Leave No Trace

There are many reasons to Leave No Trace and as folks prepare for the hiking season, besides ticks, we should be reminded about minimizing our impact.  See the LNT website for an EXTENSIVE bibliography of related information.

Travel and Tourism Videos

Since everyone has a video camera, or at least a smart phone, travel videos are widely available on the web.  So besides Youtube and Vimeo, this site looks promising.  I also like the GoPro videos.

Overbooked Flights

Seems this topic has been the topic around the water cooler lately?  What, no water cooler, well then what about the coffee maker?

Well anyway, PBS republished report last week just for you and me.

Further, a quick little google search will find tons of sites discussing this very common hassle at teh airports.  See this one for instance.

The only time we had to deal with this was on a flight to Orlando for vacation.  Instead of the 6 am flight, we flew a 10 am flight, first class and started our vacation a bit later.  No big deal.

Open Air Airport.  Our flight from Puerto Plata got cancelled since New England was snowed in.  So we flew to San Juan, PR and spent the night there.  Our return home trip took 48 hours!

Paper accepted in Leisure/Loisir

Here is the abstract of our paper accepted in Leisure/Loisir.  Leisure / Loisir is the official publication of the Canadian Association for Leisure Studies/Association canadienne d’études en loisir ( CALS). While Leisure / Loisir is based in Canada and offers a primary outlet for individuals affiliated with Canadian institutions, the journal encourages international submissions.

Travel behaviour substitution for a white-water canoe race influenced by climate induced stream flow

Abstract
The World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization (UNWTO-UNEP-WMO, 2008) have identified one of the consequences of climate change is an interference of normal precipitation.  This research investigates the changes in travel patterns by participants and spectators at an annual canoe race as influenced by variable stream flow.   Given that stream flow varies seasonally, one might hypothesize that should a permanent reduction of water flow take place in the future, a decline or shift in water-based recreation might be expected.  Using data collected over two years at the Annual Westfield River Wildwater Races, interviews were conducted at the staging area as participants waited in the queue.  Observers of the race were also interviewed.   The two sampling years represent a low flow season and a normal flow season and yield a sample of 142 parties. During the low flow season, one that is projected to become the norm under climate change models, expert paddlers travelled a greater distance characteristic of destination substitutability while spectators decreased travel distance and this suggests a reduction of interest in observing the race.

Keywords:  Climate change, water-based recreation, substitution, travel behaviour, streamflow
 

Annual Westfield River Races

Saturday, April 15th 2017 will be the running of the annual Westfield River Wildwater Race.

Nice weather is planned and while the water temps will be chilly, the race will go on.  For more info see the race website.

For stream gauge data, click here for the USGS.

North by Northwest

This is one of my favorite films.  Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, this classic thriller was a remarkable event to see on the big screen.  North by Northwest is more than just the airplane scene or Mount Rushmore, it is a fast paced adventure following Grant (RoT) as he is chased and chases the bad guys.

Thanks to TCM and Fanthom Entertainment for getting this film on the big screen.

AAG in Boston

Just check out some of the session titles sponsored by the Recreation, Tourism and Sport Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers this week:

Recreation, Tourism, and Sport Specialty Group
An exploration of dark(er) liminal spaces in tourism
Engagements with nature-based tourism
Geopolitics of Tourism I
Geopolitics of Tourism II
lifestyle mobilities and local communities
New moral natures in tourism 1
New moral natures in tourism 2
Our National Parks: 100 Years and Beyond
Recreation, Tourism, and Sport Specialty Group Business Meeting
Rural Geographies and Tourism
Sports Geography
Staging the Nation: Tourism and the Geopolitical Gaze
Sustainable Tourism - Resilient Destinations: Future Governance Strategies in Tourism Development?
The Call of the Wild: Writing and Walking in American Landscapes
Tourism and the Politics of Wilderness Management and Governance
Tourism Geographies and Evolutionary Economic Geographies: New Perspectives on Change in Tourism Regions
Tourism Geographies: Examining the Past and Charting the Future
Tourism Geographies: Systems, Space and Sustainability
Tourism Geographies: Urban Tourism
Transnational Cultural and Natural Heritage in Asia: Contours of Boundary-Transgressing Memoryscapes (I)
Transnational Cultural and Natural Heritage in Asia: Contours of Boundary-Transgressing Memoryscapes (II)
Urban parks and green space: Working for the city (2 of 3)
Visitors, Art, Food and Creativity on the edge: Overcoming Path Dependency and other Challenges

If you are in Boston, this week, check out one of these sessions!

Real Coal Mine Tourism

yes, of course, the blog from yesterday is my annual April Fools report.  Appropriate,  Right?

Anyway, you can tour coal mines.  Most abandoned mines are probably not safe for visitors, but like a cave, if you have lights and are safe, it can be fun.

Dark Tourism?

Since Mr. Trump has decided to open up "clean" coal mines again so we get cheap energy for people and provide jobs for the out-of-work coal miners, a new tourism business is frantically trying to get started before the mines open for digging.

Yes, the ultimate Dark Tourism will provide tours underground in the dark, damp mines that have been out of commission since the coal industry was declared unsafe for humans and failed to keep prices below those for natural gas.

The 3 day adventure begins with a standard tour of the mine including a chance to drive one of those short digging machines.  The last night is spent in the mine so the dark tourist can experience the complete darkness during a simulated coal mine disaster.  Similar to the survival classes, the tourists must survive the night with nothing but a bottle of Perrier and a Clif Bar.

What fun!