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Bissau Praca – Downtown: “Fera di Bandim”, main road from airport to citycenter – during carneval 2012. Photo: www.hotel-bissau.com
Guinea-Bissau is “safe and open to private Investment” with “real and diverse” opportunities that should be made use of, says President José Mario Vaz, the www.macauhub.com.mo website reported.
The Guinean head of state spoke at the opening of a conference of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), taking place in Bissau until Thursday, co-organised by the Business Confederation of the CPLP and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Services (CCIAS) of Guinea-Bissau.
“This is precisely the right time to invest in Guinea-Bissau, which as well as being a sensible choice offers very real and diverse opportunities”, noted the Guinean President, cited by Portuguese news agency Lusa.
The president of the business confederation of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CE-CPLP), Mozambique’s Salimo Abdula, in Bissau said this was “a new moment” in the life of Guinea-Bissau.
“We are witnessing the start of a new moment in the life of this country, laying the foundations for more evident growth, that is more sustainable and mainly based on the development of the economy”, Abdula said.
The president of the CE-CPLP also said that CPLP entrepreneurs are likely to invest in the four “main drivers of growth” presented by the government of Guinea-Bissau, particularly agriculture and agro-industry, fisheries, tourism and mining.
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.
Stadig flere velger storbyferie med løpesko på beina, og joggeturismen har nå blitt en verdenstrend, skriver Se og Hør. Det hele startet i New York, og organiserte løpeturer blir i dag tilbudt i over 50 byer i alle verdensdeler.
Blant de 50 byene er København, som har to selskap som tilbyr joggeturer:
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.
Hotellkjeden HTL hotels lanserer sine to Oslo-hoteller HTL Karl Johan og HTL Grensen på nett. Gjennom den digitale løsningen “Ta rommet” skal det bygges kjennskap i målgruppen, skriver www.travelnews.no
Løsningen går ut på at den som har et hotellrom på et gitt tidspunkt får det. Gül Heper, kommersiell sjef i HTL hotels i Norden, sier de har en profil som gjør at de er nødt til å tenke annerledes.
– Vi er ikke en hotellkjede som lanserer oss selv med rød løper og kanapeer. Vi har et innovativt digitalt konsept med en hjemmeside som er inspirert av de beste e-com sidene, vår egen Cityguide, USB-porter på rommene for lading av digitale enheter og mulighet for å låse opp rommene med telefonen for å nevne noe, sier hun.
Bak kampanjen står byrået JCPr sammen med digitalbyrået In The Cold. Tidligere har JCPr sørget for oppmerksomhet i målgruppen ved å sikre at kjente personligheter som blant annet Nina Jarebrink, Ingeborg Heldal, Charlotte Thorstvedt, John André Hanøy og Mariann Rosa deler sin Oslo-tips i HTL sin Cityguide.
Petter Gjelsnes, faglig leder og ansvarlig for kampanjen i JCPr, sier det er givende å jobbe med en kunde som HTL da de tør å tenke annerledes.
– HTL hotels er ikke som alle andre hotellkjeder. De har en tydelig profil i form av at det først og fremst er hoteller for den moderne og urbane reisende som ønsker et sted med høy kvalitet og sentral beliggenhet til en fornuftig pris.
De har erstattet resepsjonen med vertinner og verter, og du vil på sikt kunne bruke telefonen som nøkkel.
-HTL er rett og slett et litt kulere hotell som fortjener en litt annerledes lansering, sier han.
Kampanjen går enkelt forklart ut på at alle kan ta et rom. Den som har rommet på et gitt tidspunkt får en natt for to personer. Med andre ord en mulighet til oppleve HTL hotels på hotellkjedens regning.
– Kampanjen sikrer at en rekke mennesker får muligheten til å fysisk teste ut hotellet, og på en morsom og litt annerledes måte dele opplevelsen med sine venner eller kolleger. Det er både spennende og inspirerende å jobbe med JCPr og In The Cold som begge er byråer som tør å utfordre og tenke utenfor boksen, sier Gül Heper.
Temaet i JCPr består av Petter Gjelsnes, Rikke Klüver Voll, Christina Øien og Martin Pira. I In The Cold er det Niklas Berg og Richard Westerberg som er ansvarlige. Hos kunden er det Gül Heper som står bak roret.
Startskuddet for kampanjen som kjøres i tre omganger gikk 28. april.
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President of Guyana Donald Ramotar (centre) cuts the ribbon to officially open the Marriott Guyana yesterday. He is cheered on by Finance Minister Ashanti Singh and Marriott International executive, Brenda Durham. Photo: Pete Sankey, Jamaica Observer
The opening of the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Georgetown on 16 April is expected to significantly boost the country’s ability to host major conferences, according to Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali, the www.jamaicaobserver.com website reported.
Ali, who described the hotel’s opening as a transformation for the hospitality industry, said that Guyana in the past had to make way to its neighbour Trinidad and Tobago to host big conferences because of his country’s inability to meet the requirement with the number of luxury rooms required.
The tourism minister, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer, cited a case where investors from the Middle East flew into Guyana on their private jet for a meeting, return to overnight in the Trinidad capital, Port of Spain, then returned to Georgetown the following morning to continue the talks.
At the same time, Ali said the Government’s partnership with the Marriott for the building of the luxury 197-room hotel was part of a wider policy to expand the country’s tourism offering.
He said that, under the ruling PPP/Civic now led by President Donald Ramotar, the country’s hotel room capacity has moved from 600 in 2005 to 2,200 this year, and indicated that the administration would be continuing work to improve its tourism product as it seeks to provide more jobs and improve the economy.
“There are new five-star hotels being built as there is serious private sector interest,” he said.
In addition, he said the Government is now expanding the Cheddi Jagan International Airport — Guyana’s main gateway — to have it upgraded from a Category 2 to a Category 1 port by the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration. The work will also include expansion of the runway to accommodate large aircraft from the US and other major destinations.
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.
Cubas president Raul Castro (til høyre, i grønn uniform) og Venezuelas president Nicolas Maduro (i blå skjorte) under den storstilte 1.mai-feiringen i Havana på Cuba. Foto: Prensa Latina – www.plenglish.com
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.
Den imponerende og prangende Town Crier – utroperen – Tony Appleton (80) i full mundur og, og i full vigør, med malm i røsten og kraftfull ringing i messingklokken, der han i dag lørdag 2.mai stod på trappen til St.Mary’s Hospital i London og proklamerte for flere hundre skuelystne, og et enormt pressekorps fra hele verden, om at hertuginne Kate hadde født en prinsesse.
Kate og prins William, hertugen av Cambridge, sitt andre barn ble født kl.08:34 lokal tid, og Kensington Palace skrev følgende på Twitter:
“Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 8.34 a.m. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.”
Det er ennå ikkje kjent hva prinsessen skal hete, ifølge britiske medier.
Tony Appleton skapte overskrifter og fikk full dekning av verdenspressen også da hertugparets første barn, prins George, ble født 22.juli 2013.
Også den gangen dukket han plutselig opp på trappen til St.Mary’s, og kunne proklamere at en kongelig arving var født. Publikum, media og folk flest trodde en stund at mannen i den tradisjonelle Town Crier-uniformen, med den rungende røsten og med en selvsikker fremtreden, faktisk var en offisiell utsending fra hoffet.
Men, slik var det ikke. En leende Tony Appleton kunne fortelle verdenspressen at visst var han en Town Crier, hjemme i Chelmsford, i Romford øst for London og i Bury St.Edmunds sørvest i England, og også president i Guild of International Millennium Town Criers, men, han var ikke engasjert av Buckingham Palace eller andre autoriteter til å proklamere kongelige fødsler.
Appleton, som til daglig driver et eldrehjem, og tar oppdrag som toastmaster, er rojalist på sin hals, han elsker kongefamilien, og tok seg simpelten “til rette”, både i 2013, og i dag, 2.mai 2015, når den kongelige fødselen ble proklamert.
En stor menneskemengde samlet seg utenfor Buckingham Palace i dag, blant annet for å få med seg den offisielle kunngjøringen fra hoffet om fødselen.
To tjenere fra Buckingham Palace med den offisielle, skriftelige kunngjøringen fra hoffet. Foto: Tony Parsons, AFP
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.
A protester supporting the Greek Communist party shouts slogans during a May Day rally in Athens, Greece, May 1, 2015. Photo credit: AP Photo / Yorgos Karahalis, Huffington Post.
Laborers and activists staged international protests and other events on Friday to mark May Day, the global day of action for worker’s rights, with most actions remaining peaceful, but some devolving into clashes with police, www.america.aljazeera.com reported.
Greece’s Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis walks in a central street during a May Day rally in Athens, May 1, 2015. Photo credit: AP Photo / Yorgos Karahalis. Huffington Post.
Strengthening protections for the working class was a running theme throughout the international protests, with participants calling on their governments to create more job opportunities for unemployed youths and raise wages.
Greek protesters gathered in central Athens, with labor union members expressing opposition to crippling austerity measures, local media reported.
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.
Is the Guam Visitors Bureau’s goal to raise tourist arrivals from 1.3 million to 2 million in a year, starting in 2020, too many, and too soon?
The question was raised at the island sustainability conference hosted by the University of Guam last week, and a local businessman hopes to get the community discussions on the topic to continue, the Pacific Daily News reported.
Sonny Ada, former Guam Visitors Bureau chairman and president of Ada’s Trust, is advocating for the continued discussion on the topic because he said it impacts the quality of life of Guam residents.
With GVB’s goal, Guam’s tourist volume would increase by about 50 percent in just five years, Ada said. If each additional visitor uses just one disposable cup, that means an additional 700,000 cups ending up in the landfill in a year, he said.
Ada said raising the question isn’t meant to be critical of the plan; it’s aimed to help stir discussions about whether there’s a better way to grow the economy without the massive volume of tourists being aimed for.
UOG President Robert Underwood said he hopes the discussions at the 6th Regional Island Sustainability Conference at the Hyatt Regency Guam on April 15 have provoked conversations.
The goal for 2 million tourists a year is stated in the Guam Visitors Bureau’s Tourism 2020 plan.
That goal isn’t new; the island tourism industry had aspired for that number in the ’90s, Underwood said.
The discussion on visitor arrivals should include how the island will be challenged with the additional strain to its limited resources, Underwood said.
“I am not opposed to growth, or to economic development, but is there a way to pursue economic development where you have a different calculation?” Underwood asked.
Instead of aiming for 2 million tourists, who might spend $100 a day in the local economy, the goal could shift to aiming for fewer, but higher-spending tourists, he said. One million tourists who spend $300 a day in the local economy bring better results to the host community, because there’s lesser strain on the island’s resources, he said.
Underwood mentioned Palau as an example.
Palau has calculated the value of protecting a shark at around $1 million in tourism dollars because tourists from all over the world visit the island republic for its ecosystem, Underwood said.
The island republic has also realized that killing a shark results in a short-term gain of about $10,000, he said.
UOG and Ada’s Trust joined efforts in holding a video and essay contest among UOG students to foster the public discussion.
The winners of the video essay contest are Marcel Jardeleza, first place, who received a $1,000 prize; and Francis Valencia, second place, who won a $500 prize.
The winners of the written essay contest are Huy Tran, first place, who received $500; and Aguarin Iriarte, second place, who received $250.
Underwood said the question being asked seems critical of GVB’s goal, but many of the essays came up with the conclusion that 2 million tourist arrivals might be doable.
So the answer to the question is not clear-cut, Underwood said.
Ada said he hopes the contest will be expanded next year to include high school students.
He said it’s important for the community to discuss the issue because elected officials can’t just go along with the tourism businesses without weighing the pros and cons to the host community.
Tourism is like any other business — it’s about supply and demand, Ada said.
After Guam’s hotels went through years of tourism slowdown, they’re currently in a “sweet spot” with higher hotel rates and more tourists to fill their rooms, Ada said.
If Guam is flooded with additional hotel rooms, and another international crisis causes the island’s tourism industry to slump, hotel properties and the people who work there will go through another tough economic time, Ada said.
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The Syrian capital’s tiny tourist train is returning puffs of hope to a city encircled by war with short trips to the greener suburbs of Damascus, .the www.english.alarabiya.net website reported.
The train, whose large yellow wagon and leather seats can hold 100 people, had stopped running since the 2011 outbreak of Syria’s conflict.
But it was relaunched on Friday, May 1st, and will be open to the general public starting Saturday, May 2nd.
Train trips to towns in Damascus province, like Zabadani, had been a favourite weekend pastime for the capital’s residents before the war.
Since many of these areas are now controlled by anti-regime rebels, the train will carry travellers on short round trips to nearby neighbourhoods under regime control, like Dummar.
For many in Damascus, the train is reminiscent of weekend vacations and picnics in idyllic surrounding villages — areas now destroyed by fierce clashes and heavy shelling.
“It’s the train of my childhood… I want to ride it again to remember those beautiful days,” Nour, a high-school student, told AFP.
“This is going to make people happy,” said Samir Khoury, a 43-year-old engineer.
For 50 Syrian pounds (0.20 US cents), the fuel-run train with a German engine will offer a transportation alternative for residents of the traffic-jammed capital.
“We decided to restart this train to give people hope again and put a smile on people’s faces in Damascus,” said Zuheir Khalil, one of the officials behind the train’s relaunch.
The train leaves its station at Rabwa, near the Umayyad Mosque in the west of the capital, and runs alongside the Barada river before reaching Dumar to the northwest.
The inaugural ride on Friday of the train, regaled with Syrian flags, attracted dozens of people, gathered in front of a giant poster of President Bashar al-Assad.
Throughout Syria, transportation methods — especially bus routes — have been cut off by fighting and kidnapping.
