Japan Earthquake Aftermath: A comment about Atomic Tourism

As Japan recovers from the aftermath of the latest world event impacting tourism trade, entrepreneurial tour operators are starting to think aloud about the ways to keep the travel trade alive between Japan and the rest of the world. Some have already whispered that "atomic tourism", a niche sector involving visits to significant sites of the nuclear age might hold some potential revenue. This field is set in a wider "dark tourism" realm, encompassing various visitor discoveries of catastrophic events, tragedies and sites where genocides might have occurred through the ages. People's fascination for morbidity often knows no boundaries. Let's hope that whatever new atomic tourism product emerges will be produced ethically, without appropriating fundamental elements that are rightly owned by the grieving population of Japan. There will surely be many lessons to be learned by us all from the journey of recovery this remarkable society is undertaking since March 11, 2011.

Manitou Springs Resort Hotel & Mineral Spa to reopen

I was pleased to learn today that Watrous' Manitou Springs Resort Hotel & Mineral Spa is set to reopen this Friday. Manitou Beach is legendary for the natural buoyancy mineral-rich properties and curative powers of Little Manitou Lake. The water is so buoyant, it's impossible to sink! Swimmers simply float effortlessly all day long if they want.

This used to be a hot resort in the 1920's bringing thousands in the summer from every region of Canada. The Spa went through hard times recently because of maintenance issues. Under new management and with the current economic boom in Saskatchewan, there is a good chance better times will come for what has the potential to become a quintessential rural Saskatchewan experience. There is, after all, more demand than ever for Spa and health tourism product.