Wednesday, October 3, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com


United States adds Taiwan to Visa Waiver Program

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 01:49 AM PDT

by Zoe Li

For every 65 tourists, one job is created in the United States.

The United States has announced that it will include Taiwan in its Visa Waiver Program (VWP) starting November 1.

Taiwanese nationals who are pre-approved, low-risk travelers will be able to stay in the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa. Travelers will need to obtain authorization online.

"Taiwan has met all the requirements of VWP membership," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano at a Global Travel and Tourism Conference hosted by the U.S. State Department. 

"(Taiwan has) committed to enhance law enforcement and security-related data sharing, timely reporting of lost and stolen passports and maintaining high counter-terrorism law enforcement, immigration control, aviation and document security standard."

read more

Hong Kong ferry disaster hits world's 'most delightful commute'

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 01:04 AM PDT

by Kevin Voigt

Hong Kong ferry disasterThe Lamma IV boat collided with a ferry on the night of October 1, killing more than 30 people. The captains of both boats and 5 other crew members have been arrested.

When my neighbor Jane Wilbor got on a Lamma ferry Tuesday, she did something she'd never done before with her three young children: She put on life preservers.

"I wanted to show them how to get one out and put one on," said Wilbor, whose three children -- Louie, 10, James, 9, and 7-year-old Eddie -- are playmates with my son 4-year-old son, Jonah, in Pak Kok, a small village of a few dozen families on Lamma Island, one of hundreds of islands that make up Hong Kong.

Our village was awoken by the sound of helicopters Monday night, as searchlights trained on the sea until the sunlight broke the next morning on a capsized boat just a few hundred meters offshore.

The ferry collision that left at least 38 dead -- including five children --is not an abstraction for those who live on Lamma, but a tragedy that puts the spotlight on an elemental part of our lives and the economic livelihood of Hong Kong: The busy waterways and the boats that connect the city.

read more

German hamlet vies to become world’s most courteous town

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 12:08 AM PDT

by CNNGo staff

The cranky counter agent.

The uncouth waiter.

The monstrous flight attendant.

Sure, these icons of travel might provide the kind of nightmare stories you end up repeating for years, but few things get us as riled as rude service people.

If a German group has its way, however, tourists will suffer the abuses of insolence no more.

read more

Denmark ousted from top 100: World's new happiest country is ...

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:12 PM PDT

by CNNGo staff

Denmark is no longer the happiest country in the world.

Actually, the Danes are far from being happy, according to a new global happiness measurement, the Happy Planet Index (HPI).

Instead, Costa Ricans are now the merriest in a list of 151 countries.

The index, compiled by the London-based New Economics Foundation (NEF), is different from the more well-known happiness index issued by the United Nations.

In addition to life expectancy and happiness, the HPI takes environmental sustainability into consideration.

read more

How to take great wildlife photos

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:50 AM PDT

by CNNGo staff

How to take great wildlife photos -- inline 1Love them, hug them, photograph them.A safari anecdote may impress your friends, but a journey in pictures will blow them away.

So how do you turn a safari into an album filled with vivid wildlife images?

Jan Latta knows.

Latta first came face-to-face with a mountain gorilla in Rwanda in 1994.

Since then, the Australian author and wildlife photographer has strolled with lions in Zambia, faced charges by elephants in Amboseli and played with baby pandas in China.

read more

Video guide to Beijing's best street foods

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 09:50 AM PDT

by Nicole Pang, Tracy You

Everybody comes to Beijing to eat that sizzling roast duck.

Then what?

Beyond the famous duck, there are endless eats to discover along the city's busy streets and inside its lively hutong alleyways.

Beijing-based chef Sue Zhou recently roamed the city to pick her favorite Beijing street foods for CNNGo.

Here's her list: spicy, mouth-numbing vegetable soup ("malatang" in Chinese), crispy five-grain pancakes ("jian bing") and donkey-meat burgers with scallion.

read more

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Latest Travel News Daily Email from ASIA Travel Tips.com

Wednesday, 3 October 2012. News from last night Asia time and today.

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


3/10/2012 Budget Hotels in Japan? Interview with CEO of Solare Hotels &
Resorts.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-SolareHotels.shtml


3/10/2012 Dusit Signs Hotel in Guam; to Open Sales Office in Tokyo.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-DusitGuam.shtml


3/10/2012 Dorsett Hospitality Sells HK Hotel; Buys The Matrix in London.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-TheMatrix.shtml


3/10/2012 Las Vegas to Host World Routes Development Forum in 2013.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-WorldRoutes.shtml


3/10/2012 Etihad Airways Begins Implementation of More Sabre Software.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-Sabre.shtml


3/10/2012 New Singapore Stopover Promotion Launched.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-SingaporeStopover.shtml


3/10/2012 Abu Dhabi to Host IATA World Passenger Symposium 16-18 October.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-AviationSymposium.shtml


3/10/2012 Air Canada to Launch Low Cost Airline.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-AirCanada.shtml


3/10/2012 Hawaiian Airlines Upgrades Capacity on Auckland-Honolulu Flights.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-HawaiianAirlines.shtml


3/10/2012 Markets Connecting Asia Pacific to Lead Global Air Cargo Growth.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-AirCargo.shtml


3/10/2012 SilverNeedle Hospitality Signs GDS Agreement.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/310-SilverNeedle.shtml


2/10/2012 Lombok Hotels and Tourism - HD Video Interview.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-LombokHotels.shtml


2/10/2012 IATA Revises Global Aviation Outlook for 2012; Looks at 2013.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-AviationOutlook.shtml


2/10/2012 Hotels in Hong Kong Report Strong RevPAR Growth.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-HongKongHotels.shtml







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CNNGo.com


Singapore to open world's largest oceanarium

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 10:33 PM PDT

by CNNGo staff

The world's largest oceanarium is set to open at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore on December 7.

Officials say Marine Life Park will have more than 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species in more than 60 million liters of water.

Among these are manta rays, hammerhead sharks and controversial Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. According to Singapore's Straits Times newspaper, animal rights activists have long been lobbying for the resort management to release the 25 wild dolphins captured for the resort.

Park officials defend the wild dolphins' inclusion. 

"We hold the belief that zoological organizations have a role to play in wildlife conservation and that to avert species crises, controlled wildlife collections can occur for quality zoological facilities to increase our understanding of the species and for breeding purposes," says the resort in a series of unusually detailed responses to critics on its website's FAQ page.

read more

Gallery: Suitman, the world's best-dressed traveler

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 08:12 PM PDT

by Frances Cha

It's not only superheroes who have alter egos.

Korean-American artist Young Kim, 52, has been building a following in the contemporary art scene with his quirky second identity, dubbed Suitman.

When he assumes the character of Suitman, the Kim travels the world, photographing himself in beautiful settings, looking wildly out of place and yet entirely at home.

Kim says the inspiration for this lifelong project occurred more than 20 years ago, when he was living on the East Coast of the United States and decided to drive cross-country.

"I was wearing a suit at the time, and so I decided I was going to wear that suit every day and see people's reactions," says Kim.

read more

Airline profits down for 2012; small bump forecast for 2013

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 05:58 PM PDT

by CNNGo staff

Airline revenues for 2012 are up a little even though they're down a lot.

Asia-Pacific airlines are carrying more passengers but less cargo.

Anticipated 2012 global airline profits of $4.1 billion sound pretty good, until you realize that carriers are operating on a 0.6 percent profit margin.

If all that news leaves you feeling a little bit confused, then you've got a good sense of the cloudy economic conditions facing the world's airline industry, according to a report issued October 1 by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The key message in the IATA's announcement is a slight upward revision to an earlier economic forecast for the industry. Airlines are now expected to earn $4.1 billion in 2012, up from the $3.0 billion the IATA forecast in June.

read more

Gallery: Stunning forts and palaces in Rajasthan

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 03:20 PM PDT

by Jessica Allen

The magnificent forts and palaces of Rajasthan, twin symbols of power and hospitality, have helped make the state one of the most visited in India.

The land of the maharajas was once divided into more than 20 princely states. Each ruler built forts to keep their subjects safe and to intimidate enemies; they built palaces to show off their riches and protect family members.

Today, as modern India's largest state, Rajasthan opens up many of its incredibly beautiful royal buildings to visitors.

The best forts and palaces in Rajasthan, the most impenetrable and most majestic, are located in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jaipur and Udaipur.

Also on CNN: Rocking Rajasthan palaces: Live with, not like, an Indian prince 

read more

Fly fitter with these 7 essential airport exercises

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 03:05 PM PDT

by Olivia Demlakian

Let's face it -- as much as we all love heading off on a vacation, airport layovers are no one's idea of a good time. They feel like dead air -- an inconvenient, albeit necessary, evil on the way to something better.

What's more, your wallet and waistline both pay for the privilege of painstakingly passing the hours.

The waiting just adds to the discomfort of a long flight and leaves you drained when you finally reach your destination.

It's time to break with travel tradition and turn layovers into productive fitness sessions -- your mind, body and bank account will feel all the better for it.

Plus, it's one less visit to the hotel gym.

read more

Monday, October 1, 2012

Latest Travel News Daily Email from ASIA Travel Tips.com

Tuesday, 2 October 2012. News from last night Asia time and today.

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


2/10/2012 Lombok Hotels and Tourism - HD Video Interview.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-LombokHotels.shtml


2/10/2012 IATA Revises Global Aviation Outlook for 2012; Looks at 2013.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-AviationOutlook.shtml


2/10/2012 Hotels in Hong Kong Report Strong RevPAR Growth.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-HongKongHotels.shtml


2/10/2012 AirAsia Moves to Don Muang Airport in Bangkok.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-AirAsiaBangkok.shtml


2/10/2012 Tiger Airways Partners Scoot.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-Scoot.shtml


2/10/2012 Travelers Not Shy About Mixing Business With Pleasure.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-BusinessTravelers.shtml


2/10/2012 RFID Hotel Acquired by Lodging Access Systems.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-RFID.shtml


2/10/2012 Air Canada Unveils Fleet Plan for International Growth.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-AirCanada.shtml


2/10/2012 SITA Helps Upgrade Brazil's Air Traffic Management.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-BrazilAir.shtml


2/10/2012 Etihad Airways to Codeshare with nasair.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-nasair.shtml


2/10/2012 New DOSM at Nikko Bali.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-NikkoBali.shtml


2/10/2012 Hilton Launches Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-HiltonHotels.shtml


2/10/2012 GOL Orders 60 Boeing 737 MAXs.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-GOL.shtml


2/10/2012 Thailand to Host Miss Tourism World 2012.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-MissTourismWorld.shtml


2/10/2012 Nikko Bali Appoints Joy Cartwright as Director of Sales - AU/NZ.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/210-NikkoBaliAU.shtml


1/10/2012 Indonesia Tourism HD Video Interview with Director of Int.
Tourism Promotion.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/110-IndonesiaTourism.shtml


1/10/2012 Centara Signs Second Hotel in Vietnam.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/110-CentaraDanang.shtml


1/10/2012 Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals in August 2012.
http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news12/110-HongKongVisitorArrivals.shtml








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All editorial comments should be sent to the Editor - Steven Howard -
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Calendar of Travel Trade Shows and Exhibitions -
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CNNGo.com


Thai Airways joins A380 club

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 12:45 AM PDT

by CNNGo staff

Thai Airways is now the proud owner of its very own A380, becoming the ninth airline to offer flights on the world's largest passenger aircraft.

Thailand's flag carrier picked up the first of six A380s on order at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, last weekend. 

The airplane will service Bangkok-Hong Kong and Bangkok-Singapore routes from October 6 until the delivery of a second aircraft in December, when it will hit the Bangkok-Frankfurt route. (Bangkok-Singapore A380 flights will be dropped, Bangkok-Hong Kong will continue.)

Early next year, Thai Airways will start flying the Airbus A380 on its Bangkok-Narita route, then Bangkok-Paris in February followed by Osaka, Sydney and London flights later in 2013. 

More on CNN: Boeing 747-8 vs. Airbus A380

read more

China territory dispute hurting Japan tourism

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 07:43 PM PDT

It may be China's so-called "Golden Week" of national holidays, but many potential travelers are avoiding spending it in Japan as tensions between the two countries increase.

The escalating dispute between Japan and China over a string of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea is hitting the travel trade, as major airlines have started cutting capacity following thousands of tourist cancelations.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways say the tussle over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands has led to a combined total of more than 50,000 tickets being canceled by passengers originally planning to travel in the Japan-China market through November.

Both airlines say they are either suspending routes or using smaller aircraft to match lower passenger demand.

With the airlines stating most of the nixed trips had been for pleasure, rather than business, it's apparent that Chinese and Japanese tourists are seeking alternatives to visiting each other's countries.

read more

Chilling, thrilling, stressful: Learn to fly a Boeing 737 in Bangkok

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 06:18 PM PDT

by Karla Cripps

Ever wondered why being a commercial airline pilot is one of the most stressful jobs in the world? 

Try landing a Boeing 737-800 on a simulator at Bangkok's new Flight Experience Center. 

Guest "pilots" can feel with 85 percent accuracy what it's like to takeoff, fly and land the famed passenger aircraft. The realism is chilling, thrilling and mildly stressful.

More on CNN: World Airport Awards: The winner is ... 

Agaphas Teparagul, owner and managing director of the Bangkok Flight Experience Center, says his company uses the 737 cockpit because the 737 is the most widely used aircraft in the world -- on average, one takes off every five minutes from any given airport. 

read more

Insider Guide: Best of Stockholm

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 09:05 AM PDT

by Lola Akinmade Åkerström

Island hopping isn't just the province of exotic locales like the Caribbean.

Within its greater archipelago, Stockholm and its 1.2 million residents are spread across 14 distinct islands, just a few out of 28,000 -- yes, you read that right. 

Don't be surprised if stereotypes of tall, happy-go-lucky blondes eating Swedish meatballs while driving Volvos to IKEA are dashed upon your visit. Today, the best of Stockholm is richly diverse with a darker, moodier side, and an eclectic reputation on par with Berlin and New York.

If you can't leave town without Swarovski crystal, glitzy Östermalm island has more high-end designer stores per block than most anywhere in the world.

If you're looking for vintage records and secondhand clothing, know that bohemian-chic Södermalm earns constant comparisons with New York's SoHo.

read more