Tour Operators

The US dollar used to be the universal tourist currency, accepted almost anywhere, from the streets of Hanoi to the plains of Africa. But the continued slide of the dollar against other currencies has led the greenback to be shunned in unexpected places, creating new problems for American travelers and pushing prices higher. The Taj Mahal has stopped accepting dollars for the entrance fee, under a new edict from the Indian Ministry of Culture that also affects other national tourist sites like the 13th-century minaret known as the Qutb Minar and Humayun's Tomb in Delhi.

CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire tourism officials expect lots of visiting leaf-peepers and lots of people spending money during the upcoming Columbus Day weekend. But at least one part of the industry has taken a bit of hit this fall: bus tours. Some tour operators believe the drop is due to a perception that roads are still damaged from Tropical Storm Irene. The roads have been repaired. Jayne O'Connor - president of White Mountains Attractions, a marketing association for the White Mountains region - said a 15 percent drop in tour bus business started as early as July, during the...

TALLAHASSEE - The state of Florida is suing online travel reservation companies over hotel taxes, the latest in a string of lawsuits nationwide claiming the sites owe local authorities millions of dollars. Attorney General Bill McCollum sued Expedia and Orbitz yesterday, claiming they failed to pay Florida the full amount of taxes collected on hotel room rentals through their sites. “The customer is paying the tax already,’’ said McCollum, who is running for governor in 2010.

TALLAHASSEE - The state of Florida is suing online travel reservation companies over hotel taxes, the latest in a string of lawsuits nationwide claiming the sites owe local authorities millions of dollars. Attorney General Bill McCollum sued Expedia and Orbitz yesterday, claiming they failed to pay Florida the full amount of taxes collected on hotel room rentals through their sites. “The customer is paying the tax already,’’ said McCollum, who is running for governor in 2010.

The violence that erupted in Kenya after a disputed presidential election Dec. 27 raised questions for those planning a trip to one of Africa's most popular safari destinations. Is it safe? Can I postpone? If I cancel can I get my money back? Am I covered under travel insurance? Travelers have been surfing government sites, reaching out to tour operators, and trolling TripAdvisor.com for answers. Many are getting mixed messages. Members of the London-based Federation of Tour Operators, which includes some of the biggest tour companies in Britain, suspended package tours to Kenya last...

Information http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse Fred Espenak's extensive website includes data about the 2006 and future eclipses, information about eye safety, photography tips, and tracking maps. www.eclipser.ca Jay Anderson's site, with weather maps and statistics. Tours A number of US tour operators, including those listed here, have space available for the March 29 eclipse, although many of the Libya itineraries are filled.

CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire tourism officials expect lots of visiting leaf-peepers and lots of people spending money during the upcoming Columbus Day weekend. But at least one part of the industry has taken a bit of hit this fall: bus tours. Some tour operators believe the drop is due to a perception that roads are still damaged from Tropical Storm Irene. The roads have been repaired. Jayne O'Connor - president of White Mountains Attractions, a marketing association for the White Mountains region - said a 15 percent drop in tour bus business started as early as July, during the...

Tibet's fast-growing tourism industry has come to a screeching halt in the wake of violent protests that began with a March 14 riot in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and resulted in a major crackdown by Chinese security forces. Within days of the protests, the Chinese government barred tourists from Tibet, which China calls an autonomous region, by no longer issuing the entry permits needed to travel there. The two main routes to Mount Everest, including one in Nepal, are being shut to climbers for much of the May climbing season, to protect China's plans to...

ON July 22, the 21st century’s longest total solar eclipse will darken the sky along a narrow corridor of the Asian landmass and the Pacific Ocean. An otherworldly black disk will replace the sun for about six and a half minutes, and from India through China to the sea off the southern coast of Japan, spellbound adventurers will be out in force to see it. I wouldn’t miss being one of them. I saw my first total solar eclipse in Hungary in 1999, at just past noon on a clear summer day. My friend Tamás and I were visiting his parents in Zánka, a village on the...

A North End oyster bar is printing menus in Japanese. The group sales manager from the naval museum in Fall River met with a Japanese tour operator to promote the museum's Pearl Harbor exhibit. At the Westin Copley Place hotel, green tea and electrical adapters for Japanese appliances are available upon request. With Japan Airlines' upcoming nonstop flight from Tokyo making it easier for Japanese travelers to get to Boston, tourism operators around New England are gearing up to attract them.

ON July 22, the 21st century’s longest total solar eclipse will darken the sky along a narrow corridor of the Asian landmass and the Pacific Ocean. An otherworldly black disk will replace the sun for about six and a half minutes, and from India through China to the sea off the southern coast of Japan, spellbound adventurers will be out in force to see it. I wouldn’t miss being one of them. I saw my first total solar eclipse in Hungary in 1999, at just past noon on a clear summer day. My friend Tamás and I were visiting his parents in Zánka, a village on the shore of Lake Balaton, and as...

Tibet's fast-growing tourism industry has come to a screeching halt in the wake of violent protests that began with a March 14 riot in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and resulted in a major crackdown by Chinese security forces. Within days of the protests, the Chinese government barred tourists from Tibet, which China calls an autonomous region, by no longer issuing the entry permits needed to travel there. The two main routes to Mount Everest, including one in Nepal, are being shut to climbers for much of the May climbing season, to protect China's plans to carry the Olympic...

The US dollar used to be the universal tourist currency, accepted almost anywhere, from the streets of Hanoi to the plains of Africa. But the continued slide of the dollar against other currencies has led the greenback to be shunned in unexpected places, creating new problems for American travelers and pushing prices higher. The Taj Mahal has stopped accepting dollars for the entrance fee, under a new edict from the Indian Ministry of Culture that also affects other national tourist sites like the 13th-century minaret known as the Qutb Minar and...

The violence that erupted in Kenya after a disputed presidential election Dec. 27 raised questions for those planning a trip to one of Africa's most popular safari destinations. Is it safe? Can I postpone? If I cancel can I get my money back? Am I covered under travel insurance? Travelers have been surfing government sites, reaching out to tour operators, and trolling TripAdvisor.com for answers. Many are getting mixed messages. Members of the London-based Federation of Tour Operators, which includes some of the biggest tour companies in...

Information http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse Fred Espenak's extensive website includes data about the 2006 and future eclipses, information about eye safety, photography tips, and tracking maps. www.eclipser.ca Jay Anderson's site, with weather maps and statistics. Tours A number of US tour operators, including those listed here, have space available for the March 29 eclipse, although many of the Libya itineraries are filled.

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. -- A tour boat that capsized on a New York lake, killing 20 people, did not have the required number of crew members aboard, leading state regulators to suspend licenses for all five vessels belonging to the company that operated the tour, officials said yesterday. The Ethan Allen, which overturned Sunday on Lake George while carrying 47 elderly tourists, was required by state boating regulations to have two crew members, said Wendy Gibson, spokeswoman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. -- A tour boat that capsized on a New York lake, killing 20 people, did not have the required number of crew members aboard, leading state regulators to suspend licenses for all five vessels belonging to the company that operated the tour, officials said yesterday. The Ethan Allen, which overturned Sunday on Lake George while carrying 47 elderly tourists, was required by state boating regulations to have two crew members, said Wendy Gibson, spokeswoman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.

A Spanish official in Ibiza says some 800 people, including British and German tourists, have been evacuated from homes and hotels because of the worst forest fire ever recorded on the Mediterranean resort island. Regional government emergency situations spokeswoman Asuncion Saiz says the fire that started Wednesday has now burned about 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of pine forest in the north of the island. No one has been hurt. Some 300 local people were evacuated from their homes, and tour operators moved about 500 tourists from their hotels to other lodgings,...