Union Minister of Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visits the stand of UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu at WTM London

Travel

The Department of Tourism, Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (DNH & DD), is participating as a co-exhibitor alongside the Ministry of Tourism at the World Travel Market (WTM), London which is being held from 5th-7th November 2024. This event provides a global platform for the UT to showcase its diverse tourism potential, natural beauty, and commitment to promoting sustainable and responsible tourism. On the second day of the event, the stand of UT of DNH & DD was visited by Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with Ms. Mughda Sinha Director General of Tourism. The Union Minister was presented with the Coffee Table Books of both UT of DNH&DD and also Lakshadweep. During his visit, the Minister extended his best wishes to the UT of DNH & DD, commending the region’s initiatives to promote responsible tourism through world class infrastructure and its efforts to develop as a unique destination with a rich blend of natural and cultural attractions.Further, in an inspiring gesture, Shekhawat met with students and people from UT DNH & DD who are currently studying and staying in the United Kingdom and came to WTM as brand ambassadors of UT of DNH&DD. He encouraged them to actively contribute to the tourism industry and emphasized the importance of their role in representing India and the UT’s tourism potential on a global scale. His interaction with the students highlighted the government’s commitment to empowering young citizens and fostering their connection with their heritage, culture, and community development back home.WTM London is a crucial event for the global tourism industry, and DNH & DD’s participation is part of a broader strategy to attract international visitors, promote eco-tourism, and create sustainable growth opportunities.

Indigenous tourism groups partner to create Destination Original Indigenous Tourism

Travel

Destination Original Indigenous Tourism (DO-IT) is a partnership of three Indigenous tourism groups that has been a year in the making and which creates a one-of-a-kind organization that aims to unify the collective voice for Indigenous tourism worldwide and the Indigenous people it comprises.
DO-IT officially formalized its partnership during the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association’s (AIANTA) 26th Annual American Indigenous Tourism Conference in Marksville, Louisiana which was hosted by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.
During the conference, AIANTA, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) and New Zealand Maori Tourism entered a commitment pledge partnership that will see DO-IT embark on a mission to provide leadership in the development and marketing of authentic Indigenous tourism destinations through innovative partnerships.
Destination Original Indigenous Tourism’s vision is to support the establishment of a sustainable international Indigenous tourism network, led by Indigenous destinations and work to support a sustainable, thriving Indigenous tourism economy sharing authentic, memorable, and enriching experiences.
Culminating in the highly anticipated signing of DO-IT’s partnership, Sherry L. Rupert, CEO of the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association; Keith Henry, President & CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada; and Dale Stephens, Chair of New Zealand Maori Tourism led an insightful and forward-thinking discussion on DO-IT at the conference, where they examined Indigenous tourism standards from each country and discussed the need to establish guidelines for Destination Original-branded experiences.
This ensures that travellers can immediately recognize and trust they are receiving an authentic Indigenous experience. The leaders also discussed the goals of the newly formed organization and explored the future of Indigenous travel across the globe.
AIANTA CEO Sherry L. Rupert (Paiute/Washoe), explained that: “Destination Original Indigenous Tourism mission aligns with AIANTA’s mission to define, introduce, grow and sustain American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian tourism that honours traditions and values, so it’s a natural fit for us to join our colleagues in establishment of this vital organization.”
Rupert continued: “As the leader in Indigenous tourism in the U.S., AIANTA is thrilled to join this global community of Indigenous leaders to amplify our commitment to sharing authentic cultural heritage experiences as a united front.”
Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) President & CEO Keith Henry said that: “Destination Original Indigenous Tourism is a solid strategic alignment of three world-leading associations that allows us to uplift the voices of Indigenous-led tourism experiences worldwide while building on the important work that ITAC has supported across Canada to create authentic, sustainable experiences that celebrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples.”
Said Henry: “This partnership is the next step in the growth of global Indigenous tourism, creating opportunities for Indigenous communities and entrepreneurs and enhancing the profile of Canada by showcasing the unique stories and histories of Indigenous peoples through tourism.”
NZ Maori Tourism Chair Dale Stephens (Te Rarawa), said that: “New Zealand Maori Tourism is proud to support the establishment of Destination Original Indigenous Tourism and its aspirations for indigenous peoples, globally. We see this partnership as a significant platform that empowers indigenous peoples to take control of their destinies, builds whanaungatanga (filial connections) which leads to kotahitanga (unity).”
Stephens continued: “By celebrating opportunities that come from our indigeneity and authenticity, we identify a pathway towards the culturalization of commerce, rather than the commercialization of our culture. This is what draws international visitors to Aotearoa New Zealand who are looking to forge connections with people and place – and what better way than to do this through indigenous tourism.”
In addition to the official formalization announcement, DO-IT has also announced its initial founding board member composition of six visionary Indigenous leaders and appointed its first President and CEO to include:

* American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association: Sherry L. Rupert, CEO of AIANTA; and Travis Owens, Vice President of Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism and president of AIANTA’s board of directors.
* New Zealand Maori Tourism: Pania Tyson-Nathan, CEO of New Zealand Maori Tourism; and Dale Stephens, chair of New Zealand Maori Tourism.
* Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada: Keith Henry, President and CEO of ITAC; and Marilyn Jensen, ITAC’s chair of the board and business owner.
* Destination Original Indigenous Tourism’s first president and CEO: Sebastien Desnoyers-Picard of the Huron-Wendat Nation in Canada has been chosen to lead the organization and help shape the mission and vision of the new organization, under the strategic guidance of the board of directors. With his deep experience working in the Indigenous tourism industry for nearly 18 years coupled with his current role as vice president of ITAC, the collective believes Sebastien was a natural fit for the organization and wish him great success in this new venture as he transitions to lead Destination Original Indigenous Tourism.

Go to www.DestinationOriginal.com for more.
IN THE PHOTO
Destination Original Indigenous Tourism formalized at the 2024 American Indigenous Tourism Conference between the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and New Zealand Māori Tourism. Pictured from left to right: Destination Original Board of Directors – Sherry L. Rupert, AIANTA CEO; Travis Owens, Vice President of Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism and president of AIANTA’s board of directors; Keith Henry, President and CEO of ITAC; Dale Stephens, chair of New Zealand Māori Tourism; and Sebastien Desnoyers-Picard, Destination Original Indigenous Tourism President and CEO. Board of Directors not pictured: Marilyn Jensen, ITAC’s chair of the board and Pania Tyson-Nathan, CEO of New Zealand Māori Tourism.
Photo credit: Destination Original Indigenous Tourism

Biomedical Scientists Struggle to Replicate Their Own Findings

Science and Health

Large numbers of biomedical scientists have tried and failed to replicate their own studies, with many not publishing their findings, a survey suggests.

Authors of the study warn that researchers’ failure to approach their own work rigorously creates “major issues in bias” and hampers innovation in science.

Times Higher Education

Their survey, of about 1,600 authors of biomedical science papers, found that 72 percent agreed there was a reproducibility crisis in their field.

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Participants suggested a variety of factors, but the leading cause that most participants indicated always contributes to irreproducible research was the pressure to publish.

The study found that just half (54 percent) of participants had tried to replicate their own work previously. Of those, 43 percent failed.

Of those who had tried to replicate one of their own studies, just over a third (36 percent) said they had published the results, according to findings published in PLOS Biology on Nov. 5.

Lead author Kelly Cobey, associate professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa, said respondents felt that their institution did not value replication research to the same extent as novel research.

“Until we give researchers the time, funding and space to approach their research rigorously, which includes acknowledgment for replication studies and null results as valuable components of the scientific system, we are likely to only see select reports of the scientific system being published,” she told Times Higher Education.

“This creates major issues in bias and hampers our ability to innovate and discover new things.”

Cobey said publications remained an “important though problematic currency of a researcher’s success,” because there is a perception that null findings are not as interesting as positive ones.

“Researchers may feel that there is limited value in writing up their results … if they are not likely to be accepted in a peer-reviewed journal, particularly a prestigious one.”

Many researchers reported that they had never tried to replicate someone else’s study. Of the participants who had tried to reproduce findings by another team, more than 80 percent had failed to get the same results.

Editors’ Picks

Cobey called for a much more rigorous system of monitoring research reproducibility and researcher perceptions of the academic ecosystem conducted at a national level.

“I think it is clear that issues with academic incentives continue to pervade the scientific system and that we need significant advocacy and reform if we are going to align our research conduct with best practices for transparency and reproducibility,” she said.

Where It Stands: Fate of books pulled from Boiling Springs library still in administrative limbo

Arts & Culture, Books

About a year has passed and no decisions have been made on whether to permanently remove five books, including two with LGBTQ+ themes from the Boiling Springs High School library.“All Boys Aren’t Blue” and “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” were among the five books the South Middleton School District pulled from the shelf in early fall 2023 pending an internal review.“The work is not completed at this time,” Superintendent Kevin J. O’Donnell Jr. said recently. “We’re still going through the process.”

For each book, a separate committee has been formed to read the material and evaluate the content based on administrative guidelines, O’Donnell said. Each committee consists of two randomly selected faculty members and two parents of district students.High school principal Erin Pittman coordinates the feedback process and meeting schedule of each committee, O’Donnell said. As the overall administrator in charge, Pittman must read all five books, he said.

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Although the books were pulled from the shelf in fall 2023, the internal review only started over the summer and was complicated by a transition in high school leadership when then-principal Joel Hain resigned effective June 30.Two months later, in early May, the South Middleton School Board appointed Pittman, then assistant principal, as high school principal. The district then had to find a replacement assistant for Pittman.

“This is a complex topic to legislate,” O’Donnell said recently, referring to the internal review. “I understand that, from the outside, it would look like it is taking an extended period, but we are also reading each one of those books and arranging meetings around them to get people to come in and share their feedback. It’s a work in progress. It’s still moving forward. It’s not something that just went away.”In late March, local resident Carol Yanity spoke out against the district’s move to pull the books from the library. “They are not required reading, but they were available,” she told the school board. The titles were removed from the shelf because some people were uncomfortable with having these types of books available to students, she said.Yanity focused her comments on “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson and “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo.In a series of personal essays, Johnson explores his childhood and adolescence growing up as a gay Black man, according to a description from Macmillan Publishers.The book by Lo is a historical fiction coming-of-age story about a Chinese American teenager learning to understand herself, her sexuality and her culture in 1954 San Francisco, according to a description on Barnes & Noble.

“The titles referenced were ones that were brought forward as a concern and have been set aside to hold for an internal review,” Jason Baker, assistant to the superintendent, said in late March. “We continue to refine our administrative regulations on this topic. Once the administrative regulations are complete, we will conduct the internal review and make a decision about the future of these particular titles utilizing the process outlined in the regulations.”A few weeks later, during a meeting in early April, O’Donnell said it was not accurate to say that all five titles were pulled specifically because they were LGBTQ+. In an email, the district identified the other three books as “Damsel” by Elana Arnold, “House of Earth and Blood” by Sarah Maas, and “Identical” by Ellen Hopkins.All five books depict physical relationships between characters and have been challenged in other school districts for their mature content. The focus of discussions in South Middleton has been on “All Boys Aren’t Blue” and “Last Night at the Telegraph Club.”The decision to remove the books for review drew criticism from members of the Gender Sexuality Alliance Club at the high school and from Yanity and other property owners who work as educators in the Cumberland Valley School District.
A Florida school district will return 36 LGBTQ+ books to its libraries after a federal lawsuit challenged their removal.
Straight Arrow News

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Abu Dhabi signs up operators for tourism push

Travel

Nine joint marketing initiatives have been secured by Abu Dhabi as the Gulf destination seeks to drive tourist numbers.Collaborations include deals with Best at Travel (pictured), Destination2, Travel Republic, Luxury Holidays To, Kenwood Travel, Southall Travel, Trailfinders and Loveholidays.The agreements support plans by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) to attract 39.3 million visitors by 2030.The joint marketing programmes are set to bolster year-on-year hotel  arrivals by showcasing the emirate’s experiences, from cultural heritage sites and family-friendly activities to natural retreats and luxury offerings.Confirming the agreements at World Travel Market, international operations director Abdulla Yousuf said: “We’re pleased to be collaborating with leading travel operators to further Abu Dhabi’s growth across our priority source markets.“This demonstrates our commitment to working closely with key travel trade partners to ensure Abu Dhabi remains at the forefront of the global travel ecosystem.“These partnerships enable us to develop compelling experiences for visitors and increase Abu Dhabi’s visibility on an international scale.”