The Titanic Awards

Can’t play an instrument to save your life?  No problem.  Channel your inner Van Halen at Finland’s Air Guitar Festival.   Air guitar may not be particularly Finnish, but they were the first to try to turn a profit from it.

www.airguitarworldchampionships.com

(3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 10)

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Tourism air guitar, festival, Tourism

You’ve got the township tours in South Africa and favela tours in Rio de Janeiro. Tourists go on these poverty safaris for a little excitement, the opportunity to see the culture behind the newspaper headlines, and a chance to photograph some authentic poor people to show their friends back home.  But how about some first-world poverty? San Francisco, already endowed with some of the world’s most famous attractions and just up the road from the heartland of venture-capital billionaires,  has decided to try a little poverty tourism itself.  With the support of the mayor, they want to add the Uptown Tenderloin area to the tourist menu. Sure there’s the historical aspect, like “the world’s largest collection of historic single-room occupancy hotels,” but to experience the region during the day (and they mean “DAY” — even the local supporters don’t recommend you don’t visit after dark) is to get a first-hand look at 30,000 people living in 60 blocks with widespread drug use and drunks passed out on the street.  Or as the tourist board looks at it, turning passed out lemons into lemonade.

(4 votes, average: 6.50 out of 10)

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Tourism poverty tourism, s.f. tenderloin, san francisco, Tourism

Hard to tell if it’s a real fight or an April Fool’s joke, but just after Australia launched their new campaign “There’s nothing like Australia” Tourism New Zealand put some polemic images on their Facebook page (see below), one featuring Steve Irwin feeding a croc while holding a baby.  “It’s nothing personal Australia,” they wrote, “We love your new advertising campaign, it’s just that we’re nothing like you. Love from New Zealand.”  Tourism Australia is considering legal action against the creator of nothinglikeaustralia.net.

(5 votes, average: 5.40 out of 10)

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uncategorized campaign, facebook, steve irwin, there's nothing like australia, Tourism, tourism australia, tourism new zealand

Finally an even more kitsch alternative to visiting Hollywood homes: gang tourism. You can see the LA County Jail, Skid Row (home to 90,000 homeless people) and gang hangouts instead.  Couldn’t get tickets to a game show? How about checking out the top crime scene locations instead.

On the upside, the tour hopes to  create jobs for residents and hand back a percentage of the profits.

Just make sure you’re covered by travel insurance.  To join the tour ($65 with lunch), you’ll need to sign the mother of all waivers.

(3 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10)

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Tourism bullet, crime, dangerous, gang tours, jail, kitsch, slums, Tourism, weird