Asia
September 29th, 2007 at 07:30am
Under Cruises+ Asia+ China
The Port of Shanghai is getting a new cruise passenger terminal.
Officials from China are using the 2008 Olympics to promote a triangle of northern cruise ports. Southeast Asian nations are teaming up on a Web site for cruise travelers, CruiseASEAN.com.
Hello, Asia, cruising’s new frontier.
Representatives from the Asia-Pacific region attended the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Conference last week, beginning an aggressive marketing campaign with the goal of making Asia a competitor in the world cruise market. Many of them toured ports in Miami and Port Everglades to get a sense of U.S. port operations.
“Asia is blooming, maybe because people are too familiar with the south Caribbean or South America, and you know Europe is too expensive,” said Michael C.Y. Chang, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. “Most of the countries in Asia are in a very good shape, and it’s reasonable in cost and it has major wonders and culture.”
The Asia-Pacific region lags behind the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska as a cruise destination. But Asian officials contend there is long-term growth potential for a region with improving ports and alluring destinations such as the Great Wall of China and the jungles of Indonesia. They predict that cruising will grow 40 percent to 1.5 million passengers in 2010 in the region.
Meanwhile, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, collaborated on the CruiseAsean.com Web site to promote the Southeast Asian cruise industry, which is predicted to grow 5 percent per year until 2020, to about 820,000 passengers. The site takes advantage of the trend of customers using the Internet as a preferred method of finding vacations.
Experts say infrastructure is a major obstacle to expanding the cruise market in Asia in terms of ship and passenger capacity, with many ports falling short of having adequate transportation in and out of port facilities, for example. Security, deployment costs and creating more interest in cruising among Asian travelers are other challenges.
The world’s two largest cruise operators, Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., are establishing a presence in Asia. Carnival’s Costa Cruises already offers Asia-Pacific vacations on the Costa Allegra, and Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas will become the largest ship in the region when it begins its deployment in December.
The Port of Shanghai is addressing some of the infrastructure concerns by investing in a 300,000-square-foot terminal to handle three 80,000-gross-ton cruise ships. Shanghai’s busy port, the gateway to the Yangtze River, already is served by Costa, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, which fall under the umbrella of Carnival.
The Chinese are reaching out to U.S. tour operators and travel agents to promote their country, which saw 1.7 million total U.S. visitors last year and hosts the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The port of Tianjin is billed as the gateway to Beijing. Two other ports in north China, Dalian and Qingdao, can hold large cruise ships, and both are set to have new cruise terminals within the next three years.
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By admin
August 31st, 2007 at 12:17pm
Under Asia
I just recently watched the extended directors cut, Apocalypse Now Redux, and got to see a whacked out Robert Duvall famously commenting that “Charlie don’t surf.” I don’t know whether that is true or not, but I do no that…
Original post by Larry Olmsted For All Your Travel Needs Best Travel Rates Online
By admin
July 18th, 2007 at 06:56am
Under Asia
A family vacation in a Disney theme park or Disneyland is always a dream holiday for millions of people around the world. The Disney brand is such a resounding success worldwide that it is inconceivable that any child in any developed country do not know what is Disneyland.
If America or Paris is too far away to take your family for a Disney vacation, then you can settle for either of the 2 Disneyland in Asia located in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Disney theme parks, wherever they are located usually have the same theme. For example, in Disney Tokyo will find the following theme parks which can be found on other Disneyland albeit sometimes in different ways the parks are presented.
World Bazaar - Sprawling smack at the entrance of the Tokyo Disneyland is the World Bazaar. This Bazaar is a reminiscent of turn of the century American town with the feeling that you may come face to face with an Apache Red Indian or an outlaw wanted by the local county sheriff.
Here you will find restaurants, shops, restaurants, outlets selling souvenirs and stuff that are appealing to tourists.
Tomorrow land - A space age futuristic theme park. A delightful combination of science and innovative imagination. In Tomorrowland, you can enjoy rides that rockets you to outer space or if you are a science geek, get invited to the “Inventor of the year award ceremony.” One of the favorite rides in Tomorrow Land is to help Buzz Light Year pulverize the Evil Emperor Zurg. Whatever that is.
Toon Town - Bring the children to Toon town, they will love you for this. Toon town is where Disney characters work and play. Toon town is designed to cater exclusively for the kids and is bursting with colors with plenty of kiddy rides.
Fantasy land - How can one be in magical Disneyland without entering the world of fairy tales and cartoons? Meet Disney’s icons Mickey Mouse, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Donald Duck, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Captain Hook and a host of Disney cartoon characters this never never land.
Critter Country - This is the land of the, well, you’ve guessed it, Critters. The critters are small animals from the Disney movie “Song of the South”. Enjoy watching the critters burrowing little homes along the banks of the Rivers of America and on the slopes of Splash Mountain.
Western land - A visit to the Wild Wild West brings you back in time to the earliest settlers of the American West. Perhaps the most important chapter of the American history. Enjoy dinning in restaurants from the wild west era.
Adventure land - This is the where you visit the African, South American and Asian rainforest. You can even take a cruise in a “crocodile infested” river. Tropical jungles in downtown Tokyo? Well, this is what Disney magic is all about isn’t it?
By admin
July 5th, 2007 at 04:37pm
Under Asia
Panoramic landscapes, sun washed golden beaches, snow-clad mountain peaks, blazing deserts, timeless monuments & tradition of bygone era, roaring waves, shimmering sand, enticing flora and fauna, gay & colourful fair and festivals, exotic handicrafts, roaring water falls amidst majestic peaks, aqua sports and adventure, trekking the virgin lands, rich culture, warm & friendly hospitality of the people and eternal rivers, these are the some reasons and fascination of India which are enough to draw tourists to travel in India. No any where in the world one can find such incredible fascination and charm as one finds during India tours.
India is a vast country similar in size to Europe and home to an ancient culture and civilization – perhaps the oldest and greatest civilization. The seventh biggest country in the world with the area of 3.30 million square kilometer, India is the second largest country with the view of population. India hosts architectural and historic possessions incomparable in the world. During India tour one can see India’s rich culture and architectural and heritage treasures. India tourism industry is rapidly growing. Every year a large gathering of foreign tourist come for tours to India.
Tours and travels in India are flourishing due to increment of arrival of foreign tourists. With the boom of India tourism industry, also many tour operators began to cater India as a very important tourist hub on the horizon of world. They offer many attractive India travel packages. They offer tailor-made India tour packages at very affordable price. They also provide information regarding India travel tours.
There are a number of landscaped places to visit in India; such as God’s own country – Kerala, the land of Rajputs – Rajasthan, the Taj city – Agra, the Paradise on the earth – Jammu & Kashmir and many more. India provides comprehensive tourism ambience among the tourists for tours in India. There are many fascinating places to see in India. During tours of India one can observe various facets of India such as diversity in every spectrum. India has predominantly two parts – north India and south India. During South India tours one can visit many magnificent palaces, golden beaches, ayurveda and spa centres and picturesque locations. There also many place to visit in north India. During north India tours, one can visit many heritage monuments, magnificent palaces & forts, blazing deserts, picturesque locations in Himalayan region, beautiful hill stations, and many more.
I think India is the only country which presents various categories of tourism in all probability. These take account of history tourism, beach tourism, medical tourism or health care tourism, adventure tourism, spiritual tourism etc. India fulfills all requirements of all types of tourists. It has many things to offers tourists. Just choose your activity and travel in India where all your fantasy comes alive.
By admin
April 16th, 2007 at 10:53am
Under Asia
What happened: This week’s race came down to the luck of the draw that is flying standby. The earliest flights from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Hong Kong were all fully booked, so teams were forced to race around the airport…
Original post by colleenclark For All Your Travel Needs Best Travel Rates Online
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November 7th, 2006 at 07:38pm
Under Asia
Memorable experience: The middle-aged man motioned with his hand. Follow me. As I left the knickknack-packed sidewalks of Dongtai Road — Shanghai’s answer to London’s Portobello Road outdoor antique market — I did wonder if this was the most prudent move. Although throughout my stay in this bustling city I’d always felt exceedingly safe, this invitation to enter a dark and crumbling row house did give me pause.
My concern was unwarranted. After climbing a wooden staircase so narrow it would have denied entrance to any NFL player, and so rickety as to cause me to lose my footing twice, I emerged into a room brimming with an awful past. By the light of a single bulb, I made out the faces and figures of hundreds of statuettes, all testifying to Mao’s Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, when anyone remotely connected to education was branded an enemy of the state. […]
Original post by benabramson For All Your Travel Needs Best Travel Rates Online
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