Barking will be prohibited along Main Street in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, come July 31, TC hears. It's not the woof-woof kind. Seems that some of the vocal sidewalk solicitors, long a fixture in the downtown area promoting local businesses, got a tad too aggressive and annoying when handing out flyers for various retail stores. Tourists complained. Enough said.
The Caribbean is under threat from a new enemy that has nothing to do with the price of fuel, airline capacity cuts or economic woes in the U.S. Nope, this danger has taken root in palm trees and attacks from the bottom up, chewing its way through palm fronds and coconuts. The red palm mite, which is believed to have arrived in the region in 2003, can now be found on 12 islands, in Venezuela and parts of Florida, is unfazed by pesticides and appears to have no natural enemies, according to tropical bug experts and plant specialists. The little bugger unknowingly is being moved across borders in tourist souvenirs made from palm fronds, such as hats, baskets and other straw items. Will security measures at airports and cruise piers soon include a spritz of Raid insecticide before visitors depart paradise? It mite happen, TC hears.
Cruisers may have yet another fee to contend with. On July 15, French President Nicolas Sarkozy launched the 43-nation Mediterranean Union, an international body aimed at improving relations and pursuing projects among Mediterranean countries. Among the first items on the group's agenda? A possible security fee charged to all ships entering the Med to pay for improved maritime security.
Sighted on the Splendor: All of Carnival Corp.'s board members were onboard the Carnival Splendor for meetings -- including former Carnival Cruise Lines boss Bob Dickinson. By TC's count, this would be the first Carnival ship since the Mardi Gras where Dickinson had no active role to play in the inaugural events. But that didn't seem to bother Dickinson: TC ran into him at the spa check-in desk and the next day picking up a midmorning latte.
Look for Concur to unveil enhancements to its technology products this week that are expected to help corporations make more intelligent choices about green travel. Hint: We're not merely talking about counting carbon emissions.