Asia Vacations - Travel, Tourism - Info & Review

Traveling abroad without a traveling partner can be equal parts exciting and daunting, particularly when exploring faraway lands and cultures. With the full-service support of Asia Transpacific Journeys, those anxieties can vanish. Embrace your adventurous spirit and embark on your own Journey Beyond the Ordinary™ to Asia or the Pacific. Asia Transpacific Journeys specifically caters to the needs to solo travelers in search of authentic experiences and boutique luxury in the company of other like-minded travelers or their own in the hands of highly experienced guides. After taking time to understand your travel needs and desires, Asia Transpacific Journeys' expert Travel Specialists craft a perfect itinerary to fulfill your travel dreams. Opt to choose one of Asia Transpacific Journeys' intimate Small Group Trips that warmly welcome individual travelers or design an itinerary all your own to absorb Asia's unique culture and iconic sights. For a first time solo visit

MUMBAI | NEW DELHI: Travel firm Thomas Cook has acquired Luxe Asia, one of the top destination management companies in Sri Lanka, for an undisclosed sum. Thomas Cook managing director Madhavan Menon did not give any financial details of the deal but said Luxe will continue to be an independent firm with representation from Thomas Cook on its board of directors. Luxe is part of Sri Lankan hotel major Ceylon Hotels. The acquisition gives Thomas Cook a presence in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean region along with synergies in its key business segments, the company said. "We have always viewed Sri Lanka as an inbound market that will flourish post the end of the crisis in Sri Lanka, and we have been scouting for an inbound business in the market for quite some time which could cater to both Thomas Cook and non-Thomas Cook business," said Menon. On Thursday, shares of Thomas Cook closed 1.07 per cent higher on the BSE at Rs 227. Luxe, which also has joint venture operations in Duba

July 29, 2015 -- Hospitality giant Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific has confirmed its sponsorship for the Sixth Annual Global Networking Expo known as the GNEX Conference. The event takes place, Feb. 2 5, 2016, in one of Americas most celebrated cities the Big Easy at the historic Ritz Carlton New Orleans. GNEX provides excellent opportunities to spend quality time with the people you want to do business with, says Barry Robinson, President and Managing Director, Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific. Every year, the speakers are impressive, the topics are relevant and the networking opportunities are outstanding. Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific, one of the Gold Coasts largest employers, markets and sells vacation ownership interests in a network of 26 resorts in the Asia Pacific region. The company serves more than 50,000 vacation owners throughout Australia, New Zealand and Fiji in its WorldMark South Pacific Club by Wyndham. At last years GNEX, Wyndha

Tripping.com, a search engine for vacation homes and short-term rentals, announced it has raised $16 million in Series B financing from investors across New York, Silicon Valley, Asia, and Europe. This news coincides with the unveiling of significant growth statistics, including a 2,918% increase in traffic and a 2,390% increase in monthly revenues since last summer. In addition, the company now carefully curates and offers over five million rental listings worldwide. Erik Blachford, former Expedia CEO and active private company investor, explained: "In the short time since Tripping.com received their Series A funding last May, their growth has been exponential. As the leading metasearch site for vacation rentals, Tripping.com has clearly jumped into the market head-first. Their numbers show they're already making a massive impact on the industry, both in the United States and abroad, and I'm excited to be along for the ride." The round was led by Steadf

Key Southeast Asian markets have seen a marked drop in Chinese tourists, a growth sector across much of the globe, as air crashes and geopolitical tensions take their toll. While China spends more on outbound travel than any other nation, up 28 per cent to $165bn last year, the reversal of fortunes for some of Southeast Asia's main tourism destinations underlines the risks that countries face as they look to China for growth. More On this story On this topic IN Asia-Pacific The trend is particularly concerning for countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia that were banking on Chinese tourists to help boost their slowing economies. "These Asian markets have been the early recipients of the largest Chinese outbound flows and have quickly adapted to a recognition that the China market will progressively swamp all others," said Will Horton, an analyst at the Centre for Aviation, a research company, in Hong Kong. "Chinese media and shifts in polit

North exposure Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based, British-run company that has been taking tourists into North Korea for more than 20 years, has just launched a new 11-day rail tour of the country (above). The trip begins on October 1, with a briefing in Beijing, and gets properly under way on day two, with a flight to Pyongyang. A couple of days will be spent looking around the North Korean capital and visiting nearby Mount Myohyang, before the main rail journey northeast to the rarely visited industrial city of Chongjin sets off on day five. The tour ends back in Pyongyang, just in time for Party Foundation Day, which promises to provide one of those impressive spectacles of mass choreography for which North Korea is well known. Tourists then have the choice of returning to Beijing by plane or by train. The tour is priced from €2,890 (HK$24,300) per person, and tourist visas can be obtained through Koryo Tours. The company stresses, however, that journalists and photographers – e ven

Bruce Morrison is a pastor in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada. For 20 years, Morrison's church supported Gospel for Asia but stopped doing so in April of this year. Now, in a 13 page letter, Morrison details the reasons for ending support and provides insight into his efforts to get answers from GFA. Morrison's findings are very similar to my own. While we have spoken some over the past several weeks, Morrison began looking into GFA's finances about a month before I did. His church dropped support about the time I began writing about GFA and came as the result of his research and efforts to get answers from GFA. Read Morrison's letter with the knowledge in mind that his church supported GFA for 20 years. It is hard to believe that a church with that track record would be unable to get basic answers from a mission organization. However, given my experience with GFA, I certainly believe it. The lack of information and answers should be a red flag to current and pro

Photo "It was time for us to think in much more global terms," said Chris DeWolfe, chief of SGN. Credit Peter Bohler for The New York Times Nowhere are mobile video games more popular — or lucrative — than in Asia. And now Asian companies are making big bets that they can spread some of their expertise in mobile gaming to the United States. In the last year, some of China and Japan's largest Internet companies and game makers have pumped tens of millions of dollars into American mobile game companies. Tencent, China's giant Internet conglomerate, invested $126 million in Glu Mobile and $60 million in Pocket Gems, two American game studios. Alibaba, China's biggest online commerce company, put $120 million in the San Francisco-based Kabam. And Sega, a Japanese company, acquired De

To Jonathan Ming Ren Liu, assistant president of America Asia Travel Center, the recent Chinese stock market crash is just a distant story on his television. On a recent weekday morning, five buses roar to life behind the travel agency's Monterey Park office as more than 200 Chinese tourists line up to board, bound for places including Disneyland, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. The next day, the agency is expecting more than 600 riders. In the weeks after China's main stock index lost $3 trillion — nearly a third of its value — investors around the world braced for an economic earthquake. SIGN UP for the free Essential California daily newsletter >> In the San Gabriel Valley, where an influx of Chinese immigrants and money has spurred a surge in cash-offer real estate sales and an explosion of sprawling multistory strip malls covered with Chinese language signs, the web of co nnections to China is

⌂Home Mail Search News Sports Finance Weather Games Answers Screen Flickr Mobile More⋁ Politics Celebrity Movies Music TV Groups Health Style Beauty Food Parenting Makers Tech Shopping Travel Autos Homes Try Yahoo Finance on Firefox » Skip to Navigation Skip to Main content Skip to Right rail 👤 Sign In ✉ Mail ⚙ Help Account Info Help Suggestions Source: Here's how much America's affluent really spend on vacation

Yu Yureka Plus Gold Price Nach Baliye 7 winner England vs Australia 2nd Test Bajrangi Bhaijaan Box Office Collection England vs Australia Ashes 2015 Bangladesh vs South Africa Test Series Watch Movies Online Compare Mobile Phones India Hindi News Source: Current Affairs: Kerala tourism's Muziris heritage project won PATA award

JEDDAH: Almost 50 percent of Saudi tourists have headed for Europe to spend the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, thanks to weakening of the euro against the dollar and discounts offered by some airlines. Saudi Arabia-Europe flights were fully booked by the end of Ramadan, said officials connected to travel and tourism."Tourist destinations like Turkey, Dubai, Malaysia and some East Asian countries, which are generally preferred by many Saudis, are witnessing a relative lull this summer due to the rising prices and temperatures there," said Nasser Al-Tayyar, the head of the National Tourism Committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers.He said the month of Ramadan coincided with the school summer vacation this year, so many of them planned to travel during this time.Another expert, Badar bin Mohammad, said the summer vacation witnesses a large number of Saudi families wanting to travel outside the Kingdom because of high temperatures in the Kingdom.Echoing Al-Tayyar's view, he sai

BEIJING (AP) — The 16-year-old son of a Chinese couple targeted by authorities in a crackdown on rights lawyers has been barred from traveling to Australia to attend high school and placed under police surveillance, a family friend said Saturday. Bao Mengmeng, son of prominent rights lawyer Wang Yu, was told by police not to seek legal help or inquire about the whereabouts of his parents, who are believed to be detained by authorities amid the crackdown, said Chen Jiangang, also a rights attorney. Chinese authorities routinely put pressure on activists by targeting their family members, friends and work associates. They muzzle relatives of activists through coercive methods to ensure that they won't speak up on behalf of their loved ones and that the official narratives prevail. In one high-profile example, Liu Xia, wife of the 2010 Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, has been under house arrest since her husband won the award. In the latest crackdown on civil activism in Ch

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Tourism has bagged this year's prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Award for its Muziris Heritage Project in the 'Heritage and Culture' category. The award, sponsored by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), was bestowed on the Muziris Heritage Project for its "conservational aspect, uniqueness and impact on the local community". This year's PATA Grand and Gold Awards recognise the achievements of 25 separate organisations.           Disclaimer: We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the NIE editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines. Source: PATA Award for Muziris Project

The notion of traveling is about more than just a dollar value, since you spend endless hours planning and dreaming before you book anything. And we're all about igniting your imagination, so we've gathered five of the best travel deals so that you can focus on dreaming without worrying about the bottom line. 4-Night Bahamas Flight & Hotel Vacation for 2 Vendor:  CheapCaribbean via ShermansTravel Price:  From $814.62 via coupon "GRAND250A" Lowest By:  $475 Expires:  Today Is It Worth It?:  Picture turquoise water dipped with the overhanging branches of lilting mangroves framing miles upon miles of pristine beaches, and you've probably got a postcard image of the Bahamas. But finding the perfect stay on this island is not always as simple as it should be. Standards vary greatly, which is why we got so excited about this particular deal. This vacation features accommodation at the 4-star Grand Lucayan Resort, which

SHANGHAI, China - The Peninsula Shanghai has been voted the "World's Best Hotel in Asia " by the readers of Travel + Leisure. The Peninsula Shanghai topped the Best Hotel in Asia readers' poll with an impressive score of 96 out of 100. Despite only opening in October 2009 , the Bund-front hotel confirmed its stellar reputation among discerning travellers in China , Asia and worldwide by also being voted eighth on the World's Best 100 Hotels list. Among the unique services offered to guests, The Peninsula Shanghai is the first hotel anywhere in the world to include the BMW i8 hybrid sports car in its vehicle fleet, and offers private luxury cruises on the Huangpu River aboard The Peninsula Princess 54 yacht. In addition to the success of The Peninsula Shanghai in winning the 2015 Best Hotel in Asia award, the details of which are published in the August 2015 issue of Travel + Leisure (US) , The Peninsula Hotels also ranked third in the overall Top Hotel Brands

July 13, 2015 By: TTG AsiaNews Following its partnership with the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration (SMTA) to conduct two professional education programmes during the city's Business Events Week in April, the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) is moving into Kunming next. In Shanghai, SACEOS provided corporate travel and association meetings professional education to 40 and 30 MICE practitioners respectively. SACEOS education chair, Ong Wee Min, said the partnership with SMTA in Shanghai was a "dipstick" and there would be further development in China. Lilian Kuan, SACEOS executive director, announced new MOUs to provide professional education to MICE professionals in Kunming have been signed. Kuan noted: "MOUs have been signed with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Yunnan Sub-Council and the Kunming Exposition Affairs Bureau." "SACEOS will be providing

Sterling has been dropped from Liverpool's tour - which means a move to the Etihad could be imminent Sterling was yesterday named in Liverpool's 30-man squad for their tour of Thailand, Australia and Malaysia, but fresh developments mean he will not board the plane with the rest of the Anfield squad. While there is no deal in place, talks are sufficiently advanced that Sterling will stay behind to see if a deal can be completed. City have already failed with two bids, the second reported to be worth £40million, this summer, but it appears they have now made progress in talks. Sterling missed the start of pre-season training earlier this week, citing illness as he sat out Wednesday and Thursday's sessions before reporting on Friday. In today's Sunday World we reported that he had asked manager Brendan Rodgers if he could be excused from the pre-season tour before being named in the 30-man squad. Liverpool are due to fly to Bangkok ahead

The ESPN FC panel debate which person should leave Liverpool, head coach Brendan Rodgers or Raheem Sterling following the current transfer controversies. ESPN FC's Craig Burley sounds off on Raheem Sterling's recent tactics in trying to force through a Liverpool exit. ESPN FC correspondent Gab Marcotti believes Manchester City won't offer any more for Liverpool's Raheem Sterling. Liverpool legend Steve Nicol believes Raheem Sterling not showing up to Liverpool training is 'the nail in the coffin' for his time at Anfield. Liverpool have included Raheem Sterling in the squad to travel for the preseason tour of Asia, but there is no place for Fabio Borini or Jose Enrique. Mario Balotelli is also omitted, but the Italy international was recently given compassionate leave to miss Liverpool's first days of preseason training following the death of his adoptive father.  Sterling, a transfer target for Manchester City, missed training on

Some time ago I emailed Francis Chan ab0ut his endorsement of Gospel for Asia. Chan says on the video below that he is skeptical and because of that he sent people to check GFA out. I was told by his assistant Chaz that he was getting my emails, but it was unlikely that I would get a personal response from Chan. And as Chaz predicted, I have not heard from Chan in response to concerns I raised in the emails and blog posts. Watch Chan's endorsement of GFA. Rev. Chan, like you, I am skeptical, but unlike you, I don't have a budget that allows me to send people to check GFA out. However, I have asked GFA multiple times for help understanding why their 2013 audited statement says they sent $58.5 million to GFA-India in 2013 but only $6.5 million shows up in GFA-India's reports to the Indian government. I can account for another $22 million that GFA in the U.S. sent to Believers' Church and two other NGOs controlled by K.P. Yohannan but that leaves about $30 million

When it comes to boasting the best combination of cabin comfort, in-flight service, customer service and value, Singapore Airlines is the world's best, at least according to Travel + Leisure's 2015 World's Best Awards. The Asian carrier earned an impressive score of 90 (no other airline earned better than an 87) based on T + L reader surveys completed from November 2014 to March 2015. The score is an indexed average determined by travelers' evaluation of the aforementioned characteristics. Gulf carriers Emirates and Qatar Airways weren't far behind Singapore's flag carrier, though, finishing second and third respectively. Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand rounded out the top five.  Three other Asian airlines cracked the top 10 with a score of 82 or higher. No. 7 ranked Thai Airways was recognized along with Emirates for being featured on the list for 10 consecutive years. The two airlines were awarded Hall of Fame status.  Even more

Getaways with pristine beaches and upscale hotels are most likely to top the family vacation destination list for well-heeled Asia Pacific families.1.The Study, which looked into the travel patterns of affluent consumers in eight major markets in Asia Pacific, found that four in five (82 percent) respondents have traveled with their families in the past 12 months and they also prefer to spend their holidays within the region. Respondents rank Japan (26 percent), Hong Kong (25 percent) and Australia (21 percent) as the most popular destinations over the past 12 months. In the same period, the survey shows the region's most frequent affluent travelers to be from Singapore and China (3.1 trips each), followed by Hong Kong (2.8 trips) and India (2.0 trips).  James Lim, Head of Consumer Products, Asia Pacific, said, "Family vacations have become important occasions that affluent families in the region look forward to every year. However, where the family chooses to go – wheth

Travel + Leisure India-South Asia, published by Exposure Media Marketing India Pvt Ltd a subsidiary of Burda International, announced a renewed and expanded strategic partnership to offer Travel + Leisure's print and tablet editions to American Express Cardmembers in India. For the first time in India, select American Express Cardmembers in the country will receive an enhanced version of Travel + Leisure's tablet edition, which will offer them a deeper experience along with bonus content. American Express Platinum Charge Cardmembers will also receive the print edition every month. Burda is a leading innovator in publishing, and American Express, the world's largest card issuer by purchase volume, is a global service company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. This strategic alliance is only fitting and a significant step forward for both brands. To the connoisseurs of luxury travel,

Story highlights China's embassy in Turkey has issued a travel warning to its citizens Some Chinese tourists were "attacked and harassed" during recent protests China and Turkey are at odds over China's treatment of the Muslim Uyghurs The Chinese and Turkish governments are at odds over China's treatment of the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group that live in China's far western Xinjiang province. In a statement on its website, the Chinese embassy told Chinese tourists to be aware of their safety and avoid going out alone. It also advised them not to get close to protesters or photograph them. At the weekend, there were a series of anti-Chinese protests in Istanbul in support of Uyghurs, during which some demonstrators were seen burning Chinese flags. In one incident, Turkish television showed police intervening on Saturday to stop demonstrators. They appeared to be pursuing East Asian tourists. Television footage showed

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit from July 6-13 to Russia as also five Central Asian countries is expected to boost strategic and economic ties with the region, India Inc said today. "Consequent to India increasing FDI up to 49 per cent in the defence production, its economic relations with Russia are expected to see a dramatic change with the Prime Minister's visit to the CIS countries giving an extra push to strategic ties with the region," industry body Assocham said. With focus on enhancing strategic, economic and energy ties, Modi is scheduled to travel from July 6 to 13 to five Central Asian countries and Russia where he will attend the summits of BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The Prime Minister's visit will start with Uzbekistan from where he will go to Kazakhstan on July 7. He will then travel to Russia on July 8, before moving to Turkmenistan on July 10, Kyrgyzstan on July 11 and Tajikistan on July 12. Termi

How you vacation says a lot about you. Dash around like a crazed squirrel? Hole up in a hammock sloth-style? A new survey gives insights into how people travel for pleasure and business, showing how people from China travel differently than the French, how Thais are not like Germans, and how Americans look more like Italians and Indians. The study by TripAdvisor's TripBarometer, a survey of more than 44,000 users and travel providers, looks at how travelers use their smartphones while traveling. And that can suggest which cultures like to disconnect while traveling, and which stayed attached and addicted. In broad strokes, the survey found South Americans, Middle Easterners and Asians are more likely to be the most connected when they're away from home. Europeans were at the other end of the spectrum, more likely to leave the phone in their hotel room while traveling. "The thought and the dream of getting away from it all is not the same as the reality of getting a