Archive for July 11th, 2010

Scandinavian Tales of Sweden

The country of lakes and forests, meadows and mountains known for its warm summers and fairly cold winters. Not rich in whole soil and rocky terrain have led Sweden to the mining, steel production and forestry development, which greatly improve the level of the economy.

The Sweden people are famous for their reverent love for nature. And while winter residents often leave the country to avoid the cold weather, they remain the most active tourists to the country during the summer. In Sweden, there is something that is not always find in other European countries – this is a huge free open uninhabited spaces. They are characteristic of the vast forests, mountains and national parks. Sometimes one can go long distances without seeing a soul.

Many tourists running after attractions, such as those that are located in France or Italy, Sweden, mistakenly believe that a poor in this regard. Far from it: in Sweden there are 1400 historical forts, 2500 runic monuments in the open air, 25000 protected Iron Age graves, and in only one of Stockholm and the surrounding area has 10 royal castles.

Stockholm, of course – the main goal of most visitors to Sweden. City with history of more than seven centuries, is filled with twisting cobbled streets in the medieval streets, and marble, glass and granite skyscrapers in downtown. It is a city of tranquility, beautiful buildings, countless opportunities for shopping and an abundance of attractions. No other European capital can boast such spectacular scenery as Stockholm, with its 24 thousand islands and reefs of various sizes. This city was created to give pleasure. While other world capitals grow old and lose their former glory, Stockholm over the years, it only gets better. More recently, he wore the spirit of provincialism, but now it is alive, vibrant and active city with a rich nightlife, fine dining, with a refined and educated population and high, by world standards, standards of living. But in Stockholm, Sweden is just beginning. Another, at least two cities are more attention – Gothenburg and Malmo. Gothenburg, Sweden’s main seaport, located on the rocky west coast, notable for its picturesque scenery. Boulevard beautifully lined with trees, there are many elegant buildings, restaurants, museums, nightclubs, and endless line of shops. To the north of Gothenburg you will find a quiet fishing harbor, surrounded by cliffs and offshore islands, where the city’s population comes to rest in the summer.

Remote and isolated areas of Europe, Lapland, – the territory of truly impressive proportions. Birch groves and vast coniferous forests turn into waterfalls, roaring rapids, mountain plateaus and swamps, overgrown with moss. Numerous rivers in this region of the jet from the mountains and flow into the Gulf of Bothnia. Untouched nature is not touching under the summer sun – a compelling reason for the attraction of Lapland.

And finally, the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, belonging to the territory of Sweden, it flourished in the times of the Vikings. This land of beaches, spa and yachting has a warmer climate than in the rest of Sweden. About a hundred churches and chapels are still on the island, and the main city of Visby (Visby), one of the oldest cities in Sweden. The wall around the old town stretches for 3 kilometers, her crown 44 of the tower. Gear turrets and high narrow windows in the form of arches take us back to the Middle Ages.

Sweden – a country where you can enjoy the history and urban entertainment, but the heart and soul of the nation you feel right in its endless landscapes. From riot of colors and scents of summer meadows with orchids, where to go deer before dark winter landscape dotted sled dogs in the snow – in any season of Sweden provides every opportunity for the amazing holiday.

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Qatar Tourist Attractions

The nation of Qatar has numerous tourist attractions for any visitor or native to the country. Rich in history, there’s a wide selection of places to visit and sights to see in this Arab nation, whether you have an academic interest in the country, are looking to have some fun, or want to experience life in the luxurious comfort of one of the wealthiest nations in the world.

Doha, the capital of Qatar, is resplendent with hotels, restaurants, and more for the visiting tourist. The Corniche Bay, a seven kilometer long ocean front, is one of the most beautiful sights in the entire peninsula. Featuring paved walking paths and a variety of shops and restaurants, it’s a must visit for anyone in the capital city. The Al Bida Park, known as the best picnic spot in Doha, is part of the Corniche Bay area, and is host to some of the more upscale businesses of the area.

Also featured in Doha are a number of museums. The Qatar National Museum showcases the culture of the Qatari people; it’s been in operation since 1901, when it was converted from the former palace of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Qassim Al Thani. The ‘Wind Tower House’ is host to the Ethnographic Museum, which depicts the history of the development of Doha and Qatar from the emirate it once was to the financial power house it is now. Other museums in Qatar outside of Doha are the Al Khor Museum, located a little over 50 kilometers to the north of Doha, the Al Wakra museum less than 20 kilometers south of the capital, and the Weaponry Museum.

The first of these is a museum dedicated to anthropological studies of Qatar, its life, and its people. The Al Khor museum heavily features information on fishing and marine life, as the city has long been famous for its port activities. The Al Wakra museum likewise has some sections on the life that’s grown in Qatar, though it is more focused on preserving artifacts from previous and current Qatari generations, as well as showcasing the architecture and technology of the thousands of years of history of this nation. The aptly named Weaponry Museum has multiple exhibits displaying over twenty-one hundred items, covering a wide range from ancient swords to modern firearms.

There are also other parks and attractions in Qatar, for those looking to spend more time outside and not as comfortable in the confines of a museum. Aladdin’s Kingdom is an amusement park located in the West Bay region; it boasts 18 different rides suitable for all ages, and is part of a landscaping project that introduced numerous greenspaces as well as an artificial lagoon to the area. Other amenities in the park include a cafeteria, theatre, and separate mosques for separate genders. For animal lovers, the Doha Zoo just off of the Salwa highway has an exotic collection of animals both from the local ecosystems as well as from neighboring and far off countries. While it doesn’t feature as heavily on the ‘fun’ scale as The Kingdom does, the Zoo does have its own recreation and amusement section for kids who are not interested in the wildlife on display.

Qatar also is host to numerous historical landmarks: Dukhan, a little over eighty kilometers from Doha, is the original place in Qatar where oil was found, the singular event that transformed a once meek fishing and pearling nation into the resource powerhouse it is today. Al Zubra is a city that hosts a now disused fort, which was up until the 1980′s a functional military base planted square in the middle of an ancient castle.

All in all there are many, many sites to visit in Qatar, probably more than one can see in just one visit! Whether it’s the beautiful sandy beaches all over the nation’s shores or the artificially created Palm Tree Island resort, there’s a great number of wonderful tourist attractions inside and out of Doha.

Tenerife Resolves To Reinvent Itself

It’s almost as if Tenerife designed the model of mass tourism. Each year millions of visitors came to the island to take advantage of its year-round warm weather and low cost holiday options. During the 1990′s significant levels of foreign investment was poured into the island and whole resorts sprang up quickly to cater for the demands of increasing tourist volumes. Massive hotels together with endless lines of bars and restaurants could barely cope with the numbers of visitors. By 2001 over 10 million people were coming to the Canary Islands, almost all of them arriving by air. This created the need for larger more modern airports and new terminals buildings were built. That peak in 2001 has never been repeated but Tenerife and the other islands have remained a favoured travel destination for Spanish, German and UK tourists ever since. Until 2009 that is.

The shock of a 15 percent reduction in visitor numbers has been hard to cope with on an island that relies so much on tourism and related services. The travel industry makes up a third of the island’s commercial activity and the poor figures for 2009 have placed around a quarter of the island’s population out of work.

The reasons for the big drop in tourists are fairly clear. The global recession has hit every country, including the three that provide the bulk of Tenerife’s visitors, but another factor has made things even harder. The strong Euro has made the cost of holidays in the euro-zone countries increase by almost 50 per cent. This is a situation affecting not just Tenerife, but also other destinations around Europe, but the island and it’s neighbours of Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura are particularly reliant of UK holiday traffic.

But the change in fortunes for this holiday destination is being taken as an opportunity for modernisation and reinvention by some businesses. Perhaps for the first time in twenty years shutting down their businesses for much-needed repairs and modernisations will not cost them too much in lost revenue. The slowdown could just be perfect timing, with many hotels still running with facilities and d?r that may have been fashionable in 1990, but not today. Tired and worn hotel rooms, that have each welcomed thousands of visitors over the years can finally be given a new makeover.

Some hotels have already taken the decision to target completely different market sectors. Perhaps they already realise that the mass-market discount sector may never be the same as it one was, and that the future generations of holidaymakers will be lower in number, but more discerning and prepared to spend more on their holidays for better accommodation and service.

Once the recession eases and the tourist numbers start to build back up again, the businesses on Tenerife will experience a new level of competition. Theirs is little doubt that things will improve, particularly because resorts that have an all year holiday climate like the Canaries are few and far between.

With some foresight it seems the authorities on the island have been preparing for exactly the situation they find themselves in. Even with reductions in revenues from business rates, additional investment is being made in transport infrastructure and public areas are being improved. There is little doubt that this would not be possible unless the authorities had budgeted for them in advance. The island is not prepared to let go of its main commercial activity without a fight.

The tourists that come to Tenerife in the years to come may find a quieter location, but an improved one for that. Beaches will be cleaner and better looked after, restaurants will deliver higher quality food with better service and there are likely to be more luxury hotels that ever before. The primary market is still likely to be those seeking an averaged priced holiday, but there may be a new style of tourist coming to Tenerife. Wealthy tourists from Russia and other areas less affected by the recent financial situation are more likely to venture down to the Canaries for a winter sun holiday, whereas in the past they could have visited places like Egypt and Dubai for their winter breaks.

Cheung Chau, More To Offer Than Its Size

Cheung Chau is an island situated in Hong Kong. Cheung Chau is a rather tiny island spanning an area of only 2.45 square kilometers. The island is in the shape of a dumbbell, with much of the population concentrated towards the south of the island. The northern side of the island contains much of the hills that can be found on this island. The name Cheung Chau when translated from Cantonese is Long Island. So if one were to say Cheung Chau Island it would actually mean “Long Island” Island. If one were to go 10 km southwest of Hong Kong Island, one would arrive at Cheung Chau.
Cheung Chau has many temples on the island. One of the oldest temples in Hong Kong, the Pak Tai, resides on the island. Four pairs of lions guard the entrance to the temple; these are not actual lions but statues. Statues of two generals wait in front of the altar, Favorable Wind Ear and Thousand Miles Eye. These two generals according to tradition are said to be able to see and hear anything. Cheung Chau also has four temples dedicated to Tin Hau and also a temple dedicated to Kwan Tai. Kwan Tai is the god of justice, the temple is a traditional one, and the temple is called Kwan Kung Chung Yi Ting.
Cheung Chau is said to be the supposed secret hideout of the famous nineteenth century pirate, Cheung Po Tsai. A Hong Kong monument, the Rock carving at Tung Wan Beach can also be found here. The Cheung Chau Bun Festival is a colorful seven day festival with many people participating in the parades.
If one is looking for a Hotel in Hong Kong there are many places one can see. Yet a contemporary hotel at Hong Kong such as the Hotel Jen can be found on Hong Kong Island.

A Place Worth Investing in Even in Times of Crisis

It is so important to find the right place to invest, especially in times of crisis. Unlike many people think right at this moment there are still places in the world ideal for investment with bright prospective. One of the most untouched natural beauties of the world, North Cyprus offers many property investment opportunities not available anywhere else. A unique combination of quality life style, beautiful nature, 300 days of sun together with affordable properties.

North Cyprus seems to be the right destination for many people. Since 2004 thousands of investors have been coming to North Cyprus from England, Germany, Turkey, Syria, Israel and many Russian speaking countries. Many investors and expat home buyers have at first come to this island for holidays and fell in love with the island. The fact that prices of properties in North Cyprus are lower than the rest of Mediterranean region makes them even more interested.

In last 5 years the prices have been going up dramatically, due to the fact that hopes for island re-unification has risen, which will mean the prices will equalize other locations in Mediterranean. Many local companies have been established to satisfy the need and now offer international standard quality services. In fact if you have been to Northern Cyprus before 2004 and you visit it again you will be shocked by changes that have taken place.

Infrastructure has gone through enormous development thanks to help of the EU, UNDP and USAID, which pour millions of Euros into the country. These monies are used to expand roads, make new path ways, restore historical monuments and preserve national parks. North Cyprus is not an underdeveloped place any more. The standard of living is comparable to of west European countries.
Now you can enjoy your weekends going to the golf club, horse riding, scuba diving, paragliding, hiking, sailing to name a few. Guests and citizens enjoy their holidays in five star hotels. It should also be said that in streets of North Cyprus you will not any beggars and criminal rate is close to zero.

In order to save the virgin nature of the island new laws and restrictions are coming into action every month. A recently approved law forbids construction for lands zero to the sea, so those who already have lands with building permissions can build and therefore have benefited from the new law. Very limited number of such plots are left in the market place so prices of these types of lands have soared.
One of the most significant developments in recent years in North Cyprus has been higher education. With its 6 internationally recognized universities, every year North Cyprus is host for thousands of international students especially from Europe and Middle East. Students have diversified the population and created fantastic market for the rental properties.

Another significant change in last years has been rush of international corporate to secure their market share in North Cyprus. HSBC, Nike, Gloria Jean’s coffee are among companies with official presence in Northern Cyprus.

The Nature, the sea, the potential and the affordability keep attracting more and more investors to this island, even in times of crisis.

More oil spill fallout: RVs roll past favorite Walton County campgrounds

More oil spill fallout: RVs roll past favorite Walton County campgrounds
MIRAMAR BEACH — Area hotels and condominiums are not the only lodgings to see more cancellations and fewer reservations related to the BP oil spill. Local RV parks and campgrounds have been hit equally hard, as tourists who would normally spend…

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