Tourism and Beyond

Because of worsening economic conditions, travellers are changing their holiday plans for this year, with nearly half saying that they are scaling back, according to the results of a new study.
In a poll of 1,000 UK consumers, it was found that 46 per cent had already scaled back their travel plans due to the recession.

Travel bag

There are indications that concerns about the impact of travel on social and environmental conditions are also changing holiday plans.

Sixty-one per cent of the respondents to the survey indicated that they were intending to find out more about the environmental and social impact of their holidays, and 55 per cent said they would be choosing holiday destinations that could be reached by boat or train, rather than by plane.

Seventy-six per cent of those polled reported that they did not have sufficient information regarding the environmental and social impact of holiday travel to be able to make an informed choice.

It is expected that 2009 will be a difficult year for holiday operators, but those able to match value with social and environmental “values” are likely to fare better, and be better able to ride out the recession, according to Good Business, the corporate responsibility consultancy that commissioned the study.

Good Business founder and CEO Giles Gibbons noted: “With less money in their pockets it seems many holidaymakers plan to look for cheaper alternatives in the UK this year.”

He added: “Some might see this as good news from an environmental perspective, with reductions in things like flights.”

VIA: ASAP

Travel, Uncategorized conditions, economy, environement, real ecology

It is undeniable: winter has arrived here in Europe. Piles of snow line the roads, white roofs and snowmen call for your attention. I can’t help but start thinking about skiing and snowboarding.

A very easy and visual way of checking the latest snowfalls in ski resorts in the Alp regions of Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland is the new “Ski resorts in the Alps” layer in Google Earth. You can find it in the Gallery folder of the layers panel under “Travel and Tourism”.

All information on the ski resorts are provided by bergfex who aggregates the data from the ski resorts to make sure that you get the latest data in this layer. The icons represent the average snow depth of that area; the whiter the icon, the more snow you can expect. Check back often, as these snow depth readings are updated four times a day.

Every balloons displays useful information such as the fresh snow depth from within the last 24 hours (on the mountain and also in the valley), the altitude of the skiing area, the length of the slopes, useful phone numbers, and much more!

Now use Google Earth to get the latest info and then get outside to enjoy the snow, the real stuff, on-site!

SOURCE: GOOGLE LAT-LONG

Travel conditions, family travel, google earth, ski, ski travel, snow, Travel