Tours of Biosphere II Offered Daily in Tucson

Move over Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The hottest new tourist attraction in Tucson is Biosphere II, the giant ecological research facility in which four men and four women are attempting to live self-sufficiently, sealed from physical contact with the outside world, until Sept. 26, 1993. An estimated 170,000 amateur scientists and voyeurs have already flocked this year to the facility that looks something like a giant terrarium sitting in the foothills outside Tucson.

While the Biosphere structure itself is not open to visitors, daily two-hour visits are offered--and it’s possible to stay at the nearby 27-room Inn at the Biosphere ($80 per room per night) that is part of the complex. Tours include slide presentations on the project and walks that circle the structure, allowing glimpses inside. Visitors are taken into a small, simulated version of Biosphere II, which contains mock-ups of the nature zones--desert, jungle, savanna, marsh and ocean--contained within the main building. Rates for the tour that ends at one of two gift shops are $9.95 for adults and seniors, $5 for children 6-17 with adults. Overnight packages are available for $75 per person, double occupancy, in the Inn at the Biosphere, through Dec. 31. The package includes tour, dinner, breakfast and room taxes. For more information, call (602) 825-6200.

Travel Quiz: Which of the following is not true of the Nile River? a) It is the longest river in the world; b) It empties into the Mediterranean Sea; c) It is the main source of water for Senegal; d) The Aswan Dam is built across it.

First Flights: The first-ever nonstop charter flights between Los Angeles and the Purgatory-Durango Ski Resort will begin Jan. 22, operating Wednesdays and Sundays, through March 8. Offered by La Canada-based Sportours, the jet service from LAX to Durango-La Plata County Airport will cost $239 round trip, coach. For more information, call Sportours (800) 660-2754.

Italy Celebrating, Too: He may have been inspired in Portugal and financed by Spain, but Christopher Columbus was born in Italy, so for the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ “discovery” of America, organizers are planning a yearlong celebration.

The most spectacular event may be in Columbus’ hometown of Genoa, which will host the international exposition, “Christopher Columbus: Ships and the Sea,” May 15 to Aug. 15. More than 40 countries and international organizations will mount exhibitions on ship- and marine-oriented themes in the city’s historic port zone. Admission to the exhibition will be about $20 for adults, with discounts for students and groups.

Other special events in the city will include races in September and October using old wooden ships worked by crews in period costume, an exhibit in Genoa’s Natural History Museum of animals and plants that crossed the Atlantic, and the opening of the newly restored Ducal Palace, once the seat of Genoa’s government.

Dealing for Dollars: Last week, the State Bank in Moscow raised what is referred to as the “ruble rate for tourists” from 32 to 47 rubles to the dollar as a result of inflation. But it is unlikely that the change will affect tourists in any way, since almost all travel-related business in the Soviet Union is transacted in U.S. dollars. The more useful advice for tourists, even those who are traveling on prepaid tours, is to visit the Soviet Union equipped with ample U.S. currency in $1 and $5 denominations for purchase of small items such as meals, souvenirs and even taxi rides.

Dead Again: While tourism officials around the world mourn a downturn in travel, officials in Mexico are celebrating the early returns from this year’s Day of the Dead festivities--which drew half a million visitors who spent nearly $21 million in the state of Michoacan. Not only was it profitable, according to a state tourism official, but the number of visitors was up about 25% over Nov. 1 of last year. The Day of the Dead, or All Souls’ Day, is a major religious and cultural holiday in Mexico.

Recession Recess? A surprising increase in international traffic on U.S. airlines in September could be the first signal that air traffic, which has been depressed since the start of the Gulf War, is beginning to turn around. In fact, a spokesman for the Air Transport Assn., a group that tracks foreign and domestic travel on American airlines, sees the upturn as a positive overall sign. “We think the recession is behind us. The big problem now is consumer confidence,” she said.

For the first nine months of 1991, overall airline passenger traffic was down 3.3%, according to the ATA. In domestic service, traffic continued to decrease 2.1% in September, but in international service, traffic increased a surprising 5.1%--the first increase since before the Gulf War.

Comparatively Speaking: Cruise ship sanitation scores for ships inspected in September (a score of 87 or higher indicates acceptable sanitation): Carnivale, 92; Crown Monarch, 95; Dolphin IV, 78; Norway, 90; Rotterdam, 92; Viking Princess, 95; Frontier Spirit, 92; Renaissance III, 69. (Source: Department of Health and Human Services.)

Fair Warning: On the weekend of Nov. 30, step into a special turn-of-the-century Christmas open house on what was once the largest hard-rock gold mine in California, the Empire Mine. The mine owner’s summer residence, a 4,600-square-foot Empire cottage, has been restored to 1905 style and will be decorated in the period, with continuous tours, carolers, musical ensembles and refreshments throughout the weekend of Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, noon to 4 p.m. Guides will be dressed in holiday costume. Empire Mine State Park is 60 miles east of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills. It also has formal gardens, wooded hiking trails and a restored mine. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children 6 to 17; children under 6 are free. For more information, call (916) 273-8522.

Quiz Answer: c) The Nile is not the main source of water for Senegal, which is on the western coast of Africa.