Asia Vacations - Travel, Tourism - Info & Review

Whenever I talk to someone who has visited Asia or wants to visit Asia, I often hear the same countries come up in conversation: Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, India, Vietnam and so on. And while I have either visited or want to visit all of these countries and see no problem with them being mentioned, there's one place that isn't often at the top of the list but absolutely should be -- the Philippines. Made up of more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines is a country that, since I've been, I can't stop telling people to visit. Part of me almost doesn't want to say anything because I selfishly don't want the Philippines to become bombarded by the masses, but a larger part of me is asking the question, "Why aren't people talking about the Philippines as much as these other countries?" And so, here I am, attempting to spread the word far and wide about a place that is very much worth seeing. Here are 10 fantastic reasons to visit the Phil

We've got sun, sand, thriving cities and a rich cultural heritage. Some people, however, want a bit more thrill when they travel. Let's see what we have in the ASEAN region. First up: Volcanoes! If you can't find your thrills on a huge "burning mountain", then there are truly no thrills to be had. And that's why an increasing number of adventure tourists in Indonesia are taking to the "smoking" heights to enjoy the strange pleasures afforded by these towering natural wonders. Batu Tara Volcano, Komba Island, Indonesia. More and more thrill-seekers are choosing to walk along volcanic mountains. Photo: GoAsean Located in the heart of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is home to over a hundred volcanoes. Some, like the beautiful Kawah Ijen in East Java, reward intrepid hikers with views of a mysterious turquoise sulphur lake, which at night gives off an ethereal blue glow. Great smouldering craters and eerie volcanic landscapes aren't enough for

It is becoming readily apparent that Calgary-based WestJet will likely soon join the long list of airlines flying Canada-to-Asia routes. What is unclear, however, is whether the carrier's future will focus on Vancouver — where much of Canada's Asia-bound flights already originate — or if WestJet will leverage its existing base of operations (along with a new runway and a new international terminal opening soon) in Calgary. As part of the airline's 20th anniversary, WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky has been making the rounds of Canadian media outlets in recent weeks. During a conversation with The Sun, Saretsky outlined a number of initiatives in the airline's future: The increasing use of wide-body aircraft, the hiring of staff who can speak either Mandarin or Cantonese, as well as a new company logo that incorporates the maple leaf. The obvious conclusion: WestJet is moving into the lucrative (but very competitive) non-U.S., non-sun-destination international market.

MUMBAI: India has three of the top 10 beaches in Asia favoured by travellers, a survey by travel website TripAdvisor said. The beaches are Agonda, Palolem (both in Goa) and Radhanagar on the Havelock Island in the Andamans, according to TripAdvisor's top 10 'Asia's Travellers' Choice Award-Winning Beaches'. "India, with its extensive shoreline, is dotted with beautiful stretches of sand and it's great to see these gems gaining recognition globally," TripAdvisor India's Country Manager Nikhil Ganju said. Travellers' Choice Award-winning beaches were determined on the quantity and quality of traveller reviews and ratings on the TripAdvisor website gathered over a 12-month period. This year's awards honour 343 beaches, including the top 10 in the world and lists for Asia, Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, South America, the South Pacific, the UK and the US. Three of India's beaches have featured in the list of top

It is no secret that the best martial arts training you can get in Eastern countries. This truth is captured in the super popular and classic movie "The Karate Kid." In this film, little fellow Dre's workouts take place in the most beautiful places in China. In the movie, you will notice the Forbidden City, located in Beijing. The palace, where 24 different emperors lived, covers an area of 72 hectares. To see it all, you might be going to need a few days – there are almost nine thousand of different rooms in this palace. But it certainly worth it to book the whole day just to visit the Forbidden City in the capital city of China. Source: 5 incredible places in Asia as pictured in Hollywood movies

VANCOUVER -- There is not much standing in the way of WestJet one day offering direct service to Asia from B.C., but it will have to be a carefully planned chapter if it is to become part of WestJet's "great Canadian success story." Prior to celebrating the airline's 20th anniversary on Monday, WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky sat down with Postmedia on Thursday to discuss a range of topics relating to air travel and where the airline might go — literally and figuratively — in the next two decades. "What would prevent us from going to Asia? Not much. We want to prove that we can be successful in points of sale outside of Canada — we're a household name. You can go to any city in Canada, even not served by WestJet, and WestJet is a household name," said Saretsky in Vancouver this week. "The same is not true if we go ... anywhere in China — even in Beijing." In September 2015, the airline announced a new foray into the international market, i

The Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report is a weekly newsletter focused on the future of corporate travel, the big fault lines of disruption for the travel managers and buyers, the innovators emerging from the sector, and changing business traveler habits that are upending how corporate travel is packaged, bought, and sold. Subscribe Here for Weekly Updates: The Future of Corporate + Business Travel Late last year we wrote about expanding our coverage into the complex world of corporate travel. Now, we're ready to go deeper into it. Corporate Travel Innovation Report is our new weekly newsletter written and curated by Skift editors Hannah Sampson and Andrew Sheivachman. You can contact them at hs AT skift.com and as AT skift.com. The newsletter will be delivered in your inboxes every Thursday, full of news, views, analysis and ideas on the changing business of corporate travel. We will look closely at the various players in the business, from the buyers to the sel

By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia is set to increase taxes on foreign travelers who work in the country, raising concerns from farmers that their supply of "backpacker labor" at harvest times may dry up and undermine Australia's ambitions of being Asia's delicatessen. Australian fruit exports are set to hit a record A$2.27 billion ($1.63 billion) next season, up 10 percent from the previous 2014/15 season, and backpackers on working holiday visas make up the bulk of fruit pickers during harvests. "We could have a situation where we don't have enough labor to harvest our produce," said Tim Reid, one of Australia's largest cherry producers and exporters in Tasmania. "During the harvest, backpackers make up about 70 percent of our labor, without them we wouldn't have a business." Australia faces a ballooning budget deficit of

The Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report is a weekly newsletter focused on the future of corporate travel, the big fault lines of disruption for the travel managers and buyers, the innovators emerging from the sector, and changing business traveler habits that are upending how corporate travel is packaged, bought, and sold. Subscribe Here for Weekly Updates: The Future of Corporate + Business Travel Late last year we wrote about expanding our coverage into the complex world of corporate travel. Now, we're ready to go deeper into it. Corporate Travel Innovation Report is our new weekly newsletter written and curated by Skift editors Hannah Sampson and Andrew Sheivachman. You can contact them at hs AT skift.com and as AT skift.com. The newsletter will be delivered in your inboxes every Thursday, full of news, views, analysis and ideas on the changing business of corporate travel. We will look closely at the various players in the business, from the buyers to the sel

SINGAPORE: The Republic has been ranked joint-fifth in travel freedom for three consecutive years and those holding a Singapore passport can travel to 173 countries or territories without needing a visa, according to a global index released on Wednesday (Feb 24).  This is up from 169 countries in 2015.  The annual Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index, produced in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association, ranks countries according to the number of other countries or territories that their citizens can travel to without having to obtain a visa.  Germany came up tops in the 2016 Index, as those holding its passport can access 177 countries or territories without a visa. Sweden was second, with its passport holders able to access 176 countries or territories visa-free.  The United Kingdom - which shared the top spot last year with Germany - slipped to third, as those holding a UK passport can access 175 countries or territories without needing a vis

Once upon a time Prestonwood Baptist Church's lead pastor Jack Graham endorsed K.P. Yohannan and Gospel for Asia. Now those endorsement pics and videos are missing. Other pastors who came to GFA via Graham (e.g., Rob Wilton) also are missing. The current page is here. As of about week ago, the bottom of the page looked like this: From GFA.org/believerschurch Prestonwood Baptist Church has not responded to requests for comment about their current stance toward GFA. Source: More Gospel for Asia Endorsements Missing

Browse > Home / Blogs, Don Ross / Adventure travel expands in Asia Adventure travel expands in Asia February 24, 2016 by Don Ross   Filed under Blogs, Don Ross Leave a Comment CHIANG RAI, 24 February 2016: Adventure travel is a key component for Southeast Asian nations if they are to spread the benefits of tourism to secondary destinations. That was the core message for 278 adventure travel experts from 34 countries attending the Pacific Asia Travel Association Adventure and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart at Chiang Rai's Dusit Island Resort, late last week. The two-day event  attracted 44 sellers from 28 travel related companies, 10 destinations, 32 specialised buyers from 20 countries and 11 travel bloggers. The total turnout reached 278 compared to just 200 delegates, last year, when the event was held in Bhutan. If there were any doubts about the future of adventure travel, they were quickly dispelled by a line up of more than 20 spe

Diethelm Travel, a Thailand-based inbound tour operator servicing Asia, has promoted Torsten Edens to the newly created position of Group Operating Director, reporting to Lisa Fitzell, Group Managing Director. Torsten joins Diethelm Travel's headquarters in Bangkok from his previous role of Managing Director for Diethelm Travel Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. His new position is primarily responsible for leading Thailand operations, as well as working across all of Diethelm Travel's destinations to maximize best practices and improve intra-company operations. Hans van den Born departed his position as Managing Director Diethelm Travel Thailand on 19 February to pursue opportunities outside of the company. Lisa Fitzell said, "Hans has played an integral part in Diethelm Travel's success since joining the company in 2010, and we wish him all the best in his future efforts. Additionally, I am very pleased to announce Torsten's promotion and am excited to have

  Press Release Syndication Partners: The following content is not necessarily endorsed, edited, or reviewed by China Money Network. This content comes from our press release partnership, and the companies involved are solely responsible for the content of their release. February 23, 2016 Forbes Travel Guide continues its expansion in Asia Pacific, looking to double its presence in Australia, Indonesia, Korea, Philippines, and other cities in Japan by 2017   SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - Feb 23, 2016 - Forbes Travel Guide today unveiled its 58th list of worldwide Star Rating recipients, including 42 new Five-Star hotels, 101 new Four-Star hotels and 57 new hotels in the Recommended category. Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou The Peninsula Tokyo Forbes Travel Guide now rates properties in 29 countries throughout The Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region and expects to double its size again in the next year with expansion into the Middle East and Africa. As the g

Zacharie Turgeon is a photographer based in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. While he normally shoots with a digital camera, Turgeon decided at the last minute to take his Canon 35mm film SLR on a recent trip to Asia. It turned out to be the best decision he made. After his adventure, Turgeon turned the film photos and digital footage he shot and turned them into the wonderful 2.5-minute-long travel video above. It's titled "Analog Asia," and has been selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick.Here are some of the photos Turgeon captured along the way: You can find a larger collection of his Analog Asia photos in this Behance gallery. Image credits: Photographs by Zacharie Turgeon and used with permission Source: Travel Video Beautifully Captures One Photographer's Trip Through Asia