In The News

Japan Times: Tourism Takes Its Toll on Coral

Jessica Kozuka April 24, 2018
Coral growth is a delicate process, depending on marine microeukarvotes living inside the marine networks. Coral dies without the photosynthetic organisms. The UN Environment Program recommends a dive site be limited to 6,000 visitors per year to remain healthy. Concerned that Japan’s coral reefs receives little monitoring, a marine scientist at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology...

Politico: US Foreign Visas Plunge Under Trump

Nahal Toosi, Ted Hesson and Sarah Frostenson April 16, 2018
The United States is granting visitor visas at a lower rate to applicants from around the world, according to Politico’s analysis of State Department data – a trend suggesting that government officials have adopted President Donald Trump’s hardline attitude toward immigration, legal or otherwise. Due to limited information, the writers could not determine how much of the downward turn is due to...

ANI: Singapore Passport Is World’s "Most Powerful"

ANI October 25, 2017
Traveling without delays or complications has value, and Arton Capitol has assigned Singapore’s passport its top ranking for visa-free travel to 173 nations. “This is the first time an Asian country has been announced as having the most powerful passport, according to the Passport Index,” reports ANI. Historically, European nations have often filled the top ranks of most powerful passports. This...

The Telegraph: Does the Lack of Gun Controls Put You Off Visiting the US?

Hugh Morris October 3, 2017
Europeans assess the risks of travel to the United States after a shooter orchestrated a siege on a crowded concert in Las Vegas, killing 59 people and injuring more than 500. The Telegraph reports that Las Vegas is the sixth most popular US destination, welcoming more than 3 million foreign visitors each year. Tourism accounts for more than 40 percent of the area’s labor force. “In short, in the...

GlobalVoices: Puerto Rico, Trapped Between Colonialism and Hurricanes

Ana Portnoy September 26, 2017
Two hurricanes struck Puerto Rico and the island confronts a humanitarian crisis with flooding, ruined infrastructure, limited food and water supplies. The US president issued a disaster declarations and also pointed to the island’s debt woes. Challenges for Puerto Rico from hurricane damage, high levels of debt or unfunded pensions are compounded by colonialism, explains Ana Portney, writing for...

FiveThirtyEight: US Ban on Travel to Cuba Might Actually Help Cuba’s Economy

Andrea Jones-Rooy August 4, 2017
In June, President Donald Trump enacted a series of policies indicating a tougher attitude toward the Communist government in Cuba, including Treasury Department audits of travelers to Cuba. Critics suggest such policies could harm the island nation’s economy. The financial reality is more complicated, argues Andrea Jones-Rooy for FiveThirtyEight. “Because the resorts are often financed by...

Al Jazeera: The Lonely Pyramids of Giza and Egyptian Tourism’s Decline

Al Jazeera May 4, 2017
Egypt, reeling from years of political unrest and mounting terrorism, must also deal with a decline in tourism. Before 2011, the country welcomed more than 14 million tourists annually. Then the Arab Spring protests swelled in 2011, deposing Hosni Mubarak, followed by a coup in 2013 that removed President Mohamed Morsi and suspended the constitution. Today, the number of tourists has dropped to...