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Written by Jamil Vick
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Saturday, 02 August 2008 |
South Florida’s tourism expectations fall
Earlier this year it was projected that South Florida’s economy would have benefited from the decline of the U.S. dollar on the world market, as it would be much less costly for foreign visitors to visit the region. These predictions have not materialized, as visits to the region’s hotels have actually been sluggish due largely to high gasoline prices.
Reports are that most hotels realized increase in vacancies in June and are faced with the option of reducing room rates in order to survive. A report from Smith Travel Research stipulated that in June Miami-Dade hotels posted their lowest increase in room revenues in the past five years, while there were actual declines in Broward County and the Keys in Munroe County. Room rates increased only 2 percent in Miami-Dade hotels, averaging $180 per night compared to an 11 percent increase last year.
The decline in revenue for hotels in the keys and in Broward could be attributed to increase of rooms in these regions with new hotels opening, while many Miami-Dade hotels having less competitions because of renovations being carried out at two of Miami Beaches’ largest hotels.
Despite the sluggishness in the tourism figures South Florida’s hotel industry is doing better than other Florida destinations, as the weak U.S. dollar is in fact attracting foreign travel to the region. Foreign travelers comprise some 50 percent of summer bookings for most South Florida hotels. However, the usual strong revenue coming in from bookings for conferences have fallen as several corporations across the country have cut expenses in this area.
More evidence that cell phones could cause cancer
For sometime there have been reports that cell phones could be a health risk, with the potential of being a cause for cancer. This concern was again heightened when Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburg Cancer Institute warned the university’s faculty and his staff that that cell phone use was a possible cause of cancer. As a result, the head of the prominent cancer research institute recommends that the use of cell phones should be limited.
Dr. Herberman’s warning, reports say, is contrary to certain studies that did not find any correlation between cell phone use and cancer. Herberman is basing his warnings on the use of cell phones on data that was gained earlier, but unpublished. He is reported as saying that it takes too long for scientists to come up with conclusive answers, and he believes that people should take caution with cell phone usage, especially children. He says that since there are indications of danger people shouldn’t have to wait for the definitive findings to be released, but should rather be willing to err on the side of caution rather than wait and be sorry later.
Bush steps up sanctions against Zimbabwe’s Mugabe
In retaliation against what the United States regard as the illegitimate regime of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, President Bush signed an executive order last week expanding sanctions against the regime. The increased economic sanctions are meant to pressure Mugabe, who was recently voted president in an uncontested election marred by serious political violence.
In signing the sanctions Bush, said no regime should ignore the will of its own people and calls from the international community for lawful elections without consequences. Bush was making reference to June’s runoff elections in Zimbabwe which was held because the results of a previous election in March, won by Opposition leader Morgan Tavangirai, was not sufficiently conclusive for Tavangirai to declare an outright victory. Tavangirai pulled out of the run off elections because of violence which resulted in some 150 opposition supporters killed and thousands injured. But, Mugabe still went on with the election despite international, including the U.S.’s outcry.
Under the new sanctions, the U.S will freeze the U.S. assets of a Zimbabwean national, and 17 Zimbabwe entities, which have been declared as supportive of Mugabe’s regime. Additionally, Americans are prohibited from conducting financial or commercial transactions with them. The European Union has also widened sanctions against Zimbabwe adding 37 new individuals and companies to an existing list of 131.
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