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Britain has moved up two places in a survey of tourism competitiveness carried out by the Word Economic Forum. The result means VisitBritain has achieved the ambitious target set by government in the latest tourism policy. With very fine margins separating the top five places, competition at the top of the table is fierce (0.01 difference between second and fifth position occupied by Britain).…
In a bid to promote its culinary heritage, a cuisine that can be inscrutable for many unfamiliar with Nordic culture, Iceland’s tourism office organized what it’s calling the world’s largest supper club for 300 guests over the weekend. It took a team of eight chefs six hours to prepare the multi-course meal of salted cod, Icelandic shrimp, local lamb and a colorful assortment of salads and vegetables for…
Michelin has struck a partnership with the largest online reservations provider in Europe that will allow consumers to book a table at a Michelin-rated eatery instantly. The partnership with Livebookings.com will first launch in France and Germany, offering instant table reservations at thousands of restaurants across both countries before being rolled out across the rest of Europe. Currently,…
New York City — Big Apple travelers no longer have to choose between enjoying the Empire State Building's stellar views during daylight hours or after dark, when the city's lighted skyline is especially magical. With a New York CityPASS® ticket booklet, visitors can experience both — with just one ticket. The 2013 New York CityPASS program, which saves 40 percent off the cost of buying individual attraction…
The new Souk Al Manzil Weekend Market is now open in The Old Town, in Downtown Dubai, and will welcome visitors from Thursday to Saturday between 10am and 5pm, until April 6, 2013. Artworks, vintage fashion, handmade jewellery, natural products, organic bread, flowers, antiques, house hold items, sunglasses and perfumes are among the finds that await visitors at the elegantly designed Souk Al Manzil Weekend…
The Brazilian Trade Mission to the Middle East, which was organised by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, concluded recently in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with export deals worth USD 47.2 million either closed during the event or to be consummated within the next 12 months involving 30 Brazilian companies and…
The Ministry of Tourism in Oman has announced that it has set up a representative office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that will tap the Kingdom’s image as a major outbound market in the GCC region. The average spending of Saudi tourists overseas ranks among the highest in the world. Another key factor in the decision to open the new office cited by the Ministry is the preference of Saudi travelers to take trips…
The world’s first space tourist, Dennis Tito, has unveiled plans to send a manned mission to Mars and back, targeting a launch date less than five years away. The two space travelers wouldn’t land on the Red Planet — or even enter its orbit — just fly through the vicinity and back, a trajectory Tito said would take 501 days, thanks to a rare planetary alignment. The US space agency has aimed for the…
After a 12-year run, Gordon Ramsay is packing up his knives and leaving the kitchens of luxury London hotel Claridge’s. According to Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s will close June 30, after Ramsay and the hotel owners failed to agree on a long-term contract. After a falling out with head chef Mark Sargeant, who helped the fine dining eatery gain a Michelin star, the hotel…
A re-construction of the ill-fated Titanic—‘Titanic II’—is set to embark on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 2016. A project by the Australian Blue Star Line, the new cruise-liner—with the same beautiful, skillfully crafted interiors of the original ship—will be able to give guests a glamorous, Edwardian-style travel experience. Featuring a new hull form, diesel powered generation…
You may not know this, but beloved children’s book author Dr. Seuss—or Theodor Seuss Geisel—was a great lover and collector of hats. The owner of hundreds of hats of every description, Geisel kept them in a closet hidden behind the bookcase in his San Diego home. Random House Children’s Books, longtime publisher of the Dr. Seuss books, has collaborated with Dr. Seuss Enterprises on a traveling…
While this flying balloon house is a more precise recreation of the one in Disney Pixar’s “Up”, you may feel safer traveling in this professionally made hot air balloon. This wonderful hot air balloon took six months to build—there were 540 individually sewn balloons on it to create the illusion that it was being lifted by real balloons. The pilot of this unusual contraption had to fly blind—with…
If you like hotel rooms with a view, you might want to check into the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai. With the height of 1,164 feet (355 meters) and 72 floors, the ‘world’s tallest hotel’ will be officially opened tomorrow. Owned by the Emirates Group, the luxury hotel has taken the Guinness Book of World Record title from the previous record holder—the 1,093 feet Rose Tower, which is also situated in…
Foreign tourism is “booming” in North Korea, state media said Tuesday a week after the country triggered global outrage by conducting its third nuclear test. The number of foreign visitors to the North has grown steadily since 2000 and witnessed a surge after 2009, especially in the number of European visitors, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. “The global popularity of tourism to (North…
To celebrate the London Underground’s 150 years anniversary, the London Transport Museum brought back the steam locomotives—but just for two days. The locomotive and its wooden carriages had to be restored to their former glory, before pulling into the station and traveling on the railroad down memory lane. Passengers could buy tickets for the nostalgic ride—exactly as Victorian-era travelers used…
Beach-loving holidaymakers can make a trip to Tropical Islands, a tropical beach resort constructed entirely indoors, for a truly unique vacation. Located in Krausnick, Germany, Tropical Islands is housed in a former Soviet military airbase hangar that originally parked cargo airships—at 360-meters long, 210-meters wide, and 107-meters high, the hangar is tall enough to enclose the Statue of Liberty.…
The Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism will conduct a presentation about Oman’s increasing focus on business tourism during its participation at the MICE Arabia Congress, taking place in Doha, Qatar from February 27 to 28, 2013. Khalid Al Zadjali, Director of Tourism Events at the Oman Ministry of Tourism, will attend as an invited speaker to share key industry insights about Oman’s latest business tourism…
Christie’s auction house will put 125 works of art by the American pop icon Andy Warhol under the hammer in an online-only sale starting next week. The auction, which will start Tuesday and run through March 25, will be the first time that Warhol’s art is sold strictly online, Christie’s said Thursday. Sales “will feature works representing a wide array of media spanning the artist’s career,” the…
