The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) World Tourism Barometer shows that the number of tourists visiting the Middle East plummeted 18% during the first four months of the year. The UN group attributes the sharp decrease to a decline in the number of tourists visiting Saudi Arabia. The UNWTO report said “Globally, tourism fell by eight per cent in the first four months of the year, continuing the trend that emerged in the second half of 2008.”
The report said only Africa went against the trend of falling tourist numbers with a 5% increase. Europe and the Middle East were the hardest hit regions with 10% and 18% drops respectively. Asia Pacific had a 6% decline, far below previous growth figures. Oceania fell 4% and South Asia had the sharpest drop at 12%. Results in the Americas were more mixed but overall tourist numbers fell 5%.
The Temple of Literature founded in 1070, is a temple dedicated to Confucius. Today only parts of the sprawling complex dates from this earliest period; most of the architecture that we see comes from the Ly and Tran Dynasties. Also known as Van Mieu, the Temple of Literature has undergone numerous restorations and stands as one of the few remaining examples of later Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) archite...
The second largest park in Paris has a long history. Marie de Médici, widow of Henry IV and mother of Louis XIII, wanted to build a palace similar to the Pitti Palace in her native Florence. The resulting Luxembourg Palace (constructed in the 1610s) is today the home of the French Senate, though it has undergone substantial renovations since. The garden surrounding the palace was...
Nathan Road is the mile long street and is in the Tsimshatsui district of Kowloon. This is a buzzing street with great shops, restaurants, motels, hotels and beautiful lights. Bars and night entertainment is also found in this area. ...
This was formerly a botanical garden, and a site for the first university in Geneva. The tree lined walkways and broad avenues inside the park make it popular for romantic evening walks. The park is buzzing with people almost all day. In one corner of the park is a set of life size chess boards, where aspiring chess players of all ages test their skills. The Reformation Wall on the east side along...