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]

Photo credit; Getty Images, dw.de

Following 16 months of restoration, water once again flows through the Baroque fountain in the Italian capital. The Trevi Fountain is a famous Rome landmark that draws millions of tourists from around the world, Deutsche Welle – dw.de, reported.

Thousands of tourists and locals celebrated the inauguration of the restored Trevi Fountain. “It’s very emotional, especially for us Romans,” said Silvia Venturini Fendi from the fashion house Fendi, which sponsored the restoration. The works cost a total 2.2 million euros ($2.4 million).

Rome’s culture superintendent, Claudio Parisi Presicce, marked the occasion by throwing a coin into the fountain, paying tribute to the legend that visitors who hurl a coin over their shoulders into the fountain are destined to return to Rome. During the restoration period, there was a replacement pool put in place to avoid frustrating tourists wishing to follow this tradition. Every year coins worth about a million euros are thrown into the Trevi Fountain.

The money is collected weekly and then donated to charities.

The Trevi Fountain, a masterpiece by Italian architect Nicola Salvi, was completed in 1762. At its center is the marble stone rendering of the water god Oceanus on a shell chariot. The Rome landmark was made famous by a scene in Federico Fellini’s 1960 film “La Dolce Vita,” in which Swedish actress Anita Ekberg together with her film partner Marcello Mastroianni take a dip in the Trevi fountain.

#Arkitekt #Barokk #By #Ferie #Film #Fontene #Hovedstad #Italia #Mote #Mynt #Reise #Roma #Skuespiller #Sverige #Turisme #Tyskland

#Actor #Architect #Baroque #Capital #City #Coin #Fashion #Fountain #Germany #Holiday #Italy #Rome #Sweden #Tourism #Travel 

Source: www.dw.de

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]

Hilton Opera Hanoi

Annonsørinnhold

Superkupp innen sport og friluft du gjør nå

The Vietnamese government is about to sell its stake in the hotels of Thang Loi, Hilton and Kim Lien in Hanoi. The move has attracted special attention of both domestic and foreign investors.

In the context of the budget deficit and the State decision to divest from 10 large State-owned Enterprises, including the huge names such as Vinamilk, FPT, Binh Minh Plastic and Bao Minh insurance, the Vietnam Association of Financial Investors (VAFI) has proposed to the Government to sell its shares in large hotels, vietnamnet.vn reported.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in Vietnam so the sale of the hotels located in prime locations has attracted a lot of attention from both domestic and foreign investors. Here are some major hotels in Hanoi that are most interested in by investors, including private investors.

See more and see photos at http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/special-reports/145947/hanoi-s-big-hotels-lure-investors.html

#By #Ferie #Hanoi #Hilton #Hotell #Hovedstad #Reise #Turisme #Vietnam

#Capital #City #Holiday #Tourism #Travel 

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 Sweet As gelato features smoked peanut butter gelato made using Fix and Fogg and passion fruit and gewürztraminer gel made with wine from Poppies Martinborough. Photo: James Morgan

Annonsørinnhold

Superkupp innen sport og friluft du gjør nå

New Zealand: Australians are set to get a taste of Wellington as part of a new tourism campaign to lure them to the capital, stuff.co.nz reported.

Tourism New Zealand Australian general manager Tony Saunders, left,with Messina founder Nick Palumbo, who has created a limited edition flavour inspired by Wellington and Wairarapa. Photo: James Morgan

Australian company Gelato Messina founder Nick Palumbo, creates his limited edition Sweet As flavour as part of a Wellington tourism campaign to tempt Australians to visit the capital. Photo: James Morgan

Positively Wellington Tourism, Destination Marlborough and Tourism New Zealand have joined forces to to tempt travellers from across the ditch to the capital of cool, With gelato.

The digital campaign targeting 25 to 49-year-olds in Melbourne and Sydney was designed to highlight Wellington’s creative and culinary experiences, along with its neighbouring wine regions.

The agencies are collaborating with three Australians in the culinary, music and design sectors, who have each developed a product inspired by a visit to the Wellington region.

Australian dessert brand, Gelato Messina, was first off the rank, developing a limited edition Sweet As flavour, which will be sold in its 11 Australian stores from today, for one week.

The Sweet As gelato features smoked peanut butter gelato made using Fix and Fogg and passion fruit and gewürztraminer gel made with wine from Poppies Martinborough.

Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency chief executive Chris Whelan said as Wellington’s largest source of international visitors, Australia was a priority market that held significant potential.

The number of Australians staying overnight in Wellington increased by 8 per cent to more 220,000 in the last year, while transaction volumes had increased by 20 per cent  in the city and 22 per cent in Wairarapa.

“The growth trajectory is incredibly positive, but there is still significant further potential to grow the market.”

The campaign was a huge opportunity for Wellington to keep finding ways to grow awareness of its distinctive qualities as a short break destination, he said.

Tourism New Zealand research showed more than two million Australians were actively considering visiting New Zealand, but they did not have a plan for what exactly that trip might entail, he said.

Positively Wellington Tourism chief executive David Perks said: “Partnering with influencers in the culinary, music and design industries enables us to connect with audiences for whom Wellington is a perfect fit. The talent we’ve worked with have a cumulative social audience of almost half a million.”

Tourism New Zealand Australian general manager Tony Saunders said the three-part series would promote Wellington, Wairarapa and Marlborough in a new and engaging way, he said.

Source: www.stuff.co.nz

Read more at www.stuff.co.nz/business/73856749/Tempting-Australian-travellers-to-Wellington-the-capital-of-cool

#Australia #By #Ferie #Gelato #Hovedstad #Is #Iskrem #Marlborough #Mat #Melbourne #NewSouthWales #NewZealand #Reise #Sydney #Turisme #Victoria #Vin #Wellington

#Capital #City #Food #Holiday #IceCream #Tourism #Travel #Wine

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]

Om et par år setter SJ inn enda flere avganger med hurtigtog mellom Stockholm og Oslo, skriver Aftenposten.no

Annonsørinnhold

Hoka på salg: Kupp årets modeller til nedsatt pris

I dag går det tre daglige avganger med hurtigtog fra Oslo til Stockholm, og det svenske jernbaneselskapet tror flere avganger vil trekke enda flere til toget.

- Ja, vi ser en veldig positiv reiseutvikling, derfor har vi allerede fra 2017 planlagt med enda flere daglige avganger, bekrefter ansvarlig for ekstern kommunikasjon i SJ, Åsa Larsson.

Hurtigtogtilbudet er relativt nytt. Og togene kutter reisetiden betydelig, fra en reisetid på seks timer ned til 4,5 timer på de raskeste avgangene. Dette kommer først og fremst av at det er satt inn nytt og moderne togmateriell som kan kjøre med økt hastighet.

Responsen fra publikum har vært så god at svenskene nå har fått appetitt på mer av det norske markedet.

Derfor varsler SJ nå at satsingen skal fortsette, og at selskapet også ser på muligheten for å korte reisetiden ned enda mer enn i dag:

- Reisetiden er selvsagt avhengig av banens kvalitet og antall tog. I de nærmeste årene kommer det til å bli gjort visse kapasitetsforbedringer på banen, og det vil kunne kutte reisetiden ytterligere litt ned. Allerede i desember i år kommer våre hurtigtog til å stanse i Kongsvinger. Det innebærer at reisende med NSB-billett kan ta seg inn til Oslo på 1 time, 15 minutter raskere enn med NSBs tog, sier Åsa Larsson til Aftenposten.

Informasjonssjef Knut Morten Johansen i SAS, som i dag har klart flest flyavganger på strekningen, sier at selskapet ikke har merket noen svekket passasjertilstrømming etter at hurtigtogtilbudet kom. Hos Norwegian sier kommunikasjonssjef Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen at toget må by på vesentlig kortere reisetid før det kan bli en konkurrent til flyet.

Heller ikke forsker Harald Thune-Larsen ved Transportøkonomisk Institutt tror flyet er truet, men sier at flymarkedet allerede opplever en stagnasjon på den aktuelle strekningen:

- Noen vesentlig trussel mot flytrafikken blir nok ikke dette. Til det er nok reisetiden fremdeles litt for lang og forretningsandelen vel høy. Jeg tror mer på at det vil komme nye reisende, 4,5 timer og billettpriser ned til 200 kr er et solid tilbud, sier Thune-Larsen.

Kilde: www.aftenposten.no

Les saken her http://www.aftenposten.no/okonomi/Svenskene-vil-ha-flere-hurtigtog-til-Oslo-8234668.html

#Aftenposte #By #Ferie #Fly #Hovedstad #Hurtigtog #Jernbane #Norge #Oslo #Reise #Stockholm #Sverige #Tog #Turisme

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]

Hong Kong Tourism Board chief Peter Lam Kin-ngok wants mainlanders to be able to apply to visit without going to their hometown – but only Beijing can make change, the South China Morning Post – scmp.com reported.

Allowing mainland residents to apply online for permission to visit Hong Kong could help arrest a collapse in visitor numbers that has hit the hospitality industry as well as local retailers, the head of the tourism board said yesterday.

The switch would mean would-be tourists no longer had to return to their hometowns to apply for the permit, chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok told an economic forum.

But the change would be up to Beijing to implement.

His comments came after months of declining visitor numbers. Even the post-National Day “golden week” holiday at the start of this month – typically a boom time for the industry – saw a year-on-year increase of visitor numbers of just 2.3 per cent, the weakest “golden week” since a small drop in visitor numbers in 2006.

Lam said his biggest concern was a steep decline in the number of visitors staying overnight in the city. He said for the first eight months of this year, the number of mainland tourists staying overnight dropped by 5.9 per cent year on year, and the biggest drop – of 7.7 per cent – was recorded among those coming to Hong Kong on a “one-off individual visit permit”.

The permit is available to residents of 48 mainland cities who wish to visit Hong Kong at least once a year without joining a tour group. Residents of Shenzhen can also apply for permits to cross the border no more than once a week. But permit holders must return to their hometowns to apply for or renew their permits, presenting a snag for the millions of mainlanders who have moved far from home to work.

“Tourists from outside southern China stay in Hong Kong longer, have bigger purchasing power and are the guests that Hong Kong seeks to attract,” Lam said. We should attract more such high-quality tourists to Hong Kong, such as [by asking Beijing to] allow those with electronic passports to apply for a visa on the internet.”

Lam said more than 20 million people held an electronic passport.

In the first nine months of this year, a total of 44.4 million tourists visited Hong Kong – down 0.5 per cent year on year. Some 78 per cent of them came from the mainland.

However speaking at the same forum, Dr David Wong Yau-kar, a local deputy to the National People’s Congress, said the city should do more itself to boost tourism.

For example, the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai was in urgent need of expansion, he argued.

“With no value-added tax, Hong Kong’s advantage as a host for trade exhibitions is much bigger than any mainland city – If a phase three of the centre had been completed today, it would be full already,” Wong said.

The government has earmarked a site for expansion, but construction will not begin until after the Exhibition MTR station is completed in 2020.

Source: South China Morning Post – www.scmp.com

Read more at http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1874222/hong-kong-tourism-chief-has-online-solution-citys-slumping

#Beijing #By #Ferie #HongKong #Hovedstad #Kina #Pass #Reise #Shenzhen #Turisme #Visum

#Capital #China #City #Holiday #Passport #Tourism #Travel #Visa

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]

il nuotatore by Bruno (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Annonsørinnhold

Superkupp innen sport og friluft du gjør nå

There’s a big difference between simple tagging with spray paint and genuine street art. Rome has both, but in recent years the latter has moved more into the spotlight of the world stage. There’s even a big section on Rome’s official tourism website now detailing neighborhoods to visit to view some of the city’s best, Huffingtonpost.com reported.

Here’s a look at some places in Rome to see great street art.

Read more and see photos here www.huffingtonpost.com/viator/is-rome-europes-next-grea_b_8466472.html

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

#By #Ferie #Gate #Gatekunst #Hovedstad #Huffington #Italia #Reise #Roma #Turisme

#Art #Capital #City #Holiday #Italy #Rome #Street #StreetArt #Tourism #Travel

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]

Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates national carrier, based in the federal capital Abu Dhabi, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, and also with Miral Asset Management (Miral), which oversees the development and management of a range of hospitality, sports, entertainment, retail and leisure destinations on Yas Island, gulfnews.com reported.

Annonsørinnhold

Superkupp innen sport og friluft du gjør nå

The two MOUs aim to cement stronger ties between the three parties, and promote the global appeal of Abu Dhabi as a year-round tourist, business and cultural destination.

The signing ceremony, which took place today at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island, was attended by senior management and board members from Etihad Airways, TCA Abu Dhabi and Miral.

The exclusive partnership aims to see the three parties drive the Growth of inbound destination and stopover tourism to Abu Dhabi by joining forces on various strategic activities, including co-branded marketing and communication, market intelligence and data exchange, cruise industry support, loyalty and affinity programmes, and business and leisure events within the emirate and around the world.

#AbuDhabi #By #Emiratene #Ferie #Flyselskap #ForenteArabiskeEmirater #Hovedstad #Reise #Turisme

#Airline #Capital #City #Emirates #Holiday #Tourism #Travel #UnitedArabEmirates

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]

Hospitality businesses in Edinburgh could be hit with a controversial ?festival tax? designed to raise up to £15m for the city.

Annonsørinnhold

Oversikt over salgene: De beste kuppene nå

Read more at www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Fears-Edinburgh-festival-tax-could-price-tourists-out-of-the-city

#By #Edinburgh #Ferie #Festival #Hovedstad #Reise #Skatt #Skottland #Storbritania #Turisme

#Capital #City #Holiday #Scotland #Tax #Tourism #Travel

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]

Asylsøkere skal ha rasert et mottaket og startet branner på den australske øya Christmas Island. Bråket skal ha blitt utløst da en kurdisk asylsøker fra Iran ble funnet død søndag, melder nrk.no

Annonsørinnhold

Netthandelen tømmer lageret: Siste sjanse på kvalitetsvarer med opptil 75% rabatt

Flying Fish Cove, også kalt The Settlement, er hovedstaden på Christmas Island

Les mer om Christmas Island her http://hovedsteder.blogg.no/1398710775_flying_fish_cove_p_ch.html

#Australia #By #Christmas #ChristmasIsland #Christmasøya #Ferie #FlyingFishCove #Hovedstad #IndiskeHav #Reise #TheSettlement #Turisme #Øy

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]

Bråket fra i fjor er glemt – her sages årets juletre til Reykjavik. Oslos varaordfører Khamshajiny Gunaratam (Ap) og Reykjaviks ordfører Dagur B. Eggertsson sager ned årets tre til Reykjavik. Et 55 år gammelt tre fra Nordmarka er årets Oslo-tre, som skal pryde et torg i Reykjavik. Treet fraktes i en container over havet, og kan derfor ikke være høyere enn 12-13 meter. Foto: Rolf Øhman / Osloby.no

Annonsørinnhold

Netthandelen tømmer lageret: Siste sjanse på kvalitetsvarer med opptil 75% rabatt

Onsdag ble årets julegave fra Oslo til Reykjavik hentet i Nordmarka: Et 13 meter høyt og 620 kilo tungt grantre, som tradisjonen tro skal pryde den offentlige plassen Austurvöllur i Reykjavik sentrum, skriver Osloby.no

– I Reykjavik sier vi at julen ikke kommer før lysene er tent på Oslo-treet. Dette er en tradisjon vi setter stor pris på. Lysene på treet tennes første søndag i advent, og treet markerer at adventstiden er i gang. Et barn som både har islandske og norske foreldre hjelper til med å tenne på lysene, forteller Dagur B. Eggertsson, ordfører i Reykjavik, som selv er født i Norge.

Det var Eggerson sammen med Oslos varaordfører Khamshajiny Gunaratam (Ap) som deltok under årets huggeseremoni ved Maridalsvannet i Nordmarka.

– Det er hyggelig at det settes så stor pris på juletreet, det er jo nesten en «kjendis» i Reykjavik. Jeg gleder meg til å dra til Island om tre uker for å tenne lysene på treet, sier Gunaratam, som debuterte som huggmester.

Hvert år sender Oslo kommune en julegran til Reykjavik og London. Juletreet til London er en tradisjon som stammer fra 1946, mens det første juletreet til Island ble sendt i 1951. Oslo ville gi en gave til Londons befolkning som takk for hjelp og støtte under 2. verdenskrig.

At det er blitt sendt et tre til Island begrunnes med de historiske og kulturelle båndene og at Island har langt færre grantrær enn Oslo.

I fjor ble det foreslått å droppe den tradisjonsrike julegaven til Reykjavik og Rotterdam, til stort rabalder. Ordningen er både dyr, komplisert og lite miljøvennlig, mente kommunen før påske i fjor.

Såpass mye støy ble det, at tidligere ordfører Fabian Stang (H) så seg nødt til å sende leserbrev til den islandske avisen Morgunblaðið. På grunn av all den negative oppmerksomheten så kommunen seg nødt til å snu i saken, og det ble juletre på Austurvöllur også i fjor.

Men sagaen om det vanskelige juletreet fra Oslo endte dessverre ikke der i fjor. Før lysene på juletreet skulle tennes, brakk rett og slett øverste del av Oslo-treet av, etter et forferdelig uvær. Islandske medier skrev om stormen, som ikke bare tok trampoliner og løse objekter, men «selveste Oslo-treet» ble også ødelagt.

Det var et trist syn på Austurvöllur, hvor julestjernen hang midt på det ødelagte treet. Ordføreren spurte til råds på Facebook om forslag til hvordan «julen kunne reddes», og forslagene rant inn.

De fant en løsning og julen ble reddet likevel: Ordfører Eggertson i samarbeid med Skogræktinn, «Skogplanterne» i Reykjavik, fikk hugget ned et nytt tre i siste liten. Selv om det nye treet ikke kom fra Norge, ble det fortsatt kalt for Oslo-treet.

Da Oslo begynte å gi Reykjavik et juletre for mer enn seksti år siden, var det dels fordi byen manglet egne trær. Nå er situasjonen en annen.

– Å sende et tre fra Oslo stammer fra en tid hvor det ikke var noen trær på Island. Mye er forandret siden 1951. Vi vurderer om vi nå, i samarbeid med Oslo, skal begynne å hente ut treet fra et norsk felt i de islandske skogene som ble plantet av nordmenn for over 40 år siden, sier Dagur B.Eggertsson.

Kilde: www.osloby.no

Les hele saken og se bilder her www.osloby.no/nyheter/Braket-fra-i-fjor-er-glemt–her-sages-arets-juletre-til-Reykjavik-8230159.html

#Advent #Ap #Arbeiderpartiet #Borgermester #By #England #FabianStang #Ferie #Hovedstad #Høyre #Island #Jul #Juletre #London #Miljø #Nederland #Nordmarka #Norge #Ordfører #Oslo #Reise #Reykjavik #Rotterdam #Skog #Storbritannia #Tre #Turisme #Varaordfører