www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, the environment, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
Turkish Airlines will start flying to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, at the end of October, from Istanbul three times a week, the www.macauhub.com.mo website Writes.
The flights from Istanbul to Maputo will leave shortly after midnight on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and return on the evening of the same day.
They will make a one-hour stopover in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The airline intends to offer tickets at very competitive prices. For example, a round trip from London-Maputo, via Istanbul, is expected to cost about US$790, which is a cheaper rate than is offered by Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways, for example.
Currently, several airlines offer flights to Maputo, including TAP Air Portugal, Qatar Airways and South African Airways, although only TAP offers a direct connection to Europe via Lisbon, on a code-sharing basis with Mozambican airline LAM.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, the environment, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
Lesotho has announced that the country is to go into high gear in a drive to attract more tourists to the country, according to the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation.
At the heart of their goals will be efforts to improve facilities, boost the contribution that tourism makes to the national economy and increase job creation within the tourism and associated business sectors.
With 2.5% of the national GDP derived from tourism, there is massive potential for the country to grow the contribution of tourism to the economy and make Lesotho a ‘go to’ destination, says Mr Mpaiphele Dyson Maqutu, the CEO of Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC).
Tourism has the potential to increase employment opportunities for Basotho’s. After mining and textile manufacturing, tourism is the next highest employment generator in the country.
“It was the realisation that there were real, untapped opportunities for job creation and even infrastructural growth that could be driven by tourism, which galvanised government. The challenge is to develop a sector which presently derives 15% of its income from the sales of food, beverages and 63% from the provision of accommodation,” says Mr Maqutu.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, the environment, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
The number of tourists in Laos is expected to reach 10 million in five years, the Bangkok-based newspaper The Nation – www.nationmultimedia.com website writes.
At least 40 hotels, including five international chains, are scheduled to open in Laos over the next five years as the country becomes a more popular tourist destination.
Yang Fu Ning, general manager of Don Chan Palace, a luxury hotel in Vientiane, said international brands Ramada, InterContinental, Crown Plaza, Sofitel and Marriott were set to open hotels in the capital by 2019.
Three global brands – Mercure, Ibis and Best Western – have already opened their doors in Vientiane, and one regional brand has entered the World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang.
Furthermore, 25-30 three- and four-star hotels are set to open in the capital, with some in other tourist cities.
Yang said about 300 hotels, resorts, guest houses, boutique properties and independent hotels were already in Vientiane, and most were owned and operated by locals.
“Laos is opening up for tourism right now,” he said, adding that foreign tourists would be arriving in greater numbers.
A representative of the National Tourism Administration said Laos saw 3.7 million arrivals last year, generating income of US$600 million.
The government aims for 3.9 million tourists this year. The number of arrivals should reach 10 million within five years.
The top five source markets are South Korea, China, Vietnam, Japan and Thailand. The number of American and European tourists has significantly increased in recent years.
“In the next five years, the China market should become the largest portion for Laotian tourism due to a new high-speed train being constructed. The train will link Vientiane to Kunming in southern China, so a lot of tourists from China [will be] able to reach Laos easier and faster,” Yang said.
The Laotian government is also expanding Savannakhet Airport in the country’s south as a new aviation hub along with improving attractions in all key destinations while working intensively to increase the number of border checkpoints and integrate with countries in the region and the world at large.
Currently, seven foreign airlines, including Thai Airways International, AirAsia and Bangkok Airways, and two local carriers are operating in and out Laos. Some of these airlines run charter flights during high season.
One of the biggest investment opportunities touted by the Laotian government is Asean Paradize Savan City in the Savannakhet special economic zone, just cross the Mekong River from Thailand’s Mukdahan province.
The $10-billion project on 1,700 rai (272 hectares) will comprise an offshore financial centre, entertainment facilities, a casino, and accommodation for foreigners. Its first phase is scheduled to open in 2019.
Last year, the European Council on Tourism and Trade named Laos the “World’s Best Tourist Destination for 2013”, which put the country on the global tourism map especially for its rich history, culture, traditions and natural beauty.
In 2008, The New York Times named Laos as one of 53 countries it described as the world’s top tourist destinations.
Luang Prabang received the Top City Gold Award after being voted the world’s top tourist destination by Wanderlust, a UK-based travel magazine, from 2006 to 2008 and 2010 to 2012.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, the environment, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
The Republic of Kiribati has installed a solar power system that will feed into the South Tarawa electricity grid in Bikenibeu, the Radio New Zealand International – www.radionz.co.nz website writes.
Supported by the Pacific Environment Community Fund, the installation is the first time a solar link has been made to the Kiribati power grid.
The system will account for nearly four percent of the electricity needs of the Kiribati Public Utilities Board.
It is expected to save in diesel oil costs of about a quarter of a million US dollars and make a substantial cut in green house gas emissions each year.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
In a dense thicket in the middle of the impoverished Indian Ocean archipelago of the Comoros, Ibrahim Bacar is plucking tiny ylang ylang flowers.
The barely visible yellow blossoms with an intoxicating aroma contain the oil that provides the distinctive scent in Chanel N°5, one of the world’s best-selling fragrances, the AFP news agency writes.
Ylang ylang is also a key ingredient of many other perfumes and Comoros is the world’s top producer of the essential oil extracted from the flower – a commodity that makes up one-tenth of the archipelago’s total export revenues.
But decades of under-investment in ageing plantations, an exodus of flower gatherers willing to do the painstaking work and deforestation are threatening production of the flower.
“Despite the economic importance of the essential oil of ylang ylang, it is surprising that there is no improvement programme for the plant”, wrote Celine Benini, an agriculture specialist at Belgium’s Liege University, in a study.
Each year, Comoros produces between 30 and 40 tonnes of the essential oil mainly on the island of Anjouan, home to 350 distilleries.
“One container of 30 litres is worth several thousand euros, it is a gold bar,” said Gerard overseeing the Humblot plantation, named after the French naturalist Leon Humblot.
Ylang ylang originated in the Philippines and means “flower of flowers” in the local Tagalog language.
The French introduced the tree on the island of Reunion in the 1700s and in the early 1900s its cultivation spread to the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar.
In 1921, Coco Chanel wanted a flower that captured “the scent of a woman”.
The solution was the ylang ylang, which led to the creation of N°5, a perfume that had a floral scent, said Christopher Sheldrake, Chanel’s director for perfume research and development.
As the N°5 contains a significant amount of the ylang ylang oil, around 10 per cent according to Mr Sheldrake, the company became one of the biggest customers for the Comoros’s precious produce.
Economists believe that the Comoros could extract more from ylang ylang if the sector was given an overhaul.
In 2013 and 2014, the country exported just 1.5 million euros worth of the essential oil a year.
“It is modest”, said the economist Nour Allah Alnour Assik, adding that remittances sent by Comorans living abroad bring more in revenues.
Ibrahim Ahamada, an economist at the International Monetary Fund, said the flower remains “a potential source of income and significant currency for the country” provided there is “serious reorganisation of the sector”.
Bacar, who inherited his eight hectare plot from his father, wants to move up the value chain by expanding his business from just planting ylang ylang trees to also distilling the essential oil.
But with his limited takings, saving up to buy a distillery is taking time.
He sells one kilogramme of the six-petalled flowers that bloom all year for less than one euro.
“If you supply 200 kilos of flowers, it should equal the price of a cow – 1,500 euros, not just 200 euros”, said Bacar.
“I know they make a lot with the oils, but I don’t have a choice. I take the little they give me. We’ll see if it changes one day”, he added, without specifying which companies he supplies to.
There are also few people willing to take on the backbreaking tasks of pruning the plants and picking between 25 to 40 kg of flowers a day in high season.
“It’s difficult because the yield is small. When I explain the work to young people, they think I’m crazy because we work so hard to produce so little”, said Bacar.
The job also pays just 50 euros a month, said one worker.
According to an Ernst and Young report dated 2009, the basic salary in the Comoros ranges between 50 and 80 euros a month.
Jean Kerleo, creator of the world’s largest scent archive, the Osmotheque at Versailles, said people took on the work only because there are few jobs available in the country with a population of 734,000.
Deforestation is also a major problem.
Forest cover has shrunk by 25 per cent in 20 years.
Chanel says it is trying to get its suppliers to plant their own trees for firewood in order to meet the needs of the essential oil extraction.
The perfumer also says it is committed to providing better conditions and fair wages for the workers on these plantations.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
As an important symbol of the enduring friendship with the Republic of Kosovo, U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Tracey Ann Jacobson broke ground on the new U.S. Embassy in Pristina today.
The new Embassy will be situated on a 12-acre site in central Pristina, and will include a chancery, a U.S. Marine Corps residence, a support annex and utility building, and facilities for the Embassy community.
The $215.5 million project will incorporate numerous sustainable features and targets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Most of the workers that will be involved in the construction of the new Embassy will be from the local region.
The design architect is Davis Brody Bond of New York, New York, and Page of Washington, D.C., is the architect of record. BL Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama, will construct the project, with anticipated completion in late 2017.
Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has completed 121 new diplomatic facilities and has an additional 39 projects in design or under construction.
OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities that represent the U.S. Government to the host nation and support our staff in the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives.
These facilities should represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
InterContinental Hotels Group has signed management agreements with Al Baraka General Trading and Contracting Company, owned by Kuwaiti conglomerate Bukhamseen Holding Group, thewww.constructionweekonline.comwebsite reported.
The company will manage a new 120-room InterContinental hotel and 232-room Crowne Plaza hotel in Farwaniya, Kuwait, while the existing Crown Plaza Kuwait will be converted into a 336-room Holiday Inn.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
Flyselskapet Pegasus Asia, med base i Kirgisistans hovedstad Bisjkek, har startet ny rute til Indias hovedstad New Dehli. Det er avganger fra Bisjkek mandager og fredager.
Selskapet starter også nye ruter til hovedstaden Tasjkent i Usbekistan, til Dusjanbe, hovedstaden i Tadsjikistan og den tadsjikiske byen Khujand, til Jekaterinburg og Novosibirsk i Russland, og til Urumqi i Kina.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
9.4% more nights spent in Berlin by guests from abroad – Berlin popular with visitors from Asia, the US and Israel
Berlin’s popularity as a destination continues to grow, even in the winter months. In the first quarter of 2015, Berlin welcomed 2.5 million guests (+7.1%) who spent 5.86 million overnight stays (+ 8.3%) in the city’s hotels. The city is increasingly successful in drawing visitors from other continents: Berlin is a popular destination with guests from the USA, Israel and especially Asia.
“Berlin is experiencing a strong start to the year. The capital is the engine driving the growth of Germany’s overall tourism sector,” says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin.
Winter months more popular; strong increase in visitors from overseas
The number of nights stayed in hotels by guests from abroad in the first quarter climbed by 9.4 per cent. German guests spent 3.33 million nights in Berlin during the first quarter (representing a 59.6% share) and 2.53 million nights (43.1%) were spent by guests from abroad, as shown in numbers released today by the Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office.
The number of guests from the United States, the strongest foreign market, grew by another 18.1% over the previous year. Overnight stays by visitors from many Asian countries as well as from Israel also rose sharply (Israel +63.8%, India +32.0%, South Korea +34.5%).
Overnight stays by visitors from Brazil climbed by 34.5 per cent, while the number of stays by people from the other South American countries jumped by 36.6%.
Berlin has also increased its popularity among the strong European core markets, with visitors from Portugal spending 54.1% more nights in the first quarter, followed by the UK (+19.2%), Denmark (+16.5%), and Spain (+13, 9%).
Overall, guests had 800 accommodation establishments and 138,677 beds to choose from.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
New Bedford Whaling Museum trustee Eugene A. Monteiro and museum president James P. Russell travelled to the Cape Verde islands off the coast of West Africa in April for a week of meetings with government officials to explore the possibility of establishing a long-term whaling museum presence in the country, the www.southcoasttoday.com website reported.
The visit was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Cabo Verdean Institute of Cultural Heritage, whose chairman, Humberto Lima, was the signatory of a memorandum of understanding between the museum and his ministry during the visit of the Charles W. Morgan to New Bedford in July of 2014.
As part of the protocol, museum trustees have pre-approved long-term loans of artifacts in its collection for display in an appropriate location in the country.
The American delegation toured the island of Santiago and also visited the islands of São Nicolau for the inauguration of the Fisheries Museum and the island of São Vicente.
They brought with them a traveling exhibit which has been on display in San Francisco and San Diego for the past nine months and illuminates the shared legacies of Azorean, Cabo Verdean and Brazilian communities in the United States.
The Whaling Museum presence overseas is the latest in a series of collaborative projects, which began in 2011 with the creation of the Cabo Verdean Maritime Exhibition in New Bedford.
Dr. Mario Lucio Matias de Sousa Mendes, Minister of Culture, visited the museum in January 2014 in advance of the protocol agreement, formally adopted last July. Additional collaborations are expected to include a scholar-in-residence program via a curatorial fellowship, exhibitions and cultural programming.
