Latest news with #ecoTourism
Travel Weekly
2 days ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
CroisiEurope unveils ship name and itineraries for Brazil river cruises
River cruise line CroisiEurope announced its new Amazon itineraries in Brazil, which will begin in 2027. The itineraries will be offered on the line's new river ship, the 32-passenger Brasilian Dream, and will focus on eco-tourism on the Amazon. The line will operate three 11-day itineraries. Amazon & Rio Negro will sail roundtrip from Manaus, Amazon & Rio Tapajos will cruise between Manaus and Santarem, and Cruise Along the Amazon Between Brazil & Colombia will operate between Manaus and Tabatinga. The cruises will visit major parks and UNESCO sites, where passengers will observe the region's wildlife in dinghies and dugout canoes. Guests will embark on nocturnal excursions and visit river villages. The four-deck Brasilian Dream will have vibrant colors and local artwork inspired by Amazonian culture. Lodging consists of 16 suites with private balconies, including two presidential suites. The ship also will feature a restaurant serving Brazilian-inspired dishes, spa, fitness room, sun deck and conference room. The Brasilian Dream will have an advanced wastewater treatment system and solar panels. More information, including prices, will be unveiled in July.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Amazon itineraries have been revealed for CroisiEurope's new luxury river cruise ship
Canoe trips along the Amazon and meetings with indigenous communities are among the experiences that cruise line CroisiEurope is set to offer as the brand prepares to debut on the world's longest river in 2027. The European river cruise will debut RV Brasilian Dream in 2027 with three 11-day itineraries to choose from – The Amazon & Rio Negro round trip from Manaus, The Amazon & Rio Tapajos between Manaus and Santarém, and Cruise Along the Amazon Between Brazil & Colombia, which sails between Manaus and Tabatinga. From January to June, cruise passengers will be able to explore the flooded forest by canoe, getting up close to river dolphins and aquatic birds. Between July and December, itineraries will focus on the region's white sandy beaches and abundant wildlife along the riverbanks. Highlights of the cruises will include visits to major parks and UNESCO-type protected areas, while passengers will be able to observe wildlife in dinghies and from dugout canoes. There will also be meetings with indigenous communities, evening excursions and visits to villages on stilts along the riverbank, plus the chance to learn about local crafts, plants and produce and a variety of on-board lectures. Further details, including dates, prices and when bookings will open will be announced at the beginning of July 2025. The cruises will take place on the new 32-guest RV Brasilian Dream, a four-deck ship inspired by Amazonian culture. Accommodation includes 16 suites with private balconies, including two presidential suites suspended between the sky and water. There will also be a gourmet restaurant serving Brazilian-inspired dishes, a spa, fitness room, sun deck and a conference room. As part of its commitment to protecting and preserving the Amazon, CroisiEurope said it is implementing the latest eco innovations, including engines that meet the strictest environmental standards, an advanced wastewater treatment system and solar panels that will allow the ship to shut down its generators at night and operate on batteries.
CNA
2 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Commentary: Vietnam's Trump card in trade negotiations with the US
SINGAPORE: In May, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Eric Trump – son of the US president – attended the groundbreaking of a US$1.5 billion urban development-eco-tourism-golf complex, a joint venture between the Trump Organization and Vietnam's Kinh Bac City. The Trump Organization is also eyeing a prime site in Ho Chi Minh City – the country's economic-financial hub – for a potential Trump Tower. These events coincided with ongoing Vietnam-US trade negotiations in Washington, where Hanoi was seeking relief from Trump's threat to impose 46 per cent tariff on its exports to America. These moves underscore the Vietnamese leadership's high-stakes gambit in navigating US relations while advancing their growth agenda and political consolidation at a critical juncture of the country. The Trump Organization's venture in Vietnam has ignited apprehensions regarding the conflation of the US president's political authority with his family's commercial interests. 'SPECIAL TREATMENT' According to the New York Times, the Vietnamese government fast-tracked legal processes and granted extraordinary concessions to expedite the project's approval, raising concerns about the inadequacy of local consultation and the resulting displacement of local communities. By extending 'special treatment' to a project linked to the US president's family, Hanoi is betting on reciprocal gains in the ongoing trade talks with Washington. This demonstrates a calculated pragmatism to navigate the raw transactionalism of the Trump administration and President Trump himself. While the urgent need to curry favour with Trump is arguably the immediate and most compelling motivation behind these concessions, Hanoi's endorsement of the Trump-branded project should also be understood in the broader context of its pro-growth and deregulation strategy. Under the leadership of the new Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) General Secretary To Lam, Vietnam is vigorously advancing a pro-growth agenda anchored on three core pillars. It seeks to position the private sector, including joint ventures with foreign partners like the one between Kinhbac City and the Trump Organization, as the primary engine of economic growth. There is also a focus on building large-scale infrastructure and major real estate projects to fuel economic expansion. It also intends to slash red tape to significantly reduce business costs and hasten the process of investment approval and execution. CUTTING RED TAPE This growth drive is sweeping nationwide. Ministries and provincial authorities have been instructed to rigorously streamline administrative procedures and cut red tape. The target is at the least a 30 per cent reduction in business regulations, approval times, and compliance costs to catalyse investment. While the expedited approval of the Trump project stands out for its exceptional speed given its apparent 'special status', it nevertheless fits within Vietnam's new business-friendly reform agenda. Hanoi is also intent on seeing the golf complex completed by 2027, when it hosts the APEC leaders' meeting. This could potentially be used as a lever to draw Trump back to the country and elevate the summit's profile. Furthermore, the Vietnamese government seeks to leverage this project to bolster its appeal to international investors – particularly in the luxury property sector – and to catalyse local development, employment and tourism. On the flip side, Hanoi's bold gambit carries significant political risks – particularly if it fails to deliver tangible gains in the tariff negotiations with Washington by July. Vietnam must also reckon with the inherent duality of the Trump brand. THE DUALITY OF TRUMP The family name is associated with a cachet of power and high-end allure that resonates with certain elite circles – especially so long as Trump remains in the White House – yet it is also weighed down by dubious political and ethical baggage. On social media, many Vietnamese have expressed excitement about the Trump brand's arrival in Vietnam and lauded the government's pragmatic maneuvering. But there are also dissenting voices who raised ethical and nationalistic concerns over what they saw as the attempt to 'bribe' the Trump family. Moreover, the project area faces risks of local backlash over land-use rights – land disputes have historically been the country's most volatile flashpoint for social unrest. At the project's ground-breaking ceremony, Prime Minister Chinh urged local authorities and investors to prioritise the well-being of affected residents, ensuring their new homes and livelihoods would surpass what they previously had. JUGGLING THE BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS Of the project's 990-hectare footprint, 7.3 hectares are designated for social housing to provide for the affected people. Vietnam's updated Land Law, enacted last year, also institutes stronger legal safeguards that impose stricter conditions on state land acquisition and mandate fair market-based compensation. Of note, while Western media have largely focused on the grievances of local residents facing displacement, many landowners have seen significant economic gains. The Trump project has caused local property values to more than double within a year, transforming a sleepy backwater into a real estate hotspot. This surge reflects a familiar pattern across the country where major infrastructure and property projects drive sharp increases in land value. Ultimately, Vietnam's approach to the Trump project underscores the intersection of its external diplomacy and internal exigencies – managing a transactional US relationship amid looming tariff threats, while driving growth with relentless urgency. With the VCP's National Congress approaching, both General Secretary Lam and Prime Minister Chinh face mounting pressure to convert policy ambition into demonstrable success that can solidify their governance credentials and political standing. The Trump project is therefore not merely a commercial venture, but a strategic gambit aimed at sustaining national growth amidst shifting global political currents marked by Trumpian transactionalism and the erosion of ethical boundaries separating public office from private gain. The project also offers a glimpse into the emerging character of the new Vietnamese leadership's statecraft: unflinchingly pragmatic, swift in manoeuvres, and unafraid to wager boldly when the stakes are high. Hoang Thi Ha is Senior Fellow and Co-coordinator of the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme, and Dien Nguyen An Luong is a Visiting Fellow with the Media, Technology and Society Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Queensland government unveils long-term tourism strategy Destination 2045
The Queensland government has launched an ambitious 20-year tourism plan but won't say how much the new strategy will cost. The Destination 2045 campaign aims to make the Sunshine State the events capital of Australia, support 45 new eco-tourism experiences, and rejuvenate the Great Barrier Reef islands. The government also wants to attract more visitors through targeted marketing and create a fund to secure new direct flights, including from India, as well as enhance connections to regional Queensland. The strategy aims to double the annual total visitor expenditure to $84 billion and add almost 40,000 new tourism industry jobs by 2045. Premier David Crisafulli said the plan is something "industry has been crying out for". "We are determined to make sure that Queensland's tourism offering goes to the next level," he said. "We unashamedly want to be the events capital of the country. We want to have connections from throughout the globe coming here." "We want to have 45 new eco-tourism products by 2045. It's big, it's bold, it's ambitious, but it has to happen." When pressed on the total funding for the strategy, Mr Crisafulli couldn't provide a dollar amount, and instead pointed to the government's first budget due to be delivered later this month. "There will be significant funding in the budget and beyond," he said. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has lent his support to the strategy, saying the "Gold Coast is here to help". While only a handful of Gold Coast projects are currently outlined in the tourism plan, Mr Tate is confident more opportunities for the city will "slip in" as the strategy is rolled out across the next two decades. "There will be an ongoing conversation to say, 'have a look at this one you haven't looked at yet'," he said. Mr Tate noted a direct connection between Australia and India was "paramount" for tourism and investment in south-east Queensland, but was agnostic about which airport flights from the subcontinent would arrive. "For me, whether tourists from India land in Brisbane or the Gold Coast, it makes no difference, it's the same destination. It really is team Queensland," Mr Tate said. Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Natassia Wheeler commended the government's partnership with the industry, with more than 1,500 stakeholders involved in the formation of the strategy. "To see a plan today come to life that listens to industry, backs industry, and has a plan that doesn't address what we need 20 years from now, but addresses the challenges on the ground today that industry are facing, is absolutely critical." Tourism and Events Queensland chief executive Craig Davidson pointed to the exclusive Brisbane shows of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2026 as evidence of the pull of the state in the events sphere. "They are here because of a team Queensland approach. They're not here because we have the biggest chequebook," he said. "They're here because they met with all of us in one room, and we can make decisions quickly on the spot. That's why the Military Tattoo is here, and that's the approach we need to take if we're going to win in that event space."
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Copenhagen to offer free bike rental and museum discounts to eco-friendly tourists
The city of Copenhagen in Denmark will offer special rebates and freebies to eco-friendly tourists this summer, including free bike rentals to those arriving by train and staying more than four days. Advertisement The CopenPay initiative, which was tested on a smaller scale in 2024, 'is about raising travellers' awareness about travelling more responsibly', Soren Tegen Pedersen, the head of the city 's tourism board Wonderful Copenhagen, said. The emphasis of the initiative is on transport, a highly polluting sector. Those who make climate-friendly and environmental choices, such as using bikes and picking up rubbish, will also be offered rebates at museums and tourist sites, as well as free yoga classes and vegetarian meals. Ninety sites are taking part in the campaign, including the National Museum of Denmark and CopenHill, a synthetic ski slope.
