UNESCO recognizes Aceh’s Saman Dance as Intangible World Heritage
The Saman dance from Aceh has joined batik, wayang, and angklung as Indonesian’s contribution to UNESCO’s list of intangible world heritage as announced in Bali Thursday, November 24, 2011. The Saman Dance was included in the list under the category of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
Source: eTurboNews; find article here>>.
Taiwan: Hong Kong Dragon Airlines accused of discrimination
A Taiwanese tourist accused Hong Kong Dragon Airlines of discrimination for letting Hong Kong passengers switch to a Cathay Pacific flight while denying her the same arrangement after her flight was grounded by tire problems on Oct. 20. Dragon Airlines said that it had not discriminated against any passenger but that the Hong Kong passengers were more eligible for transfer because they did not have checked baggage. The carrier said it will continue its current practice of allowing passengers with no checked baggage to switch planes in the future.
Source: eTurboNews; find full article here>>.
India: tiger reserves may ban tourists
Based on a recent petition filed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), India's Supreme Court is to decide whether to accept proposals to shift tourists to "fringe" or "buffer zones" outside core tiger habitats in order to protect the endangered species. India, home to the world's largest number of wild tigers, attracts 17 million foreigners each year, granting more than USD 100 billion in revenues, according to tour group Travel Operators for Tigers.
Source: CNN
Thailand withdraws from World Heritage Convention
The approval by the World Heritage Convention secretariat of Cambodia’s management plan for the Preah Vihear temple, a magnificent ancient structure from the 11th-12th century, located just on the demarcation line between Thailand and Cambodia, prompted Thailand to withdraw from the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The temple is on Cambodian territory but some of its access and a 4.6 km² parcel of land surrounding the temple’s compound are effectively located in Thailand. Since October 2008, regular clashes occurred between Cambodian and Thai military troops.
Thailand: no religious tatoos for foreign tourists
Thai culture ministry said that foreign visitors should not be able to get Buddhist tattoos which disrespect religion. Thailand is mostly Buddhist, and Buddha statues and images are considered sacred objects of worship. The minister is concerned that tourists don't care about religion and are not aware that these tattoos can be offensive.
Source: eTurboNews; find article here>>.
China imposes tourist ban on Tibet
As reported by serveral sources, Chinese Government has banned the entry of foreign visitors to Tibet as the third anniversary of a bloody anti-government riot in 2008 approaches. Chinese travel agents organizing trips to Tibet have been ordered not to receive foreign visitors. China strictly limits access to Tibet by foreign tourists, requiring them to obtain special permits in addition to the Chinese visas and to travel in tour groups.
The ban coincides with harassments against foreign journalists who wanted to report about anti-government activities in Bejing.
Japan: fired pilots and flight attendants sue airline
Almost 150 former employees of Japan Airlines sued the company in Tokyo District Court demanding their jobs back. The airline underwent major restructuring in 2010 and cut nearly 30% of its workforce under a court-approved restructuring plan.
Source: CNN.com; find article here>>.
UNWTO to assist China in designing National Tourism Law
UNWTO will assist the government of China in the formulation of its first ever national tourism law. Visiting the organization’s headquarters, a high-level delegation led by parliamentarians of the China National People's Congress and the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), agreed to request the technical and political support of UNWTO to design its normative framework for tourism. This announcement follows last year’s identification by the Chinese government of the tourism sector as one of its strategic development areas.
Indonesia: flight cancellations due to volcanic ash clouds
Since October 26, an almost uninterrupted lava eruption from Mount Merapi volcano in Central Java has killed at least 122 people and forced over 150,000 persons to flee their home. Air transport from and to Java Island was dealing with chaos as airlines started to cancel flights due to the danger present by ash clouds and volatile particles of ashes in the air, which could cause severe damage to aircrafts' engines. Airports such as Yogyakarta and Solo have been closed to traffic due to their proximity to the volcano.
