Will the Harsh Pussy Riot Sentencing Ruin Russia’s Tourism Industry?

Given that the “irreverent” Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot had been perceived by the global punk community as a Russian tourist destination in themselves, will the harsh sentencing of the band eventually ruin Russia’s tourism industry? 

By: Ringo Bones 

In this day and age of over commoditized American Idol wannabe pseudo-musicians more interested in money than true artistry, genuine politically addled punk rock has inadvertently become a musical tourist destination in themselves – akin to Mississippi Delta Blues tourism and all-acoustic unamplified Viennese string quartets. But with the recent harsh sentencing of the Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot over their anti Vladimir Putin protest in Moscow’s main cathedral back in March, will Russia’s tourism industry be inadvertently ruined by missing out on the emergent music tourism – make that punk rock tourism - movement? 

Ever since the British punk rock band Sex Pistols sang a brash polemic about HRH Queen Elizabeth II back in the mid 1970s, parts of London with anything connecting them to Johnny Rotten and company had since became the “Mecca” of punk rock tourism. Not to mention punk rock fashions by Vivienne Westwood. And with the harsh sentencing of the three members of Pussy Riot to two years in a labor camp might give anyone planning to visit Russia in the coming months some second thoughts - especially since the inherent lack of freedom of expression and rule of law of Vladimir Putin’s Russia will definitely scare off potential tourists who are probably too scared to get arrested over arcane legalese definition of hooliganism by the Russian court of law. 

      

Chernobyl: A Novel Tourist Destination?

Does the 30-kilometer exclusion zone around the disused nuclear fission power plant that underwent a meltdown back in April 26, 1986 really offer something more than the typical mainstream tourist destination?

By: Ringo Bones

Believe it or not, there is already a regular tour into the 30-kilometer exclusion zone on the town of Pripyat that used to house the personnel working in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The tour cost around 600-eros which includes a bus ride into the exclusion zone plus the ever-important Geiger counter. This “basic” package sends a group of tourists onto a viewing platform that overlooks the sarcophagus that permanently seals the remains of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Sadly, the tour group only has a 1-hour window to tour the Chernobyl exclusion zone since the prevailing background ionizing radiation levels of the area hovers around 8-microSieverts an hour can increase one’s cancer risk on prolonged ionizing radiation exposure.

Established tour operators in Chernobyl had been clamoring the local government officials to erect a memorial using tourism revenue to honor the victims and the first responders of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of April 26, 1986. Unfortunately, the local authorities still have the proverbial “cold feet” in acknowledging the full extent of the tragic nuclear meltdown.

Several Kiev-based travel agencies have been very busy recently in promoting their own Chernobyl tours that had been going on for years since the background ionizing radiation levels have subsided. Forbes magazine even listed Chernobyl as the most “exotic” tourist destination. But will the Chernobyl tourism boom benefit those who needed it most – i.e. the poor victims who can hardly even afford the necessary medication needed to relieve the symptoms of high-level ionizing radiation exposure?

Earthbound Space Tourism, Anyone?

From sailing and flying to a favorable vantage point to watch a solar eclipse, to sailing out to sea to have an unimpeded view of a nautical sunset’s green flash, is “earthbound space tourism” the next big thing?


By: Ringo Bones


Observing solar eclipses in their most favorable path of totality from the vantage point of a plane flying 35,000 feet in the air and on a luxury cruise liner has been an earthbound space tourism staple for some time now. And so does sailing out into sea for an unimpeded view of the green flash of a nautical sunset, but the earthbound space tourism’s “finest hour” has yet to arrive – if only the mainstream tourism industry advertises that these forms of tourism also exist. Reports and advisories on the favorable vantage points to witness a satellite in a controlled reentry to crash into an uninhabited part of our planet is not yet a mainstream part of “earthbound space tourism” or its staple. But things are about to change.

Since the end of the Cold War, NORAD or the North American Air Defense Command whose former mission during Soviet times was to provide early warning for ballistic missiles launched from the then Soviet Union bound to the continental United States or her allies – is now used to warn NASA Space Shuttle missions and the International Space Station of meteor swarms and space junk that are about to hit these multi-million dollar space assets.

NORAD’s radar array that’s based in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado are sensitive enough to “see” and track a marble-sized object in low Earth orbit. Whit this capability, NORAD also has the potential to serve the earthbound space tourism biz by giving meteor shower and space junk reentering into the Earth’s atmosphere advisories – i.e. the most favorable vantage point to witness them and also advisory on the minimum safe distance to gawk at these wonderful debris showers.

Also given that NASA’s fleet of Space Shuttles is about to be retired and planned to be replaced by Apollo-style space capsule vehicles – i.e. the Orion Exploration Vehicle – that more often than not must splashdown in the middle of the Pacific in order to land safely. A heads-up from NORAD on advisory on the best “ringside seat” for earthbound space tourists to watch a space capsule splashdown ferrying returning International Space Station astronauts from the prescribed minimum safe distance of course would be nice. With coordination from NORAD and the world’s various travel agencies, earthbound space tourism could well be the global tourism industry’s next big thing.

Space Tourism: Looking for Both Creek and Paddle?

Given our current on-going global economic downturn, does the future of space tourism look promising?


By: Ringo Bones


The sales pitch about the beauty of seeing our planet from 250 miles up (400 kilometers) in space has been the sales pitch of space tourism ever since its pioneering founders took it upon themselves to make the first fiscal steps. Oddly enough way back in time when then US President John F. Kennedy gave his speech about sending a man to the moon before the decade – 1960’s that is – is out. After almost 50 years, are we now closer to a viable space tourism industry?

Probably were still suffering from that 20th Century euphoria of our relatively swift progress on manned flight. It took way less than 50 years from the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk to the invention of the DC-3 which made affordable commercial – make that tourism – flights possible. As our current state of space tourism still preclude the participation of the casual tourist, will it ever progress from sending a few intrepid billionaires paying 25 million or so US dollars per launch to experience weightlessness to a relatively mundane mass tourism business phenomena?

Basing on recent developments on space commercialization and or possible space tourism, it looks like the United States will have to settle for second place. Back in December 31, 2008, the Scottish National party is calling for a disused RAF airbase in Moray to become the UK’s first commercial spaceport. Together with Virgin Galactic, the RAF Lossiemouth site will probably serve as the birthplace of relatively affordable space flights for the average Joe intrepid enough (probably also financially well-healed) to experience weightlessness or who just want to see first-hand the beauty of planet Earth as seen from space. Even though all of this is too tempting to be ignored by the travel and tourism industry, will space tourism ever become a viable commercial enterprise given that our present “conventional” tourism industry is currently threatened by the global economic downturn?

Even though the global credit crunch will probably delay the establishment of a fiscally viable space tourism industry by a few years, its obvious unique selling points is just too tempting to not be exploited by the world’s established travel and tourism companies. Even though space commercialization via satellite launching services is already a viable private business enterprise for over 20 years, the revenue generated by space tourism or space travel by paying private individuals is still small in comparison to its bigger sibling. Not just to let anyone experience the novelty of weightlessness, it could also provide opportunity for amateur astronomers to see interesting celestial phenomena from the vantage point of low Earth orbit. Imagine a telescope-equipped space tourism “bus” where amateur astronomers can charter for a reasonable fee to witness a total eclipse of the Sun from Earth orbit. Not to mention the other “mundane” experiments that can only be performed in weightless conditions. All of which can be classified under “ignore at your own peril” to the world’s established travel and tourism industry.

Travel Advisories: Politically Motivated Scare-Mongering?

Given that travel agencies rely heavily on the US State Department’s Travel Advisory reports, shouldn’t the US State Department practice a modicum of responsibility in writing these?


By: Vanessa Uy


Like the US State Department’s latest – somewhat sensational – travel advisory warning the GHB spiked-drinks and high incidence of rapes in London’s “unlicensed” cabs and trains, travel advisories like these are more often than not taken at face-value by the various travel agencies around the world. And yet many travel savvy globetrotters have been lately wondering about the absolute truthfulness behind these reports.

Although not alone in publishing their regular series of travel advisory reports, Iran’s state department also published their version of a much-vaunted politically motivated travel advisory report. Highlighting the not-so “Islamic-Friendly” attitudes of major metropolitan cities of the Christian West. Given that travel advisories done under the behest of various state department agencies around the world are not truthful, should travel agencies accept these travel advisory reports at face value? Second of all, should the various state department agencies of the world’s nation-states practice a modicum of responsibility – as opposed to a politically motivated tit-for-tat – in publishing their own travel advisory reports?

Even though in a recent interview, a US State Department representative cites that their travel advisory reports are constantly updated with the cooperation of the local law-enforcement agencies of the various tourism hotspots, the US State Department’s travel advisory reports are primarily aimed at the casual tourist or casual traveler. Crime statistics of major cities are the primary source of data in formulating the US State Department’s regular string of travel advisory reports. Nonetheless, the primary influence of every travel advisory report in our post–9 / 11 world has always been high-profile acts of terrorism. Especially one-time tragic events like the one that occurred in Mumbai last November 2008.

Should state department agencies of the various nation-states around the world exercise a modicum of restraint given that they are the be-all-end-all source of travel and tourism advice / travel safety barometer of the worlds various travel agencies? Sadly, the issue is intransigent enough to defy a simple yes or no answer or a black in white contrast of right and wrong. Politics – especially crude oil industry driven geopolitics – and economic concerns has always has and will be in the foreseeable future the driving force behind travel advisory reports. The safety of tourists only becomes an issue when it is politically expedient – i.e. when it affects the tenure of our elected and appointed public servants.