Tourism – Impact Lab

Tourism

Dubai is known for its over-the-top attractions and now, with the opening of Deep Dive Dubai, it can add a world record to its list of achievements. As the world’s deepest swimming pool for diving, Deep Dive Dubai features a “sunken city” among 3.6 million gallons (14 million liters) of water.

The amount of water in the pool is the equivalent of six Olympic swimming pools and, with a depth of 196 feet (60 meters), it is four times larger than its nearest competitor. It contains an apocalyptic sunken city for divers to explore, which evolves as divers sink further into its depths. The concept is that nature has slowly taken over this forgotten city, with storefronts, homes, cars, and arcade games slowly deteriorating.

Along the way, there are two diving habitats that allow divers to rest and chat. This unique feature of Deep Dive Dubai is a dry air space where divers can even remove their equipment and get completely out of the water. Developed as a world-class destination for divers, there are options for everyone. Beginners and expert divers can both enjoy the experience, and there is also a comprehensive development program for those looking to up their skills.

The facility’s director, Jarrod Jablonski, is a world-record-holding cave diver and is proud of Deep Dive Dubai’s commitment to safety and best practices.

“By design, Deep Dive Dubai offers something truly unique for everyone and our team is committed to ensuring a memorable experience, with outstanding service, for everyone, every time,” says Jablonski. “For those seeking a unique experience, Deep Dive Dubai provides an exceptional, safe, and controlled environment to learn all about diving. For experienced members of the freedive and scuba dive communities, it’s a facility and experience like no other.”

NASA, Science & Technology News, Space, Space Flight, Tourism

NASA advances plan to commercialize International Space Station

October 22, 2020

Axiom Space habitat modules are depicted attached to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s plan to further commercialize work in low Earth orbit.

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 12 (UPI) — The planned launch of a private commercial airlock to the International Space Station in November will accelerate NASA’s plan to turn the station into a hub of private industry, space agency officials said.

The commercialization plan also includes the launch of a private habitat and laboratory by 2024 and a project NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced on Twitter in May in which actor Tom Cruise will film a movie in space.

The 20-year-old space station may even have a private citizen on board again for the first time in years in late 2021, according to Phil McAlister, NASA’s director of commercial spaceflight. It’s part of a plan to wean the space station off NASA’s public funding of $3 billion to $4 billion per year.

“We expanded the scope and range of activities that can be done on ISS,” McAlister said in an interview earlier this year. “We carved out resources — power, oxygen, data — and we know we can support a paying customer, probably twice a year for up to a month.”

Continue reading… “NASA advances plan to commercialize International Space Station”

Ecological Products, Science & Technology News, Tourism, Travel

These modular clamping tree tents were designed to encourage sustainable community travel!

September 10, 2020

I know treehouses were a thing of our childhoods but it doesn’t have to be! Get ready to take a beautiful virtual tour of the O2 Treehouse by Treewalkers that blend the best of our childhood imagination with glamping reality while keeping it all an eco-friendly experience! Treewalkers is one of the leading players in the world of treetop construction – they actually make treehouses that adults cannot reason out of.

The treehouses have unique geodesic domes and can be connected to create entire villages. The houses are modular so it enables franchisees to start their own village setups with one or more units – this can be a sustainable hotel, unusual Airbnb getaway, or simply a camping site that offers a different kind of stay. The innovative modular lattice design is what makes this a flexible accommodation — while catering to the individual’s needs and it also allows them to customize details. The units come with a standard a bug-proof outer socket, interior furniture, and canvas canopy roofing. As part of the franchise program, hosts have the option to open up their Treewalker to other hosts in exchange for points that can be used towards other stays – sustainable community tourism! There are many intriguing shapes but the most iconic one has to be the A-shaped floating tent because that is something we have all tried to create with a blanket in our living rooms. The interiors are warm + woody and have a plush bed with a seating area. As you can imagine there will be plenty of natural light and ventilation. While there is no clear indication of the bathroom being in-unit, I assume that will be a separate pod in itself or have other arrangements like porta-potty if its a campsite.

The California-based design studio has extended its realm with a franchise-hospitality brand to make it possible for anyone to own one of the O2 Treehouses. “Treewalkers is a franchise-based treehouse hospitality brand that lends homeowners a way to launch into the home-sharing market with low risk and a high ROI, and lends travelers an easily accessible network of eco experiences,” says founder Dustin Feider. Finally, O2 Treehouse estimates a 1-3 year return on investment based on a rate of $150 per night, occupied for 30-60% of the year and they have broken down the math for you on their website should you decide to go that route. The ultimate mission of the brand is to design architectural structures that heal the bond between humans and nature so they can coexist peacefully!

Continue reading… “These modular clamping tree tents were designed to encourage sustainable community travel!”

Science & Technology News, Space, Space Flight, Tourism

Virgin Galactic offers peek inside new space plane for tourists

August 6, 2020

Inside of VSS Unity unveiled, showing the cabin in which six passengers will be able to float in zero gravity on the edge of space

Virgin Galactic has revealed the interior of its centrepiece space plane, showing off a cabin with new custom seats and a “space mirror” in a virtual tour of what its passengers can expect to experience on flights to the edge of space.

For $250,000 a ticket, passengers who have signed up for the suborbital flight aboard the air-launched plane VSS Unity will strap into six tailored seats and be able to peer out of the cabin’s 12 circular windows as they ascend 97km (60 miles) above Earth. The plane has five other windows.

Continue reading… “Virgin Galactic offers peek inside new space plane for tourists”

Ecological Products, Engineering, Science & Technology News, Solar Power, Tourism

This 100% electric pod inspired by James Bond is the worlds first floating eco-hotel suite!

July 25, 2020

Half the year is over and we haven’t been able to catch a break. To keep my hopes up, I continue to make a travel bucket list, and right now all I want to do is go off-the-grid regardless of the place. And there is nothing more perfect for that than Anthénea which is the world’s first autonomous and eco-friendly floating suite equipped with high-end facilities. This modern pod will literally wash all those worries away and you can continue being an eco-conscious traveler!

Anthénea is a UFO-shaped water suite made in France by veteran designers, engineers, and naval architects, whose vision was to create a nomadic vessel for eco-conscious tourists. It was a project born from the dreams of Jean-Michel Ducancelle, a naval architect, who was inspired by James Bond’s floating pod in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977). The 50 sqm pod has three living spaces – a living area, a sleeping zone, and a lounge area that features a 360° solarium on its roof for 12 people. All interior elements are entirely made from sustainable materials. Anthénea adapts to a wide temperature range (-30°C to +40°C) and its stabilizing ballasting keeps the seasickness at bay! Coastlines are often overburdened with tourism and Anthénea offers an ecological way to lighten that load while promoting sustainable travel which is our ultimate future.

Continue reading… “This 100% electric pod inspired by James Bond is the worlds first floating eco-hotel suite!”

Coronavirus, Science & Technology News, Tourism, Travel

WTTC says 50 million tourism jobs are at stake

March 20, 2020

The World Travel & Tourism Council on Friday said up to 50 million jobs in travel and tourism are at risk from the Covid‐19 pandemic, and WTTC called for measures to be taken to ensure a swift recovery.

The organization also joined fellow travel groups in condemning the President Donald Trump’s ban on most travel from Europe to the U.S., saying it will damage the U.S. economy but isn’t likely to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“We all share the priority to stop the spread and should take all necessary actions,” WTTC CEO Gloria Guevara said in a statement. “However, the new travel ban will have a dangerous economic impact on the U.S. and many other countries, and there is little evidence to show this will stop the spread of Covid‐19.”

Guevara suggested that rather than an outright ban, “the priority should be on public health within the country and mitigating the potential harm to individuals.”

Continue reading… “WTTC says 50 million tourism jobs are at stake”

Elon Musk, Science & Technology News, Space, SpaceX, Tourism

You can now book an all-inclusive 10-day trip to the International Space Station for $55 million

March 13, 2020

The trip is expected to launch during the second half of 2021.

It may not be a trip to the moon, but Axiom Space is offering deep-pocketed customers a trip to space. And no, we’re not talking a quick little jaunt into orbit either. Instead, the company is offering an all-inclusive stay on the International Space Station for the humble sum of $55 million.

On Thursday, Axiom announced it had signed a contract with SpaceX that will allow a trained commander and three private astronauts the chance to hitch a ride to the space station aboard one of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsules, reports the New York Times. Expected to take place next year, the trip could very likely be the first fully private human spaceflight to orbit.

Currently scheduled to launch during the second half of next year, the trip will give customers the chance to “experience at least eight days of microgravity and views of the Earth that can only be appreciated in the large, venerable station,” according to a press release from Axiom. In addition to the two days of travel and room and board on the ISS, the company will also provide training, planning, life support, medical support, crew provisions, certifications, on-orbit operations and overall mission management.

Continue reading… “You can now book an all-inclusive 10-day trip to the International Space Station for $55 million”

Science & Technology News, Space, Space Flight, SpaceX, Tourism

Here are all the ways to visit space this decade (if you’re extremely rich)

March 7, 2020

Glamping in zero gravity will cost a few millions bucks at least.

Have you always dreamt of leaving Earth? Are you a member of the two, or better yet three commas club? Well it’s a great time to be alive because after decades of delays, the space tourism industry may finally be taking off. Not just the kind Dennis Tito pioneered in 2001, where you buy a ticket from the Russian government to visit the International Space Station (ISS), but real honest-to-goodness free market tourism with multiple private companies vying to turn your hard-earned millions into an out-of-this-world experience.

SpaceX, which is preparing to launch astronauts to the ISS any month now in its newly human-rated Crew Dragon capsule, announced last week that NASA won’t be the only paying customer for its new vehicle. The private company is also offering to launch up to four private citizens into orbit in late 2021 or 2022. And SpaceX is far from the only company on the verge of starting space tourism operations. Here’s a primer to where and when you can go, and how much it might cost you.

Continue reading… “Here are all the ways to visit space this decade (if you’re extremely rich)”

Latest Trend, Science & Technology News, Tourism, Travel

These are the top countries for travel and tourism in 2019

September 13, 2019

Global tourism is set to rise by 50% over the next decade. But who goes where on holiday?

This article is part of the World Economic Forum on Africa

Spain, France, Germany, Japan and the United States are the world’s most travel-ready nations, according to the latest travel and tourism ranking of the World Economic Forum.

There’s little change since the last edition was released two years ago, with only one country altering its position: the United Kingdom has slid to sixth place, behind the United States.

Continue reading… “These are the top countries for travel and tourism in 2019”

Big Problems, Science & Technology News, Tourism, Transportation, Travel

Global tourism hits record highs – but who goes where on holiday?

July 30, 2019

As the holiday season approaches, we look at the rise and rise of tourism and find out where the world’s 1.4bn international travellers go on vacation

How many people travel abroad on holiday?

Tourism is on the rise. In 2018 there were a record 1.4bn international tourist arrivals, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNTWO), a rise of 6% over 2017. That doesn’t mean 1.4 billion people travel abroad for their holidays, as many people will clock up more than one trip.

But it does mean tourism is playing an increasingly important role in the global economy. In 2018, it was worth about $1.7tn (£1.3tn), or about 2% of total global GDP. Even the UNWTO is struggling to keep up, with current figures vastly exceeding expectations.

Continue reading… “Global tourism hits record highs – but who goes where on holiday?”

Science & Technology News, Tourism, Travel

Inside the vineyard hotel where guests can spend the night in giant wine barrels

July 30, 2019

The giant wine barrels have been transformed into luxury hotel rooms and they’re right in the heart of a vineyard

The wine barrels have been transformed into glamping pods

The Wine House Hotel – Quinta da Pacheca , in Portugal’s famous Douro Valley, has transformed a series of its giant wine barrels into cosy hotel rooms, so you can sleep in the heart of the vineyard. Basically, it’s the ultimate glamping experience for any wine connaisseur. The wine barrels are nestled amidst the Quinta da Pacheca vineyard, meaning that guests can open up the doors and enjoy unrivalled views of the breathtaking landscape.

Inside, there’s everything you need for a comfortable stay; a large double bed, a shower room, sink and toilet. It’s got a rustic chic vibe thanks to the wooden interiors, but still plenty of little luxurious touches for a luxury feel.

Continue reading… “Inside the vineyard hotel where guests can spend the night in giant wine barrels”

Entertainment, Record Breaker, Science & Technology News, Tourism, Travel

New Details Revealed for 204,000-ton Mega Cruise Ship

June 19, 2019

Dream Cruises which is a luxury cruise line based in Asia has revealed further details about its huge new 204,000-ton mega ship which will arrive in 2021. She will have the largest cabins in the industry, groundbreaking features including a roller coaster and will even cruise from the U.S. west coast.

If you thought the Oasis-class cruise ships were big then how about the new Global-class from Dream Cruises! They rival the world’s largest class cruise ships at an impressive 204,000 gross tons and a maximum passenger capacity of 9,500 or 5,000 at double occupancy across a total of 2,503 cabins.

Continue reading… “New Details Revealed for 204,000-ton Mega Cruise Ship”

Category: Tourism

World’s Largest Diving Pool With an Entire Sunken City Opens in Dubai