Norway Takes Mountain Tourism Businesses On Tour
Jun 14, 2009 | Filed Under Destinations, Product Development | Leave a Comment
When Norwegians decide to do something, they really go after it. Take, for example, the Norwegian approach to nature and adventure tourism development. As part of a national “business cluster” development program, businesses in Norway’s Mountain Cluster have been traveling the world taking in some of the best in mountain tourism.
They’ve been to Austria, Switzerland, [...]
An Alternative to Mass Tourism: The Adventure Opportunity the Wall Street Journal Didn’t Mention
May 18, 2009 | Filed Under Adventure Tourism and Social/Environmental Issues, Product Development | Leave a Comment
Headlines like this make me cringe: “To see some of the most spectacular spots on earth before the tourist buses arrive, visit the sites being considered for World Heritage designation.”
Why? Because it assumes that the only way to bring tourism to a region is to bring it with loads of buses and inconsiderate people who destroy the place.
In the Wall Street Journal’s May 15, 2009 Weekend Journal the cover story is by Stan Sesser, who highlights a number of sites around the world that may become World Heritage Sites in 2009. This designation can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how destinations manage their resources, and Sesser quotes an official at the World Heritage Organization who rightly observes that the program “has been turned into simply a branding scheme.”
Read More →Out of the Wilderness
Apr 30, 2009 | Filed Under Industry Research, Product Development | 1 Comment
People are shunning the great outdoors. Blame conservationists, not video games
ON JULY 4th, normally the busiest public holiday of the year, tourists were put off by high petrol prices and more than 300 wildfires raging across California. On Memorial Day, traditionally the beginning of the summer season, it was cold. In 1999 there was a grisly murder. In 1997 the Merced river flooded, inundating a hotel and wiping out hundreds of campsites. There are always excuses for the absence of people in Yosemite National Park.
Off the Radar
Visit us at travelofftheradar.com for the complete archive of past editions as well as beautiful photos, travel writing and video from our adventuring readers.