CABI Blogs: hand picked... and carefully sorted

Pandemic influenza: the worst economic scenario

The threat of an influenza pandemic has disappeared from headlines again lately, at least in the UK where a political scandal around MPs expenses has driven everything else off the news. But that doesn't mean that the outbreak has died down yet. In fact, just over 1000 new cases have been confirmed worldwide in the last 24 hours. Similarly, although travel warnings that had been in place for Mexico have now been lifted by some countries (including the UK), and cruise lines are planning their return to Mexico's ports, the possible cost to the global travel economy of a full-blown pandemic has recently been released.

'Swine flu' travel response: pandering to stupidity?

We have been featuring H1N1 influenza heavily here on 'Hand picked' lately, in line with the worldwide headlines the virus has been making since the emergence of an outbreak in Mexico. From the daily travel news alerts which hit my inbox, the virus has not only hit tourism in Mexico severely, but has also raised worldwide fears for possible effects on travel and tourism should the outbreak worsen. But how real is the threat to travellers?

Swine flu: can it be stopped at the border?

Anyone looking at the news in the last couple of days can be of no doubt as to the leading story of the moment (well, at least it makes a change from the credit crunch). Over 100 deaths from swine flu in Mexico, confirmed cases in the USA, Canada and now Spain, and suspected cases in countries from New Zealand to Israel, have caused fears of a possible pandemic. But what can the world do to limit spread of the virus?

From old to new: the story of National Parks

South Downs, West Sussex - Image courtesy of Tourism South East

My favourite television viewing over the last few weeks has been a three-part series on the environment and wildlife of Yellowstone National Park. Established in 1872 by a bill signed by the then U.S. President Grant, the Yellowstone region became the world's first National Park and set a major conservation precedent. Thousands more parks and protected areas have since been set up all over the world, becoming a focus for both conservation and tourism. The latest one here in England was announced just this week, with the news that the South Downs in southern England will become the ninth national park in England. But what exactly will designation mean?

How fast should you walk?

Here at CABI, we are fortunate that our offices are situated in the countryside, among fields and just a few minutes away from the River Thames. So on a sunny spring day like today, there is a mass exodus at lunchtimes as the CABI staff drag themselves away from their computers to get some fresh air and exercise. But if we want more than a screen break and to  keep ourselves fit and healthy, just how far and fast do we need to walk?

If you go to Brazil tonight…

You will surely have the time of your life – as it is Carnival time! The Brazilian Carnival is usually associated with Rio de Janeiro and the Samba Schools parading along the Sambadrome, and is said to be the biggest street party in the world. However, it happens throughout Brazil in the streets and in night clubs. It is a tradition and almost all Brazilians of all ages, social class and religious belief take part and party together for the four days before Ash Wednesday. The question however is this: is the financial crisis going to affect this year’s celebrations?

Galapagos Islands need tourism, says Sir David Attenborough

As celebrated by fellow handpicked blogger Dave Hemming last week, this year sees the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, as well as the 150th anniversary of the publication of the 'Origin of Species. In the Galapagos Islands, which more than anywhere else have become associated with Darwin's development of the theory of evolution, these anniversaries have been marked by much marketing hype by tour operators hoping to cash in. Thus while many tourist destinations are currently reporting empty hotels and falling arrivals, the Galapagos are hoping to buck the trend and reach record arrivals of 180,000 during 2009.

While Ecuador will welcome the economic boost that this tourism will bring (if the hype overcomes the economic recession; there are some reports of lower bookings and discounting even here), increased tourism pressure brings its own problems. Visitor numbers have risen from 41,000 in 1991 to 173,000 in 2008, and many immigrants have moved from the Ecuadorian mainland to cash in. Over the past 20 years the human population has risen to more than 40,000. Many recent arrivals have been working illegally, and the Ecuadorean government has begun sending them back to the mainland. Problems associated with the influx of people include overfishing and a proliferation of introduced species threatening native wildlife.

Irreplaceable, Part II

 
Photo from World Wild Fund for Nature - Indonesian Programme

I was slightly taken aback when first reading the 'Irreplaceable' blog from Handpicked author Katherine which started 2009 here on Handpicked. Naturally, I agree with the importance of conserving species such as bees on which so much human food depends - but was she really suggesting that we should give up on the Sumatran rhino? (I also thought she was a bit harsh on bats - they are a vital part of tropical forest ecosystems as pollinators, can eat half their bodyweight in mosquitoes every night, and pollinate some major tropical fruit crops such as avocados, figs, mangoes and peaches).

Review of 2008

On behalf of all the authors of the blog, and CABI,  I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and thank all of our readers for the comments supplied throughout the year. I hope these will continue and flourish onwards during 2009. Sorry for the delay in this post, but its finally here, it is our annual review of the Hand Picked...and Carefully Sorted blog, (also please check out our 2007 review).

We had another successful year of blogging during 2008, turning 2 years old on the 2nd November and posting a total of 148 articles.

Continue after the break for the complete monthly breakdown of all our posts.

Making tourism sustainable - there is no plan B

The World Travel Market (WTM) is being held in London this week, and yesterday I was able to attend as editor of Leisuretourism.com. Two issues appear to be centre-stage at this years event. One is the impact of the economic downturn on the travel industry. The other is the need for tourism to be sustainable and responsible. [Actually, a third topic was also high on the agenda after the difficulties everyone has had getting to the exhibition venue this week: the state of the London transport system, and how on earth it will cope with hosting the Olympics. But that's another story].