News articles in World News & Events

One Billionth International Traveler, underscores Sustainability as a core component of Successful Travel Business Models.

(Dive Travel Business News - April 2, 2013) -- Despite a year of global economic uncertainty, more than a billion tourists managed to travel outside their countries' borders in 2012, according to statistics released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The figure marks a new record for international tourism -- a rise of 20 million tourists over 2011 and the first time the number has hit a billion.

Travel & Tourism, one of the world’s largest industries, outperformed the global economy in 2012 and grew faster than many other notable industries such as manufacturing, financial services, communications and retail.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) economic research, in 2012, Travel & Tourism grew its total contribution to GDP by 3% to US$6.6 trillion in GDP (a rise of US$500 billion year-on-year) and increased its number of jobs by five million to 260 million. For the first time, one in every 11 jobs in the world is now supported by Travel & Tourism. 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 »

Belize Supreme Court Halts Offshore Oil Drilling to Protect Barrier Reef

(Dive Travel Business News - April 18, 2013) -- BELIZE CITY, Belize - Belize's Supreme Court declared offshore drilling contracts issued by the Government of Belize (in 2004 and 2007) null and void, providing a dramatic and potentially definitive setback to The Government of Belize and the petroleum prospecting companies issued the contracts.

The ruling, handed down by Justice Oswell Legall, was in response to a case brought by Oceana, COLA, and the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage. It effectively ends the Belizean government's immediate effort to allow offshore oil drilling in the Meso American Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world.

The court overturned the contracts after determining that the government failed to assess the environmental impact on Belize's ocean, as required by law, prior to issuing the contracts. The court also found that contracts were made to companies that did not demonstrate a proven ability to contribute the necessary funds, assets, machinery, equipment, tools and technical expertise to drill safely. read more »

Embassies Urge Phuket: Protect Our Citizens

(Dive Travel Business News - January 14, 2012) -- The British, Canadian and Dutch ambassadors to Thailand have arrived in Phuket to outline their concerns about the "scams and cheats" continuing to plague Phuket's tourism industry.

Although the mission was shrouded in diplomatic-speak, the ambassadors were there to alert local leaders that they are very concerned for the safety of their citizens in Phuket.

The Phuket Gazette reported that British ambassador Mark Kent introduced Phuket governor Maitri Inthusut to the website Phukettuktuks.com, which "lists incident after incident of tourists in Phuket being cheated, scammed and even violently attacked by tuk-tuk and taxi drivers".

"The police are doing their best, but there is a serious shortage of officers in Phuket," said the governor.

In June an Australian travel agent was fatally stabbed in a bungled street robbery in Phuket, while a British tourist was shot dead in a Thai bar popular with backpackers in nearby Koh Phangan on January 1.

Source: Travelmole.com read more »

Southern Philippines Struggling in Aftermath of Typhoon Bopha

(Dive Travel Business News - December 6, 2012) -- At least 325 people have been confirmed dead and nearly 400 still missing after a typhoon hit the southern Philippines. Typhoon Bopha caused havoc in eight provinces but eastern Mindanao was the worst hit. Typhoon Bopha, the strongest storm to hit the country this year, packed winds of 160 mph - equivalent to a category 5 hurricane - when it struck Mindanao on December 2, 2012.

The head of the national disaster agency said 332 people were killed and 379 are missing after Bopha triggered landslides and floods along the coast and in farming and mining towns inland in the southern Mindanao region. Nearly 200,000 people remain in shelters in more than a dozen provinces in the southern Philippines, as officials appeal for food, water and clothing.

Many of the victims were killed when flash floods hit emergency shelters. Roads and bridges have been destroyed and many parts of the country have been left without electricity. The death toll could rise further, with local government officials reporting higher numbers of missing and dead. read more »

Bag It: Reduce Plastic Consumption to Protect our Seas.

(Dive Travel Business News - June 15, 2012) -- One week ago, the world celebrated World Oceans Day - the UN-designated day for the global community to celebrate and take action for our shared ocean. One of the greatest threats to the ocean is also one of the most insidious because it’s so mundane you probably don’t even notice it. Look around you right now... how much plastic do you see?

Plastic has become intertwined with our society’s throw away mentality, our culture of convenience, and our over consumption of throwaway products and packaging—things that we use one time and then, without another thought, we throw them away. But where is AWAY?? THERE IS NO AWAY!! Away is over flowing landfills, clogged rivers, islands of trash in our oceans, and toxins that eventuallly absorb into our own bodies and the bodies of marine animals. read more »

Every Day is World Oceans Day: 12 Things You Can Do to Save Our Oceans.

Make every day world oceans day. 12 things you can do

(Dive Travel Business News - June 8, 2012) -- Today is World Oceans Day. Unofficially celebrated every 8 June since its original proposal in 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. Since then it has been coordinated internationally by The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network with global participation each year.

The oceans are important in so many ways, from broader-scale things like regulating climate, producing oxygen and absorbing excess carbon dioxide, to providing food and of course, great recreational and travel opportunities.

Thinking strictly from a human perspective, the oceans also provide medicines and other resources such as minerals and perhaps even a viable drinking water source in the future. Some scientists are even exploring the potential of "mari-fuels" - turning algae into biofuels. read more »

Capt. Albert Falco has Returned to the Silent World at Age 84.

(Dive Travel Business News - May 1, 2012) -- Albert Falco, the former captain and chief diver of Jacques Cousteau's R/V Calypso, died on April 21st at the age of 84. Capt. Falco was a pioneer scuba diver, legendary mariner, oceanographer and long-time champion of underwater conservation. Falco was also on the Ocean Advocacy Advisory Board of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a non-profit ocean conservation organization.

The officers and the crew of the Calypso inspired two generations of divers and conservationists. Captain Falco saw the diminishment of biodiversity in our oceans over a span of nearly seven decades. He was dedicated to the protection of life and habitats in the sea.

Captain Albert Falco was born in Marseille, France on October 17th 1927. He died in Marseille.

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Divers Mobilize on Earth Day to Save Sharks

(DIve Travel Business News- April 16, 2012) -- This Earth Day and throughout April, Project AWARE and divers worldwide call on local communities to rally support for the protection of the world’s most vulnerable shark species by signing and organizing petition signatures to protect heavily traded species. Nearly 100,000 concerned divers and shark advocates have already signed their support for Project AWARE’s shark petition. But additional support is needed to ensure the voices of global shark advocates are heard.

Project AWARE Foundation and its global movement of divers are also producing the Big Shark Shout Out. Big Shark Shout Out events will span the globe and include shark petition rallies, education events and seminars. read more »

Western Sumatra Quakes Produce Little Damage in Indonesia.

(Dive Travel Business News - April 11, 2012) -- Communities and resorts located along the Indian Ocean Rim breathed a collective sigh of relief earlier on April 11 when tsunami alerts were called off after a pair of deep-sea earthquakes off the coast of Indonesia. Those earthquakes, which had magnitudes 8.6 and 8.2, respectively, produced only scattered small tsunamis, according to AccuWeather.com.

The earthquakes were centered off the northern end of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, about 120 miles from the epicenter of the 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that killed some 230,000 people in the region, mostly in Sumatra, in 2004. When the quakes hit this time, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre was activated and there were reports of panicked crowds in the region moving to higher ground. Those fears also were fueled by the March 2011 Japan quake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe. read more »