General Travel News
Saudi Domestic Tourism Growth Continues
Domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia has grown over the past few years due to infrastructure improvements and increased mobility among its growing population. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) reported that 37.5 billion Riyals was spent on domestic tourism during the past year. This added 47.5 billion Riyals to the countries Gross Domestic Product during the year. Last year the tourism sector accounted for 6.9 per cent of non-oil GDP.
Director General for Information and Research at SCTA, Dr. Mohammed Al Ahmad reported that the number of people working in the Kingdom’s tourism sector increased from 3,355,200 in 2004 to 4,456, 200 in 2008. However, the occupancy rate fell from 59.5% in January of this year to 56.6% in February.
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Featured Sights To See
Cu Chi Tunnel
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
An hour and a half drive outside the Ho Chi Minh City center, this elaborate network of underground tunnels was used by the Vietcong as communications routes, supply routes, and living quarters during the guerilla operations of the Vietnam War. Not for the claustrophobic, tourists can squeeze down the hatches and into the tunnels for a view of these remnants of the war. &nb...
Eastern Gate Pagoda
Hanoi, Vietnam
Also known as Chua Cau Dong; this magnificent, elaborately ornate temple is said to be nearly a thousand years old with some of its statues and dating back 400 years. ...
Academy of Sciences
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Address: Shevchenko Street, Almaty The Academy of Sciences is a prominent educational institution in the country, and operates a few museums in the city. Two museums you would want to check out are the Museum of Archaeology and the Geological Museum. When you face the Academy of Sciences from the North, you can see the impressive Zodiac Fountain to your left – this fountain adorns the par...
Bei Hai Park
Beijing, China
Beihai is Chinese for “northern sea” and the park is named for the manmade lake that covers most of its 170 acres. It is more than a thousand years old, dating back to the Liao Dynasty in the tenth century. Successive dynasties modified and renovated it into the park we see today. It was part of the Forbidden City until 1925, when the last emperor abdicated. The park has been open to the publi...