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Tuesday, September 26, 2006

New Zealand has been voted the coolest place in the world by United Kingdom brand: CoolBrands.

Coolbrands is owned by a consultancy firm in the UK, called Superbrands. It started in 2001, CoolBrands is a way of telling how ‘cool’ a brand is. Superbrands defines “brands that have become extremely desirable among many style leaders and influencers. They have a magic about them, signifying that users have an exceptional sense of taste and style.”

George Hickton, chief executive of Tourism New Zealand, said: “This win is a vindication of the recent work we’ve put in to the UK market, with the Chelsea Flower Show and our 100% Pure New Zealand advertising campaign ensuring New Zealand stays top of mind with potential travellers.”

“It’s very gratifying to see we are such a desirable destination, especially as this poll includes opinion leaders who can have an real influence on people’s travel choices.” says Mr Hickton. “this is the second award New Zealand has received in the UK this September, with Conde Nast Traveller magazine also voting New Zealand best destination this month.”

Editor of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine, Sarah Miller, called New Zealand a “point of authenticity.” And professional nation brander, Wally Olin, said “New Zealand has been very, very clever. It has turned its disadvantages into advantages.”

“Reaping the benefits of its recent marketing campaign, New Zealand is apparently the hottest place to be,” said the London News.

650 brands were chosen by researchers which were then put before 23 judges and were made available for the public, of which 1,725 people participated in an online survey. Five percent of the original 650 made it to the finals, including Morocco, Maldive and Australia.

New Zealand receives most of its tourists from Australia, closely followed by the UK.

The top ten destinations included:

1. New Zealand
2. Morocco
3. Fiji
4. Prague
5. Australia
6. Maldives
7. Amsterdam
8. Brighton
9. Bahamas
10. Bermuda

Friday, May 6, 2005

Romania’s National Authority for Tourism (ANT) announced that they would promote tourism in Romania through a new branding strategy, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development. The director of ANT, Marius Critonescu, said that the branding exercise will be “a significant component of the Romania’s development as a new tourist destination of international level.” He also added that the development of an integrated brand for Romanian tourism will promote a more positive image for the country, thereby increasing the number of tourists and investors. In recent times, there has been quite a lot of investment in “national branding”, especially in the field of tourism, as most marketing experts believe that branding for a product or a country is theoretically the same thing, and that the same strategies and approach should be used for both.

Concerning the Romanian tourism rebranding, international tourism and marketing expert James MacGregor stated that, “We have to touch the hearts and souls of the contemporary tourists who no longer travel for a simple beach or ski track. They want to live a self-knowledge experience that is truly uplifting and will leave unforgettable memories. The brand must show them not what they will see or do as tourists but what they will feel when visiting Romania.”

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

An explosion has caused catastrophic damage to a ConAgra Foods plant on Jones Sausage Road in Garner, North Carolina in the United States. At least 300 people were at work in the plant at the time of the incident, 11:27 a.m. EDT (3:27 UTC) on June 9. Estimates indicate that up to 46 people were sent to area hospitals, and, as of 4:00 p.m. EDT, three people are still unaccounted for.

The plant was formerly owned by Raleigh, North Carolina based Goodmark Foods, but was purchased by ConAgra Foods seven years ago. The plant makes Slim Jim brand meat snacks, and at 50,000 square feet is one of ConAgra’s largest plants.

Eyewitnesses reported a loud explosion, and also reported the smell of ammonia. At least one of the building’s walls was blown outward, crushing a line of cars, and roof damage was visible in nearly all parts of the main building. Crews are working on containing a leak of anhydrous ammonia; it is unclear if the leak caused the explosion or was caused by the explosion. While area residents also reported smelling ammonia, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials on site have indicated that there is no general health risk to the local residents. Three firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.

Injured employees were sent to several area hospitals, including WakeMed Raleigh Campus, WakeMed Cary, and Rex Hospital. Three patients are being treated at UNC Jaycees Burn Center in Chapel Hill for serious injuries. Uninjured employees were evacuated to the Garner Senior Center and several area churches donated the use of their vans to transport people home from the Senior Center.

The explosion caused several road closures in the area, including Interstate 40 Westbound and Jones Sausage Road.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Researchers say that a study of chimpanzees in the Republic of the Congo in Africa, show that they specifically create and design tools to catch termites living underground. The study was performed in the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in the Congo in an area known as the Goualougo Triangle. The study was published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

Dr. Crickette Sanz, the leader of the team who filmed the chimps crafting “fishing rod” type tools, says that they have “invented” ways of “improving their termite-fishing technique” by using a stick from a plant called the Marantaceae. They pick off the leaves and then create and place a brush like object on the end. Doing so improved the number of termites they catch, by more than 10 times.

“They then pulled the herb stems through their teeth, which were partially closed, to make the brush and they also attended to the brush by sometimes pulling apart the fibres to make them better at gathering the termites,” stated Sanz to the BBC.

Researchers are aware that chimps have used similar methods in the past, but it was not fully known if the tools they used were designed specifically for the task of gathering the insects. Of all the tools the chimps left behind and recovered by Sanz’s team, 80% were custom made by their owners. Sanz says the new study has determined that their methods have since evolved, proving previous hypotheses.

“Our results indicate that chimpanzees have a mental template of the tool form, which is employed in crafting the tool prior to use and refining it during use,” Sanz said.

Sanz also says that because of Africa’s vastness, much of it is still unstudied leaving him to suggest other species of chimps and apes use complex tools to gather food.

“Just as we are learning about these exciting new complex tool behaviours, the chimps that are showing us these behaviours are under danger from logging, poaching and Ebola,” added Sanz. The triangle is a host to a variety of endangered or threatened animals including gorillas and elephants.