tagged w/ Tourism
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From Jamaica to Jordan to West Africa, Western women of means find "romance" on vacation.
BOSTON — The arrests this week of 28 "beach boys" in Indonesia — accused by the authorities of selling sex to female tourists — highlights a surging global phenomenon.
GlobalPost correspondents and editors have observed this brand of female sex tourism in many corners of the world, including Jamaica, Jordan, Senegal and elsewhere. There is a growing body of work by film documentarians and authors chronicling what appears to be a thriving subculture. At resorts, beach communities and tourist attractions from Egypt to Indonesia, women with disposable incomes are negotiating with local men who are in the business of offering the service of convenient coupling for female tourists on holiday.
The recent arrests, on the island of Bali, coincided with the release of a documentary on the resort's "gigolos." The film, "Cowboys in Paradise" — which contains candid interviews with local men and the foreign women who fall for them — had gone viral on the internet but has since been removed from the official website by its makers. Here's a YouTube trailer.
It's by no means the first attempt to describe a phenomenon that, according to Jeannette Belliveau, author of a book exploring the subject — "Romance on the Road" — is "going on everywhere from Fiji to Peru, well outside of the Caribbean and Africa and southern Europe."
GlobalPost correspondents Tom A. Peter in Jordan and Anne Look in Senegal report that business for the local men — and in many instances boys — who seek out foreign women, usually on vacation, has never been better.
Peter, based in Amman, traveled to Jordan's south, where many foreign women — particularly Europeans — test the definition of tourism by becoming sexually, even romantically, involved with local guides and other tourism industry workers.
Look, meantime, found the beaches of Senegal to be rich pickings for European women "of a certain age" who proposition young men, invariably trapped in a cycle of relentless poverty, for sex in exchange for "gifts" like electronics and often cold, hard cash. Many of these women claim they're just doing what middle-aged men have been doing for centuries: taking up with someone half their age and giving them an all-expenses-paid ride in exchange for sex.
Female sex tourism, though certainly less pronounced than the male equivalent — and arguably more taboo — has provoked ongoing debate as the subject of writers, filmmakers and researchers for decades.
J. Michael Seyfert in his recent cult hit film "Rent-a-Rasta," follows the lives of Jamaican men who offer their "services," be it companionship or sex, to foreign women in exchange for money, gifts or even the promise of a better future abroad. The 2006 film's opening even quotes a popular 1980s American movie, "How Stella Got her Groove Back": "Sex tourism, a product of slavery, is not new to the Caribbean. Every year, over 80,000 middle-aged women flock to Jamaica to get their groove back."
The 2006 film "Heading South," focuses on a group of middle-aged American and European women who visit dirt-poor Haiti in the late 1970s and link up with local boys (few are out of their teens) eager to provide sex to middle-aged female guests who lavish them with money and gifts. In the film, the 55-year-old American "Ellen" speaks matter-of-factly about the practice: "I always told myself that when I'm old I'd pay young men to love me."
4The reasons Western women travel and engage in liaisons, brief or otherwise, with local men are also the subject of non-fiction. In "Romance on the Road," Baltimore native Belliveau pulls together an impressive array of statistics and writes of her own and other women's experiences as single travelers.
"I look in my book ... at how conquering soldiers through time have taken local women as part of the spoils of that clash of encounters. Today, the conquering hero is the Western woman who has a good job as a nurse or professional or writer or whatever. And she can have her pick of men," she said. "The transaction isn’t just simple money for sex at all. I’m 1,000 percent sure none of the women I talked to [for her book] paid for anything. "Their story was: 'I made love with a Fijian guy in the surf in Maui.'"
Laughing, she continues: "It was always in water. Another was in a bathtub with a Maori in New Zealand. A third one was in the Red Sea in Egypt.
"And it was all very much heat of the moment. It wasn’t, 'I’m going to the Dominica Republic to pay Pablo the going rate.'"From Jamaica to Jordan to West Africa, Western women of means find "romance"... more
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Goa is certainly India's most loved tourist destination. The Sea (the Arabian Sea), the beer (the home of Kingfisher Beer), the heritage and the food of Goa attracts everyone like a magnet, you go once and you would want to come back again and again. I went to Goa 4 years ago and since the very first day of my visit in Goa my la-affair began with it. Goa is refreshing and as soon as you land here you almost forget everything else in life, a perfect place to take a break from the busy life. I m not a professional photographer, but the beauty of Goa and the magic of my Canon SX100 blended well to give me few awesome snaps. Here are few pictures from the beautiful Goa.
You can check the amazing photos of GOA here->
http://paragonist.blogspot.com/2010/04/gateway-to-goa-photography.htmlGoa is certainly India's most loved tourist destination. The Sea (the Arabian... more
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Britain's airspace was closed under false pretences, with satellite images revealing there was no doomsday volcanic ash cloud over the entire country.
Skies fell quiet for six days, leaving as many as 500,000 Britons stranded overseas and costing airlines hundreds of millions of pounds.
Estimates put the number of Britons still stuck abroad at 35,000.
However, new evidence shows there was no all-encompassing cloud and, where dust was present, it was often so thin that it posed no risk.
The satellite images demonstrate that the skies were largely clear, which will not surprise the millions who enjoyed the fine, hot weather during the flight ban.
Jim McKenna, the Civil Aviation Authority's head of airworthiness, strategy and policy, admitted: 'It's obvious that at the start of this crisis there was a lack of definitive data.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1268794/Remember-ash-cloud-It-didnt-exist-says-new-evidence.html#ixzz0mR95mdim
See how the media is complicit in the spreading of propaganda? Its a critical wing of public relations, brainwashing and population control by the NWO. You'll find the same type of Project Mockingbird chatter when it comes to: 9/11, Global Warming, Obama's birth certificate, vaccines, Federal Reserve, Big Bang Theory, Darwin, Newton, Einstein and numerous other scams, lies and frauds.Britain's airspace was closed under false pretences, with satellite images... more
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This week's Rotten Tomatoes reviews Kick-Ass, Death at a Funeral, and The Joneses. Plus, we run down the Top 5 Alternative Energy Sources in Movies and Brooke Shields stops in to tell us about her Five Favorite Films.
The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30 e/p on Current TV. From reviews of the newest releases to commentary on cult favorites and movie trends, each episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a fast-paced, comedic journey through the week in cinema.
For more from the Rotten Tomatoes Show: http://rottentomatoesshow.comThis week's Rotten Tomatoes reviews Kick-Ass, Death at a Funeral, and The... more
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Excited about Death at a Funeral because you like remakes? Well, we've picked out one of our favorite updated movies: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring Steve Martin, is a clever remake of the 1964 movie, Bedtime Story.
The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30 e/p on Current TV. From reviews of the newest releases to commentary on cult favorites and movie trends, each episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a fast-paced, comedic journey through the week in cinema.
For more from the Rotten Tomatoes Show: http://rottentomatoesshow.comExcited about Death at a Funeral because you like remakes? Well, we've picked out... more
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Nerds are cool!! According to Time.com, the world's only (sic) Toy & Action Figure Museum is the MOST AUTHENTIC AMERICAN EXPERIENCE in Oklahoma.
50 states - 50 destinations. Thanks Time Magazine!! www.actionfiguremuseum.comNerds are cool!! According to Time.com, the world's only (sic) Toy & Action... more
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Health tourism has been a strong selling point for Thailand, focusing not only on Bangkok but also other areas with a high concentration of foreign tourists, such as Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Samui and Phuket.
Zadok Lempert of Medico Management & Travel Services International says, “The good exchange rates between the Thai baht and the US dollar or euro make medical treatment an outstanding value-for-money service for foreign patients. For example, average treatment costs in Singapore are 5-20% higher than in Thailand. Cheaper medical costs mean family members and friends will have more money to accompany the patient. They can find accommodation near the hospital."
However, Dr Lempert argues that Thai medical tourism lacks good marketing and promotion as co-operation between hospitals and travel agents is limited,” Travel agents view the 3-6% commission rates offered by hospitals as too low while hospitals are confident that they already have their own markets and need not depend much on medical tourism agents. Only six to eight hospitals in Thailand are serious about medical tourism but the number should increase in the future. Language skills of hospital staff are another obstacle.”
Some in Thailand forecast that 1.4 million medical tourists will visit Thailand for treatment this year, up from 1.2 million in 2009. Popular treatments are hip and knee operations, cosmetic surgery and dental services. Other local figures suggest the number of foreign patients in Thai hospitals has grown from 500,000 in 2001 to 1.4 million in 2006. Some websites promoting Thailand argue that it had 750,000 American medical tourists in 2009 and Thailand will have 6 million medical tourists in 2010.There are significant doubts surrounding these claims by those who argue that hospitals counting visits rather than actual patients, and other distorting factors, artificially inflate the figures. Either way, these are not official figures, just widely used estimates.
Many countries have two separate figures, one for medical tourism, and one for health and wellness tourism. Including the latter is a nightmare for statisticians: do you count a tourist who goes to a spa-hotel as a medical tourist or a holidaymaker? Thailand has 743 spas, half of which are hotel/destination spas.
The health tourism figures include those going to:
• Hospitals - conventional medicine, invasive treatments, state-of-the-art technology
• Wellness and Spa - complementary medicine, traditional natural preventive medicine, organic additives addressing the mind, body and soul
• Destination spas - body and mind treatment backed with medical knowledge and hydrotherapy tubs, wet-rooms, steam baths, sauna, therapeutic message, etc.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that Thailand attracts 14 million visitors a year. The majority are leisure and business travellers. The current country distribution of visitors coming to Thailand with the primary motive of healthcare, according to the Tourism Authority is:
• U.A.E - 43.6%
• Qatar - 8.9%
• Oman - 6.0%
• Japan - 5.3%
• Myanmar - 5.0%
• Bangladesh - 3.6%
• U.S.A - 2.5%
• U.K - 2.5%
• Germany 1.2%
• France 1.1%
• Australia - 1.0%
• Canada - 0.8%
• Others 18.5%
Thai tourism bodies have recently been heavily promoting the potential in the Middle East, and their own figures suggest Americans and Europeans are increasingly nervous of the continuing political unrest and violence. The latest recommendation from the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office is: “We currently advise against all travel to some specific areas of Thailand and all but essential travel to other specific areas of Thailand. The situation in Thailand remains volatile. British Nationals should exercise extreme caution throughout the country.”
The Thai Government invoked the Internal Security Act and implemented additional security measures, but the situation worsened. Thailand declared a state of emergency in the capital, Bangkok, after protesters stormed the grounds of parliament, forcing government ministers to flee by helicopter. Agencies sending patients to Thailand need to check what is happening daily.
http://www.imtjonline.com/news/?entryid82=195271Health tourism has been a strong selling point for Thailand, focusing not only on... more
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Hosts Max Lugavere and Jason Silva explore Spanish life in a way usually experienced only by locals and the most adventurous travelers. Men and women discuss the culture of "machismo" and how it effects relationships, an epic food fight leaves the streets of one city running red, and a community readies itself to become the world's first energy self-sufficient island.Hosts Max Lugavere and Jason Silva explore Spanish life in a way usually experienced... more
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On the 15th of April the Australian Tourist Board are set to launch a new website called nothinglikeaustralia.com that will invite visitors to upload a photo of unique and memorable moments from their Aussie holiday that will have the tagline There’s Nothing Like.
Ahead of the launch some cheeky chaps have setup a humorous alternative called - Read more here http://www.bigredkev.com/2010/04/theres-nothing-like-australia.htmlOn the 15th of April the Australian Tourist Board are set to launch a new website... more
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We are going prehistoric this month as we highlight Dinosaurs Alive! at the Louisville Zoo. Dinosaurs Alive! is a breathtaking assembly of the latest creations in high-tech, life-sized, animatronic dinosaurs. Go wild at the Louisville Zoo. Dining at Mark's Feed Store.We are going prehistoric this month as we highlight Dinosaurs Alive! at the Louisville... more
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See the culture and places in Mexico in a way usually experienced only by locals and the most adventurous travelers. In this portion of "Unseen Mexico," Crystal Fambrini joins thousands of cyclists as they pedal their way through Baja.See the culture and places in Mexico in a way usually experienced only by locals and... more
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Baja California is a popular tourist destination for many Americans, particularly those of us out here on the West coast. So to service us, the local authorities are setting up a special bilingual unit to police from Tijuana 50 miles south through Rosarito to Ensenada.
Mexico's authorities say tourism has remained strong despite the escalating drug war. Cities along the border have been hit particularly hard, including Tijuana. Surely though, they must be thinking of perceptions of the region with tourists to the north, and hoping that this new task force will help.
Been to Mexico lately? Tell us about it - did you feel safe?
Also on Mexico's Drug War:
- Narco War Next Door - Vanguard's Laura Ling reports on Mexico's drug war
- Rehab Patients Gunned Down: Raw Video - A September attack in Juarez killed 17
- Mexico's Drug War- Stay up to date on this topic by following the group pageBaja California is a popular tourist destination for many Americans, particularly... more
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Robert Hulse guides visitors through the Thames tunnel reopening Link to this video
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/mar/12/thames-tunnel-london-reopened
"How they got the performing horses down here God only knows", says Robert Hulse, as he leads visitors into the gloom under the Thames for the temporary public reopening of one of the truly astonishing wonders of the Victorian age.
The Thames tunnel was today reopened to walkers for the first time in 145 years, giving punters a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see close up a remarkable feat of engineering – and a top tourist attraction visited by millions.Robert Hulse guides visitors through the Thames tunnel reopening Link to this video... more
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Personal note: Federal control of state and private waters. Communist? Socialist?
The Obama administration has ended public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing some of the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.
This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is "fluid" and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn't issued its final report on zoning uses of these waters.
Fishing industry insiders, who have negotiated for months with officials at the Council on Environmental Quality and bureaucrats on the task force, had grown concerned that the public input would not be taken into account.
"When the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) completed their successful campaign to convince the Ontario government to end one of the best scientifically managed big-game hunts in North America (spring bear), the results of their agenda had severe economic impacts on small family businesses and the tourism economy of communities across northern and central Ontario," said Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs for Shimano.
"Now we see NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the administration planning the future of recreational fishing access in America based on a similar agenda of these same groups and other Big Green anti-use organizations, through an Executive Order by the President. The current U.S. direction with fishing is a direct parallel to what happened in Canada with hunting: The negative economic impacts on hard-working American families and small businesses are being ignored.
"In spite of what we hear daily in the press about the President's concern for jobs and the economy and contrary to what he stated in the June order creating this process, we have seen no evidence from NOAA or the task force that recreational fishing and related jobs are receiving any priority."
Unless more anglers speak up to their Congressional representatives so their input will be considered, it appears the task force will issue a final report for "marine spatial planning" by late March. President Barack Obama then could possibly issue an Executive Order to implement its recommendations.
Led by NOAA's Jane Lubchenco, the task force has shown no overt dislike of recreational angling. As ESPN previously reported, WWF, Greenpeace, Defenders of Wildlife, Pew Environment Group and others produced a document entitled "Transition Green" shortly after Obama was elected in 2008.
What has happened since suggests that the task force has been in lockstep with that position paper, according to Morlock.
In late summer, just after the administration created the task force, these groups produced "Recommendations for the Adoption and Implementation of an Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lakes National Policy." This document makes repeated references to "overfishing," but doesn't reference recreational angling, its importance, and its benefits, both to participants and the resource.
Additionally, some of these same organizations have revealed their anti-fishing bias with their attempts to ban tackle containing lead in the United States and Canada.
Also, recreational angling and commercial fishing have been lumped together as harmful to the resource, despite protests by the angling industry.
Morlock's evidence of collusion -- the green groups began clamoring for an Executive Order to implement the task force's recommendations even before the public comment period ended in February.
On Feb. 12, the New York Times reported on that "President Obama and his team are preparing an array of actions using his executive power to advance energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic policy priorities."
Anglering for access
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Morlock fears that "what we're seeing coming at us is an attempted dismantling of the science-based fish and wildlife model that has served us so well. There's no basis in science for the agendas of these groups who are trying to push the public out of being able to fish and recreate.
"Conflicts (user) are overstated and problems are manufactured. It's all just an excuse to put us off the water."
In the wake of the task force's framework document, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) and its partners in the U.S. Recreational Fishing & Boating Coalition again voiced their concerns to the administration.
"Some of the potential policy implications of this interim framework have the potential to be a real threat to recreational anglers who not only contribute billions of dollars to the economy and millions of dollars in tax revenues to support fisheries conservation, but who are also the backbone of the American fish and wildlife conservation ethic," said CSF President Jeff Crane.
Morlock, a member of the CSF board, added, "There are over one million jobs in America supported coast to coast by recreational fishing. The task force has not included any accountability requirements in their reports for evaluating or mitigating how the new policies they are drafting will impact the fishing industry or related economies.
"Given that the scope of this process appears to include a new set of policies for all coastal and inland waters of the United States, the omission of economic considerations is inexcusable."
This is not the only access issue threatening the public's right to fish, but it definitely is the most serious, according to Chris Horton, national conservation director for BASS.
"With what's being created, the same principles could apply inland as apply to the oceans," he said. "Under the guise of 'marine spatial planning' entire watersheds could be shut down, even 2,000 miles up a river drainage from the ocean.
"Every angler needs to be aware because if it's not happening in your backyard today or tomorrow, it will be eventually.
"We have one of the largest voting blocks in the country and we need to use it. We must not sit idly by."Personal note: Federal control of state and private waters. Communist? Socialist?... more
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Passing the deadly Verde Strait in the Philippines to Puerto Galera, which is the site of several terrible ferry accidents, tourists get a taste of danger that locals take for granted.Passing the deadly Verde Strait in the Philippines to Puerto Galera, which is the site... more
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In this episode we show you how to rest, relax and rejuvenate in Louisville. We start with an energizing yoga session at Yogamazing Studio, enjoy vegetarian delights at Zen Tea House and cap off the day with treatments at Total Med Spa.In this episode we show you how to rest, relax and rejuvenate in Louisville. We start... more
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If you’ve been to Chinatown in San Francisco, you know how hectic it can be. Well, make it less hectic with thise iPhone app.If you’ve been to Chinatown in San Francisco, you know how hectic it can be.... more
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"...a poll of 66 businesses conducted by the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) last month, more than 60 percent of respondents said reservations for the first quarter of 2009 were down compared to 2008. Those that reported a slowdown said reservations had declined an average of 29 percent. And the number of passengers at Juan Santamaría International Airport was down 8.25 percent for the first 15 days of the month, CANATUR reported.""...a poll of 66 businesses conducted by the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR)... more
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Back To The Planet was commissioned by the Charles Darwin Foundation to make a short film exploring the attitudes of two important groups of people on the Galapagos Islands – scientists and residents. Following collaboration between Back To The Planet, the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park, Paola TV was developed.Back To The Planet was commissioned by the Charles Darwin Foundation to make a short... more
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