Tip on Spotting Tourist SCAMS

How to Spot Tourist Scams

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By aew4, eHow Member

Article Rating:  (5 Ratings)

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You can spot a tourist, but can you spot a scam?

In order to be a safe international traveler, you need to be able to spot common tourist scams. Tourist scams usually target unsuspecting travelers, and include muggers, pickpockets, swindlers, and other street crimes of opportunity. Living abroad, I follow these rules in order to spot scams and keep myself and my belongings safe. Don't be a gullible tourist!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• over-the-shoulder bag or backpack
• photocopy of your passport
• key phrases in the country's foreign language
• your common sense

1. Step1
   
   Tourists are easy to spot
   Blend in. When travelingas a tourist, try to attract as little attention as possible. Do not wear flashy jewelry or carry an expensive camera around your neck. The less you stand out as a tourist, the less likely you are to be targeted for a tourist scam.
2. Step2
   
   Tourists often are too trusting
   Be a tough target. So, the key to avoiding a mugging is to make yourself a difficult one. Be aware of your surroundings. Do not get distracted by the chaos around you, even if you are a tourist. Check the map ahead of time, and know where you are going. Taking out your map is not only a red flag; it is also an opportunity to scam you while you are distracted.
3. Step3
   
   Scam artists will distract you any way possible
   Protect your belongings. Tourists need to carry a lot of belongings, but be smart and carry a cross-body shoulder bag or a backpack worn in the front. A backpack in the back is hard for you to control, and easy to open without you realizing. Similarly, a purse worn over only one shoulder is easy to snatch. Your bag should be visible to you at all times, and as difficult as possible for someone else to remove from your body. In crowded areas, keep your hand over the zipper and hold on to the strap.
4. Step4
   
   Tourists can't lose what they're not carrying
   Carry only cash, not bank cards. A common street crime where I live is to take a victim to an ATM and demand that they withdraw money. If you're not carrying an ATM card, this can't happen to you. Also, don't carry around your passport. Many places will accept a photocopy of your passport in lieu of the original. Remember, scammers can't steal what you're not carrying.
5. Step5
   
   Just make sure the bills aren't fake!
   Divide your money and carry it separately. I often carry half my money in my bag, half in my front pocket, and an emergency bill in my shoe when I'm a tourist. It's unlikely for a scam artist to reach all 3 places.
6. Step6
   
   If it sounds fishy, it's probably a tourist scam
   Even if you follow these steps, you may find yourself in a scam situation. If so, keep your wits about you. A friend was recently approached by a scam artist claiming to be a plain-clothes police officer, who demanded she show her passport, enter a taxi and go to the police station with him. She hadn't done anything wrong, but wasn't sure about defying authority in a foreign country. Her response was to ask to go by foot. The "police officer" lost interest, and my friend survived the scam.
7. Step7
   
   Likewise, if something strange happens in the street, consider that it may be an attempt to distract you and run a scam. If someone drops a lot of change at your feet, spits on you, throws ketchup on your clothes, or asks your for help, you are likely being robbed. Remember, no one asks a tourist for directions!

A nephew of mine lives and works in Paris. He, his wife and his children... | Travel | Wichita Eagle

ED NOTE: I've been intuned to this life style of travel for my family, friends, partner since I was 25. Now 64, I can truly say "You only live once" I've adopted this life style and plan to explore the World, until my legs no longer carry me. Join me???
nephew of mine lives and works in Paris. He, his wife and his children take frequent vacations each year of a duration that would be regarded as scandalous in the United States. They sign up for cheap charter flights to islands in the Mediterranean, check in to modest, all-inclusive, beachside hotels lacking TVs and telephones, and spend several weeks together as a family. They do this not only in the summer (the entire month of August), but often during school vacation periods in the winter, jetting to such places as Luxor in upper Egypt, or Morocco, or Bulgaria. The children, who attend public schools, are frequently taken by their public schools on free-of-charge, overnight excursions to Switzerland or the French Alps.
Despite all this leisure, my nephew and his wife are regarded as highly productive employees of the firms for which they work, and their children excel in school. At the ages of 10 and 14, they study the kind of texts that U.S. college students encounter in their junior and senior years. The children have had exposure to more foreign countries and cultures than most Americans enjoy in their entire lives. They are multilingual. The 14-year-old is presently reading Rousseau's essay "On the Origins of Inequality."
According to a study published in Gadling.com (yes, I occasionally --though rarely -- sneak a look), the French enjoy an average of 35 days a year of paid vacation. They sleep an average of nine hours a night, an hour longer than us, and also spend two hours a day on eating -- twice the time Americans spend eating.
In our public policies toward travel and vacations, we really need to heed the lesson that these highly sophisticated people are demonstrating for us. Rather than averting our eyes, we need to think hard about the lifestyles that other people have adopted. And the first practical step we need to take is agitation in Congress for a federal law mandating a minimum of three weeks of yearly paid vacation for every American worker.

A nephew of mine lives and works in Paris. He, his wife and his children... Travel Wichita Eagle

Travellers turn to cheap adventures amid downturn

March 16, 2009
Cheaper airfares are compelling increasing numbers of people to book African safaris, Vietnamese bike tours, and Moroccan desert trips as a way to escape news of the depressed - and depressing - world economy.

Adventure travel companies have witnessed an unusual bump in demand in the midst of the global crisis that in recent months has devastated stock markets, slashed jobs and gouged savings.

Many travellers are booking trips at the last minute that are typically planned months ahead of time.

"Beyond belief, we had a record month in January," said Tim Greening, director of KEI Adventure Travel, a British-based trekking, climbing and mountain biking specialist. "It's not all doom and gloom out there," he said.

Canada's GAP Adventures, whose most popular trips are to Peru, China, Egypt, Costa Rica, and Vietnam, benefited from a 40 per cent increase in business in the first two months of 2009.

"Our numbers are up," GAP chief executive Bruce Poon Tip said by e-mail from Australia. "The mid-range and lower-end product is very strong. We are seeing that the younger professional market is still travelling."

Several operators said airline seat sales have spurred quick holiday decisions on the part of professionals whose employment is not at direct risk from the recent economic fallout.

"People who still have jobs have a lot to take advantage of at the moment, with cheaper gas and cheaper mortgages as a result of the recent interest rate cuts," said Jeff Willner, the head of Kensington Tours, which also recorded higher bookings in January and February.

"For those still in the workforce who view their portfolio as a long-term investment, these are actually quite good times."

KEI's Greening described demand for trips to Southeast Asia including Borneo and Laos as "fantastic, brilliant at the moment," and said Africa remains a major draw, though interest in European trips such as Mont Blanc trekking slowed somewhat.

"Everybody wants somewhere exotic that doesn't cost too much," he said.

Others said escapism was the major driver of the unexpected rise in adventure tours amid a broad slowdown for the travel industry, which the World Tourism Organization has projected will experience a 0 to 2 per cent decline in business this year.

Will Weber, director and owner of Journeys International, based in Michigan, said that while many households are likely to cut back on resort trips to save money, out-of-the-ordinary trips will keep attracting people with a passion for travel.

"We are fortunate in that many of our clients are retired or professionals whose jobs are not threatened," he said. "We are using this time to check with our best customers and let them know that we are ready when they are ready."

GAP Adventures is also banking on the positive bent of their clients, who are mainly in the 25-to-45 age bracket.

"These are people who are less affected by the present economic climate. They are educated and professional people who, up to until this point, are still confident that they will be employed in the future," Poon Tip said.

Montana-based Austin Lehman Adventures is also counting on off-the-beaten-track trips retaining allure in tough times ahead. "Our customer base is still going to travel," said company director Dan Austin. "People will need to get away."

Tourism companies make haste to announce promotions

Tourism companies enlisted as members of the four working groups catering to specific tourism markets made final discussions on detailed incentives in HCMC on Wednesday so as to announce the exact discounts for foreign travelers visiting the country.

Rex Hotel in HCM City.Nguyen Thi Khanh, deputy head of the hotel and travel division of HCMC’s Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, told the Daily on Tuesday that the meeting was aimed to flesh out the common program agreed upon earlier.
“The companies have met each other before to yield a common program. But they have made the agreement merely in principle and now need to spell out details to offer discounts for tourists,” she said.
These companies – from hoteliers to airlines and travel firms - converge together under working groups for key source tourism markets like Southeast Asia, Western Europe, Australia, and Japan. Khanh said that after the meeting, the groups’ members would sign detailed agreements late this week or early next week for each market.
In a meeting in late December, some 30 hotels in the city agreed to slash their list room rates by at least 30% so that tour operators can mark down tour prices for international travelers this year.
The promotions being discussed is part of the grand sale program named Impressive Vietnam, which was announced by the national tourism authority on Monday. The program is aimed at wooing back international travelers by offering discounts of between 30% and 50% for visitors buying packaged tours to the country or using separate services like accommodation, shopping, and air transport, effective from January through September.
Before the program was launched, some hotels had responded to a call from the national tourism body by submitting their proposed discount plans to the authority, making it possible for tour operators to bring out promotions for tourists.
Nguyen Minh Quyen, deputy head of Ben Thanh Tourist Travel Service Center, told the Daily on Tuesday that his company was proposing discounts of 30% to 50% for some tours under the Impressive Vietnam program.
“It’s just a proposal. We need concrete pledges from hotels and transportation firms to make exact discounts for tourists,” said Quyen, whose company is lead manager of the working group for the Australian market.
Tran Thi Van Anh from the sales and marketing department of Six Senses Resorts & Spas said that the group’s Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay Hotel also joined the program by making discounts in its own style.
“During the program, international guests staying at the hotel for three nights will pay for two only. The discount level on a par with the level announced by the country’s tourism authority,” she said.
Up to on Tuesday afternoon, around 37 travel firms and some 60 hotels across the country are promoting discounts via the website http://promotours.gov.vn/. In addition, 14 shopping venues in HCMC, transport companies and other service providers have offered special discounts to visitors.
(Source: SGT)

Saigontourist still aims high for 2009

The leading hospitality player Saigontourist Holding Company has set ambitious targets for 2009 with a double-digit growth despite great hardships for the global and local economy.
It will be more difficult for 2009, but since this August we’ve discussed difficulties now that travelers are to cut down their spending.Under its business plan just unveiled last week, the company targeted a revenue of VND8.52 trillion (nearly US$500 million), up 14.4% compared to this year. The company aims for around 1.65 million local and foreign guests, up by about 130,000 guests over this year despite all forecasts of falling arrival for the local industry as a whole.
The company also seeks a profit of VND2.72 trillion in 2009, up 14% year on year.
Saigontourist’s general director Nguyen Huu Tho told a meeting here last week that it would be difficult for his company to realize the high targets in the face of economic slowdown but Saigontourist was still confident on such goals.
“It will be more difficult for 2009, but since this August we’ve discussed difficulties now that travelers are to cut down their spending. However, we’ve planned measures to cope with the challenges,” he said.
In fact, while the local hospitality industry has been facing a big challenge this year, especially from the fourth quarter, Saigontourist still obtains a good revenue that is 14.4% higher than 2007’s results owing to its thorough preparations.
Saigontourist Travel Service Company is an example. The company’s revenue is to reach VND900 billion this year compared with nearly VND660 billion last year, while its number of travelers has still increased strongly.
Speaking about measures to be taken, Tho said the company would encourage local customers to buy services by offering them budget and flexible products from hotel rooms, travel services, restaurants and others. To attract more foreign visitors, the company is discussing with Vietnam Airlines to make suitable products in the time of financial crisis.
New facilities of the company will also be an advantage, according to Tho.
“We have some new favorable conditions for realizing next year’s targets such as the newly-inaugurated Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center, which will help draw in a considerable number of visitors,” Tho said, adding many exhibition companies have registered for organizing events there in 2009.
Another leader of the company said at the meeting that Saigontourist would continue to develop hotels in downtown HCMC.
The company is making designs for projects to expand the Majestic and Kim Do hotels, and a project to upgrade the four-star Continental hotel into a five-star one. Saigontourist is also preparing other big projects in the city such as two complexes in the heart of the city, a large-scale hotel project in the Thu Thiem New Urban Town, and a project to build a trade-service center and an underground parking.
(Source: SGT)