Most recent postings on IFTTA News

• USA: airlines ask DOT for another delay in new rules;
• USA: no private right of action pursuant to Air Carrier Access Act;
• UNESCO recognizes Aceh’s Saman Dance as Intangible World Heritage
• Scotland: Human Trafficking Report;
• EU: Commission requests Italy to comply with new safety rules for passenger ships;
• Taiwan: Hong Kong Dragon Airlines accused of discrimination;
• European Commission updates airline black list;
• New EU-US agreement on PNR;
• USA: DOT fines Spirit Airlines for deceptive price advertising;
• European Union: new rules on the use of security scanners at European airports;
• European Union: new Directive on Consumer Rights published in Official Journal;
• IFTTA Europe Workshop Website Online;
• Cruise conference - May 21-23, 2012;
• UK: OFT takes next procedural step in airline fuel surcharges case;
• USA: DOT issues first fine for tarmac delay rule violations;
• India: tiger reserves may ban tourists;
• Court of Cassation (FR) on Deep vein thrombosis;
• UNWTO: European tourism grows above expectations;
• European Consumer Centre Network launches Air Passengers Rights Report 2011;
• USA: DOT fines Caribbean Airlines for improperly limiting reimbursements for delayed baggage;

Uganda: World Heritage site burned down

The nearly 130 years old Kasubi Tombs in Kampala , where several of the late Kings of Buganda are laid to rest and which was a focal point for tourists and the kingdom’s subjects for visits, burned down. It has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, and has always had a special place in the itineraries for tourists.

Source: eTurboNews; find article here>>.

Famous Victoria Falls to loose World Heritage status?

The Victoria Falls World Heritage Site was proclaimed in 1989. When the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe signed the agreement with UNESCO, they committed themselves to work together for the protection of the Victoria Falls and its surrounding area.

UNESCO required the governments to form a Joint Management Team and an Integrated Management Plan for the site. It also requested that certain issues were addressed. The report was first requested by UNESCO in 2002 and then again in 2006. Various deadlines have been passed and extensions given. The latest deadline of February 1, 2010 has again passed, and UNESCO has received no document.

The governments now are in a hurry to complete a document to be given to UNESCO on the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site. They want to take their last chance to submit the report before the 2010 session of the World Heritage Committee; all documents have to reach UNESCO by March 15.

Source: eTurboNews; find article here>>.

Spain's Prado Museum Teams Up With Google Earth

The two have been working on a project that allows people to zoom in on the gallery's main paintings. This is the first of its kind involving an art museum. The project involves 14 of the Prado's best paintings, including Diego Velazquez's Las Meninas, Francisco de Goya's Third of May and Peter Paul Rubens' The Three Graces and you can zoom in on details not normally seen with the human eye. Google Spain says the images on the internet were 1,400 times clearer than what would be rendered with a 10-megapixel camera. 8,200 photographs were taken of the paintings and then combined with Google Earth's zoom-in technology. You can see the images by going to Google, and downloading Google Earth software, type in Prado Museum in the search engine. Once the museum zooms into focus, click on the square with the name of the museum.

Galapagos Islands tourism to end?

The International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) has said it concurs with the findings of the United Nations stating that the Galapagos Islands is being threatened by tourism, invasive species and migration. These factors, the IGTOA said, “are causing unprecedented pressure on the islands and that urgent action is needed."
This development comes after UN's World Heritage Committee last week added the Galapagos Islands to the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. Inscribed in 1978, the Galapagos is the first site to have been placed on the World Heritage List.
According to the IGTOA, the number of days spent by passengers of cruise ships has increased by 150 percent over the past 15 years.

Source: eTurboNews; read full article here.

Australia considers cooling down Geat Barrier Reef

Australian marine scientists have proposed to protect the corals from being damaged as a result of climate change.
Speaking at the recent Ecotourism Australia Conference, Andrew Skeat, executive director of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, said the proposal involves watering the ocean surface at peak heat times to avoid coral bleaching, which is caused by higher than average water temperatures linked with global climate change, and when organisms which make up corals die leaving behind white limestone skeleton. A fine spray of seawater will be pumped onto the reef to break up the ocean water, cooling the corals. It also considered permanently placing sunshades over some areas of the reef. The UNESCO World Heritage listed reef, stretching over more than 345,000 sq kilometers (133,000 sq miles) off the coast of Queensland, is the world's largest coral system.
For Details look here.

Afghahistan: Statues of Budha Attacked

It has been reported that the Taleban have begun the demolition of two statues of the Budha, the largest rock hewn in the world. The statues date back to 2-5th centuries, when Afghanistan was an important centre of Budhism. The Taleban have condemned the statues as "idols" and an "insult to Islam". They have also begun to destroy statues in the country's museums. UNESCO chief, Koichiro Matsuura, has condemned these as acts of vandalism.

(Originally posted by John Downes)