By Michelle Rodrigues

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As the world continues to see greater numbers of travellers, locally owned and small travel products are often not able to keep up the pace with Internet advances. Today tourists often prefer to search and book online and this phenomenon is cutting out small operators who do not have the skills or the soft infrastructure (photographs and quality written content) to participate on the Web.

Locals participate in the harvest of the blue agave, the key ingredient required for the production of tequila

A World Heritage Site is a place recongised by the World Heritage Centre, administered by UNESCO, with a significant cultural and physical importance. Tequila, Mexico is one of these places. WHL Consulting is working in Tequila with the Consejo Regulador del Tequila in support of La Ruta del Tequila to build the capacity of small and locally owned tourism products in and around the World Heritage Site of Tequila, Mexico, original source of the popular alcoholic beverage.

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Posted under General, Mexico, countries, responsible organisations, whl.travel news

By Laura Fornadel

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When deliberating a honeymoon – an important rite of passage for all soon-to-be-married couples – traditional romantic cities like Venice or Paris are usually top destination choices. Few amorous outings compare to a stroll along the Seine or a gondolier’s serenade on the Venetian canals. This year, however, a new locale has topped a few lists for those in search of romantic settings… and it isn’t in Europe!

Newlyweds Ken and Isabella look to the horizon and contemplate their future at Anse Source d’Argent on la Digue Island in the Seychelles after their wedding

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Posted under General, Seychelles, countries, local tips, whl.travel newsletter

By Luke Ford

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Chez Galip at his wheel in his pottery workshop in Avanos, Turkey

A traditional wood stove in the corner of the sitting room heats the cool stone walls of this large cave-house turned workshop and gallery quarried into the hills of the town of Avanos in central Turkey. Homemade wine adds to the warmth as the ever-steady hands of Chez Galip, a local artist, hover over a spinning traditional potter’s kick wheel and mold masterpieces of times past from wet clumps of terracotta-red and mineral-rich clay taken fresh from the nearby Kızılırmak, or ‘Red River’.

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Posted under General, Turkey, countries, local tips, whl.travel newsletter

By Ethan Gelber

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From the top of Mt. Lovćen, a symbol of Montenegrin freedom since the villages on its slopes were never been conquered by either Austrians or Turks, the whole of Old Royal Montenegro is visible.

Until not that long ago – only about 100 years – the whole of Montenegro was still a tribal society with groups of families united by clan and living in regions called nahijas. The oldest historical part of Montenegro, today referred to as Old Royal Montenegro, which was independent for centuries, was split into four such nahijas: Crmnička, Katunska, Riječka and Lješanska nahija.

Sadly, today, despite its incredible cultural and historical importance, its proximity to other major attraction (like the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kotor and its famous bay, Skadar Lake National Park and the Ostrog Monastery) and its beautifully preserved environment, the Old Royal Montenegro district is disused, neglected and its local population is in serious decline.

But that may all be about to change thanks to a contract signed between the Delegation of the European Commission in Montenegro and the Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI).
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Posted under Montenegro, countries, responsible organisations, whl.travel newsletter

By Anda Cirule

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Although small, the Baltic country of Latvia attracts oversize attention, luring in travellers with a richness of culture and traditions, green and pure nature and a history dating back to early 9000 BC.

Detail from an Art Nouveau building in Riga, Latvia, which famous as a centre for this style of architecture

Latvia’s capital city, Riga, is the largest metropolis in the Baltic states, an urban spread particularly well known for its fantastic integration of historic and contemporary architecture. In fact, Riga, sometimes called the Eastern Paris, is considered by many to be the world’s best epicentre of Art Nouveau, particularly Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau).

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Posted under Latvia, countries, local tips, whl.travel newsletter

By Ethan Gelber

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The impact of the FIFA World Cup on tourism in South Africa will be big. Really big. As many as 500,000 visitors are expected to find their way to the Rainbow Nation in June of 2010, infusing the economy with a mighty jolt of energy and money.

In a gateway community in Southern Limpopo, South Africa, a woman weaves baskets. Travellers making local connections like this are what the Shared Growth Challenge Fund hopes to highlight.

But some people are already (wisely) asking what will happen when the trophies have been celebrated, the afterglow faded and media attention lifted. Well, the South African Tourist Board estimates that 300,000 more visitors than usual over the next five years will continue to respond to the hype of the first African country ever to host the world’s biggest sporting event.

While that’s very encouraging, a more long-term view of tourism development in South Africa suggests that it’s not far-sighted enough.
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Posted under South Africa, countries, responsible organisations, responsible travel, whl.travel news

* MIRAR DEBAJO POR ESTE MENSAJE EN ESPAÑOL / SEE BELOW FOR THIS MESSAGE IN SPANISH
* LEIA LOGO ABAIXO ESTA NOTICIA EM PORTUGUÊS / SEE BELOW FOR THIS MESSAGE IN PORTUGUESE
* ZIE HIERONDER VOOR DIT BERICHT IN HET NEDERLANDS / SEE BELOW FOR THIS MESSAGE IN DUTCH

For good reason, the antique city of Cusco is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Peru. Once the capital of the Inca Empire – and officially designated the Historical Capital of Peru by the Constitution of Peru – Cusco is the oldest still-inhabited city in all of South America. It is perhaps best known as a hub for travellers venturing off to other targets in the southeast of the country, not the least of which is the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, but it also shines with enough of its own beauty and charisma to warrant a longer stay. Very few leave disappointed by this World Heritage Site’s bustling marketplaces, impressive architecture, vivacious nightlife and world-class restaurants, all just part of an immersion in the fascinating culture of the Andes.

Dating back Incan times when it was believed to have been the most important ceremonial place in the city, the main Plaza de Armas of Cuscu, Peru, today boasts two impressive cathedrals that have certainly withstood the test of time

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Posted under General, Peru, countries, new local connections, responsible organisations, whl.travel news

As a postscript to our Young Adults Put Muscle Behind Fundraising for the Sangkheum Center in Siem Reap, Cambodia article, the following is a brief report from Thomas Holdo Hansen, the whl.travel local connection in Siem Reap.

Bota (bottom), Jo (right) and Dayvy of angkorhotels.org prepare to set out with the young adults of the Sangkheum Center on the fourth annual Angkor Wat Bike Race and Rally in Cambodia

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Posted under Cambodia, General, countries, responsible organisations

By Ethan Gelber

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Most travellers first learn of Siem Reap when they start planning a visit to the famous Cambodian World Heritage Site that includes Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is, of course, a stunning 12th-century temple and the best-preserved structure of the Angkor Group, a wide-reaching jungle-thick area of hundreds of incredible monuments. It is, for many, a highlight of any trip through Southeast Asia. And on 5 December 2009, it will be centre stage for the fourth annual Angkor Wat Bike Race and Rally. [Editor's note: Don't miss our postscript and fundraising update following the events of the day.]

Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument ever built, is the backdrop for Siem Reap's fourth annual Angkor Wat Bike Race and Rally

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Posted under Cambodia, General, countries, responsible organisations, whl.travel newsletter

LEIA LOGO ABAIXO ESTA NOTICIA EM PORTUGUÊS / SEE BELOW FOR THIS MESSAGE IN PORTUGUESE

A visit to Ouro Preto, which means ‘Black Gold’ in Portuguese, is a journey back in time to the colonial period of Brazil that helped make it the country it is today. From the high slopes of the historic city, travellers look out over the magnificent features of its baroque architecture in the churches and mansions below. Visitors can also meander through massive mines and browse around the museums that function as complete archives of the region’s history.

This lovely view of the historic centre of Ouro Preto, Brazil, was taken from one of several places that offer stunning panoramic vistas of town and the surrounding country

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Posted under Brazil, General, countries, new local connections, whl.travel news