Adventure Awaits, But First…

Here’s some of the latest

• Every year the Miss Nippon Contest crowns a contestant as the “Foremost Beauty of all Japanese Women.” This year, Ukrainian born, Carolina Shiina took home the crown making her the first naturalized citizen to win the contest. Shiina moved to Japan when she was five years old and embraced the Japanese identity as her own. With that being said, many comment that her appearance does not align to that of a typical Japanese citizen. Her victory leaves many wondering what or who makes up a cultural identity. It also highlights the struggle many second generation immigrants face as they seek to define their identity. What are your thoughts?

• India is banking on a tourism boom sparked by religion. There’s actually multiple moving parts to this; the first is the opening of the Ram Mandir. This controversial mega-temple was recently inaugurated by President Modi. This site is expected to bring in 50 to 100 million more tourists per year. Secondly, Indian air carriers have recently placed orders of more than a 1,000 airplanes. With these latest moves, India is slated to be the fourth biggest spender on travel by 2030.

• American railways officially back? The Brightline West project has officially kicked off with hopes of opening just before the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. This all electric rail project will allow tourists to travel from Las Vegas to Las Angeles in just over two hours.

Global Trivia!

What is the longest commercial flight?

Try this, Not that

Overtourism is really becoming a problem for many sites around the world. Here are some suggestions for sites that I think are worth visiting so we can give their counterpart a break

Venice, Italy

The metropolitan area of Venice is home to about 50,000 residents, yet they welcome around 30 million visitors every year. This amount of foot traffic has weighed heavily on the city’s infrastructure which already struggles with upkeep due to the extensive waterways. The city has implemented some tactics to combat overtourism including a tourist tax.

Now, there is only one Venice but there are some really great alternatives. For those set for something in Italy with Venice-like similarities, travelers should consider Trieste. This city is also considered waterfront with its very own canals. For travelers that are willing to expand their canal city adventures beyond Italy, they should consider Martigues. Just outside Marseille this location is right on the water and offer city boat tours via their very own canals.

18th Century Travel Showboating

Turns out, spamming Instagram and Facebook with your latest travel photos is a concept that we’ve always had. Well, social media is fairly new but people have been capturing their favorite travel moments to share for quite some time. High society travelers would often commission detailed cityscape paintings called vedute to commemorate their time abroad. They would often include themselves in these painting and show them off to their dinner party guests. I think it’s safe to say 18th century travelers would love the idea of Instagram.

Travel Trends

Delta tops the Wall Street Journal’s Best Airlines of 2023. Alaska and Allegiant airlines come in second and third. Not sure if Alaska airlines will be that high on the 2024 list 😅

Family vacations are making a comeback. A recent survey found that 61% of Americans are interested in traveling with extended families or a small group of friends in 2024

53% of Gen Z and Millennials plan to travel for business in 2024.

Trivia Answer:

A) New York to Singapore. The flight is over 9,000 miles and lasts almost 19 hours. What would you do to pass the time?

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