| August 2005 |
|
Hangzhou to hold 6-month travel
expo
The southern China city of
Hangzhou is preparing a lake shore for a six-month international travel
exposition designed to stimulate the city's tourism industry and rival the
World Expo 2010 in
Shanghai
in importance, a publicist for the city said Tuesday. |
Heavenly Geneva
With an enchanting lakeside setting it's amazing that Geneva's not on more
tourist itineraries. |
Biking in Guilin: back to nature
Escaping from the crowd and noise of cities, we came to
Guilin,
whose enchanting scenery was traditionally acclaimed as "the No. 1 in the
world". With great passion, we choose bike, not car, as our transport to
enjoy the joys of nature. |
Adventure tourism will be
biggest forex earner
Adventure tourism in India
could emerge as one of the biggest foreign exchange earner for the country
in the next 10 years through effective management and policy initiatives by
different state governments. Revenue generated by the sector is expected to
reach $20 billion by 2010. |
Felipe and Letizia escape to
Asturias
Mum-to-be Princess Letizia has been enjoying a rural getaway with her
statuesque husband Felipe. Spain's future king and queen were spotted
strolling hand-in-hand through the scenic countryside of
Asturias, on the northern coast of their home country. |
|
Australia - Warm
at hearth
As winter takes a grip on the patchwork landscape of the
Barossa Valley, a startling colour reversal begins. In the paddocks
and the hillsides, parched pastures get their first drenchings and stretches
of dried grass and baked earth sprout with the vivid green of new growth. |
Vienna – the jewel of Austria
Vienna has
long been renowned as one of the most beautiful cities in
Europe, with
good reason. The architecture is magnificent, there are abundant gardens,
and it’s a pedestrian’s paradise. Getting out on foot with a good map is the
best way to view its charms. |
Bank launches mortgages for
foreigners
Bangkok Bank has broken ranks with the Thai banking establishment to become
the first Thai bank to offer mortgages targeted firmly at foreigners wanting
to buy property in Thailand. |
The Private Reserve at
Soneva Gili in the Maldives - The Ultimate Dream Suite
The Private Reserve at Soneva Gili in the Maldives is to be unveiled on
September 01 2005; creating the criterion by which over-water luxury could
very well be measured. It could be likened to the calibre of a presidential
suite, but then the comparison stops as it is like no other. |
JW Marriott Hotel Seoul's
Meetings and Banquet Space Renovated
As part of the
JW Marriott Hotel Seoul’s fifth anniversary activities, the hotel's
meeting and banquet space has undergone a major renovation, including
technology enhancements designed specifically to address the needs of
meeting event planners. |
Paella, Spain’s
gastronomic heritage
Paella is the undisputed king of local cuisine in nearly every town and
village of the
region of Valencia.
Its ingredients can vary greatly, with chicken, rabbit, rice, saffron,
tomato, green beans or sweet pepper all playing their part, amongst others. |
Banyan Tree adds
Velavaru Island Resort to Maldives portfolio
Singapore-based Banyan Tree Group has added yet another
striking property to its portfolio of
hotels in
the Maldives. |
Disneyland Resort Paris
Disneyland Resort Paris is definitely one of the most popular family
holiday destinations in Europe. |
Hotel de la Paix in
Siem Reap launches Choice of Promotions
Siem Reap’s newest five-star hotel, the stylish Hôtel de la Paix, is
offering guests three distinct experiences combining private cultural tours,
a light detox programme and intimate therapies, all from as little as US$300
per person. |
Explore the Little Traveled Wonders of Japan
Of the nearly half million American tourists visiting Japan annually (2004
figures), most trod the well beaten path between
Tokyo,
Kyoto and Nara, with day long side trips. |
Russia: 10 best events and
attractions
Late summer is a great time to visit
Moscow
and
St Petersburg. |
Go to Porto for the port – stay for the
art, architecture and ambiance
It may have taken 3000 years, but
Porto
has finally caught up to
Lisbon
as a must-visit destination in
Portugal. And it’s all happened in the last decade. |
Van Phong Bay: Scuba diving
paradise on Vietnam's central coast
Van Phong Bay is a place of superlatives. A report of the Vietnam Maritime
Department shows that Van Phong is one of the world's deepest bays. |
Lung of Berlin: Spreewald
Not far from the German capital is Spreewald, the green lung of
Berlin. The landscape
stretches over the whole Brandenburg state of which Berlin is a part _
between Burg, Lubbenau, Lubben, and Schlepzig _ and crisscrossed by a
network of thousands of small canals and streams. |
Saudi plans to ease restrictions on
tourist visas next year
Saudi Arabia
is planning to issue tourist visas to all visitors from early next year
regardless of their religion, as it implements a liberalised visa regime to
gain entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO). |
Buddha Bar to launch in
Dubai
The Grosvenor House West Marina Beach by Le Meridien has signed the rights
to the
Paris-based Buddha Bar in the
UAE, and will
open the Dubai
concept of the globally-renowned venue in the summer. |
Qatar Airways to launch
flights to Berlin
Qatar Airways is to launch flights between Doha and
Berlin
from 15 December 2005. The airline will operate four scheduled flights a
week on the Berlin route using an Airbus A319 in a two-class configuration
of eight seats in Business and 102 in Economy. |
Radisson SAS leads the way with
Free Broadband in all hotels
Fed up with those hotels that charge silly amounts for broadband access?
Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts is listening to such travellers opinions and
is soon to offer Free Broadband - as part of its E@syConnect service concept
- across all its hotels in
Europe, the
Middle East
and Africa. |
Snorkelling and finding serenity in
Sardinia
Sardinia
has been a popular summer destination for Italians for decades but only
recently, with the advent of budget flights from Europe, has the
second-largest Mediterranean island opened up to the rest of us. |
Raffles International
The Perfect Host For Mice Asia Executive Congress Hosts Another
Extraordinary Event - MICE Asia Executive Congress |
Malaysia woos Muslim tourists
The government of Malaysia
is paying 500 Arabic-speaking students from the country's International
Islamic University to be part-time guides as it steps up efforts to woo
Middle Eastern tourists. |
|
48 hours in Hong Kong
FROM fashion and antiques to fine food and a spot of
afternoon tea in the lobby of the
Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong
offers a myriad of oriental delights. |
India Warms Up To Medical Tourism
Relatively low costs of special healthcare in the country is attracting
foreign nationals, looking for cheaper and quicker medical attention. This,
combined with its reputation as a tourist destination, is making
India a hot seat for medical
tourism. |
Banyan Tree chief Ho
Kwon Ping
Embracing social responsibility
Banyan Tree chief Ho Kwon Ping speaks to UMA SHANKARI about the group's
commitment to the environment |
Cebu puts the
Philippines on spa map
GIVEN what’s going on, you must feel like you’re in a cesspool where
everything stinks. This is why the recent opening of the Chi Spa at
Shangri-La Mactan was almost an abnormal occurrence in the
Philippines:
the place is supposed to offer serenity, harmony, equilibrium to the world
that has come to associate the Philippines with strife. (The Philippines as
“palengkera,” in short) |
Israeli tourists heading
for Greece
Greek and
Cypriot
tourism officials see gains for their own trades if an Israeli security
warning against its citizens travelling to southern
Turkey deters many
holidaymakers. |
Israel Tourism Ministry opens
air-travel market to competition
Transport Minister Meir Sheetrit, Interim Finance Minister Ehud Olmert and
Tourism Minister Abraham Hirschson approved a proposal to open
Israel's
airways to competition at Tuesday's government meeting on the 2006 State
Budget. |
If it's 1 a.m., it's tee time in
Norway
It was going to be a tough chip shot: 50 yards onto a tiny green with the
ocean right behind, the sun hanging just above the horizon and casting a
bright gold glow on the water. One o'clock in the morning, and the sun is in
my eyes. I should have been asleep. I was at Lofoten Golf Links in
Norway,
the fourth or fifth northernmost golf course in the world, during the summer
solstice last June. |
Istanbul 7th Most Visited City
As a result of the activities promoting
Turkey conducted by the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul has risen to the 3rd place in the
list of top 10 destinations of Europe and the 7th place in the world. |
Munich Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest: From 17 September to 02 Oktober, 2005
The Munich Oktoberfest, known to the locals as "Wiesn", is the biggest
public festival in the world and and will be held for the 172th time in
2005. |
Meritus Negara,
Singapore to re-launch in September 2005
The newly-refurbished
Meritus Negara Hotel Singapore at Claymore, located next to Orchard
Road, is set to re-launch from early September 2005 following a $3.5 million
facelift of the main lobby, meeting facilities, guestrooms, and suites. The
project also includes upgrading the restaurant, AV equipment, and guest
amenities. |
UAE popular travel
destination in the region
The recent Consumer Lifestyle Survey commissioned by MasterCard
International, as part of its acclaimed MasterIndex of Consumer Confidence,
reveals the United
Arab Emirates is a top destination to travel to in the region. |
Israel Travel Expo!
Melbourne 16 August, Sydney 22 August
The Israel
Tourism Office invites travel agents and travel professionals in
Melbourne and
Sydney to attend the upcoming Israel Travel Expos. The 2005 Israel
Travel Expos will incorporate the most comprehensive range of Israel tour
programs ever seen in
Australia. |
Vietnam: Leading Tourism Corporation reaches
for international standard
The Saigontourist Holding Company (Saigontourist), one of the country's
largest travel corporations, plans to invest 600 million USD in upgrading
its subsidiary hotels to reach international five-star standard. |
Hotel de la Paix in Siem
Reap opens for business
A member of Small Luxury Hotels the
Hôtel de la Paix in Siem Reap, Cambodia, recently opened its doors for
business. |
Suddenly, demand is testing the capacity
of Greek tourism
Many hotels taking no more bookings, tickets to islands scarce |
South Africa
tourism seeks domestic boost
South Africa
Tourism aims to increase the number of domestic tourists to at least 50
percent of all tourists in South Africa by 2008, says Roshene Singh, the
body's domestic marketing manager. |
Hard Rock Hotel expanding
After the successful launch of its top-end condominium project, The Met, in
Bangkok,
Singapore-based Hotel
Properties Ltd (HPL), is looking to strengthen its Hard Rock Hotel brand
with two new developments in
Phuket
and
Pattaya. |
Bahrain: Riffa Golf Club to Host PGA Seniors Tour Final
The PGA European Seniors Tour will make a historic maiden visit to the
Kingdom of
Bahrain later this year when Riffa Golf Club hosts the grand finale of
the season. The Seniors Tour Championship will be the most prestigious
seniors event ever held in the Middle East and will be staged at the Club
from 10th to 12th November. |
Delphi - Meteora - 3 Day Tour
Venture to the ancient site of the panhellenic sanctuary of Delphi, explore
the complex of buildings, which includes the Temple of Apollo, The sacred
Corycian Cave, and the Castalian Spring. Visit of Meteora - the thing that
makes Meteora so special is the monasteries on the top of the rock towers. |
Think Tourism at The Arab World Travel and
Tourism Exchange (AWTTE) in Beirut in October
Lebanon,
which was known back in the 70s as the ‘ pearl of the east’ has regained its
stature as not just a pearl but more of a gem on the map of tourism and
AWTTE has raised the flag of its endeavor. |
