Is orphanage tourism fuelling child trafficking?
Of all the forms of ‘volunteer tourism’, orphanage visits or volunteering have raised the most concern. A number of charities have warned about the emotional harm that could be caused by a constant stream of volunteers who shower orphans with affection for a few hours or days, and then disappear for ever. Concerns have…
World Tourism Day: Tourism and Community Development
World Tourism Day (WTD), celebrated every year on 27 September, is a global observance to highlight tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value. WTD 2014 is being held under the theme Tourism and Community Development – focusing on the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills to achieve change in their…
Indigenous peoples and tourism
Using social media as the primary means of communication, Planeta.com and partners have designated the week from 4 August 2014 as Indigenous Peoples Week: an "annual celebration of social web storytelling about indigenous peoples and tourism around the world." Indigenous peoples are widely used by national tourism boards in marketing, and many tours sell…
Working out how to work out: do we understand physical activity levels?
The World Health Organization and many national governments issue guidelines as to how much exercise we should all do to stay healthy. Current exercise recommendations from the WHO for 18- to 64-year-olds include "at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity…
Why recreational soccer is good for you – whatever your age
The FIFA World Cup starts in Brazil this week, and for the next month the elite of the world's soccer players will be on display. For most of us watching, any dream of playing on the big stage will have long since vanished (if indeed it ever existed). But a series of papers from the…
Poor pay and conditions at all-inclusive resorts
A report on pay and working conditions at all-inclusive resorts was launched yesterday (24 March) at a meeting at the House of Commons, part of the UK Parliament. The research for charity Tourism Concern, which was supported by the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF), was undertaken…
To win a soccer match, wear red and play at home
Last Saturday I watched my hometown team, Sheffield United, win through to an FA Cup semifinal for the first time since 2003. For a team in the third tier of English professional soccer (the illogically named League 1), a great achievement given the number of larger, richer and more successful clubs that went out in…
UK boating contributes £3.7 billion to economy
Image: VisitBritain, Boats at Christchurch Boating tourism contributed an estimated £3.7 billion to the UK economy in 2012/13, according to the new comprehensive report published by the British Marine Federation. This figure accounts for 3.2% of all tourism expenditure in the UK, and supports approximately 96,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs through direct and indirect effects.…
Bear viewing more valuable than hunting
Image Source: Douglas Brown, Creative Commons License According to research released on 7 January, bear viewing ecotourism in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest (GBR) "generates far more value to the economy" in terms of revenue, taxes, and jobs than the older and more well-established trophy hunting of grizzly and black bears.
Big predators in big trouble
Large carnivores, from lions to polar bears, are among the most iconic and charismatic species on earth. They also play vital roles in many ecosystems, restricting populations of herbivores from reaching levels where they degrade vegetation and prevent woodlands and forests from regenerating. But the world's top carnivores are in big trouble, with over three-quarters…