Dubai Makes a Spectacular Show of Fireworks to Welcome 2014

More than 400,000 fireworks were set off across 400 different locations in Dubai, spanning an incredible 59 miles.

It was a spectacular moment; Dubai claimed to break the world record for the largest ever fireworks display.

The six-minute show features an incredible 400,000 fireworks which lit up the sky in front of thousands of spectators.

The world’s tallest tower, the 828-metre Burj Khalifa, provided a stunning backdrop for the display.

The performance required about 100 computers to synchronise the pyrotechnics, along with a choreographed musical soundtrack.

More than 200 expert technicians put in 5,000 hours of work to ensure that the fireworks’ timing was accurate down to the millisecond.

The spectacle’s grand finale created an artificial “sunrise” along the seafront, with the highest fireworks reaching more than one kilometre in height.

Dubai now claims it has broken the current record held by Middle Eastern neighbor Kuwait, although this is yet to be confirmed.

250 foreign New Year callers arrive in Da Nang

Up to 250 foreign tourists on a flight from Japan’s Narita airport to the central city of Da Nang were welcomed as New Year callers on January 1.

This year, the municipal tourism sector looks to attract 3.6 million visitors, including 880,000 foreigners, up 15 percent and 18 percent, respectively, from 2013. Total turnover from tourism is projected to rise 13 percent to over 8.8 trillion VND (419 million USD).

The sector will offer an array of new tourist products, including river tours and unique local souvenirs.

Da Nang will popularise its images using the mass media, and organise promotional events both at home and abroad, particularly in key markets such as Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and Hai Phong in the country, and in China, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Russia and Japan.

Priority will be given to opening new international flights and upgrading chartered services from key markets to regular services.

A fund for Da Nang tourism growth will come up and running soon, while key projects like the Hoa Xuan sports complex and Ngu Hanh Son cultural park will be accelerated.

 Last year, the number of travellers to Da Nang hit over 3.1 million, including 743,000 foreigners, generating some 7.8 trillion VND (371 million USD), an increase of 29.8 percent from 2012.

Bali Awaits 3.5 Million Tourists in 2014

The regional government of Bali is hopeful to draw 3.5 million travelers in 2014, a 10-percent raise from this year’s aim of 3.18 million tourists.Bali, the smallest province of Indonesia is an island that includes a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida. It is situated at the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, between Java to the west and Lombok to the east, and has its capital of Denpasar at the southern part of the island.

Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu, head of Bali Tourism Agency, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that more than 2.97 million tourists had visited the resort island during the January-November period, an increase of 13.38 percent on the same period last year. The total number of foreigners visiting Bali in 2012 was around 2.89 million people, 96.4 percent of the target set. Arrivals for December still had to be included before the agency calculated total foreign visitors for the year.

Subhiksu also revealed that the agency had made an initial projection for next year’s target based on many conditions, including national security, hygiene, traffic, and services.The agency said the global economy’s restoration had also resulted in increased purchasing power for citizens, who were likely to be able to stay longer on the island.

Birmingham to Shine with Spectacular Production "Singin’ in the Rain"

Enjoy the spectacular production of "Singin’ in the Rain" in Birmingham from 18 March–5 April, 2014. This tells the story of the first Hollywood musical, when the silver screen found its voice and left silent movies – and some of its stars – behind.

This spectacular show is packed full of the charm, romance, comedy and tinseltown glamour of one the world’s best loved movies and features all the songs from the glorious MGM score including Good Morning, Make ‘em Laugh, Moses Supposes and the classic Singin’ in the Rain.

With high-energy choreography and sumptuous set design (including 12,000 litres of water) Singin’ in the Rain showers you with everything you could wish for in a hit musical.

Maxwell Caulfield will play RF Simpson with Faye Tozer as Lina Lamont , alongside James Leece as Don Lockwood, Amy Ellen Richardson as Kathy Selden and Stephane Anelli as Cosmo Brown.

AirAsia introduces three new domestic routes connecting East & Peninsular Malaysia

Langkawi

Malaysians now have more flight options from Kuching and Miri with the introduction of three new domestic routes from AirAsia, connecting Kuching directly to the legendary island of Langkawi; and from Miri directly to the food haven of Penang, as well as the gateway to the beautiful Perhentian Islands, Terengganu.

The three new routes introduced will provide greater convenience for Kuching and Miri dwellers to connect directly to Langkawi, Penang and Terengganu, saving them precious travel time as they no longer need to connect via other cities such as Kuala Lumpur anymore.

AirAsia will be giving away free seats on all three new routes and they will be available for booking online at www.airasia.com from Tuesday, 28th January until Sunday, 9th February. Guests will only need to pay for the applicable taxes and fees from RM29 one way, and travel from 20th March 2014 onwards.

Apart from the website, the free seats can also be booked via AirAsia’s mobile apps which are available on iPhone, Android devices, the Blackberry Z10 and now on the Windows Phone platform as well. Simply search AirAsia on the respective app stores to download and start booking!

Kenny Wong, Head of Commercial for AirAsia Berhad said, “We have been actively looking at initiating brand new routes especially between East Malaysia and Peninsular Malaysia in order to bring communities closer and boost economic activities, especially at underserved sectors in Malaysia. These three new routes will definitely add greater ease towards both leisure and business travellers. Our expansion plans go through careful planning and deliberation by our in-house experts, before it is put into place. It is a fact that our competitors try to follow our footsteps, but we have the advantage of a robust and established business model, plus an excellent cost discipline.”

AirAsia continues to dominate the country’s route network with these additional new routes, after it introduced flights from Kota Kinabalu and Kuching direct to Kota Bharu recently, and will be the only airline to operate all three Kuching – Langkawi, Miri – Penang, and Miri – Terengganu routes; a testament towards the airline’s commitment in enhancing unity in Malaysia by providing ease of connectivity and low-fares between East Malaysia and Peninsular Malaysia.

Last year alone, AirAsia launched 141 additional flight frequencies for its Malaysian domestic flights, strengthening its position as the most significant airline when it comes to internal connectivity.

AirAsia continues to push forward and remain on track with its expansion plans, despite volatile industry conditions and numerous economic challenges which saw competing airlines cutting back on capacity and cancellation of routes.

The 4x weekly Kuching – Langkawi route will mark AirAsia’s eighth domestic route from Kuching, while the 4x weekly Miri – Penang & 3x weekly Miri – Terengganu routes will be Miri’s fifth and sixth domestic route to be operated respectively. All of the new routes will commence operations on 20th March 2014.

Two Million Celebrate New Year in Sydney Harbor, City Busy in Cleaning Up Operations

Sydney drew the biggest crowd on New Year’s, a much larger crowd than anticipated. The site was packed with backpackers and tourists.

Many passports were lying strewn in the area. The crowd was much more than expected. 1.6 million People were expected to arrive but the number rose to 2 million said the Sydney’s lord mayor, Clover Moore.

50 city workers were cleaning up on Wednesday morning. The crowd there was unexpectedly large and drew complaints from some residents.

This became a truly international event. Cr Moore said the unexpected scale of the event would lead to more management of some vantage points in the future.

The city conducted an extensive clean-up operation through the night with more than 350 workers cleaning up. The sweep cost the city $300,000 and involved 60 trucks.

The clean-up efforts have been extraordinary. But the lord mayor said that even though crowd numbers were up, it was estimated that they had left behind 10 tonnes less garbage than last year.

The fireworks show culminated at midnight. Blinking over the harbour was an enormous “all-seeing eye” designed by the event’s creative ambassador, Reg Mombassa, which was the centrepiece light effect on the bridge.

Mombassa said that It was wonderful to see that modern technology has managed to turn my little pencil drawings into those enormous mutating graphic effects on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Indonesia Achieves 2013 Foreign Tourist Target

Indonesia has fulfilled its target of attracting 8.6 million foreign tourists in 2013, and plans to increase the number to 9.2 million in this year.

The growth of overseas arrivals to the country reaches about 7-8 percent annually, according to Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu.

The number of foreign visitors by the year-end is estimated at 8.63 million, far higher than the previous year’s figure of 8.04 million and representing an increase of 7.37 percent, she noted.

Tourists’ average spending amounted to 1,142 USD per person, up 8.17 percent against the 2012 figure, bringing total foreign currency revenues of 9.78 billion USD.

The positive outcome has helped the local tourism sector reach a growth of 5.76 percent in 2013 and earn over 641 trillion Rp (53 billion USD).

Though the number of tourists to Indonesia has increased over the past few years, the growth remains slow when compared to those of other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Pangestu said.

During the crisis in 1998, the tourist arrival targets in ASEAN member states were almost the same. But Indonesia has now lagged far behind, with Malaysia this year targeting to serve 26.8 million visitors, Thailand 25 million, Singapore 15 million, and Indonesia only 8.6 million.

Song Cau Town: Launching the Tourism Zone of Long Hai and ASTOP Stopping Spot

After more than 1 year being officially constructed and 4 months in operation to complete the items, on December 21st, in Xuan Yen ward (Song Cau town), the opening ceremony of ASTOP stopping spot, whose main investor is Hoya-Dai Thuan venture company Ltd., was organized.

This is the venture between Dai Thuan holding company and Hoya Korea corporation with the total area of over 4ha, the total investment capital of more than 3 million dollars. The project is the tourism complex comprising hotels, hostels, resorts, entertainment center, villas and bungalows, supermarket, petrol retailing station, estate services, international standard supplying service to tourists.

The project is divided into two phases with the first one being the construction of one stopping spot with modern parking lots, with great capacity for various types of cars, with petrol station, restaurants for tourists, and restaurant serving weddings with the capacity of over 1,000 people. The second phase is the complex including high quality resorts, bungalows from 30 to 50 rooms, all facing the sea, entertainment centers, and swimming areas with the 500-m long beach.

Ten Reasons to Visit Orlando in 2014

Orlando continues to reinvent itself with enticing additions opening in 2014. New offerings found inside its world-famous theme parks and throughout the destination give families even more reason to visit Orlando in the New Year. From hopping aboard the Hogwarts Express at Universal Orlando Resort to catching a Broadway show at the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando delivers unrivaled experiences to satisfy all ages and interests. Here are 10 reasons to visit Orlando in 2014:

THEME PARKS

1) DUPLO Valley at LEGOLAND Florida will bring the LEGO DUPLO line of preschool building toys to life for Orlando’s youngest visitors. The new farm-themed attractions, including a train, mini tractor ride and water play area, are geared to toddlers ages 2 to 5.

2) Building on the popularity of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando Resort in Florida will bring to life some of the experiences and places found in and around London in the Harry Potter books and films. Diagon Alley and ‘London’ will be located within Universal Studios Florida, which is adjacent to Universal’s Islands of Adventure, where guests now experience Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. When complete, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley will feature shops, a restaurant and an innovative, marquee attraction based on Gringotts bank. Guests will be able to travel between ‘London’ and Hogsmeade aboard the Hogwarts Express.

3) Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will complete the final phase of New Fantasyland – the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history – with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster. This family coaster will transport guests on a musical ride into the mine “where a million diamonds shine.” Also coming to Magic Kingdom this year is Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, an all-new daytime parade featuring characters and music from memorable Disney films.

ATTRACTIONS

4) Orlando’s tallest and steepest free-fall water slide is coming to Aquatica – SeaWorld’s Waterpark. Ihu’s Breakway Falls will be the only multi-slide of its kind in Orlando.

5) Located in the heart of downtown Orlando, the $429 million Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts will be the new home for Broadway productions and Orlando Ballet among other performances. The arts center will include two performance theaters, a 300-seat community theater, outdoor plaza and banquet room.

6) Visitors with a need for speed will love the new I-Drive Indoor Kart Racing. This multi-level entertainment center includes a half-mile (805-meter) track for the electric-powered go-karts, bowling lanes and an arcade.

ACCOMMODATIONS

7) Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort is located just minutes from Magic Kingdom and Epcot. With 444 guest rooms (including 68 suites), a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, full-service spa, three restaurants and an elaborate pool area, guests will feel totally immersed in the luxury resort experience.
8) Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort is soon to be the fourth and largest on-site hotel at Universal Orlando Resort. Inspired by retro resorts of the 1950s and 60s, the 1800-room hotel will feature moderately priced family suites and value-priced guest rooms. When complete, guests can experience a 10-lane bowling alley and enjoy two massive pools with sand beaches, a lazy river, waterslide and more.

DINING

9) Capa boasts Spanish influenced cuisine and nightly views of Magic Kingdom fireworks. This rooftop steakhouse will be located on the 17th floor of the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort.

10) It’s all about Southern comfort food at The COOP in foodie haven, Winter Park. For this new restaurant concept, John Rivers, owner of the local-favorite 4 Rivers Smokehouse, will serve classic southern dishes like chicken and waffles, deviled eggs, buttermilk biscuits, po’ boys and artisanal pies.

Over 50 International Events Held in Peru in 2013

A total of 53 international events were held last year in Peru with the participation of some 10,000 people from around the world, according to the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur).

Carlos Canales, head of Canatur, said that 2013 has been a “magnificent” year for the country as it hosted a series of corporate events and government conferences, including the 2013 World Economic Forum on Latin America and the 15th General Conference of the United Nations Development Industrial Organisation (UNIDO) to name a few.Among the major corporate events that took place in Peru this year were the 31st Mining Convention (Perumin) in Arequipa and Peru Travel Mart (PTM 2013) in Lima.

Canales noted that many of the foreign visitors found some time during their stay to tour the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in Cusco or taste the varied local cuisine.To cater to the growing number of visitors and events, Canales called for the construction of convention centres able to accommodate 2,000 people or more, and so he welcomed the government’s decision to build a 4,000-capacity convention centre near the Ministry of Culture in Lima.