‘Let’s Pink’ Breast Cancer Event Set for Nov. 4

The department will hold a breast cancer awareness event and fundraiser called “Let’s Pink” at its Hickory Hill Community Center on Nov. 4 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  The event will include raffles, visual arts, vendors, food, music, entertainment and much more.     The mission of Let’s Pink is to merge the vibrancy and artistic minds of Richmond’s youth and young adults with the knowledge and life

Kanawha Plaza Closed Today for Cleaning

Richmond, VA,  Oct. 31, 2011 - Kanawha Plaza Park is closed to the public today while the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities inspects and cleans the park.

Tourism and more.com

Tourism & More.com is a website set up and run by Dr Peter Tarlow (author of 'Event Risk Management and Safety') which provides details on upcoming seminars, conferences and training. It also features the 'Tourism Tidbits' newsletter, aimed at giving "travel professionals a monthly, easy-to-read overview of creative ideas". It's published in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish.

Sign up to receive the newsletter by emailing ptarlow@tourismandmore.com. Please contact them if you would like to see a particular topic covered by 'Tourism Tidbits'. Articles submitted for consideration for publication are welcomed.


NOW LIVE! Routledge Online - Olympic and Paralympic Games

ROSO contains Olympic and Paralympic content from over 1000 book chapters and journal articles including handbooks and major reference works on themes including the media, education, gender, politics, governance, management, law, business, ethics, legacies, the environment, disability sport, athletic performance and history. Routledge has commissioned over 40 new journal special issues across disciplines on Olympic and Paralympic Studies that will be revealed on our innovative platform.

· Read a selection of articles and chapters online free of charge
· Purchase online access to individual articles of your choice
· Search the platform by theme, author or publication
· Download reading lists, case studies and teaching materials
· Watch videos as academics share their thoughts on the Games
· Find research collaborators on our Resources page
· Submit online journal articles,
book reviews and proposals
· Discover worldwide Olympic/Paralympic courses, projects, events and contacts

· Enter a free monthly prize draw
· Coming Soon - communicate live with leading authorities in the field


Keep up to date with the latest Olympic and Paralympic research!

Symposium - iDTR


This is an advance notice of a one day symposium convened by Dr Philip Stone and Professor Richard Sharpley to formally launch the Institute for Dark Tourism Research (iDTR) at the University of Central Lancashire (UK), will be held on 24 April 2012.

There will a panel of six keynote speakers, from both private and public sectors, the University of Cambridge, Kings College London, UCLan and the University of Limerick. The event is aimed at academics, students, industry and the media who have an interest in dark tourism.

Most Brits prefer to be beside the seaside...

The majority of Brits prefer to head to the beach on holiday, according to the results of a recent ABTA survey. More than a third of Brits chose a beach holiday as their perfect getaway, with women (42%) preferring to be beside the seaside more than men (31%). But as the majority of people prefer to travel with their family (42%), it is likely that the men will get dragged along.

City breaks were the second most popular type of holiday, favoured by 17 percent of Brits, and more popular with men than with women. Cultural breaks came third (11%) followed by romantic getaways which, curiously, were more popular with men.

While family holidays were the most popular with both sexes, men were found to be more inclined to take breaks with friends (19%) than women  (16%); they also have a greater inclination to travel alone, compared to women.

Split by age group, beach holidays were most popular among 35-44 year olds, while city breaks were favoured more by 25-34 year olds (24%).

Tourismos Journal

The latest issue of Tourismos is now available online and packed full of articles across a range of current topics. Here are the contents:
  • The impact of macroeconomic country-specific factors on international expansion of US hotel chains
  • The impact of carbon discharge legislation on future development of maritime tourism and cruising
  • Tour guiding : interpreting the challenges
  • Tourism activity and economic conditions in Britain
  • The effect of wellness brand awareness on expected and perceived service quality
  • Exploring the effects of destination's positioning on hotels' performance : the Milan case
  • The economic potential of tourism : a case study of Agra
  • Tourism development and politics in the Philippines
  • Jet ski development strategies: the case of Caspian Sea's South-West Beach
  • Assisted-suicide tourism : is it tourism?
  • Rural tourism offer and local community participation in the Gambia
  • Angkor heritage tourism and tourist perceptions
  • Considerations for sustainable tourism development: perspectives from the South Pacific
  • Local food in local menus : the case of Gokceada
  • The D.I.Y. tourist
  • Case Studies: benchmarking the Egyptian medical tourism sector
  • Against international best practices: an exploratory case study 
  • The role of alternative types of tourism and ict strategy for the tourism industry of Lesvos  
  • Analysis of the economic impacts of cultural festivals: the case of Calabar Carnival in Nigeria
  • Movies as a tool of modern tourist marketing
  • The development of cultural tourism: a review of the UK experience 
  • The environmental management systems and contemporary tourism development 
Research Notes:
  • The sustainability of tourism supply chain: a case study research
  •  Casino v. historical tourism destinations along Route No.9 In Savannakhet City
 + book reviews!

Boot Camp for New Mothers to start Nov. 2

The department will offer six weeks of fitness training for new mothers and their babies that will help the moms lose weight, get back into shape, and regain their confidence, while they bond with their babies. It’s called “Mom and Me Boot Camp.”
     Classes will start on Nov. 2 and run through Dec. 14 and will be held at the department’s Humphrey Calder Community Center at 414 N. Thompson St.

Guest Speakers 2011

The UK Ropes Course Guide 2011


The AAIAC has produced a document for operators, trainers, builders, inspectors and constructors of ropes courses.

This guidance is intended to assist all those involved with ropes courses to comply with EN15567:2007 which sets out the standards to be met for the installation of new ropes courses and the operation of both new and existing courses.

Tourism "vital" for the UK economy

In his recent speech, the prime minister said tourism is vital to help the UK get back on track, that it's "fundamental to the rebuilding and rebalancing of our economy". He stated the industry contributes £115bn to the British economy every year, and would provide "one of the best and fastest ways" of generating jobs and income.


Listen to the speech here

Concrete cows

On that sixth-form geography field trip,
we hadn’t got that far
before the coach stopped,
pulled over in a lay-by on the Great North Road.
I wrote an essay on new town developments.
Houses happened behind revĂȘtements,
the last of these fields to go.

You could just about see
the concrete cows along peripheral horizons.
On Saturdays, I traded in some unwanted records
at stalls spilling out from the shopping mall.
Under rain-scaped skies, we walked back,
paid the ticket, got into the car, went home.

  Copyright Tom Phillips 2011