Global tourism seen facing
threat of 2009 stagnation


The current global economic slowdown brought the growth of international tourism to a standstill in 2008 and threatens to reverse the historic four-year gains made by the industry in foreign travel, according to a report published Tuesday by the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Although international tourist arrivals reached 924 million in 2008, up 16 million from 2007 or a 2 per cent overall increase on the year, growth stagnated in the second half of last year, hitting Europe the hardest.

The collapse of financial markets, sharp increases in commodity and oil prices and volatile exchange rate fluctuations combined to force a 1 per cent decline in international travel in the six months from July, a trend that is expected to continue in 2009.

A 3 per cent drop off in international arrivals across Europe after June meant the continent was the only region to experience stagnation over the whole year, reported the January 2009 issue of the World Tourism Barometer.

International travel to Asia also decreased by 3 per cent in the second half of 2008 after double-digit growth in 2007 and a 6 per cent increase in the first part of 2008.

On the other hand, the Americas are up 1 per cent overall. Africa is up 4 per cent, and the Middle East 5 per cent. The regions all posted positive results in the second half of the year, although with a significant slowdown compared with the period between January and June.

The World Tourism Organization report forecasted continued stagnation or decline for this year and beyond, but noted that the high degree of economic uncertainty makes predictions of international travel difficult. If the economy starts to show signs of an early recovery, foreign travel might grow slightly in 2009, but if the economy deteriorates further, then the current forecast might be revised downwards.

As most of the travel to the Americas and Europe originates from countries already suffering from historically severe economic recession, the World Tourism Organization expects those two regions to be the most affected with a decline of up to 2 per cent.

Predictions for Asia and the Pacific, on the other hand, are positive, although growth will continue to be much slower compared with the region’s performance in recent years, said the report. The same applies to Africa and the Middle East.

The World Tourism Organization report underscored the fact that the softening of international tourism growth follows four historically strong years, with 7 per cent annual growth between 2004 and 2007.

Tourism minister plans
new campaign for Poás


Costa Rica's tourism minister said his staff is working to position the Volcán Poás area as a destination not only for foreigners but also Costa Ricans.

"We want to begin activities in the zone in a short time," the minister, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, said at a meeting of business people in the area. He said that his ministry has more money this year so his staff is planning a radio campaign and making efforts to get tourism wholesales to come to the area which was near the epicenter of the Jan. 8 earthquake.

The volcano is the centerpiece of a national park just 10 kilometers or about six miles from where the earthquake hit. The volcano is again open to tourists but some trails in the park remain closed due to damage from the quake.

Benavides met with members of a new Cámera de Turismo Corredores del Volcán Poás. The goal was to begin to reactivate the area for tourism and its tourist-related businesses. Among the topics were technical help and the new promotional campaign.

Tourism was stiffled for days after the quake because access roads to the area were damaged and some were covered by slides. That has been cleared up, but Costa Ricans still are wary of the area.

Crude oil prices drop $4


Crude oil prices fell after some downbeat economic reports pointed to a deeper recession in the United States, which would push energy demand down.

Traders also expect a U.S. government report to show continued growth of oil inventories in the world's biggest energy market.

The price of a barrel of oil for future delivery fell more than $4 to hit $41.67 at the close of trading in New York. Oil has fallen as low as $33 a barrel recently, and hit an all-time high above $147 a barrel last July.

John Updike, 76, is dead


The Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike, 76, has died. Updike's publisher says the writer died of lung cancer Tuesday.

Updike was a prolific writer of more than 50 books, including novels, short stories, and poetry. Throughout his distinguished career, he won nearly every literary prize, including two Pulitzer Prizes and two National Book Awards for fiction.

Updike was known for his fully realized descriptions of fictional characters and wry humor, writing about sex, divorce and American life after World War II. He was awarded Pulitzer prizes for "Rabbit Is Rich" and "Rabbit at Rest." Updike lived with his wife in the northeastern state of Massachusetts.