Friday, August 3, 2012

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CNNGo.com


Bloomrooms hotel boasts five-star stays at hostel rates

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 12:42 AM PDT

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

If you're staying here, accounts is probably smiling.

A new hotel in India says it's offering rooms comparable to those found in a five-star hotel, but at hostel prices.

And it promises to give guests their money back if they're not happy.

Bloomrooms recently opened on Link Road, Jangpura, in New Delhi.

The hotel cuts costs by doing away with services that it says customers don't want.

read more

Myanmar vs. Burma. Which do you prefer?

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 12:19 AM PDT

by CNNGo staff

"Even old New York was once New Amsterdam.

"Why they changed it I can't say.

"People just liked it better that way."

So go the lyrics, in part, to the old swing standard "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," a song that makes mirth of the human, and very political, tendency to rename cities and countries.

The reigning example of this fickle tradition is surely Myanmar. Or is that Burma?

read more

Seat-back screens to be ditched by 2020?

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 09:15 PM PDT

by Hiufu Wong

Aircraft seatback TVs may be obsolete by 2020. 

Instead, lightweight and easy-to-update mobile devices like tablets or iPads will be tomorrow's answer to in-flight entertainment (IFE), according to one aviation expert. 

"Now, every three or four months, there is a new airline introducing tablets," said Ravi Madavaram, aerospace and defense consultant for Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific, a consulting firm.

"It is cost-saving and airlines just cannot ignore the benefit of tablets for long."

In 2011, American Airlines and Jetstar introduced tablets and iPads on some of their flights. Last February, Qantas tested iPads on some of its flights and by July, it had launched iPad-based entertainment on its 23 Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

read more

Soccer star Nakata's sake bar pops up in London

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 07:16 PM PDT

by Rachel Sang-hee Han

While David Beckham made his country proud by playing a key role in the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, another soccer hero is also sharing his personal and national pride. 

Retired Japanese soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata is presenting some of his favorite sake at a pop-up bar on the banks of the River Thames, hoping to boost interest in the popular drink and also prepare for the launch of his very own sake label. 

"N Bar" is part of "Arigato in London," an event organized by prominent Japanese scholars, artists and athletes to thank the international community for its support in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. 

Along with the sake bar, various events including markets, performances and movie screenings will also take place. 

But what's more interesting than the lips-on experience of sipping traditional liquor when you want to learn more about that country?

read more

Ryanair's genius idea: Build aircraft with wider doors

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 03:40 PM PDT

by CNNGo staff

Ryanair let on to the Guardian this week that a Chinese company is currently designing a prototype aircraft to help the budget airline push forward its dream of cost-saving.

The bespoke jet is expected to have extra-wide doors, and is designed by the state-run Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), best known for its narrow-body C919.

Open sesame

"We want two people to walk through the door [side by side]," said Howard Millar, Ryanair's deputy chief executive. "If the door is wider you can load people on and off the aircraft quicker.

"We want a low-cost plane that suits our business model."

Millar pointed out that faster turnarounds were fundamental to any low-cost carriers.

read more

33 beautiful islands to visit in Korea

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 09:50 AM PDT

by Violet Kim, Gigi Ban, Sunny Kim

Fact: If you tried to visit one Korean island a day, it would take you more than nine years to get to them all (there are 3,358 officially affirmed islands off the South Korean coast).

While most travelers in the region have most likely heard of Jeju, Korea's most famous island and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, the seas surrounding the peninsula are peppered with lesser-known islands with spectacular views and awesome fishing.  

For more information and directions to the islands, try searching for each island on the Visit Korea website, or calling Dasan Call Center (02-120) once you're in the country. 

1. Seonjaedo (선재도)  

seonjaedoMagic? Not unless you think the gravitational pull of the moon is magic. But magical? Definitely.

Many are familiar with Moses dividing the Red Sea, but this biblical story has its own, more scientifically plausible version on Seonjaedo. 

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Why 'travelers' think they're better than 'tourists.' And why they're not

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 09:30 AM PDT

by Hunter Braithwaite

I grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a town best characterized by a jeremiad emblazoned across upper backs and pickup trucks: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?"

While such an armed intervention might be unique to the American South, it also identifies one of the most bizarre global characteristics of the tourism industry: self-damnation.

From Pattaya to Paris, everyone hates the tourist.

And everyone -- tourists especially -- goes through great pains to separate themselves from the peripatetic leper caste.

The canny nomad stays off the beaten path, eats only where locals eat and, above all, refers to him- or herself as a "traveler."

read more

AirAsia joins Japanese budget airline battle

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 09:10 AM PDT

With an inaugural flight from Narita to Fukuoka, AirAsia Japan took to the skies above Tokyo on August 1, becoming the third new budget airline of 2012 to challenge Japan's heavyweight players.

AirAsia Japan CEO Kazuyuki Iwaya is promising fares costing less than half those of JAL and ANA, the longtime go-to carriers for most travelers in Japan.

Initial routes connecting Tokyo with Fukuoka, Naha in Okinawa and Sapporo in Hokkaido are set to be joined by two South-Korean routes later this year and more domestic services in 2013.

Iwaya laid out his vision for AirAsia's prospective customers at the Narita launch on Wednesday.

"We want to create demand for flying that didn't exist before," he said.

read more

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Latest Travel News Daily Email from ASIA Travel Tips.com

Friday, 3 August 2012. News from last night Asia time and today.

Have a splendid weekend!

The ASIA Travel Tips Team
http://www.asiatraveltips.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


3/8/2012 IATA Reports June Traffic; Slowing Passenger Growth Trend
Continues.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-AirlineTraffic.shtml


3/8/2012 Emirates Launches A380 Flights to Amsterdam.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-AmsterdamA380.shtml


3/8/2012 AirAsia X to Increase Flights Between KL and Kathmandu.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-AirAsiaX.shtml


3/8/2012 TripAdvisor Appoints Cindy Tan as VP of Display Advertising Sales
for AP.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-TripAdvisor.shtml


3/8/2012 Kempinski Opens The One Executive Suites in Shanghai.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-TheOne.shtml


3/8/2012 MCI to Host Corporate MICE Buyer Program @ ITB Asia 2012.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-CorporateMICE.shtml


3/8/2012 Solare Adds Rates to Google Maps and Google Places.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-Solare.shtml


3/8/2012 Fraser Residence Shanghai to Reopen in October 2012.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-FraserResidence.shtml


3/8/2012 FCGP Corporate Appoints New Product Manager.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-FlightCentre.shtml


3/8/2012 United Airlines Unveils its First Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-UnitedDreamliner.shtml


3/8/2012 El Al Finalizes Order for Two Additional Boeing 737-900ERs.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-ElAl.shtml


3/8/2012 Laura McIver Appointed GM of El Encanto.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/38-ElEncanto.shtml


2/8/2012 Best Western Opens Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-BestWestern.shtml


2/8/2012 Travelport Signs New Agreement with China Southern Airlines.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-Travelport.shtml






- Prefer the convenience of an RSS Feed? The ASIA Travel Tips daily travel
news RSS Feed is at:
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/travelnews.xml
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END

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CNNGo.com


The supermodel's guide: Where to shop in Seoul

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 03:40 PM PDT

by Frances Cha

She's walked the runways from Paris to New York for the likes of Dior and Armani and was the face of MAC, Saks Fifth Avenue and Levi's.

On top of all that, she's also a writer, painter and a prolific cartoonist.

And although it would probably be difficult to make any type of clothing look bad on that body, Korea's top supermodel Song Kyung-ah, 33, is extremely picky about shopping. 

We asked Korea's top supermodel about her favorite fashion haunts and where to shop in Seoul.

steve j yoni p Steve J and Yoni P. They scream creativity all right.

read more

The long drop: Australia's outback dunnies

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 03:00 PM PDT

by Joanne Lane

"They were funny-looking buildings, that were once a way of life,

If you couldn't sprint the distance, then you really were in strife.

They were nailed, they were wired, but were mostly falling down,

There was one in every yard, in every house, in every town.

They were given many names, some were even funny,

read more

Do you care if your hotel has good art?

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 11:10 AM PDT

by Anthea Gerrie

Hyatt Regency ChurchillPatriotic, but is it profitable?It's Queen Elizabeth, but not as we know her. Oblivious to the world, she sits blissed-out and eyes closed beneath her crown in a giant photograph, a piece of art from Britain's cutting-edge Saatchi Collection.

But she's not on show in a museum, or an art gallery.

This tranche of Britain's finest contemporary collection is laid out  in London's Churchill Hotel, and there are no lines to get in or entrance fees.

The Churchill is one of a growing number of properties putting themselves up as substitutes for the world's leading art galleries.

Blame it on Las Vegas, where Impressionist paintings were brought in by the Bellagio in 1998 to set it apart as the poshest place on the Strip, a repository of culture as well as gambling and showgirls.

read more

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Latest Travel News Daily Email from ASIA Travel Tips.com

Thursday, 2 August 2012. News from last night Asia time and today.

The ASIA Travel Tips Team
http://www.asiatraveltips.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


2/8/2012 Best Western Opens Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-BestWestern.shtml


2/8/2012 Travelport Signs New Agreement with China Southern Airlines.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-Travelport.shtml


2/8/2012 308-Room Radisson Blu Plaza Chongqing Opens.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-RadissonBlu.shtml


2/8/2012 KHI Appoints Executive Team to Open Grand Dorsett Chengdu.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-GrandDorsett.shtml


2/8/2012 29.1% Increase in H1 2012 Drives Abu Dhabi Duty Free Revenues to
AED 380m.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-AbuDhabiDutyFree.shtml


2/8/2012 AirAsia Japan Launches Flights to Sapporo and Fukuoka.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-AirAsia.shtml


2/8/2012 Hotels Report Strong ADR, RevPAR as London 2012 Gets Underway.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-London2012.shtml


2/8/2012 Wyndham Expands Rewards Program.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-WyndhamRewards.shtml


2/8/2012 Etihad Airways and Aer Lingus to Codeshare.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-AerLingus.shtml


2/8/2012 PATA Reports April 2012 International Visitor Arrivals.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-VisitorArrivals.shtml


2/8/2012 May Pendraat Appointed as VP Sales and Marketing of Marco Polo
Hotels.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-MarcoPolo.shtml


2/8/2012 Asia Pacific Airlines Traffic Results for June 2012.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-AirlineTraffic.shtml


2/8/2012 Jetstar Passengers Enjoy Self-Service Bag Drop @ Brisbane Airport.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/28-BrisbaneAirport.shtml






- Prefer the convenience of an RSS Feed? The ASIA Travel Tips daily travel
news RSS Feed is at:
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/travelnews.xml
____________________________________
Advertise here contact: webmaster@asiatraveltips.com




END

Established in 1998, ASIA Travel Tips was the first online daily travel news
service in Asia. If you know of any colleagues or friends who may be
interested in receiving our daily travel news email, please do ask them to
subscribe. Thank you.

To unsubscribe, simply reply to this email and place "unsubscribe" (in
English) as the subject. To change your email simply reply to this email and
place "change email" (in English as the subject, be sure to let us know both
the old email address as well as the one you wish to change to.

If you receive an error trying to connect to any of the above pages, please
go to http://www.asiatraveltips.com/LatestTravelNews.htm and use the links
there. If that fails please feel free to contact us:
webmaster@asiatraveltips.com

All editorial comments should be sent to the Editor - Steven Howard -
editor@asiatraveltips.com

Special Travel Trade and Media Rates -
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/TravelTradeRates.shtml

Calendar of Travel Trade Shows and Exhibitions -
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/TravelTradeShows.shtml

Latest Travel News - FAQ -
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/TravelNewsFAQ.shtml

Travel News Archives (since 2000) -
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/TravelNewsArchivesMenu1.shtml

To enquire about sponsorship opportunities please send an email to:
webmaster@asiatraveltips.com

http://www.asiatraveltips.com
____________________________________

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com


New booking portal offers huge discounts on Asia's best hotels

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:10 PM PDT

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

A new members-only hotel reservation website has entered the online booking fray with claims to offer discounts of up to 70 percent at some of Asia's most luxurious resorts.

Currently, the Luxe Nomad is offering US$468 a night at Thai resort Sri Panwa, for example, down from an advertised US$813.

Based in Singapore, the site -- the latest venture of Stephanie Chai, an entrepreneur who spent most of her working life as a high fashion model -- claims the deals it offers are not available anywhere else and can range from 40-70 percent off the hotel's listed prices. 

"The sales that are on our site are exclusively for The Luxe Nomad and its members," says Alexandra Seitz, PR executive for the site. 

"We feature a mix of four- and five-star hotels, resorts and villas that we believe offer good service and great ambiance. Of course you can't please everyone, but our team does its very best to vet each property."

read more

What cuisine do global travelers love the most?

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:02 PM PDT

by CNNGo staff

It should come as no surprise the world's most-visited places also have the best cuisine. After all, nobody wants to eat horrible food on his or her hard-earned vacations. 

But of course no cosmopolitan city is limited to its own national dishes. You're just as likely to find a top Italian eatery in Bangkok as you are an incredible Japanese restaurant in London. 

So which food do travelers crave the most when on the road? 

A recent survey of 27,000 global travelers by Hotels.com shows the traditional European favorites now face a bit of competition, with Asian cuisine rising up the foodie ranks.

Although international travelers still favor Italian (32 percent) and French (24 percent), Japanese food is gaining in popularity, coming in at 18 percent.

read more

Time travels with your cat: How Google sees your vacation plans

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:10 PM PDT

by Barry Neild

Why bother researching answers to vacation questions when you can Google them, right?

In fact, why bother even coming up with the questions in the first place when Google is happy to pose them for you.

Simply start typing "How to travel..." into the search engine and witness it trying to guess what you were about to ask.

Sadly, like a wrinkled sage pondering life's deepest meanings, a philosopher surrounded by dusty tomes in the vaults of some great library, or a clerk manning an airport help desk, Google knows all the questions, but rarely has any definitive responses.

Thankfully, we're on hand to answer everything you never knew you wanted to know about travel and didn't even think about asking until Google asked on your behalf.

read more

Sprint to Narita on a luxury Hermes helicopter

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:00 PM PDT

by C. James Dale

My Tod's tap nervously as I watch the ground slip slowly by.

I glance at my Rolex.

"Relax," I chuckle to myself. "The jet won't leave without you."

I pick a piece of fuzz off my Ermenegildo Zegna suit and adjust my Louis Vuitton Evasion sunglasses.

The pilot looks back at me, smiling, and I acknowledge him by raising my glass of Cristal.

read more

6 Gobi adventures: Best ways to get sand in your shoes in Dunhuang

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:40 AM PDT

by Clarissa Wei

With nothing but 1.3 million-square-kilometer desert for company, Dunhuang (敦煌) really feels as though it's in the middle of nowhere.

But it's the desolation that makes the desert town so attractive.

The air is crisp; there's not the slightest hint of light pollution at night; it's one of the few places in the world where anyone can rent a camel and camp out in sand dunes.

With a population of 180,000, Dunhuang (the name means "big and grand") is located in the Gansu province of western China.

As a town, it was a frontier defensive bulwark in the Han Dynasty and a major stop on the ancient Silk Road.

read more