Travel Agents for Pets Latest Signal of Massive Trend

Medical Tourism A Prescription for Business Growth.

World Citizens Guide helps American tourists tread softly on foreign soil.

Belly dancing wiggles its way into big-name workout gyms.

L.A.'s RIDE-Arc offers fresh perspective with nighttime architectural tours by bike.

Travel Agents for Pets
Latest Signal of Massive Trend

Pets are part of the family, and their safe passage is vital to the wellbeing of their owners. Animal-loving consumers' willingness to pounce on products and services that honor this fact and provide a sense of security for their animals has given rise to a whole new category of travel planners - Pet Travel Agents. Part concierge, part animal whisperer, they help owners navigate the tricky waters of animal immigration and offer a variety of services designed to take the anxiety out of travel for pets and their owners. The use of travel agents may be declining but the business of the pet travel agency is growing by over 20% according to The Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association International. With ThePetProfessor.com reporting that 63% of all U.S. households have a pet, including 73 million dogs and 90 million cats, it's no surprise that frequent flyer programs award miles to animals and hotels cater increasingly to pets. If you're in a lifestyle and travel business, every indicator points to a growing need to accommodate customers and their pets with increasing style and care.

"It turns out that there is no significant happiness gap between owners of pets of any kind and those who have no pets. We're at a loss to explain. We're just happy - no, make that very happy - that neither Fido nor Felix can read."

--- "Are We Happy Yet" report, Pew Research Center 2.13.06
Medical Tourism
A Prescription for Business Growth

Americans are taking their ailments abroad, tending to hurts and tackling medical trauma in doctors' offices overseas rather than down the block. While medical tourism previously had lots to do with the low-profile recovery favored by plastic surgery patients, more and more people are hopping planes to get everything from bridge work to major operations. Fertility treatment and dental work top medical-tourism popularity lists, but concerns as big as heart surgery and as small as sniffles are now options for overseas treatment. Singapore, Thailand and India all draw major traffic, but even a place like Hungary has over 300 dentists who have set up shop to accommodate tourist demand. McKinsey & Co. says medical tourism could become a $2-billion-a-year-business in India alone by 2012. Many treatments in India cost one-fifth to one-tenth what they do in the U.S. Though some patients make trips strictly business, others opt for luxury vacations. Plastic surgery safaris are big draws in South Africa, and Argentina's Plenitas offers packages that take medical tourists on daytrips to Buenos Aires and Treks to Tierra del Fuego. The combination of exhilaration, relaxation, and better health are all compelling appeals for a product - now factor in substantial savings and you have the ideal opportunity to capture a significant share of an aging population.

"The cost of several medical procedures, according to IndUShealth estimates (compared with actual Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina charges): $6,000 for heart bypass surgery in India vs. $55,000-$86,000 in the U.S.; $6,000 for angioplasty with stent vs. $33,000-$49,000; $5,000 for hip replacement vs. $31,000 to $44,000; and $8,000 for spinal fusion vs. $42,000-$76,000.

--- NEWSOBSERVER.COM 12.13.05
World Citizens Guide helps American tourists tread softly on foreign soil

American travelers get a lesson in diplomacy with the World Citizens Guide, a well-mannered manual that helps displaced Yankees tread softly on foreign soil. The humble handbook dishes 16 basic tips on international etiquette, cultural awareness and overseas expectations, including "Try the language," "Dress for respect" and, our favorite, "Be quiet." Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA) and a group of college students created the guide in response to growing anti-American sentiment abroad. The ultimate goal: Turn exchange students, business travelers and tourists into "an army of civilian ambassadors" (Telegraph.co.uk 4.16.06). From shorts and shouts to ignorance and arrogance, Americans aren't world renowned for cultural sensitivity. Tourists who observe and respect the customs and traditions of the nations they visit can be powerful foreign diplomats - and help work against ugly American stereotypes.
Belly dancing wiggles its way into big-name workout gyms

Belly dancing is shaking its way into the mainstream with chains like Crunch and 24 Hour Fitness offering their own version of cardio exercise classes with a Middle Eastern twist. The dance import is said to burn an amazing 350 calories per 60-minute class (Health 4.06). And the music keeps exercisers' minds wandering to exotic locales and away from the agony of maintaining the perfect blend of form and frenzy in their midriff. We'll drink a protein shake to that. Workout girls wanna have fun, and exotic variety keeps them going longer than the same-old, same-old does. East-meets-West fusion is expanding its borders yet again, as Americans embrace new ways to feel good and experience other cultures.
L.A.'s RIDE-Arc offers fresh perspective with nighttime architectural tours by bike

Taking time to ... view the buildings? The Southern California Institute of Architecture has created RIDE-Arc, a monthly evening bike ride through the nooks and crannies of Los Angeles to survey architectural styles. A recent outing was titled "Sex, Sexuality and Love" and took pedalers through Hollywood, Beverly Hills and even past lifelong Playboy Hugh Hefner's hangout. For the critical mass-meets-cerebral cortex cyclists who dig RIDE-Arc, share blogs and online photos, it's all about getting some exercise, getting charged up about something other than work and getting together with friends for intelligent conversation. People hoping to expand their appreciation for art and architecture, not to mention their social circles, can derive fresh inspiration from a new vantage point, like the seat of a bike. Work-life balance requires activities that deliver multitasking performance - in this case fitness, friendship and a fresh perspective.

Estimates for the number of Americans who regularly bike to work range from 500,000 to 5,000,000. In contrast, 97,000,000 Americans drive to work by themselves. Yet, 100,000,000+ own bicycles.

--- USA Today 5.06

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