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A new era in maritime travel: Electric boats

Justin Sondel

October 29, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Niagara Falls, New York

The Maid of the Mist has given tours of Niagara Falls for 174 years, and recently replaced its fleet with electric catamarans, the first of their kind in North America. The boats are zero-emission and run on dual banks of lithium-ion batteries that are recharged between each tour by plugging two high-voltage lines into a charging station for seven minutes. The charging station is powered by a nearby hydroelectric facility. Two joysticks, like those on an arcade game, allow captains to steer the boats and dual monitors in the wheelhouse provide detailed battery status reports for constant monitoring.

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What smaller Texas communities can learn from startups about COVID-19 economic recovery

Alyssa Goard

October 12, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Texas

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses in Texas are struggling to stay afloat. A university-sponsored crash course might help struggling businesses find solutions catered to their community. Fifty-eight communities participated in the Regional XLR8 program sponsored by the IC institute at the University of Texas at Austin. The “secret sauce” for innovation the institute has used for decades involves getting people to work with one another as opposed to working separately.

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Smart Tourism

JoAnna Haugen

October 07, 2020 |

Stanford Social Innovation Review |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nepal

Tourists can travel to remote destinations in the Himalayas and help install solar technology in villages where residents live without electricity. GHE has used funds from the tourism component to electrify 100 villages which increased the quality of life for residents and resulted in an opportunity for tourism where one did not exist before. As a result of the electrification, a community tourism initiative allowed for tourists to stay with villagers and provided an addition source of income. The economic stimulus from tourism gave native youth a reason to stay in their villages instead of migrating.

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Truck Convoy Brings Boon to Town Plagued by Violence

Merveille Kavira Luneghe

September 20, 2020 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kanyabayonga

Truck convoys ensure safer journeys for drivers and their goods around Kanyabayonga, an area that experiences intermittent instability and violence between armed groups. Up to 100 trucks carrying goods like charcoal, bananas, or lumber line up most days and wait for permission to continue their journey. The local economy has benefited, with restaurants and stores popping up to accommodate the influx of people. A ban on night time driving to prevent threats from armed groups has also supported the growth of a hotel industry, with 15 informal hotels now in operation.

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Work obsessed Japanese learn to take it easy, with a ‘workation'

Julian Ryall

September 02, 2020 |

South China Morning Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Japan

The Japanese government is embracing the idea of "workation" trips for employees across industries as a means to "help the travel industry and keep the economy ticking" as the country moves forward in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Discounts for various travel resources have encouraged 4.2 million people to try out the idea which has been made even more feasible due to the widespread adoption of remote teleworking.

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Zion National Park's shuttles are falling apart, but there is no funding to replace them. Why?

K. Sophie Will

August 13, 2020 |

St. George Spectrum & Daily News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Springdale, Utah

As part of a collaboration between Zion National Park and the nearby town of Springdale, shuttle buses were introduced to limit the amount of noise in the canyon and deal with issues of over parking. However, those shuttles have now reached the end of their lifespan and threaten to disrupt the flow of tourists into the park. Efforts to replace the buses with an electric fleet, that could also reduce carbon emissions, have hit roadblocks as they’ve been denied federal funding.

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Paradise Lockdown: How Thailand's Phuket Island flattened its coronavirus curve

Nina Milhaud

July 06, 2020 |

Asia Sentinel |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Thailand, Phuket

Despite devastating economic consequences, Thailand’s quick and hardline response to early signs of COVID-19 spread contained the virus and within weeks limited the country’s infections to just over 3,000 as of July 1, a far better record than nearby countries. Tourism-dependent Phuket Island was Thailand’s only province to impose a total lockdown for more than one month. Thanks to aggressive travel restrictions, contact tracing, and quarantines of possibly infected residents and travelers, the stringent measures paid off as restaurants and shops began reopening in early May.

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No tourism income, but this Philippine community still guards its environment

Keith Anthony S. Fabro

April 30, 2020 |

Mongabay |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Philippines, Coron, Palawan

A COVID-19-spurred shutdown has halted ecotourism to Siete Pecados, a marine protected area in the Philippines. As a result, many residents have turned to fishing as a way to supplement their income. To make sure this is done with the environment in mind, local residents are stepping up to help tourism workers, ensure the area stays protected, and prevent overfishing of endangered species.

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Look left, turn right.. jump! Islands offer remote tourism

James Brooks

April 17, 2020 |

The Seattle Times |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Faroe Islands

By leveraging technology, the tourism industry can continue to generate interest in faraway destinations. Even as much of the world’s population restricts travel, the Faroe Islands are keeping would-be tourists engaged by reaching tens of thousands of people via webcam. The would-be tourists can live-stream tours via helmet webcams worn by guides, an initiative also intended to generate future interest in physical visits.

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Caught between floods, protests and a pandemic, ecotourism operators bat for resilience

Sahana Ghosh

March 25, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Bali, West Bengal

In the Indian Sundarbans, home to a huge mangrove ecosystem as well as native tigers, ecotourism has come to a halt due to restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus disease. In response, locals involved in conservation efforts and ecotourism have stepped up to educate their communities, especially those that are the most remote, to ensure safety precautions are taken, as well as advocating for government support of those whose livelihoods are threatened.

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