Tourism

As a tourist in Washington, D.C., you can do a lot of walking. I repeat, a lot of walking and on pavement. Then couple that with some of Washington's famous heat and humidity. It's mostly a sweaty haze of a memory at this point, but I seem to recall both my sons -- ages 10 and 7 -- asking to be carried (who says kids don't have a sense of humor?) after a day of walking around the museums on the Mall. Meanwhile, even my hike-happy wife looked longingly at air-conditioned taxi cabs as they whizzed by, but maybe that's because she was giving me a piggyback ride.

Sithea San rejoiced when Long Beach officials designated a strip of Anaheim Street the nation's first Cambodia Town in 2007. The name would celebrate the largest Cambodian population center in the country and help revitalize the gritty neighborhood, she believed. San envisioned one day looking down Anaheim Street and seeing facades resembling ornate Cambodian temples; a large-scale shopping center where tourists could sample Cambodian cuisine and buy handcrafts; and even a museum outlining the history of Cambodian Americans in Long Beach.

I enjoyed Lora Crommett's Web piece on cruises for handicapped travelers, "Cruises Gaining in Popularity for Disabled Travelers," www.latimes.com/disabledtraveler [Jan. 20]. Although it notes that not all disabled travelers are as adventurous as William Floria, who uses a wheelchair, many of us are. I am in South Africa for a month as the first visiting journalist with a disability sponsored by the KwaZulu-Natal province, to study the accessibility of their tourism product. Under government sponsorship, I bring together existing nongovernmental organizations from within the disabled community and the national tourism industry to build the inclusive tourism market.

Most of the movie sets that were ravaged at Universal Studios Hollywood in an accidental fire last June will reopen this summer, studio officials said Tuesday. The rebuilt sets will include the famed Courthouse Square featured in the movie "Back to the Future," along with Brownstone Street and an upgraded New York Street. New locations being introduced this year will include a gas station, a firehouse, a London street and a contemporary cityscape featuring glass and steel facades, Universal officials said.

It has come to this at the annual Dubai Shopping Festival: free makeovers, car and home giveaways, and big discounts on plane tickets and hotel rates. Authorities and businesses in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, are going the extra mile this year to spur cash-strapped tourists to loosen their purse strings during what has become an iconic fete of conspicuous consumption. The 32-day sales-fest, which ends Sunday, has coincided this year with the global financial crisis, which has cast a shadow over the once-booming Persian Gulf.

A White House spokesman is smoothing things over with the tourism industry after criticism that a recent remark from the president had had a chilling effect on business travel. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says President Obama is encouraging people to travel and supports a strong tourism industry. Obama was criticized by tourism boosters for saying that businesses receiving federal bailout funds should not be taking junkets.

Hundreds of Chinese tourists arrived in Taiwan on the first luxury cruise ship to sail directly to the island from Communist China, boosting prospects for expanded economic and tourism ties. The Ocean Mystery arrived at Keelung port following a two-day cruise from Shanghai. The 1,600 passengers are the first of several large-scale tour groups Chinese officials have promised to send to Taiwan by ship or air.

The government is postponing beauty contests until the economy improves. The move is expected to save $120,000, a small windfall for one of the world's largest tax havens, which is struggling with mounting debt during the global economic crisis. Six women vying to represent the Caymans at the upcoming Miss World and Miss Universe contests will have to put their ambitions on hold, tourism official Patricia Ulett said. Trinidad and Tobago also canceled pageants this year after its government slashed the budget and requested that contests seek private funding.

Barbados: A box accompanying a Travel article Sunday on the culinary attractions of Barbados incorrectly gave the island's official tourism website as www.barbados.org. That website is actually www.visitbarbados.org.

Barbados: A box accompanying an article last week on the culinary attractions of Barbados incorrectly gave the island's official tourism website as www.barbados.org. That website is actually www.visitbarbados.org.