Well at least I’m starting off by sticking with the same region!
I think the thing I’ve enjoyed most about resurrecting this blog is that it’s forced me to spend some time reading articles that I might normally pass up.

For Luxury Traveler’s, India’a Past isn’t Past

guided walking tours that invite a visitor to “savour the nostalgia of the Raj Era.” As if to drive home the point, horseback riding, lawn croquet and archery are also on offer — all without a trace of irony.

OK, I know I’m not luxury, but maybe I’m crazy? If I wanted horseback riding, lawn croquet and archery, India is not where I’d head. There is something to be said for experiencing a destination as it once was, but to me that would apply to a place as it was. Not as a colonial power made it. At least these luxury hotels admit they’re offering a fable, but even with that acknowledgement, it feels as if they’re doing something that cheapens the experience. I suppose, however, that there’s a market for this, or they wouldn’t be offering it.

Only India, I suppose, can absorb foreign occupation, feudalism and a host of other anachronisms and turn it into a memory worth savoring — and splurging on.

I do agree with the author’s perception of the uniqueness of India in this situation. I cannot imagine a comparable situation in any other country.

As Political Unrest Eases, Travel Picks Up

What surprised me the most here, apart from the fact that a walking group is lumped in with adventure tourism, is that people are willing to gamble on ~four months peace following ten years of unrest. Putting aside my personal feelings, I can’t imagine, as a company, investing the time and effort into re-launching a program only to risk the country returning to instability. This fear is echoed by a warning on the Australian government’s website which state:

“While considerable progress has been made in negotiating a formal end to the decade-long Maoist insurgency,” the report states, “the longer-term security situation in Nepal remains unpredictable and could deteriorate.”

While I understand that there is money to be made in travel to the region, one must weigh the costs against the potential profit, no?

Turning to another kind of Civil War, both of the following articles seem interesting from an economic perspective:

Turning Points in the U. S. Civil War: Views from the Grayback Market and Turning Points in the U. S. Civil War: Views from the Grayback Market.

Despite my trips to the various battlefields, my interests in the Civil War remain economic or slightly anthropologic. Now I just need to find some articles that point me in the right direction for class!