On Valentine’s Day, New Yorkers and visitors looking for romance in New York City will find it at the Crossroads of the World. Real life love stories will unfold as lovers surprise their partners with proposals of marriage on Times Square’s iconic signage, couples will tie the knot on Duffy Square, and hundreds of people will renew their vows on the Red Steps. For those who are looking to watch or join in on the festivities, the day will include: • Three lucky lovers will be...
The 2017 Travelzoo Travel Trends Report released today by global travel deals publisher Travelzoo reveals that, despite a turbulent 2016, Asian tourists plan to travel abroad more and spend more time on in-depth exploration trips to safe destinations in 2017. Asian Travelers Plan to Travel More in 2017 When asked about 2017 travel, 70% of Chinese respondents say they will travel abroad two times or more-an increase by almost 10% compared to the same period last year. Nearly 30% of respondents...
Turkish Airlines, the winner of the “Best Airline in Europe” award for the last six years in a row given by the most respected global airline passenger survey organization, Skytrax, debuted its new commercial starring Oscar winner Morgan Freeman. The commercial was first aired during the most-watched show in U.S. TV history, Super Bowl, the final game of the National Football Team (NFL) on February 5th. After meeting the audience with a fantastic ad campaign “Batman v...
Madame Tussauds Hong Kong is set to launch the first-ever wax figure of Korean actor Park Hae-jin this March and the figure will be on display for 3 months only. Park Hae-jin is planned to unveil his figure at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Park Hae-jin made his debut in the 2006 weekend drama Famous Chil Princesses. He is a prominent Korean actor who known for acclaimed roles in dramas such as blockbuster series My Love from the Star, Doctor Stranger and, most recently, Cheese in the Trap. The...
Cunard today announced its sponsorship of the 2017 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, taking place in New York City February 11-14, 2017. This is the first year Cunard will be part of the show and they will be the only travel company represented at the show. In addition, the 2017 Best in Show winner and owner will be offered an invitation to sail on a Transatlantic Crossing on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. Owners and dogs who stop by Cunard’s booth at Pier 94 will get a glimpse into the...
The Knot today released the results of The Knot 2016 Real Weddings Study. The 10th annual comprehensive report, the largest of its kind, surveyed nearly 13,000 US brides and grooms married in 2016 to uncover the financial spending habits and trends of real weddings in America. This study includes national and regional statistics on the average cost of a wedding, wedding vendor cost, how couples budget for their big day, the average number of wedding guests, spend per guest, wedding style trends...
It’s part of the travel and tourism industry, but not many like to talk about it. It’s legal in many parts of the world, illegal in many other parts of the world. It’s the oldest job in the world. In Europe it’s business like usually in the red light district, in the United States exceptions to make prostitution a recognized and legal profession is only the case in some counties in the State of Nevada today. This may change in the Aloha State Hawaii. For many seen as a...
The world-famous Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge have been lit red to celebrate Chinese New Year 2017: The Year of the Rooster. Sydney hosts one of the largest Lunar New Year celebrations outside of Asia with more than 80 events scheduled across the city until 12 February 2017. The festivities will also feature 12 contemporary Chinese zodiac animal lanterns which will illuminate the city’s most iconic locations as part of Lunar Lanterns. The Lanterns will create a spectacular...
From February to April, six large-scale events will be spotlighting Pop Culture in Brussels. The opportunity for the “geek” public to find their entertainment in 2.0 culture. Rachid Madrane, responsible for the promotion of Brussels at the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, has been an active supporter of “Culture 2.0” in Brussels since 2016. “Pop culture and urban culture have experienced unprecedented growth in Brussels in the last few years. They reflect the evolution of our society...
A reception to showcase Artspiration, an exhibit featuring 26 artworks – 13 pieces from students of East Side Union High School District, and 13 representing the high school-aged winners of the 2016 countywide Young Artists Showcase – was held today at Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). Artspiration is a community-backed movement to return creativity and innovation to students through the arts, with strategies developed by a team of administrators, teachers, parents...
The Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label (SSTL) which is an initiative of the Government of Seychelles and is being implemented by its Ministry responsible for tourism has obtained Recognition Status with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). This is a great step forward for the SSTL which in 2015 also partnered with the Fair Trade Tourism of Africa in its endeavor to enhance local and international credibility and visibility for this label. GSTC is the body which aims to promote...
The Seychelles was present at the Holiday World Show in Dublin, Ireland from the 27th January to the 29th January 2017 – now in its 28th year. The three day event transforms the RDS Simmons court into a hub of exciting and vibrant travel city with a range of destinations from Americas to Asia, from Africa to Europe and cruise companies providing the consumer with a wide choice of destinations to choose from for their a once in a life time trip, a honeymoon, wedding, family holiday or a...
Asian industry’s uptake of industrial robots is accelerating: in just five years its operational stock rose 70 percent to 887,400 units, (2010-2015). In 2015 alone, annual sales of robots jumped 19 percent to 160,600 units, setting a new record for the fourth consecutive year. These are results of the World Robotics Report 2016, published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). China is the biggest market for industrial robots in the world and takes 43 percent of all sales to...
The much-acclaimed Surajkund International Crafts Mela, now in its 31st year, got off to a colorful and vibrant start today, February 1, with as many as 21 countries taking part, apart from Indian states. Egypt is the partner country this year, while the theme state is Jharkhand, from where some 300 artists have come for the 15-day-long fair, which attracts thousands of local and foreign tourists. This year special efforts have been made to highlight some of the languishing arts and crafts from...
The ultimate cure for the winter blues is planning a vacation and for those interested in wine destination travel, the options are endless. While more traditional wine regions like Tuscany and Provence continue to pop up on itineraries, more and more travelers looking for a truly unique and equally picturesque experience are choosing Sicily, Italy. As Sicily’s wine tourism grows steadily, the destination was just named one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 2017 10 Best Wine Travel...
Air Astana, the official carrier for the World Winter Universiade 2017, collected flames from across 13 regions of Kazakhstan and delivered them all to Almaty in time for the official opening ceremony on 29th January 2017. Participating university students from all over Kazakhstan travelled with each of the flames, which were contained in a Davy’s safety lamp on each flight. The flames were transported with all safety precautions taken and technical specialists onboard. During the countdown to...
After ICTP also WTTC commented on US President Trump’s travel ban to the United States on citizens of 7 countries. On Monday night, David Scowsill, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), said: “The Executive Order issued by US President Trump on 27 January 2017 banning travel to the US from seven countries for 90 days goes directly against the fundamental right of Freedom to Travel. It has created immense confusion among travellers and travel companies worldwide...
Miss France was crowned Miss Universe on Monday in a made-for-television spectacle free of last year’s dramatic mix-up but with a dash of political controversy as the finalists spoke out on the refugee crisis and other hot-button global issues. Iris Mittenaere, a dental surgery student from Lille in the north of France, beat 85 of the world’s most beautiful women at the event in the Philippines scheduled for primetime viewing in the United States. Mittenaere, 24, edged out Miss...
On its twitter account, US Mission to UAE officials tweeted on Sunday that it is suspending the issuing of visas for travel to the US from any of the seven Muslim-majority countries identified by President Donald Trump in his temporary travel ban. “US visa issuance to citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen has been suspended until further notification,” the embassy tweeted. Mission staff further tweeted, “If you are a national or dual national of one of the listed...
Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles candidate for the post of Secretary General of the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) has received another major endorsement. The largely influential and respected NRI Welfare Society of India invited Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles former Minister responsible for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine to be Guest of Honour at their 36th International Congress which was held in Delhi from the 24 to the 28 January. Alain St.Ange was invited to...
India will host global travel and social media influencer summit from September 26 to September 28, 2017. Bloggers and influencers have emerged as the key channels of marketing for tourism across the world. Most travelers rely on information and opinions of digital media when making travel purchase decisions. While some tourism boards and travel companies have realized this, most are still trying to figure how to use this force to their advantage. Thus the significance of an event like BLOG IT...
A newly published report has highlighted the damaging impact of conflicts on the word’s finances, saying violence cost the global economy $13.6 trillion in 2015. The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), a think tank dedicated to developing metrics to analyze peace and to quantify its economic value, released the figure on Thursday in its report, dubbed the Economic Value of Peace 2016. The 2015 total cost of violence was equivalent to 13.3 percent of the world gross domestic product (GDP)...
At its eighth edition, from 1 to 3 September, the Comic Strip Festival will host Les Prix Atomium de la Bande Dessinée for the very first time. The prizes will be the most generous in Europe. The Brussels Comic Strip Festival has changed a lot since it was created in 2010 by visit.brussels. Launched in the wake of a themed year devoted to the so-called “ninth art” in the Belgian capital, the Comic Strip Festival welcomes nearly 100,000 visitors and more than 150 comic strip authors every year...
Turkey has become one of the world’s most popular countries to visit for holidaymakers, but terrorism and the war in Syria has frightened Brits recently and now more than one in four of us believe it to be the world’s most unsafe travel destination. This is according to a survey of 1,860 people commissioned by the social travel network talkholiday and babylon as they partner to offer personalized medical services including easy GP video appointments and fast accurate symptom checking to...
Having Smart Palm trees with wifi is not all what to expect at Dubai’s beached. Smart changing rooms are the latest innovation by a company D Idea Media, which introduced Smart Palms, the palm-shaped sustainable solar hubs that offer free Wi-Fi service and charging points for smart devices, in Dubai’s parks and beaches. Dubai is fast changing into a smart city and changing rooms cannot lag behind in going smart! Well, we are not talking about smart virtual dress changing rooms. It is the...
Between 1st February and 31st March, join the movers and shakers of Brussels and share with them the creativity of the capital of dance! BRUSSELS, DANCE! is an original initiative by cultural venues to celebrate the vitality and effervescence of a capital city. Recently and spontaneously, artists from all over Europe, especially contemporary dancers, have settled down in Brussels. For this second edition, twelve Brussels venues – from the Dutch speaking and the French speaking communities – in...
January is coming to a close and we are officially one month into a new year. For many, this marks a time of change and fresh starts and for some, this comes in the form of New Year’s resolutions. Nearly two-thirds of Americans agree resolutions are a great way to set priorities for a New Year (65%). This year, nearly 6 in 10 adults say they have set a resolution for 2017 (59%). Millennials are considerably more likely than their older counterparts to make a resolution, with 8 in 10...
Tourisme Montréal is kicking off what it expects to be a record year for pleasure and business travel in the city. 2017 will be marked with non-stop celebrations as more than 175 events are planned for Montréal’s 375th anniversary. This year, Montréal’s position and reputation as a must-see North American tourist destination will reach new heights. According to Tourisme Montréal’s projections, the city will see tourist volumes jump by 5.3% over 2016. Some 10.7 million visitors...
Taking place on 2-5 February 2017, the Bright Brussels Festival showcases a host of uniquely original light installations by the water’s edge, creating an enchanting spectacle as night falls and filling both young and old with child-like wonder. The Quai des Péniches will be cloaked in light thanks to ten majestic works dotted along an illuminated pathway. The installations are the work of a clutch of local and international artists and collectives, among them Belgium’s ACT Lighting Design, who...
