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Celebrating PRIDE month: Guam’s first woman Governor signs first PRIDE Pledge

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In an historic first in the nation, the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio Administration of Guam signed a PRIDE Pledge, along with its cabinet members, pledging to support and maintain safe workplaces and work environments for all employees.

“We are an Administration of firsts. As the first woman Governor of Guam, I am extremely proud to have Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio, the first openly-gay Lieutenant Governor of Guam and of the nation, as my partner,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero. “His passion for serving our community and desire for positive change is inspiring and should serve as a reminder that your sexual orientation does not define you and that we should never fear expressing who we are to anyone.”

In addition to signing the first PRIDE Pledge, Governor Leon Guerrero and Lieutenant Governor Tenorio also proclaimed the month of June as PRIDE month. PRIDE month activities kicked off with the first annual Guam PRIDE 5k/2k Run/Walk on June 2, which raised $2,000 for the ISA LGBTQ Scholarship Fund at the University of Guam.

Cabinet members or their representatives gathered today to take the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio Administration LGBTQ PRIDE Pledge, signing off on and committing to the belief that “all LGBTQ employees should have the freedom to be safe, healthy and visible.” The Leon Guerrero-Tenorio Administration further committed that “As Government Leaders, we pledge to use our voice and influence to support visibility, safety, tolerance, love, diversity and inclusion.”

“As we celebrate PRIDE month, let’s remember what gay pride is all about. When people support a member of our LGBTQ community with their presence during PRIDE events, especially if they don’t identify as LGBTQ, it means that they also don’t lump them  into a group that is unaffected by them – it means that they are able to see and understand the value of a person’s humanity,” said Lieutenant Governor Tenorio. “I also want to recognize one of my inspirations, Speaker Benjamin Cruz, a trailblazer in the LGBTQ community, who was the first openly-gay Chief Justice of any Supreme Court in the country.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Janela Carrera, Director of Communications, 671-472-8931, janela.carrera@guam.gov

Drink like a New Yorker

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If you live in New York, work in New York or are doing business in New York – there is only one appropriate drink to order…New York State wines.

New York State of Wine

The New York grape, grape juice and wine industries generate more than $4.8 billion in economic benefits annually for New York State. There are 1,631 family vineyards, over 400 wineries, producing 175,000,000 bottles of wine, generating $408 million in state and local taxes (www.newyorkwines.org). New York’s wineries also contribute to New York State’s exports and in 2012, 19.8% of the wine produced in the state was exported.

Wineries and satellite operations attracted more than 5.9 million tourist visits in 2012, spending $401+ million. The tourism industry (including wineries, hotels, restaurants, retailing, transportation) contributes over 6400 jobs to the state, for a total of $213+ million in wages. The tourist is particularly important to the farm wineries, with sales direct to consumers representing approximately 60 percent of total wine sales volume.

The winery industry directly employs approximately 62,450 people and generates an additional 14,359 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries which supply goods and services to the industry and whose sales depend on the wine industry’s economic vitality.

In excess of 101,806 jobs can be linked to the wine industry and these positions average $51,100 in annual wages and benefits. The total wages generated by direct, indirect and induced economic activity driven by the wine industry – $5.2 billon.

New York State Wines and Wineries (Curated)

At a recent Rockefeller Center/ Rainbow Room wine event sponsored by the Wine & Grape Foundation, Sam Filler, the Executive Director of the organization stated, “New York is home to the first bonded winery in the United States, making our state one of the oldest wine regions in the country.” The objective of the NY Drinks NY Grand Tasting, “…is to showcase the diversity, artistry and accessibility of New York’s wine and food landscape.”

The 8th Annual NY Drinks NY Grand Tasting offered access to over 200 wines from approximately 50 wineries across the state.

  1. Keuka Lake Vineyard. 2017. Turkey Run. Vignoles (Finger Lakes)

Located on the slopes above the southern end of Keuka Lake this winery showcases young vinifera and old hybrid plantings that range from 3-years (representing Cabernet Franc and Vignoles), to vines over 50-years of age (representing Leon Millot and Delaware vines).

Thanks to the Finger Lakes, the vineyard produces excellent fruit. The heat of the summer is retained by the lakes and moderates the extreme cold temperatures of the vineyards in winter. As spring approaches, the frigid waters moderate the warming air temperatures and act as a delay for bud break and lower the risk of frost damage.

The terroir is a glacial mix of glacially laid rocks, sand, silt and clay that has been deposited on the lower slopes above Keuka Lake providing for water drainage that is essential for vine balance and health.

Staci Nugent

The owner is Mel Goldman and the winemaker is Staci Nugent. Nugent attended Cornell and did graduate work in California in genetics. Making a career switch, she enrolled in the wine program at the University of California at Davis, receiving a Master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology. Nugent has worked with highly regarded wineries that include Ornellaia, Italy; Hardy’s Tintara Winery, South Australia; and William Selyem, Sonoma, California. Before joining Keuka Lake Vineyards (2008), she was a winemaker at Lamoreux Landing Wine Cellars.

Sustainable farming practices brings the Vignoles to our attention. The grape is made by crossing Seible and Pinot de Corton, is associated with the Finger Lakes and grows well in the gravel soils (glacial till).

Notes: Keuka Lake Vineyards. 2017 Turkey Run Vignoles

Light bright blonde to the eye, the nose is rewarded with lemons, honey, green grapes and sweet oranges, (lemons and oranges) while the palate enjoys citrus and other fruits with the sweetness tempered by a light acidity. Pair with seafood curry, Buffalo chicken wings, pepper and Swiss cheese.

  1. Red Newt Cellars. 2006. Legacy. Niagara Cream Sherry (Hector, New York)

Located on the east side of Seneca Lake (Hector, NY) in the Finger Lakes region, the winery started in 1998 by David and Debra Whiting and the 1998 vintage produced 1200 cases of Chardonnay, Riesling, Vida, Cayuga, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The first white wines were released in July 1999.

Whiting is considered to be one of the top winemakers in the Finger Lakes Region. Current production of Red Newt Cellars is apprximately 20,000 cases with a white wine focus on aromatic varities: Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. CIRCLE Rielsing is the most popular and widely distributed wine, made in a classic Finger Lakes style, with hints on tangerine and honeysuckle, citrus and peach on the palate.

Kelby Russell

Kelby Russell is the head winemaker at Red Newt and considered an expert in the art of cold-climate white wines. Thanks to the variable climate of the East Coast, he recognizes that the search for the “perfect wine” is a “false idol, “ finding that the role of the winemaker is to, “…artfully direct what comes into the winery into the best thing and the  most honest expression of the year that you possible can.”

At Harvard (Class of 2009) Russell majored in government and minored in economics, was a member of the Glee Club and thought his career would follow a path that would lead to orchestra management. During a study abroad experience in Tuscany he discovered the art and science of making wine.

After graduation, when a job with Jazz at Lincoln Center did not materialize, he visited Fox Run Vineyards and thought he had an interview. The staff was busy with the harvest so he was handed a shovel and offered the opportunity to help on the “crush pad.” This was the begnning of his unpaid internships and he got to spend winters in New Zealand and Australia and autumns in the Finger Lakes as an intern.

His first salaried position in 2012 was with Red Newt as an assistant winemaker. David Whiting, the co-founder and winemaker, promoted Russell to head winemaker and the rest is history. He currently directs the Red Newt house styles and reserves and develops his own Kelby James Russell label with a focus on small-batch wines, from dry rose to Australian-style dry Riesling.

Notes: Red Newt Cellars. 2006 Legacy. Niagara Cream Sherry (Niagara grapes)

The Niagara grape develops into a long-aged solera sherry, creating a complex palate experience.

Bright golden yellow to the eye (think daffodils) with the nose picking up hints of honey, raisins, oranges, apricots, yellow apples, and spices. The finish to absolutely delicious, delivering honey, lemons and spices. Perfect as a dessert course or pair with Blue cheese and pate.

  1. Damiani Wine Cellars (DWC)

DWC was started by Lou Damiani, a Cornell engineer specializing in energy conservation, and Phil Davis. Damiani had an interest in winemaking and his education started in the field of food science before switching to engineering. In the 1990s he returned to study winemaking and mentored under Phil Hazlitt.

In 1996 Damiani wanted to plant Cabernet Franc and Merlot and visited an old friend and college friend, Phil Davis, who was also a viticulturist. They started the project and in 1997 Hazlitt pulled out a hybrid vineyard and planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot. When their vineyards started producing in 2003 the next step was to make world class red wines.

Damiani was the head winemaker from 2003 – 2011 and he trained Phil Arras to continue and improve the DWC tradition. In 2007 Glenn Allen joined as a Business Consultant and later became a partner in the enterprise. Today DWC has four main vineyard sites with approximately 40 acres of land under vine and a new tasting room that hosts events and is the retail outlet.

Phil Arras, originally from Philadelphia, moved to the Finger Lakes in 2003 to attend Cornell University and majored in philosophy and political science. Inspired by a class on wine appreciation, Arrras changed his career focus to winemaking. He was hired by Damiani Wine Cellars in 2009 as the assistant winemaker and began “on the job” training. In 2012, Arras became head winemaker.

Notes: Damiani Wine Cellars. NV Marechal Foch “Vino Rosso” Finger Lakes. (Varietal may be a cross between Goldriesling and a Vitis riparia/Vitis rupestris or a cross between Gamay Noir and Vitis riparia – Oberlin 595).

Deep ruby color to the eye, an undertone of tomatoes runs alongside notes of plums and apricots and the tannins are so soft as to be obscure. Pairings might include pasta, barbeque and smoked gouda cheese.

  1. Thirsty Owl Wine Company. 2017. Traminette

Ted Cupp purchased 150 acres of frontage on Cayuga Lake from Robert and Mary Plan, trailblazers who started the Cayuga Wine Trail in 2001. During 2001 and 2002 he began construction on the winemaking facility and tasting room for the Thirsty Owl. In 2002, in cooperation with Shawn Kime, he planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Malbec. When the doors to the winery opened in 2002, Thirsty Owl had produced 1200 cases.

Jon Cupp, President

Today, the Thirsty Owl is synonymous with award winning wines, including the Governor’s Cup and the John Rose award for Rieslings. The Pinot Noir had the highest rated North American Pinot at the Taster’s Guild International Competition. Thirsty Owl produces Malbec and Syrah as well as blends, reds, whites and ice wine.

Shawn Kime

The winemaker and vineyard master, Shawn Kime, is originally from Romulus, New York and attended Morrisville College and Cornell University. Kime started to work in agriculture at the age of 14 and started winemaking after spending 2 years working with one of the earliest Finger Lake Vinifera growers.

The goal of the Thirsty Owl is to “…make changes in the vineyard and winemaking based on the year to produce wines that not only reflect our region but the growing season…. As a Finger Lakes native, I am proud of the fact that we are producing cool climate varietals that are on par with any region in the world.”

Notes: Thirsty Owl Wine Company. 2017 Traminette (cross between Gewurztraminer and Joannes Seyve 23.416).

To the eye, highlights of golden yellow. The nose finds apricots, peaches, pears, honey and fresh lemons as well as florals (especially roses and tulips) and a bit of spice. The palate is entertained with citrus and lemons, oranges and a bit of earth. The finish brings light acidity making it an interesting dessert wine.

Pair with spicy/sweet and sour sauces on chicken, pork and veal and Cheddar, Fontina and Gruyere cheese.

  1. Benmarl Winery. 2015 Baco Noir. Hudson River Valley

Benmarl (slate hill) Winery is located in Marlboro, NY and covers 37-acres and is considered to be the oldest vineyard in America (it holds New York Farm Winery license no.1). It was owned by magazine illustrator turned vintner Mark Miller from 1957 -2003. In 2006 Victor Spaccarelli purchased the vineyard and Matthew Spaccarelli is currently the winemaker

In the 17th century, wine was being made by the French Huguenots in New Paltz, New York. Andrew Jackson Caywood started his vineyard in the early 1800s. The community was incorporated as the Village of Marlborough, a cluster of grapes carved in its seal commemorated its major crop (1788).

Caywood became an important viticulturist and leading authority in the development of new grape varieties. The Miller family bought the Caywood property in 1957 and renamed it Benmarl. It was purchased in 2006 by the Spaccarelli family. They replanted many abandoned vineyards, refurbished the estate and carry on the tradition of experimentation, planting new hybrid varieties like Traminette as well as Old World vinifera.

Notes: Benmarl Winery. 2015 Baco Noir. Hudson River Valley

The Baco Noir, made from estate-grown fruit, brings dark plum hues to the eye, and delivers the aromas of dark plums, cedar and sage to the nose. On the palate are flavors of blackberry with hints of spice.  Tannins give it a structure that is delicious and the finish delivers spice and black berry fruits. Benmarl has been producing Baco Noir for 50 years.  Pair with pork roast, pasta with meat sauce, beef burgers with blue cheese.

The NY Drinks NY Event

The elegant Rainbow Room @ Rockefeller Center was the venue for the New York Drinks New York event. As an important wine trade events, many hundreds of wine buyers, sellers, sommeliers, wine educators, and writers convened to experience a wine-range of quality wines produced in New York State.

Wines of Distinction included:

Brotherhood Winery

Brotherhood Winery is the oldest continuously operating winery in America, producing wine for 180 years in Hudson Valley. It features one of the most modern bottling facilties for wine on the East coast, with a capacity of 1.5 million cases er year. A wine current featured focuses on low calories (approximately 90 calories per glass).

Glenora Wine Cellars

Glenora Wine Cellars produces award-winning Finger Lakes wines for over 40 years with a focus on sparkling wine and Riesling, sourcing grapes from 13 growers across four of the Finger Lakes. Glenora opened the first winery on Seneca Lake (1977).

Saltbird Cellars

Robin McCarthy is the owner and winemaker at Saltbird Cellars that started in 2014 and, based on the unique maritime terroir, developed Stainless Steel Sauvignon Blanc, Migratus Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc and Stainless-Steel Chardonnay.

Hosmer Winery

Hosmer Winery is located on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes. Grapevine plantings date back to the 1970s and early experiments with plantings of classic Vinifera started in 1985. The 70-acre estate includes Rieslings, Chardonnays, Cabernet Francs as well as French-American hybrid varieties.

For additional information: @NYWineGrapeFdn and NYWineGrapeFdn

© Dr. Elinor Garely. This copyright article, including photos, may not be reproduced without written permission from the author.

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At least three people die jumping from Bangkok skyscraper to escape hotel fire

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A 57-floor hotel and shopping building has gone up in flames in Bangkok, Thailand. At least three people have died jumping to escape the fire, which ripped through the popular tourist spot.

The fire broke out at the Centara Grand hotel and Centralworld shopping plaza at around 6pm local time on Wednesday. Plumes of black smoke spewed out of the building, and three jumped to their deaths from the horrific blaze, local media reported.

Shocking footage shared on social media shows the smoke pouring out of the burning skyscraper.

Bangkok’s typically gridlocked traffic hampered the efforts of emergency services to reach the scene of the blaze, but the fire was reportedly brought under control an hour or so after it broke out.

Bangkok Governor Assawin Kwanmuang told reporters that the fire broke out on the eighth floor, in a document storage room.

The Centara Grand hotel is the flagship hotel of the Central Group, and one of the largest hotels in the Thai capital.

Wednesday’s blaze is not the first time the Centara Grand has gone up in flames. Anti-government protesters set the hotel and shopping complex on fire in 2010, after months of demonstrations. The fire gutted a department store and left parts of the building closed for months of repair work.

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How safe is travel to Africa? African Tourism Board appoints SaferTourism

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African Tourism Board, (ATB)  has travel and security on its top agenda when attracting visitors to the continent.

At the upcoming ATB Launch on April 11, the organization will be announcing their appointment of SaferTourism.com to provide support and guidance to keep African Tourism Safe.

The man behind SaferTourism.com is no other than one of the best global experts available in this field.

Dr. Peter Tarlow, seen as a world-renowned expert in travel and tourism will be the keynote speaker at the African Tourism Board Launch Event on April 11.

ATB members and WTM visitors will be able to meet Dr. Tarlow at the African Tourism Board Stand (AP 12). His goal is to provide proactive guidance and hands-on approach to keep African destinations, hotels and attractions safe and available specifically for North American Visitors.

Dr. Tarlow is leading SaferTourism’s  Visitor Surety approach, meaning:

• The providing of a safe and secure environment for visitors and for those who work in its visitor industry
• Protection of tourism sites and infrastructure
• Perceptions, including how these perceptions impact its reputation
• The Protection of the economy vis-à-vis its tourism industry

Dr. Tarlow has been working on projects around the world and is known to include feedback from the US State Department in many of his international projects.

Dr. Peter Tarlow will be a speaker at the ATB Launch event on April 11,2019 during WTM Cape Town.

He is a world-renowned speaker and expert specializing in the impact of crime and terrorism on the tourism industry, event and tourism risk management, and tourism and economic development.  Since 1990, Tarlow has been aiding the tourism community with issues such as travel safety and security, economic development, creative marketing, and creative thought.

Tarlow has worked with numerous US government agencies including the US Bureau of Reclamation, US Customs, the FBI, the US Park Service, the Department of Justice, the Speakers Bureau of the US Department of State, the Center for Disease, US Supreme Court police, and the US Department of Homeland Security.  He has worked with such US iconic locations as the Statue of Liberty, Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and Liberty Bell, the Empire State Building, St. Louis’ arch, and the Smithsonian’s Institution’s Office of Protection Services in Washington, DC.

Tarlow has been a keynote speaker for governors’ tourism conferences around the nation including those for Illinois, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington State and Wyoming.

He has addresses large-scale US government meetings for such agencies as:

  • The Bureau of Reclamation
  • The US Center for Disease Control
  • The US Park Service,
  • The International Olympic Committee

On the international scene, he has addressed conferences such as:

  • The Organization of American States (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Panama City, Panama),
  • The Latin American Hotel Association (Quito Ecuador, San Salvador, El Salvador and Puebla, Mexico),
  • The Caribbean Chiefs of Police Association (Barbados),
  • The International Organization for Security and Intelligence – IOSI  ((Vancouver, Canada),
  • The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ottowa
  • The French Hotel Association CNI-SYNHORCAT (Paris)

Additionally, Tarlow is a featured speaker for numerous US embassies and with foreign tourism ministries around the world. For example, in his role as an expert in tourism security he has worked with:

  • Vancouver’s Justice Institute  (2010 Olympic games)
  • The police departments of the state of Rio de Janeiro (2014 World Cup Games)
  • The Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
  • The United Nation’s WTO (World Tourism Organization),
  • The Panama Canal Authority,
  • Police forces in Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Curaçao, Colombia, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Serbia, and Trinidad & Tobago.

In 2013 the Chancellor of the Texas A&M system named him his Special Envoy.  In 2015 the Faculty of Medicine of Texas A&M University asked Tarlow to “translate” his tourism skills into practical courses for new physicians.  As such he teaches courses in customer service, creative thinking and medical ethics at the Texas A&M medical school

In 2016 the international engineering firm Gannet-Fleming appointed Tarlow its Senior Security and Safety Specialist  Also in 2016, Governor Gregg Abbot of Texas named Tarlow as the Chairman of the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission. As such he has wide experience in dealing with protest marches and other public events that touch upon that theme.

Tarlow organizes tourism security conferences around the world, including the International Tourism Safety Conference in Las Vegas along with conferences in St. Kitts, Charleston (South Carolina), Bogota, Colombia, Panama City, Croatia, and Curaçao

Tarlow lectures and trains tourism professionals and security personnel in multiple languages on a wide range of current and future trends in the tourism industry, rural tourism economic development, the gaming industry, issues of crime and terrorism, the role of police departments in urban economic development, and international trade.  Some of the other topics about which he speaks are: the sociology of terrorism, its impact on tourism security and risk management, the US government’s role in post terrorism recovery, and how communities and businesses must face a major paradigm shift in the way they do business.

Tarlow publishes extensively in these areas and writes numerous professional reports for US government agencies and for businesses throughout the world.  He has been asked to be an expert witness in courts throughout the United States on matters concerning tourism security and safety, and issues of risk management.

As a well-known author in the field of tourism security, Tarlow is a contributing author to multiple books on tourism security and publishes numerous academic and applied research articles regarding issues of security including articles published in The Futurist, the Journal of Travel Research and Security Management.  Tarlow’s wide range of professional and scholarly articles includes articles on subjects such as: “dark tourism”, theories of terrorism, and economic development through tourism, religion and terrorism and cruise tourism.  Tarlow also writes and publishes the popular online tourism newsletter Tourism Tidbits read by thousands of tourism and travel professionals around the world in its English, Spanish, and Portuguese language editions.

Among the books that Tarlow has authored are:

  • Event Risk Management and Safety (2002).
  • Twenty Years of Tourism Tidbits: The Book (2011)
  • Abordagem Multdisciplinar dos Cruzeiros Turísticos (co-written 2014, in Portuguese)
  • Tourism Security: Strategies for Effective Managing Travel Risk and Safety (2014)
  • A Segurança: Um desafío para os setores de lazer, viagens e turismo, 2016 published (in Portuguese) and republished in English
  • Sports Travel Security  (2017)

At numerous universities around the world Tarlow lectures on security issues, life safety issues, and event risk management. These universities include institutions in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Pacific Islands, and the Middle East.  Tarlow earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Texas A&M University.  He also holds degrees in history, in Spanish and Hebrew literatures, and in psychotherapy.

Tarlow has appeared on national televised programs such as Dateline: NBC and on CNBC and is a regular guest on radio stations around the US.   He is the recipient of the International Chiefs of Police highest civilian honor in recognition for his work in tourism security.

Tarlow is a founder and president of Tourism & More Inc. (T&M).  He is a past president of the Texas Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA).  Tarlow is a member of the International Editorial Boards around the world.

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Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive sits on Tourism Panel at the sixth Annual Destination Wedding Planners Congress in Dubai

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Seychelles was bestowed with high honours as the destination was represented at the Tourism Panel at the Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress from March 27 to 29 2019, held in Dubai’s iconic five-star hotel and luxury resort, Atlantis the Palm.

The Seychelles delegation at the DWP event comprised of The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis and STB representative in Dubai, Ahmed Fathallah.

The STB Chief Executive who was present at the event as a destination speaker represented on the Tourism Panel, which was moderated by Conde Nast Traveller Editor-in-Chief in UAE Rhea Saran.

The panel also comprised of the Carlotta Ferrari, Director at the Destination Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau; Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Deputy Governor for the Tourism Authority in Thailand and Assistant Vice President for Dubai Tourism, Steen Jakobsen.

The discussions focused on the role of tourism boards in promoting destination weddings, collaboration with local suppliers and partners as well as the enhancement of the wedding industry in every destination.

During her intervention, Mrs. Francis reflected on the tourism board’s standpoint of the destination and its marketing in relations to Seychelles as a wedding and honeymoon destination. Presenting the archipelago as an ideal location to create perfect memories for occasions like wedding, honeymoons, anniversaries or impromptu romantic breaks.

“Seychelles is one place where beauty and year-round tropical warmth ensure that love is always in the air. For the last few decades, our clientele for weddings and honeymoon has been predominantly Europeans specially British, French, German and Italian. It has been a pleasure to note that recently there has been an expansion in our clientele and a shift in trends. We have noted wedding requests from the Americans, from India, and China. As a tourism board, we endeavor to remain one of the top destinations that one would think of to create special memories,” said Chief Executive Sherin Francis.

“Couples and honeymooners remain to be the top segment for getaways bound to Seychelles from the GCC market for the past year.

Thanks to the destination’s naturally romantic and unspoilt surroundings of pristine beaches, calm waters and year-round sunshine, the Seychelles truly offers the perfect location for a truly luxurious wedding or honeymoon destination. The Seychelles is not only well-worth a holiday, but are also the ideal destination for a wedding,” said Fathallah.

It is apparent that Seychelles remain to be a natural backdrop for weddings and honeymoons as the destination evokes romance.

Surrounded by granite outcrops, cloud-white sand and azure waters, this luxurious archipelago offers both romance and adventure for a wedding day. It is deliciously remote; brimming with picture perfect beaches and is quite simply a taste of paradise.

The DWP event is a premium business-to-business networking event and has cemented its position as one the Best Congress in the World for promoting Destination Wedding Tourism.

The DWP Congress industry organized by Dubai based QnA Global is a luxury invitation-only business platform that brings together more than 500 destination wedding specialists from over 70 countries under one roof.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Major tourism attraction to be developed around birthplace of Jimmy Cliff

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has indicated plans to fully develop the community of Somerton in St. James, where cultural icon Jimmy Cliff was born, as a major tourism attraction.

“The town of Somerton holds the rich cultural history of some of the most celebrated Jamaicans such as former Prime Minister PJ Patterson, former Governor General Sir Howard Cooke’s family, Lennie Little-White, renowned film maker, Ms. Violet Neilson former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Bishop Herro Blair.

Perhaps the most celebrated of all is Grammy award winning singer Jimmy Cliff who still lives in Somerton and even filmed some of his greatest work here. We are excited about this history that has helped to fashion the community and can be positioned and leveraged as a major tourism attraction and generate economic growth,” said Minister Bartlett.

Minister Bartlett made the announcement at the official ground breaking for the Somerton to Fording road rehabilitation project yesterday [March 28, 2019]. The project will see restoration work on the roadway from fording to the Somerton square which will be named the Jimmy Cliff highway. The general scope of work will include road signage, construction of drains and asphaltic concrete repairs and overlay.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (2nd Right) and Dr the Hon James “Jimmy Cliff” Chambers (C) today participated in the official ground breaking ceremony for the Somerton to Fording road rehabilitation project. Joining in the moment are (from L-R) Bishop Reverend Dr. Herro Blair, His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Homer Davis, Dr. Carey Wallace, Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Mrs. Jennifer Griffith, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Lennie Little-White and the Hon Godfrey Dyer, Chairman of the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

“The community needs to now be repositioned, it needs to be reimagined and today represents the start of that reimagining. We are going to doing as series of infrastructure work aimed at preserving the rich cultural history.

We are going to develop a Jimmy Cliff museum and restore the waterfall where Jimmy Cliff frequented. So the aim is to create Somerton as an important tourist attraction around Jimmy Cliff and that will bring pilgrims and fans from all over the world who have been inspired by his accomplishments.”

The community of Somerton in St. James is located eleven miles from Montego Bay, and is known for having birthed and raised a long list of distinguished Jamaicans. The most noted is Dr. the Hon James Chambers, known professionally as Jimmy Cliff. He is a ska and reggae musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. Cliff is one of only two living musicians to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honor that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.

“I am a son of the soil and I will always be. My house remains in Somerton because this is where I want to be so I welcome these developments and thank everyone who will be a part of it,” said the world renowned singer and actor, Dr. the Hon James ‘Jimmy Cliff’ Chambers.

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 Iranians open homes to travelers stranded by floods

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As dramatic videos of deadly floods leaving behind destroyed vehicles and other damage circulate on Iranian social media networks, ordinary Iranians are doing what they can to help the affected citizens, including travelers whose Nowruz holidays have been unexpectedly disrupted. While criticizing the government for its inadequate response to the deadly flooding that has ravaged the country, ordinary Iranians are engaging in spontaneous relief efforts for the stranded and the displaced.

A 10-minute flash flood in the city of Shiraz, perhaps the most popular tourist destination in the country’s south, killed at least 18 and injured scores more on March 25. Many of the victims are said to have been visitors. Now, locals in the birthplace of classical Iranian literature are inviting panicked holidaymakers to their homes, offering unconditional stay and food. “All services will be offered for free until the harsh weather dies down,” one placard held by a volunteer in Shiraz read. Some even offer free body repairs for cars damaged in the downpours. Several local hotels and restaurants have joined the spontaneous campaign, dubbed “My Guest.”

Similar public initiatives are underway to deliver badly needed assistance to those hardest hit in the northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran. The aid is flowing in the form of cash donations as well as basic supplies collected from communities across Iran, including those still recovering from a devastating 2017 earthquake in the country’s west.

The government of President Hassan Rouhani has been under immense pressure for its perceived failure to handle the disaster. The president himself is under fire for staying away from the flood-hit areas. Seven days following the heavy rains, he has now traveled to the northern areas to oversee the relief operations. The government has already promised 7.1 trillion rials ($169 million) in compensation to affected households.

The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also established a strong presence. The force’s commander, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, was seen visiting inundated neighborhoods in the country’s north half-submerged in floodwaters. While both the government and the IRGC have stepped in, some Iranians are interpreting the promises of more relief as publicity stunts meant to burnish their status and rooted in political rivalry between moderates and hard-liners.

An initial investigation into the deadly disaster in Shiraz has now pointed to negligence as the main cause of the deaths. According to a report by a crisis management team, one of the old watercourses in the city had been blocked by local authorities, probably for urban planning purposes, leading to the destructive overflow.

Meanwhile, the governor of Fars province noted that warnings had been issued two weeks before the disaster. But some social media users argue that all roads leading to the site of the flash floods should have been blocked. “How where you unable to block people but managed to fully cordon off the tomb of Cyprus the Great on his commemoration day?” one person tweeted. Every year, Iranian nationalists organize the Cyrus Day ceremony on Oct. 29 to remember the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. But in recent years the plans have been hindered by a security clampdown by the Islamic Republic, which deems such activities pro-monarchist.

Coverage of the massive flooding included more from Iran’s ancient history. The iconic Persepolis monument, 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Shiraz, reportedly remained unscathed amid the flooding. According to local officials, underground canals built by ancient Persians to avert flooding protected the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The news prompted praise from many Iranians, who drew comparisons between the current government’s handling of such crises with that of their forefathers.

Yet despite the trauma, the floods have not produced only sad news. Pictures went viral of a smiling young couple who had planned their wedding in Golestan province for March 28. They decided to hold the ceremony earlier. Instead of a grand hall, the bride and the groom wed before the other displaced in a temporary accommodation center.

Travel News | eTurboNews

African Tourism Board tackles visitor surety to keep Africa safe for visitors

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The official launch of the newly-founded African Tourism Board is only two weeks away, and the U.S.-based interim Chairman Juergen T. Steinmetz explained the organization’s commitment to keep Africa safe for visitors.

“Knowing weak points and confronting problems is the best approach.”

The African Tourism Board is working with Dr. Peter Tarlow to offer his decades of knowledge and workable approach to African members in the public and private travel and tourism industry.

ATB invited Dr. Tarlow to deliver a keynote address at the upcoming African Tourism Board launch event on April 11 during World Travel Market.

A variety of international speakers are on the impressive list of the launch event. ATB will be introducing an African-based president, while the US-based interim chairman Juergen Steinmetz will stay on as an advisor as he hands over leadership to the new president.

Among the speakers are Dr. Peter Tarlow, head of certified.travel, which had recently merged activities with eTN Corporation.

Dr. Peter Tarlow has been working for over two decades with hotels, tourism-oriented cities and countries, and both public and private security officers and police in the field of tourism security.

Tourism and More international staff includes some of the leading experts in the field. Dr. Peter Tarlow is a world-renowned expert in the field and a highly-published author.

Dr. Peter E. Tarlow is an internationally-recognized speaker and expert specializing in the impact of crime and terrorism on the tourism industry, event and tourism risk management, and tourism and economic development. Since 1990, Dr. Tarlow has been aiding the tourism community with issues such as travel safety and security, economic development, creative marketing, and creative thought.

Dr. Tarlow is currently consulting the travel security team for the Jamaica Ministry of Tourism.

Peter Tarlow has worked with numerous US government agencies including the US Bureau of Reclamation, US Customs, the FBI, the US Park Service, the Department of Justice, the Speakers Bureau of the US Department of State, the Center for Disease, US Supreme Court police, and the US Department of Homeland Security. He has worked with such US iconic locations as the Statue of Liberty, Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and Liberty Bell, the Empire State Building, St. Louis’ arch, and the Smithsonian’s Institution’s Office of Protection Services in Washington, DC.

Dr. Tarlow has been a keynote speaker for governors’ tourism conferences around the nation including those for Illinois, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington State, and Wyoming.

He has addresses large-scale US government meetings for such agencies as:

  • The Bureau of Reclamation
  • The US Center for Disease Control
  • The US Park Service
  • The International Olympic Committee

On the international scene he has addressed conferences such as:

  • The Organization of American States (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Panama City, Panama)
  • The Latin American Hotel Association (Quito Ecuador, San Salvador, El Salvador and Puebla, Mexico)
  • The Caribbean Chiefs of Police Association (Barbados)
  • The International Organization for Security and Intelligence – IOSI  ((Vancouver, Canada)
  • The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ottowa
  • The French Hotel Association CNI-SYNHORCAT (Paris)

Additionally, Dr. Tarlow is a featured speaker for numerous US embassies and with foreign tourism ministries around the world. For example, in his role as an expert in tourism security, he has worked with:

  • Vancouver’s Justice Institute  (2010 Olympic games)
  • The police departments of the state of Rio de Janeiro (2014 World Cup Games)
  • The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
  • The United Nation’s WTO (World Tourism Organization)
  • The Panama Canal Authority
  • Police forces in Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Curaçao, Colombia, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Serbia, and Trinidad & Tobago

In 2013, the Chancellor of the Texas A&M system named him his Special Envoy. In 2015, the Faculty of Medicine of Texas A&M University asked Dr. Tarlow to “translate” his tourism skills into practical courses for new physicians. As such, he teaches courses in customer service, creative thinking, and medical ethics at the Texas A&M medical school.

In 2016, the international engineering firm Gannet-Fleming appointed Dr. Tarlow its Senior Security and Safety Specialist. Also in 2016, Governor Gregg Abbot of Texas named Peter as the Chairman of the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission. As such, he has wide experience in dealing with protest marches and other public events that touch upon that theme.

Dr. Tarlow organizes tourism security conferences around the world, including the International Tourism Safety Conference in Las Vegas along with conferences in St. Kitts, Charleston (South Carolina), Bogota, Colombia, Panama City, Croatia, and Curaçao.

He lectures and trains tourism professionals and security personnel in multiple languages on a wide range of current and future trends in the tourism industry, rural tourism economic development, the gaming industry, issues of crime and terrorism, the role of police departments in urban economic development, and international trade. Some of the other topics about which he speaks are: the sociology of terrorism, its impact on tourism security and risk management, the US government’s role in post terrorism recovery, and how communities and businesses must face a major paradigm shift in the way they do business.

Dr. Tarlow publishes extensively in these areas and writes numerous professional reports for US governmental agencies and for businesses throughout the world. He has been asked to be an expert witness in courts throughout the United States on matters concerning tourism security and safety, and issues of risk management.

As a well-known author in the field of tourism security, Dr. Tarlow is a contributing author to multiple books on tourism security, and he publishes numerous academic and applied research articles regarding issues of security including articles published in The Futurist, the Journal of Travel Research, and Security Management. His wide range of professional and scholarly articles include subjects such as: “dark tourism,” theories of terrorism, economic development through tourism, and religion and terrorism and cruise tourism. Dr. Tarlow also writes and publishes the popular on-line tourism newsletter Tourism Tidbits read by thousands of tourism and travel professionals around the world in its English, Spanish, and Portuguese language editions.

Among the books that Dr. Tarlow has authored are:

  • Event Risk Management and Safety(2002).
  • Twenty Years of Tourism Tidbits: The Book (2011)
  • Abordagem Multdisciplinar dos Cruzeiros Turísticos (co-written 2014, in Portuguese)
  • Tourism Security: Strategies for Effective Managing Travel Risk and Safety (2014)
  • A Segurança: Um desafío para os setores de lazer, viagens e turismo, 2016 published (in Portuguese) and republished in English
  • Sports Travel Security (2017)

At numerous universities around the world, Dr. Tarlow lectures on security issues, life safety issues, and event risk management. These universities include institutions in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Pacific Islands, and the Middle East. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Texas A&M University and also holds degrees in history, in Spanish and Hebrew literatures, and in psychotherapy.

Dr. Tarlow has appeared on national televised programs such as Dateline: NBC and on CNBC and is a regular guest on radio stations around the US. He is the recipient of the International Chiefs of Police highest civilian honor in recognition for his work in tourism security.

Peter is a founder and president of Tourism & More Inc. (T&M). Tourism & More recently joined forces with the eTN Corporation under certified.travel.

He is a past president of the Texas Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA), and Dr. Tarlow is a member of the International Editorial Boards around the world.

For more on the African Tourism Board and the launch event in Cape Town on April 11, visit africantourismboard.com.

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Aloha is not “Aloooooha”: Stop visitors from offending Hawaiians

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Do not say ALOHA or better ALOOOOOHA when visiting Hawaii.

“Those of you particularly in the tourist industry and in entertainment, stop saying “ALOOOOOOOHA”.  There is no such word and as the Hawaiian Queen said herself, they have stolen the country, and now they want to redo our language. Stop it. Just stop, It’s Aloha, not Alooooooha.”, said Adam Keawe Manalo- Camp, a native Hawaiian resident on Oahu.

Hawaii visitors and the travel and tourism industry together with the entertainment world is making Hawaiians very angry. Hawaiians think the largest industry in the State of Hawaii misusing the word “Alooooha” is disrespecting them and their rich ancient culture.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority should better educate stakeholders and visitors on cultural concerns native Hawaiian people raise. HTA must put an increased effort in on managing tourism and not just look at increasing arrival numbers. Increasing arrival numbers may not be a good indicator for a healthy tourism industry anymore.

With mass tourism and thousands of visitors arriving and leaving the US Pacific State every single day, it appears a boiling point is on the horizon. There may be is an urgent and immediate need to keep this industry safe and profitable. The largest industry in the State of Hawaii is seen as a business of invasion and disrespect by many.

Are you planning to travel to Hawaii? Are you operating a tourist attraction in the “Aloha State?” Overtourism comes with great concerns, and a massive number of people on Waikiki’s sidewalks, restaurants, hotels, and shopping malls, and beaches are a good indication there is a limit to tourism.  Has this limit been reached? Native Hawaiians are even more concerned. They are worried the travel and tourism industry is overwriting their rich Hawaiian Culture. For them shouting out “Alooooha” is a good indication.

A recent discussion on the eTurboNews Publishers Facebook points out such concerns.

Derek Hiapo told eTN: “To use the HAWAIIAN word “ALOHA” I need to make something VERY CLEAR!!  HAWAIIANS AND THE USE OF OUR LANGUAGE have been taken over by people who have NEVER known the true meaning of the word. For us kanaka maoli, we have had EVERYTHING stolen from us by people who are intent on raping us of EVERYTHING WE HAVE!!! The meaning of aloha cannot be lived or practiced, when what people have learned about the word “aloha” was taught to them at the usual tourist luau with someone onstage screaming the word and giving some halfwitted story about what that word means.

THERE’S WAY MORE MEANING TO THE WORD ALOHA AND THE PRACTICE OF LIVING ALOHA!!! You ask where is the aloha?? Being chased off of, and away from, it’s native homeland!! Where is the aloha?? In the bank accounts and pockets of all who’ve come to Hawaii to make their money at the cost of us kanaka maoli!! Where is the aloha?? In the twisted history being taught to the world that says that Hawaii was “saved” by America and not being told the TRUTH behind the theft of our internationally recognized sovereign kingdom. People want us to show ALOHA, but all we’ve been shown is disrespect, poverty, death, and the bastardization of our culture for the benefit of the illegal foreign occupier.”

Adam added this story:

“A long time ago, there lived a Hawaiian family. They worked the land for generations. Then one day there appeared a stranger. He was a haole guy (caucasion guy) who got lost and stumbled upon the Hawaiian family.

They told him where to go back but they invited him to stay with them as he seemed to have a cold. He lived with them for a week and they took care of his needs. He eventually left.
Then soon afterward, the family got sick and only the mother was left. The man returned and brought his Japanese friend. They stayed in the Hawaiian family’s house. The Hawaiian mother took care of them as she was still in mourning. The haole guy and the Japanese guy decided that it would be great if others could experience her hospitality and “the culture”.

They devised plans and started a tour business. When the Hawaiian woman began to complain as she now was being forced to work under them in her own land, they asked her, “Where was your Aloha Spirit? Don’t be such an angry Kanaka” She then began to be quiet. Then more of her time and food was being given to the strangers. She then complained again.

This time the haole guy said “Okay let’s be fair and democratic about this. Let’s vote. ” The haole and Japanese guys voted to keep the Hawaiian woman as their employee while taking over her family’s lands. And that, in a nutshell, is what is happening in Hawai’i.”

Aloha is not only a magical word for Hawaii but was stolen further by destinations like Hainan, China. The Chinese destination is fully banking and integrating on the magic this word had for many and is further offending native people in Hawaii.

The overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii began on January 17, 1893, with a coup d’état against Queen Liliʻuokalani on the island of Oahu by subjects of the Kingdom of Hawaii, United States citizens, and foreign residents residing in Honolulu.

Read what the Queen said in 1907:

The Hawaiian Queen comment on the word ALOOOOHA

Wikipedia posted: Liliʻuokalani was born on September 2, 1838, in Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu. While her natural parents were Analea Keohokālole and Caesar Kapaʻakea, she was hānai (informally adopted) at birth by Abner Pākī and Laura Kōnia and raised with their daughter Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Baptized as a Christian and educated at the Royal School, she and her siblings and cousins were proclaimed eligible for the throne by King Kamehameha III. She was married to American-born John Owen Dominis, who later became the Governor of Oʻahu. The couple had no biological children but adopted several. After the accession of her brother David Kalākaua to the throne in 1874, she and her siblings were given Western style titles of Prince and Princess. In 1877, after her younger brother Leleiohoku II’s death, she was proclaimed as heir apparent to the throne. During the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, she represented her brother as an official envoy to the United Kingdom.

Liliʻuokalani ascended to the throne on January 29, 1891, nine days after her brother’s death. During her reign, she attempted to draft a new constitution which would restore the power of the monarchy and the voting rights of the economically disenfranchised. Threatened by her attempts to abrogate the Bayonet Constitution, pro-American elements in Hawaiʻi overthrew the monarchy on January 17, 1893. The overthrow was bolstered by the landing of US Marines under John L. Stevens to protect American interests, which rendered the monarchy unable to protect itself.

The coup d’état established the Republic of Hawaiʻi, but the ultimate goal was the annexation of the islands to the United States, which was temporarily blocked by President Grover Cleveland. After an unsuccessful uprising to restore the monarchy, the oligarchical government placed the former queen under house arrest at the ʻIolani Palace. On January 24, 1895, Liliʻuokalani was forced to abdicate the Hawaiian throne, officially ending the deposed monarchy. Attempts were made to restore the monarchy and oppose annexation, but with the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, the United States annexed Hawaiʻi. Living out the remainder of her later life as a private citizen, Liliʻuokalani died at her residence, Washington Place, in Honolulu on November 11, 1917.

It appears the problem of overtourism and local culture is not unique to Hawaii.
Barcelona also thinks Tourism is an invasion, but ETOA doesn’t want tourists to go home yet 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Nevis rolls out the red carpet

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The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visit Nevis as part of Caribbean tour

One of the gems of the Caribbean rolled out the red carpet yesterday for the arrival of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who set foot on Nevisian soil as part of their historic Caribbean Tour.

“We are delighted that the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall visited our beautiful island of Nevis. Hundreds turned out to welcome the Royals who received a truly warm welcome from the people of Nevis” said Honorable Nevis Premier Mark Brantley. “We are especially pleased that Prince Charles has returned to Nevis since his last visit was some 45 years ago. Nevis continues to have a love affair with the Royals who have at various times visited our shores. We wish the Royal couple continued success on their Caribbean trip.”

On their arrival at the Charlestown Port, the Royal couple was greeted by a welcome party, comprising of Deputy Governor General Her Honour Hyleeta Liburd, Premier of Nevis Hon. Mark Brantley, Deputy Premier Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Hon. Spencer Brand, Hon. Eric Evelyn, Hon. Troy Liburd and Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, as well as scores of students and members of the general public.

Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall greeted by Nevisian school children.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were escorted to Government House at Bath Plains, where a reception had been planned that included cultural presentations by the masquerades of the Nevis Cultural Development Foundation, the Bath Village Community Tourism Group, and the Charlestown Primary School Pan Jammers.

While His Royal Highness Prince Charles departed the island, to return to St. Kitts to participate in engagements planned there, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Deputy Governor General visited The Hermitage Inn owned by the Lupinacci family. Before it was transformed into a plantation inn, The Hermitage was a Great House built sometime between 1670 and 1740.  Today, it is a plantation inn that offers traditional Nevisian hospitality and lifestyle for up to 35 guests, who stay in reconstructed gingerbread cottages “uniquely-named for the stories they tell.” A “must see” on Nevis, The Hermitage boasts of original cuisine, a collection of antiques, old-fashioned gardens, horses, carriages and local arts and crafts.

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