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]
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]
Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi, and Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, may become sister cities, according to Tbilisi Mayor David Narmania, azernews.az reported.
He expressed his hope that the capital of Georgia will sign a sistership agreement with Baku soon, adding that the sister city process is already underway.
“The negotiations have already been held and relevant documents have been prepared. I believe that in the near future, Tbilisi and Baku will sign a document to become sister cities,” he said.
Narmania highlighted various projects and investment programs to be carried out between the two cities. “We will pay special attention to the development of tourism. There are wide opportunities for that,” he added.
Narmania went on saying that city officials would develop tourism in the regions where large Azerbaijani communities live. “We will first and foremost expand cultural infrastructures which contribute to the development of tourism in those regions,” the Tbilisi Mayor added.
Baku, known as home to an ancient civilization dating back to 5500 BC, is a compact city in which visitors can easily walk around the city center to see most attractions, along with a mix of architecture.
The capital is the location where past and present are intricately intertwined, having always attracted tourists.
Sabail district is a central and ancient dwelling within Baku city, located along the Caspian Sea.
There are also monuments dating to ancient ages and medieval centuries within the district. Icherisheher, meaning Old City, is the most magnificent of the historical monuments in Azerbaijan and is included by UNESCO among the world cultural heritage items. The Shirvanshah palace complex, which is another astonishing state historical architectural museum-preserve, is its masterpiece.
The open-air museum, and Baku’s most majestic and mysterious monument – the Maiden Tower or Giz Galasi – is also located here. Built in the shape of a cylinder on the Caspian Sea shore, the Maiden Tower is a structure which, rather like a buttress, sticks out from the cylindrical tower on the sea side.
The Flame Towers, the tallest skyscraper in Baku at a height of 190 m, is also a beautiful symbol of the city.
Tbilisi is a city whose history goes back more than one thousand years.
The city is not only a stronghold of early Christianity, as the beautiful ancient churches indicate, but here also coexists different religious traditions. So, many mosques, synagogues and churches of various Christian denominations can be seen in Tbilisi.
Tourists can also spend many unforgettable hours walking along the charming streets of the old town and discovering its most hidden corners. It is also possible to visit the grand open-air museum or admire the wonderful panorama of the city while climbing the walls of the ancient Narikala fortress.
The main sights of Tbilisi are its cathedrals and churches, such as the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the Metekhi Church and Anchiskhati Basilica, the most ancient cathedral in the capital, built in the 6th century. The Dzhvarismama church from the 16th century and the Cathedral of Zemo Betlemi, built in the 18th century, are also among “must see” tourist sites.
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]
By 2019, one European capital city plans to be completely car-free.
A newly-elected city council in Oslo, Norway, made the landmark decision to restrict all private vehicles from the capital’s centre, marking the first permanent ban of this kind, theweathernetwork.com reported.
Oslo’s city council is comprised of Norway’s Labour, Green, and Socialist Left parties – all of which intend to construct 60 km of extra bike lanes in the interim, while allocating more funds to the city’s public transport system, Reuters reports.
“We want to have a car-free centre,” Lan Marie Nguyen Berg (28), lead negotiator for the Green Party in Oslo, told Reuters. She’s now a member of the City Government, as Councillor for the Environment and Communications.
The ban is part of a larger plan from Oslo’s politicians, calling for a drastic reduction of carbon emissions, including cutting all carbon emissions in half in five years, by comparison to 1990s levels.
Although the proposal is environmentally appealing, there are concerns about accessibility issues for commuters with disabilities. Local businesses, too, worry that lack of vehicle access will impact their Revenue.
Council members have assured the public that vehicles transporting those with disabilities, or bringing food to businesses, will still be permitted in the area.
For those unable to ride a bike, or reluctant to use public transport, the city has offered to subsidize the cost of an electric bike.
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]
Det irske bandet U2 var lørdag kveld utenfor konsertlokalet Bataclan i Paris og la ned blomster til minne om de drepte. U2 har avlyst sine to konserter i den franske hovedstaden etter angrepene, melder nrk.no
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 Dubais nye Legoland, i regi av Dubai Parks & Resorts, kombineres tradisjonelle Lego-temaer med zombier og smurfer, skriver VG.
Emiratet, som er ett av sju i De forente arabiske emirater (med Abu Dhabi som føderal hovedstad), er kjent for sine overdådige bygninger og turistinvesteringer, og det nye Legoland’et som skal åpne høsten 2016, blir ikke noe unntak.
Parken til tre og en halv milliard norske kroner, som 11 000 mann jobber med å få ferdig i tide, skal blant annet inneholde et “zombieland” der du må flykte fra truende zombier og en fritt-fall-opplevelse fra et 56 meter høyt tårn, ifølge svenske Alt om Resor.
Berg-og-dalbanen “Dragen” skal suse tvers gjennom et legoslott i 60 km/t, og det skal byggest et 4D-univers basert på amerikanske vampyr-filmer!
For å tekkes besøkende fra Asia skal det også bygges et mini-Bollywood der opplevelsene spinnes rundt indiske film-temaer.
Og som i legoland flest blir det både vannrutsjebaner, karuseller, togbaner, shoppingområdet Riverland, og selvsagt rikelig med mat- og drikkestasjoner, samt et hotellkompleks.
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]
Som om det ikke var vilt nok fra før, har det 50 meter høye heisekranhotellet Faralda NDSM Crane Hotel (bildet) i Nederlands hovedstad Amsterdam begynt med såkalt “rope jump”, skriver Dagbladet.
“Rope jump” minner om strikkhopp, men i stedet for å bli dratt rett opp igjen etter det frie fallet, svinger du som en pendel opptil 90 meter fram og tilbake.
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]
Nyttårsaften neste år stenger restaurant Noma i København, flere ganger kåret til verdens beste. Men Noma gjenoppstår i 2017 som en slags “Urban Farm” i fristaden Christiania, der de skal dyrke alle grønnsaker selv og bare servere sesongråvarer – vegetarisk på sommeren og mye fisk på vinterstid, skriver VG.
Og, til våren åpner Noma-chef Rene Redzepi en Noma-“lillesøster” i Strandgade 198, et steinkast fra moderrestauranten. Dette blir et mer folkelig spisested, sier Noma-eieren.
-Vi må gjøre noe for at Noma blir en mer solid forretning, for det er vi ikke i dag, sier Redzepi til avisen Politiken.
Flere av Københavns topp-restauranter har fått sine “lillesøstre”: AOK har åpnet restauranten No.2, Formel B har åpnet Uformel, mens Kadeau står bak den mindre formelle restauranten Pony.
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]
Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku, and the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, may become sister cities, according to Tbilisi Mayor David Narmania, azernews.az reported.
He expressed his hope that the capital of Georgia will sign a sistership agreement with Baku soon, adding that the sister city process is already underway.
“The negotiations have already been held and relevant documents have been prepared. I believe that in the near future, Tbilisi and Baku will sign a document to become sister cities,” he said.
Narmania highlighted various projects and investment programs to be carried out between the two cities. “We will pay special attention to the development of tourism. There are wide opportunities for that,” he added.
Narmania went on saying that city officials would develop tourism in the regions where large Azerbaijani communities live. “We will first and foremost expand cultural infrastructures which contribute to the development of tourism in those regions,” the Tbilisi Mayor added.
Baku, known as home to an ancient civilization dating back to 5500 BC, is a compact city in which visitors can easily walk around the city center to see most attractions, along with a mix of architecture.
The capital is the location where past and present are intricately intertwined, having always attracted tourists.
Sabail district is a central and ancient dwelling within Baku city, located along the Caspian Sea.
There are also monuments dating to ancient ages and medieval centuries within the district. Icherisheher, meaning Old City, is the most magnificent of the historical monuments in Azerbaijan and is included by UNESCO among the world cultural heritage items. The Shirvanshah palace complex, which is another astonishing state historical architectural museum-preserve, is its masterpiece.
The open-air museum, and Baku’s most majestic and mysterious monument – the Maiden Tower or Giz Galasi – is also located here. Built in the shape of a cylinder on the Caspian Sea shore, the Maiden Tower is a structure which, rather like a buttress, sticks out from the cylindrical tower on the sea side.
The Flame Towers, the tallest skyscraper in Baku at a height of 190 m, is also a beautiful symbol of the city.
Tbilisi is a city whose history goes back more than one thousand years.
The city is not only a stronghold of early Christianity, as the beautiful ancient churches indicate, but here also coexists different religious traditions. So, many mosques, synagogues and churches of various Christian denominations can be seen in Tbilisi.
Tourists can also spend many unforgettable hours walking along the charming streets of the old town and discovering its most hidden corners. It is also possible to visit the grand open-air museum or admire the wonderful panorama of the city while climbing the walls of the ancient Narikala fortress.
The main sights of Tbilisi are its cathedrals and churches, such as the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the Metekhi Church and Anchiskhati Basilica, the most ancient cathedral in the capital, built in the 6th century. The Dzhvarismama church from the 16th century and the Cathedral of Zemo Betlemi, built in the 18th century, are also among “must see” tourist sites.
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]
Canberra’s residential and office markets have recorded strong growth in recent months and the hotel sector is set to do the same. National reports are predicting both occupancy and room rate growth, while the local industry has welcomed an “explosion” of new hotels in the capital, domain.com.au reported.
Colliers International’s latest hotel research and forecast report entitled Destination Australia showed that the Canberra market experienced good growth over the past financial year, with occupancy boosted by hosting six matches in the Asian Soccer Cup in January.
According to Colliers’ report, Canberra’s hotel market has seen occupancy rates increase from the high-60s in 2014 to the low-to-mid-70s in 2015.
The report also noted that the ACT hotel market continues to be tightly held with just two major transactions in 2014 – Abode Woden and Ibis Styles Eagle Hawk.
The only major transaction so far this year has been the Brassey Hotel, which was acquired by Doma Group.
Several new hotels have opened over the past 12 months including five-star, 213-room The Avenue Hotel in Braddon. Australian Hotels Association ACT general manager Brad Watts says the new hotels represent confidence in the local market, however government support is required to continue attracting tourists to the city.
“There has been an explosion of new hotels in Canberra with around 400 new rooms opening in the past month including Little National (120 rooms), Abode Narrabundah (86 rooms) and the Vibe Canberra Airport Hotel (185 rooms),” Mr Watts says.
“Currently, there are almost 6000 rooms in the local accommodation sector, compared with more than 5200 at the same time last year. There remains strong private sector interest in further growing the ACT’s accommodation and hospitality market, which is exciting.”
Mr. Watts says this investment has created employment and much-needed economic growth in the hospitality and tourism sector.
“However, on the downside, the New rooms have opened in a relatively short timeframe, so when demand is quiet, there is more competition causing a dilution factor as hotels are competing for a smaller slice of the pie,” Mr Watts says.
“To address this challenge, there needs to be an even greater focus on attracting and hosting large-scale events and having more government investment to draw tourists to Canberra, especially to boost the leisure market.”
Mr.Watts says, while the private sector is investing heavily in tourism and accommodation, the industry needs the ACT government to provide more investment aimed at attracting more visitors to the Capital.
“The ACT hotel industry has welcomed a new tourism marketing partnership program to boost the local visitor economy through innovative partnership projects,” Mr Watts says.
“There has been a strong appetite from the local visitor economy to work together to promote Canberra through this funding scheme.”
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]
Last Saturday, Sierra Leone passed Day 42 – the 42nd consecutive day without a new case of Ebola. This was a benchmark put in place by the World Health Organization. WHO will now monitor the country for the next 90 days to make absolutely certain that the outbreak is over, travelpulse.com reported.
Adventure travel companies started offering new tours almost as soon as WHO announced that the 42-day threshold had been passed. Travelers and adventure outfitters will most likely have to rely on medical evac insurance for some time because Sierra Leone’s medical infrastructure is in complete tatters after the outbreak.
Other than that, and some general safety-net precautions against Ebola infection, these companies should be back to business as usual quite quickly.
The more promising signs come from the hotel industry. Right after Day 42, work restarted on the 12-floor Hilton Freetown Cape Sierra project.
This luxury hotel will sit on the capital city’s most beautiful section of beachfront. The hotel will be completed in fall of 2016. Others in the hospitality industry will see the end of the Ebola crisis as a chance to get in before the competition returns.
