Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Munich Bid Scores Again On Witt’s Promise

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Three Olympic hopeful cities met this weekend in Guangzhou, China to make their pitches to Asian Olympic delegates for the 2018 Winter Olympics. On the site of the Asia Games, the delegations form Annecy, Munich, and Pyeongchang spoke their piece. With the South Korean’s slightly bent over suggested conflicts of interest, and the French having technical problems, Katarina Witt had little trouble outclassing the other chairs easily.

Bulgaria Unveils John the Baptist Relics

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Recently discovered relics supposedly bones from John the Baptist could start a pilgrim tail leading directly to Bulgaria’s capital of Sophia. The fist public showing of these ancient relics saw tens of thousands flock to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Russian Federation Premier Vladimir Putin and many other dignitaries paid their respects. Bulgaria’s tourism industry is their main source of outside investment and spending.

The Decaying Orbit of Orbitz Online

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With the holiday travel season upon us, and Google pushing online travel giants around, the best Orbitz can come up with is a mobile application and a drug store marketing deal. American Airlines is about to pull one of Orbitz’s biggest calling cards and the company is doing research about holiday airport traffic? Just what is up with this online travel giant leaves room for much speculation.

Anime Festival Asia 2010 Kicks Off in Singapore

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Anime fans traveling to Singapore get a double treat this weekend as Anime Festival Asia 2010 kicks off today in the nation’s capital. J-Pop celebs to screaming animation fans, this year’s event has brought over 70,000 enthusiasts

Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina Get Free Visa Privileges

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The EU has now granted fee visa privileges to Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina in an effort to spur democratic reforms and progress. These two Balkan republics’ citizens can now travel freely within the Schengen area, basically all of the EU. Officials warn of a withdrawal of privileges should serious problems with immigration ensue.

Toktumi Line2 Delivers for iPhone

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Toktumi’s Line2 application for the iPhone can save users time, aggravation, and best of all money. Line2 allows mobile users to hook up via Wi-Fi and VOIP networks when lost signal or even minutes are low. This is the first dual mode cell/VOIP application for iPhone.

Four Barriers Every Traveler Abroad Faces

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Language problems constitute the majority of hurdles for travel abroad as anyone would suspect. From reading a menu to finding a street, the confusion unknown languages present can be daunting to the tourist. A recent study highlights the four major hurdles travelers face, while at least one company offers some solutions.

Asian Games Get Underway In Guangzhou Today

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The Asian Games get underway today with a great deal of fanfare. China Premier Wen Jiabao and a laundry list of dignitaries are scheduled to witness what could be China’s biggest light show ever. A river spectacle is set for the opening of the 16th contingent of the games.

India’s Chhath Puja Festival 2010 Winds Up

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India’s Chhath Puja Festival this year promises to be the biggest celebration ever. As river banks across India are decorate for the celebration’s finale this weekend, local authorities plan for handling the massive crowds. For tourists visiting India during this time, a real treat lays in store – and some possible wait time too.

EU and Russia: Free Visa Talks at Standstill

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Travel and tourism for Russia is up this year despite slow progress on the free visa issue. The EU’s apparent stalling of Russia on free travel is holding up what could be a boom for the industry worldwide. Business between the EU and the Russian Federation could take many countries out of the recession with expanded cooperation, so just why the EU is holding back makes little sense to many.

Why the World Is Not Saying “Tripsay”

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When you see a development like Tripsay in the corner at the dance, you have to ask yourself; “Is everyone at this party stupod?” This Finnish travel development should have been either bought or adopted for any number of mainstream travel companies – but it wasn’t. Tripsay now intends to modularize their innovation so that mid sized players can compete with the likes of Expedia and TripAdvisor.

Macedonia’s Autumn Music Festival In Swing

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Macedonia is in full musical swing this month with the Autumn Music Festival at the capital Skopje. This year’s cultural event promises to be the best ever, with performances from artists of the Balkans and beyond. For those who have never visited Macedonia, this may be the ideal time to acquaint themselves with this small but wonder laden treasure of the Balkans.

Tripit Still Shines If Not Altogether New

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TripIt is without a doubt one of the most useful travel tools yet developed. But, can this fairly limited tool, regardless how slick, remain atop the travel app list forever? With an increased user base via Hotwire TripIt has so far fended off all competition, but one slip is all it will take for the next big thing to steamroll this startup. The larger question is, “Can simple modular applications be stand alone monetization models?”