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]
På grunn av et voldsomt uvær, er myndighetene på Island i høy beredskap og oppfordrer befolkningen til å holde seg innendørs, melder nrk.no
Været er det verste på 25 år, skriver nettavisen Iceland Monitor.
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]
Costa Esmeralda Airport, located south-east of the Nicaraguan capital Managua, has opened to commercial traffic following its inauguration early last month, ch-aviation.com reports.
A joint-venture between local Nicaraguan contractors D’Guerrero Ings, Lansa S.A. y Pavinicsa S.A., the single-terminal facility features a 1,500m-long primary runway capable of handling ATR42s, ATR72s, Gulfstream V jets and most turboprops.
The airfield, which features customs and immigration, will focus on bringing both local and international tourist traffic to the Triángulo del Sur (South Triangle) which comprises the colonial city of Granada, Ometepe Island, and San Juan del Sur.
“The arrival of Costa Esmeralda Airport will introduce the country to a global audience seeking new adventures and serve as a direct route to our majestic coast,” Don Carlos Pellas, owner of the Pellas Development Group, said. “It will reduce transfer time from Managua and Costa Rica, supporting Nicaragua’s flourishing tourism, which is essential to the country’s Development.”
Currently, scheduled operators includes La Costena, serving Managua, and Costa Rica’s SANSA (Servicios Aereos Nacionales), serving San Jose, Liberia and Juan Santamaria.
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]
Ireland’s links to Hong Kong are apparent from a stroll through the city, With street names like Connaught, O’Brien and Hennessy, and the relationship with the southern Chinese city is about to deepen with the official launch of the Irish consulate general in the city, The Irish Times reports.
Boasting more Irish expatriates than any other Asian city, there are more than 3,000 Irish living in Hong Kong, and this is a connected community, working in Financial services, law, accountancy, the building industry, high-tech and education.
During its colonial period, Hong Kong has had nine Irish governors, and thousands of Irish people have worked as judges, engineers, teachers and police officers over the years. Now it is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, under Beijingis rule but with its own rules and regulations.
“The office is small and perfectly formed,” quips Peter Ryan, the Consul-General who arrived in Hong Kong in August 2014 after serving in numerous jobs in the region, including a stint on secondment to the Asia-Europe Foundation, and as deputy consul-general in New York.
“There are very big Irish connections here, and we’ve been trying to connect the dots,” said Ryan, speaking in the new consulate general office on the 20th floor of the Bank of East Asia Building on Des Veoux Road in central Hong Kong.
Some of those connections are explicit. The mobile operator 3, with 1,500 employees in Ireland, is owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, while HSBC has 400-500 workers in Ireland, and tech firm Huawei has 200. The city’s Wah Yan College is run by Irish Jesuits and among its alumni is former administration chief executive Donald Tsang.
Ireland’s business interests in Hong Kong and Macau are already substantial. Last year, there were more than 120 million euros worth of Enterprise Ireland client exports and with growth of 32 per cent in 2014, and both markets offer considerable potential. The key targets for expansion are financial services, technology, tourism, education and food and beverage exports, said Ryan,
The consulate general was officially launched by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, who expects the mission to support and galvanise the longstanding, significant and well-connected Irish community in Hong Kong and Macau.
“The consulate is already making a big impact under the leadership of Peter Ryan and is a strong focal point alongside Enterprise Ireland, the IDA and on behalf of Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland in support of Irish interests in Hong Kong,” said Bruton.
There are many Irish organisations in the city – there are Irish Chambers of Commerce in both Hong Kong and Macau, a St Patrick’s Society in Hong Kong, the Irish International Education Centre, the Celtic Connections Choir and the Hong Kong Gaelic Athletic Association, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
The Hong Kong economy is slowing down, in tandem with the bigger mainland market, but there are still major opportunities in fintech and tech start-ups, as evidenced by the staging of the RISE conference here in August. There are also opportunities offered by the internation
“Hong Kong is where many tourists from China may taste Western food for the first time. This is a shop window for the Pearl River Delta,” said Consul General Peter Ryan.
Among the premium products being imported into Hong Kong from Ireland include razor clams, crabs and oysters – some 55,000 Irish oysters a month are imported into Hong Kong.
“It’s an easy place to do business. We see it as a landing spot into Asia, where people can hit the ground running. They call themselves the superconnector here, which is like what Ireland does for Europe,” said Ryan.
One of the driving factors behind the consulate was the need to boost Ireland’s presence in the highly competitive fund management market.
Ireland was facing tough competition from Luxembourg, which had a representative office in the territory to promote itself as a place to set up funds, whereas Ireland was relying on the goodwill of professionals working in the field and on promotion by the Irish Funds Industry Association.
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 Ecuadorean capital city of Quito is confident that it will reach 740,000 tourists by the year-end, which will represent a 5% increase over the previous year, according to the city’s tourism office.
The authorities also reported that for the third consecutive year Quito has been chosen as South America’s Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards, tourism-review.com reports.
Quito tourism numbers exceeded half a million visitors in the first nine months of the year, 48% of all arrivals in Ecuador, which is 5% more than the number of visitors recorded in the first nine months of the previous year. If this trend continues, the city authorities estimate that Quito will welcome one million visitors in 2019.
These favorable figures enabled the city for the Third consecutive year to receive the award for Leading South American Destination at the World Travel Awards, known as the Tourism “Oscars”. Such recognition gives Quito remarkable global exposure as a tourist destination and contributes to the Quito tourism numbers.
Additionally, in 2015 Quito Tourism has been awarded the distinctive Brand Q by the Ecuadorean Ministry of Tourism in recognition of the work done in strengthening the quality of service delivery.
In this regard it offered this year’s “Bucket Pass”, which provides access to five of the city’s attractions (the Centre of the Earth, the Company, the City Museum, the Chapel of Man and Quito Tour Bus) at a reduced price and other advantages, such as online access and flexibility of use.
Quito also maintains its goal of becoming one of the region’s most competitive destinations in the meetings and conventions segment. In September Ecuador’s capital hosted the first staging of the Meeting Industry Conference, a meeting that specializes in business tourism.
Also, at the end of 2016, the city will have a new convention centre located in the terminal of the old Quito airport for important international meetings to be held next year.
So far, twenty events have been confirmed, most notably Habitat III, the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and the VII Latin American Congress of Tourism Research, among others.
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]
Foto: Gardermoen.no
Antall reisende som tar toget til Oslo Lufthavn Gardermoen øker, mens færre bruker buss og bil, skriver VG.
-NSB har utvidet togtilbudet på hele Østlandet, og Oslo Lufthavn betjenes nå med tog fra både Skien, Kongsberg og Lillehammer – men vi har ikke satset bevisst på flyplassmarkedet, bedyrer Tom Ingulstad, direktør i NSB Persontog, til avisen.
Likevel tar NSB altså markedsandeler fra andre flyplass-transportører. I fjor valgte 51 prosent av kollektivreisende toget, mot 44 prosent året før. Kun 17 prosent tok buss.
En fersk undersøkelse gjort av Airport’s Council International på vegne av Oslo Lufthavn, viser at antall reisende med tog øker på bekostning av reisende med både bil og buss.
-Staten og fylkene holder prisen nede for å få folk til å reise kollektivt, og det virker. I NSB lever vi av at kundene velger toget, og selvsagt er vi svært tilfreds når det vi tilbyr blir positivt motsatt, sier Tom Ingulstad videre.
Sjef for Flybussekspressen, Bjørn Østbye, bekrefter overfor VG at NSB-togene er deres største konkurent i dag, og etterlyser større forståelse for ekspressbussenes behov:
Oslo Lufthavns Kollektivforum, som samler alle kollektivaktørene som frakter passasjerer til og fra Gardermoen, ber om at bussene sikres bedre framkommelighet både langs veinettet og i Oslo.
-Vi skulle gjerne hatt kollektivfelt på E6, sier Bjørn Østbye til VG.
For å klare målsettingen om 75 prosent kollektivandel innen 2020 må også bussene gis bedre arbeidsvilkår enn i dag, fremholder også Emil Eike, leder for Oslo Lufthavns Kollektivforum.
-Bussene må sikres adgang til kollektivterminaler og stoppesteder både i Oslo og på flyplassen, sier Emil Eike.
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]
Er du glad i katalansk mat og har lyst til å lære litt om hvordan du lager den? Firmaet Cook & Taste tilbyr matkurs for turister, og her får du opplæring både i tradisjonelle og moderne matretter, skriver bladet Tara.
Klassene er litt forskjellig lagt opp, på en av dem kan du starte med en vandring på det det berømte Boqueria-markedet (bildet), der kokkene vil gi deg mange gode tips om de beste lokale produktene.
Kurset avsluttes selvsagt med et godt, katalansk måltid. Her kan du velge mellom kurs på engelsk, fransk og spansk, og menyen varierer etter sesongen.
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]
Japan will open an embassy in Barbados by next February
Word of this from the country’s new Ambassador to Barbados Mitsuhiko Okada during a recent courtesy call on acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Steve Blackett, Barbados Today reports.
Okada, who will serve initially as Chargé d’Affaires of the new embassy, revealed that it would be formally opened in February 2016 .
He also expressed thanks to the Government of Barbados for support in getting the embassy operational.
Blackett pledged the continued assistance of the Government while outlining areas for possible cooperation, including culture and education.
In this regard, Ambassador Okada noted that in February 2016 a group of Japanese drummers would visit the island. He also pointed out that so far 26 Barbadians had participated in the Japan Exchange & Teaching Programme, which sees these persons teaching English in Japanese schools and he expressed the hope that this cooperation would continue.
Other areas discussed were renewable energy, disaster preparedness and climate change.
With regards to trade and investment, Ambassador Okada recommended that consideration be given to arranging a business/trade fair which would educate Japanese business people about products and investment opportunities which Barbados has to offer.
While acknowledging that the island was a great distance from Japan, the Ambassador said the Japanese were prolific travellers. He also pointed out that cruises were becoming increasingly popular with Japanese, while highlighting tourism as another area for cooperation.
Barbados and Japan established diplomatic relations in 1967, a year after Barbados’ independence from Britain.
Japan is today represented in Barbados by a honorary consulate.
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]
I kjølvannet av terrorangrepet på Paris er besøkt til verdensmetropolen gått ned med en fjerdedel, skriver travelnews.no
Frankrike er verdens mest besøkte land, noe som ikke minst skyldes de mer enn 30 millionene som hvert år kommer til den franske hovedstaden.
Ifølge reiseanalyseselskapet ForwardKeys – som har sett på antallet nye flybookinger ti dager etter angrepet – har nå terroren som rammet byen redusert besøket med 25 prosent. Det kan synes lite bare ti dager etter angrepet, men skulle det fortsette vil det få betydelige konsekvenser for byens reiselivsindustri.
I hovedsak knytter reduksjonen seg til fritidsreisende.
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]
Minsk, capital of Belarus, Georgia’s capital city Tbilisi, Kazakhstan’s second city Almaty, Kiev, capital of Ukraine and Armenia’s capital city Yerevan, are the five most popular destination for Russian tourists in the former Soviet Union, according to online hotel reservation service Oktogo.ru, the Armenian News agency Arka reports.
Oktogo.ru service determines the most popular cities and resorts in the former Soviet Union, chosen by Russian tourists to spend their summer holidays.
The rating is based on hotel reservation data from August 1 to 31 made by tourists traveling without the help of travel agencies.
In August the top 10 of Oktogo.ru also includes capitals Baku (Azerbaijan), Astana (Kazakhstan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Chisinau (Moldova) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan).
The cheapest city is Bishkek, where a Russian tourist spends 1,200 rubles per day on hotel accommodation and the most expensive is Baku (more than 6,000 rubles).
In Minsk, the average price of a hotel room is 3,000 rubles; in Tbilisi it is 3,200 rubles and 3,100 rubles in Yerevan.
Russians who have their holidays in August spend on average 4 days while visiting former Soviet republics as tourists and 9 days when they choose a sanatorium to improve their health.
The top 5 most popular resorts among Russian tourists in summer are Batumi (capital of Adjara in Georgia), Gagra (Abkhazia), Klaipeda (Lithuania), Sukhumi (Abkhazia) and Cholpon-Ata (Kyrgyzstan).
The cheapest of these destinations is Sukhumi, capital of Abkhazia, where a hotel room is worth t 1,400 rubles a day.
Other most popular countries for Russian tourists outside the former Soviet Union are Thailand, Vietnam, and Cuba.
Oktogo.ru is an online service for hotel booking around the world, offering more than 500,000 hotels and apartments.
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]
Kenya blir et stadig mer populært reisemål, og stadig flere byer i det øst-afrikanske landet settes på turistkartet. Derfor har Kenyas myndigheter besluttet å utvide flytilbudet med enda flere innenriksflyvninger fra hovedstaden Nairobi, og nå til de to store byene Kakamega og Eldoret, skriver bladet Kapital Reise.
Kakamega er i stigende grad blitt populær blant turister som ønsker å oppleve Kakamega-regnskogen og det imponerende dyrelivet der med over 300 fuglearter og 400 sommerfuglarter.
Eldoret ligger på 2.700 meters høyde og tiltrekker seg klatreglade turister. Med de nye rutene blir det mulig å fly til begge byene daglig, også i helgene.
Flyselskapet Jambojet flyr til Eldoret, mens FlySAX og Fly540 flyr mellom Nairobi og Kakamega.
