ..................................................................................................................66 North America. ..................................................................................................................67

H E R I TAG E Boutique Hotels with Unique Atmosphere Boutique hotels â&#x20AC;&#x201C; luxurious, inspiring and unique. How popular are they in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s globalized world? Do they have any chance to survive? Check out the latest trends and visit Quebec or Slovenia.

H e r itage : B out i qu e Hotel s w ith Uni qu e At mo sphe re

Boutique Hotels: Fashionable and Inspiring

Tourism-Review.com asked Euromonitor International Research analyst Angelo Rossini about the concept of boutique hotels as well as the latest trends in the industry. How did the whole concept of boutique hotels start? The first boutique hotels started operating at the beginning of the 80s in London, New York and San Francisco as an answer to large hotel chains offering standardized rooms and services across the globe. What differentiates boutique hotels from other hotels in general? Boutique hotels are characterized by owning unique features and by offering personalized serD e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

vices. The hotels have a very stylish design, are often themed, and are in fashionable or inspiring locations. They surprise their guests through live shows and music or simply by their original design, lighting and decorations. The relationship with the hotel staff, which is much closer than in chained hotels, is also peculiar of boutique hotels and is made possible by their size which is generally rather small, as they own about 50 rooms on average. How popular are boutique hotels today compared to the past? The recent global economic crisis has negatively affected the most upscale boutique hotels as travelers tended to opt for cheaper options. However, the long term trend is generally positive for boutique hotels as they offer to travelers not only accommodation but an experience, together with a personalized service, which are two aspects increasingly appreciated by hotel guests. For this reason their popularity is expected to return to grow from 20102011. What are the latest trends in the industry? Some of the latest trends in this field are the establishment of boutique hotels with a “relaxation” theme in city centres, targeting in particular a business clientele. These hotels also offer a range of spa services. Another recent trend concerns boutique hotels targeting the growing segment of cultural tourism through a hotel theme referring to the local history and art.

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What regions still have some unused potential with respect to boutique hotels? Boutique hotels are generally still very underdeveloped. There is a high potential for their development especially in European cities where their concept is very consistent with strong local history and traditions. Large potentials are also present in all inspiring locations around the world where it is possible to build them around a strong local theme. What kind of guest is the typical customer of boutique hotels? Any developments over time? Typical customers of boutique hotels are creative, innovative, technologically savvy, young at heart and mid-upper income people. The main development in terms of type of customers in the last years

H e r itage : B out i qu e Hotel s w ith Uni qu e At mo sphe re was the fast growth of business travelers attracted by comfort, personalized services and by the technological features, such as Wi-Fi internet connection in every room, offered by several city boutique hotels. What is the outlook of boutique hotels? Boutique hotels are expected to significantly benefit from the boom of online reservation. In the past the main issue concerning their promotion was that, due to their small size, they didn’t own enough resources to market themselves effectively. However, through the internet it is now much easier for them to be present on the websites of the main online travel agencies where boutique hotels will be able to exploit their superior appeal compared to chain hotels. Moreover, Web 2.0 features allowing hotel customers to leave their reviews on travel websites will also favour boutique hotels, which can boast a very high customer satisfaction. http://www.euromonitor.com

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H e r itage : B out i qu e Hotel s w ith Uni qu e At mo sphe re

Quebec City's Archaeological Hotel Digs History Quebec City's historic center has two levels: the upper plateau first selected for settlement by the French military in the early 17th century for its strategic defense overlooking the St Lawrence River. Following the British takeover of the colony of Québec in 1759, merchants moved in and gradually built warehouses, business headquarters and port facilities to support flourishing trade along the river. In the 19th century, Quebec City became one of the five most important shipping ports in the world, the gateway to North America's interior, with the lower level or Le Vieux-Port (The Old Port) the main focus of activity. Fast forward to the past two decades where Le Vieux-Port has transformed into a mecca for vacationers with the birth of thematic museums, quaint churches, colorful public markets, and Europeanstyle indoor/outdoor restaurants. These features complement an intriguing range of historic accommodations, some originally designed as simple hostels or inns, a few recently transformed from bygone warehouses and business buildings into distinctive family-owned and managed auberges. Auberge Saint-Antoine with 95 rooms and luxury suites is a thematically elegant part of Le VieuxPort with guests embarking on an historic adventure just by choosing to stay there. Built on one of Québec City's richest archaeological sites, the inn integrates three heritage buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries as well as a former wharf and defense structure dating from the late 17th century. It is owned by the Price family who has their own D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

Auberge Saint-Antoine, in Le Vieux-Port district of Quebec City, is a unique archaeological inn. © Auberge Saint Antoine, www.saint-antoine.com

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H e r itage : B out i qu e Hotel s w ith Uni qu e At mo sphe re

Quebec City: The Third Best Destination

There are only three urban centers in North America that have been designated as UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Sites: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Lunenberg, Nova Scotia; and Québec City which has the further distinction of being the only present-day fortified city north of Mexico. By North American standards it is one of the continent’s oldest European settlements with many layers and styles of occupation telling tales of 400 years of occupation. In 2009, the readers of elite US travel magazine, Travel + Leisure, voted Quebec City as the 3rd best tourist destination in North America.

impressive merchant association with Québec City proudly spanning nearly 200 years and six generations. They have certainly captured the inn's atmosphere with the adopted phrase, Passé plus que parfait .... Past Perfect! Walk through the front entrance and the reception desk is framed with weathered oak planks from the original dock, buried and perfectly preserved under mud for centuries. Spacious public areas are flanked with museum-quality recessed show-

Excavated below the Auberge, this precious Pierrier cannon is one of only two small French cannons remaining in Quebec City. © Auberge Saint Antoine, www.saint-antoine.com D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

cases of artefacts labelled by occupation level, assembling intriguing collections of discarded or lost pipes, military hardware, eyeglasses and fragments of fine table china or brilliantly-colored glass. Each guest room has an adopted artefact for its theme. My room, 504, was La Chambre du Tailleur, announced by an excavated button in a framed lightbox, telling the story of a tailor who worked in a shop there in the mid-1800s. The experience is all the more vivid because each of the 700-plus artefacts displayed throughout the inn was retrieved right there! Always with a vision of creating a luxury archaeological hotel, the Price family patiently waited for years while archaeologists combed the vast site to retrieve four centuries of treasures before beginning construction and restoration of buildings. Partnering with the Québec Ministry of Culture and the city government, the family donated all artefacts to the city which in turn loans them back to Auberge Saint-Antoine on a permanent basis. Purchased in 1990 as an adjacent abandoned maritime warehouse, the inn's award-winning Panache Restaurant overlooking the St Lawrence River features centuries-old knotted pine floors, original brick walls and massive wood beams meticulously restored to preserve another piece of Québec's heritage. Continuing the heritage theme, the menu also features traditional French Canadian cuisine, and even the table china is a re-creation of designs excavated from the site. A more casual eatery and bar in the inn, Café Artefact, needs no paintings to decorate its walls. Colorfully-arranged displays of archaeological finds from different centuries complement my own favorite treasure set into its own cave-like café wall. It is a small, heavily-worn Pierrier cannon, one of only two original French cannons still in Québec City. In a city where cannons are everywhere, almost all are British, two are Russian, and this one of only

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Dozens of artefact displays, inset into walls throughout the Auberge, present centuries of occupation on its Quebec City property. © Auberge Saint Antoine, www.saint-antoine.com

two remaining French cannons was excavated right under the Saint-Antoine! In the November 2008 issue of Condé Nast Traveler magazine, Auberge Saint-Antoine, a Relais & Chậteaux property, was ranked by readers as the 2nd best hotel in Canada. In the 2009 edition of Expedia Insiders' Select List travelers rated it 35th best hotel in the world out of 30,000 properties. By Alison Gardner Editor/journalist, Alison Gardner, is a global expert on nature-based vacations and cultural/educational travel. Her Travel with a Challenge web magazine, www.travelwithachallenge.com, is a recognized source of new and established operators, accommodations and richly-illustrated feature articles covering all types of senior-friendly alternative travel. http://www.travelwithachallenge.com

H e r itage : B out i qu e Hotel s w ith Uni qu e At mo sphe re

Sun House: Slovenian Experience of Dwelling

the northeast of Slovenia, where the earth touches the sky and the Mura River, as the locals in the village of Banovci like to say, in the heartland of authentic natural wealth of Prlekija, there stands the Sun House, a wonderful oasis of intimacy and relaxed ambiance; the kind you can

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experience only at home. A luxurious boutique hotel furnished with carefully selected designer pieces that offer original ideas of different ways to spend leisure time provides for experiences that are indispensable in the hotels of the highest class. The Sun House accommodates a hotel where great

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emphasis is made on the personal and individual treatment of guests; the first of its kind in Slovenia. The idea of the Sun House was ripening for several years. In the spring of 2006 its conceivers Nataša Kegelj Kovačič and Aleš Kegelj finally decided to carry it out. Thus the story was born about a brand new way of dwelling as well as spending one's holidays and leisure time. What Nataša and Aleš really wanted to do, was to offer all those who would like to spend their holidays in the countryside and are looking for an intimate environment on one side, yet furnished and complemented with the topquality details on the other, a place where all this is actually possible. Thus the Sun House changed into a boutique hotel, a first ever of its kind in Slovenia. The ambitious owners picked up their crew of collaborators very carefully and together they indeed made an excellent team of creators of the Sun House services. The Sun House is intended for businessmen, couples or individuals, who have almost everything, and who wish to have some rest and relaxation during long weekends or holidays with a higher or topclass level of tourist services. It is for those who want to enjoy beautiful ambiance and good food as well as to enjoy beautiful nature. Every single visitor in Sun House is treated as an individual and will be

H e r itage : B out i qu e Hotel s w ith Uni qu e At mo sphe re

amazed by carefully thought-out details and small surprises. Each guest may choose among five unique thematic luxurious suites, of which each has its own story, thus providing this small boutique hotel with some extra charm and a more personal note. The guests may, time and time again, choose among the dwelling in the suites named Lime Grass, Sea Memories, Natura, Manhattan or the family suite Stork. For perfect relaxation, guests may also use the Wellness & Spa garden with a series of programmes for well-being. While there, you may also enjoy a unique panoramic view. After sauna-sweating in the BIO-herbal or Finnish sauna, you will be able to take some rest while enjoying calm music, tasty tea and fresh fruit in a pleasant relaxation room or surrender yourself to the effects of the hydro massage pool.

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At the Sun House, a great deal of attention has also been paid to the healthy composition of menus, since only healthy and natural food belongs to the natural environment. Thus, they will seduce your taste buds with the most tasteful breakfasts, made exclusively from biological and home-grown ingredients. With a desire to make every start of your day unforgettable, they will delight you with excellent home-made jams, various salamis and spreads, natural fruit juices as well as freshly baked bread, fruit pies and rolls. You will also be able to sleep as long as you please, since your breakfast will be prepared especially for you. You will also be able to treat yourselves with the most important meal of the day in our garden in the beautiful, clean and unspoiled nature. All day long, the Sun House staff will spoil you with excellent homemade sweets and selected exquisite wines. The Sun House is situated in the region of Prlekija known for its still unspoilt nature. Therefore, it offers you many possibilities for various sports and recreational activities, among which are also different walking and cycling paths, various guided tours around Prekmurje and Prlekija, possibilities to go horseback riding, play golf, as well as many others. Sončna hiša (the Sun House) is a registered trademark ™ and not the last one of its kind. »We intend to build at least two more in Slovenia«, say Nataša and Aleš. By Maja Murič http://www.soncna-hisa.si/en/

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H e r itage : B out i qu e Hotel s w ith Uni qu e At mo sphe re

Boutique Hotels Are Most of All about Quality & Service Interview with David Maranzana, President and Founder of Epoque Hotels.

For those who are unfamiliar with this kind of business model in which hotels of different ownership are collected under one umbrella, could you explain the underlying principle behind this kind of association, and the advantages for you as an association and for the guests? Epoque Hotels is a collection of independent boutique hotels in the world. The main benefit for D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

a boutique hotelier to join such collection is to be able to compete with major chains that allow more budget for marketing activities. Epoque Hotels publishes a slick hotel directory that is sent to all the hotel members as well as to a great number of travel agencies and trade shows worldwide. The Epoque Staff arranges also sales calls to travel agencies in the major destinations in the world that would be tremendously expensive for each single property to take part on their own. Furthermore, our website has a very high Page Rank and a large number of visitors, thus serving boutique hotels to gain visibility and appreciation. From the standpoint of the guest, the advantage Epoque Hotels gives is that you have one reference point instead of many; that is, if you love boutique hotels, you will have to look into all the websites in order to get information and book. Instead, by visiting our website you will find the entire collection divided by destination, name and type of hotel (beach resort, city hotel, spa, business etc.). In addition, boutique hotels are most of all about quality and service. By way of a consortium like Epoque Hotels, the guest is able to take advantage of the best of both worlds: one is the creativity of unique boutique hotels, and the other is the convenience of large hotel chains able to offer communication and organization. How do you select your hotels? There is a wide range both in design and price, is it your aim to offer something to everyone or do you focus on a specific clientele?

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H e r itage : B out i qu e Hotel s w ith Uni qu e At mo sphe re First of all the property needs to be an independent hotel, which is the main prerogative of boutique hotels. Boutique hotels are typically 4-5 star hotels, with high standards, but I would like to emphasize that it is not just about luxury, rather about innovation, creativity, uniqueness and personalized service. Hotels that are part of a chain need to comply with certain paradigms. A chain conveys the idea of being chained, that is constrained. If you are not nailed by corporate regulations you can have freedom of design. Other important criteria for our selection are that the property be in a central or particularly appealing location and that the hotel represents in some way the character, the essence of the city or town where it is located. As per the client we focus on, it is mainly the artistic, independent minded traveler. Someone who aims at a one-of-a kind travel experience. To make a comparison, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about who is more inclined to watch an independent film rather than a Hollywood blockbuster. What makes you different from other boutique hotel groups such as Tablet Hotels, Mr.& Mrs. Smith, etc.? The main difference between Epoque Hotels and the aforementioned companies is that they are reservations websites. Epoque, as stated earlier provides to the hoteliers not merely that, but also provides a series of marketing services such as sales calls, trade shows presence, directory, PR, web optimization, consulting, that the others do not supply. Many travelers are still a bit conservative in choosing hotels, usually thinking that in bigger hotel chains they will be better off. What would you say to encourage travelers to break with the tradition and choose a boutique hotel?

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Traveling is all about adventure, about seeing and experiencing something different and new. Staying at a chain hotel implies experiencing the same thing over and over, whether you are in Beijing, in Los Angeles or in Paris. On the contrary, choosing a boutique hotel gives the traveler a bit of the soul of the location, enriching the travel experience. We at Epoque Hotels guarantee quality and standards that are in line with any big hotel chain, while simultaneously offering diversity. http://www.epoquehotels.com

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P ro f essiona l Souvenirs All Around Perhaps most of them are useless kitsches but travelers simply love them. Souvenir shopping is an important part of many peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vacations. What kind of products tourists buy? Where are the fantastic souvenirs produced anyway?

An Ode to Souvenirs: Sentimental Journey

ouvenirs can be collectibles, trophies, and kitsch at its kitschiest. But mostly they're reminders of good times. Mention the word souvenir and a thousand images spring to mind: the personalized mug from Niagara Falls (Jack! Jake! Jane! Janet!), the jackD e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

alope postcard from New Mexico, the Seattle Space Needle replica made of genuine Mount St. Helens ashes, the gold dancing Elvis telephone from Memphis. They're kitschy, they're colorful, and they're as much a part of American culture as the open road.

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P rof e s si ona l : S ouv e nir s Al l Around What's more, we're addicted to buying them, to the tune of more than $1.5 billion a year. No trip feels complete until we've purchased a trinket to remind us of where we've been. Or, for that matter, until we've shopped at all. According to the Travel Industry Association in Washington, D.C., shopping is the No. 1 activity of people vacationing in the United States. Still, what compels a person to plunk down hundreds, often thousands, of dollars on planes, hotels, and restaurants, but to commemorate the trip with only a $20 T-shirt? The word souvenir may hold the key: A French word, souvenir means "to remember." For many people, it's not so much the souvenir that's of value, but what it evokes – a memory and a good story to tell. "Travel is still this special, unique period of one's life," says Robert Thompson, a professor of media and pop culture at Syracuse University, "and there's a very natural human tendency to bring back a trophy from someplace you've been, to commemorate the event." There is also a tendency to boast about where you've been, and souvenirs provide the cheapest way to advertise where your travel dollars have gone – and that you have travel dollars. Walk around in a T-shirt you picked up in Tahiti and all your friends know you're pulling down the kind of money that a Tahitian vacation requires. "Souvenirs are status symbols," Thompson says, "though they're the kitschiest status symbols I can think of." But they're status symbols with staying power. Ever since humans have traveled, they've picked up souvenirs. As early as 700 BC, Homer, in his epic poem The Odyssey, wrote of his hero's gift gathering in far-off lands. (The author may, however, have been euphemistically referring to pillaging and plundering.)

P rof e s si ona l : S ouv e nir s Al l Around By the 12th century, when medieval Christians began making pilgrimages to various shrines, they purchased metal badges – complete with an image of the shrine's saint – and affixed them to their hats and clothing. Like the T-shirt from Tahiti advertising our devotion to mammon, these badges did a terrific job of broadcasting the pilgrim's devotion to God. The badges, which may have been the first massproduced souvenirs, were such a hit that in 1466, the Swiss monastery of Santa Maria managed to sell 130,000 in two weeks, according to Godfrey Evans, co-curator of an exhibit on souvenirs at the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, Scotland. In the 1600s, the British brought the secular souvenir into vogue with their "grand tours," the trips undertaken by wealthy young men to finish their education by steeping themselves in the Continent's greatest art collections, architecture, and classical monuments. Americans were not far behind, although it took some time to arrive at the tacky, made-in-China souvenir of which we're so fond today. "There was a period," says David Shayt, a specialist at the Smithsonian Institution's Division of Cultural History, "when the souvenir had to literally be from the site." As an example of this, he points to the Smithsonian's own Star-Spangled Banner, from which many strips were cut and given to the families of War of 1812 veterans as souvenirs. After the Liberty Bell stopped ringing in 1846, city fathers in Philadelphia took a hammer to it, chipping off pieces to present to visiting dignitaries. Not until the inception of the world's fair – that veritable celebration of modern industrialism and mass production – did the souvenir as we know it come to be. At the first world's fair, the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, trinkets abounded, everything from handbills to small cards, paperweights to women's compacts, all emblazoned with D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

the image of the Crystal Palace. But it was at the expositions in Philadelphia in 1876 and Chicago in 1893 that "the biggest explosion of souvenirs occurred," according to Shayt. Why? "All of a sudden," he says, "we had the ability to mass-produce widgets of all kinds." Newly urbanized Americans came home from the world's fairs, such as the 1915 Panama- Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, with souvenir china, pillows, handkerchiefs, even bedspreads. Trinkets became important evidence that you had been there. In the 1890s, the picture postcard appeared. It has probably become the most popular souvenir of

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all time, which is ironic because it's the one specifically intended to be given to someone else. Of course, that may also be why it's so popular: It has the unique ability to torture the recipient, stuck at home. With the rise of car travel in the 1920s and '30s and then the great Baby Boomer Family Road Trip of the '50s and '60s, the postcard became as important as the family slide show. Today's tourist suffers from an overdose of practicality, indicative of the overall trend among travelers to want the most bang for their vacation buck. "We're in the information age," says Steve Lynam, a former vice president of retail for Xanterra, the concessionaire for Yellowstone and Grand Canyon

P rof e s si ona l : S ouv e nir s Al l Around national parks and Mount Rushmore National Monument. "Our guests want a product that not only evokes memories and advertises a trip, but can offer an educational component in addition. When a tourist buys a T-shirt, for example, with a graphic of the Grand Canyon on it, there's a hangtag attached with information about the South Rim." Most likely, a T-shirt is exactly what the average tourist will buy. "T-shirts are still our top sellers," Lynam explains, "and the coffee mug business has improved, too." If there's one thing that today's souvenirs have in common, it's that they're functional, a buzzword you hear again and again in the souvenir industry. This assumes, however, that the traveler is uncool enough to purchase a souvenir – or to purchase it with a straight face. As cynicism becomes the norm, says Professor Thompson, a hierarchy of hip has arisen around souvenir buying. On the bottom rung are people who haven't even visited a certain place. The next rung belongs to people who have been to the place and, Thompson says, "have the T-shirt to prove it." The top rung, he says, is reserved "for people who have been there but are too cool to wear the T-shirt." It's enough to make a traveler yearn for the days when you only picked up a Golden Gate Bridge snow globe because, well, you had been there and because your memento seemed like something truly special. Legions of collectors have decided that early souvenirs were indeed special. They're collecting everything from china (early-20th-century German imports with "views" are hot) to snow globes to

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postcards. Ashtrays – which straddle that fine line between souvenirs and looted goods, depending on how much you paid for your hotel room or your meal – have become so popular that an entire book has been written on casino ashtrays. Almost anything can qualify as a souvenir collectible. "As collectibles go," says Harry Rinker, president of Rinker Enterprises in Vera Cruz, Pa., and an authority on antiques and collectibles, "souvenirs are very cheap." Why focus on souvenirs? "For one simple reason," says Rinker, who has his own formidable accumulation. "There's a collecting gene in our DNA. In some people, it's just more developed than it is in others." It's a way, he says, of expressing individuality in an increasingly conformist world.

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It's also a way of constantly remembering a happy past. In Rinker's bedroom, for example, is a shelf full of souvenirs—some are antiques, some just ordinary souvenirs – devoted to a trip to Australia. "Every time I look at it, I think of Australia," he says. "Every item on that shelf means something to me." Rinker is unusual in that he collects souvenirs from a variety of places. People generally collect objects from just one location, according to Jim Griffith, a spokesman for eBay. "They're celebrating one particular place," he says. The places they're most likely to celebrate include Niagara Falls ("ground zero for kitsch," Griffith says); Coney Island in its heyday; the borscht belt hotels in the Catskills; and, as another generation of souvenir hounds comes of age, Disneyland and Disney World. That avid collectors are now scooping up location-specific souvenirs gets to the heart of why we buy them at all, why we fill our suitcases and backpacks with trinkets that aren't even made in the place where we bought them. We do it to remember. "To be honest, most collectors are just trying to buy back their memories," Rinker says. Memories of riding the roller coaster at Coney Island, of spending lazy days in the Catskills, of seeing Mickey and Minnie for the first time, when we were young enough to be missing teeth. "Most of our best vacations were taken when we were children," Rinker says. "Who wouldn't want to buy those vacations back?" Photos: TR, Flickr By Laura Hilgers http://www.viamagazine.com

P rof e s si ona l : S ouv e nir s Al l Around

Souvenirs and Shopping in Egypt

The

Egyptians have had a tourist industry for over 4000 years. Trade with the Mediterranean civilizations and movement of the ancient Egyptians up and down the Nile to visit temples probably resulted in some souvenirs. The most famous ones were the "reverse" souvenirs, the purchase of offerings such as cat mummies to offer to the gods. Some of these traveled back home with

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the tourist, but most were taken from the souvenir merchants (the priests) to the temple alter. After Napoleon invaded and the British Protectorate began, the real business of selling "souvenirs" began, but many of the items sold were original antiquities from the original tombs, temples and cemeteries. Of course, some of the antiquities were faked, but that was only after the source of original items became scarcer. Today you have a made-for-tourists souvenir industry in Egypt. Beautiful replicas are made and specialty items are created. You probably will only see real antiquities in the museums. But if you are offered any "real antiquities", remember that it is illegal to buy them, and most probably they are beautiful fakes, anyway. So begin bargaining at a very low price and tell them you are only interested in buying reproductions. If they continue to bargain in your price range you can probably safely complete the sale without violating the law. They may even take the item away and bring back a surprisingly similar "reproduction". If they decline to continue, just politely tell them how beautiful their items are, but your husband (wife, tour guide, driver, etc.) is waiting for you! Most souvenirs you will be offered in Egypt are made in Egypt. And most of the ones in museums outside of Egypt are made in those countries or in China. So while you are in Egypt, take a look around and don't be afraid to enter into a bargaining process for items that you are really attracted to. You can always walk away, but don't be surprised if they follow you out the door, lowering the price as they go.

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It's a bit of a show, so don't be embarrassed, or get angry. There is no best price, only the price that you and the vendor agree on. The vendor won't sell you anything on which they lose money, and you will end up paying what your heart and pocket book dictate. There will always be another price and another item along the way, but each item you buy will create a memory.

P rof e s si ona l : S ouv e nir s Al l Around

I have lived in Hong Kong, and know that the item you want may or may not be unique, but it probably won't be there the next time you come around, so I shop by "Hong Kong Rules". If I really fall in love with it, I just try to get the best price I can, because the only souvenir purchases I have regretted are the ones I didn't make. The souvenir industry is a major source of income for the Egyptians. They take great pride in

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producing new, innovative items for each tourist season. Souvenirs are named after the French verb "to remember", and that is what they do, they create a memory of your trip associated with the country you visited. By Suzie Manley http://www.suziemanley.com

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Made in Ukraine?

Why

do we see this inscription on our souvenirs less often? A Ukrainian gift shop recently opened in Kyiv. Here you can buy a gift or another beautiful thing, and all merchandise originates from Ukraine. This shop, it turns out, is one of few in the capital and elsewhere in Ukraine because selling and making Ukrainian souvenirs is not a profitable business. The trouble is that genuine Ukrainian souvenirs have been elbowed out of the domestic market by Chinese conveyor-line products whose cost and retail prices are lower, so people tend to buy foreign goods.

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Ukrainian souvenirs’ only disadvantage is their price, insist their producers, because most are handmade and thus unique. Also, household goods, like tablecloths and bed linen are embellished with unique needlework and made from natural materials that are safe in terms of health. Kyiv gift shop owners complain, however, that some domestically made souvenirs are not up to the mark and are not adjusted to the modern market. Thus, porcelain folk-decorated tableware is crude and gray and lacks modern design. In contrast, Chinese-made flower vases with stamped Petrykivka ornaments look much more attractive. Do not be surprised to read “Made in China” on a vyshyvanka (embroidered shirt/blouse) or a “Ukrainian” kumanets (a ceramic vessel). Instead of souvenirs made by Ukrainian craftsmen as national attributes, what we have on sale is foreignproduced merchandise. Ukrainian craftsmen complain that there is still no government support of small and mediumsized business. Businessmen have to give bribes and waste time getting authorizations. They feel sure that the state can help the souvenir business and make it profitable. In Russia, the matryoshka business is supported by the state and guaranteed by the Law “On the Support of Folk and Art Crafts.” In Ukraine, all we have are proposals, such as making government contracts, allocating plots of land on preferential terms, and holding exhibits and fairs. The industrial output of Ukrainian souvenirs is in an even worse condition. “I have found only about a dozen businesses in Ukraine that keep making certified products in accordance with the national tradition, despite to the crisis and practically with-

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out any support from the government,” says Tetiana Kordonska, the owner of the gift shop that recently opened in Kyiv. Kyiv’s factory Suvenir is a mirror reflection of the current status of this industry in Ukraine. In the 1990s it supplied decorated plates and ornamented boxes to 40 countries, working non-stop, without any problems with shipment orders. Suvenir employed almost 4,000 staff. Now you read on its Web site: “We regret to inform that we are currently situated in a private apartment because we lost our premises, including a gift shop and a workshop, after a hostile takeover.”

P rof e s si ona l : S ouv e nir s Al l Around

Meanwhile, foreigners are still eager to buy Ukrainian souvenirs. After visiting the Carpathians tourists bring home pieces of woodcarving, Easter eggs, and vyshyvankas. In winter they buy knitted socks and homespun woolen bedspreads. Increasingly often, however, these goods turn out to have been made outside Ukraine. Domestic craftsmen are unable to cope with the increasing market demand. You cannot make the number of goods using your hands as the Chinese can, using machines. Before long there will be another upsurge in market demand for Ukrainian souvenirs. Euro 2012 is an excellent opportunity to earn a quick buck from tourists. However, the UN World Tourism Organization’s survey in 2008 showed that the Ukrainian central budget’s income from a single visit by a foreign tourist averages USD 200, compared to USD

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700 for Poland. This figure is even higher (USD 1,200) for Great Britain, a country visited by as many tourists per local resident as Ukraine. Souvenirs must be a tangible part of tourist expenses. Getting back to the Euro 2012 theme, Ukraine must see to it that tourist buy domestically made souvenirs. What will Ukraine offer tourists apart from the soccer championships memorabilia? So far all we can see is Chinese-made carved platters with the tryzub and the inscription Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine! The Chinese are quite good at it, too. How can the domestic manufacturer be supported and the souvenir industry given a fresh impetus in Ukraine? According to McKinsey&Company experts, the tourist market is among the most promising ones here. In other words, investments will eventually yield fair profits. The main thing is for the domestic investors and consumers to again fall in love with authentic national products. Tourists spell profits not only for hotels, restaurants, or taxi-service companies. Souvenirs bought by tourists also form a tangible source of income for Ukrainian businesses. Those unwilling to once again start using their forefathers’ pottery techniques, making pipes or vyshyvankas should think twice. By Alla Dubovyk http://day.kiev.ua

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Entrepreneur’s Tide Comes in with Beach Souvenirs The

little souvenir bottle filled with seashells and sand that you brought back to Milwaukee from Sanibel Island may have made a round trip. That’s because your keepsake, which evokes memories of golden days on the beach, could have been made by Visionary Products, a Glendale company that does a million-dollar business in beach bubble ornaments, starfish-wearing sunglasses and trinket boxes topped with mermaids. “We brought some of the creativity of the gift industry to souvenirs,” said owner Peter Engel, who started the company in 1991. Engel sells beach souvenirs to shops in resort towns across the United States and the Virgin Islands. Major cruise lines and Las Vegas casinos also are on the customer list. Engel and his staff of eight work in an office/warehouse complex on N. Sidney Place, which serves as a headquarters and production facility for the business. Workers dye tiny seashells and then mix them with other trinkets, which are combined with sand to make tiny beach scenes in bottles or clear plastic bubbles. Other workers then print names of vacation destinations and cruise lines on the finished product. In addition to the full-time staff, Engel employs others who work at home on a piecework basis to hand-print sculpted resin items — frames, small boxes — that are imported from China. He pays 20 cents for each hand-lettered name that goes on the tchotchkes.

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The business is doing well despite the sluggish economy because his products are inexpensive yet permanent remembrances, Engel said. “People may not buy more expensive items, but they’ll buy $5 to $10 items,” he said. In addition, the devaluation of the U.S. dollar has boosted his sales to souvenir shops overseas. The total market for souvenirs is fragmented and difficult to quantify. Hoovers estimates the gift and souvenir industry, at retail, at $13 billion. Scott Borowsky, executive editor of Souvenir Gifts and Novelties, an industry trade publication, said there are many new entrants to the business at retail because of the low start-up costs. No supplier dominates the industry, Borowsky said.

Entrepreneur ’s Dreams Engel did a stint in product development at Del Monte Corp. in San Francisco before starting his own company. “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur,” Engel said. He invented his first product in the 1980s as part of his course work at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he earned a master’s degree in business administration. It was a souvenir: Windy City Wind, which consisted of an aerosol can filled with compressed air. Engel tired of the bureaucracy that was part of his job at Del Monte, and he began working on product ideas in his spare time. After visiting a Christmas shop at Fisherman’s Wharf, he came up with the

P rof e s si ona l : S ouv e nir s Al l Around that gift shop customers return often but want to see new merchandise. To keep selling to those shops, he would need a constant stream of new products. The business struggled for nearly four years until Engel hit on the idea of turning the thought bubbles into beach bubbles that could be sold as souvenirs. It was the kind of hurdle that many new businesses fail to overcome, Engel said. “You come up with this big idea and put everything into it, but if you don’t have the ideas to sustain yourself, you go out of business,” he said.

Selling Online idea that launched his current business: thought bubbles. A thought bubble is a transparent globe that carries a custom message. The bubble opens at the bottom to allow the message to be inserted. It can stand on a base as a party favor, or it can hang on a tree as an ornament. Engel took his thought bubbles to a gift trade show, and the business took off. “It was huge success at the (National) Stationery Show in New York,” Engel said. “Everybody was crowding around the display.” With $100,000 worth of orders in hand, Engel signed a lease on the office-warehouse space in Glendale. By then, he had left his job at Del Monte to follow his wife to Milwaukee, where she had a job. “I put everything into thought bubbles,” Engel recalled. He borrowed money from friends and family and negotiated extended-payment terms with his suppliers to get the business going. But he hit a wall when he found that gift shops weren’t reordering thought bubbles. He learned

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By converting his idea to serve the souvenir market, Engel eliminated the constant need for new products because souvenir shops have an everchanging stream of customers. Even so, he continues to come up with new ideas. A few years ago, he created an album for displaying tickets, aimed at people who save them as mementos of concerts and other events they’ve attended. He advertises the albums in Rolling Stone magazine and sells them online. His next big idea: peace sign merchandise. It sounds like a throwback to the 1960s, but Engel believes there’s a market for high-quality products such as clothing and jewelry with the peace sign. As for the original thought bubbles, he’s sold 2.5 million to date. These days, he sells most of them to funeral homes, particularly in California. The funeral directors use the bubbles, with inspirational messages, for holiday ceremonies for recently bereaved families. http://www.ukpreneur.co.uk

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Mackinac Island: Tourists Want To Stretch Dollars

ith the economy in the dumps across the U.S., gift and souvenir shop owners are seeing changes in their businesses, although perhaps not in the ways people might expect. Patty Schoenborn of Birches on Market Street on Mackinac Island says her tea sets are still one of the store's most popular items. The store's china is all made in the United States. "We've seen a big increase in people trying to find things that are made in the United States that are economical," she said. These days, Mrs. Schoenborn says people have a $20 price point they will not exceed when buying sweatshirts, and a $30 price point for American goods. "I don't know if it's just being able to find other things out there," she said, "like Walmart and K-mart carrying certain touristy products with loD e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

gos of the area. They're starting to do that in some places. In Florida, they do it all the time. I've seen it in Walmart in Florida, all over near Disney World. It just depends, I think, on where the person's traveled to and from, the places that they've explored," whether they will buy a souvenir on the Island or look for a cheaper one in a discount chain store. Lisa Winkelman, an employee of the Jaunting Cart on Market Street for four years, says her china sales are down slightly this year. The most popular things in the store now are Irish items, like heraldic (coat of arms) keychains based on the customer's last name, or Irish Tigers shirts and other items, which celebrate the Detroit Tigers with an Irish theme. Mrs. Winkelman says the Irish Tigers items may be popular because they are not common downstate. The only change Mrs. Winkelman has seen in customer habits lately is that they are purchasing more items for themselves. "With a tighter budget," she said, "maybe they take that one person off the list of people they need to buy gifts for." Dawn Metevia, the buyer for Great Turtle Toys and Flagship stores, says she's seeing a shift to more practical purchases. "There are a lot of trends toward toys that have a dual purpose," she said, "where they're fun for the kids but they're also educational. The parents are willing to spend money on toys if [their children] are going to learn something while they're doing it. . . . When I did my ordering, I adjusted toward that because, you know, they've got to make their money go the furthest they can."

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Her stores have also seen a shift toward "green" products that help protect the environment, like toys made out of recycled milk jugs, she said. The popular items that never change, she says, are stuffed animals and the joke and novelty products. "Plush toys always sell well," she said. "Any kind of stuffed animals sell well, and any kind of novelty stuff. If it makes a [funny] noise, it sells. No matter what age, kids will love that stuff." Renee Amacher is also familiar with the popularity of novelty items. This is her second summer working for Doc's Magic Shop on Main Street. The most popular items they carry, she says, are sunglasses with plastic strips across the eyes instead of lenses, and aviator sunglasses, which the store began stocking this year. The most expensive items in the store, Miss Amacher says, are the magic tricks, with some costing up to $30. Despite new efforts to draw people in, like the sale section added to the store this year, Miss Amacher says there is a palpable decrease in business. "Last summer, I was packed from one end of the store to the other, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. We were doing well, we were booked, and I was selling to everyone. This year it's just a few here and a few there." An unexpected shopper demand this year reached the Michigan Peddler Gifts shop on Main Street. Eizabeth York, general manager of Michigan Peddler, Destination Mackinac, and Whimsey's, says many customers this year have inquired about Petoskey stones.

P rof e s si ona l : S ouv e nir s Al l Around "Our supplier is telling us that Petoskey stones are getting harder and harder to find," she said. "Their theory, and I have a tendency to agree with them, is that the majority of the Petoskey stones are found on the west side of the state. We haven't had a lot of hard winters with that wave action, and you need that wave action to roll the stones up on the beach, so supply has cut back. People who used to have them as kids and have lost them over the years take their kids out to the beach and they can't find them like they used to, so they come in here, and we've got the polished ones and the polishing kits." Another change is that customers are increasingly interested in clothing with subdued artwork. "Continually, what I've seen over a five-year period when people walk in this store is that a lot of the shops have glaring, 'Mackinac Island!' everywhere. A lot of people are coming in here and saying, 'Oh. This is small!'" she said. "They're not looking for it to be flash and gleam, at least not for our shop, maybe for other shops. Maybe it's because we ca-

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ter to an older clientele. That's the only thing that I can think of. So the last few years we have gone smaller and smaller on the decals that we put on." She believes she has the same number of people coming into her stores, but they are not spending as much as they used to. "They're buying one less sweatshirt," she said. "They used to come in and buy a jar of jelly and a sweatshirt. Now they're not buying that sweatshirt. What do they use it for? An extra tank of gas. Gas last year was really a factor. This year it's still too early in the season to see what the gas prices are doing, but I'm still finding that people are buying one bag instead of two. I'm still getting the same amount of people, still getting the same number of sales, my computers show that. Consistently, I can see I've got 60 sales this day, 60 sales last year, 57 the year before, but the dollar is down. "I think people are being more frugal." By Jane Alexander http://www.mackinacislandnews.com

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ADVENTURE Heritage under Sea Level Underwater caves, monuments, shipwrecks â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they are the most popular and adventurous objects of exploration for most divers. Yet, their protection is also a hot issue these days. Visit the distinctive underwater world of Mexico, Pacific or Philippines.

Cultural Heritage on the Seabed

A DV E N T UR E : He r itag e und e r S e a L e v el

nderwater cultural heritage is fascinating due to the mystery of its location under water and the historical context. It is often the reminder of a human tragedy – the ending of a journey and a loss of human lives. The discovery of a wreck or ruin allows stepping back into the past and reliving the last moments of the ship and its crew. Once out of the water and exhibited on land, objects from submerged archaeological sites are deprived of their context and lose part of their significance. Therefore, several recent initiatives have undertaken to offer visitors in situ experiences. They include dive trails, submersible tours for non-divers and the construction of underwater museums.

Museums and Exhibitions on Land Many important museums on land exhibit objects recovered from underwater ruins or shipwrecks, or even exhibit whole wrecks. Sweden’s Vasa shipwreck attracts 750,000 visitors annually. The Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology has become one of the most popular tourism sites in Turkey. Over 4 million people have visited Great Britain’s Mary Rose Wreck, and the Batavia Wreck, in Australia, receives over 150,000 visitors each year. I m p orta n t factor s f or the att r action a n d su s tai n a b i l it y of site s i n c lu de : • the state of preservation • the authenticity and historic importance • the presentation to the public (for instance through dive trails, maps or signposts) • accessibility and security and • responsible site management to ensure the longterm sustainability of the site.

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Virtual Site Presentation Many underwater cultural heritage sites have become accessible to divers, however not all of them. Some remains are located in great depths, are subject to the influence of strong currents or lie in almost absolute darkness. This is favorable for their long-term conservation, it hinders however public enjoyment. Several projects are therefore ongoing to present these sites to the public by generating 3-D renderings to enable virtual exploration. Data collection through autonomous or remotely operated unmanned vehicles equipped with specialized sonar and photogrammetric gadgets may therefore soon provide a wider public with the sight of submerged archaeological sites. Initiative projects include the Venus project and the Bahia Brazil project.

Economic Impact The attraction of the historic significance, beauty and authenticity of underwater sites can have a considerable economic importance for many regions. Not only are the Roskilde, Mary Rose, Bodrum, Vasa or Hedeby museums among the most visited tourist attractions of the respective countries. The diving industry also profits largely from the visits of tourists to submerged sites. The underwater museum project in Alexandria, Egypt, is for instance also intended to revive in an integrated approach the whole urban centre of the city. http://www.unesco.org

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Truk Lagoon … lead in…

icronesia, a near magical word describes thousands of tiny mid-Pacific equatorial islands stretched over an area equal in size to North America. They exist in true versions of what is expected when using the overworked term ‘Paradise’, serving as small stepping stones across a very broad ocean. It comprises over 2,200 tiny originally volcanic mounts pushed up from pressures of interlocking plates beneath the ocean floor, now lying mostly dormant as low coral atolls after their original mountain mouths have either eroded or sunk back below the ocean surfaces over previous eons of time. Truk is a one of a kind large Pacific atoll, still with many high mountainous islands protruding above the surface of a huge roughly circular 40 mile wide inner water body, or lagoon. Further numerous low islands, 90 in all, are scattered throughout from reef surface to opposite reef, providing shelter from nearly any wind direction as well as land for many indigenous people to comfortably live on them. Truk's history of early Spanish domination was followed by German acquisition after end of SpanishAmerican war in late 1890’s, and then a Japanese mandate from the League of Nations upon Germany's defeat in 1918. The Japanese brought most islands into self sufficiency, with high agricultural and maricultural exports to outer worlds through 1920’s and ‘30’s. Truk’s great natural harbor for ships of all sizes via 18 navigable channels led the Japanese to later design it into their main Pacific naval fortress for planned aggressions to capture the entire western rim of the Pacific Ocean in their dream to create a huge maritime empire. The Japanese era saw a great buildup of arms and bases in advance of a wide military blitz over the Western Pacific. The blitz was supplied heavily from facilities at Truk, where often more than 1,000 merchant and warships moored in readiness for further deployment.

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A DV E N T UR E : He r itag e und e r S e a L e v el Five airfields supporting close to 500 aircraft provided complete protection over Truk's Gibraltar-like facilities. A deep lagoon, high islands and circling barrier reef provided extensive natural protection. Patrol boats, torpedo boats, submarines, tugs, landing craft, gunboats and mine sweepers contributed to the final defenses and service needs to maintain this big base. Truk was considered the most formidable of all Japanese strongholds in the Pacific. This reputation caused an overconfident Truk command to relax their vigil against invasion, in spite of U.S. forces fast approaching from the East. Supplies from Japan had almost ceased, due to immense successes of U.S. submarines finally equipped with torpedoes that found their mark. Supply convoys receiving nearly 90% losses enroute to Truk, deprived the garrison of food, fuel and new armaments desperately required to maintain strength By early 1944, U.S. forces had amassed a huge armada of top line carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines for a major surprise sweep against Truk on February 16th, 17th and 18th. This attack, coded "Operation Hailstone", caught the Japanese totally unaware, and led to one of the most successful U.S. engagements of WWII. After a follow up attack in April, 1944, Truk was reduced to rubble with over 70 shipwrecks, 400 aircraft destroyed or sunk, and the menace of this big fortress removed forever. U.S. forces declined engagement with the 40,000 troops at Truk, and after these attacks, starvation consumed many of the defenders before the eventual surrender of Japan late in 1945. About 20 years later, adventure divers such as Jacques Cousteau, Al Giddings and Klaus Lindemann discovered the wonders of this huge sunken fleet, replete with incredible vistas of war machinD e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

ery, soft coral draperies, fish life and personal mementos. The ruin and destruction of Truk’s great battle support fleet is near legend after coming to rest on moderately shallow lagoon floors …later gaining fame as the world’s finest dive-able shipwreck emporium. Great hulks of once proud ships lie in quiet array on white sandy floors varying from 30 ft down to 250 ft. depths. Common wreck lootings have never been permitted, with thousands of

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war implements and artifacts scattered throughout. Nature has worked full scale to beautify the destructions of war with some of the world’s finest corals and fish life now abounding on the big sunken trellises. Sea life has increased many times from pre-war times likely due the numerous fish shelters created from the melee. Truk remains without equal, its ghostly remains serving as the world's greatest wreck diving site in

A DV E N T UR E : He r itag e und e r S e a L e v el a wonderfully comfortable location of warm waters free of perilous currents and open seas so common to other open ocean dive sites. Truk’s great legacy is somewhat lost on today’s youthful divers due to very empty budget baskets of its local government failing to maintain its image and awareness of many other well advertised world destinations. A most frequent cry amongst small numbers of divers visiting today is “where are all the other divers..? How do you keep this site so secret..?” Local administrators just believe the world should already know where the best diving is. Truk’s minimal marketing today comes from limited efforts of a few local dive operators placing small ads and running websites for balance of information, besides word of mouth. High attractions of Micronesia today, especially at Truk are the peaceful circumstances lacking any civil unrest or other natural disasters. Pleasant and friendly people exhibit smiles and willingness to be your friend without hands extended for favors. Diving is conducted from 2 or 3 shore-side facilities and two respectable live aboard dive cruisers. One of these the SS THORFINN began operations 28 years ago as likely the world’s original live aboard sport dive cruiser. After numerous rebuilds she remains one of the world’s best and still largest in size and tonnage, continuing to operate on original huge steam engines. Another vessel, the slightly smaller ODYSSEY has developed a strong reputation as a solid performer during 8 years on location. BLUE LAGOON DIVE SHOP is the original dean headed for years by well known citizen Kimiuo Aisek who watched the destruction and battle from behind sheltering palm trees as a teenager.

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Slightly expanded marketing budgets are slowly helping to spread knowledge and enhanced details of diving the Wrecks of Paradise. Seeming endless attractions of reefs and wrecks continue receiving ever fresh corals and fish life. The sites blossom with increasingly brighter and stronger macro life, as well as added pelagics. Spinner porpoises, dolphins, eagle rays, guitar sharks, streams of usual

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reef sharks, groupers, and many others are viewed more often over each of the sites in recent times. Macro fotogs at starb’rd bows of SHINKOKU MARU return from their dives in ecstasy after viewing the finest soft corals of their lives. By E. Lance Higgs, Capt (SS THORFINN) http://www.thorfinn.net

Extreme Cave Diving in the Philippines

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Our

cave diving expedition to Samar, Philippines, had already been a huge success. Three of us, with myself as team leader, William Hudson from Alaska and Thomas Bodis from Germany, had already discovered and dived three new caves deep in the jungle. Samar has arguably more limestone caves than anywhere else on the planet, so while anywhere else this might be extraordinary, here they were just the appetizers for our planned main course: Langun-Gobingob cave near the town of Calbiga. Langun-Gobingob is the largest cave in the Philippines, and one of the largest in southeast Asia. It was discovered in 1987, but the underwater sections had never been explored. The extremely rugged subterranean landscape made any expedition difficult, so we teamed up with Joni Bonifacio, the de facto cave expert in the area, and planned a three day, two night underground expedition involving over a dozen porters and a huge assortment of both diving and climbing gear. It took us three and a half hours of trekking over a mountain trail to reach the entrance. We donned carbide lamps to pierce the blackness, our only sources of light for the next three days. As we began our descent, the enormity of this cave became apparent. Steam rose from our bodies in the high humidity, and the sounds of bats and cave crickets faded as we continued downward. After clamoring over rockfall for hours, we were met by an almost insurmountable obstacle: a sheer drop of twenty stories. We strapped into our harnesses and eased our way down, our hands and feet searching for holds anywhere on the slick stone face. An eternity later we all made the descent, and moved onward past fantastic formations to what would be the first of many river crossings. We slogged our way through mud up to our calves and water up to our necks time and time again, and finally we reached what would

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be our subterranean base camp for the next two nights. The next morning we rose early for the final push to the cave extents, and immediately we had to negotiate a narrow fissure, wide enough only to slip down sideways. Again pulling out the rope, we lowered ourselves down and inched toward a tiny vertical slit starting a meter above the water level. We braced each other up to the opening, but from then on it was all fingers and toes, pulling and pushing on our sides until we emerged on the other side. We continued downward, passing spectacular rimstone terraces and quagmires of knee-deep mud that literally sucked off our boots. As we neared D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

the end of the explored cave, we reached another small cliff with a river five meters below. We donned our diving gear on the top of the cliff and rappelled down. Swimming downstream, we soon heard the sound of a waterfall. Off with our gear, down a line, and on again for the final push. Adrenalin filled our veins as I tied off the line and we descended. The current was luckily not too strong–a strong current could indicate a narrow passage that could suck us helplessly into the abyss. We lined onward, and minutes later we saw a flat surface above us. We carefully surfaced, and discovered ourselves in an entirely new section of cave. We continued our line, following the river through a rounded chamber about fifteen meters wide by five high. The passage continued straight approximately three hundred meters, then then a vast cliff cut across our path and the river turned to the left. The roar of another waterfall echoed from beyond. As our line ran out, we realized that despite all of our efforts, we would need more equipment to further explore and map this huge new section of cave. We reluctantly returned to the surface, made our ascent from the water, and began the long trip upwards to our base camp. The next morning we made our way back into the light of day, with thoughts of another expedition racing through each of our minds. A few hours of mountain climbing later, clinging to the slope by vines and trees all the while, we triumphantly reentered the civilized world, having accomplished our goal and having experienced the unique thrill of discovery. Only through the support of organizations and individuals can exploration of our subterranean world continue. We would like to thank the following persons and agencies for supporting and aiding this extremely successful expedition: OMS; Cochran

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Computers; American Nitrox Divers International (ANDI); Mermaids Dive Center, Pattaya, Thailand; and Joni Bonifacio, Trexplore, Catbalogan City, Philippines. By Bruce Konefe Bruce Konefe is one of the top cave explorers and technical diving instructors in SE Asia. William Hudson is a cave and technical wreck diver with caving experience in Mexico, Thailand and the Philippines. Thomas Bodis is a spelunker and technical diver from Germany. For more information on cave exploration and technical diving opportunities, please visit Bruce Konefe's website at www.deeptechthailand.com.

A DV E N T UR E : He r itag e und e r S e a L e v el

Mexico: Underwater Museum to Protect Coral Reefs

our sculptures in human forms, made of concrete, will be submerged in November in the Mexican Caribbean – the first of 400 figures that will comprise the world's largest underwater museum. The Subaquatic Sculpture Museum will be situated in the West Coast National Park in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula. The park receives nearly 300,000 visi-

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tors each year. The museum's mission is to attract some of those tourists in order to reduce the pressures on important natural habitat in other areas. The watery museum will become even more attractive when the sculpture area fills up with thousands of colourful fish. The concrete of the sculptures is pH neutral, which allows rapid growth of algae and incrustation of marine invertebrates.

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"The underwater museum will draw many tourists, allowing us to give a rest to the natural reefs. It's like a restoration process," national park director Jaime González explained to this reporter. "By becoming healthier, the coral reefs will be more resistant to hurricane damage," he added. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (PCC) has warned that extreme weather phenomena, like hurricanes, will become more intense and frequent as a result of global warming. The panel also predicts higher acidity of ocean waters and consequent bleaching of coral, which can kill it. "Coral bleaching is akin to us losing our skin pigment. The ultraviolet rays of the sun would harm us," explained Roberto Iglesias Prieto, of UNAM's (Autonomous National University of Mexico) Institute of Sea and Lake Sciences. “The whitening process stresses the coral, which expels the algae that live within it and which provide nutrition, leaving the coral to starve,” Iglesias added. The coral also reproduces less and becomes more vulnerable to disease. The phenomena associated with climate change threaten the survival of coral reefs around the world. In July, experts meeting at the Royal Society of London agreed that these important marine ecosystems could disappear within a century if climatechanging gas emissions aren't sharply reduced. What would the world be like without coral? "On this planet, 200 million people make their living from fishing for species that inhabit coral reefs," said the UNAM expert. Another 300 million people

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benefit from reefs as a form of coastal protection. "In a hurricane, 99 percent of power in waves is dissipated in the reef, thereby protecting human lives and property," said Iglesias. "Given the global threat of climate change, local protection of reefs is very important," said the researcher. "We need to gain time against climate change, by curbing the number of tourists visiting coral reefs, for example," he said. D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

In the West Coast National Park of Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancún and Punta Nizuc, the challenge is to draw tourists away from natural habitats without losing the 36 million dollars the visitors bring into the area each year. Events in recent years have left clues on how to achieve that. González recalls that in 1997 a cruise ship destroyed 500 square metres of coral of the Cuevones reef in Punta Cancún. Since then, all tourist access

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to the reef has been banned. As an alternative diving site, in 2005 the park administration submerged 110 hollow domes and concrete structures in layers to create an artificial habitat in the area known as Sac Bajo. "At first the people of Isla Mujeres told us that they were never going to bring tourists there, but after a few years it became a must-see attraction," said González. Meanwhile, the Cuevones reef, where the cruise ship grounding occurred, is now the reef in the best condition in the area. "The only difference is that there are no tourists," he said. "If they swim near the corals, the divers with little experience might kick them with a fin or hit them with the oxygen tank," he added. "Before it was declared a park, the tourists even climbed up the corals and walked on top of them, breaking and shattering them," González said. Now there are buoys that mark the borders and tourists must wear lifejackets to prevent them from submerging. Once the underwater museum opens, it will require divers to gain previous experience in artificial habitats. With these measures, they hope to extend the lifespan of the coral and the services the reefs provide, including the production of the white sands for which Mexico's Caribbean beaches are famous– the result of natural erosion. Corals also "have the potential to contain substances or pharmaceuticals that can be useful to humanity," says Ernesto Enkerlin Hoeflich, national commissioner of Protected Natural Areas in Mexico (CONANP). "Furthermore, they act as carbon sinks (absorbing greenhouse gases) and, because of their incredible beauty, they serve as a tourist attraction and an opportunity to reconnect with nature," said the commissioner. For these reasons, CONANP is supporting the Subaquatic Sculpture Museum with resources and by facilitating permits.

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Last year, the commissioner himself went diving in the Caribbean waters to observe the results of the concrete structures submerged in 2005, which serve the same environmental principle as the statues. "It's a unique experience... to witness the rapid colonisation of the spheres by thousands of fish of different species and to see how, although we

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sometimes damage nature, humans can also do something to restore it," said Enkerlin Hoeflich. The national park director González calculates that by April 2010 there will be some 250 sculptures installed in the underwater museum. The total cost of the project is about 350,000 dollars. The artistic director is Jason de Caires Taylor, famous for his underwater sculptures, but other artists will also be involved. The museum isn't expected to increase the flow of tourists to Isla Mujeres much, though most agree the site will provide a new identity for the park. Each sculpture will be human sized, with a base of four square metres. There will be theme-based galleries as well. One of them, "The Dream Catcher," will be the figure of a person who sorts bottles that arrive with messages sent by castaways. Another will be titled "Coral Collector". Also in the works is a series of sculptures depicting an army of Maya indigenous warriors.

http://ipsnews.net

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ETHICAL Religious Tours Off the Beaten Path Every year more and more people opt for religious tours discovering the roots of their faith. Yet, there are thousands of unique places not well known by the modern pilgrims. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s travel to the Holy Land, Alberta or even Egypt.

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Emerging Yet Lesser Known Destinations for the 21st Century Religious Traveler A

lthough religious travel is considered one of the oldest forms of tourism, it surprisingly remains one of the least known forms of travel in many ways. For example, ask the average traveler to name as many religious travel sites around the world as possible, and usually at best they can only name a handful of most common or popular faithbased destinations (i.e. Israel, Mecca, the Vatican, etc.). However, things are changing. Religious tourism is on the rise throughout the world and more destinations than ever before are being “discovered” as places of pilgrimage. Although many countries can be considered emerging destinations for 21st-century religious travelers, three specific countries appear poised for great futures in faith-based tourism: Armenia, Cyprus, and Jordan. Each of these destinations boast a rich religious history and culture, while also serving as home to many important pilgrimage sites – all of which appeal to different faiths. Furthermore, each of these countries and their respective tourist boards are currently making significant strides in reaching out to the religious travel market through various means and efforts. Let’s take a look at each of these “off-the-beatenpath” yet emerging destinations in religious tourism.

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Armenia Of all the emerging destinations in religious tourism, the one that just may possess the greatest potential is Armenia. For one, Armenia is situated in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat, the very place where according to the Old Testament, Noah’s Ark landed after the flood. Secondly, Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 A.D., which is believed to have originally been evangelized by two of Jesus’ apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew (Note: It wasn’t until around 314 A.D. that Constantine recognized Christianity in the Roman Empire). As such, Armenians are considered by many “the first Christians.” The result? Armenia possesses a very rich and ancient Christian history with some 4,000 churches available to visiting religious travelers. And more than ever before, Armenia itself is beginning to reach out to the global religious travel market and sharing its message.

Cyprus Cyprus definitely qualifies as an “off the beaten path,” emerging religious travel destination. Why is that? It was in Cyprus where in 2006, in cooperation with the World Tourism Organization, the 1st International Conference on Religious Tourism (ICORET) was held. Since then, Cyprus has

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Jordan In the past five to ten years, virtually no other country has done more to attract religious pilgrims than the country of Jordan. And the results are in. Jordan is quickly rising from being a rather “obscure” pilgrimage destination to a budding leader in the global faith tourism arena. For this reason, religious tourism remains a primary focus of the Jordan Tourism Board – and rightfully so. Jordan appeals to multiple faiths including Christians, Muslims, and Jews for its prominent place and role in religious history. For example, it is here where pilgrims can visit Mt. Nebo, the very place where Moses is said to have viewed the Promised Land. In addition, it is here in Jordan where Abraham, a common patriarch of Jews, Muslims, and Christians, is believed to have traversed while on his journey from Mesopotamia to Canaan. Today, Jordan remains one of the few national tourist boards with fully-dedicated religious tourism brochures, promotional materials, and webpages, all of which assist pilgrims in planning their religious travel plans to Jordan.

And ... Lebanon quickly evolved into an up-and-coming destination for religious travelers……and for good reason. Like Armenia, Cyprus is home to a very rich religious history and culture. Christians are drawn to Cyprus to view its more than 90 Christian basilica ruins, explore the pilgrimage sites associated with St. Lazarus and St. Helen, and to see the Pillar of St. Paul, where according to tradition the apostle was flogged in 45 A.D. Muslims are drawn on pilgrimage to Cyprus to visit Larnaca and the prominent shrine of Hala Sultan Tekke (also known as the Mosque of Umm Haram). Taken altogether, it is estimated that 100,000 people visit Cyprus for religious purposes each year…..but that number is quickly growing. D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

As mentioned earlier, many countries and destinations can qualify as “off-the-beaten-path” yet emerging destinations in religious tourism. For example, take the country of Lebanon, which recently debuted a film about Lebanon's many religious sites, as well as a guidebook entitled “The Paths of Faith,” featuring 20 roads leading to both Christian and Muslim holy sites. This focus and direction on religious tourism is coming from the country’s tourism board itself, where the Lebanon’s director general of tourism ministry (Nada Sardouk) summarized it best, when he stated the "human and economic importance of boosting religious tourism" and referenced the country’s “incredible wealth of religions.” In the coming years, we can expect to see more countries and national tourist boards follow the

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same “strategies” as Armenia, Cyprus, Jordan, and Lebanon, whereby they tout and promote their rich religious heritage, culture, and sites to attract faith-based travelers. As this happens, many more of these “off-the-beaten-path” destinations for religious tourism just may emerge as the new leaders of the global faith-based travel industry. By Kevin J. Wright Kevin is President of the World Religious Travel Association and Chairman of the World Religious Travel Expo. http://www.WRTAreligioustravel.com http://www.WRTAexpo.com

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Alberta's World-Class Passion Play: Dramatic Scenery Sets the Stage As

one of the fastest eroding regions on the planet, the stark Badlands of south-central Alberta are a massive repository of fossils and bones from the period 65 million years ago when dinosaurs were Earth's most high profile life form. It is also home to the Canadian Badlands Passion Play recognized as one of the most authentic and popular biblical passion plays in the world. Yes, it honors the European medieval passion play traditions, telling in dramatic fashion stories from the life, miracles, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but there the similarity ends. Spawned by this remarkably photogenic terrain and the perpetual energy of a local community that has taken this very human-focused project to its heart, the Canadian Badlands Passion Play has just celebrated 15 years of soldout success. On the outskirts of the small town of Drumheller the 30-acre canyon bowl, forming a natural amphitheater where this biblical cameo unfolds, has sparked visionary imagination, creativity and persistence to re-create the ancient Holy Land venue for this event every summer since 1994. In 2009 over 12,000 visitors from across North America and around the world attended six three-hour performances featuring more than 150 actors and a 50-member choir and orchestra. 2009 also saw new music added and an updated script.

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The natural 30-acre “badlands” amphitheater, complete with hilltop angels for the finale, offers perfect acoustics that require no microphones for the actors to be heard. © Randall Wiebe

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“Roman soldiers” on horseback are veteran local riders or even professional cowboys the rest of the year. © Randall Wiebe D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

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Well before the six performances that take place each July, the Drumheller regional community is on the move to provide the backbone for this annual event. Accomplished riders in this true-to-life Alberta cowboy country are transformed into authentically-costumed Roman soldiers on horseback, women with young children begin sewing costumes for family members who will be participating in the crowd scenes – right down to babes in arms. Men start cultivating dashing beards that will transform them into imposing chief priests, and local farm families offer a range of farm animals, from donkeys to goats and chickens, many of which will undoubtedly be heard on set during the performance! Over 500 volunteers from across western Canada serve at the Passion Play during its performances. Approximately 100 will actually camp on site, making volunteering part of their summer vacation. Professionals make up the core of the directing crew and theatrical cast with star vocalists, accomplished lead actors, a choir that is a musical treat in itself, and a whole team behind the scenes to generate the technical magic. Nothing is left to chance! Since its inception, all aspects of the Passion Play have been meticulously researched and designed. This includes every part of the monumental set to the smallest prop piece, as well as hundreds of authentic costumes. This attention to detail has resulted in well-deserved international recognition, being named Alberta’s Top Cultural Attraction and One of North America’s Top 100 Events, among them. Its theatrical contribution as one of the world’s noted Passion Plays has also been written up in academic literature.

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Costumes, structures and scenery are meticulously authentic to the period 2,000 years ago. © Randall Wiebe

In 2010, there will be six Badlands performances between July 9 and 18, three matinees and three daylight early evening shows. It is recommended to arrive one hour early to enjoy the pre-show, the gift shop, and the Interpretive Centre. Adult seats are CAD$30 each, with reduced pricing for children, students, seniors and family groups. As a unique North American cultural event, the Canadian Badlands Passion Play serves as the perfect excuse for a spiritual pilgrimage, a bit of historical research, an inspiring way to investigate the Christian faith, or simply an entertaining "time

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travel" experience in a land that dinosaurs once ruled. By Alison Gardner Editor/journalist, Alison Gardner, is a global expert on nature-based vacations and cultural/educational travel. Her Travel with a Challenge web magazine, www.travelwithachallenge.com, is a recognized source of new and established operators, accommodations and richly-illustrated feature articles covering all types of senior-friendly alternative travel. http://www.travelwithachallenge.com

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The Holy Land from a Different Perspective

E T H I C A L : R elig i ou s Tour s O f f the B e ate n Path “My pilgrimage to the lands of the Bible would not be complete without a visit to Bethlehem, the City of David and the birthplace of Jesus Christ.” Excerpt from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI’s Welcoming Ceremony in Bethlehem Wednesday, 13 May 2009. The Holy Land acts as a focal point for the pilgrimages of the Abrahamic religions Judaism Christianity and Islam and the Baha’i Faith. From the earliest days of Christianity pilgrims where those who made a long journey to the Holy Land to venerate pray and meditate at the places associated with the life of Christ. While the main purpose of religious oriented travel is a spiritual experience travelers are now looking for a blend of religious and non religious activities. They want to go on a pilgrimage and have a vacation. Enrich their lives while enjoying themselves visiting the Holy Land. Local tour operators developed special programmes to introduce pilgrims to historical, architectural, cultural and archeological significance of places on their itineraries and other lesser known sites. Many places in the region remain undiscovered for the common visitors yet they are definitely worth seeing.

St. Nicolas Orthodox Church in Beit Jala Beit Jala is a town 10 kilometers from Bethlehem. Thousands of people come to the Beit Jala St. Nicholas Festival, honoring the town's patron saint. Street parades, fun fairs, performances, and religious processions are all part of the celebration in this predominantly Christian town. Roman Catholics and Lutherans participate with the Greek Orthodox majority in the city-wide celebration. In AD 305 monks from Anatolia in Asia Minor, came and established a monastery with several D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

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caves and houses. When St. Nicholas made his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, tradition holds he lived in one of these caves from 312–315. The cave currently houses an icon of St. Nicolas and an eternal flame that remains lit in honor of him. An ancient monastery was built on the site as early as 200 AD, and was destroyed and rebuilt many times. The church shows off much of the work of Beit Jala’s famous stone masons, including a magnificent Iconostas, considered a masterpiece of stone iconography. St. Nicholas' Day is part of a three-day celebration beginning with St. Barbara on December 17, then St. Saba on the 18th, and culminating in St. Nicholas Day on the 19th. The day begins at 7:30 am with St. Nicholas Liturgy, lasting until noon. Then a procession goes to the cave beneath St Nicholas Church where the saint stayed when in Beit Jala. Later in the afternoon everyone goes to the Orthodox Club social hall for a concert given by local church choirs.

Al Khader St. George, known as "Al Khader" or "the Green One," is also the name of the village in which his church is located 5 kilometers west of Bethlehem. D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

The site of al-Khader was first inhabited by the Canaanites in 1953; five arrowheads of javelins dating from the 11th century BC were discovered in al-Khader with Canaanite inscriptions. The translations were "dart of 'Abd Labi't". Al-Khader is named after Saint George. According to local tradition, Saint George was imprisoned in al-Khader where the current Monastery of St. George stands. The chains holding him were relics that were said to hold healing power. Christians from Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Beit Jala and Muslims from al-Khader flock to the monastery to celebrate the Feast of Saint George in early May. The feast occurs annually on 5 May, and although it is originally a local Christian holiday, both Palestinian Christians and Muslims participate. On the morning of 6 May, Greek Orthodox Christians from the area march in a procession to the monastery.

The 12th-century Crusader Church of the Resurrection in Abu Ghosh Abu-Gosh is an Arab village with small Christian groups, located a few kilometers from Jerusalem on what is today, and what was historically, the main road to Jerusalem from the central and coastal regions. During the Crusader Period the village was ascribed as the place where Jesus showed himself after his resurrection to two disciples who were walking together along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. The Monastery was built by the Knights Hospitallers in 1142 atop three Roman cisterns. The walls of the crypt are the walls of the Roman cistern – and there are steps down into the water bubbling from a spring. The monastery is one of the most beautiful buildings preserved from the Crusader Period, and can still be visited. It is located in the heart of a well-

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tended garden with ancient trees. Impressive frescoes are painted on the inner walls, and a fountain flows from the crypt at the base of the monastery.

Kursi: Jesus Healing a Madman in Gadarenes/Gergesa The Gospels tell how Jesus heals a madman, after sailing across the Sea of Galilee and landing in the Country of Gadarenes (Gader, south east corner of the lake). He drives out the demons into a herd of swine, which "ran violently down a steep place into the sea and were choked in the sea". Kursi is located 500 m east from the shores of the Sea of Galilee, on the foothills of the Golan Heights. Talmud text lists towns with pagan worships, and includes Kursi as a gentile town at the times of Jesus. This makes sense, as the pigs were raised on a non-Jewish farm since their meat is forbidden for Jews. The remains of the largest Byzantine monastery in Israel came to light accidentally. Excavations restored the ruins of a 5-6th Century church and monastery. By Fuad Kattan (ACA Travel and Tourism) http://www.aca.ps

Cairo Offering Much More Than Expected

For

many years, I had dreamed of visiting the Pyramids of Giza and the inscrutable Great Sphinx, and sailing the Nile River like most tourists to Egypt. However, Egypt offered much more than I had expected from a trip to North Africa. My Egypt visit was historical, educational, cultural, mysterious, adventurous, and spiritually rewarding. My trek to Egypt began in Cairo and Old Cairo. My tour the first day began visiting the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The next day we visited the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities which included the world’s largest collection of Pharaonic artifacts and the treasures of Tutankhamen’s tomb. The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. In the afternoon, we were driven to Old Cairo where early Judaism & Christianity flourished and D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

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visited the Coptic Church. Unlike other branches of Christianity, the Coptics believe that Christ was a wholly divine being and not God made flesh. One in every ten Egyptians is a Coptic today. The Coptic Church has its own Pope, and many ceremonies are still held in the ancient Coptic language. Most people associate Egypt with Islam today, but Christianity was actually the dominant religion between the fourth century AD and 641 AD, when Islam officially took over. St. Mark first preached Christianity in 50 AD, and Egypt was one of the first countries to adopt the still young faith. Next we visited Ben Ezra Synagogue – situated in Old Cairo, surrounded by 29 Mosques and 20 Churches, the inhabitants are about 133,000 Mohammedans, 10,000 Copts Christians, and 42 Jewish families in Old Cairo. Ben Ezar Synagogue is reported to have been erected in the 6th or presumably the 9th Century A.D. The temple site and the surrounding grounds, originally a property of the church, were acquired by the Jews in return for “kantars of gold”. The basilicastyle temple contains a Jewish heritage library that was inaugurated on November 25, 1997. In 1896, a collection of documents known as “Jineesah” were found in the synagogue. The documents, written mostly in what was called “Hebrew Arabic”, a variation of Arabic in Hebrew alphabet, exclusively used by Jews in the Middle Ages, reflected political, economic and social conditions of Jews under the Arab rule of Egypt as well as sectarian organizations and relations between different Jewish sects

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As a seasoned traveler, I often do some sightseeing on my own when there aren’t any organized tours on a day when we can go shopping, sleep late, etc. I will venture into the old sections of town and back alleys which often aren’t on the tour guide’s itinerary to really experience the flavor of the culture and history. Notwithstanding, I must admit that I was surprised that I didn’t see any homeless people in Cairo a city of more than 12 million people. I usually visit schools in the countries that I'm visiting. But, I made an exception this time to visit homeless families living in Old Cairo in ancient mausoleum cemeteries. I took a picture of two young girls in Old Cairo on their way to the store for their parents. These children live with their parents and other neighbors in an ancient mausoleum cemetery seen in the background. Egyptians who cannot afford regular housing clean out the inside of a mausoleum in the cemetery for housing rather than families sleeping under freeways, bridges, parks, streets, and etc. as in the United States.

E T H I C A L : R elig i ou s Tour s O f f the B e ate n Path These girls go to school every day and their parents go to work every day like working class families in western countries. If the family is fortunate enough to afford an automobile, they park their car inside the cemetery like the car shown in the background. I guess this is Egypt’s temporary solution to their housing shortage in a city with a population of more than 12 million. However, these girls as well as other residents coming in and out of the cemetery were dressed clean; they had smiles on their faces as they strolled pass me. I wouldn’t have known that they lived in the cemetery, if I wasn’t standing at the entrance of the cemetery taking these pictures of them. By Jeanette Braxton Secret (Jbraxton@myreligiontours.com) http://www.myreligiontours.com

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Take a Modern Pilgrimage to Spiritual Wales

nternational Passenger Survey statistics indicate that 4% of visitors to Britain polled indicate the primary reason for their trip is visiting religious sites or religious places of interest. “Religious tourism” is a growing trend with the World Religious Travel Association reporting that the faith tourism industry amounts to $18 billion with 300 million travelers annually.

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And Wales is uniquely positioned as an attractive religious tourism destination combining Christian significance with both St. David and St. Patrick reputedly born in Wales, and an intriguing Celtic heritage encompassing Neolithic sites throughout the country. There are even dedicated spiritual and religious tours offered by local tour companies.

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So important was Wales’ patron saint — St. David — to the spread of Christianity, that in 1220, Pope Calistus II declared that two pilgrimages to St. David’s equaled one to Rome. Following in the footsteps of St. David has been a tradition for centuries, with the English Kings William I and Henry II among the early pilgrims. Modern-day pilgrims are seeking out Wales in greater numbers, and while most forego the hardships of yore, the intention of connecting with the sacred remains primary. With cathedrals in St. David’s, Llandaff (Cardiff) and St. Asaph (reputedly Britain’s smallest), historic religious sites such as the sacred Bardsey Island off the LLyn Peninsula and St. Illtyd’s Church in Llantwit Major with its important collection of ancient Celtic stones, visitors can easily plan their own trip using a newly released ‘Factfile of Religious Tourism’ available from TravelWales.org/religious.

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For visitors wanting a more structured tour, two companies that have responded to the growing interest in spiritual travel to Wales are Cambrian Routes and Pilgrim Travel. Cambrian Routes, a Welsh family-owned business, has created “Of Saints and Stones,” a chauffeur-driven tour that explores Wales’ Celtic Christianity centering on Pembrokeshire, the home of St.

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David’s. Founded by St. David in the 6th century as a Celtic monastery, St. David’s is Britain’s smallest city with a population of 1,800, the spiritual heart of Wales and one of the great historic shrines to Christendom. Pilgrim Travel has created an in-depth, scholarly tour tracing the routes of St. David and his betterknown fellow Celtic saint, St. Patrick. Pilgrim Travel’s 13-day “In the Footsteps of St. David and St. Patrick” features many of Wales’ treasured sacred sites including St. Govan’s Chapel, the most spectacular and romantically-sited of the hermitages remaining in Wales; Caldey Island, home to a Catholic Cistercian community of the strict observance; Porth Mawr–Whitesand Bay, St. Patrick’s point of departure for his mission to Ireland and the St. David’s Peninsula with a visit to St. Non’s, commemorating David’s mother and the legend of his birth. The last stop in Wales before heading to Dublin is the Isle of Anglesey–Ynys Mon-the pre-Roman intellectual center of Druidic Britain. http://www.travelwales.org

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D estination ICELAND Iceland â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the land of geysers, Northern lights and beautiful nature. Explore the local lava fields, go for a whale watching trip or enjoy the beautiful sights of the capital ReykjavĂk.

Glaciers, Geysers and Hot Springs

magine an island, rising up from the NorthAtlantic Sea and resting on the Arctic Circle’s shoulder as one of the outposts of Europe. Iceland sits on its throne; a hot spot on the Mid-Atlantic ridge that gave birth to the island some 16 million years ago and is still moulding the landscape with its volcanic activity. Iceland is a geologically young

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land and the combination of the country’s northerly location and it’s geology makes Iceland a place where forces of nature, fire and ice along with water and wind, come together to create a spectacular scenery. Iceland is the perfect destination for nature loving travellers and is best known for its natural beauty

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De s ti nati on : Icel and although the domestic economic crisis of 2008, that made headlines all over the world, has boosted the world’s attention. But the economical difficulties and the currency fall have not had a negative effect on the tourism industry, as travel enthusiasts now welcome the opportunity to visit more affordable Iceland. Nature is the country’s major attraction and even though travellers choose to use Reykjavik City as their base, many out-of-town destinations are within reach. A trip to the always popular Blue Lagoon on the Reykjanes peninsula; a glacier walk on Vatnajökull, one of the biggest glaciers in Europe; a visit to Thingvellir – a UNESCO world heritage site – or the Geyser hot spring area, are ways to get in close contact with nature even for those who do not have time to explore the more distant parts of the island. The summertime is still the most popular period for travelling to Iceland, highlighted by the Midnight Sun, but travellers are gradually becoming more aware of the charm of the darker winter months as well. The temperate climate, moderated by the golf stream, makes the winters mild even though swift winds can quickly cool down the temperature, often resulting in the dark skies lighting up with various coloured Northern Lights. Glaciers cover 11% of Iceland and the country‘s largest icecap, Vatnajökull, is also Europe‘s largest glacier. The interior highlands remain the principal destination for the more adventurous traveller. Take Thorsmork in South-Iceland for example; it is a wondrous place, an oasis surrounded by glaciers, high mountains and deep glacier rivers. A guided tour to Thorsmork, preferably on a Super Jeep 4x4 vehicle, is an unforgettable experience through historical sites and rough terrain. Vatnajökull National Park, in East Iceland, is home to the glorious Skaftafell but from there you can go ice climbing or glacier hiking or simply walk through the birch forests up to the waterfall Svarti-

De s ti nati on : Icel and foss (Black Fall) which flows over a step of about 12m high black basalt columns. From Vatnajökull National Park you can catch a glimpse of Iceland’s highest peak, Hvannadalshnukur (2110 m), and you can even climb that peak accompanied by an experienced guide that equips you with all the necessary mountain- and glacier-climbing gear you need. Iceland is a warm country despite its position and nearness to the Arctic. Hot springs and geysers can be found in various areas near Reykjavik City and a hike through impressive geothermal areas is a mysterious experience not easily forgotten. Experience bubbling mud pools, steaming sulphur vents and boiling water pools as you hike through lava fields changing from black to green while looking out for elves and trolls. Super jeep chauffeurs can take you on an adventure to some of the most amazing and beautiful locations in Iceland, that are not accessible by regular vehicle or a bus. A jeep tour on a 4x4 vehicle will bring you up close and personal with Iceland’s natural wonders first hand. They can drive you up to the colourful highlands or take you to the black sandy beaches. Or try horseback riding through the same scenery on an Icelandic pony. Whatever the travel method you choose, Iceland has so much natural beauty to offer and so much diversity too. Come and join us in this wondrous place of contrasts and natural phenomena. By Ester Osk Traustadottir & Gudrun Johannsdottir (Icelandic Mountain Guides) http://www.mountainguides.is

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Travel and Tourism in Iceland

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pected to grow at a steady, rather than spectacular rate, in the foreseeable future.

Cruise passengers: a valuable Icelandic commodity Because of the limited number of countries which can be visited on a Nordic or Arctic cruise, vessels usually visit at least two ports in the country, unlike in say Malta or Cyprus. Cruise visitors, which have strongly increased in number since 1999, spend almost as much time in Iceland as the average overnight visitor. Due to their higher wealth, their average spend is likely to exceed that of the average foreign tourist in Iceland.

Living with seasonality

Icelanders have significantly increased their trips abroad Outbound trips by Icelandic visitors increased by 113% during the last five years period, principally to the UK, the US, Spain and Denmark. Growth was D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

fuelled not only by expansion of Icelandair’s fleet and network but also by low-cost carrier Iceland Express, which started operations in early 2003. Due to the small size of the population and its remoteness from other countries, outbound tourism is ex-

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Despite the best efforts of the local tourist authorities to promote winter holidays, over half of all bed nights by foreigners occur during two months of the year. Much of the industry shuts down for six months of the year and there is a chain of hotels owned by Icelandair which is marketed as a chain of “summer hotels”. Outbound tourism shows similar seasonality, albeit not as extreme, and so the economics of much of the travel and tourism

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Top 1 0 S ou rce C ou n t r ie s f or I ce l a n d Tou r i sm ( ' 0 0 0 p e op l e )

Forecast 2008 2009 2010 Arrivals to Iceland 1054,5 1053,7 1054,3 Arrivals from Germany 182,1 182,0 182,1 Arrivals from UK 128,1 128,0 128,1 Arrivals from France 97,7 97,7 97,8 Arrivals from USA 72,2 72,0 72,1 Arrivals from Netherlands 65,4 65,4 65,5 Arrivals from Denmark 58,0 57,8 57,9 Arrivals from Italy 56,5 56,5 56,5 Arrivals from Sweden 46,1 46,1 46,1 Arrivals from Spain 44,9 44,9 45,0 Arrivals from Norway 38,9 38,8 38,9 © 2009 Euromonitor International

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industry are less robust than in countries which are year-round destinations.

Travel retail and car rental markets are in a healthy state As a result of the wide variety of activities available in Iceland, strong growth in inbound, domestic and outbound tourism and the relative expense of domestic air travel, both the travel retail and car rental markets expanded over the 2003-2008 year period. Although some consolidation in travel agencies is likely to occur within the next five years period, no significant changes in either market are expected, except for a gradual increase in online usage. (Extract from Euromonitor International’s report “Travel and Tourism in Iceland”) http://www.euromonitor.com

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Destination: Reykjavík

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Reykjavík Tourism Standing Strong Reykjavík is heading for yet another successful year in tourism, contrary to developments in many other destinations due to the worldwide economic recession. The number of tourists visiting Iceland passed half a million for the first time last year and this year’s tourist numbers are staying the course so far. Many tourism records have furthermore been broken this year in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík. Foreign room nights at hotels in the capital area were up by 3% January- September 2009 compared to the same period last year. The city received a record 68,000 cruise ship passengers this year and visitor records have been set at many attractions such as the city’s thermal pools and museums.

Reykjavík Never Better Value for Money There has never been a better time to visit Reykjavík. Lonely Planet, the world’s leading publisher of travel guides, recently picked Iceland as the best value destination in the world to visit in 2010. Lonely Planet is not alone in pointing this out – Iceland has never been as widely recognised as both a fantastic and great value destination to visit. Following the crash of Iceland’s economy last year, the exchange rate of the Icelandic krona has become more favourable for foreigners. Travelling to Reykjavík and enjoying the city’s plethora of restaurants, shops and attractions, has simply never been more affordable. Visitors to Reykjavik experience easily the pure energy at the heart of Iceland's capital city – whether from the boiling thermal energy underground, the natural green energy within the city and around it, or the lively culture and fun-filled nightlife. The following are Visit Reykjavík’s top recommendations when visiting the city: D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

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• Stroll around the city centre, admire the colourful old houses and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere by Tjornin Lake • Soak your stress away in one of the city’s relaxing thermal pools • Climb up Hallgrímskirkja Church tower for a panoramic view of the city • Indulge your interest in Iceland’s fascinating cultural heritage or cutting edge art at one of the city’s many museums and galleries • Shop for some quirky Icelandic designed art, clothing or jewellery • Take a day-tour and view the magnificent landscape surrounding the city • Test your stamina with a night in the town “Reykjavík style”

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• Visit The Pearl – an otherworldly creation with a viewing platform and a revolving restaurant on top of hot water storage tanks • Give your taste buds a real treat by dining at one of Reykjavík’s many excellent seafood restaurants • Be amazed at the sight of whales and dolphins on a whale-watching tour Numerous festivals also draw increasing numbers of visitors, including Reykjavík Culture Night in August and Iceland Airwaves in October. With almost 24 hours of daylight, summer is a great time to visit, but winter gives visitors the opportunity to experience the northern lights and is the season when the city’s cultural scene is at its most vibrant. Reykjavík is also a growing conference destination and the Icelandic National Concert and Conference Centre, opening in spring 2011 by Reykjavík harbour, is certainly something to look forward to. The Centre, whose design is influenced by the impressive Icelandic landscape, will become a new icon for the city and create the best conditions for Iceland’s expanding musical life as well as top rate conference facilities.

New Flight Destinations for 2010

press will add Milan, Luxembourg, Rotterdam, Birmingham and Oslo and commence its first transatlantic flights, to New York (Newark Liberty International Airport). The airline will furthermore add direct flights from London (Gatwick) to Iceland’s second city, Akureyri, in the north. The new Akureyri gateway opens up the possibility for visitors to start their holiday in Reykjavík and end it in Akureyri, or vice versa. The year 2010 will clearly be yet another exciting year for tourism in Reykjavík.

Visiting Reykjavík is not only better value than ever; the city has never been so accessible, either. Airlines Icelandair and Iceland Express will add several new destinations to their networks next year. Icelandair will add two new destinations, Brussels and Trondheim. Iceland Ex-

By Maria Reynisdottir (Marketing Manager of Visit Reykjavík) www.visitreykjavik.is

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Whale Watching from Reykjavík

celand has some of the most fertile feeding grounds in the North Atlantic and herds of whales are moving through all the oceans of our planet. With such abundant ocean the waters around Reykjavík attract numerous species of whales to Iceland’s shores for nourishment. With an opportunity to bear witness up to 4 types of cetaceans in just one 3 hour tour Reykjavik becomes

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an ideal destination to admire these impressive giants. Also the location is conveniently in Reykjavik’s Old Harbor, just a 5 minute walk from the city centre. By sailing just about 15 miles out from Reykjavik’s waterfronts you get to discover variety of many species, observe their ecology, relation and forms

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of socialization. Experienced guides are always on board to inform passengers about the trip, where to look, describe what can be observed together with an introduction and safety guidelines. The guides make sure that all questions gets answered so better understanding about the complexity of wild life can be obtained. Whales commonly seen are Minke whales, White-Beaked Dolphins, Harbor Porpoises and also even the magnificent Humpback whale. It’s truly a special experience to observe these giant mammals in their natural habitat but since it’s a big ocean other interesting species could be seen on tours as well. Interestingly enough the whales do not seem to mind when the boat comes close to them and frequently they surface within just few meters from the vessel. While on the whale sighting grounds you are usually accompanied by various sea birds that can be spotted as well, such as Gannets, Puffins, Guillemots, Cormorants, Gulls, Kittiwakes and Arctic Terns. The Puffin season is mainly from May 15th to August 15th and during that period trips include sightseeing around the Puffin islands where thousands of Puffins are inhabitant. Many times spectacular photo shoot opportunities are created during these

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moments. On the way back to harbor the captain stops the boat for skilled fishermen or first timers to try their luck fishing. All the fishing gear needed is provided and this often creates a lot of excitement on board as you are given a chance to catch yourself a nice meal before you get back to harbor. Crew members sometimes prepare the fish on board to serve a nice sushi for curious passengers. But all catches can be cooked “fresh from the sea” and dined at the restaurant Lobster-Ship in the Old Harbor for reasonable price. The Atlantic Ocean can get a little rocky sometimes so if people think they could get sea sick, sea sickness tablets are available and offered prior to

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the trip or on board. When the weather gets a bit cold warm clothes are provided and you are also offered to sit inside the boat, where you can watch the whales and birds outside from large windows. You can even visit the wheelhouse to see how the equipment works and talk to the captain. Every tour is different which gives each and every adventure its own unique personality. Each tour only takes about 3 hours which leaves enough time to explore other aspects of Reykjavik’s beautiful Old Harbor and the city itself after the tour. Iceland is a true paradise full of amazing activities, resources and untouched nature so to go for an unforgettable trip into the world of whales and sea birds in Iceland is just the beginning….but really a good one.

By Skúli Örn Sigurðsson The whale watching company Life of Whales specializes in these kinds of tours and is the only company in Iceland that provides 3 different adventures in the same tour i.e. whale watching, puffins / bird watching and sea angling. Their boat is fast and can reach a speed up to 25 miles which means that a large area can be scanned while searching for whales and time can be used for other interesting activities afterwards as well. http://www.lifeofwhales.is

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Living on a Lava Field Shrouded in Folklore

afnarfjörður is a small picturesque seaside town nestled in rugged lava fields on the outskirts of Reykjavík. Its name simply means ‘harbor fjord’ and refers to the excellent natural harbor, Iceland's oldest trade harbor, which has supported business since the 14th century. Hafnarfjörður is Iceland’s third-largest town, with just over 26,000

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residents. It is situated in a field of lava that flowed from Búrfell Mountain about 7,300 years ago. On its way to the sea, the lava hardened into a multitude of picturesque formations. Townspeople have long built their homes among the rocks in order to enjoy this dramatic scenery. Many relics of former homes remain in Hafnarfjörður today and the history of the

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De s ti nati on : Icel and town and its people is always on display at Hafnarfjörður Museum.

Lava Formations The lava field as a whole, named Búrfellshraun, covers some 18 square kilometers. Most people in Hafnarfjörður and in the neighboring town of Garðabær live in parts of Búrfellshraun. This large lava field can be broken into five areas all with their distinct characteristics. The Litluborgir lava formations, by Helgafell Mountain, include pseudo craters and other endlessly fascinating shapes formed by lava running into and across a lake. The Kaldárhraun and Gjárnar areas consist of sharply upheaved lava as well as interesting surfaces, with a large expanse of undisturbed pahoehoe lava lying near the popular outdoor recreation area around Helgafell Mountain. Various remains still point to the former use of this land for grazing and milking sheep. Many residents and visitors enjoy drives and walks through Hleinar Country Park, with the shoreline on one side and beautiful lava rocks among naturally occurring mosses, lichens and higher plants on the other. There are numerous cultural remains, such as places for drying fish, and the area also includes shorelines preserved for bird habitation. The country park of Hvaleyrarlón and Hvaleyrarhöfði is a protected, popular outdoor recreation area with considerable educational value, partly due to its mud flats. Bird watchers enjoy coming here throughout the year, and may spot such visitors as the grey heron, Ardea cinerea. With its attractive vegetation and cultural remains in a beautiful lava field, Stekkjarhraun Country Park provides a pleasant outdoor recreation area for neighboring residents. If you don’t have a car at your disposal you can see the lava formations by taking a walk through

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the town of Hafnarfjörður and see how the people of Hafnarfjörður have built their houses right among the stunning lava formations.

Hidden Folk When you live in a landscape that continually reminds you of the great power that the force of nature holds over mere humans it is not surprising that you would believe that there are creatures of superior powers that live in these rocks and lava formations that surround your dwellings. Hafnarfjörður is famous for having one of Iceland’s largest settlements of elves, dwarves and other mystical beings, which are collectively called the ‘Hidden Folk’. Centuries-old folklore has it that whole clans of such beings reside in the rocks that make up part of the town’s center.

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Though Hidden Folk are visible only to those with the second sight, a great many Icelanders believe in their existence. Indeed, there is much evidence to support this belief, as stories abound of instances where the constructions of new roads or housing developments have been disrupted by strange happenings. Hidden Folk do not like incursions into their territory. They are respected by every Icelander, if not feared any longer. Nowhere is that respect more obvious than in Hafnarfjörður. There is even a Hidden Worlds tour that takes you to their home sites (www.alfar. is). Along the way, the guide relates ancient folk tales of the magical hidden worlds and describes how the town grew and developed in harmony with the Hidden Folk.

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Naturally the town also offers plenty of more conventional outdoor activities, from golf and swimming to horse riding. Museums and galleries turn the spotlight on history, music and visual arts. And every summer hordes of Norsemen invade to town for the annual Viking Festival. So if you are looking for a unique place to visit that is full of natural wonders and shrouded in mystique and history – look no further. Come and visit us in Hafnarfjörður. We will welcome you with open arms.

By Ásbjörg Una Björnsdóttir http://www.visithafnarfjordur.is

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Tourist Guides: The Ambassadors of Iceland

ourist guides are ambassadors of a country, region or a city. They possess the power to make or break the visitor’s experience. This is why tourist guides in Iceland undergo rigorous training before applying their art of guiding. Since 1976 more than 1,200 tourist guides have graduated from a one year professional tourist guide course

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and 160 are expected to graduate in spring 2010 ― just in time for the busy tourist season.

Tourist Guide Education in Iceland The tourist guide profession and tourism employment is today more attractive to job seekers than ever before due to economic reasons. Unemploy-

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ment went up from less than one percent one year ago to close to eight percent. At the same time the local currency depreciated by 50 percent making Iceland more affordable. The Iceland Tourist Guide School was established in 1976. It was the first of three schools in the country to offer professional tourist guide education and training. Tourist guide courses last one year and are specifically organized to accommodate adult learners. Classes are taught from 17:30 to 22:00 three evenings a week and field trips take place on Saturdays. Subjects include; tourist guiding techniques (the art of guiding), geology / geography, history, industries and farming, tourism, society and culture, arts, botany, ornithology, mammals in Iceland, 20 hour first aid course, area interpretation and presentation skills in the student’s elected foreign language. Course evaluation is strict as students must pass all individual subject exams with an acceptable result. Students must pass a language exam that includes the entire content of each one of the subjects covered in the course. They must also pass an oral language area interpretation exam and two practical oral exams on a coach. The coach oral exams include a four-hour city tour, and an eight-hour tour to Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir Geothermal Area and the Parliament Plains (Þingvellir) ― Iceland’s most popular day tour for tourists. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) adopted a minimum standard for education of professional tourist guides in 2008 (EN 15565).

De s ti nati on : Icel and is a member of the Icelandic Confederation of Labour (ASÍ) which means that it has the exclusive nationwide right to negotiate wages for all tourist guides working in the country. Icelandic labour law clearly states that the association’s wage agreement represents the minimum salary payable to all tourist guides working in Iceland ― regardless of nationality or for which company they work.

Common European labour law Tourist guides and tour managers, from outside the European Economic Community (EEC) or the European Union (EU) who accompany groups in Iceland, must apply for a temporary residence permit 90 days before their arrival in the country. The residence permits are based on temporary shortage of labourers and can only be renewed once. Tourist guides and tour managers coming from any of the EEC or EU member states must register after three months in the country with the Directorate of Immigration and the National Registry as well as pay tax in Iceland.

The standard stipulates member state’s minimum education requirements for professional tourist guides ― aiming at improving the quality of professional guiding in Europe. This standard has been accepted by the Icelandic Standards Agency (IST) but it has not yet been incorporated into a law. Until then tourist guide education in Iceland remains unregulated.

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Iceland Tourist Guide Association The Iceland Tourist Guide Association (ITGA) was established in 1972 and has 540 members. Most members work as tourist guides part-time. The ITGA is a professional association for tourist guides as well as a labour union for all tourist guides and tour managers who work in Iceland. It

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By Stefan Helgi Valsson Stefan Helgi Valsson is a professional tourist guide in Iceland and tourist guide trainer. Stefan is the editor of the Iceland Tourist Guide Association’s website and eNewsletter. He lectures tourism related subjects at two universities and several institutions for adult education. http://frontpage.simnet.is/valsson/

I n b o u n d To u r O p e r a t o r s

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A TOURS – Iceland | Faxahvarf 3, 203 Kópavogur

EYJASIGLING – Iceland | Reykjabraut 5, 380 Reykhólahreppur

AD TRAVEL ICELAND – Iceland | Súluhöfði 24, 270 Mosfellsbær

FARVEGUR – Iceland | Kristnibraut 45, 113 Reykjavík

ANGLING ADVENTURE EHF. – Iceland | Safamýri 38, 108 Reykjavík

FERÐAÞJÓNUSTA AÐÓ – Iceland | Sóleyjargata 3, 900 Vestmannaeyjar

ANNA AND SÓLVEIG BICYCLE TOURS – Iceland | Þórkötlustaðir vestur, 240 Grindavík

FERÐAÞJÓNUSTAN BJARG – Iceland | Bjarg, 660 Mývatn

ARCANUM ADVENTURE TOURS MÝRDALSJÖKLI – Iceland | Ytri Sólheimar 1, 871 Vík

FERÐAÞJÓNUSTAN SNJÓFELL – Iceland | Arnarfell, Arnarstapi, 356 Snæfellsbær

ARCTIC ADVENTURES / Arctic Rafting – Iceland | Laugavegur 11, 101 Reykjavik

FERÐAÞJÓNUSTAN STÓRU-MÖRK 3 – Iceland | Stóra-Mörk 3, 861 Hvolsvöllur

ARNANES - RIDING TOURS – Iceland | Árnanesi, 781 Höfn

FJALLADÝRÐ EHF. – Iceland | Möðrudalur, 699 Egilsstaðir

ATLANTIK TOURS – Iceland | Grandagarður 14, 101 Reykjavík

FJÖREFLI EHF. - Skemmtigarðurinn Grafarvogi – Iceland | Mánabraut 7, 200 Kópavogur

ATLANTSFLUG EHF. – Iceland | Skaftafell, 785 Öræfi

FJÖRUFERÐIR – Iceland | Hagatúni 6, 780 Höfn

ATV ADVENTURE – Iceland | Fornavör 9, 240 Grindavík

FLY FISHING IN ICELAND – Iceland | Brekkugata 8, 220 Hafnarfjörður

AURORA TOURS – Iceland | Seljabraut 38, 109 Reykjavík

FRIENDLY ICELAND – Iceland | Háaleitisbraut 15, 108 Reykjavík

BAKKAFLÖT TRAVEL SERVICE – Iceland | Bakkaflöt, 560 Varmahlíð

FROM COAST TO MOUNTAINS – Iceland | Hofsnes, 785 Öræfi

BÁRUSTEINN – Iceland | Bíldshöfði 12, 110 Reykjavík

FROM TRAVEL – Iceland | Ránargata 5, 101 Reykjavík

BIKING VIKING – Iceland | Langholtsvegur 111, 104 Reykjavík

F-STOP TOURS – Iceland | Norðurvangur 30, 220 Hafnarfjörður

BINGDAO TRAVEL & INFORMATION SERVICE – Iceland | Glaðheimar 6, 104 Reykjavík

FUNTRAVEL.IS – Iceland | Miðtún 66, 105 Reykjavík

BOREAL – Iceland | Álfaheiði 22, 200 Kópavogur

GAUKUR TRAVEL – Iceland | Hamragerði 2, 801 Selfoss

CULTURAL COMPANION BIRNA – Iceland | Óðinsgata 11, 101 Reykjavík

GENTLE GIANTS WHALE WATCHING – Iceland | Hafnarsvæðið, 640 Húsavík

D&B ISLAND EHF. – Iceland | Unufell 27, 111 Reykjavík

GEYSIR TRAVEL – Iceland | Birkiteigur 2, 270 Mosfellsbær

DISCOVERY TOURS ICELAND – Iceland | Grænlandsleið 9, 113 Reykjavík

GÍSLI RAFN JÓNSSON OG JÓN ÁRNI SIGFÚSSON – Iceland | Mývatn Tours – Arnarnes, Mývatn

DIVE.IS - PADI DIVE CENTER ICELAND – Iceland | Hörpugata 7, 101 Reykjavík

GLACIER LAGOON – Iceland | Kirkjubraut 7, 780 Höfn

DOGSLEDDING.IS – Iceland | Austurvegur 25, 870 Vík

GLACIERJEEPS – Iceland | Vagnsstaðir, 781 Höfn

EAGLE AIR – Iceland | Reykjavíkurflugvöllur, 101 Reykjavík

GLEÐI EHF. – Iceland | Nesbali 122, 170 Seltjarnarnes

EAGLEFJORD EHF. – Iceland | Dalbraut 1, 465 Bíldudalur

GLERÁRDALSHRINGURINN 24X24 – Iceland | Áshlíð 11, 603 Akureyri

ELDING - REYKJAVÍK WHALE WATCHING – Iceland | Ægisgarður 7, 101 Reykjavík

GO FISHING ICELAND – Iceland | Freyjugata 38, 101 Reykjavík

ENSKUSKÓLI ERLU ARA – Iceland | Fagraberg 24, 221 Hafnarfjörður

GOSPORTS – Iceland | Unnarbraut 28b, 170 Seltjarnarnes

EXCELLENTIA GLOBAL TRAVEL CONSULTANTS – Iceland | Brú við Suðurlandsveg, 110 Reykjavík

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GRÆNHÖFÐI EHF. – Iceland | Ólafstúni 7, 425 Flateyri

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I n b o u n d To u r O p e r a t o r s

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GRUNNAVIK TRAVEL SERVICE – Iceland | Hrannargata 10, 400 Ísafjörður

ICELAND NATURE TOURS – Iceland | Dalvegur 22, 201 Kópavogur

GUEST TRAVEL – Iceland | Fannafold 111, 112 Reykjavík

ICELAND ON TRACK EHF. – Iceland | Grófarsmári 18, 201 Kópavogur

GUESTHOUSE BB44 – Iceland | Borgarholtsbraut 44, 200 Kópavogur

ICELAND PRIVATE TOURS – Iceland | Skálagerði 17, 108 Reykjavík

HÆNUVÍK TRAVEL SERVICE – Iceland | Hænuvík, 451 Patreksfjörður

ICELAND SAILING – Iceland | Mýrar 8, 450 Patreksfjörður

HAFFARI EHF. – Iceland | Munkaþverárstræti 30, 600 Akureyri

ICELAND TRAVEL – Iceland | Skútuvogur 13a, 104 Reykjavík

HELGI JÓHANNESSON – Iceland | Stóri-Dunhagi 1, 601 Akureyri

ICELANDIC FISHING ADVENTURE – Iceland | Brekka, Hvalfjarðarsveit, 310 Borgarnes

HELGI MAGRI – Iceland | Langamýri 34, 600 Akureyri

ICELANDIC WILDERNESS TOURS – Iceland | Smárarimi 60, 112 Reykjavík

HESTALEIGAN KÁTUR – Iceland | Kaupangur, Eyjafjarðarsveit, 601 Akureyri

ICEMAN/ICEXPO – Iceland | Grandagarður 14, 101 Reykjavík

HESTHEIMAR – Iceland | Ásahreppi, 851 Hella

ICEQUICK – Iceland | Geysir í Haukadal, 801 Selfoss

HEYDALUR – Iceland | Mjóafirði, 420 Súðavík

ICETOURS – Iceland | Lyngmóar 7, 210 Garðabær

HIDDEN WORLDS WALKING TOURS – Iceland | Laufrimi 41, 112 Reykjavík

INDRIÐI HILMARSSON – Iceland | Heiðarlundur 3b, 600 Akureyri

HIGH NORTH – Iceland | Valarás 2, 110 Reykjavík

INSIDE CHANNEL INTERNATIONAL - DMC International – Iceland | Bíldshöfði 14, 110 Reykjavík

HL ADVENTURE EHF. – Iceland | Ármúli 36, 108 Reykjavík

ÍSBJÖRG – Iceland | Björgum, Þingeyjarsveit, 641 Húsavík

HLUNNAR EHF. – Blossi – Iceland | Drafnargötu 6, 425 Flateyri

ISLAND PROTRAVEL – Iceland | Ármúli 15, 108 Reykjavík

HLYNUR V. ODDSSON – Iceland | Árstígur 9, 710 Seyðisfjörður

JÓREYKIR – Iceland | Sturlureykir II, 320 Reykholt

HÓPFERÐIR SÆVARS EHF. – Iceland | Reykjanesvegur 14, 260 Reykjanesbær

KERLINGADALUR HORSE RENTAL – Iceland | Kerlingadalur, 870 Vík

HRAUN HESTAR LANDMANNALAUGUM – Iceland | Lýtingsstaðir, 851 Hella

KMS TRAVELS – Iceland | Skútuvogur 1a, 104 Reykjavík

HUSKY TRAVEL – Iceland | Brekkustígur 10, 107 Reykjavík

KRISTJÁN ELDJÁRN HJARTARSON – Iceland | Tjörn, 621 Dalvíkurbyggð

CHOICE TOURS – Iceland | Lynghagi 24, 107 Reykjavík

LAKE MÝVATN – Iceland | Skútustaðir 2c, 660 Mývatn

ICE – Iceland | Tangarhöfði 7, 110 Reykjavík

LAUGARVATN ADVENTURE – Iceland | Háholt 2c, 840 Laugarvatn

ICE – SUN – Iceland | Bólstaðarhlíð 33, 105 Reykjavík

LEIÐSÖGUMENN REYKJANESS – Iceland | Birkiteigur 23, 230 Reykjanesbær

ICE CRUISER – Iceland | Digranesheiði 18, 200 Kópavogur ICE EVENTS EHF. – Iceland | Skeiðvellir, 851 Hella

LEIRUBAKKI – Iceland | Landsveit, 851 Hella

ICEFAR – Iceland | Krummahólar 4, 111 Reykjavík

LIFE OF WHALES – Iceland | Suðurbugt, 101 Reykjavík

ICELAND EXCURSION - Gray Line Iceland – Iceland | Funahöfði 17, 110 Reykjavík

M16 – Iceland | Lyngás 14, 210 Garðabær

ICELAND HORIZON – Iceland | Granaskjól 38, 107 Reykjavík

MARKAÐSNETIÐ EHF. – Iceland | Ingólfsstræti 5, 101 Reykjavík

ICELAND INCENTIVES INC. – Iceland | Hamraborg 1-3, 200 Kópavogur

MERCURY GRAIL – Iceland | Hjálmholt 8, 105 Reykjavík

D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

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I n b o u n d To u r O p e r a t o r s

De s ti nati on : Icel and

SPECIAL TOURS – Iceland | Suðurbugt Reykjavíkurhöfn (Reykjavík Harbour), 101 Reykjavík

MIDI.IS – Iceland | Skeifan 11, 2.hæð, 108 Reykjavík

STEINSHOLT – Iceland | Steinsholt, 801 Selfoss

MINNIBORGIR – Iceland | Grímsnes, 801 Selfoss

STJÖRNUBÍLAR – Iceland | Aðalstræti 11, 400 Ísafjörður

MJ RÁÐSTEFNUÞJÓNUSTAN – Iceland | Dunhagi 5, 107 Reykjavík

STUDIO F. EHF. – Iceland | Kelduhvammur 6, 220 Hafnarfjörður

MJÓEYRI TRAVEL SERVICE – Iceland | Strandgata 120, 735 Eskifjörður

SUNDHANI ST-3 – Iceland | Kvíabali 1, 520 Drangsnes

NATURE EXPLOREr – Iceland | Skálagerði 17, 108 Reykjavík

SUPERJEEP – Iceland | Gautavík 29, 112 Reykjavík

NORDIC VISITOR – Iceland | Laugavegur 26, 101 Reykjavík

SUPERTRAVEL.IS – Iceland | Nýbýlavegur 82, 200 Kópavogur

NORLANDAIR EHF. – Iceland | Akureyrarflugvöllur, 600 Akureyri

TERRAIN-X – Iceland | Brekkugata 25, 220 Hafnarfjörður

NORTH SAILING – Iceland | Gamli Baukur, Hafnarstétt 9, 640 Húsavík

TG-TRAVEL – Iceland | Ásakór 3, 203 Kópavogur THE ICELANDIC TRAVELHORSES – Iceland | Víðigrund, 270 Mosfellsbær

OCEANTOURS – Iceland | Ægisgarður, 101 Reykjavík

ÞEMAFERÐIR – Iceland | Bakki, Bjarnarfirði, 510 Hólmavík

ÓVISSUFERÐIR – Iceland | Tröllateigur 53, 270 Mosfellsbær

THORS TRAVEL – Iceland | Jakasel 19, 109 Reykjavík

PAPEYJARFERÐIR – Iceland | Hraun 3, 765 Djúpivogur

ÞORVALDUR DANÍELSSON – Iceland | Haukalind 34, 201 Kópavogur

PING HE – Iceland | Rjúpufell 46, 111 Reykjavík

ÞORVALDUR GUÐMUNDSSON – Iceland | Grenigrund 8, 200 Kópavogur

PRO FLY – Iceland | Skúlagata 32, 101 Reykjavík

TIME TOURS – Iceland | Borgarholtsbraut 42, 200 Kópavogur

RAUÐKA EHF. – Iceland | Gránugata 5, 580 Siglufjörður

TORFASTAÐIR EHF. – Iceland | Eystri-Torfastaðir 2 , 861 Hvolsvöllur TRAVEL NORTH – Iceland | Sunnuvegur 5, 800 Selfoss

RED APPLE APARTMENTS – Iceland | Sólvallagata 9, 101 Reykjavík

TRÖLLASKAGI EHF. – Iceland | Skíðadal, 621 Dalvíkurbyggð

REYKJAVIK BACKPACERS – Iceland | Laugavegur 28, 101 Reykjavík

TRUENORTH EVENTS – Iceland | Klapparstígur 16, 101 Reykjavík

REYKJAVIK CENTER – Iceland | Ármúli 36, 108 Reykjavík

UNIQUE ICELAND EHF. – Iceland | Helluvað 21, 110 Reykjavík

REYKJAVIK TOUR – Iceland | Baldursgata 10, 101 Reykjavík

VÉLSLEÐALEIGAN EHF. – Iceland | Vallarhúsi 26, 112 Reykjavík

RIDING ICELAND – Iceland | Hellisgata 35, 220 Hafnarfjörður

VIATOR – Iceland | Suðurlandsbraut 6, 108 Reykjavík

SAGA PRODUCTION LTD. – Iceland | Laugavegur 176, 105 Reykjavík

VIÐEY – FERRY – Iceland | Skarfabakki, Ægisgarður, 101 Reykjavík

SALTY TOUR – Iceland | Saltfisksetur Íslands, 240 Grindavík

VIKING TOURS – Iceland | Suðurgerði 4, 900 Vestmannaeyjar

SCUBA ICELAND EHF. – Iceland | Skemmuvegur 12, 200 Kópavogur

VIKING-EXPEDITION.IS – Iceland | Vesturberg 46, 111 Reykjavík

SEA-ANGLING – Iceland | Reykjavíkurhöfn, 101 Reykjavík

VOLCANO TOURS – Iceland | Víkurbraut 2, 240 Grindavík

SEATOURS – Iceland | Smiðjustígur 3, 340 Stykkishólmur

WESTMAN ISLAND TOURS – Iceland | Faxastígur 33, 900 Vestmannaeyjar

SIGLUFJÖRÐUR TRAVEL SERVICE – Iceland | Hverfisgata 5a, 580 Siglufjörður

YU FAN TOURS – Iceland | Breiðvangi 2, 220 Hafnarfjörður

SNORRI TRAVEL – Iceland | Krókabyggð 12, 270 Mosfellsbær

YUCHEN INTERNATIONAL – Iceland | Mosarimi 1, 112 Reykjavík

D e c emb er, 2 0 0 9

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Fairs & Exhibitions T r av e l / T o u r i s m

i n

D E C EM B ER

2 0 0 9

b y

r e g i o n s

Fai r s & E x hi b ition s : DE C E M B E R , 2 0 0 9

Western Europe

EIBTM 2009

CENTR AL Europe

EXPO-ZIM

Location

Barcelona / Spain

Location

Belgrade / Serbia

Start / End

01 December 2009 / 03 December 2009

Start / End

03 December 2009 / 06 December 2009

Provider

Reed Exhibitions

Provider

Belgrade Fair

Contact

julia.mead@reedexpo.co.uk

Contact

dragan.zecevic@sajam.co.rs

International Luxury Travel Market

Travel Turkey Izmir Tourism Exhibition

Location

Cannes / France

Location

Izmir / Turkey

Start / End

07 December 2009 / 10 December 2009

Start / End

10 December 2009 / 13 December 2009

Provider

Reed Travel Exhibitions

Provider

IZFAS; Hannover Messe International, Tursab

Contact

info@iltm.net

Contact

asli.ozhatun@izmirfair.com.tr

Brussels Travel Expo Location

Brussels / Belgium

Start / End

09 December 2009 / 10 December 2009

Provider

NV BTExpo SA

Contact

belinda.debruyn@btexpo.com

More events related to Travel/Tourism can be found here If you are an event provider you may consider to place your event in the above category, please click here If your event already is in the list you may consider using the enhanced listing. For replacement just click here

— 65 —

Fai r s & E x hi b ition s : DE C E M B E R , 2 0 0 9

Africa/MIDDLE EAST

Diyafa: Hotel, Restaurant and Food Exhibition

North America

Adventures in Travel Expo - Seattle

Location

Doha / Qatar

Location

Seattle, WA / United States of America

Start / End

01 December 2009 / 03 December 2009

Start / End

05 December 2009 / 06 December 2009

Provider

IFP Qatar

Provider

Unicomm

Contact

info@ifpqatar.com

Contact

info@adventureexpo.com

E-Tourism Africa Summit

NBC Travel Expo

Location

Johannesburg / South Africa

Location

Miami, FL / United States of America

Start / End

01 December 2009 / 02 December 2009

Start / End

11 December 2009 / 12 December 2009

Provider

E-Tourism Africa

Provider

BXI Expo

Contact

info@e-tourismafrica.com

Contact

info@bxiexpo.com

Arab International E-Tourism & E-Marketing Conference Location

El Gouna / Egypt

Start / End

14 December 2009 / 18 December 2009

Provider

Electronic Union Of Travel Industry

Contact

yehia@ioeti.org

— 66 —

Fai r s & E x hi b ition s : DE C E M B E R , 2 0 0 9

Asia & Pacific

India International Travel Mart - Hyderabad Location

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh / India

Start / End

04 December 2009 / 06 December 2009

Provider

Travel Media Networks

Contact

info@iitmindia.com

India Travel Mart - New Delhi Location

New Delhi / India

Start / End

04 December 2009 / 06 December 2009

Provider

India Travel Mart

Contact

indiatravelmart@airtelmail.in

Food & Hotel China Location

Shanghai / China

Start / End

18 December 2009 / 20 December 2009

Provider

China International Exhibitions

Contact

fhc@chinaallworld.com

— 67 —

iŃ ons

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Problems

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Ecology

People

Events

Special

TR Partner

Media Partner

Alarm

Advice

Polls Awards

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