fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
All roads lead to Rome
By: Brandon Jacoby
Tags: Fintech, Growth, Consumer, Product Design, Startups

The Peutinger Table. Reproduction by Conradi Millieri — Ulrich Harsch Bibliotheca Augustana.

All roads lead to Rome

I spent three years as a Design Lead at Cash App. During my time there we saw a substantial growth in both active users and revenue, and had the pleasure of helping to build out the Growth team.

A few focuses of my team were new user acquisition and existing user engagement. In simple terms, this meant getting non-Cash App customers to become customers, and getting current customers to become better* ones.

This meant one of the largest challenges we were trying to solve was finding a user who was using Cash App just to pay their roommate back for dinner, and getting them to also use the product as their bank account… and the place they get their paycheck deposited… and the place they spend that money on a debit card… and to engage with rewards on that debit card… Not to mention also getting them to buy bitcoin or stock in their favorite company…

These were some big challenges that required thought on not only designing around traditional methods of growth, but also digging a layer deeper into our users’ relationships with money. It was some of the most exciting, rewarding work I did.

But these challenges weren’t unique to Cash App. Many consumer fintech products are moving in a similar direction today, developing an innovative solution to a specific product vertical within the consumer finance suite, then horizontally engaging their customers with a broader set of functionality.

In consumer fintech, “all roads lead to Rome”

Despite the competitive landscape of the space, most product differentiation comes at the beginning of users’ lifecycles. Regardless of which road the user starts on, they end up in a similar spot.

Whether it’s Cash App’s peer-to-peer payment network, Robinhood’s commission free trading, Chime’s early direct deposit, or Point’s rewards that become the road in which a user travels, they’ll eventually end up in Rome — surrounded by upsells for debit cards and checking accounts.

If acquisition is the battle, engagement and retention is the war.

This shared model of acquiring customers through a vertical product and then horizontally cross-selling is no surprise. More often than not, these acquisition hooks share a common thread of a relatively low customer acquisition cost, with the extended product offerings being highly monetizable.

There are two primary paths to being successful as one of these players:

Build a viral acquisition hook — relying on winning more acquisition battles and focusing on building the top-of-funnel, or Build a well oiled cross-sell machine, putting an emphasis on high conversion rates of cross-selling.

The real winners, of course, are the rare products that can accomplish both. I may be biased, but this can largely explain Cash App’s success in recent years.
The Anti Selfie Selfie Club
Tags: Social Media, Photography, Apps, Consumer, Technology

The Anti Selfie Selfie Club

Today we’re excited to announce the launch of Poparazzi, a new photo sharing app focused on preserving authentic moments with friends.

Over the last decade our feeds have become increasingly filled with edited, seemingly effortless perfection. When we post about ourselves, we naturally gravitate towards sharing only the most exciting moments in our life. We over-edit photos and write witty captions in an attempt to portray our best selves. The result: a competition for attention where nobody wins. The more we scroll, the more we feel like we don’t stack up. And so the cycle continues…

But life is made up of many unperfect, perfect moments that are worth capturing and sharing. Like watching your friend stuff their face with a burrito, or catching your significant other looking like a snack. Unfortunately, the pressure to appear as though our lives are perfect prevents us from sharing these moments with the people we love.

Poparazzi has entered the chat…

Leave your selfies at the door.

We built Poparazzi to take away the pressure to be perfect. We did this by not allowing you to post photos of yourself, putting the emphasis where it should’ve been all along: on the people you’re with. On Poparazzi, you are your friend’s paparazzi, and they are yours.

Your profile on Poparazzi is created by your friends when they take photos of you. On the flip side, you create your friends’ profiles when you take photos of them. The person(s) in the photo is always in control so you can remove any photo from your profile that you don’t like. You can also toggle your account to private, which means only people you approve of can take photos of you.

Poparazzi also helps you stay connected with your friends when you follow them. Throughout the day, you’ll see photos your friends are taking of each other (you might even see photos of yourself!). You’ll feel like you’re with them, even when you’re not physically together.

When we launched our beta a few months ago, it instantly resonated with our community. We hit 10,000 beta testers in just a few days and our AppStore page quickly racked up over 500,000 pre-installs. We realized that by making social media less about promoting ourselves and more about sharing moments with friends, people actually ended up sharing a lot more — and the content shared was refreshingly authentic. Over 100,000 photos have been shared on Poparazzi so far, and we’re just getting started.

Our community showed us the potential Poparazzi has to be a special place on the internet for authentic expression — and we’re so excited to finally make it available to everyone on the AppStore.

You can download it here.

Poparazzi is all about capturing life’s most authentic moments, instead of the staged ones. It’s about hyping up your friends, instead of competing against them. After all, life is a team sport and we’re all just hurling through space at an unimaginable speed. Let’s take the edge off.

Let’s get it poppin’
Introducing Equal Parts
Tags: Burnout, Startup, Consumer, Business, Food

Why We Chose Cooking as our First Brand

Many of us at Pattern have worked together for the better part of a decade. A few years ago, we found ourselves in the midst of an incredibly challenging time at work and found ourselves turning to home cooking as a way to cope with stress. We found cooking to be a simple, yet valuable act of resistance to the stream of emails and notifications following us home each day.

Our team in the office started a text thread about cooking, which planted the seed for the Equal Parts model and brand. The chat wasn’t centered around mastering the latest recipes or trending seasonal ingredients. It focused on more vulnerable topics like basic cooking techniques and finding the time and motivation needed to get started. We shared photos of the meals we had made (and the messes), which were far from Instagram perfection but made us feel proud and served as reminders of a fulfilling moment during the day.

The text thread quickly picked up interest; beginners felt more confident and more experienced cooks were able to try new things. Within a month, we had almost 100 friends and family getting guidance and encouragement from one another.

We realized the more we cooked and talked about it with one another, it transformed from a daunting chore to a protective buffer for enjoying our personal time, allowing us to unwind, recharge, use our hands, and sit down for a warm meal with people we love.

In creating Pattern, we wanted each brand to focus on activities in the home that help take back time and attention; here was one in the cornerstone of the home — the kitchen.
5 top tips if you’re booking a holiday this year
By: Cara Lewis
Tags: Consumer, Holidays

With the government outlining its road map out of lockdown, many of us will be looking to book that sunny getaway we’ve been dreaming about for the past year. But things aren’t completely certain — so we asked our consumer experts for some top tips to help you maximize your chances of getting away and, if you can’t, ensure you get refunded:

Check the cancellation conditions. The Prime Minister has said the “Roadmap” will be determined by data not dates. The closer you book to the re-opening dates, the higher the risk you’ll have to cancel. If you have to cancel your holiday because you’re self-isolating, you may not be entitled to a refund. If the cancellation is because the national lockdown is extended, you should get a refund but it may take longer than normal to process. If you are intending to go abroad, check the local entry requirements. You might need a negative test before you fly and may need to self-isolate on arrival. If the destination country imposes new restrictions after you book but the flight is still going, you may not be entitled to a refund because you no longer want to travel. Keep in mind that the UK vaccination programme is much further advanced than many countries so they might not re-open at the same pace and in the same way as the UK. Make sure you understand the entry requirements to the UK when you return. You might need a negative test before your return flight, or to self-isolate or quarantine when you get back. Things can change quickly and may not be the same when you return as when you booked. It’s also worth bearing in mind that the managed quarantine hotels in the UK are expensive, currently £1,750 for 10 nights (and you could be fined up to £10,000 if you don’t comply). Pay by credit card if you can manage the repayments. If you put at least the deposit on a credit card, the full amount of the holiday costing more than £100 and up to £30,000 is protected by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. If you don’t have a credit card, pay by debit card rather than by cash, cheque or bank transfer. If things go wrong you can ask the bank to do a chargeback — even though this is voluntary on behalf of the bank, it often works. If your holiday is cancelled, you may be offered refund credit notes. Some refund credit notes are guaranteed and offer a refund, but they all have time limits. So, make sure the travel agent is protected by The Travel Association (ABTA). Make sure to use the credit notes or claim the refund before the expiry day. You don’t have to accept a refund credit note for cancelled package holidays which must be refunded in full by law within 14 days. And, if your flight is cancelled by the airline, you should be refunded within 7 days.

For more help and support, take a look at our advice on holiday and transport or contact our consumer helpline.
World First wholesale adventure sports booking platform with token.
By: Adrenaline Chain Inc
Tags: Travel, Cryptocurrency, Adventure Travel, Business, Tourism

Hi guys have a look at this. A brief description below and links to the latest newsletter and website. This is a world first for the adventure sports tourism industry.

Adrenaline Chain will offer global adventure sport trips at wholesale prices. Empowering both consumer and operator, eliminating the need for commission. ADR aims to be the leading distributor for large group bookings and mid-range to high end accommodation packages. Huge benefits available for traditional travel agents if Adrenaline Chain system is utilized.

ADR will issue its own cryptocurrency to book trips within the platform. And create a transparent ecosystem to speed up the confirmation process and provide accuracy of information.

Our top priority is to provide our customers with a simple online platform that is well-organized, rapid and secure.

Adrenaline Chain will be a role model in the Adventure Sports Tourism Industry as we are also avid believers in engaging in philanthropic activities through our Corporate Social Responsibility programs worldwide.

More info here

https://adrenalinechain.sendx.io/share/newsletter/Adrenaline-Chain-wholesale-booking-platform-10000-Free-ADRX-tokens-Launch-Pad-in-Bali/ATYfcKzXTWQN7zAY2hxZg2

https://www.adrenalinechain.com/

http://adrenalinechain.io/

Please make contact to register your interest. We plan to have the bookings website up and running in 2 to 3 months and list on exchanges soon after that.
What is Crypto Tourism?
By: Rabinder Kumar
Tags: Cryptocurrency, Tourism, Technology, Crypto, Money

After the deep impact of the coronavirus pandemic, different companies are boomeranging and trying to pick up the same pace. Crypto enthusiasts are seeking to spend their digital coins traveling abroad.

The high volatility in cryptocurrencies and the recent market crash have raised alarming concerns among blockchain and crypto investors and industries.

“The world’s leading cryptocurrency-friendly online travel agency (OTA) found that 38% of Americans plan to travel in the summer of 2021. And found an increased desire among people to use cryptocurrencies to pay for their vacations” — Report

Crypto Tourism

In 2018–19, several tourism companies arranged special travel programs for cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiasts. Such types of travel programs include luxurious cruises, which offer marvelous service to cryptocurrency holders.

For Example Scotland-based crypto wallet provider coins bank arranged 4 big crypto tourism cruises. Blockchain cruises, arranged by the tourism of Edinburgh.

Before the pandemic, the recent tourism program was in Europe in 2019. It was five days, estimated 2,500 crypto participants were there and sailed in the Mediterranean territory.

After this Covid-19 pandemic happened and all the travel industries including crypto tourism ceased in 2020.

In a simple sense, I explain that crypto tourists are travelers who use crypto assets to pay for their holidays. Like companies in New Zealand offers travel program where tourists could use crypto coins to see adventurous places.

It is basically a replacement for fiat currency.

Additionally, countries like the Bahamas, Greece, and Cyprus are crypto-friendly and accept digital money from their tourists.

Recently, El Salvador becomes the first country to adopt bitcoin as a legal tender. If more adoption happens in near future, it will be a historic event for cryptocurrency tourists.
VACCINE PASSPORT FOR GLOBAL TRAVEL
By: Aroosh Travels
Tags: Travel, Tourism, Vaccination, Traveling

VACCINE PASSPORT FOR GLOBAL TRAVEL

Some Asian governments, European Union, and the airline industry are scrambling to develop so-called Covid-19 vaccine passports to help re-activate international travel. Very soon this could be implemented worldwide as seems.

If you are planning to travel during another summer holiday be advice to rush towards Covid -19 vaccination. A mobile app is being developed for smartphone / i-phone holders which will prove that you’re vaccinated, it could help them avoid time-consuming quarantine requirements at their destinations or the middle of the routes. Vaccinated passports would add another digital layer to signified you are vaccinated, However, there’s more momentum to use them for international travel, especially as countries like Iceland, France and, Israel open their borders to vaccinated visitors and others like Saudi Arabia start allowing vaccinated citizens to travel abroad. The EU’s verdict last week to open its borders to fully vaccinated travelers enhances even more urgency.

However; this is not so easy to apply globally, due to the lack of international equal digital technology. But as the Coronavirus is introducing waves of its new strain one by one, then in such a situation this technology is highly needed to prevents its harm. This will be implemented immediately, as many Airlines like Emirates Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Japan Airlines, and IATA have signed up. Yes, even this time if you’re vaccinated, it gives you ease to travel worldwide with the least restriction.

Till the time Negative RT –PCR is the necessary documentation. But, QR codes in the RT-PCR report must be visible for those flying abroad from India.

The one who is traveling abroad from India must be carried a Negative RT-PCR report with a QR code along with a valid visa and passport.

This decision to link QR codes with the test report comes after complaints of travelers from India providing fake negative RT-PCR reports to fly abroad. Some states within the country which had made negative reports mandatory had also been concerned about this practice.

Two travel agent has been arrested last month by Hinjewadi Police, who were providing fake RT PCR report to the traveler in Rs 600 each. The police had then said that there were more people involved in the racket and the gang had prepared more than 500 such fake reports. In Pune, two testing lab technicians had also been arrested for duplicating RT-PR reports, also two-person were arrested in Bengaluru who were issuing fake RT –PCR reports for rupees 700 each.

Covid-19 documents sold by fraudsters have been a problem during the pandemic but developers say digital versions have protections that make them hard to fake. While planning to travel be aware of fraud travel agents. Always get your itinerary build by trusted agents, we at Aroosh Travels promise for your safe trip with competitive rates.

In case if you require more information related to your coming trip feel free to write us back or give us a call at +918969204449, we shall be happy to assist.
Qalat; A Village with Unique Nature, Old History in Southern Iran
By: Maryam Khy
Tags: Villages, Tourism, Nature, History

Qalat village, located 36 kilometres northwest of Shiraz in Fars province, is a beautiful historical village with a cool climate even in the hottest months of the year. The village is at an altitude of 2,065 metres above sea level with about 7,000 inhabitants.

The village dates back to several thousand years ago, and a church on the hillside and among the wild trees of Qalat is a testimony to this claim.

One kilometre away from the village, staircase houses — where the rooftop of one house is the yard of the other — are not well visible, as the tall trees cover all of them.

The houses of this village are mostly made of stone, clay, mud, plaster and wood and their ceilings are flat.

Most people in the village of Qalat in Shiraz are engaged in animal husbandry, horticulture and handicrafts. Walnuts, almonds, grapes, figs, pomegranates, apricots, plums and green tomatoes next to dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter and whey are the main products of this village.

Other items that people sell to make a living are giveh (a kind of soft, comfortable, durable and handwoven-top shoe common in several parts of Iran), hand-made baskets, musk (used to keep water cool) and wooden tools.

Next to its beautiful nature and unique waterfalls, there is an old church in the village which has a stone-like and interesting architecture and represents the old history of this village. The church, which was the pastoral home of Christians in the countryside, now has been ruined after the immigration of local people.

Water mills, the Qalat cemetery, the carvings, and, most importantly, the Qezel Arsalan castle are other attractions of the historical village.

https://ifpnews.com/exclusive/qalat-a-village-with-unique-nature-old-history-in-southern-iran/
3 Factors that Affect the Flavor of Wine
Tags: Travel, Tour Operators, Tourism, Wine, San Francisco Wine Tours

Wine has been continuously enjoyed by many people for centuries. Some like it for the flavor while others for its alcoholic content. There are people who enjoy it so much they even book events where they can drink wine while walking around vineyards and wineries, like those in Napa Valley and other plantations offering San Francisco wine tours.

With that said, there are many different kinds of wines, and all of them tend to vary in the way they taste and smell. Here are 3 factors that influence the taste of wine.

The Vineyards

There are two main kinds of wine: red and white. These are made from black grapes and white grapes, respectively. Although there are obvious differences based on the grape variety, it gets tricky. Wines vary in aroma and flavor even though they’re the same kind.

One factor that influences aroma and flavor is the location the grapes are grown. The altitude, climate, and the soil composition of the area play key roles that affect the wine’s taste. Even if you’re buying wines made out of black grapes, there can still be major differences in flavor especially if they’re from different parts of the country.

The Oak Barrels

After the grapes are harvested, the juice is extracted, and this is kept somewhere to ferment. For centuries, wine has always been stored in oak barrels, but today, only a few people know the reason behind it. These wooden containers play a significant part in the aging of wine.

Unlike other alcoholic products, wineries don’t put flavor additives in wine. Instead, the oak barrel acts like a seasoning. It adds rich and fuller impressions that complement the wine. The barrel’s effect on the flavor can be noticed in the wine’s aroma and can be described as a slight touch of cinnamon and vanilla. On the palate, it ranges in taste from rich caramel to hints of tropical coconut. With that said, all flavors tend to vary based on the oak wood used for the barrel.

The Age

As wine starts to mature, its flavor and color significantly change. During the fermentation process, many subtle changes take place, but their effect in terms of taste is dramatic. Wineries follow different kinds of aging plans; it all depends on the type of wine they desire to produce.

There are some wines that only take a short time to develop, and aging them longer won’t really benefit the product. Also, there are wines that are sold in the same year they’re produced so that they can be consumed at the peak of their quality. On the other hand, premium wines are matured longer, allowing them to develop more complex and full-bodied flavors.

Wine is a complex drink that can be enjoyed for different occasions. If you want to try many kinds while learning about the winemaking process, you can try San Francisco wine tours.
TRAVELLING ALONE — EXPECTATION VS REALITY
By: Syed Ali Mujtaba Jaffary
Tags: Travel, Solo Travel, Tourism, Tour, Life

We all are intrigued after reading blogs and seeing vlogs by the excellent travellers, and there are times when we want nothing else more than having a solo trip. It appears all good and fun, but there are some realities which no one talks about. So. We thought to share them with you before you execute your plan of going alone on travel.

FREEDOM TO MAKE OR CHANGE PLANS

There are more perks of solo travelling than the disadvantages, and one of them is getting the freedom to do what you want. You can even change the plans at the very last moment with no strings attached and without having to feel guilty about ruining someone else’s idea or mood.

Travelling Alone Expectation Vs Reality

You can wander as much as your legs allow and if you want to rest, you can take a nap at any time. What’s better than having complete freedom? When you travel alone somehow, you tick off your to-do-list real fast, and then there will be plenty of time to be spontaneous.

YOU’LL TRUST YOURSELF MORE

Despite the foolproof plan and loads of research that you may have done, there will be things that you will have to decide right then and there in the spree of the moment. The experience will serve as the best teacher.

Things will not go according to the plan, and there is a high chance once or twice, you’ll have to learn how to make things work when the plan fails. You’ll start trusting yourself more after a few failed ideas and getting solutions for them.

A CHANCE TO BE SELF-RELIANT

Since you are on your own, it is the best time to lean on yourself and trust your instincts. Solo travel makes you capable of figuring out many situations without any assistance. If there is a dilemma, it needs to be fixed, and you have to become self-reliant.

Read More…
Dresden — The Phoenix. If you want to feel history, even…
By: Samaneh Nasihatkon
Tags: Travel, Trip, Tourism, One Day Traveling, Germany

Hello

I had a special experience on Saturday, September 21. 8 hours visit to Dresden, around 30 k steps and visit as much as I could:

Dresden has been ruined during world war, especially with many many bombs dropped on this beautiful city, lots of fire and burnings. And then it was reconstructed again. This is why I read in an article that it can be called Phoenix.

I never thought that sharing my feelings will be this hard with my second language. But, as promised, I want to share this post sooner. It’s better than later. And yes, I am not satisfied with it.

Just want to say: Visit Dresden, your heart will feel everything. Specially in Zwinger Palace and Simultankirche Sankt Martin.

Long story short …

Here is a list of the places I visited in that 8 hours trip which you can follow on my Instagram highlights :

Kunsthofpassage

Simultankirche Sankt Martin

Dreikönigskirche — House of the Church Dresden

Golden Rider

Japanisches Palais

Augustus Bridge

Katholische Hofkirche

Fürstenzug

Frauenkirche Dresden

Brühl’s Terrace

Brühlschen Garten

Academy of Fine Arts Dresden

Oberlandesgericht Dresden

Schlossplatz

Semperoper Dresden

Semperoper Dresden Zwinger

Kronentor

Holy Cross Church

Sculptures / Tourist attractions

Moritzmonument

Friedrich August II Koenig Von Sachsen

Denkmal “Friedrich August dem Gerechten”

Ernst Rietschel Denkmal

Martin Luther Statue

Fountains

Artesischer Brunnen

Stille Wasser und Stürmische Wogen

Cholerabrunnen

Some places we just saw from distance, hopefully next time I will visit them:

Theater Ruin St. Pauli

Sächsische Staatskanzlei

Yenidze

Some places I passed and missed actually[ :( ]:

Hausmannsturm

Dresden Castle

If you are fan of Museums and Art Galleries, you will find a lot of them in Dresden:

Museum of Military History

Museum of Dresden

Erich Kästner Museum

Dresden Armory

Dresden Transport Museum

Old and New Green Vault

Albertinum

Dresden City Museum

Semper Gallery

Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon

Old Masters Picture Gallery

Dresden Porcelain Collection

Galerie Kunst und Eros

Kunsthaus Dresden

Till Ansgar Baumhauer

Till Ansgar Baumhauer produzenten | galerie

Kunsthandel und Galerie Ladron de Guevara

Atelier Uta Gneiße

GALERIE HOLGER JOHN

Finckenstein Galerie und Kunsthandel

Galerie Inspire ART

Kunsthaus Raskolnikow e.V.

Eat

Vapiano — Schössergasse 14, 01067 Dresden

It was the best experience with a restaurant I had so far, you can order directly to the chef, he / she will cook it in front of you, you can ask for flavors or also ask them not to use special ingredients you may not like or have allergy. And, it was so delicious.

Rest and Caffee or Tea

Starbucks — Altmarkt 7, 01067 Dresden

I ordered the biggest tea size [:D] Don’t do that, it was huge!
Learn how the the world of tourism startups work
By: Alejandro Brega
Tags: Startup, Tourism, Entrepreneurs

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in association with Globalia, the leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America, have rejoined to launch, for the second consecutive year, the OMT Tourism Startup Competition (2nd UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition).

After the success of the first edition, in which nearly 3000 companies participated, the largest competition for startups — or emerging companies — returns worldwide, dedicated to identifying the new companies that will lead the transformation of the sector

The new call was launched within the framework of the 23rd meeting of the UNWTO General Assembly (September 10–13, St. Petersburg). The presentation was attended by the UNWTO Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili, and the CEO of Globalia, Javier Hidalgo.

The eye is on innovation

“With this competition we are exploring new terrain in tourism, innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable development. We have managed to bring together the most relevant parties that mark the development of our sector and its relevance on a global scale”, said Zurab Pololikashvili.

For his part, Hidalgo emphasized the collaborative effort of this second edition, with partners of such relevance as Telefónica, Amadeus, Intu or Valencia Digital District.

“Wakalua will help us achieve a bright, sustainable and profitable future. It will also help us promote a circular economy, as well as promote social development. In Globalia we are aware that the tourism of the future will not be the same as yesterday’s tourism; It needs to be better for our planet, our children and for the environment. This competition will help us achieve these challenges through technology and innovation”, said the CEO of Globalia.

The new partners will be actively involved in the promotion of the five categories of the project and will help to choose the best solutions and the most disruptive projects based on new business models.

How does the competition work?

This annual competition is one of the great projects of Wakalua, the tourism innovation hub of Globalia, which will host the winning companies for further development, and will help them interact with leading companies in the sector. UNWTO and Globalia have the support of the innovation consultancy Barrabés.biz for this project.

In the first call, 20 startups from 12 countries reached the semifinals and finals held in Budapest and Madrid, respectively. The Refundit tax return company was the winner and Globalia, as a funding partner, also invested in Freebird together with Portugal Ventures, established a joint venture with Tripscience and launched a pilot with Pruvo.

The call for the 2nd UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition will be launched worldwide and will end on November 15. The winners will be announced on January 21, 2020 during a gala to be held within the framework of the International Tourism Fair of Madrid (Fitur).
Thomas Cook collapse
By: Keith Parkins
Tags: Tour Companies, Tourism, Cyprus, Greece, Thomas Cook

0200 this morning 178-year-old travel company Thomas Cook went bust.

Over the weekend zombie travel company Thomas Cook kept afloat by the banks had been desperately trying to obtain over £200 million to stay afloat.

Up until the crash senior management had been happily pocketing hefty bonuses and massive salaries.

Note: Those who lost their jobs now using food banks.

Not only senior management that were screwing Thomas Cook, so were vulture capitalists, the same vulture capitalists who are betting on the fall of the pound and UK crashing out of EU, who just happen to be the same vulture capitalists backing Boris Johnson.

The crash came as no surprise.

Thomas Cook, outdated businesses model, package holidays.

Last week the failing Cyprus industry looked to tour companies to come to their rescue. It beggars belief they are still operating in the 1960s, failing to obtain direct bookings.

UK government has mounted a rescue exercise. But why charter planes, why send out CAA and Foreign Office staff? Why not use the grounded Thomas Cook planes and crew, the staff located overseas? It would have been cheaper.

A moot point should the government have bailed out Thomas Cook, would have been cheaper than the rescue, on the other hand sends out the wrong message and creates a dangerous precedent to bail out bankrupt companies, as they then become reckless, knowing taxpayer will pick up the tab.

Strange no mention why Thomas Cook found itself in this parlous state, saddled with massive debt with no hope of repaying, unable to service the debt, or criminal behaviour of a former chief executive.

Holidaymakers being threatened by their hotel, money demanded, should not pay. The claim of the hotels is against the administrators of Thomas Cook not holidaymakers who have already paid for their holiday.

With the collapse of Thomas Cook, tui will have a monopoly, they will screw clients, screw hoteliers, not that they have not been doing that for years. Tui must be broken up.

Hoteliers should grasp the opportunity Thomas Cook collapse offers for innovation, move to direct bookings, cut out the middle man who is screwing everyone, receive payment end of stay not end of season, but need to move fast otherwise companies like tui will step into the void and exploit the situation.

Already airlines are profiteering from the collapse, hiking air fares.
Medical Tourism — Malaysia. Malaysia is quickly becoming a leader…
Tags: Medical, Malaysia, Tourism, Healthcare, Healthy Lifestyle

Malaysia is quickly becoming a leader in medical tourism. Md. Bipul Nazir, Managing Director of H Healthcare Berhad is at the forefront of medical tourism. H Healthcare Berhad will soon have over 300 clinics and 30 medical centers catering to offering health screenings, procedures and treatments to tourists. Tourists can enjoy the rich culture, delectable foods and beautiful accommodations while receiving excellent medical care.

In terms of capturing medical tourism, Malaysia has spent the past few years becoming one of the best destinations of healthcare service providers. There are many facilities where tourists can find English speaking doctors and nurses. Tourists can make an appointment with a specialist by simply walking into the hospital.

Malaysia offers quality healthcare that is just as good as what is offered in Singapore, at a better price. Many of the nurses and doctors in Singapore are Malaysian so tourists can expect the same quality services from the medical system in Malaysia. When people come to Malaysia for medical tourism they get quality healthcare for a value.

Tourists have many options for different packages and services to choose from. Various service providers offer unique holiday experiences paired with their services. Executive health screenings are one of the most popular services sought in Malaysia.

The Malaysian health care system offers comprehensive screenings that tourists and foreigners trust. Malaysian doctors use high technology medical equipment when screening and they pay close attention to the patient’s medical histories. The doctors teams of doctors that make decisions regarding diagnosis and treatment.

The government is invested in developing medical tourism in Malaysia as well. Government officials pay a lot of attention and put a lot of effort in supporting the medical tourism industry and making it into the industry it is today.

Mr. Nazir feels that H Healthcare Berhad plays an important role in growing Malaysia’s medical tourism industry. They are expanding to offer specialized, executive facilities with one-stop services while still offering convenience and value. H Healthcare Berhad is focusing on really understanding the needs of the patients and providing a satisfying experience.
Three Unconventional Forms of Travel You Should Try If You Can’t Go Abroad This Summer
By: Tourism Geographic Editor
Tags: Travel, Home, Psychology, Tourism, Digital

There has never been a better time to rethink the traditional vacation. International tourism has been decimated by the pandemic, and it is likely to be difficult for the travel industry to recover in the near future.

Short-term, uncertainty around leisure travel continues. COVID-19 restrictions have limited international travel opportunities to a confusing patchwork of recommendations and restrictions. Tourists travelling for Euro 2020 have been linked to spikes in COVID-19 cases. Australia has re-imposed regulations on domestic and international travel to try and manage the virus’s spread.

Long-term, we need to make tourism more sustainable. Aviation contributes around 5% of annual human-made global warming. Tourism also needs to be more inclusive. In the UK, just 1% of the population take 20% of flights abroad.

Given this situation, familiar assumptions about what vacations should look like are overdue a reset. Our current model contributes to climate change. It confines the benefits of tourism to a few positives, while the negative impacts are felt by many. And it may be unavailable for the foreseeable future.

Alternative tourism approaches are available, however. But rather than being about money, they focus on mindset. They are the ways in which philosophy can help us to rethink tourism and explore options which may be more accessible and sustainable to us overall.

Tourism is something that takes us out of the usual. Stepping outside of everyday routines gives us a chance to relax. Doing something unfamiliar provides opportunities to learn. But you don’t need to travel long distances to reap the benefits. We can access the unfamiliar close to home:
AHASPOKUNA SRI LANKA
By: Charles Dayananda
Tags: Sri Lanka Hotels, Tourism, Sri Lanka Tourism, Hotel

On the verge of succumbing to the relentless agitation of the rebels, the colonial rulers unleashed a ruthless campaign to murder every man, burn down every home and destroy all the farmlands in the rebel areas. Munwatta, which was just 12.4km away from Walapane, where there were 3 rebel leaders of 18 did not have any mercy from the rulers. The rebels were left with no choice but to retreat to the safety of the uninhabited southern hills.

After weeks of traversing harsh conditions and searching for a location to settle down in, the rebels found a safe haven with enough natural cover, a healthy supply of water and fertile grounds for cultivation. This sanctuary was called “Ahaspokuna”. Though only three families survived the treacherous journey, they had finally found their refuge.

A few years later, once the threat of genocide had subsided, these families moved further south and settled in a more open valley. Since it was the first village they established since their great passage, they named the village ‘Mul Gama’ which literally translates as ‘First Village’.

The three great houses of the village were named ‘Ihala Walawwa’, ‘Meda Walawwa’ and ‘Phala Walawwa’. Even though they had founded a new village, they still kept the Ahaspokunna settlement for cultivation purposes. Generation later however, Ahaspokuna was forgotten and was only used occasionally for Chena cultivation.



More than 100 years later, Karunarathne Abeykoon, the founder’s father, rediscovered his pahala walawwa roots and traced his family history back to this settlement after 12 years of arduous research. He was able to trace all the land that belonged to his family and his relatives in Ahaspokuna. The land settlement published in the gazettes of January, 1957 on Ahaspokuna, helped him a great deal and he was further able to trace the historical records of the property utilizing the plans obtained from the Surveyor General’s office.

The present era of development meant that almost everyone who owned other blocks of land in the Ahaspokuna area had migrated to bigger cities and were more than willing to hand their lands over to Karunarathne.

After years of laborious research, tracking family roots, interviewing hundreds of people and gaining legal clearances, Karunarathne and his son Anuruddha Abeykoon Bandara, were finally able to establish Sri Lanka’s first-ever private wildlife reserve refuge of Ahaspokuna on 16th December 2016 at the auspicious time of 8.52 a.m.
Here’s to being curious and all the wonderful things that come with it.
By: James Kindred
Tags: Tourism, Brand Strategy, Branding, Curious

Here’s to being curious and all the wonderful things that come with it. James Kindred Jul 7·3 min read

One of the campaign characters from The Curious County. A three-month campaign that got Conservative politicians unreasonably angry. I think his name was Dexter. Illustration: Simon Wild

“Idiotic and meaningless”

In 2011, I created a digital tourism campaign called “The Curious County”.

It was a tiny budget to create something for Suffolk that got people’s attention. We had to make an impact. Mediocrity is not an option.

A lot of people were outraged, including three local MPs who branded the campaign “Idiotic and meaningless, if not positively dangerous,” and defined the term “curious” as being something that’s “not quite right”. While we’re here, let’s credit those who said it.

Idiotic and meaningless, if not positively dangerous

— David Ruffley MP “It has got to be stopped”

— Dr Dan Poulter MP “… a euphemism for something not quite right”

— Dr Therese Coffey, MP

But for every MP who didn’t know what they were talking about, there were 100 people who celebrated the brilliance of being curious. There was even a hashtag: #proudtobecurious.

I ended up on the radio and in local press repeatedly trying to justify why curiosity is something that should be celebrated.

In the end the little campaign created 30x ROI for the campaign and got Suffolk into the national press in the UK, Australia and the USA.

Today, being curious still plays a big part in my life and I encourage both my children and the team at Big Drop to be open-minded and curious in how they think and communicate.

Our brand strategy has a section of key words and guidance for how we should behave and communicate. “Yes, deadly for cats but for us, it fuels the why-nots and the what-ifs that allow us to do things differently.”

I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.

— Eleanor Roosevelt

Don’t be a dick — Life advice #17

For me, Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 — 1962) nailed it perfectly.

I love that quote so much I made a poster to hang in the hallway of my house.

It hangs right next to my “don’t be a dick*” print I ordered from Etsy (I encourage this of my kids as well).

If these two don’t brilliantly bookend how to got about life, well, I don’t know what does.
Submissions invited for PATA Face of the Future 2021
Tags: Travel, Travel Tips, Travel Writing, Tourism, Traveling

Submissions invited for PATA Face of the Future 2021

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is now accepting submissions for PATA Face of the Future 2021

PATA is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel & tourism to, from & within the Asia Pacific region. As part of its activities, the Association is dedicated to human capital development (HCD) across the broad spectrum of the travel & tourism industry. The primary focus of the Association’s HCD programme is the development of the ‘Young Tourism Professional’ (YTP)

To highlight PATA’s commitment to HCD, the Association annually presents a special award & prize to an exceptional ‘rising star’ in the industry. All recipients of this prestigious award have exhibited initiative & leadership in the advancement of tourism as well as demonstrating commitment to the sustainable development of the Asia Pacific travel industry in line with PATA’s mission

The PATA Face of the Future 2021 will be provided a speaking opportunity at the PATA Annual Summit 2021 & the PATA Youth Symposium, held in conjunction with the event

Other benefits include:

Recognition as the PATA Face of the Future 2021 including the use of a corresponding brand identity logo

Opportunities to speak at other PATA events or partner events on behalf of PATA

Global media exposure via PATA’s far-reaching communication channels

Quarterly one-hour mentorship sessions with the PATA CEO

Build your profile as a mentor for the PATA Youth Mentorship Programme to develop young tourism professional students in the region

One blog post on the PATA Blog about your passion & journey to success

“As the PATA youth network continues to growth & strengthen year after year, the Face of the Future award provides us with the perfect opportunity to showcase a young tourism professional who is making a meaningful & effective contribution to the responsible development of the travel & tourism industry,” said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy

“The PATA Face of the Future winner lends an important voice to young tourism professionals everywhere which will be extremely important as we look towards the responsible recovery of travel & tourism post-COVID-19.”

Deadline for submissions is 15 Feb, 2021

For information about how to enter, eligibility & judging criteria, please visit https://www.pata.org/pata-face-of-the-future or email PATA Youth Ambassador, Ms Aletheia Tan at fof@PATA.org
Peaceful Puducherry — Give time a Break
By: Pharhad Siddiqui
Tags: Education, Pondicherry, Tourism, Puducherry, Beach

A trip to Puducherry is like a voyage in time celebrating its past which goes back to before Roman times but factually started with the arrival of French in 1653. French founded the town and built it to its present form. Puducherry possesses architecturally splendid buildings, sumptuous cuisines and tranquil beaches in its treasure.

Promenade beach stretches beautifully to 1.5 km and has important landmarks that tell tales of the town history. The statue of Joan of Arc (Joan of Arc is acclaimed as the Heroine of France. She is also honoured as a Roman Catholic Saint.), Dupleix Statue (Marquis Joseph Francois Dupleix was the governor of Puducherry during the colonial period), the old heritage hall, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, and the lighthouse welcome you at the beach.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was established in 1908 is a magnificent example of Neo-Gothic architecture. It is situated near Pondicherry railway station.

Adorned with the golden sand, Paradise beach is a little-isolated beach located at Chunnambar. You have to take a ferry ride of 20 to 30 minutes across the backwaters to reach the beach.

Auroville is an example of a Sustainable and Eco-city. Based on the spiritual vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, founded in 1968, Auroville today is an International Cultural Township of people from 45 countries. Auroville is a learning centre if explored completely. The community main motto is to live simple, healthy and sustainably. The Matrimandir is situated in the Centre of Auroville. It is an architectural structure of spiritual significance for yoga practitioners. To visits the inner chamber for meditation requires prior permission. It took 37 years to build Matrimandir.

Botanical Garden is home to exotic varieties of a rare plant of around the world as well as include an aquarium. It adds great educational and recreational value to Puducherry.

Best Time to visit Puducherry: November to March
A Tour to Rawalpindi
By: Izzah Kamal
Tags: Housing, Tourism, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Tour

Rawalpindi, commonly known as Pindi, is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan.

The Real Story

Rawalpindi (“Village of Rawals”) occupies the site of an old village inhabited by the Rawals, a group of yogis (ascetics).

Where exactly it’s located…

Rawalpindi lies on the Potwar Plateau, 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Islamabad, the federal capital; the two are jointly known as the “twin cities” on account of strong social and economic links between the cities.

The Best Part?

Rawalpindi is an important administrative, commercial, and industrial center of Pakistan. It enjoys the status of Pakistan’s major military city as it is home to the headquarters of Pakistan Army.

That’s not at all…

The city also has numerous suburban housing developments that serve as bedroom-communities for workers in Islamabad. Connected to the M-1 and M-2 motorways, Rawalpindi is a major logistics and transportation center for northern Pakistan; it also serves as a hub for tourists visiting Kashmir, Taxila, Gilgit-Baltistan.

Due to Price flexibility, Rawalpindi is affordable to everyone.

So,

Are you thinking of owning your house?

I am pleased to tell you that you can even consider buying 3 marla house for sale in Rawalpindi or any kind of property in Pakistan in Rawalpindi.

There is a landscaped aesthetically. Provision of basic facilities including electricity, gas, water supply, and sewerage is ensured in most areas. Escape the fatigue of long distances with various amenities present in the area such as schools, masjid, parks, shops, and restaurants.