Asia Vacations - Travel, Tourism - Info & Review

KUNAL JOSHI | 0 157 | June 30 , 2017 , 15:22 IST A vacation means different things to different people; while some prefer to relax, others long for adventure! If you are an adventure junkie, check out these extreme sports: Whale Shark Diving, Thailand Diving can be as laid back as it is adventurous but there's a simple, heart pulsing way to liven up the entire experience if you're looking for something a little more extreme. Head towards the Surin Islands and dive at the Richelieu Rock where whale sharks are commonly sighted. They are difficult to miss as at their largest they can reach 40 feet in length. Huge they may be but don't worry too much as they are actually quite pleasant creatures and stick to a staple diet of plankton. Skydiving, Lido Lakes, Indonesia Skydiving is one of the most enduring extreme sports in the world and there are few better places on earth to give it a try than right here at the Lido Lakes of Indonesia. The incredible val

People are silhouetted as they take the "Battlestar Galactica" rollercoaster ride at Universal Studios Singapore Reuters Universal Studios Singapore has been named the best amusement park in Asia for the fourth consecutive year by travel site TripAdvisor. However, the ranking of the world's top amusement parks was dominated by attractions in Orlando in Florida, with Universal's Islands of Adventure at the top of the list. In the 2017 Travellers' Choice awards for amusement parks, the Sentosa theme park also ranked 17th worldwide. On Thursday, TripAdvisor said that the award winners were determined by using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for amusement parks worldwide over a span of 12-month period. Universal Studios Singapore, located on Sentosa Island, gave tough competition to its regional competitors such as Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Legoland Malaysia, and Universal Studios Japan.

The online travel category is currently experiencing rapid change with mobile channel, personalization and peer-to-peer travel services being the main disruptors. In particular the rise of the mobile channel is changing booking patterns, consumer behaviour and business models in travel, finds a new study. Google India, along with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), today released a comprehensive report on the growth opportunities in the Indian hospitality market over the next four years. The report titled, 'Demystifying the Indian Online Traveler' charts the decision making journey of the Indian traveler and provides insights on the potential growth opportunities for travel businesses till 2020. As per the report, Indian travel market is projected to grow at 11-11.5% to $48 billion by 2020 with the biggest contributor, air travel expected to grow at 15% to $30 billion. Hotels will grow at 13% to $13 billion by 2020 while railways will remain largely stagnant at $5 billion. A

With what seems a steady drumbeat of terrorist attacks targeting tourist attractions and events, travel today can be an anxiety-provoking proposition. In the last two months alone, for example, Britain, often thought of as a safe bet for travel, has been hit by a number of attacks, including one at a concert in Manchester that left 22 people dead, another at London Bridge that killed six people and yet another outside a mosque, which killed one person and injured 11.  Given the environment, is traveling safe and even worth it? Experts say yes, for the most part. "Terrorist attacks are a growing concern around the world, but that shouldn't deter people from traveling," said Matt Dumpert, a senior director at Kroll, a security consulting company in New York. "The reality is that a terrorist attack can happen anywhere in the world at any time, so staying at home isn't going to necessarily keep you safe."   And, as Seth Kugel pointed out in a New York

WYNDHAM HOTEL GROUP'S global footprint is expanding at a rapid pace, further consolidating the success story of the world's largest hotel company. As the South East Asian middle class continues to grow, the hospitality giant is pouncing on the chance to elevate the experience of leisure and business travellers with premium and economy-friendly hotel options in the region. Whether for a family retreat, a romantic honeymoon, or a business trip, Wyndham has pounced on the mass market. Presently, more than 67 properties are operating in South East Asia as well as in parts of East Asia, including Japan and South Korea. The group aims to add an additional 30 properties to its name by 2020, or the equivalent of 8,776 rooms. Barry Robinson, president and managing director of Wyndham Hotel Group South East Asia and the Pacific Rim, said, "This is an exciting period for Wyndham Hotel Group as we accelerate our expansion and development plans with a focus on South E

HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Google and Singaporean sovereign fund Temasek have forecast the Vietnamese online tourism services market to be worth 9 billion USD by 2020, and said local companies should work quickly or risk losing the market to international companies. "Vietnam now has 47.7 million internet users," Trinh Quang Chung, industry manager of Google Asia Pacific, told Thoi bao Kinh doanh (Business Times) newspaper. "Forty eight percent of tourists use their smart phones for booking rooms and 42 percent for searching tourism information." The country's online tourism services are dominated by international online travel agents (OTAs) like Agoda.com, Booking.com, Traveloka.com, and Trivago.com. Of the many services available online, air ticket and room booking would account for 85 percent of turnover by 2020, according to the forecast. But now room booking is the most attractive and competitive segment, and Agoda.com and Booking.com are the stron gest in it wi

Hyatt has launched a mid year special sale offering up to 25% discount on participating Hyatt hotels in Asia-Pacific region. The reservation and the stay period for this offer is on : Bookings made between June 22 and June 26, 2017 Stays between July 1 and September 3, 2017 A total of 88 Hyatt hotels across 14 countries are participating with more than 50% hotels in China. The promotion code for this offer is AP0617 that the Hyatt booking website will automatically pick up when you search for dates between the sale period. The discount is applied on the standard room rates. Keep in  mind that all reservations need to be fully prepaid and there are limited number of rooms allocated to every hotel participating. Also black out dates may apply at individual hotels. The long weekend in August is coming and Ajay and I are still figuring out where to head to. We've been looking at stay options in Goa and Kerala and there is nothing that I can find below INR 10,000/USD 155 per

One of the things young people are encouraged to do repeatedly is to travel the world, in order to broaden their horizons. The problem with this piece of advice however,  is the increasing cost of travelling. This is something that companies such as Contiki are trying to change. The company works to plan holidays that are designed for 18 to 35 year olds who want to explore the six continental markets that the company has broken into. One person who has experienced the Contiki tours is  Khaya Binder, 28, who started doing Contiki tours when she turned 18. The best part of the tours, she believes,  is being in a space where you're allowed to explore.   "Each of my contikis were amazing for their own reason, the earlier ones I really did enjoy the partying aspect of them, and the latest one I focused more on the travel and learning new things part. But overall, the best thing was meeting amazing new people," Binder said. She added: "The people on contiki are

Last month, I boarded a late night flight to Munich in unusual company – with a bunch of 15-16 year olds, flying internationally for the first time in their lives. My initial apprehension of travelling with "kids" was quickly washed over by their fascination for things I've started taking for granted in my nomadic life. Things like watching movies while floating 37,000 feet above earth, observing locals hanging out in Munich's charming beer gardens, and connecting with people from around the globe even if our cultures, accents and appearances are entirely different. Travelling with the junior Indian football team for the FC Bayern Youth World Cup on assignment for Lufthansa, was not only a revelation in terms of how the road can influence young minds, but also a reminder of what it is like to be sixteen and feel both, the yearning to see the world and the hopelessness that you must put your dreams on hold till much later in life. Also read: An Open Letter to Par

Since 2012, Kristin Addis has been traveling the world. More often than not, she's solo.  The former investment banker decided to sell her belongings five years ago and hit the road. She since has lived in silence at a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, trekked to see gorillas in Uganda and hiked on glaciers in Patagonia.   For Addis - who blogs about her experiences at bemytravelmuse.com, and wrote a book on traveling solo, "Conquering Mountains: How to Solo Travel the World Fearlessly" - traveling solo is easier than negotiating with a travel companion.   "You make all the decisions," she says. "You get to just wake up that day and say 'I want to go somewhere.' Or 'I really like it here, I think I'll stay five more days.' And you don't need to ask anyone if it's okay with them."   Plus, she says, traveling alone is a great way to learn about yourself and put your skills to the test.   "You'll become s

Exotic destinations to visit in Asia 23 May 2017 Exotic destinations to visit in Asia The Hari Raya long weekend is just around the corner and this is the perfect time for you to relax and recharge without having to use up much of your annual leave. Instead of heading off to the usual Asian cities like Bangkok and Hong Kong, why not go somewhere off the beaten track? Here are some exotic destinations in Asia that you can spend your 2017 long weekends. Photo: Unsplash/pexels.com 1. Sapa, Vietnam 23 May 2017 1. Sapa, Vietnam With picturesque views overlooking terraced rice fields coupled with breathtaking views of mountain ranges, Sapa is a place that you will want to keep returning to. Located Northwest of Vietnam, Sapa and its surrounding region has been dubbed Vietnam's "Tonkinese Alps". Immerse yourself in this culturally-rich town and even interact with the hill tribes heading to the town's market daily to trade their produce. No visit to

The event takes place on June 28 at the Landmark Bangkok Hotel. The speakers will present current and future trends, case studies and share experiences and knowledge through powerful discussions and interaction with the delegates, the organisers said. A major highlight of the event is the "4th Digital Innovation Asia Awards", when the most innovative digital work in Asia-Pacific travel and tourism will be featured. In addition to the presentations, the conference will feature solution providers, including PayPal, Andovar, Ematic Solutions, Andaman SEO, Sure2Trips and Zumata. Source: Digital trends in Asia-Pacific tourism in focus at Bangkok event

But the case has prompted fresh scrutiny of the agencies — many of them based in China — that take foreign tourists to North Korea and calls for new restrictions on travel to the country, where three other American citizens are still being held on charges of ill-defined crimes against the authoritarian state. Fred Warmbier, Otto's father, lashed out at Young Pioneer Tours at an emotional news conference on Thursday. "The North Koreans lure Americans to travel to North Korea via tour groups, run out of China, who advertise slick ads on the internet proclaiming, 'No American ever gets detained on our tours' and 'This is a safe place to go,'" he said. After Otto Warmbier was medically evacuated to the United States, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said the administration was considering restrictions on American travel to North Korea. Tourism in North Korea is tightly controlled by the government, and it is an important source of funds for the