News articles in Dive Destinations

Cayman Fights Back Against Lionfish Invaders

(Dive Travel Business News - May 13, 2013) -- “Every shot counts!” was the rallying cry at a recent Foster’s Food Fair Lionfish Tournament as Cayman intensified its fight against the invasive species for a 24-hour period on Earth Day weekend. Forty-eight volunteer divers divided into 8 fired-up teams with names like the Teal Tigers, the Silver Bullets and the Red Sail Boys hit the reefs with Ocean Frontiers, Red Sail Sports and Divetech to see who could remove the most lionfish from Grand Cayman’s Marine Parks.

Almost 600 invaders were culled in the competition sponsored by the local grocer and organized by the Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA), in partnership with the dive operators and several island restaurants. read more »

Florida’s Manatees are Dying in Record Numbers

(Dive Travel Business News - May 23, 2013) -- Sea Shepherd Jacksonville - Manatees are beloved here in Florida, and we saw just how much at this year’s Manatee Festival in Crystal River raising awareness about the endangered animals. Aside from their lovable nature, manatees are important to the marine ecosystem as grazers of seagrass and other vegetation. However, the manatees that call Floridian waters home are facing serious and imminent threats.

Due to their declining numbers, protections have been established for them. The Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 protect manatees under both state and federal law. Under these protections, it is illegal to harass, hunt capture or kill them in the United States, but they continue to face other threats including boat collisions, loss of habitat, pollution, fishing lines/nets and an annual toxic algae bloom known as red tide named after the color change it creates underwater. read more »

Bikinis and Booze are Welcomed in Egypt.

(Dive Travel Business News - May 22, 2013) -- Earlier this month, Egypt's tourism minister claimed the Islamist-ruled country was open to bikini wearing, alcohol drinking tourists as part of his plan to boost Egypt's tourism numbers.

Hisgam Zaazou is looking to increase the country's tourism rate after it drastically declined when a popular uprising overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in 2011. The minister said the government had "optimistic goals" for the sector, and played down comments from radical Salafi Muslim groups who have called for a ban on alcohol and women wearing swimsuits.

In 2010, before the uprising, Egypt received $12.5 billion in earnings from 14.7 million visitors, but in 2011 arrivals slowed to 9.8 million producing a revenue of $8.8 billion.

Zaazou's strategy looks to promote the idea that Egypt is safe and open for all kinds of visitors. During his visit to the United Arab Emirates he disparaged comments from radical Salafi Muslim groups who have called for a ban on alcohol and women wearing bathing suits. read more »

Belize Tourism Board Honors Tourism Industry Partners at the Twelfth Annual Tourism Awards Ceremony.

(Dive Travel Business News.com - May 28, 2013) -- On Saturday, May 18, 2013, over two hundred and thirty guests, including industry stakeholders and government officials, gathered at Bannister Caye in Belize to honor the recipients of the 12th Annual National Tourism Awards. Among those was Splash Dive Center based in Placencia who BTB named Tour Operator of the Year.

"Splash Dive Center - A licensed tour operator that excels in customer service, creativity, and personalization, while offering a variety of tours. This tour operator sets the bar for marketing initiatives, meeting the standards of safety and security, equipment quality, cleanliness and reliability. This awardee ensures that visitors have a memorable and enriching experience, therefore, leaving guests with a great lasting impression of Belize."

Belize has some great diving including the famous Blue Hole and is one of the few places on the planet where you can schedule diving with whale sharks. You can check Splash Dive Center Belize our at www.splashbelize.com read more »

Underwater Sculpture Park reflects Grenada’s commitment to Sustainable Tourism

(Dive Travel Business News - April 19, 2013)-- ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada - In the silent shallows off Grenada, an Underwater Sculpture Park models the practice of sustainable tourism. The first of its kind in the world, Grenada’s Underwater Sculpture Park was designed to act as an artificial reef, offering an ideal environment for colonization by fish and colorful coral.

Recognized as one of the "Wonders of the World – Earth’s Most Awesome Places” in a special edition of National Geographic, the park is located just outside St. George’s in the Molinere Bay Marine Protected Area. Created by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, the park has become one of the main tourist attractions for Grenada. The statues are accessible to both divers and snorkelers. read more »

Divers Weigh In as World Renowned Dive Sites Re-Open to Dive Tourists

Report: World Renowned Dive Sites Re-Open to Dive Tourists

(Dive Travel Business News - April 15, 2013) -- It's now been two months since Thailand's Similan Islands National Marine Park re-opened two dive sites to recreational scuba divers. This major dive tourism destination closed East of Eden and Beacon Reef in late 2010 in response to the wide spread coral bleaching that had occurred between May and June earlier that year.

“The main factors causing the coral bleaching are the combined effects of global warming, which has raised the sea temperature by 1-2 degrees Celsius” said a spokesperson for the Mu Ko Similan National Park; emphasizing that a rise in temperatures is to blame and not an excess of human disruption.

When news of the May-June 2010 S.E. Asia coral bleaching finally came to the world's attention in late November 2010, the media made much of the closing of the two chosen sites, yet failed to mention the pressure on the reef from human recreation, or the illegal longlines a short distance from the dive sites, possibly the main contributing factors to the deterioration of the national park wildlife. read more »

Coral Bleaching causes Dive Tourists to Travel to islands in Myanmar.

(Dive Travel Business News - April 5, 2013) -- Coral bleaching around Thai islands in the Andaman Sea has made a dent in tourism numbers. According to A-One Diving Co Ltd, the coral bleaching at key diving spots in the region has caused foreign divers to switch to St. Luke Island in Southern Myanmar instead.

Based in Ranong, A-One Diving Co Ltd arranges dive trips to various destinations in the Andaman Sea. Some destinations are in Thai waters while others are in Myanmar territory.

"Each trip to the island takes at least seven days. Despite that, the number of tourists to St Luke Island has now jumped by more than 30 per cent when compared with the previous year," a tourism representative pointed out.

Ranong Tourism Association president Somchai Ouitekkeng said St Luke Island was becoming popular among Asians and Europeans. But, on the bright side, he believed Ranong could still reap benefits from the situation. read more »

Philippines Resort Development Recognized for Sustainability with Prestigious Global Tourism Award

(Dive Travel Business News - April 9, 2013) -- El Nido Resorts in the Philippines was recognised for their work in leading sustainable tourism initiatives at the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards ceremony, held on Tuesday night during the 13th annual World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit held in Abu Dhabi.

Ten Knots Development Corporation/El Nido Resorts won the Community Benefit Award, that recognises companies and organisations whose actions directly benefit local people, support community development and also enhance cultural heritage. A total of 90% of the staff at the winning company are from the local area. It actively supports staff development, for example providing micro-finance support to its staff; and it has always believed in the wisdom of local partnership. read more »

Renewed Questions about Indonesia Airline Safety after Budget Airline Crash.

(Dive Travel Business News - April 15, 2013) -- BALI, Indonesia - Investigators are working to determine what caused a newly-built plane Lion Air passenger jet to miss the main airport runway and crash into the sea off the Indonesian resort island of Bali on April 13, 2013.

The Lion Air Boeing 737 overshot the runway at Denpasar and belly-flopped in water on Saturday. The plane snapped in half as it crashed and came to rest in shallow water near the airport. All 108 people on board survived Saturday’s crash.

An expanding budget airline, this is Lion Air’s seventh accident in 11 years. The crash has renewed questions about how safe it is to fly in Indonesia. The country has struggled to clean up its poor air safety record while improving oversight.

However, initial debriefings, witness comments and weather reports have focused attention on the possibility of "wind shear" or a downdraft from storm clouds known as a "microburst". read more »

Advise Your Clients to take Precautions to Avoid Becoming a Tourist Target.

(Dive Travel Business News - April 16, 2013) -- The recent robbery of tourists at gunpoint in St. Lucia is a reminder to Travel Sellers about potential crime targeting tourists at the destinations they send their clients. Police arrested one of four suspects being sought for the armed robbery of sightseers from a cruise ship on April 12, St. Lucia authorities said Monday.

Masked men armed with homemade weapons held up 55 passengers and two crew members from Celebrity Cruise line's Eclipse vessel as they toured a botanical garden, taking money, jewelry, cameras and cellphones. The gunmen escaped through the botanical garden's borders of foliage.

No one was hurt, but tourism minister Lorne Theophilus said the robbery of cruise passengers on a shore excursion in Soufriere was an "unfortunate and a horrible scenario". read more »