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Meanwhile in ... the Solomon Islands, there’s talk of crocodile tourism

And in the United Arab Emirates, there’s a lot of excitement about space.

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Kamran Jebreili/AP/File
The United Arab Emirates announces a space mission.
  • By Staff

The United Arab Emirates, there’s a lot of excitement about space. The Middle Eastern nation has just selected its first two astronauts – Hazza al-Mansouri and Sultan al-Neyadi – to go on a mission to the International Space Station. According to France24, the UAE is one of a handful of states in the Middle East to have sent a person into space and seems to be looking to make good on its pledge to become a global leader in space exploration.    

The Solomon Islands, there’s talk of crocodile tourism. Thirty years ago a ban was enacted to prevent the killing of saltwater crocodiles for their skins. The ban has succeeded so well that Solomon Island residents now complain that the giant creatures pose a public safety threat. Some argue for lifting the ban, but others are proposing the development of crocodile tourism. “Everybody would like to see big crocodiles, so being able to go out and catch crocodiles and put them in a facility where people can see ... the feeding [would be worthwhile],” Australian John Lever, who pioneered crocodile farming in neighboring Papua New Guinea, told ABC News. 

Northern Ireland, several sets from “Game of Thrones” will open to the public as tourist attractions next year, HBO has announced. Other countries – including Croatia, Iceland, Scotland,  and Malta – have seen tourism increases thanks to visitors hoping to locate sites where the popular cable TV series was filmed. However, in Dubrovnik, Croatia, some residents are complaining that tourism is now out of control. “It’s beyond belief, it’s like living in the middle of Disneyland,” one resident told USA Today. 

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