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Soccer may be the global game but as US policy seems increasingly focused on putting America first, it may be losing a chance to host the sports biggest event. In an interview with the New York Times, UEFA President, and FIFA Vice President, Aleksander Ceferin said that travel restrictions would be weighed against the US in a bid to host the World Cup in 2026.
After being passed over for the 2022 World Cup in favor of Qatar, the US has positioned itself as a strong contender to hold the tournament. In addition to having the infrastructure already in place to host, Sunil Gulatis work to get Gianni Infantino elected FIFA President last year could only help a US bid.
All of that may be in doubt due to travel restrictions according to Caferin who discussed the issue with the New York Times.
It will be part of the evaluation, and I am sure it will not help the United States to get the World Cup, Mr. Caferin said. If players cannot come because of political decisions, or populist decisions, then the World Cup cannot be played there. It is true for the United States, but also for all the other countries that would like to organize a World Cup. It is the same for the fans, an the journalists, of course. It is the World Cup. They should be able to attend the event, whatever their nationality is. But lets hope that it does not happen.
While the travel ban was struck down by the courts, the Trump administration says it is planning on issuing a new one. In the meantime, there have been reports of travelers being discriminated against or denied entry to the US due to their religion. Muslim travelers have also reported increased scrutiny from customs agents when going through immigration control in the US. The former Prime Minister of Norway was even detained and questioned about a trip he took to Iran to give a speech at a human rights conference.
US Soccer did not comment to the New York Times about Caferins comments, but USSF President Sunil Gulati did discuss the ban with Grant Wahl earlier this month. In the interview, Gulati said that the ban doesnt represent what I believe is the best of us. My guess is some years from now a lot of people will look back at this and say we shouldnt have done that. Speaking before appeals courts upheld a decision to halt the ban, Gulati said, hopefully the executive order will either be modified or weve talked about a 90-day period and well get back if not sooner to the values we have.
The timeline on getting back to the values that Gulati mentions will also be an issue for a US bid to host the World Cup. President Trump is up for re-election in 2020 and bids to host the tournament are due in 2018 with FIFA set to announce the host country the same year as the next US presidential election. With the Trump administration promising to re-introduce travel restrictions, USSF may not have time to assuage FIFA voters concerns about how people hoping to attend, report on, or play in the World Cup would be treated.
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New York Times | US Travel Restrictions Would Damage 2026 World Cup Bid, UEFA President Says New York Times Aleksander Ceferin, the president of UEFA, has said the United States bid to host the 2026 World Cup could be hampered by travel restrictions put in place by the Trump administration. Credit Martial Trezzini/European Pressphoto Agency. NYON ... |
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US Travel Restrictions Would Damage 2026 World Cup Bid, UEFA President Says - New York Times
Forbes | Want To Work Remotely And Travel The World? This Startup Will Help You Forbes Every fantasized about working from home? How about working from the other side of the planet? Traveling the world while making money is the fantasy of so many people these days especially among millennials, who have discovered that the secret to ... |
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Want To Work Remotely And Travel The World? This Startup Will Help You - Forbes
World Travel Guide | I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For World Travel Guide After 25 years of searching, Steve still hasn't seen the underwater monster, but he has been awarded the Guinness Book of World Record for the longest continuous vigil hunting for the Loch Ness monster. His van failed its roadworthiness test some years ... |
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I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - World Travel Guide
Unlike the cautious approach taken by several other travel industry lobbying organizations, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has been highly critical of president Trump's attempt to ban travel to the U.S. by nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries. In a speech at the Routes Americas aviation conference in Las Vegas last week, WTTC CEO David Scowsill challenged the Trump administration directly, saying that the president's approach to security could bring about a long-term slump in tourism to the U.S. Senior editor Robert Silk caught up with Scowsill at the conference to discuss that and other issues.
Q: You've been outspoken about the dangers of what you describe as Trump's inward-looking approach to security. Why have you taken such a strong stance? David Scowsill
A: The first thing is that what we stand for as an organization is freedom to travel. The more people travel, the more people spread understanding, the better off we'll be around the world.
Q: You've also talked about the post-9/11 slump, when travel to the U.S. dropped 9% for most of the remainder of the decade. Tell me why you're concerned that could happen again.
A: The risk that this ban has is not just banning people from those seven countries but the reverberation that America is closing down, is not open for any business and that people are looking at whether they want to travel here or not, for both business or leisure. So there is a risk if this is not turned around that we will see a drop-off of international passengers coming to the U.S.
Q: Trump says a travel ban is necessary to safeguard Americans.
A: There is no incident in the last 30 years of a national from one of those seven countries coming to the United States to commit any type of terrorist killing. If you compare that with the domestic shootings that happen in the United States, for the last 10 years there has been an average of 11,700 Americans killed in domestic shootings. The message is: focus on what is going on domestically and don't assume that any of these gun incidents are going to be committed by people flying in to do that type of activity.
Q: Have you seen any fallout so far from the travel ban? Data on this subject has been mixed.
A: What the data is showing in the first two weeks is there are less people searching to come to the United States by about 10%, and there are less bookings coming through. And when I talk to the CEOs running the big lodging companies or the big airlines or even looking at the GDS data, there is a trend of people from around the world not coming to the U.S. at this period in time. It is not dramatic at the moment. It is somewhere around the 4% to 5% range.
Q: We are at an aviation conference, so tell me what WTTC's priorities are related to aviation?
A: The issues for us in aviation are principally around keeping open skies open and not putting up barriers and getting people to move through the system, using technologies like electronic visa processing.
Q: President Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, spoke in support of Norwegian Air recently, and Trump made what sounded like supportive statements about foreign airlines when he met with U.S. airline and airport executives two weeks ago. Have these early signals left you optimistic?
A: I think the early indications are that president Trump's administration is focused on American jobs and on building the economy and on infrastructure investment, all of which are very good things for our industry. And I think we saw about Norwegian and about other airlines that are flying Boeing aircraft, for example, those aircraft are manufactured in the U.S. creating American jobs, so it's not just a simple argument about open skies and bilateral agreements. It's all about where jobs and growth are going to come from.
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World Travel & Tourism Council's David Scowsill: Travel Weekly - Travel Weekly
World Travel Guide | Highlight destination of the week: Barcelona World Travel Guide Some people love an early morning jog through the Gothic Quarter, others want to feast on the delicacies in La Boqueria market, or you may just want to make a beeline for Camp Nou and catch a world-class football match in action. Whatever you fancy ... |
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Highlight destination of the week: Barcelona - World Travel Guide
Despite the travel ban is currently suspended and the passengers flow to the country is growing again, the travel sector reported consistent decrease in international bookings when compared to the recent past. As a result of the Presidents order, both business and leisure travelers are still holding back on their trip plans to the US.
Speaking at the conference in Last Vegas earlier this week, David Scowsill, the President of the WTTC, has directly warned the Administration:
The United States is in danger of taking the same path it took after the 9/11 terror attacks, which led to a decade of economic stagnation in the Travel & Tourism sector. Strict visa policies and inward-looking sentiment led to a $600 billion loss in tourism revenues in the decade post 9/11, as previously reported by the US Travel Association, with a noted 9% drop in international arrivals in the period of 2001 2009. The Trump Administration is in danger of steering the country in the same direction, which could have a huge impact on the countrys Travel & Tourism sector, which generates over eight per cent of the countrys GDP and supports nearly 10 per cent of total employment in the US.
According to Scowsill, the politicians should take into account listening to the travel industry experts, in order not to lose significant revenue from travelers, as lots of jobs and the overall countrys economy depend on the sector. He pledged for the Presidents advisors to consider the promises the President has made during his campaign. If aiming to create jobs and to make America great again, the tourism industry should be a priority for the near and long term future, hospitality, air and ground transportation, technology sector and key destinations included.
Travel & Tourism thrives by breaking down barriers, not building them; by making it easier for people to travel, not applying blanket bans. Our sector bridges divides between cultures, fosters understanding across religious and geographic boundaries. It is a massive generator of jobs and economic growth, Scowsill underlined, referring to the controversial decisions the Trump Administration is preparing for the travel industry.
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The World Travel & Tourism Council warns about Trump's ban - Travel Wires
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Baia do Sancho in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, is the No. 1 beach in the world, according to TripAdvisor's 2017 Travelers' Choice awards.(Photo: TripAdvisor)
TripAdvisor has named Brazils Baia do Sancho as the best beach in the world in itsTravelers Choice awards for 2017, while Florida's Siesta Beachtopped the list for beaches in the U.S. Click through the gallery above to see the top 25 beaches for the U.S. and the world.
Photo tour: Florida's best beaches
The winners were based on reviews andratings collected in a single year from TripAdvisor users worldwide. To see all 343 winners of the 2017 TripAdvisor Travelers Choice awards for beaches, visit tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches.
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Dubai resort named 'World's Leading MICE Resort' at prestigious global travel and tourism event
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(Marketwired - Feb 21, 2017) - The five-star Habtoor Grand Resort, an Autograph Collection property, was recently named the "World's Leading MICE Resort" award at the World Travel Awards at Olhuveli Beach & Spa Resort in The Maldives.
"MICE" stands for "Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions." The World Travel Awards have been dubbed the "Oscars" of the travel industry by The Wall Street Journal and are selected by travel and tourism professionals worldwide. This accolade recognizes the commitment to excellence which the hotel strives to uphold and demonstrate within the international and local MICE market.
The honor marks the second 2016 global travel distinction for the Dubai resort. General Manager Fredrik Reinisch explained how the Habtoor Grand Resort and its unique combination of features continue to garner industry accolades.
"Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection, is situated in a great location right in the hype of some of Dubai's biggest attractions," Reinisch explained. "The feature to our hotel's success is that we offer our guests the best of both worlds by being located on the beach overlooking the Arabian Gulf as well as a short walk to city life. The hotel's extensive venue spaces and vast lawn areas provide the perfect backdrop for MICE-related events."
It is easy to see why Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection would be nominated for such a remarkable title. The beach resort Dubai features 446 spacious guest rooms, 120 of which are twin-based accommodations, catering to the direct interest of MICE travelers. These comfortable rooms overlook the marina docks and Palm Jumeirah, offering full or partial sea views, as well as a partial view of the breathtaking cityscape, which comes to life at dusk. The resort also features 15 restaurants that offer a variety of dishes and cultural culinary delights that will satisfy the most discerning of palates.
Upon arrival or departure, guests are invited to relax and unwind in the property's travelers lounge, a luxurious common area ideal for MICE guests whose travel arrangements do not coincide with the daily check-in and out procedures.
The Jumeirah Beach resort's Al Andalus ballroom accommodates up to 1,000 guests, with five additional breakout rooms ideal for training and exhibitions. The hotel also boasts two lush beachside lawns that accommodate up to 3,000 guests, perfect for MICE team building events and beach activities. What's more, the hotel's personal teambuilding designers will narrate a series of educational team events tailored to each company's needs. After a day of events and meetings, recreational amenities include four tennis courts, two squash courts, five relaxing spa and treatment rooms, a club-quality fitness center and three swimming pools (one with water slides for families).
"The team at Habtoor Grand Resort is proud and honored to have received this tremendous recognition," Reinisch concluded. "We look forward to working towards making this prestigious award an ongoing tradition for the Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection's achievement portfolio."
About Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection
Discover luxury without limits at the Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection. Boasting spacious, stunningly decorated hotel rooms and suites, a selection of five-star resources and incomparable placement on Dubai's picturesque Jumeirah Beach, the property surrounds guests with contemporary comfort. Each of the Habtoor Grand Resort's 446 rooms are brimming with premier amenities such as flat-screen TVs, designer bedding, a mini-bar, free Wi-Fi and panoramic views of the beach. Additional resort amenities include a state-of-the-art spa, impressive array of exquisite on-site dining options, three sparkling pools and a fully-equipped fitness center. Meeting and social event planners will appreciate the property's more than 42,000 square feet of versatile, sophisticated indoor and outdoor event space, as well as first-rate planning and catering. Conveniently located on a private beach near Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence, the Habtoor Grand Resort is committed to providing guests with a five-star stay.
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Habtoor Grand Resort wins top honors at 2016 World Travel Awards ... - Benzinga
2017-02-21 19:00 - Unathi Nkanjeni
Cape Town - The World Trade Market (WTM) Africa willtake place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from Wednesday, 19 to Friday, 21 April 2017.
WTM Africa is one of six shows in the WTM portfolio, with other exhibitions taking place in London, So Paulo, Dubai, Penang and Cannes. These expos place the focus on regional products and services while giving them a global reach that will boost the industry, and as such are the perfect platforms to exhibit African businesses to the world
According to WTM Africa,theshow is todiscover the latest travel trends, products and businesses at this incredible networking opportunity that sees thousands of travel industry professionals congregate in the Mother City.
Inviting stakeholders in the South African tourism industry to meet travel operators from around the world in order to create business relationships, launch products, enter new markets, promote brands, conduct market research, showcase destinations and interact with media professionals.
SEE: Drop Drop! The new mobile app that helps you save water
The show will host around 5 000 travel and tourism professionals, alongside 550 exhibitors, attending this leading global business-to-business expo that will showcase the inbound and outbound travel markets from over 45 countries.
Attendees will get a chance toaccess unique business opportunities and top quality contacts from around the world. Through pre-scheduled appointments and on-site networking, guests can drive their commercial success with all-year-round connections and updates on industry news, developments and technologies.
Want to be part of World Travel Market 2017, here'swhat you need to know:
Event info
Date: 19 Apr 2017 - 21 Apr 2017
Time: 10:00 - 18:00
Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre
Location: Convention Square | 1 Lower Long Street | Cape Town
Price: No cost
Phone: +27 (0)11 549 8300
Email: wtmafrica.helpline@thebereed.co.za
What to read next on Traveller24:
- New R269.5m Skukuza Safari Lodge to open in Kruger in 2018
- WATCH: Heathrow hit by gridlock delays due to climate change protest
- SA sees +10m International visitors as 2016 tourism growth hits 13%
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What you need to know about World Travel Market Africa 2017 - News24
Penny Noble of Hayner Library, left, administers the Armchair Traveler series, which will feature Geet Vanaik, who is originally from India, on Monday, Feb. 27. Both are wearing decorate bindis on their foreheads.
Vicki Bennington|For The Telegraph
Armchair Traveler will be presented Monday, Feb. 27, in Hayner Librarys performance room at Alton Square Mall, featuring Geet Vanaik, who will display dresses and accessories from India, along with a presentation and Indian food.
Vicki Bennington|For The Telegraph
Let the good times roll in Alton
Celebrate Mardi Gras in Alton. You dont need to travel to New Orleans or Soulard to observe the festivities.
New Orleans-style jazz will fill the Ahlemeyer Auditorium in the Trimpe Building at Lewis and Clark Community College at 6:30 p.m. on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Sponsored by Hayner Public Library and LCCC, the event will Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler (let the good times roll), featuring Bud Shultz and the You Cant Beat Experience Jazz Band with its program, Fat Tuesday Celebration.. Yankee Style.
Band leader and clarinetist Bud Shultz is joined by trumpet player Don James, trombonist Jim Sawyer, pianist Bob Picker, drummer Ken Link and bassist George Koprivica for the show.
The auditorium will be decorated and set up cabaret style with round tables of 10. Soft drinks and light refreshments are on hand. If you dont have beads .no worries. There will be plenty at the celebration, as well as parasols for the parades youll be invited to join several times during the evening.
In the South, Mardi Gras is the closing of the period of time called Carnival and is the last fling before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Parties and parades abound in the Gulf Coast, beginning in January. Groups of party lovers, known as Krewes decorate floats and organize festivities.
Youll hear tunes like Bourbon Street Parade, Thats A Plenty and When the Saints Go Marching In, hymns like Just A Closer Walk With Thee and Precious Lord Take My Hand, and more contemporary music like Georgia On My Mind and Crazy.
Admission is free, but reservations are recommended. Call 800-613-3163.
Two times a year, the Hayner Public Library District gives people the chance to virtually visit another country.
Whether you are planning to visit or want to discover the intimate details of another culture while sitting comfortably in the librarys local performance room the program offers insights and sometimes, lesser known facts and practices, divulged by a person who is truly in the know.
Penny Noble, who administers the ongoing series for Hayner, said that she recruits speakers who were born in another country from the richly diverse Riverbend and St. Louis metropolitan area.
The program helps give people who cant afford to travel, or who are unable to travel, a chance to really delve into a specific culture, Noble said. Some people who are interested in visiting a specific country or are trying to decide where to visit, come to find out more details too.
Geet Vanaik, originally from India, will present a talk and digital presentation on her native country Monday, Feb. 27, and she plans to bring along some of the intricate handmade and beaded gowns, jewelry and other accoutrements that are part of her birth culture.
Vanaik first came to the United States in the late 1990s when she was in the fourth grade, staying with her grandmother in St. Louis for a year. She returned to India, but came back to the U.S. two years later when her parents immigrated to the Alton area.
Fast forward a few years and Vanaik started school at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She earned a bachelors degree in biology and a masters in biotechnology management. She went to work in the biotech industry in Nebraska for awhile.
But she came back to SIUE where she has now worked for several years, currently in the Office of International Affairs as the lead immigration coordinator, which she said suits her perfectly.
There, Vanaik has found her true passion helping others who come into the country as immigrants. She is currently pursuing her degree in higher education administration at Maryville University.
A large percentage of international students at SIUE are of Indian decent. Vanaik speaks four dialects and has been fluent in English since her grade school years, when English fluency was a requirement.
I think it helps with my job for me to have a background of a different culture because it helps the students feel comfortable, and Ive been through a lot of it myself, Vanaik said. And meeting people from so many different countries, you have a whole new perspective on a lot of things.
Her primary role is to ensure that international students have the services and support they need to adjust, become successful and live a happy life in the U.S.
And shes no stranger to public speaking either, often presenting programs about India to various classes at a number of universities.
I love to talk about India, she said.
During the Hayner presentation, she will also talk a little about the various religions in India where many are Hindu; some practice Buddhism or Jainism, and others, like Vanaik, are Sikh.
I like to increase awareness about religion and different perceptions and beliefs, she said.
Several of Vanaiks family members still live in India. Consequently, she travels back and forth about twice a year.
Included in her presentation will be photographs from her December trip to her homeland, when she visited the Taj Mahal and other locations, taking lots of pictures that shes eager to share. She also plans to provide a taste of Indian music and dancing.
I also want to touch on Indian movies and Bollywood, and its popularity, she said.
And she will contrast and compare different customs, food and clothing from the north as versus the southern part of the country.
Bindis are a fashionable adhesive jewel that Indian girls wear on their foreheads.
Traditionally, red is an indication that you are married, Vanaik said. The bindi has many different meanings, often rooted in religious beliefs, but Vanaik said in modern society, women often wear them when they want to dress up or as a fashion accessory, not necessarily on a daily basis, and not always making a specific statement. She will also present a demonstration on tucking and folding a sari.
It takes time and care, and some of my family members still wear them every day, Vanaik said, though she herself tends to wear more westernized clothing.
But I love to wear the handmade Indian dresses, too. They are so beautifully made, she said.
Pami and Steve Singh, who own Taj India Cuisine in Edwardsville, will provide Indian cuisine from the north and the south that attendees can sample during the program.
The Republic of India is the seventh largest country in size, but the second most populous, with more than 1.2 billion people.
SIUE embraces cultural diversity, and Vanaik said the university holds an annual India night in April, complete with Indian dancing and food open to the public.
Armchair Traveler, now in its second year, previously featured Ireland and Cuba, both drawing large crowds. Vanaiks India program will be presented at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 27 in Hayner Librarys performance room at Alton Square Mall. Admission to the program is free. To register, call 800-613-3163. Seating is limited to 100.
Penny Noble of Hayner Library, left, administers the Armchair Traveler series, which will feature Geet Vanaik, who is originally from India, on Monday, Feb. 27. Both are wearing decorate bindis on their foreheads.
http://thetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_HaynerArmchairtravelerpenneyandgeet2836.jpgPenny Noble of Hayner Library, left, administers the Armchair Traveler series, which will feature Geet Vanaik, who is originally from India, on Monday, Feb. 27. Both are wearing decorate bindis on their foreheads. Vicki Bennington|For The Telegraph
Armchair Traveler will be presented Monday, Feb. 27, in Hayner Librarys performance room at Alton Square Mall, featuring Geet Vanaik, who will display dresses and accessories from India, along with a presentation and Indian food.
http://thetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_HaynerGeetVanaik2821.jpgArmchair Traveler will be presented Monday, Feb. 27, in Hayner Librarys performance room at Alton Square Mall, featuring Geet Vanaik, who will display dresses and accessories from India, along with a presentation and Indian food. Vicki Bennington|For The Telegraph
http://thetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_MardiGrasBudShultz.jpgFor The Telegraph
Let the good times roll in Alton
Celebrate Mardi Gras in Alton. You dont need to travel to New Orleans or Soulard to observe the festivities.
New Orleans-style jazz will fill the Ahlemeyer Auditorium in the Trimpe Building at Lewis and Clark Community College at 6:30 p.m. on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Sponsored by Hayner Public Library and LCCC, the event will Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler (let the good times roll), featuring Bud Shultz and the You Cant Beat Experience Jazz Band with its program, Fat Tuesday Celebration.. Yankee Style.
Band leader and clarinetist Bud Shultz is joined by trumpet player Don James, trombonist Jim Sawyer, pianist Bob Picker, drummer Ken Link and bassist George Koprivica for the show.
The auditorium will be decorated and set up cabaret style with round tables of 10. Soft drinks and light refreshments are on hand. If you dont have beads .no worries. There will be plenty at the celebration, as well as parasols for the parades youll be invited to join several times during the evening.
In the South, Mardi Gras is the closing of the period of time called Carnival and is the last fling before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Parties and parades abound in the Gulf Coast, beginning in January. Groups of party lovers, known as Krewes decorate floats and organize festivities.
Youll hear tunes like Bourbon Street Parade, Thats A Plenty and When the Saints Go Marching In, hymns like Just A Closer Walk With Thee and Precious Lord Take My Hand, and more contemporary music like Georgia On My Mind and Crazy.
Admission is free, but reservations are recommended. Call 800-613-3163.
Reach writer Vicki Bennington at [emailprotected] or Twitter @vicben1.
.
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Armchair Traveler: Alton's Hayner Library offers opportunity to 'travel' world - Alton Telegraph
By Enrique Prez de la Rosa/WNPA Olympia News Bureau
On March 30, 1942, about four months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, then-22-year-old Kay Sakai was removed from her home on Bainbridge Island and taken by ferry to Seattle under armed guard.
Will I ever see my home again? How long are we going to be gone? Where are we going? Sakai asked herself as she saw the island get smaller and smaller behind her, she said. It goes through your mind. No answers.
It was the first leg of a three-day journey to the Manzanar War Relocation Center in Owens Valley, California, one of the camps built to incarcerate Japanese Americans during World War II after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942 Sunday was its 75th anniversary.
In the current climate of a proposed travel ban against Muslims, some hear an unsettling echo of the events that unfolded 75 years ago.
The anniversary of Executive Order 9066 falls less than a month after President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13769, which prohibited the entry of nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Critics of the seven-country travel ban say it unfairly targets Muslims. They cite Trumps promise during the election for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.
During a news conference at the White House on Feb. 16, President Trump said his administration would release a new executive order next week restructuring the travel ban after a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary injunction on the original order.
Bainbridge Island has lived this story, said Clarence Moriwaki, founder of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.
The 1942 order authorized the U.S. Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military zones and forcibly remove and incarcerate Japanese Americans on the West Coast to concentration camps.
Approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II, about 95 percent of the nations Japanese American population at the time. Two-thirds were American citizens by birth, according to the Densho Encyclopedia, an online encyclopedia dedicated to the history of the Japanese-American World War II experience.
Residents from Bainbridge Island were the first to be removed because of their proximity to U.S. Navy facilities. On March 24, 1942, Civilian Exclusion Order No. 1 gave the Japanese Americans living on the island less than a week to sell farms, say goodbye to neighbors and pack their belongings.
Sakai, now 97 years old, was one of the American citizens detained. At that point, she had never visited Japan, she said.
I always felt American, Sakai said. I didnt even know Japan or anything until I was a mature person and I visited Japan.
Sakai has lived on Bainbridge Island her entire life, except for the three-and-a-half years she spent in Manzanar and the Minidoka War Relocation Center in southern Idaho. The Bainbridge Island residents first sent to Manzanar were relocated to Minidoka after 11 months. She never thought about going anywhere else when she returned, Sakai said.
Bainbridge Island is a little different from other communities, Sakai said. The community is very understanding and supportive and theyre always kind. Thats Bainbridge Island. The best place ever.
No bitterness
Sakai and her family left behind the strawberry farm where she grew up. Even so, Sakai said she had no ill feelings toward other Americans.
I wasnt bitter, Sakai said. I was really sad. The strawberries were in bloom one month earlier than usual and it was going to be the best crop ever, you could just tell. And to leave that in March, that was heartbreaking.
Today, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial stands at the site of the Eagledale Ferry Dock where Sakai and other Bainbridge Islanders started their journey to the concentration camps.
The memorial is a wall built of old-growth red cedar, basalt and granite. The wall is 276 feet long, one foot for each Japanese American who lived on the island at the time of the forced internment. Each of their names is featured on the wall.
The first section of the wall features an inscription that reads Nidoto Nai Yoni, meaning Let it Not Happen Again, similar to the vow used after the Holocaust: Never Again.
Moriwaki said the memorial is meant to be a hopeful look to the future.
This is not about shame or blame or guilt or any of those kind of feelings, Moriwaki said. What we wanted this to be was to look forward and to say be inspired. Dont let it happen again.
Tom Ikeda, executive director of Densho, an organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the story of the Japanese internment during World War II, said he sees many ominous parallels between the Japanese internment and anti-Muslim sentiment today.
Discrimination against Japanese Americans went on for decades before Pearl Harbor, he said.
The informal Gentlemans Agreement of 1907 between the U.S. and Japan as well as the 1924 federal Immigration Act stopped immigration from Japan and alien land laws in western states attempted to limit the presence of Japanese immigrants, according to the Densho encyclopedia.
Its the process that started by preventing people from coming to the country, Ikeda said. With that kind of setting, the country was poised to take these sorts of actions.
To Ikeda, the most inconceivable aspect of the internment is that it required all Japanese Americans on the West Coast to be forcibly removed from their homes babies to 90-year-olds.
That astounds me, Ikeda said. It was so un-American for us to do that. Treat people as individuals. Dont just lump everyone together. Thats what I really dont understand.
People feared that during the war Japanese Americans would organize and wait for a signal from the Japanese Empire to launch an attack on the United States, Ikeda stated.
You hear the same thing about Muslims, that there are terrorist cells imbedded in our country, Ikeda said.
The reasons for the executive order are in the first sentence: Whereas the successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage to national-defense material, national-defense premises, and national-defense utilities.
In 1983, the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, a commission appointed by Congress to study President Roosevelts Executive Order and its effect on Japanese Americans, found that the order was based on race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership.
According to Moriwaki, the Japanese internment was based on fear, and now the Trump administration is promoting fear reminiscent of the World War II era.
On Sept. 11, 2001, when airplane hijackers attacked the World Trade Center in New York City, Moriwaki heard many say that 9/11 was this generations Pearl Harbor.
The first thing that went through my mind was, I sure hope not, Moriwaki said. I was worried about my Muslim-American friends and neighbors. Were they going to be vilified and victimized and harassed or worse?
In criticizing Trumps travel ban, Moriwaki pointed out that the 9/11 attackers came from countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which are countries not included in the ban.
Theyve proven they can create terrorists, if thats your measure, Moriwaki said. But thats really a false measure. Just because youre from a country it doesnt mean youre a terrorist. Its just a false narrative and its so un-American. Its not what were about.
However, the country has made significant progress since World War II, Moriwaki concludes, citing the Womens March and various protests after Trumps inauguration.
But we have to keep telling our story, Moriwaki said. The only thing we have to do is stand up.
In 1942 private citizens and public officials showed little resistance to Executive Order 9066, according to Ikeda. Last month thousands flocked to airports right after President Trump signed his travel ban.
This gives me hope for today, Ikeda said. The hope I have is that because of this strong and vocal opposition, that this wont happen again.
(This story is part of a series of news reports from the Washington State Legislature provided through a reporting internship sponsored by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation. Reach reporter Enrique Prez de la Rosa at perezenrique17@gmail.com).
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Trump travel ban echoes World War II Japanese-Americans' internment order - Auburn Reporter
The cruise-selling climate in early 2017 looks as robust and trouble-free as it has in any year since the 2008 financial collapse, according to reports from select suppliers and travel sellers contacted by Travel Weekly.
"The Wave period is off to a strong start, with bookings trending nicely higher than last year," Jason Liberty, CFO at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., said in a late January conference call.
"While trends have been strong from our key sourcing regions, we are particularly encouraged by what we are seeing in North America."
At Seattle-based Windstar Cruises, president John Delaney said, "We set a new record, with January 2017 being our strongest booking month in the history of the company."
Travel agents said the first four weeks of 2017 have been notably better than the same period last year.
"I'm busier this year than I have been in a few years, trust me," said Paul Casella, an agent at Master Travel and Cruises in Wellington, Fla. He said European bookings in particular have done well.
"The longer cruises have picked back up again, which means more money in our pockets," Casella said. "The 11-[day] coastal cruises, the Panama Canals, the higher-ticket items seem to be coming back."
A lot of people are definitely cruising, said Diana Poulson, an outside sales agent at Kahala Travel in San Diego. "Europe's at a good price right now," she said, mentioning Australia, the Caribbean and the Mexican Riviera as other destinations that she has sold recently.
Poulson said Alaska is selling so well that she's having trouble finding the cabins that are most often requested. "All the midship balconies on the southbound land side, they're basically gone," she said.
An airfare tail wind is also helping sell European cruises. Poulson said she recently found a roundtrip San Diego-Rome airfare in mid-July for $800 per person.
Shelby Donley, president of Camelback Odyssey Travel in Phoenix, said her agency is outpacing last year's first quarter despite what she views as softer promotions from the luxury lines in which she specializes.
"For most of them, they didn't bring anything new to the table for Wave season this year," Donley said. "They either extended an existing offer or they're doing some kind of agent, rather than consumer, incentive."
Given the increase in inventory by several luxury suppliers in 2017, she said she hopes they have a handle on demand. But so far, so good.
"Despite the fact that the offers themselves are a little on the soft side, we are pacing very well," Donley said. "We've been very happy with the activity."
At Cruise & World Travel in Fairfield, Conn., president Nancy Yale said cruise and luxury travel sales were up 34% year over year in January.
"This year is off to a great start," Yale said. "World events last year delayed some travel plans, but clearly everyone is now booking for this year. We are seeing an uptick in Europe for the summer and a lot of close-in bookings for the Caribbean this winter."
Drew Daly, general manager of network engagement and performance at Cruise-One/Cruises Inc. and Dream World Vacations, said he's been very happy with booking-trend results in early 2017.
"One of the numbers that resonates is a greater booking window," Daly said. "Anytime you extend the booking window, that means your agents are earning more on the ticket because prices are higher, too, which is nice."
Windstar's Delaney said he has been particularly pleased with growth in bookings for the Greek Isles.
"We are experiencing excellent demand recovery compared to last year's industrywide challenges in the Eastern Med," he said.
At Royal Caribbean, chairman Richard Fain said the company's booked position is at record levels four weeks into Wave.
Fain said the booking window has been extended probably as far as the company's revenue managers would ever want it to be.
"Future years are likely to show the same or lower levels of bookings as they work to optimize with the broad pattern of when and at what level to take more bookings," he said.
Liberty said Royal has adjusted this year to account for a lower level of interest in eastern Mediterranean cruises, where Turkey in particular has become a lost destination for most cruise lines.
Overall, European capacity in 2017 was taken down 23%.
"We are now booked at much higher load factors than last year in both the Mediterranean and Baltics," Liberty said, adding that average per diems "are also up nicely even though we no longer have the high-yielding Harmony of the Seas in Barcelona."
Fain was ebullient in describing his company's prospects for 2017, suggesting that Royal Caribbean is hitting on all cylinders and market conditions are about as good as they get as long as geopolitical factors cooperate.
"Over the last few months, we have built a tone that is as good or better than I can ever remember seeing it," Fain said. "Life is good. Long may it continue."
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MENAFN Press - 19/02/2017 (MENAFN Editorial) "The United States is in danger of taking the same path it took after the 9/11 terror attacks, which led to a decade of economic stagnation in the travel and tourism sector," were the powerful warning words from David Scowsill, President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), while speaking at the Routes Americas aviation conference in Las Vegas today (14 February).
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"The Trump Administration is in danger of steering the country in the same direction, which could have a huge impact on the country's travel and tourism sector, which generates over 8% of the country's GDP and supports nearly 10% of total employment in the US."
Scowsill spoke directly at the Administration during his speech, offering five pieces of advice to the President's advisors:
"Travel and tourism thrives by breaking down barriers, not building them; by making it easier for people to travel, not applying blanket bans. Our sector bridges divides between cultures, fosters understanding across religious and geographic boundaries. It is a massive generator of jobs and economic growth," Scowsill concluded.
Routes Americas 2017, 14-16 February, ARIA Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The San Luis Obispo Tribune | SLO County couple sold everything, including their home. Now they travel the world. The San Luis Obispo Tribune Richard and Kathy Howe have traveled the world full time in their motor home for the past 15 years. They have visited 48 states, 12 provinces and territories across Canada, most of Mexico and more than 50 countries on four continents outside of North ... |
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Eight weeks ago I packed my life in a backpack and headed south of the border. I was en route to Mexico, where I would be spending four months exploring the country, perfecting my Spanish and hiding from a New York winter.
It was Dec. 27, and the U.S. was in that gray area between the Obama and Trump administrations. Regardless of where on the spectrum your politics lie, it was undeniably an interesting time for me to be headed to our neighbor to the south.
Between Trump's radical statements against Mexicans early on his campaign, to his promise to continue with plans to build a wall along the border (at Mexico's expense), it was unclear how Mexico was going to receive me, an American, and a pseudo ambassador for my country.
However, I was far from nervous. I have always been enamored with Mexico, Mexican culture and Mexican people. Still, my fellow countrymen have not been as gung-ho about keeping travel plans to Mexico.
According to MAST Travel Network, 8% of its agents have had clients who have recently canceled trips to Mexico, according to a member survey. "The intensifying issues of immigration, the border wall and trade are, in my view, going to cause some customers to think twice about a vacation in Mexico if they feel they are not welcome," said John Werner, president and COO of MAST. "I don't believe anyone should feel that way, but based on our member survey, agents are hearing concerns from their clients."
"We have received concern from Americans planning to travel to Mexico," said Zachary Rabinor, CEO of Journey Mexico. "In fact, we've had one cancellation with the guest expressing deep regret about the new direction and rhetoric of the administration. They cited their own concerns of rising animosity from Mexicans against Americans. While only one cancellation, we can't measure how many have simply decided to postpone their plans to travel to Mexico."
But these are the feelings of travelers who have had plans to go, and canceled or postponed. It's understandable why they might feel that way -- that Americans would be unwelcome in their country as our leadership has made it quite clear that Mexicans are not welcome in ours. However, my experience on the ground in Mexico has been quite different.
I am a woman traveling in Mexico alone. It's been a full eight weeks mixing and mingling with locals, an opportunity to see Mexico as I've always imagined. In this time, not once have I ever been made to feel a target of any anti-American sentiment.
Perhaps the closest thing was an encounter with a taxi driver in Campeche who felt compelled to convey to me his deep sadness at the political situation, trying to convince me that it's not only Mexicans who cross the Mexico-U.S. border, and that Mexicans are not the problem. To which I conveyed to him how much I understood that, and how many other Americans also understood it.
I was buying a USB cable from a fellow on the street in Oaxaca. He asked me where I was from. I told him New York. He looked at me with a smile and asked, in Spanish, "Are you a friend of Trump?" I replied, "Absolutely not." He laughed and sold me the USB cable for half price.
Of course, the Mexican people and the government are not thrilled with the policy changes. But more so than taking it out on the American people, they are rolling their eyes along with many of us. They are indeed offended by the tone of the president, but they are firmly aware of the distinction between President Trump and the bulk of the general population.
Rabinor added, "In fact, several of my closest Mexican friends and colleagues have mentioned to me that they feel especially warm towards traveling Americans who obviously don't share the POTUS' negativity about Mexico and its people."
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Taking to the stage at the event's Strategy Summit, Scowsill warned that: "Strict visa policies and inward-looking sentiment led to a $600 billion loss in tourism revenues in the decade post 9/11, as previously reported by the US Travel Association, with a noted 9% drop in international arrivals in the period of 2001 - 2009.
"The Trump Administration is in danger of steering the country in the same direction, which could have a huge impact on the country's travel and tourism sector, which generates over 8% of the country's GDP and supports nearly 10% of total employment in the US."
Airlines, hotels and travel agencies are all reporting drops in international bookings to the US, following the Executive Order banning visitors from seven countries to enter the country. This is the unintended consequence of the ban announcement, with business and leisure customers from around the world holding back on their travel plans.
Scowsill spoke directly at the Administration during his speech, offering five pieces of advice to the President's advisors:
"For the President who has promised to create jobs and to make America great again, travel and tourism seems the most obvious answer. After all, the livelihood of millions of Americans depends on people being able to use planes, trains and automobiles to spend their tourist dollars.
"Travel and tourism thrives by breaking down barriers, not building them; by making it easier for people to travel, not applying blanket bans. Our sector bridges divides between cultures, fosters understanding across religious and geographic boundaries. It is a massive generator of jobs and economic growth," Scowsill concluded.
More information about Routes Americas can be found at routesonline.com
Routes Americas 2017, 14-16 February, ARIA Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.
For further information contact: Karen Reeves Communications & Content Marketing Manager Routes, UBM EMEA T: +44 (0)161 234 2721 M: +44 (0)796 6405 105 E: Karen.Reeves@ubm.com
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At last count, the tally of New Orleans annual festivals was well over the century mark and growing. March 3-5, the city plays host to a festival for travelers, the fourth annual Womens Travel Fest, which has sold out venues every year since its inaugural run in New York City. Kelly Lewis, writer of Go! Girl travel guides and a world travel enthusiast, brings her festival to New Orleans the weekend after the glitter and booze of Carnival subsides and people start thinking about their next escape.
Womens Travel Fest assembles women from different realms of the travel industry writers, journalists, bloggers, motivational speakers, business owners and filmmakers for three days of get-togethers and seminars designed to encourage wanderlust in women who want to travel but feel deterred by finances, career, family obligations or time. Lewis Go! Girl series is the first published set of guide books that focuses specifically on womens health and safety abroad. Writing the manuals inspired Lewis to create this travel symposium.
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Women's Travel Fest heads to New Orleans - bestofneworleans.com
PHOTO: A travel agent specializing in seniors can provide plenty of fun and adventure. (Photo courtesy of Thinkstock)
In 1985, while serving as pastor of a growing church, Andy Lunt began planning and leading religious groups in 1985. Over the next 25 years, he put together multiple trips to the Holy Land, to England and Germany, and to Germanys Oberammergau Passion Plays. Rather than use an agent, he did all the arrangements himself, working with airlines and suppliers, and preparing marketing materials and administered payments. In the process, he discovered that he enjoyed helping others travel and experience the world.
When I realized planning travel had become a passion, I enrolled in classes at the Bennett School of Travel in Ellicott City, MD, and eventually gained my CTA, he said. He joined Bennett World Travel as an independent contractor, focusing primarily at that time on continuing to plan religious-themed trips.
In 2013, I joined Travel Experts, which was the best move I could have made, he said. Their help and support have been invaluable in enabling me to continue to grow my business with seniors.
He began working with residents of continuing care communities quite by accident.
Members of the congregation I served, who had been part of several of my trips moved to a community for retired military officers in northern Virginia, asked me if I would plan and present a trip for them and other residents, he explained.
The first trip was an Alaska Cruise. We began to establish an ongoing relationship that led to several trips each year, he explained. As I gained knowledge and experience from working with this group, I approached other continuing care communities in Maryland and northern Virginia to offer my services as well.In the process, I discovered that few agents were intentionally working with these communities.
Since then he developed similar relationships with several communities and worked to build relationships of trust with the residents and administration.
In one case, that trust level has reached the point where I am invited to have a table at the communitys annual Health and Wellness Fairthe only travel agent present along with representatives of medical and health agencies, he said. What this indicates to me is that the community has come to recognize that enriching travel experiences are very helpful to residents long-term health and wellness.
Lunt said that his mission is always to provide life-changing, life-enriching travel experiences for clients. I am 72, and we dont needor even wantmore possessions, he said. What they do want, though are more enriching experiences that will enable them to continue growing. And travel is very able to provide that in abundance.
Creating travel experiences does come with some obstacles. The first, and perhaps greatest obstacle, is in convincing residents and administrators that I can be trusted to help and not victimize the seniors, he said. There is often an initial skepticism that I am only interested in making money at the expense of residents.Not every community that I have approached has allowed me to work with their residents, and I understand that.The best entre is always through residents who know me and can vouch for my honesty and ability.I think my experience as a pastor helps me to some extent in this regard, though a key for any agent seeking to build relationships with senior communities is the willingness and ability to be a compassionate listener.
READ MORE Best Tips From Travel Agents On How To Handle Travel Stress, Especially Now
A second obstacle is dealing with the mobility of his residents. Virtually every group has some members who require scooters, walkers or wheelchairs and others deal with hearing and vision limitations, he said. This requires patience on my part and working with suppliers to make sure that accessibility needs are met.Because of their limitations, I try to travel with groups as often as possible, which sometimes stretches my capabilities and schedule.
Some, of course, are still young and vigorous enough to venture far afield with trips to Europe, Asia and the Southern Hemisphere. Most, however, prefer to stay closer to home. Cruising has become a major part of my senior travel business, in particular, homeport cruising, where residents can get to the pier without having to fly, he said. Cruising is ideal for this demographic since it allows for individually paced activity.Long days on a bus, with frequent overnights unloading luggage are not nearly as attractive to them.
A very large challenge, he said, comes from the fact that seniors are much closer to death than the general population. Professionally, this means I am constantly seeking to build a relationship with newer, younger residents to replace those who have died or become too infirm to travel, he said. This is offset to some extent by the fact that many seniors who have come to trust me through travel with a group feel comfortable recommending my service to friends and family.
Personally, it means that he shares the pain of loss when clients do die. These are wonderful people who have enriched my life as we have gotten to know one another through traveling together, he said. All agents face this to some extent, of course, but dealing with seniors makes it a much more frequent occurrence.
The best part of working with seniors, by far, is getting to know them and share in their lives.These are folks who have lived a full life rich with experiences, he said. Their stories, which they are usually very willing to share, are filled with examples of humor, adventure, and moving anecdotes.Getting to hear them is a real blessing. They dont sweat the small stuff.Because they deal daily with the aches, pains, and limitations of aging they are usually more able to roll with the punches and unexpected challenges that inevitably develop with travel.
Lunt advises seniors to know their limitations and tolook for travel opportunities that they can enjoy without becoming exhausted or injured.While traveling, pace yourself; dont try to do everything, he said. Include some down time in every day for rest and renewal. Wherever possible, travel with a groupwhether it be friends, family, or fellow residentsfor mutual support and greater enjoyment.And, try to find an agent like me who specializes in dealing with senior populations and is familiar with their particular needs and preferences.
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