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
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.
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
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.
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.
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]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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]
Larnaca International Airport, which serves the capital Nicosia, will be renamed Glafcos Clerides Larnaca International Airport, the Cyprus Cabinet and President Nicos Anastasiades has decided, on the occasion of two years since the passing of late former Cyprus president, in-cyprus.com reported.
The decision was taken in recognition of his contribution to the country.
Glafcos Clerides (1919-2013), president of Cyprus from 1993 until 2003, was a political personality of international standing with significant contribution in the global fight against Nazism. He was Acting President of Cyprus from July to December 1974, in his capacity as Speaker of the House of Representatves, after the coup-government supported by the military junta in Greece, which overthrew the president, Archbishop Makarios, who fled the country, had resigned.
His substantial and diverse contribution to the Cyprus Republic, culminated in his pivotal role in Cyprus’ accession to the European Union.
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]
Pedestrian’s pleasure: Bern’s old town, with its fountains and arcades. Photo: Keystone
A new tourism tax to be levied on shopkeepers in the Swiss capital Bern, could tarnish the charm of the UNESCO World Heritage town instead of helping preserve its medieval character, swissinfo.ch reported.
With its colourful fountains, terracotta rooftops, cobblestoned streets and limestone arcades, Bern is a magnet for visitors and a World Cultural Heritage Site.
According to city conservationist Jean-Daniel Gross, the significance of the UNESCO label has risen since Bern received it in 1983.
“In the beginning there was almost no importance; now the label is known all over the world and its prestige has become more important every year,” Gross told swissinfo.ch.
Bern Tourism’s Nicole Schaffner agrees that the UNESCO label is probably the most important selling point for the old town of Bern. “It’s crucial for our marketing activities, especially in Asia and America.”
Bern depends on these visitors for the money they leave behind, but how can they keep them coming – and spending – without having a negative impact on the town’s Heritage.
According to Schaffner, a new tourism tax should boost the marketing budget to help Bern attract more hotel guests – who tend to spend more money in local shops and restaurants than their day-tripping colleagues.
Shopkeepers are wary of the tax. They worry that the marketing campaigns target the “wrong” type of visitors: package tourists who wander around in droves but seldom stop to buy anything before hopping on the bus to the next Swiss town.
Antony Adams runs the novelty shop CMX on Rathausgasse, which carries designer housewares, radios, toys and other fun items. According to Adams, few tourists find their way into his shop, which is parallel to the main drag.
“When you have mass tourists, they benefit almost nobody. They just march up from the bear park to the Zytglogge [clock tower] and back again, taking photographs. Even the businesses along that street benefit very little,” Adams says.
Heimatwerk, located on Kramgasse, is another example. It specialises in Swiss products like wood carvings, writing instruments, textiles and glassware. It would seem like a perfect match for foreign shoppers, but there weren’t many there when swissinfo.ch visited.
“The groups from the Zytglogge don’t really come into our shop,” manager Ruth Lundquist told swissinfo.ch. Like Adams, she’s against the tax.
“Most of the stores around here are really small. I don’t think it’s a good idea to tax us, because we already have a hard enough time just to stay open,” Lundquist said.
While major retailers and international chain stores can generally count on more solid financial foundations, the small, independent businesses are more vulnerable.
“The risk is definitely there. But I think the Bernese people are aware of it. First of all, the real core bit of UNESCO world heritage is the lower part of the old town, and that area isn’t as attractive for big labels. They would rather stay in the upper part of town,” retired University of Bern tourism professor Hansruedi Müller told swissinfo.ch.
He was the person tasked with developing the model for the tourism tax.
University of Bern researcher Jeantine Viebrock feels businesses will have to adapt to stay afloat. She took a survey – and the pulse – of the businesses in the heart of the old town.
“Owner-managed businesses face the threat of ongoing structural change, like new shopping malls, internet trade and changes in consumer behaviour. To survive they need to be innovative and adapt to the needs of consumers,” Viebrock told swissinfo.ch.
So could the old town’s current array of sidewalk cafés and antique and artisan boutiques give way to generic souvenir shops stuffed with plush bears, cheap watches and army knives”
As Viebrock points out, the correspondingly high prices for housing attract the kind of tenants who appreciate the old town as it is, including the current retail mix.
“These residents often support the charms of the lower old town by maintaining the old houses and lanes. Such “idealists” bring added value to the lower old town, also in terms of preserving the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site,” Viebrock said. They are more likely to support local businesses, too.
But Müller believes tourists do their part as well, explaining that an old town attraction like Bern’s bear park is key because it encourages tourists to walk the whole route, and many will make at least a small purchase – even if some would dispute that.
Lots of cameras but few shopping bags at Bern’s Zytglogge, a visitor hotspot. Photo: Keystone
“No, we’re not shopping. We’re just sightseeing,” said a pair of Chinese women standing in front of Bern’s Zytglogge clock tower one summer afternoon. They were among the crowd of visitors who had gathered for the hourly spectacle of the crowing cock and the dancing bears.
A teenage girl from the Netherlands shyly admitted to buying some underwear when asked what was in her little bag.
“But it’s expensive here. I don’t think we’ll buy much else,” she said; her friend agreed.
Nearby, a Canadian man was carrying a tote from a souvenir boutique. He had treated himself to a moderately-priced Swiss watch, but his wife had yet to pick up a memento from Switzerland – except for postcards and a “CH” sticker for her car.
A few other people in the clock-watching bunch were holding small parcels from sweet shops, but otherwise, hardly anybody had a shopping bag.
The exception was a family with two young children. Both parents were laden with bags – mainly clothing, but also a Lego set.
“We like shopping in Bern. There’s also a ballet shop nearby – we’ll go there next because our daughter takes dance lessons,” they said. It turns out that they were from the neighbouring canton of Solothurn, less than an hour from Bern by train.
“Lots of villages and tourist destinations have a [tax] system like [the one being proposed]. What is new is that the cities are also trying to apply this kind of system. That means not only collecting a tax from tourists when they stay in a hotel, but also from those who profit from tourism,” Müller explained.
Asked how fairness was ensured, Müller said, “The only ones taxed would be those dependent on tourism. Shops, for example, with tourism accounting for less than 5% of their turnover wouldn’t have to pay. Müller says that exempts more than half of all businesses in the city.
Geneva already has such a system in place, which has given Bern a chance to observe how that’s working. According to Müller, the tax system as it’s applied in Geneva works.
Having been approved by the Bern city government in April, the proposal will be discussed by the local city parliament. After that it could be put to a popular vote.
