Waiting in Line, Moving in Circles : Spaces of Instability in Christian Petzold’s Transit

Loosely based on a 1944 novel by German writer Anna Seghers and set in present-day France, Christian Petzold’s Transit is a story of fateful migration, in which conflicting agencies and shifting identities are translated into an aesthetic principle. Its fluctuating interrelations between images, texts, and temporalities transform the film into an ultimate “non-place,” which, except for a few hints at fascism and a refugee crisis, provides no explanation or overview of its political implications. Alongside the characters, spectators are thrown into a world defined by fragile image spaces and zones of exclusion, always haunted by fragments of the past and glimpses of an uncertain future.

The Pyalung Kapampángan: observations on the status of traditional games from two generations

This study compares the observations of younger and older generations relating to different traditional games played by the Kapampangans. It particularly focuses on five games namely Maro; Tambubung; Luksung Babi; Salikutan; and Barongganan Bola. These games have been known to emphasise the players’ speed and agility. A survey and follow up in-depth interviews were used to explore the differing observations and perspectives of thirty elders (aged 60 years and above) and fifty youngsters (aged 10- 18 years old) from different towns in Pampanga. The survey highlighted the fact that the majority of the games were now played in the streets compared with the past when they were played in fields. The follow-up interviews revealed that the terrain of the towns significantly contributed to the structure and rules of the game, and many variations were found in the names of the games which were taken from how the game was played. Further research is recommended to explore the differing perceptions from the two generations concerning the current status of traditional games in their community.

Research on the Realization of Travel Recommendations for Different Users Through Deep Learning Under Global Information Management

This article is mainly to study the realization of travel recommendations for different users through deep learning under global information management. The personalized travel route recommendation is realized by establishing personalized travel dynamic interest (PTDR) algorithm and distributed lock manager (DLM) model. It is hoped that this model can provide more complete data information of tourist destinations on the basis of the past, and can also meet the needs of users. The innovation of this article is to compare and analyze with a large number of baseline algorithms, highlighting the superiority of this model in personalized travel recommendation. In addition, the model incorporates the topic factor features, geographic factor features, and user preference features to make the data more in line with user needs and improve the efficiency and applicability of the model. It is hoped that the plan proposed in this article can help users make choices of tourist destinations more conveniently.

THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW RELIGIOUS TRAVEL SEGMENT: UMRAH DO IT YOURSELF TRAVELLERS (DIY)

This research examines the rise of a new religious travel segment – the Umrah Do It Yourself (DIY) travellers. While Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, Umrah is a minor Muslim pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time of the year, while still playing a crucial role in the completion of Hajj rituals. In the past, Umrah was managed by an authorised travel agent, who makes all the necessary pilgrimage preparations, from flights to trip itineraries. Recent years have seen an upsurge in travellers who prefer not to utilise the services of such agencies, but instead, to make their own arrangements. The decision by the Saudi Arabian government to launch a Tourist e-Visa in September 2019 has opened a window of opportunity for the legalization of Umrah DIY journeys. The objectives of this study are (i) to explore the travel motives that contribute to the success of the Umrah DIY, and (ii) to explore the factors that support and facilitate the decision for the Umrah DIY. The data were obtained via 20 semi-structured interviews with Umrah DIY travellers. The findings show that flexibility, spirituality, and budget have a crucial impact on travel motivation. Additionally, the findings suggest that information sources, travel quality, companionship/new friendship, and familiarity facilitate the choice of Umrah DIY travel. This research contributes to the growing scholarship on the Muslim travel market beyond Hajj and to studies on independent religious travel. Findings provide an opportunity for suppliers and industry participants to understand the travel motives of this new segment as a basis for producing relevant religious tourism products and services.