‘Staycations’ are on the decline, survey suggests
Los Angeles Times
The “staycation” is not yet dead, but its popularity may be waning.
The tendency to stay close to home for vacation — a trend that became popular during the Great Recession — is losing its appeal as more
Americans become more interested in having a good time when they travel than in saving money. The findings are from a survey of 2,527 U.S. households by marketing and research firms MMGY Global and Harrison Group.
The survey found that the average amount spent on vacations over the last 12 months has grown to $4,461, compared with $3,874 during the same period two years ago.
Despite international outrage human safaris go on
eTurboNews
“Jarawa!” The cry goes up from the front of the bus and, in an instant, the tourists are on their feet, craning their necks to see a small boy clutching a short spear.
He is standing on the edge of the jungle, watching the convoy of vehicles thunder past on the Andaman trunk road. The tourists lurch towards the right-hand side of the vehicle to catch one last glimpse of him and then the government-run bus is past and he is gone.
It is Wednesday morning, three days before the start of the official tourist season and eight months since an Observer investigation into the plight of the aboriginal Jarawa tribe, and an accompanying video of young tribal women dancing semi-naked for food, scandalised India and brought international condemnation of the Andaman human safaris.
Chicago hotel shuts fountain, spa after fatal Legionnaires’ outbreak
CNN
The JW Marriott Chicago hotel said Friday it has removed its lobby fountain and closed parts of its luxury spa after health authorities determined them to be the likely source of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has now killed three people.
Health authorities said Friday there is no longer a health risk at the landmark hotel, but they urge people to seek medical attention if they stayed at the hotel during the affected dates of July 16 to August 15 and are now experiencing flu-like symptoms.
American Airlines and US Airways in talks about combination
Los Angeles Times
U.S. airline behemoths United Airlines and Delta Air Lines could be joined by a third mega-carrier, as talks to merge American Airlines and US Airways heated up heading into the Labor Day weekend.
AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines, and US Airways Group Inc. announced Friday that they signed a non-disclosure agreement and would exchange confidential information in an effort to merge their companies. A merged airline would have complementary route networks and achieve the scale necessary to compete head-to-head with the largest carriers, US Airways officials have said.
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