India constructing larger replica of Angkor Wat
CNNGo
Imitation might be the the sincerest form of flattery, but in the global tourism racket replication is the sincerest form of poaching on someone else’s turf.
There’s the “Eiffel Tower” in Las Vegas, and, of course, the entire Austrian village currently being cloned by a Chinese company.
None of these “if you can’t beat ‘em, copy ‘em” projects, however, are as audacious as the one now underway in India, where a larger version of Cambodia’s UNESCO World Heritage Site Angkor Wat is being built on the banks of the Ganges in the state of Bihar.
US space tourism set for takeoff by 2014
Globe and Mail
The Obama administration is preparing for a space tourism industry that is expected to be worth $1-billion (U.S.) in 10 years, according to the head of the Federal Aviation Administration’s commercial space office.
Rocket planes and spaceships to carry passengers beyond the atmosphere, similar to the suborbital hops taken by Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil “Gus” Grissom in 1961, are being built and tested, with commercial flight services targeted to begin in 2013 or 2014.
Mexico earthquake another jolt for country’s tourism
USA TODAY
Tuesday’s strong 7.4 earthquake in the southern Mexico state of Guerrero, about midway between the beach resort of Acapulco and the colonial town of Oaxaca, is more bad news for a tourism industry already on the defensive from the country’s protracted drug war.
Initial reports say the quake, with an epicenter some 12 miles underground, was felt strongly in Oaxaca and swayed buildings in Mexico City, sending frightened workers and residents into the streets. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries, but telephone service was down in Mexico City and throughout the area where the quake was felt.
Site lets hotels bid for your business
The Seattle Times
A few days before Eric Kimmel flew from Montreal to San Francisco for a recent conference, he checked to see if he could find a better deal on a hotel.
There’s a new site for that. It’s called BackBid (www.backbid.com), and within hours of his telling it about his confirmed reservation at the St. Regis, where a standard room starts at $579 a night, seven competing hotels had contacted him with lower prices.
Who am I? I am a typical Gen-Xer and recovering cubicle-dweller who has a passion for all things travel. My site brings a unique perspective that is hard to find online. I am not a backpacker, nor am I...
