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Tourism Ireland has extended its online presence in the GCC with a brand new Arabic website aimed at raising awareness of Ireland’s unique tourism offering and enticing more GCC residents to visit the island of Ireland in 2014. The new website follows the launch of its English equivalent early last year and is the latest example of Tourism Ireland’s continued investment in the Gulf. With a year on year…
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui is offering a complimentary smartphone service to hotel guests.
Sir Richard Branson launched a worldwide appeal to help him find the child who, 26 years ago, asked a question that inspired him to launch his commercial spaceline Virgin Galactic. During a live appearance on a BBC TV show in 1988, Branson answered a viewer call from a young Shihan Musafer, who asked him “Have you ever thought about going into space?” It was a harebrained idea at the time, to which…
A luxury retail website has created a travel package inspired by the royal itinerary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they continue along their three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand with Prince George. VeryFirstTo has created, in partnership with luxury travel operator Bridge & Wickers, a luxury travel package that includes visits to the places on the royal itinerary like the Blue Mountains…
Hotel guests have given top marks to the Marriott chain for its loyalty program, which was ranked the top in overall customer satisfaction. Marriott Rewards received an overall customer satisfaction score of 707 on a 1,000-point scale, according to the first hotel-program survey by market research company J.D. Power. Loyalty programs were weighted on five factors: account maintenance, ease of points…
In a sign of things to come, the Shangri-La has become the latest hotel group to open a luxury property atop the highest plateau on the planet, in one of the most fabled, mythical destinations on Earth. Surrounded by the Himalayan mountains, the Shangri-La Lhasa is set 3,650 meters feet) above sea level in Lhasa, the administrative capital of Tibet. While the company is Hong Kong-based, its evocative…
As of next week, Saudi Arabia will begin construction on the world's tallest tower soaring precisely 1 kilometer into the sky once completed. The Kingdom Tower will beat the current Guinness World Record holder, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, by 568 feet. The 200-floor tower will be located in Jeddah overlooking the beautiful Red Sea. It will house the five-star Four Seasons hotel, luxury apartments, office…
Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth, the two largest cruise liners of Cunard, docked overnight in Dubai for the first time at the Mina Rashid Cruise Terminal. Queen Elizabeth arrived first at 8 am on Friday 18th April, bringing with her a total of 1,888 passengers and 983 members of the crew. She reached Dubai's Mina Rashid Port from Abu Dhabi and after an overnight stay sailed for Jordan. Today, Queen Mary 2,…
It is exactly a year ago today, April 15 2013, that the Boston Marathon was targeted by terrorists. An exhibit of running shoes titled, "Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial," is on display at the Boston Public Library which is located near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The people of Boston are determined to make this year's marathon a success. On Monday, April 21, 2014, the day of the…
Dubai has numerous festivals throughout the year but no festival lasts for as many days as Global Village. On 12 April 2014 the 18th edition of Global Village came to an end. The 190 days extravaganza of shopping, dining and entertainment attracted over 5 million visitors. The pictures from the last day showing busy shoppers are a testament to the success of the festival. Men, women and children could be seen…
Istanbul has emerged as the top destination in a ranking that serves as a barometer of the most popular travel hotspots trending around the world. The largest city in Turkey has pulled off an impressive feat in the sixth edition of TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Destinations 2014 report, leapfrogging 11 places from last year and knocking Paris off its perch. Another big mover this year is Beijing,…
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has teamed up with Royal Caribbean to bring his restaurants to sea. Beginning this fall, guests aboard the brand’s titanic cruise ship Quantum of the Seas will be able to dine at his casual restaurant chain Jamie’s Italian. The restaurant chain, which serves homestyle casual Italian fare, will also be made available on the brand’s Anthem of the Seas liner beginning…
The Chilli Crab Festival at Madinat Jumeirah is back for its 6th year and will take place between 24 – 26 April, 2014. The three-day culinary event celebrates dishes from the Far East including the famous Singaporean chilli crab which is covered in a delicious stir-fried, tomato and chilli sauce. Located in the amphitheatre, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, visitors can experience a variety of oriental flavours and…
Adrenaline junkies looking for their next travel adventure may want to consider consulting a new list of extreme destinations for 2014 that includes bungee jumping into the belly of an active volcano in Chile and touring a war zone. The adventure travel ideas proposed by Cheapflights aren’t for the faint-hearted. But they may set many a thrillseeker’s heart aflutter with trips that span Fiji, Mexico,…
For the third year in a row, Elite Traveler awarded Chicago’s Alinea the top slot in its list of the best 100 restaurant in world. The list is narrated by trestaurant critic Andy Hayler, an influential food journalist known for having eaten at every 3-starred restaurant in the world. “There is no menu choice, just a 25-course tasting menu offering an innovative and exceptionally precise balance of…
The world’s largest observation wheel has opened in Las Vegas, at 550 feet or 168 meters high. The Las Vegas High Roller began boarding its first passengers this week for 30-minute spins that include a video and music presentation before fading out to let the sky-high views of the city speak for themselves. The High Roller stands more than 100 feet (30 meters) taller than the London Eye and features…
Thailand is celebrating Songkran - the Thai New Year which most people know is the time when people visit temples and throw water at each other. Songkran is considered to be the most magical festival of all, as it creates the important bonds of unity between families and communities that bring the Thai people together. It is not just about throwing water at each other, but about the traditions of hospitality,…
A photograph captures a destination but an artist's rendering of a scene keeps the moment alive. Besides, unless you are visiting the offices of Getty Images or Reuters, instead of a large print of a photograph we prefer to hang paintings on our walls. The conversation a painting of a distant land sparks encourages others to travel as well. But original art is expensive. Not any more. Meet ARTtwo50.com the…
