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Aug. 18 is last day to seek permission to cruise Glacier Bay |
| 6/30/2008 8:19:56 AM |
AP - 6/30/08 -- Cruise ship companies have until Aug. 18 to apply to the National Park Service for the right to bring ships into Glacier Bay.
The companies compete every 10 years for the highly desired contracts that allow limited entry into the bay from June through August.
The upcoming contracts cover the period from 2010 to 2019. No more than two cruise ships per day are allowed in the bay over the course of 153 days. But those numbers can vary from year to year depending on the outcome of scientific studies on marine and other wildlife and of surveys on visitor experiences. |
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Weak dollar lures more tourists from German-speaking nations |
| 6/30/2008 8:17:22 AM |
AP - 6/30/08 -- Tourism officials monitoring business in Fairbanks are seeing a bright side to high gasoline and grocery prices.The weakened U.S. dollar is making Alaska a bargain for tourists from foreign countries.
Dave Worrell of the Alaska Travel Industry Association says Alaska is on sale. Visitors from German-speaking European countries are taking advantage of the bargains.
Go North Alaska Travel Center caters to German and Swiss travelers and owner Ralph Meyer says business is up 30 percent over 2007, which was a record year. He says vehicle rentals are booked solid through the summer.
Meyer says the weak dollar, compared to the euro or Swiss franc, makes Alaska affordable to the German and Swiss travelers. |
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Airlines continue baggage scrutiny with bulky carry-ons |
| 6/30/2008 8:13:52 AM |
CHRIS KAHN, AP - 6/30/08 -- Admit it. That chunky carry-on bag of yours would never fit into the sample box displayed outside the airport gate. Don't expect that bag to get a free ride for long.
Checked bags are now a moneymaker for US Airways, American Airlines and United Airlines, and officials say they're going to keep a closer watch on how much you take on board as they begin their new baggage fees.
"We're planning on having extra staff where possible, especially at peak times at busy airports," US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant said.
The airlines point out that the carry-on policy came from the Federal Aviation Administration, not the industry, and they have an obligation to keep people from sneaking bulky bags onto planes to avoid fees. Not only is it unfair to the honest, fee-paying traveler, they say, but it would also overload the overhead bins and force gate crews to delay takeoffs while they checked excess bags. |
More - Anchorage Daily News
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Latest critique of TSA: morale threatening security |
| 6/26/2008 5:00:41 PM |
The latest in long-standing problems with the perennially-beleaguered Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is that low morale may have gotten to where it is compromising security, says a new government report.
The 29-page report by Homeland Security Department Inspector General Richard Skinner says the situation is leading to screeners quitting their jobs.
It’s only the latest study citing personnel problems among the nation's 48,000 airport screeners. The workforce has some of the highest turnover and injury rates in the federal government.
Unlike past workplace reports, however, this one says security could suffer as a result.
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More - TravelMole
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Traveling Americans consider it their "birthright" |
| 6/17/2008 8:48:03 AM |
Rising fuel costs and airline route cutbacks are not deterring American travelers, according to a survey by the Ypartnership/Yankelovich National Travel Monitor.
Nearly one in four US travelers in the survey agreed a vacation is their “birthright,” according to the study with supporting global data from wholesale travel distribution company, Tourico Holidays, Inc.
"The consistent increase we've seen in our clients' sales show that both American and international audiences still view travel as a desirable component of everyday life," said Amir Kalmar, Executive Vice President of Global Sales for Tourico Holidays, a Travel Holdings, Inc., company. "Following this trend, without a doubt, we forecast another busy travel season for our clients and hotel partners here in the US." |
More - TravelMole
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TIA and AmEx Join Forces On Travel Sustainability Initiative |
| 6/17/2008 8:46:18 AM |
| Washington, DC | 6/16/08 -- Recognizing that the status of the environment has become a top business and public policy priority, with major implications for travel, the Travel Industry Association and American Express announced today they have joined forces in the name of travel sustainability. The two organizations are working together to develop the Travel Sustainability Initiative, a comprehensive plan designed to make crucial information available and to guide the travel industry in its response to assuring sustainability in travel and tourism. |
More - Travel Industry Association
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Rising fuel costs bad news for airline passengers |
| 6/17/2008 8:42:39 AM |
The consumer impact of rising fuel costs: fewer flights, more crowded security lanes and higher ticket prices, according to airline analysts. And that's not all.
“The good news? There isn't any,” says the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Other negative consumer impacts from the ailing airline industry: |
More - TravelMole
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CLIA bullish on cruise industry growth |
| 6/12/2008 4:26:49 PM |
June 10, 2008 - By Johanna Jainchill
Despite economic concerns, the cruise industry is positioned for continued growth, according to the Cruise Lines International Association's 2008 Cruise Market Profile Study.
The biannual study found that 77% of past cruisers and 55% of vacationers who have not previously cruised are interested in cruising within the next three years.
The travelers surveyed most frequently named the Caribbean as their cruise destination of choice, with Alaska, the Bahamas, Hawaii, Europe and the Mediterranean/Greek islands among the top choices.
CLIA said 9.57 million Americans took a cruise vacation in 2007, accounting for 76% of the 12.56 million passengers that sailed on CLIA member cruise lines. The study found that 33.7 million Americans intend to cruise within the next three years.
The study found that 94.8% of all cruisers rate their cruise experience as "satisfying," and that 44% rate it as "extremely satisfying."
Domestic homeports were a strong incentive to cruise, the study found, with 72% of respondents citing close-to-home ports as increasing their likelihood to cruise, because they could drive to the ship, save money by not having to purchase air travel and avoid the hassle of flying to embarkation points.
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Arctic countries unprepared for cruise ship accidents |
| 6/12/2008 4:25:11 PM |
| CBC News, 06/03/08 -- As more cruise liners travel in Arctic waters, fuelled by tourists' interest in the North and made possible by shrinking sea ice, U.S. and Canadian officials are questioning their abilities, as well as those of other Arctic nations, to handle cruise ship accidents. The safety of shipping and cruise vessels in Arctic waters has been a concern for the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental body that includes Canada, the U.S. and other Arctic countries. The council is expected to release an Arctic marine shipping assessment report later this year. Related audio link: New Arctic Ocean traffic raises safety concerns; related article: |
More - CBC
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Holland America Line Glacier Bay Partnership |
| 6/12/2008 4:24:35 PM |
| Travel Weekly - 6/11/08 -- HOLLAND AMERICA LINE said it will feature Alaska Native travel guides aboard a majority of its Glacier Bay-bound ships this year. The program is a result of a partnership between Holland America and the Alaska Native Heritage Center. The cruise company said the Alaska Native guides will share their knowledge and personal experience of local culture, history, art and flora and fauna. The guides will offer up to a half-dozen presentations over the course of a weeklong cruise. In addition to the Alaska Native guides, Tlingit cultural interpreters from Hoonah will board ships at Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier to lecture on the origins of the Huna people. Holland America will offer 114 Glacier Bay sailings in 2008. |
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