The sixteenth annual Dylan Thomas Festival returns to Swansea, Wales from 27 October until 9 November 2013. With the Dylan Thomas Centre as its hub, festival highlights include the launch of a new centenary commission from Gillian Clarke and a day packed with talks, events, special guests, workshops and Daleks to celebrate Doctor Who’s fiftieth anniversary. The Dylan Thomas Centre presents an evening based on the fantastically popular Danish drama, The Killing, featuring two of the biggest names writing about it: crime and mystery novelist David Hewson, who has adapted series one and two as novels, and actor, writer and television presenter Emma Kennedy, author of The Killing Handbook. Fluellen Theatre Company offers a preview and discussion of their new production of Dylan’s Re...
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Mexico was selected to be the official host country for World Tourism Day (WTD) 2014 and Burkina Faso for WTD 2015. The respective themes will be “Tourism and Community Development” for 2014, and “One billion tourists, one billion opportunities” for 2015. The announcement was made at the 20th UNWTO General Assembly (Victoria Falls, August 29). Celebrated annually on September 27, World Tourism Day is the biggest international event in tourism. Its purpose is to foster awareness among the global community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to address the global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and highlight the tourism sector´s contribution to achieving these goals. WTD 2...
Read MoreReunion Island was voted "the world's most beautiful island" by the community travel website wayn.com. Reunion Island came ahead of the Seychelles, Bali, Hawaii, Ibiza, the Bahamas, and Zanzibar with 13,975 votes. Sometimes described as a “mini Hawaii,” Reunion Island is located in the Indian Ocean. Although it is not as well-known as some of its neighbors, including the Seychelles and Madagascar, it is a truly stunning and undiscovered gem. Reunion boasts one thousand kilometers of hiking trails, with an astonishing variety of landscapes for such a small island. If nature and adventure activities are your favorite things, then Reunion has it covered! Reunion island proposes an infinite variety of landscapes on 2500km² : white sand beaches, sun, sea and lagoon, wonderfu...
Read MoreAll-New Themed Area Allows Guests to Enter the World of The Simpsons Like Never Before WOO-HOO! Simpsons fans, rejoice! The world’s first Simpsons themed environment is now open at Universal Orlando Resort. Springfield – the expansive, new area in Universal Studios Florida – invites guests to step inside the hometown of America’s favourite animated family, The Simpsons, like never before. For the first time ever, guests can enter downtown Springfield and visit the places that helped the town stake its claim as “Shelbyville by the Sea.” Anchored by the mega-attraction, The Simpsons Ride, the newly-themed area includes iconic eateries and knick-knack nooks from the hit animated series, The Simpsons, and an all-new outdoor attraction based on the show’s “evil” alien duo, Kang &
Read MoreExplore above and below ground with this unique adrenalin-fuelled break in Snowdonia National Park in Wales including 3 nights’ luxury accommodation with Snowdonia Shepherds’ Huts, as well as a Tree Top Adventure one day and underground exploration the next. Go back to the warmth and comfort of your shepherds’ huts after a thrilling day and soothe your body and your nerves in their wood-burning sauna, ready for more adventure the next day. On your first day you’ll take an underground journey through the mountain with an experienced guide from Go Below Underground Adventures. As you explore the awe inspiring environment of an abandoned mine you’ll encounter forgotten deep blue lakes, lofty caverns and ancient mining machinery lying abandoned in the darkness. You'll cross zip lines and t
Read MoreAt least 33 people were believed killed and 16 injured when a bus carrying tourists plunged into a deep ravine near the popular Genting Highlands resort in Malaysia on Wednesday, 21st August 2013. The nationalities of the victims could not immediately be ascertained though media reports said most of the passengers were Malaysians and some were believed to be from the Middle East. The accident occurred on a steep and winding road when the bus carrying 49 passengers was going from Genting Highlands to Kuala Lumpur. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Genting Highlands, about an hour's drive out of Kuala Lumpur, has a sprawling hotel, amusement park and a casino. It is a popular destination for almost all tourists visiting Malaysia.
Read MoreThe tiny South Pacific nation of Samoa could reopen the bidding for a casino licence, a move likely to upset religious leaders, after halting talks with a Chinese tourism group that is facing allegations of corruption. China's Exhibitions Tourism Group (ETG) had planned to build a 500-room hotel and casino in the cash-strapped country of 190,000, which is heavily reliant on foreign aid and money sent home from citizens working overseas. The plan hit a snag when ETG's chairman, Deng Hong, came under investigation for corruption by Chinese Communist Party officials over land deals in mainland China, according to Chinese and Samoan media reports. The Samoan government withdrew the licence earlier this month. The government passed laws in 2010 for two casino licences, including one for Samo
Read MoreTourists going to Venice beware - and make sure you read the fine print. Everyone knows the lagoon city can be expensive but seven tourists from Rome got a bitter surprise when their bill for four coffees and three liqueurs at an outdoor cafe topped 100 Euros ($130). The scene of the mishap was the famed Caffe Lavena in St. Mark's Square, where 19th century German composer Richard Wagner, who died in Venice in 1883, sat to have his morning coffee every day when he lived in the city. What the Roman tourists - who posted their receipt on Facebook - apparently did not notice when looking at the menu was the "music surcharge" of six Euros per person. It added up to 42 Euros, or nearly half of the bill. The owners of the famous cafe, which opened in 1750 and where clients are served by wh
Read MoreThe Rhine with its 1,321 kilometers is the longest and most important waterway of Europe. There is a good reason why the residents of the Upper Rhine Valley also lovingly call it "Father Rhine." The broad river – which starts in the Swiss Alps and digs its way through Europe to the North Sea coast in Rotterdam – makes the region in the tri-border area of Germany, France, and Switzerland an important connecting link for international shipping routes. The many harbors are transshipment point for millions of tons of goods. But not just the economic aspect makes the largest European waterway so important: The river and its shores are a highly diversified recreational paradise. On one of the cruise vessels that are designed for every requirement, you can experience the Rhine in all of ...
Read MoreIt’s the perfect time to experience & discover Wales & its rich and varied heritage. Whether you're a fun seeking family, a chilled out couple, or anything in-between, there are plenty of things to do in Wales during these events. Choose from a slow paced day seeing castles, museums and tasting their wonderful local produce, or get lively with some outdoor activities or even a music festival or a sporting event. Rest assured, you won’t be bored in Wales!!! Ironman Wales - 8th September 2013, Pembrokeshire The bike course for Ironman Wales is a two loop course totaling 180 kilometres of spectacular coastal views through idyllic towns giving rides over 2,000 metres of altitude difference throughout the course! The first loop is longer, extending west from Lamphey to Angle ...
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