Skip to content

Category: Social Media

50 libros recomendados para llevarte de viaje

¡Perdéos… entre páginas y sueños!

Ya os vale. ¡Me lo habéis puesto difícil! ¿Por dónde empiezo?…:) ¡Ya lo sé! Por daros las GRACIAS de corazón por el aluvión de respuestas, y por deciros que estoy conmovida de ver que mis amigos seguís leyedo libros más allá de los status de las redes sociales -que también-, seducidos por prosa de calidad ¡de todos los tiempos!. Espero que el placer de la lectura y el buen criterio para escogerla nos siga acompañando por muchísimos años. Ea. Chin-chín.

Así pues, esta semana, dado que tengo un trayecto de más de una hora diaria desde casa hasta el Instituto Cervantes New York -una hora de ida y otra de vuelta, claro está- ya estoy terminando el primer libro que me he echado al bolso como compañero de viaje. Confieso que en estos primeros días todavía me confundo de ruta en alguna ocasión, me subo en el tren equivocado, en la dirección opuesta… ¡qué os voy a contar! Paciencia. Bendita WiFi subterránea. Más rato al calorcito humano de la extrañamente acogedora multitud del suburbano neoyorkino. Afuera hace una temperatura gélida y llueve (o nieva) sin clemencia. “¡Stand clear of the closing doors, please!”. Paso otra página más.

cerv1

Tal vez porque echo de menos a mi familia, y el último libro que leí en España fue el almanaque que narra la desaparición de mi abuelo y su tropa -expediente militar aún sin resolver, X-file en toda regla-; o tal vez porque extraño las batallitas de Fran -mira tú-, el primer libro que saqué de la coqueta biblioteca del Cervantes en Amster Yard fue Cabo Trafalgar de Pérez-Reverte. Siempre me han gustado sus novelas -infinitamente mejores que las películas que han inspirado-, y empezar esta nueva etapa con unos cuantos cañonazos y plantando cara a los gabachos -desde el cariño histórico- ¡por ahora va viento en popa! “This is the Queens-bound E train…”

Al ver que el Antilla navegaba hacia el fin de la batalla, se me ocurrió hacer este llamamiento-SOS en Facebook:

status leer

Este post, que tuvo una magnífica acogida, inspira esta lista de 50 libros recomendados para llevarse de viaje. La recojo porque sí, porque lo dicen mis amigos -y como suyo es el mérito de la inspiración colectiva, señalo junto a cada obra su respectivo prescriptor -. Confío en su buen criterio. La recopilo con todo cuidado porque seguro que será útil para preparar el próximo viaje. Porque el muro de Facebook es demasiado efímero y esta colección de títulos espero que perdure y sea útil. Porque cualquier comentario que sume, por supuesto será bienvenido anytime. ¡Aquí vamos!:

1 – Where’d You Go, Bernadette? (recomendado por Nina)
2 – En Costas Extrañas, de Tim Powers (consejo de Jorge, con su correspondiente comentario geek: esta novelita al parecer inspiró el videojuego Monkey Island y partes de la saga Piratas del Caribe. ¡Qué grande eres Jorge, qué ganas de leerlo!).
3 – La Guía del Autoestopista Galáctico (Jesús)
4 – Buenos Presagios, de Neil Gaiman y Terry Pratchett (Jesús y Txema)
5 – La Biblia (Jonathan, no puedo estar más de acuerdo)
6 – La Serie Crónica del asesino de reyes / The Kingkiller Chronicle de Patrick Rothfuss (triplemente recomendado por Txema, Jaime y Josete).
7 – Biografía del hambre de Amelie Nothomb (Itziar)
8 – El poder del perro de Don Winslow (triplemente recomendado por Itziar, Ana y Elena)
9 – Burlando a la parca de Josh Bazell (Itziar)
10 – Océano África de Xavier Aldekoa (Itziar)
11 – Ready Player One de Ernest Cline (Javi y Fernando)
12 – Las noches sin dormir de Elvira lindo (Vic)
13 – Lugares que no quiero compartir con nadie de Elvira Lindo (Vic)
14 – La verdad sobre el caso Savolta de Eduardo Mendoza (Moncho -y servidora también lo recomienda-)
15 – Los renglones torcidos de Dios de Torcuato Luca de Tena (Moncho)
16 –El Juego de Ender de Orson Scott Card (Fernando)
17 – Cuentos Completos I de Asimov (Fernando)
18 – Ensayo sobre la ceguera de José Saramago (Fernando)

19- La autopista del Sur de Cortázar (Fernando)
20 – El viaje de Baldassare de Amin Maalouf (Raúl)

8435321969_c1eea0631a_o
21 – La verdad sobre el caso Harry Querbert de Joël Dicker (Andy)
22 – La narracion de Arthur Gordón Pym de Allan Poe (Imanol)
23 – Palmeras en la nieve de Luz Gabás (Ana)
24- El prisionero del cielo de Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Ana)
25 – The Century Trilogy de Ken Follet (Diego)
26 – El Ocho / The Eight, de Katherine Neville (Diego)
27 – Los guardianes del libro de Geraldine brooks (Annie)
28 – La Cena de Herman Coch (Josete)
29 – Trilogía del Vatídico de Robin Hobb; (Josete -importante el acento en este título, jeje-)
30 – Zorba el Griego de Nikos Kazantzakis (Javi)
31 – El elfo oscuro de Salvatore (Dani)
32 – La emparedada del Corral de Campanas de Guerra Fernández (Vic)
33 – Irène de Pierre Lemaitre (Elena)
34 – El océano al final del camino de Neil Gaiman (Elena)
35 – The colour of magic de Terry Pratchett (Wolfie)

-Un momentín que hago transbordo-

NYC_Subway_R160A_9237_on_the_E
-… y seguimos-

36 – Cienfuegos de Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa (Juanjo)
37 – Hijos del ancho mundo de Abraham Verghese (Emma)
38 – The Martian de Andy Weir (Víctor)
39 – La Espuma de los Días de Boris Vian (Javi)
40 – Océano Mar de Alessandro Baricco (Javi)
41 – La Cosmética del Enemigo de Amélie Nothomb (Javi)
42 – Abuelo Tomás de María Neila (la propia autora)
43 – El Nombre de la Rosa de Umberto Eco (Jano)
44 – Saga del Conquistador de Conn Iggulden (Jaime)
45 – Trilogía sobre Escopión el Africano de Santiago Posteguillo (Jaime)
46 – Trilogía sobre Trajano de Santiago Posteguillo (Jaime)
47 – La Saga de El Hombre Marcado de Peter V. Brett (Jaime)
48 – La Saga de la Fundación de Isaac Asimov (Jaime)
49 – The girl in the train de Paula Hawkins (Natalia, chapeau!)
50 – El porvenir de mi pasado de Benedetti (este lo añado yo)

GRACIAS de nuevo, amigos de las letras, ¡tenemos horas de diversión lectura por delante! “… Please, let the people off the train first”

Hoy por hoy, con la que está cayendo, me quedo con esta lista, con vuestro calor, y con buenos libros como compañeros de viaje. ¡Nos leemos!

3706385071_ac4d3b28dd_o

Tourism and Media in Central America, crisis management

On January 14-15 this year, the International Seminar on Tourism and Media in Central America took place in Guatemala City. It was organized by the Central American Integration System (SICA), and supported by United Nations World Tourism Organization, INGUAT and Fondo España.

During the first day, tourism was stated to imply large territorial advantages -beyond leisure time- such as poverty eradication, improving the quality of life among local communities, and contribution to environmental preservation. Travelers should be aware of the big impact caused by our movements to different destinations.

Ana Fañanás Biescas talking in the panel: Central Amarica Tourism on International Media
Panel discussion: Central Amarica Tourism on International Media

Tourism, as a business generator, grows faster than global economy – said Marcelo Risi, Principal Media Officer of UNWTO. The tourism sector creates 1 out of every 12 jobs worldwide. In Central America, tourism directly generates 364,000 jobs, and indirectly, an additional 20% more -said Mercedes Meléndez, Secretary of the Central American Integration System. Tourism is also relevant for many socio-economic aspects, such as the promotion and consumption of local products, the creation and improvement of local infrastructure, promoting local associations, attracting foreign investment, security protocols, and obtaining documents and visas.

International media turns tourism into current news as it directly affects the global economy and people’s lives. We are particularly touched by individual human stories, with close and personal cases being the ones most likely to shake us, surprise us, excite us… give us goose bumps. This idea sparked a debate about how media balances the importance of increasing their audience with generating transparent information free of sales objectives.

During the second part of the seminar we focused on crisis management communication. This is a crucial issue in Central America since sensationalist news tends to overshadow the positive stories emerging that highlight the region as an attractive tourism destination. Media cannot skip sad or unfavorable news, but there is a need of establishing communication protocols in case a crisis situation occurs to deal with its consequences. These procedures must be part of each destination’s communication strategy. Crisis evolution depends on how changes are perceived, and how we react to adversity. Germán Porras, ex general secretary of Tourism Spain, led an analysis of the best practices for crisis situations. We went through several cases in which inappropriate information management caused a loss of trust among travelers, negatively affecting tourism in well known destinations -such as Egypt– .

Crisis communication management starts before a crisis occurs. It begins by setting preventive measures aimed at its relief when a crisis arises. When that happens, a flexible response protocol must be established -mainly at an institutional level. After the crisis takes place, we need a set of type responses, always bearing in mind that messages should be carefully handled showing empathy for the audience, especially for people affected. Likewise, reputation and leadership will be maintained assuming responsibilities and following the processes established, communicating the available information with transparency and using a single voice.

Travelers have no reason to be loyal to tourist destinations. On the other hand, travelers are very sensitive to subjective risk perception. That is the reason why destinations should keep travelers well informed to minimize their feeling of vulnerability due to factors like language difficulties, lack of environmental awareness, emergency procedures, and so on.

Tourism is a future bet, and is a product of trust. Therefore, the best way to communicate the information about destinations must be shaped to attract visitors without scaring them. Ideally, tourism boards should maintain a close and fluent relationship with media, and journalists should be committed to reporting with transparency.

zp8497586rq
zp8497586rq

Partnering with the Media in Challenging Times

Tourism authorities and representatives of the international media gathered in Marsa Alam last week for the 2nd UNWTO International Conference on Tourism and the Media, organized by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

During the first session participants were able to attend a round-table seminar that discussed the media responsibility beyond communicating political, financial and social changes in these particularly difficult times. The conference was broadcast live viastreaming, as well as featuring in social media under the tag #TourismMedia
The way information is presented by the media can have a big impact on people’s perspectives of nations such as Egypt – whose case in not dissimilar to Spain’s in some aspects. For the last year Egypt has been firmly put on the map thanks to revolution which led to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak, and the subsequent tensions that have continued to exist. The reporting of these events caused a strong impact on tourism, and therefore, affected the national GDP of the country, as potential visitors were put off by the perceived unsafety.
When prospective travelers believe a country to be unsafe due to news reports they have read, watched, or listened to, they stop visiting. Sometimes perceptions and reality regarding safety and security are not accurate. For example; palm trees are perceived to be harmless, while sharks are feared by many and believed to be dangerous. In reality, falling coconuts cause an average of 150 human deaths every year, 30 times the number of deaths caused by shark attacks. 
Marsa Alam, Egypt
In his opening speech at the conference, Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, Egypt’s tourism minister, said: “What drives tourism is the perception the traveler has of a destination. Fair reporting of both the negative and the positive will play a vital role in the recovery of Egyptian tourism.” Sources need to be honest, balancing both good and bad facts, instead of highlighting just one side. Journalists should be given access to complete information, since negative aspects won’t necessarily overshadow the stories, but will make them more credible.
Participants at the conference looked at how the media could support tourism in these difficult times and urged the press to focus on how the tourism industry contributes to development. Key facts to consider for example are that 1 in every 12 jobs in the world is connected to tourism, and one billion tourists will travel abroad in 2012. 
“Tourism has become a truly global socio-economic phenomenon which is not yet fully reflected in the media.” Said Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General. He added: “We believe that to maximize the potential of tourism as a true driver of development and wellbeing for all we need to bring tourism administrations, the private sector and the media closer together.”
Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General, closing the Conference
Some of the key points to emerge from the conference were the need for tourism authorities and the media to communicate effectively in tough times. This includes graphical storytelling, planning the appropriate social media strategies, and establishing crisis communication protocols. In order for international media companies to give their audience a balanced view of events, they should reflect the local population’s stories and testimonies, and provide greater coverage of personal cases and day-to-day close ups.
Tourism – with special focus on sustainability and responsibility – is now one of the most promising and viable options for global and local development, the participants concluded.  The media is responsible for raising awareness of the importance of this industry as a vital service sector, contributing to the economy and employment in developed and developing countries. 
As an outcome, tourism authorities and the global media were encouraged to learn more about one another, and to work together more closely in the future.

What is facebook for?

I came across this particular grey guy, and… he has a point here!

Coming to my mind when I hear in Spanish: “eres más falso que un amigo de facebook
What facebook groups do you use?
Cheers my friends! 😉

El mejor trabajo del mundo

Ben Southall, un británico de 34 años, ha sido elegido de entre 35.000 participantes que buscaban, como él, el trabajo que ofrecía el Departamento de Turismo del estado australiano de Queensland.

El objetivo de este departamento es promocionar la isla de Hamilton, la Gran Barrera de Coral y las playas tropicales de Queensland consiguiendo que los medios de comunicación de todo el mundo recojan la noticia.

A partir del 1 de julio, Ben pasará seis meses nadando, buceando, haciendo amigos y disfrutando del clima tropical de Queensland. Publicará semanalmente sus aventuras en un blog, y cobrará más de 75.000 euros de sueldo por hacer turismo.