A Titanic cruise but no Leo or Kate
Egyptian tourism could undergo a major shift if the popular Islamic Brotherhood gets its way. Recent talk from prominent members of the surging political party have indicated that there is interest in making tourism more respectful of local customs, or customs the Brotherhood would like to be local. This would include no alcohol, and only modest swimwear allowed on sexually segregated beaches. “Tourists don’t need to drink alcohol when they come to Egypt; they have plenty at home,” a Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Azza al-jarf, said in a speech in front of the pyramids a couple of weeks ago, as reported by the Associated Press. “They came to see the ancient civilization, not to drink alcohol,” she said. The event pany will probably start with smaller planes to expand its domestic routes, upping the ante in its perennial competition with Air Canada, and opening up the possibility that it may look to move into Billy Bishop, either by getting some slots of its own, or buying into Porter. Government looks to cash in on popular National Parks Though former newsreader and current Environment Minister Peter Kent assured people current fees associated with National Parks will be frozen until April, 2013, Parks Canada is looking for new things it might be able to charge for, such as building a new lookout at Jasper, or putting together new adventure activities. Apparently, they’re also going to launch a line of clothing in 2013. Twenty million people visited Canada’s National Parks in the fiscal year 2010-2011. Mexican state introduces same-sex marriage to bump tourism Starting this month, hotels and officiants in Mexico’s beachiest state will be available to marry anyone who would like to do it on a beach, regardless of gender. According to Patricia Novelo, a spokeswoman for rights organization Colectivo Diversidad, who spoke with Latin American news agency Efe, resorts discovered a loophole in the laws of the state of Quintana Roo, which makes marriage open simply to “people interested in getting married.” Cancun and Playa del Carmen are both in Quintana Roo. I wonder if there’s a loophole like that in Jamaica. Probably not. And furthermore… The Maldives tourism industry is trying to convince its government that its spas are not brothels, so far unsuccessfully . . . Vienna has announced it’s expecting a significant dip in tourism in the first half of this year, so look out for some more Austrian Airlines deals . . . CNN has picked Atlantic Canada as one of the top destinations for 2012 . . . Charlie Trotter announced on New Year’s Eve that his eponymous Chicago restaurant is closing after 25 years so Chef Trotter can travel and maybe get a master’s degree. App of the week: Wenzani (free, iphone) Named for the Zulu word for “what are you doing?”, the new app backed by Lonely Planet is a filtered travel tips app, allowing you to get hints both from your social media community and sources like Lonely Planet, Time Out and Frommer’s. It’s in beta and limited to 100,000 downloads, so you may have to wait, but it’s a good bet this is one wave of the future of travel apps. Bert Archer writes weekly about travel news to use and amuse. You can reach him with tips, complaints and questions at bertstravel@gmail.com, and follow him on Twitter @Bertarcher. was called “Let’s encourage tourism.” Egypt is currently the secondbiggest tourist draw in North Africa after Morocco, but recent stats suggest that the vast majority of those tourists come for the beaches. Eilat in Israel, and the fast-developing Jordanian coast, also have beaches and are less than an hour from Egypt’s. Both serve drinks. What a very bad idea for a cruise
Is the cruise industry getting desperate, or just bored? Last week, we brought you news of a slasher mov- ie-themed cruise. This week, we can tell you that a cruise set to reproduce the doomed journey of the Titanic on the 100th anniversary of the sailing that cost1,514 lives is now sold out. Top price for a ticket was about $9,500. Westjet announcement hints at expanded routes Westjet CEO Gregg Saretsky announced last week that Calgarybased Westjet will finally start buying planes other than 737s, which currently comprise the entirety of its fleet. He says the cash-rich com-