Tourism, Travel, Hospitality, Conservation: News,Stories And Experiences From Allover The World
Showing posts with label UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 July 2018
CONGO DR: Government Allows Oil Exploration In Virunga And Salonga National Parks ,Environmental Activists Oppose
Instead Democratic Republic of Congo has allowed oil exploration in two protected wildlife parks, Virunga and Salonga.
The move is strongly opposed by environmental activists, who say drilling would place wildlife at risk and contribute to global warming.
Almost a fifth of Virunga national park will be opened to oil drilling.
The parks are home to bush elephants, critically endangered mountain gorillas and the bonobo, an endangered ape.
Both parks are Unesco World Heritage Sites, with Salonga national park covering 36,000 sq km (13,900 sq miles) of the Congo Basin, the world's second-largest rainforest after the Amazon.
The government has defended its right to authorise drilling anywhere in the country, saying in a statement that it is mindful of protecting animals and plants in the two parks.
The cabinet said it had approved commissions charged with preparing plans to declassify parts of the parks, including 1,720 sq km (664 sq miles), or 21.5%, of eastern Congo's Virunga, the continent's oldest wildlife reserve.
Earlier this year, park authorities decided to close the park famous for its volcanoes to visitors until 2019 after two British tourists were kidnapped and a female park ranger was killed.
The region has suffered rising instability and violence, with at least 12 rangers killed in clashes with armed groups and poachers in the past year.
175 park rangers in Virguna national park have been killed in the line of duty since 1925
British company Soco International performed seismic testing there but let its licence lapse in 2015.
Save Virunga gives a voice to local communities who depend on the survival of Virunga National Park for their livelihoods. We believe that local communities and civil society have a say in the decision and future of the region.
Virunga should be a place where no oil extraction and pollution occurs, a place where people develop sustainable livelihoods based on healthy and intact ecosystems.
The Virunga National Park is Africa’s oldest and most biodiverse park. It is a 7800 square km National Park that stretches from the Virunga Mountains in the South, to the Rwenzori Mountains in the North, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, bordering Rwanda and Uganda.
Virunga’s fauna and flora, as well as the political and security situation in the Great Lakes region are tied closely to the people and to the protection and preservation of this ecosystem. Disruptions in one element will lead automatically to changes in the others.
The park’s future is threatened: oil has been discovered, and the Congolese government has awarded three concessions for oil exploration, which cover 85% of the park. Oil becomes the most important threat to the park, to the communities and to the ecosystem.
SOCO International plc is an international oil and gas exploration and production company, headquartered in London. SOCO holds rights on the oil concession in BLOCK V (85%).SOCO’s contract allows them access to a big part of Virunga National Park threatening the park with disruptive seismic tests, forest clearing, underground drilling and the laying of oil pipelines.
Since the beginning of SOCO’s exploration operations in Virunga National Park, Environmental and Human Rights defenders have been fighting for the survival of the park and the respect of community rights. Many of them are facing threats when fighting for Virunga and promoting the sustainable development option for the region and communities.
Save Virunga brings out the power of local communities and conveys their messages to protect Virunga and preserve the integrity of its ecosystems for future generations.
Gorilla beringei beringei: Critically Endangered
Eastern Gorillas (Gorilla beringei) live in the mountainous forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, northwest Rwanda and southwest Uganda.
This region was the epicentre of Africa’s world war, to which Gorillas have also fallen victim. The Mountain Gorilla subspecies (Gorilla beringei beringei), has been listed as Critically Endangered since 1996.
Bonobos: Endangered
Due to high levels of illegal hunting, and habitat destruction and degradation, Pan paniscus is estimated to have experienced a significant population reduction in the last 15–20 years and it is thought that this reduction will continue for the next 60 years.
Currently, by far the greatest threat to the Bonobo’s survival is poaching for the commercial bushmeat trade. It has been estimated that nine tons of bushmeat are extracted daily from a 50,000-km² conservation landscape within the Bonobo’s range.
Chimpanzees: Endangered
Although Pan troglodytes is the most abundant and widespread of the great apes, and many populations exist in protected areas, the declines that have occurred are expected to continue, satisfying the criteria for an Endangered listing (Oates 2006).
Due to high levels of poaching, infectious diseases, and loss of habitat and habitat quality caused by expanding human activities, this species is estimated to have experienced a significant population reduction in the past 20–30 years and it is suspected that this reduction will continue for the next 30–40 years.
Manatees: Vulnerable
The level of threats, particularly hunting and incidental catches, appears to be continuing to increase throughout range with locally high rates and near extirpation in some regions.
Lack of protein and continued poverty for human populations, and limited enforcement of national laws, are expected to drive increasing illegal hunting levels.
Destruction of coastal areas due to development, mangrove harvesting, siltation and dams are resulting in reduced habitat. We infer a high probability that a 30% or greater reduction in population size will result within a 90 year three generation period.
Okapi: Endangered
Okapi have been undergoing a decline since at least 1995 that is ongoing and projected to continue, in the face of severe, intensifying threats and lack of effective conservation action which is hindered by the lack of security.
The rate of decline is estimated to have exceeded 50% over three generations (24 years), based on figures from surveys in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve suggesting a 43% decline over the period 1995-2007, which some reports suggest continued in the period thereafter.
The RFO remains the best protected site and it is inferred that the rate of decline here is at least equalled in other parts of the Okapi range.
These species, some of which are endemic to the DRC, will end up in Taiyuan and Anji Zhongnan Zoos in China.
Tourism Observer
Thursday, 6 October 2016
SYRIA: Is Aleppo War-ravaged Aleppo A Travel Destination?
In the video, sweeping, panoramic scenes of Aleppo — a peaceful, green and thriving Aleppo — are presented against an acoustic version of composer Ramin Djawadi’s theme for the HBO series.
The one-minute clip shows off the city’s wide boulevards, impressive buildings and lush parks, and ends with the words: “Aleppo: Will of Life”.
It’s likely the scenes in the video were filmed quite some distance from the eastern, rebel-held areas of Aleppo, where air strikes are daily and whole neighbourhoods have been destroyed due to the five-year conflict, according to the United Nations.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last week “even a slaughterhouse is more humane” than the humanitarian crisis crippling Aleppo.
Elsewhere in Syria, all six of the country’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites have been destroyed or badly damaged, including Palmyra’s 2000-year-old Arch of Triumph, a former tourist hotspot destroyed by the Islamic State terror group last year.
Given Game of Thrones is centred on a bloodied, years-long civil war in fictional Westeros, Syria’s decision to use it in its latest tourism promo seems a little odd. But it’s just the latest attempt by President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to brag about Syria’s worth as a holiday hotspot.
In August, the Ministry of Tourism released a clip portraying the Mediterranean city of Tartus as a glamorous, sun-drenched luxury resort, packed with expensive speed boats and happy beachgoers.
Earlier this year, Syria’s tourism minister Bushr Yazedji talked up his country’s potential as an international travel destination, saying: “After the liberation of some of our cities, which once used to be major touristic highlights, we noticed that their residents were willing to revitalise local tourism.”
And just last week, Syria’s state news agency tweeted a picture of locals enjoying Aleppo’s “thriving night-life” despite the city’s dangerous reputation.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade strongly advises Australians against travelling to anywhere in Syria, in what is the highest travel advisory level issued by the Australian government.
Tuesday, 26 July 2016
ETHIOPIA; Ethiopia Tourism Revenue More Than Kenya And Tanzania Combined
Ethiopia’s tourism revenue jumped 20.7 percent in 2015 to a record high of $3.5 billion from $2.9 billion in the previous fiscal year lifted by increased number of foreign tourists visiting the East African nation, data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed.
The country’s revenue was more than what it more tourists established neighbours, Kenya and Tanzania, earned last year combined. The two east African neighbours cumulatively earned $2.77 billion.
Kenya’s revenue from its tourism sector dropped about 3 percent in 2015 to $837 million as visitors numbers continued a four year drop due to increased insecurity caused by frequent al Shabaab militants attacks, Reuters reported.
In Tanzania, a reduction in number of visitors last year also saw a fall in foreign exchange earnings from tourism to $1.93 billion, from $2 billion in 2014, The Exchange reported.
The number of visitors to Ethiopia increased by 136,000 to 910,000 in 2015, an estimated 88,000 foreign tourists per month, as the country hosted a number of high profile international business conferences and exhibitions, Ethiosport reported.
Ethiopia, home to nine UNESCO World Heritage sites, wants to become one of the top five tourist destination in Africa by tripling the number of foreign tourists visiting the country to 2.5 million in 2020.
This will make tourism making the leading sector in one of Africa’s fastest growing economies. It had targeted to raise $3.5 billion from the sector this fiscal year.
On average visitors to the country have rose by 12 percent annually over the last decade as the country economic growth picked up and the government introduced incentives to attract investors into the sector.
Ethiopians living in abroad have built more than 200 luxury hotels in the country making it easier for the country to market itself as a upmarket tourist destination.
Tourism contributes about 4.5 percent of the country’s GDP and generates about a million jobs according to the World Bank.
Landlocked Ethiopia does not have any beaches to promote like the other two, but its cultural wealth like its 13th century underground churches of Lalibela, hewn from solid rock and the hill castles of Gondar are its big selling point.
It’s also grown more and more popular for travelers as it’s a safer and affordable destination.
The country has in recent years embarked on massive infrastructure spending that saw Africa’s first light train cutting though the sprawling city of Addis Ababa launched in September.
“What Ethiopia offers to tourists, different from Kenya and Tanzania, is history and culture,” Tony Hickey, an Irish tour operator who first arrived in Ethiopia in 1973, said.
The country’s revenue was more than what it more tourists established neighbours, Kenya and Tanzania, earned last year combined. The two east African neighbours cumulatively earned $2.77 billion.
Kenya’s revenue from its tourism sector dropped about 3 percent in 2015 to $837 million as visitors numbers continued a four year drop due to increased insecurity caused by frequent al Shabaab militants attacks, Reuters reported.
In Tanzania, a reduction in number of visitors last year also saw a fall in foreign exchange earnings from tourism to $1.93 billion, from $2 billion in 2014, The Exchange reported.
The number of visitors to Ethiopia increased by 136,000 to 910,000 in 2015, an estimated 88,000 foreign tourists per month, as the country hosted a number of high profile international business conferences and exhibitions, Ethiosport reported.
Ethiopia, home to nine UNESCO World Heritage sites, wants to become one of the top five tourist destination in Africa by tripling the number of foreign tourists visiting the country to 2.5 million in 2020.
This will make tourism making the leading sector in one of Africa’s fastest growing economies. It had targeted to raise $3.5 billion from the sector this fiscal year.
On average visitors to the country have rose by 12 percent annually over the last decade as the country economic growth picked up and the government introduced incentives to attract investors into the sector.
Ethiopians living in abroad have built more than 200 luxury hotels in the country making it easier for the country to market itself as a upmarket tourist destination.
Tourism contributes about 4.5 percent of the country’s GDP and generates about a million jobs according to the World Bank.
Landlocked Ethiopia does not have any beaches to promote like the other two, but its cultural wealth like its 13th century underground churches of Lalibela, hewn from solid rock and the hill castles of Gondar are its big selling point.
It’s also grown more and more popular for travelers as it’s a safer and affordable destination.
The country has in recent years embarked on massive infrastructure spending that saw Africa’s first light train cutting though the sprawling city of Addis Ababa launched in September.
“What Ethiopia offers to tourists, different from Kenya and Tanzania, is history and culture,” Tony Hickey, an Irish tour operator who first arrived in Ethiopia in 1973, said.
Thursday, 21 July 2016
IRAN: Foreign Tourists Spend Billions In Iran
"Currently, the country's income from tourism industry accounts for half a percent of the global revenue," Soltanifar said, adding that the government seeks to increase the figure to two percent by 2025, IRNA reported.
The senior official, who is also a deputy to the Iranian president, noted that Iran ranks 47th on the list of countries with highest tourist number, saying that given its tourist destinations, the country needs to attract some 20 million foreign visitors by 2025.
A New York Times report last month said tour operators in America have been speaking of a surge in bookings by many Americans who, undeterred by a State Department warning about travel risks to Iran, are keen on visiting the country.
Iranian officials said that the country's tourism sector aims to attract $30 billion by 2025.
Iran hosts some of the world's oldest cultural monuments, including 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and its varied terrain ranges from desert locales to ski resorts.
Iran tourism, however, reportedly suffers some deficiencies such as shortage of enough hotels and some financial restrictions for foreign money transfers.
Officials say hotel groups from Germany, Greece, South Korea and Singapore traveled to Iran last year for talks on hotel construction.
Europe's largest hotel group Accor has already built two four-star hotels at Imam Khomeini International Airport outside the capital, Tehran.
Also, the UAE-based Rotana plans to open a five-star 600-room hotel in Tehran and another in the city of Mashhad, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year.
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