Uganda tour rerouted following kidnapping, ensuing traveler safety concerns

After the rescue of American Kimberly Sue Endicott and her tour guide, who were ambushed and kidnapped Tuesday in Uganda, tourists may be asking themselves: Is it safe to travel there?

For at least one travel agency, they're not willing to take the risk where the kidnapping took place.

"Following the abduction and rescue of an American tourist and local guide in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park on April 2, G Adventures has proactively taken the precaution of rerouting a scheduled tour in April to avoid the area," according to adventure travel company G Adventures. "Instead of exploring the park, guests will enjoy a guided lake cruise and safari drive in the Lake Mburo region, followed by a visit to the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Lake Victoria."

The U.S. Department of State has Uganda at a level 2 travel advisory − last updated Dec. 17, 2018 − meaning travelers should "exercise increased caution."

"To give perspective to this rating, most European countries are only a level 2 as well," explained Kim Steiger, a certified travel specialist with Travel Leaders.  

The Department of State's highest travel warning is a level 4, or "do not travel."

The advisory for Uganda cautions travelers: "Violent crime, such as armed robbery, home invasion and sexual assault, is common, especially in larger cities including Kampala and Entebbe. Local police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious crime."

Rescue or ransom? American kidnapped in Uganda will meet U.S. ambassador Monday

The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife & Antiquities Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu told USA TODAY: "This incident, regrettable as it is, is an isolated incident. The country has been secure for the last three decades. An incident of this kind, we have not experienced in recent times."

The U.S. government offers several tips for safe travel in Uganda.

• Keep your group of friends close in public
• Have a copy of your passport and visa on hand
• Don't leave food and drinks unattended (in particular at local clubs)

"I have clients that have, and continue to travel, to this part of the world without incident. It is important to always stay alert to your surroundings and to use reputable providers within the country," Steiger told USA TODAY.

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USA retains top position as global tourism continues to grow

The global tourism sector grew at 3.9 per cent last year, to contribute a record $8.8 trillion and 319 million jobs to the world economy, according to figures from the World Travel & Tourism Organisation.

For the eighth consecutive year, this was above the growth rate of world GDP.

The research conducted over the last 25 years by WTTC, which represents the global private sector of tourism, shows that tourism generated 10.4 per cent of all global economic activity last year.

At the same time, the sector is responsible for one in five of all new jobs created in the world over the last five years.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC president, said: “Last year was another year of strong growth for the global tourism sector reinforcing its role as a driver of economic growth and job creation.

“For the eighth consecutive year, our sector outpaced growth in the wider global economy and we recorded the second-highest growth of any major sector in the world.”

She added: “Yet again, this proves the power of tourism as a tool for governments to generate prosperity while creating jobs which particularly support women, youth and other, often marginalised groups of society.

“In fact, tourism now accounts for one in five of all new jobs created worldwide and is forecast to contribute 100 million new jobs globally over the next ten years, accounting for 421 million jobs by 2029.”

United States

The United States retained its status as the world’s largest tourism economy last year, despite a standstill in international visitors from China, according the research.

Figures show that the United States remained the biggest tourism market in the world in 2018, with the sector contributing almost $1.6tn to GDP.

This translates to 7.8 per cent of US GDP with the sector growing by 2.2 per cent (accounting for inflation) last year.

After registering average annual growth of 23 per cent over the previous decade, Chinese travel to the US was flat last year partly due to trade tensions between the two countries.

International visitors from China account for four per cent of total US visitors but 11 per cent of all spending, demonstrating their economic importance to the country.

Guevara added: “ After recording ten years of stellar growth, international visitor numbers from China were flat year on year, caused in part by the deteriorating trade relations between the two countries.

“Given the economic importance of Chinese visitors, any thawing in the trade relations between the two countries would have a positive effect for the wider US economy.”

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U.S. fails to keep pace with global tourism boom

BERLIN (Reuters) - The United States is missing out on a global boom for tourism, hurt by a so-called Trump slump and currency exchange rates, travel industry experts said at a gathering in Berlin this week.

While U.S. President Donald Trump maintains that the travel ban blocking visitors from nations including Iran, Libya and Syria is needed to protect the United States from Islamic militants, the bans have raised concerns over America’s image as a welcoming country, with data showing a decline in tourist numbers last year.

International arrivals to the United States were down 4 percent in the first three quarters of 2017, Trump’s first year in office, according to the most recent data available from the United States.

By comparison, international tourism arrivals worldwide in 2017 were up 7 percent, representing the strongest result in seven years, figures from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) show.

“Politics is not helping us,” said Tilo Krause-Duenow, owner of German tour operator CANUSA, which specializes in trips to North America.

“The potential for the U.S. could be much bigger. Prices have come down due to the currency weakening and we should have seen a much bigger increase in demand,” he told Reuters at the ITB travel fair in Berlin.

German market researcher Gfk says that bookings from Germany to the United States are down 20 percent for the 2018 summer season, though it said this could be down to factors such as last year’s hurricane season and foreign exchange rates as well as the Trump effect.

Flight bookings to the United States fell 2 percent in 2017 and were flat in the first two months of 2018, a report by travel analysis company ForwardKeys showed this week. The report cited a weaker British pound, which makes it more expensive for Britons to travel abroad, and Trump’s travel ban.

America’s hopes of improving its reputation as a foreigner-friendly destination look to have been dented further this week, with Trump’s imposition of steel and aluminum tariffs on Thursday raising fears of an international trade war.

New York had initially predicted a decline in international visitors by 300,000 for 2017 after Trump took office but now expects a smaller decline of about 100,000 to roughly 12.6 million.

“We’re still concerned because it takes the spending power of four domestic travelers to equal the spending power of one international traveler,” said Christopher Heywood, spokesman for New York City’s official tourism organization NYC & Company.

One area of optimism is ForwardKeys data showing that international forward bookings to the United States from within the Americas over the next six months are up 7 percent, but bookings from elsewhere have crept up by only 0.5 percent.

Some travel operators, however, say the concerns are overblown.

Arnaud Devanlay, of Evaneos, a website that offers tailor-made tours, said people had been concerned in the early part of last year but then decided to travel anyway.

“They’re visiting a country, not a government,” he said.

Delta Air Lines’ (DAL.N) sales director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, meanwhile, says that recent weakness in the dollar will help to lift demand.

“People want to go where they get the most for their money, where they feel safe and there’s exciting things to see,” Delta’s Bob Hannah said.

“And Trump’s not going to stop that.”

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US tourists to India increased by over 6%, says Tourism Ministry

Tourist footfalls from the US to India in 2017 has increased by over six percent as compared to previous year, government said, countering an American report that claimed there was a decline during the period.

The Ministry of Tourism in a statement said foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) from the United States has never declined since 2010.

"FTAs in India from the USA during the year 2017 have registered a positive growth of 6.17 percent over the year 2016," the statement said.

A report of National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) had recently said the outbound tourists from the USA to India have declined by 7 percent in the year 2017 as compared to 2016, it said.

According to the said report released by NTTO, traveller volume is based on the US Department of Homeland Security Advanced Passenger Information System wherein all airlines are required to electronically submit passenger data on flights arriving into and departing from the United States.

The ministry said that it was obvious that the source of data for the report is only airlines reporting. In the cases where direct flight between the USA and India is not operating, it is not known whether the final destination or the transit destination is reported as India by the passengers.

Moreover, departures at international check posts other than airports are not captured in the report. Therefore, it may not contain the complete information on the outbound departures from the USA, it said.

On the other hand, the Bureau of Immigration of India (BoI) compiles the data of (FTA) from the records of scanned passport of each person arriving at all the international check posts in India, which include airports, sea ports and the land check posts.

The FTAs from USA in India during January - August this year was 9,26,192, 8.8 percent higher than the corresponding numbers during the same period last year.

NTTO in its recent report had said that the US tourist arrivals in India had dipped for the first time in eight years.

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Tourism entrepreneurs to pitch ideas at Governor’s Conference on Tourism

Tourism partners from across the state will be in Hot Springs Feb. 24-26 for the 45th Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism. The annual gathering of Arkansas’ tourism industry offers sessions on topics such as Google’s latest trends, marketing to a diverse audience and 21st century visitor engagement.

New to the conference this year is the inaugural ArkTank startup pitch competition. The winner will walk away with a cash prize of $5,000 and guaranteed mentorship from Arkansas Tourism and Innovate Arkansas, which helps technology entrepreneurs turn startup companies into viable commercial enterprises.

Arkansas Tourism partnered with Innovate Arkansas for the startup competition that asked entrepreneurs to pitch ideas of viable business endeavors that relate to tourism. There were 21 entries in the competition, said Joy Barlogie, tourism development manager for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

“We are looking for the ideas and energy that entrepreneurs bring to everything they do. To apply those ideas for continued tourism business growth in our state is a great opportunity,” Arkansas Tourism Director Jim Dailey said when the contest was announced. “Ark Tank will be an exciting addition to our annual conference, and we can’t wait to see the ideas that will be presented.”

Contest committee members called each of the 21 applicants to discuss their ideas and determine if they would be fiscally viable, Barlogie said. Those applicants were narrowed to a list of nine. Those nine were then interviewed through video calls so committee members could see if the applicants would be able to sell their products, she said.

The list was eventually narrowed to four, who will pitch their ideas in a 12-minute presentation Tuesday (Feb. 26) at the Governor’s Conference. Those pitches will include a seven minute presentation and five minutes for questions and answers.

“We had some really great candidates. It was really hard to narrow it to four,” Barlogie said. “We had everything from fishing pole holders for the garage to promote fishing throughout Arkansas to a concierge service for things to do, hotels and attractions throughout the state.”

The competition is expected to become an annual event, Barlogie said.

“We had a great response. We definitely expect to do it again next year,” she said. “The 2020 conference will be in Fort Smith and the 2021 in Fayetteville. Both of these are areas attracting lots of entrepreneurs. We don’t see why the Governor’s Conference can’t be in on that as well.”

Also new at this year’s conference is a unique collaborative networking space called “Share Space,” located in Room 206 of the convention center. Attendees have the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with conference speakers and other industry professionals to collaborate, brainstorm and learn.

The conference will culminate with the presentation of the 2019 Henry Awards and an address by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism was first held in 1975 at Dogpatch, U.S.A.

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e-Visa now more tourist friendly with these changes!

e-Tourist Visa which was introduced in September 2014 with 46 countries has now been made applicable for 166 countries. The government recently made a series of amendments in the e-visa regime.

New Delhi: The e-Tourist Visa which was introduced in September 2014 with 46 countries has now been made applicable for 166 countries. Recently, the government has made a series of amendments in the e-visa regime, making it more tourist friendly. It may be noted that The Ministry of Tourism has been working very closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs for easing of the Visa Regime in the country over a period of time.

These are the modifications made by the government in the e-Visa regime

1. Duration of stay in India of e-Tourist and e-Business Visas is maximum up to 1 Year with multiple entries subject to the stay stipulations.

2. The existing restriction of allowing foreigner for a maximum of three times has also been removed.

Changes in the e-Tourist Visa:

1. On e-Tourist Visa continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 90 days in case of nationals of all countries who are eligible for grant of e-visa except nationals of USA, UK, Canada and Japan.

2. In case of nationals of the USA, UK, Canada and Japan continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 180 days.

3. In all cases, no registration will be required.

Changes in e-Business Visa:

1. Continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 180 days in case of nationals of all countries who are eligible for grant of e-visa

2. No registration will be required if the stay is for a period of less than 180 days.

Other changes:

1. e-Visa is valid for entry through 2 (two) more designated Airports (Bhubaneswar and Port Blair) raising the total number of such airports to 28.

2. Attending destination wedding under normal e-Tourist visa or Tourist visa- No separate category of Destination Wedding Visa.

3. Foreign nationals who fall sick during their stay in India can now avail medical treatment without converting their visa into Medical Visa. This would take care of sudden medical emergencies.

4. Visa-on-Arrival facility extended to the nationals of the Republic of Korea.

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Financial questions hound two of Formula One's three races in North America

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two of Formula One's three races in North America are facing financial issues that are raising concern about their future.

Organizers of the U.S. Grand Prix won't be reimbursed at least $20 million from the state of Texas for the 2018 race after missing a paperwork deadline set by law. And new questions lurk about the future of the Mexican Grand Prix after the country's new president suggested the government may not spend on the race like it has the last four years.

Both races have been popular with drivers and fans, and enjoy key dates on the F1 calendar. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton clinched season championships in Texas in 2015 and in Mexico City in 2017 and 2018.

Officials in Formula One and at the Circuit of the Americas, host of the U.S. Grand Prix, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Both races get huge government financial support.

The U.S. Grand Prix has reaped about $150 million since 2012 from Texas' Major Events Reimbursement Program, which is controlled by Gov. Greg Abbott's office. That money has been considered critical to paying F1's annual rights fee to host the race. In 2015, track President Bobby Epstein said a $5 million reduction that year could have jeopardized the future of the race, but it has survived.

Officials at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin have known for months the 2018 money wasn't coming. Track officials were informed in an Oct. 8 letter — 11 days before the U.S. Grand Prix — that race organizers would not get money from the fund because they had missed a state-mandated deadline to submit an anti-human trafficking plan 30 days before the event. That plan wasn't submitted until Oct. 3 and a previous letter of temporary approval was rescinded.

Two months later, track President Bobby Epstein contributed $50,000 to Gov. Greg Abbott, who had just won re-election.

The state requires major events that apply to the fund to have anti-human trafficking plans in part to help combat spikes in prostitution. The missed deadline and lost money were first reported Wednesday by the Austin American-Statesman . Abbott's office provided a copy of the letter to the AP.

Epstein didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Abbott spokesman John Wittman said the state had no choice but to withhold the money.

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