Tagged With "Japan National Tourism Organization"
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Re: Iceland: 'No we're not Disneyland'
Now that Rekyjavik is on the European Budget Airlines destinations list its hard to avoid a rush. It was one of those places you wouldn't visit unless you had a business interest and an expenses account. They're still advertising Iceland on TV, so someone must be pleased with the extra income tourism brings.
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Re: Dec 15, 2016: Kamloops, BC, Canada
British Columbia, if you've never visited, is a really spectacular destination. The BC tourism board uses the term "SuperNatural British Columbia" when describing it -- and if you don't know why you will after you visit. And it is a nice safe environment for raising polite kids. Canadians, as you known, are mostly polite to a fault (present company excluded).
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Re: "Mind Your Manners!" VisitBritain Warns Hoteliers
Perhaps not a trainee journalist. Since the list came from the government's tourism promotion agency, we might presume the author to be a Trainee Bureaucrat, who someday will be, sadly, writing the rules! Originally Posted by GarryRF: The Author of these "Do's and Don'ts" is a Trainee Journalist and has gathered this list without leaving the comfort of her armchair. Lazy journalism based on stereotypes you find in cheap travel guides. Maybe we could start a list of "Do's and Dont's" for US...
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Re: A visit to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
Regarding his feeling about slavery, I have no doubt, because of the nature of the man as shown by the things he did write, he was conflicted. And while he seems never to have come to a personal solution I don't believe, either, that his lack of action was de facto support for the institution. Sometimes there just isn't time to resolve one's own conflicts and be a father of a new nation too. We may be asking too much of human beings if we expect tidy packages and complete resolutions in 1 ...
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Re: Biggest Apple Ever: NY Gets 54M Tourists, Expects More!
We'd have to compare the methods used by the two cities in counting. Tourism figures are notoriously difficult (are business travelers disaggregated? Regional visitors? etc.) It's possible that if Paris used the NY methodology, it would have a much larger figure.
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Re: Biggest Apple Ever: NY Gets 54M Tourists, Expects More!
Originally Posted by PHeymont: We'd have to compare the methods used by the two cities in counting. Tourism figures are notoriously difficult (are business travelers disaggregated? Regional visitors? etc.) It's possible that if Paris used the NY methodology, it would have a much larger figure. Gotcha. A bit of an apples and oranges comparison. Sort of whether to count all migratory birds or only the snowbirds.
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Re: Visit Canada! Kiss a Canadian
I think there are three main problems Canadian tourism faces. 1) The weather. Very limited season, unless you want to ski. 2) Expensive airfares. In the last 5 years, air fares went from being competitive to being very expensive -- overly taxed, I guess. And predictably, when you charge more for something you get less of that activity. 3) Heightened border security between Canadian and US border can cause long delays and has greatly reduced cross border crossings in the past 15 years. It's...
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Re: 1000's Drawn to North Dakota
Just checked the unemployment rate. North Dakota's is the lowest in the nation. In Aug 2013, it was 3.0%. Neighboring South Dakota's is 3.8%, as it too benefits from the oil boom.
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Re: British Parents Prosecuted For Taking Vacation During School Time
Often we find that the problem is greatest for the working parents with the fewest resources: those working in low-wage service industries whose cycles don't match those of schools. For instance, hospital workers have time off spaced through the year--no slow season, sadly--and workers in tourism-based industries are often most in demand at the very same time that their children are off! I think the solution goes in two directions: First for parents to consider all other alternatives first,...
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Re: Japan gears up icons for 2020 Olympics
Tokyo really can be a confusing city to navigate and it has little to do with symbols or written English translations, which they are getting better at. Just a couple issues I've seen. It's hard to find a street address because it's difficult to find smaller street names posted. And there are very few public trash cans.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, September 18, 2015: M. Marenchi's magnificent organ
Nothing matches the sound of a Fairground Organ. First timers stand in awe - listening to that amazing sound. Engineering excellence from times gone by.
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Re: Greek debt deal will raise taxes on tourists
It will definitely hurt tourism, especially for those who want to stay awhile and relax in Greece. The increase in food and accommodations will take a bite out of most budgets. It won't hurt the cruiseship travelers, though.
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Re: Hello Kitty meals for Hello Kitty hotel guests
O my goodness. My husband and I have a friend who is obsessed with Hello Kitty. I wonder if she knows about this place Weill have to share. Thanks...
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Re: A House in Essaouira
Well PortMoresby now you are disturbing old memories... With all it's fading here is a photographic snip of my memories of Essourira around 1980. Note your blue boat is already there but I wonder if more boats became blue with the advent of tourism. Property in the town was only just starting to be purchased by foreign folks at that time. It was always an place of charm and tranquility and great for a sea food Sunday lunch.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, June 4th, 2014: Humming Birds
I enjoy these birds, although like guys speeding by on motorcycles (affectionately called "organ donors" in Germany) they seem to live on the edge. Life in Fast-Forward x12! One year we discovered a hummingbird nest in one of our bushes. Its eggs were amazingly tiny! The entire nest wasn't much bigger than my thumbnail (wish I'd taken photos of it) And PHeymont, we need to get you out of the city more. I know NYC is famous for its big cockroaches, but if you can't tell a bird from an insect,...
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Re: Eiffel Tower Premiers Ultra Modern Glass Floor to Public
I'm kind of excited to see it ! Paris seems to handle tourism so well and change while holding on to something unique.
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Re: Italian Competition Authority fines TripAdvisor €500,000
I know TripAdvisor has had some problems with a minority of people posting false reviews so I can kind of understand in 2012 the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK telling TripAdvisor not claim the reviews were from real travelers or use the word trusted describing reviews. As far as the Italian Competition Authority goes, below is their Press Release when the investigation started in May. It seems like it would be very difficult for TripAdvisor to prevent fake reviews , so I'm not...
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Re: Gallery: A visit to Cuba
Great post and pictures Dr Y...definitely on my wish list. Is tourism on the increase you think??
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, September 16, 2015: Fall in Glacier National Park
Beautiful photos! Makes me appreciate all over again the wonders this nation has to offer!!!
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Re: High Tech Toilet Manufacturer to Open Museum in Japan
Rob, I believe this is a catapult, not a toilet for the elderly. It's all in the speed of the lifting device.
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Re: 7 of many reasons to choose Bulgaria for your next trip
I'm glad you liked the article. I would be more than happy if the post make you visit the country. @DrFublefinger I believe the best time to come to Bulgaria is september-october from the weather perspective, but if you want to see the charm the blooming trees give to the city, you should come in the spring. The summer is really, really (I mean really) hot and dry! The country lies between the strongly contrastic continental and Mediterranean climate zones, so it has an unusually variable...
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Re: Iran: Friendliness, Culture, Modernity - So Far Away From The Clichés!
Hello Dr. Fumblefinger, Thank you for your Feedback! To answer your questions: 1) The infrastructure is good to very good, and it is extremely easy to travel within Iran: there are lots of buses and excellent trains, there is a wide range of hotels, from simple guesthouses to world-class 5 stars hotels, restaurants going from street food stalls to fine dining, ... I have read that with the very fast development of tourism, the high-end category of hotels is the one that might get overbooked...
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Mac. Cuba has already changed since my first visit 15 years ago. Buses and cars are everywhere now thanks to those intrepid Chinese salesmen. Living standards are rising rapidly thanks to the tourist dollar. Fields of Sugar Cane are now rare. Castro has decided that Cuba's future lies in tourism. Bicycles prevail in most Towns and a horse and buggy are common. When I first went to Cuba it was painfully poor. It's like going back in time to a 3rd world country. But with safety and very civil,...
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Re: How to Irk the Brits
I find the guy bothered by people stopping to take photos a charmer. Hope I don't run into him over there, but I'm never without a camera when I'm abroad. When I see a tourist taking a photo either in Calgary or nearby Rocky Mountains, I'm always intrigued by what their subject matter is and the angle of how they're capturing the image -- that sort of thing. Hardly a bother!! I guess they don't realize how important we tourists are to the economy. According to Visit Britain website, tourism...
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Re: The Historic Fort and Town of Galle, Sri Lanka
How did you discover Galle ? Did you read of its existence prior to your travels ? Or merely stumble upon it and get the urge to explore further. It appears to be untouched by tourism - or is it on the tourist itinerary ? After all these invaders what language do they speak now ? Good collection of photos - gives a real taste of this town.
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Re: U.S. plans big increase in "pre-clearance" sites
If you've ever used one of the foreign country based US customs clearances, you know that this is easy to do. So this is a wonderful idea and will help improve tourism to the USA>
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Re: U.S. cuts most Cuba air routes
Whilst it certainly is true that many Cubans and some airlines overestimated demand, there can be little doubt that without the actions of the Trump administration there would by now be significant tourism flows from the US into the island. In that sense you probably were the leading edge of a wave, albeit not the giant one which some people expected.
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Re: Edinburgh tells its 'People's Story'
If you liked this museum I recommend another, different but complimentary, the Back to Backs in Birmingham. A group of dwellings in the city center that somehow escaped urban renewal, it's been turned into a museum by the Nation Trust and recreates working people's homes of several eras, fascinating. https://www.nationaltrust.org....ingham-back-to-backs
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Re: Cuba: Uncertainty stirs a booking boom
It's time the American Government stopped flexing its muscles to crush a nation of dirt poor people. Inhuman.
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Re: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
While this report is interesting in one regard, I find myself disturbed by the discussion of Woodrow Wilson that leaves out so many negative aspects of Wilson's legacy. Negative enough that students at Princeton have been trying to get his name off buildings. Wilson was a racist. A member of the KKK, or at least a friend. He showed Birth of A Nation, a racist, pro-Klan movie in the White House. He segregated the civil service, which had been one of the ways that Black workers had been able...
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Re: Mosaic Floors, Paphos, Cyprus
I love this blog. I had the pleasure of spending 7 months in Cyprus in the early 80s and made several trips to Paphos (my favorite spot on the island). This was before the tourist resort invasion and there was only a couple of smaller hotels in Paphos. The town still had all the old charm, the harbor had some great family owned restaurants and the Tombs of the Kings was a pleasant 30 minute walk in the countryside. Sadly, like so many charming little places it has been caught up by the...
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Re: Rhode Iceland? State tourist video shows Iceland in error
Not a great day for Rhode Island tourism folks, I think. Besides the video, they are catching heat from people who dislike the state's new ad slogan: "Rhode Island, Cooler and Warmer." And they don't like the logo, either! Click HERE to read...
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Re: We're more than Tokyo, Japan tells tourists
Tokyo can be a very intimidating city for a traveler because of it's massive and crowded metro system and it's lack of English speakers. I think that's why more people don't venture out past the tourist sights in Tokyo.
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Re: We're more than Tokyo, Japan tells tourists
A few simple items to remember when transiting Tokyo ... In Tokyo, JR/Subway maps are available for the asking (FREE from the station attendant) with stations listed in either English or in Japanese. Get a copy of both. Have someone write your destination in Japanese. When approaching someone on the street with a "Please direct me towards xxxx" written in Japanese I have ALWAYS been given good directions. (A mix of English and Japanese does NOT often work) This includes traveling solo in...
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Re: We're more than Tokyo, Japan tells tourists
US News published a story by the AP on problems that were occurring with increased tourism in Tokyo. http://www.usnews.com/news/bus...articles/2015/06/18/
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#117)
IDK good one to be stumped. Thought a Caribbean or West African Nation capitol; then the Christmas Trees brought us back to North America, and we settled upon Harrisburg, PA. Probably early in December since no snow outside. Beautiful building, the eye can't take in all the detail, wherever it is. Missteacher411
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Re: Cost of Japan flights to plummet in 2016
With fuel charges at a 12 year low all the Air carriers should stop gouging the public and give us all a refund.
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Re: IRS gains power to get passports cancelled
I don't like it either. The IRS has made mistakes before and I'm sure taxes and penalties add up quick if the person doesn't pay in time Plus people from certain states might need their passports to act as ID because they won't be able to get into federal facilities with their state drivers license only and might not be able to fly soon . http://www.latimes.com/nation/...-20160103-story.html
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Re: Iiyama: Hometown Japan
Thanks Holly and welcome to TG! What a wonderfully informative piece about small-town Japan. I'll try to visit Iiyama City on my next trip to Japan.
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Re: Iiyama: Hometown Japan
Fascinating insight into small town life in Japan! I had no idea how serious the reduction of population in these towns were. One would think the natural wonders of the area alone would help bring in residents. Thanks for enlightening article!
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Re: Iiyama: Hometown Japan
I sure hope things work out well for Iiyama! There seem to be so many places that have lost people and jobs and so forth, and so few of them get such a chance as the Bullet Train. Thank you for a sweet story that's maybe got a happy ending.
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Re: Iiyama: Hometown Japan
This is exactly the type of town I'm looking for when I travel to Japan. It's made my list. Thanks!
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Re: Iiyama: Hometown Japan
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post! I hope things look up for Iiyama, too. It really is a beautiful town.
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Re: Iiyama: Hometown Japan
Great to hear! Iiyama is a fantastic place to visit. I'm sure you'll love it.
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Re: Iiyama: Hometown Japan
I've never been to Japan but it is a country that I wanted to visit for a very long time. I love their history, architecture, language, traditions and I would like to learn more about it. Thank you for your post, I never heard about this city but any information about something I don't know is an information worth having. Good job!
