www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, recognized as the cheapest city in the world for foreigners’ residing, ranked last place (207th) in the ranking of most expensive cities for cost of living, compiled by Mercer – an international consulting company in the field of human Resource, the www.eng.24.kg news agency reports.
Before it goes the Namibian Windhoek (206), Karachi, Pakistan (205), Tunisia (204), Skopje (203), Banjul (202), Minsk (201).
The most expensive city is the capital of Angola – Luanda. Then goes Hong Kong, Zurich, Singapore, Geneva, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul. Because of the collapse of the ruble, Moscow fell by 41 positions in the ranking, taking 50th Place.
The index of the most expensive cities is calculated basing on the food basket of 200 goods, the Big Mac Index, the average cost of going to the movies, and the average cost of a standard day stay in the city.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
Croatia’s Zagreb Airport welcomed its millionth passenger for the year on Friday, eight days ahead of 2014. As a result, the airport handled 88.948 travellers so far this month, www.balkans.com. reports.
The millionth passenger, Ivana Biscan, came off a Croatia Airlines flight from Frankfurt.
“I am delighted to welcome Zagreb Airport’s millionth passenger in 2015, especially since the figure was achieved eight days ahead of last year. These results are a group effort and testament to the growing passenger numbers which have been recorded since the start of the year. During the first five months of 2015 we registered cumulative growth of 8.5% compared to the same period last year”, the airport’s Chief Commercial Officer, Isabelle Dubois, said.
The millionth passenger received a gift voucher from the airport and two return tickets from Croatia Airlines to a destination within its network. The million passenger mark was achieved following a solid performance by the airport in May. During the month, Zagreb welcomed 235.133 travellers, an increase of 8% compared to last year.
The airport also saw its number of operated flights grow, from 3.512 last May, to 3.724 operations this year, up 6%. During the first five months of the year, Zagreb Airport handled 911.052 passengers, an increase of 8.5%, positioning itself as the second busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia. In addition, the number of flights operating to and from the airport grew by 8.7% to 16.124 operations.
This month, SkyGreece Airlines will launch transatlantic flights from Toronto to the Croatian capital, while start-up Air Croatia hopes to resume operations from Zagreb to four destinations.
Foreign carriers have generated the majority of the airport’s passenger growth so far this year. Croatia Airlines Sales and Marketing Director, Ivan Druzeta, said,
“We are glad to have carried Zagreb Airport’s millionth passenger on board our flight. During the first five months, Croatia Airlines has seen its passenger numbers grow by 1% compared to the same period last year, with a 3% increase in passengers on scheduled international services”.
Since the beginning of the summer season, Swiss International Air Lines launched daily flights to Zagreb, while several other carriers have boosted their frequencies to the city.
On the other hand, LOT Polish Airlines will temporarily suspend its operation to Zagreb starting July 1, as a result of its restructuring program and European Union regulations.
The service is scheduled to resume on January 2, 2016 reports Ex-YU Aviation News
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
The Latvian central bank, Latvijas Banka, has issued another in its ongoing series of collector coins, this time taking Riga’s historic castle as its subject, the Public Broadcasting of Latvia – www.lsm.lv website reports.
Riga Castle
On Wednesday, 16 June, Latvijas Banka issued a new 5 euro silver collector coin called ‘500 Years of the Riga Castle’ featuring the famous edifice’s silhouette on the right bank of the Daugava, a characteristic feature of the Riga skyline over the centuries.
The graphic design has been created by Ivars Drulle, and Ilze Lîbiete and the coin has been struck by Switzerland’s mint Faude & Huguenin SA.
Unusually, the coin is square.
The obverse features the stone mouldings on the gateway of the Riga Convent showing the Madonna and Walter von Plettenberg, the Master of the Livonian Order; the reverse depicts a bird’s-eye view of the stylised Riga Castle.
The year 1515 is the accepted date for the construction of the Riga Castle to comply with the provisions of a capitulation treaty after defeat in a battle near Bukulti in 1491 and to recognise the rule of the Master of the Livonian Order and Archbishop of Riga, the citizens of Riga had to build a castle in place of the former residence of the Master of the Livonian Order, which they had torn down.
The Castle has been the residence of different rulers through centuries. Its outlines and appearance also changed over time.
After the armistice of Strazdumuiþa (3 July 1919), the Latvian flag began to be flown from the tower of the Castle. The Prime Minister and the State Chancellery moved into the Castle, but in 1922 it became the residence of the President of Latvia. During the occupation period, some of the Castle space was turned over to the pioneer organisation, whereas since the summer of 1995, the Riga Castle once again became the residence of the President.
An important symbol of Latvia, the Riga Castle is marking its 500th anniversary with a fresh coat of paint and a silver collector coin dedicated to it by Latvijas Banka.
It also has a new roof after a catastrophic fire in 2013 got rid of the previous one. The cause remains a matter of conjecture.
Only 7,000 of the commemorative coins will be produced and as of 17 June, it will be on sale at Latvijas Banka Cashier’s Offices (K. Valdemâra iela 1B in Riga and Teâtra iela 3 in Liepâja) and such traditional points of sale as banks and souvenir and jewelry shops.
The price of the coin at Latvijas Banka Cashier’s Offices is ?41.07.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
Cambodia and Thailand have joined hands to increase foreign and inter-ASEAN tourism under the “Two Kingdoms, One Destination” tourism pact, the www.phnompenhpost.com reports.
Tith Chantha, secretary of state at Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism, said Cambodia and Thailand have already created a single-visa option for tourists looking to explore both countries in one trip.
“Now, we’re joining With Thailand to promote Two Kingdoms, One Destination. It will make it much easier for tourists who don?t want to visit only one country during their trip,” he said.
“Thailand has a lot of airlines operating long-haul to Europe or the United States – we don’t have many of those long flights, so we will benefit from this once the campaign kicks in.”
Thailand’s minister of tourism and sports, Kobkran Wattanakvrangkul, told the Bangkok Post that the campaign would run from 2015 to 2017.
“The collaboration looks forward to exchanging foreign travellers and facilitating travel across both countries. The plan also promotes intra-ASEAN tourism,” Kobkarn was quoted as saying.
The campaign will promote two major tourist routes. One will run along the Gulf of Thailand’s coastline, going through Bangkok, Rayong, and Trat in Thailand to Koh Kong, Sihanoukville, Kampot and Phnom Penh.
The other will also originate in Bangkok and end in Phnom Penh, but will go through further inland from Aranyaprathet in Thailand to Poipet, Battambang, and Siem Reap.
Ho Vandy, co-chair of the Government-Private Sector Working Group on Tourism, welcomed the initiative. He said that Cambodia had been cooperating with Thailand’s tourism association since 2008.
“Now that this is being done on a governmental level, it will be a big boost because it will share benefits with both countries,” he said.
“We have observed that we got more than 30 per cent of Cambodia’s tourists from Thailand since the promotion began.”
Tourist arrivals to Cambodia from Thailand were up 37 per cent to 71,572 visitors during the first quarter of 2015, ranking fifth, while Vietnamese tourists still ranked first followed by China, South Korea, and Laos, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
The data showed that Cambodia welcomed some 1.3 million foreign tourists in the year’s first quarter, a 3.1 per cent increase from the 1.267 million tourists in the same period last year.
Last year, Cambodia received some 4.5 million foreign tourists, a 7 per cent increase from the year before. The arrivals generated about $3 billion worth of Cambodia’s $15 billion GDP. The Ministry of Tourism projected that Cambodia would receive about 5 million foreign tourist arrivals this year.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) Research Department confirmed that May 2015 has closed out to be the 6th best May In the history of tourism. GVB reported that nearly 100,000 visitors came to Guam, www.pacificnewscenter.com reports.
The number of visitors from Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Canada, and the U.S. mainland have all increased.
Japan is the island’s largest market for tourism and 50 percent of the Japanese Tourists came from Tokyo. Korea is Guam’s second largest market and reflected a 26 percent boost.
Recently the cruise ship, Sun Princess, arrived on the last day of May, bringing nearly 2,000 visitors to Guam. GVB states that this is a benefit for Guam in the long run as it will provide more opportunities for the economy in regards to jobs for locals.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
Nå kan du både sykle – og drikke øl! I Litauens hovedstad Vilnius kan du bli med ølsykkelen på tur, skriver Se og Hør. Du må selv bidra med pedalkraften, men det er den kombinerte kelneren/sjåføren, som styrer.
Sykkelen tar 8-15 personer og det koster kr.320,- per person for en times leie, inkludert 30 liter øl, snacks, og en kelner/sjåfør.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
Republikken Island feirer sin nasjonaldag i dag,17.juni. Det var på denne datoen i 1944 at republikken ble proklamert. Island var først under norsk herredømme, så under Danmark fra 1380. Island var et monarki i personalunion med Danmark fra 1918.
Les mer om Island og Reykjavik ved å klikke på hashtagene #Island og/eller #Reykjavik, eller på kategorien “Island” til høyre på siden.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
Fredag 19. juni er det klart for det som på mange måter er svenskenes egentlige nasjonaldagsfeiring. I Oslo finner du flere ulike arrangementer hvor sommeren blir feiret på ekte, svensk vis. Med muligheten til å sove ut dagen derpå, selvfølgelig, skriver www.boarding.no
Stolt tradisjon i Dalarna
Den mest tradisjonstro feriringen finner du i Dalarna. Rättvik som ligger ved sjøen Siljan er kjent for å ha en av Sveriges mest autentiske midtsommerfeiringer. På 1930-tallet ble det bestemt at det var nettopp Dalarna-måten å feire på som skulle gjelde i hele Sverige.
Her står den erkesvenske feiringen sterkt, med folkedrakter, maistang, spellemenn og dans. Festparader og tradisjonell musikk preger årets lyseste natt. Og i Leksand samles mer enn 20.000 mennesker til det som er verdens største midtsommerfeiring, og de aller høyeste maistangen. Les mer om ekte Dalarna-feiring her.
Nordmenn adopterer tradisjonen
Vi er ikke sene om å stjele gode festideer her i Norge, og selv om vi har tradisjoner for midtsommerfeiring her også, som St.Hans-feiringen med bål og pølser den 23. juni, har vi de senere årene tatt til oss mange av de svenske elementene for å virkelig feire starten på sommersesongen. For der vi nordmenn sitter med skjegget i postkassen de årene St.Hans-feiringen faller på en helt vanlig ukedag og vi må på jobben dagen etter, har svenskene en mer festvennlig tilnærming og feirer konsekvent på en fredag.
Svensk-norsk fellesskap i Oslo
I flere år har det blitt feiret svensk midtsommer på Voksenåsen, i regi av arrangeres av Norsk-Svensk forening. Og i år blir det for første gang arrangert en magisk dag og midtsommernatt på Sukkerbiten, med et program som sikrer sommerfølelsen.
Viktige ingredienser
Det er ikke komplisert å feire midtsommer på svensk vis, men noen nøkkelingredienser må man sørge for å ha på plass. Maten, pynten og musikken er preget av lange tradisjoner som skal følges år etter år. Her får du noen av de viktigste elementene:
5 TIPS TIL EKTE SVENSK MIDTSOMMER-FEIRING:
1. Magisk mai-stang
Som festens midtpunkt finner vi maistangen, som står som et symbol på fruktbarhet. Stangen reises på ettermiddagen, etter at den er pyntet med blomster, blader, grener og fargerike bånd i løpet av dagen. Midtsommer-feiringen skjer i kjærlighetens tegn, og da er det på sin plass med et høyreist fruktbarhetssymbol i sentrum av festen.
2. Blomster i håret
I likhet med maistangen, skal også håret pyntes med blomster. Jenter i alle aldre fletter vakre blomsterkranser til å pynte seg med. Hvis det ikke er god nok tilgang på ville sommerblomster, eller ferdigheter, kan man kjøpe blomster eller bruke ferdiginnkjøpte kranser.
3. Servering
Tradisjonelt sett skal det serveres sildebord på midsommerfesten. Silden serveres sammen med nypoteter, dill og rømme, og er vel det nærmeste man kommer en svensk nasjonalrett. Maten er et av høydepunktet ved feiringen for mange svensker.
4. Antrekk
For mange nordmenn er vakre ungjenter med blomster i håret og hvite, flagrende kjoler, selve bildet på sommer og midtsommerfeiringen. Og de fleste svensker velger å pynte seg litt når de skal feire lyset og kjærligheten på årets lengste dag. I noen områder av Sverige er det vanlig å pynte seg med folkedrakt på «midsommarafton», som for eksempel i Dalarna, men man trenger ikke finne frem bunaden her i Norge. Pent, men avslappet sommerantrekk – gjerne en lys sommerkjole. Og selvfølgelig – blomsterkrans i håret.
5. Svensk musikk
Sverige står sterkt internasjonalt når det kommer til å produsere kvalitetsmusikk og artister. Evert Taube er et must på Midsommarafton, Cornelis Vreeswijk likeså.
Og når kvelden kommer kan man kanskje benytte anledningen til å sammen en spilleliste med nyere svenske klassikere, som elektronikadronningen Robyn, raplegenden Petter og litt vintage Roxette?
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
Grenada will soon become the destination of choice for many female travelers as the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched its “Grenada Girls Getaway” promotion.
The seven-month promotional strategy that started on 1 June 2015 offers value-added deals on hotels, tours, and car rentals to two or more women visiting Grenada, the www.eturbonews.com website reports.
“During some of our recent trade shows in the USA, our travel trade partners requested that we create group travel promotions. Our research also shows us an increasing trend in group travel,” says Nisha McIntyre, GTA’s Marketing Executive.
Millennial females are being specifically targeted for the campaign, given their frequent use of social media, and history of influencing the travel patterns of other generational Groups.
The start of the GTA’s Grenada Girls Getaway promotion coincides with the new airlift from American cities. On Saturday 6th June Delta Air Lines began a weekly service from Atlanta and on Thursday 11 June JetBlue Airways began a twice-weekly service from New York.
St George’s, capital of Grenada
The Grenada Tourism Authority has begun an integrated marketing campaign that uses direct trade and consumer engagements as well as digital media marketing to support the Grenada Girls Getaway promotion.
www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]
Guernsey’s government has set out a number of action points it wants to work on to encourage more visitors to the island, the www.itv.com website reports.
It aims to create new ‘sustainable and competitive routes to the island.’
The States plans to attract more airlines to officer flights to and from the island. It also wants to improve connections to the north of England, Scotland and Ireland.
And it’s setting out to tackle a need for direct flights to areas of Europe, such as Germany, where a large proportion of tourists come from.
It will also look to challenge a reputation Guernsey has for being an expensive destination to visit.
Key action points:
Evaluate new and stronger routes to the island.
Encourage competitive fares for routes into the island.
Look at ways to maximise potential for new Aurigny jet.
