http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704821704576271100676136050.html

Better known for its work protecting world monuments and natural wonders such as the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal of India and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at a recent meeting in Nairobi, Kenya added gastronomy, for the first time, to a list of the world’s intangible heritage. The list is a bid to protect cultural diversity and foster a sense of community. It is designed to preserve the world’s art forms and traditions considered under threat from globalization and was started in 2003 to recognize elements of living heritage , such as language.

So, what’s special about a lunch in France? President Nicolas Sarkozy summed up the views of his countrymen when he said French cuisine is the best in the world. But, his culinary chauvinism has evoked “tut-tuts” from gourmets in Italy and Spain and many other places where people think they eat pretty well, except in England whose contribution to world gastronomy, the French think, is limited to fish and chips or shepherd’s pie and Yorkshire pudding !

Lost in the din of self-congratulations in France was the fact that UNESCO also honored traditional Mexican cuisine and the loosely defined Mediterranean diet consisting of olive oil, cereals, fruit and vegetables.

One of the reasons for the inclusion of the “gastronomic meal of the French”, according to UNESCO experts, was that it is a “social custom aimed at celebrating the most important moments in the lives of individuals and groups”. The listing is the result of a long campaign by a group of leading chefs who fear French cuisine is under threat from modern life and the global food industry. Their submission to UNESCO centered mostly around the lunch ritual itself; how wines are paired with dishes, how the table is dressed and the precise placing of glasses and cutlery. The UN body acknowledged the French flair for orchestrating the perfect cascade of mealtime pleasures: from the aperitif to the appetizer, on to the main course, salad, cheese, dessert and perhaps fruit with appropriate wine bringing out the best in each dish. It was that ageless choreography that UNESCO singled out as worth preserving for the good of the human race.

The President of the University of Paris-Sorbonne, who led the effort to win UNESCO recognition, explained the reasoning: “This exists in a lot of other countries. But we have a certain form of gastronomy, with the marriage of food and wine, the succession of dishes, the way of setting the table, of talking about it that are specifically French”.

Other cultural elements that vied for UNESCO recognition included 47 nominations from 29 countries. Among them were Chinese acupuncture, a hopping procession in Luxembourg and Turkey’s Kirkpinar festival of men wrestling in cooking oil. Traditions such as Mongolian folk dancing, the Argentinean tango and Croatian lace-making now rank alongside the Acropolis in Athens and the Sigiriya fortress in Sri Lanka.

– Lakshman Ratnapala
BATW International Consultant 

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April Orcutt
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April Orcutt
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Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW)
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Asia is, once again leading the recovery, showing outstanding resilience, although in comparison, recovery was lagging in parts of Europe and the Americas.  The Asian region which was caught quite early by the economic crisis was also the first to show signs of recovery.  Compared with the pre-crisis year of 2008, Asia gained an extra 10 million international tourist arrivals last year (2010), with most destinations registering double-digit growth rates, many such as Sri Lanka even above 20 percent.

These results reinforce the message that tourism is one of the most dynamic economic sectors and a key driver in creating much needed growth and employment. Accordingly, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) is calling upon governments, and multilateral forums such as the G-20, to place tourism higher in their agendas as the sector can contribute to common objectives of sustaining recovery, regaining jobs and promoting sustainable development.  WTO’s Secretary-General Taleh Rifai warns that “in spite of tourism’s proven contribution to the economy, there has been an increased temptation among governments to introduce and increase taxation on travel, particularly on air transport”.  Rifai claims these impediments seriously effect tourism’s capacity to generate jobs and stimulate growth, through export earnings that are crucial to a stable economic recovery.

The WTO’s panel of tourism experts say “the two-speed economy in which we currently live, and which will last for the foreseeable future, favors emerging destinations, which will quickly gain market share of international tourism arrivals”.  Emerging destinations will continue to lead growth, taking advantage of a far-from-exhausted demand from neighboring countries.

International tourism receipts show a similar trend to that of arrivals, but growing at a somewhat more moderate pace.  This gap may be explained by persisting price competition, shorter stays by tourists in destinations and larger volumes of arrivals in “value for money destinations”.

International tourism expenditure has also rebounded, led by emerging economies such as Brazil, China and Russia posting the strongest growth among the major spenders.  Expenditure among the advanced economies has generally been restrained, but there has been a modest growth from the USA, Italy, Germany and France, as well as a return in spending by the Japanese on outbound tourism.

In domestic tourism, a shift in power has already occurred, mostly thanks to the large domestic markets of China, India and Brazil.

KEY  TRENDS

• Over the past six decades, tourism has experienced continued expansion and diversification to become one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors in the world.  Many new destinations have emerged alongside the traditional ones of Europe and North America.

• In spite of occasional shocks, international tourist arrivals have shown virtually uninterrupted growth from 25 million in 1950 to 277 million in 1980, to 438 million in 1990, to 683 million in 2000, to 919 million in 2008.

• Under the impact of the worldwide financial crisis and following economic recession, international tourist arrivals declined by 4.2 % to 880 million in 2009.

• International tourism receipts reached US$ 852 billion in 2009, corresponding to a decrease in real terms of 5.7 %  on 2008.

• The dismal results of 2009 followed four years of strong, above-trend growth.  Including 2009, average annual growth since 2000 has been 3%.

• Growth returned to international tourism in the last quarter of 2009 after 14 months of decline.

• As growth has been particularly fast in the world’s emerging regions, the share in international tourist arrivals received by emerging and developing countries has steadily risen, from 32% in 1990 to 47% in 2009.

• By 2020 international arrivals are expected to reach 1.6 billion.

– Lakshman Ratnapala
BATW International Consultant

glass of red wine in Napa Valley (photo © April Orcutt)

The BATW would like to thank the following wineries for their generous contributions to our annual holiday party held aboard the Jeremiah O’Brien on December 11, 2010.

Artisan Family of Wines, a wine company based in Suisun Valley under the labels of Sly Dog, Red Cote and Seven Artisans provided us with many wonderful red wines including Petite Sirah, Meritage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.  (Their elegant Rose was also a hit)  Information about Artisan Family of Wines can be found at http://artisanfamilyofwines.com

Benson Marketing based in Napa kindly donated samples of sweet French and dry American wines including a few marvelous examples from Washington State’s Columbia Valley.  The off-dry Hogue Genesis Riesling was a surprising winner for both fans and even non-fans of this varietal.  See: www.hoguecellars.com for more info on Hogue.

The Clos du Val Wine Company, located on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley donated classic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, both utilizing Carneros fruit.  Enjoyed to the last drop, the full bodied, peachy Chardonnay went particularly well with the chicken dish served at the luncheon.  More information about Clos du Val can found at: www.closduval.com

Concannon Vineyards from Livermore Valley provided an assortment of wines from their historic winery, begun in 1883.  Members sampled Concannon Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet and Petite Sirah; all were happily tasted and enjoyed.  Concannon has undergone a huge expansion as of late and the winery is definitely worth a trip.  See www.concannonvineyard.com for additional details.

Hop Kiln Winery of Healdsburg graciously donated samples of their excellent HKG Chardonnay and luscious Russian River Pinot Noir.  Featuring fine wines and a distinctive building, Hop Kiln is a delightful winery to visit in the Russian River area.  They’ve also recently opened a new tasting room in the little Sonoma town of Glen Ellen.  More Hop Kiln Winery information can be found at: www.hopkilnwinery.com

Octavin Home Wine Bar donated one of their unique containers holding 3 Liters of a very tasty, crisp Silver Birch New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  A crowd pleasing wine in a sustainable package – BATW members went wild over it.  See: www.Octavinhomewinebar.com

Sonoma Cutrer Vineyards out of Windsor donated bottles of classic Russian River and other stunning Chardonnays.  Lucky attendees could envision the loamy soils and foggy Sonoma County mornings while sipping these delicious Chards.  For more information about Sonoma Cutrer, see: www.sonomacutrer.com

Thanks again to all of our generous friends in California Wine Country.  We at the Bay Area Travel Writers sincerely appreciate their contributions.

– Bob Ecker

Mort has been having an unfortunate and very unfair ordeal with the National Science Foundation. After initially awarding Mort a grant to return to the South Pole with a team to create a book and documentary on the changes to the continent over the past 50 years, the NSF unexpectedly (and probably unlawfully) reneged on literally the last day before departure, citing ‘health concerns.’

The entire story has been written up by science writer Leigh Dayton in The Australian, Rupert Murdoch’s flagship newspaper. (Mort has an Australian expedition mate).  See a PDF of the newspaper article by clicking:
australian_morton-beebe

You can also learn more about the expedition here:
http://www.returntothesouthpole.org

(photo © Morton Beebe)

The hippie, counter-culture youth movement, developed in the United States in the early 1960s and spread around the world along with its fundamental ethos — harmony with nature, communal living, artistic experimentation and the use of recreational drugs. San Francisco was at the heart of the earliest hippie movements. The intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets was its epicenter, still an off-beat location favored by tourists and locals alike. College students intrigued by the psychedelic music scene left school and followed their favorite bands, living communally in inexpensive Victorian apartments around Haight and Ashbury that soon boasted a hippie commune of 15,000 young Americans. 1967 marked the “Summer of Love”. The song “if you are going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair” inspired thousands of youth from all over the world to travel to San Francisco, with flowers in their hair, earning the name “Flower Children”.

The Time magazine of July 7, 1967 described the hippie code : “Do your own thing, wherever you have to do it and whenever you want. Drop out. Leave society as you have known it. Leave it utterly. Blow the minds of every straight person you can reach. Turn them on, if not to drugs, then to beauty, love, honesty, fun.”

An estimated 100,000 people traveled to San Francisco in the summer of 1967. The media followed and public attention on hippie culture fueled a moral panic among the staid citizenry.

Some hippies left San Francisco to discover new places and new communes. One of them, “Eight Finger” Eddie went to Goa in India, wearing next to nothing, carrying earthen pipes on waistbands for smoking hashish. The locals in Anjuna Beach in Goa were shocked to see Eddie. But he loved them, and they fell in love with him and his half naked buddies who came with him.

In the 1960s when Eddie and his buddies arrived, Anjuna Beach had a few huts with nobody around. Some people let him stay in their huts for free. He cooked for everyone. Eddie sometimes ran a soup kitchen for hippies. He started the Anjuna flea market where hippies could hang out and barter goods. People gave things away. It was like a party. Today that market is a hub of commerce. Goa is a top destination for new age tourists — nearly two and half million each year. Five-star hotels line the beaches. Throbbing night life and lush restaurants add to the scene, which has made Goa one of the wealthiest States in India.

Goa owes much of its success to Eddie and other hippies like him who created the buzz that brought Western tourists. But with success and riches, the new Goanese society shunned the hippies of old. Goa has moved on.

On October 18, Eddie, wearing a floral shirt and cheap slippers, died of a heart attack at age 85 in Anjuna’s hospital. The local newspaper paid tribute calling him “a guiding light for travelers who made Anjuna the last station of the hippie trail”.

— Lakshman Ratnapala
BATW International Consultant

Matador, the popular on-line travel Website, has launched a new print magazine, Beta.  You can find the eight reasons for the new magazine’s birth at http://bit.ly/boAHa5.

cover of Tom Wilmer's "Wine Seekers' Guide to Livermore Valley"

Congrats go to Tom Wilmer, whose latest book, The Wine Seeker’s Guide to the Livermore Valley, is the first wine-guidebook for that valley. Tom will be signing books at the Big White House Winery and the First Street Wine Shop in Livermore on December 4 and at McGrail Vineyards on December 5, 2010.