Asia Vacations - Travel, Tourism - Info & Review

Updated: 7:48 pm, Saturday, 30 September 2017 US President Donald Trump will travel to Asia next month for the first time since taking office. Mr Trump will stop in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. His visit will include attending two major summits, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum - and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conclave. Discussions are set to be dominated by the escalating nuclear weapons crisis in North Korea. Mr Trump will be joined by his wife Melania - and the trip will take place from November 3 to 14. Chinese President Xi Jinping will then visit the United States in April next year. US President Donald Trump asked a judge on Friday to throw out a lawsuit alleging he is violating the Constitution by using his office to profit from his hotels and other properties. Trump is arguing that the attorneys-general of Maryland and the District of Columbia do not have standing to bring the lawsuit because

As airports and airlines search for new ways to simplify the travel experience and optimise passenger and baggage processing, new technologies and trends are starting to re-shape the airport experience. This is certainly true in Asia, where biometrics technology, robotics and offsite processing are starting to grow in popularity. Biometrics A biometric-enabled Automated Border Control system is now live in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's Terminal 3. (Image: Vision-Box) The move towards biometric-enabled passenger processing is gaining momentum around the world, including across Asia where a number of airlines and airports are actively exploring the potential of the technology. In recent months, the Government of Dubai has outlined its plan to use biometric verification and blockchain technology to create a "gate-less border", while Emirates is also planning to use facial recognition technology to help create a more frictionless journey through the airport

          According to the Airbnb Asia Pacific (APAC) Travel survey, Asia Pacific (APAC) travelers are getting more adventurous with 71% of people surveyed emphasizing the importance of trying local cuisines on vacation, and 6 out of 10 (59%) travelers keen to try new experiences or activities.          That's why Airbnb has partnered with four high profile and award winning chefs: Chef Ian Kittichai(Thailand); Chef Manish Mehrotra (India); Chef Tony Yoo (South Korea); and Chef Koh Kentetsu (Japan) for the Airbnb Kitchens of Asia initiative, which encourages travelers to try authentic Asian dishes and delicacies that capture the flavors of India, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.          APAC women travelers are more adventurous when it comes to trying new cuisines          The Airbnb APAC Travel survey (the Survey), which was conducted in seven countries - Australia, China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand - found women tra velers from China (73%), India (74%)

Chubb has launched a travel application for the first time in the Asia Pacific to help employers adequately prepare and support employees on business travel. Called Chubb Travel Smart, the application provides peace of mind since it is integrated with emergency assistance 24/7 with the touch of a button. "Chubb Travel Smart has been developed to help employers better fulfil their duty of care obligations. "With the added component of an online dashboard, risk, HR and security managers can locate and send messages and alerts to business travellers anywhere in the world," said Glen Browne, executive vice president, accident and health, Asia Pacific, Chubb in Asia Pacific. Following the launch in China, Chubb Travel Smart will be launched in other Asia Pacific countries in due course. Previous Video Nessie returns to VisitBritain ad campaign Next Video British Airways introduces Mototok tugs at Heathrow Source: Chubb Travel Smart launches in Asia Pac

The oft-trodden paths of popular tourist destinations can often be too crowded and too cliche to become the kind of amazing and memorable vacation you wish to share with your family. How are you meant to make this time about your family when you have to share this time with so many other people? Haven't you sometimes wished while on vacation that you were the only people there? Exploring some beautiful places together and sharing the experience adds to the feeling of being part of a family. Children are also more enthused when they learn about and see things that they have never experienced or heard of before. Here is a list of some natural parks and reserves in India by Jayanth Sharma, co-founder and CEO at Toehold that are packed with fun for the whole family. -Ranthambore: This vacation, instead of splurging on royal heritage hotels or opulent villas in Rajasthan, head to Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Reserve. Well known for sightings of tigers, you can also spot

President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, a tightening of already-tough visa rules affecting citizens and refugees from six Muslim-majority countries, will go into effect Thursday evening. The ACLU is criticizing the Trump administration for pushing on with the ban, citing the chaos that erupted in airports nationwide the first time the ban went into effect. (Published Thursday, June 29, 2017) President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation imposing strict new restrictions on travelers from a handful of countries, including five that were covered by his expiring travel ban. Administration officials say the new measures are required to keep the nation safe. The indefinite restrictions apply to citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and North Korea. As part of the presidential proclamation signed Sunday, the U.S. will also bar the entry of certain Venezuelan government officials and their immediate families. The changes will take effect October 18. The annou

Traveling in Asia is out of this world. The culture is alien, and the food is far removed from what people eat in the west. And no, we're not talking about fortune cookies (which were actually invented in San Francisco). And of course, there is so much more to Asia that's incredible to explore. When you're overseas getting lost and rubbing elbows with the natives, it's the best way to experience new cultures… but it also opens you up to scams as some of these same locals try and suck out the hard earned cash from your money belt. 10. Buy Baby Formula for Mothers' Kids In many countries, there is real poverty that is present everywhere – even around many tourist hotspots. Tourists are usually savvy about avoiding giving money to beggars as they are likely professionals or being exploited by others into begging. Understandably, foreigners still want to help, especially when it comes to young children. So when they are approached by a poor mother who

Advertisement Published: September 23rd 2017 Edit Blog Post i was to pickup out train tickets from a certain window at Bejing train station that is hige Ileft susie with the luggage to find the window after going down 3 flights of steps i go to window one the lady points to window 5 so I go there give him a conf number show him my passport he gives me one ticket He says he needs wife passport too so I run. Ack up the steps and a 1/8 miile ger her passport go back and get her ticket.We make it on the train the compartment next to us and 1/2 of our compartment belows to a chinese family grand parents brothers a daughter and 2 grand daughters the little girl 5 kept entertaining us and soon all the kids in the carriage were surrounding us playing peek aboo. The little girl 5 sang the 3 little monkeys song and showed us her ballet skiills and pretnding to play her piano too. Her mom 34 started singing hey jude and we had a sung along so was fun There was another American

WE KNOW this sad story all too well. Young, carefree Aussie heads over to Thailand or Bali for a tropical holiday. They soak up the sun, hit the surf, sip on cocktails, buy a Bintang singlet and hire a scooter to get around. It is a rite of passage that many young Australians enjoy. Until it kills them. This week, we learnt the tragic news of Sophia Martini's death. The "fun and always smiling" 27-year-old was killed when she fell off the back of a scooter driven by her boyfriend on Monday morning (local time). It is a tragedy that we have become far too acquainted with. Ms Martini is the fourth Australian to die in a motorbike crash in Bali since April 2016. And that's just in Bali. Road accidents are the leading cause of tourist deaths in Thailand and a growing concern for Thai authorities, especially in the holiday hot spots of Koh Samui, Phuket and Pattaya. The United Nations even ranks Thailand's roads as the second most deadly in the world, where

           The Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) annual 'Amazing Thailand Luxury Fam Trip 2017' was hailed a huge success by 32 top long-haul travel agents who attended from 15 major overseas countries from 28 August to 3 September.          Ms. Runjuan Tongrut, TAT Executive Director of the East Asia Region (2nd from left); Mrs. Pataraporn Sithivanich, TAT Executive Director of Europe, Africa, and Middle East Region(6th from left); Mrs. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Deputy Governor for International Marketing Asia and South Pacific (7th from left); Mr. Santi Chudintra, Deputy Governor for Policy and Planning (7th from right); Ms. Jittima Sukpalin, TAT Executive Director of the Americas Region (6th from right); Dr. Walailuck Noypayak, TAT Executive Director for ASEAN, South Asia and South Pacific Region (5th from right)          As part of the trip, the 'Amazing Thailand Luxury Trade Meet' was also held to allow buyers to meet and discuss emerging trends wit h luxury

HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 20, 2017 : Recently, three American travel journalists landed in what Marco Polo called "Paradise on Earth" to discover Hangzhou on an in-depth media tour hosted by the Hangzhou Tourism Committee. Their mission: to rediscover the sights, sounds, feelings and tastes that so astounded the famed 13th century explorer. In Marco Polo's time, Hangzhou was considered a romantic destination with fascinating history, culture and ancient tradition. The once-flourishing capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) is now one of the hottest travel destinations in the world. Since the 2016 G20 Summit put Hangzhou back onto the radar of international travelers, both the New York Times and Travel+Leisure magazine have listed it as a top destination. From the UNESCO heritage sites including the Grand Canal and West Lake to the traditional silk factory and tea plantations, the writers enjoyed everything the city has to offer and more in the five-day trip

Destination Asia, has announced new key management positions James (Jim) Reed, formerly CEO and one of the founders of Destination Asia Group, has been appointed executive chairman and Monique Arnoux joins as CEO.  Jim Reed and Monique Arnoux Jim was instrumental in expanding the Destination Asia Group, initially with a footprint in just two countries and 18 staff in 1996 to its current 11 country pan-Asia network with over 600 highly skilled staff and 29 operating offices. From 1991 to 1996, Jim was the Group Managing Director of Tour East, based in Bangkok, and prior to that (1988 – 1991) he was the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Island Shangri-la hotel in Hong Kong. "I am honoured to continue my long history with Destination Asia, a business that is personally close to my heart. We not only strive to achieve maximum profitability for our shareholders, but we also nurture a work environment that develops exceptional travel experiences – every day of the year"

Insensitive, grinning selfies being snapped in front of torture tools, visitors pocketing fragments of bones and Pokemon Go! players storming a genocide museum are among the reports of disrespectful behaviour at sites serving as memorials to the estimated two million people who died under the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. "We have seen a definite growth in the role of dark tourism," says travel industry expert Carolyn Childs, cofounder of MyTravelResearch.com, referring to a global appetite for travel to destinations scarred by death and suffering. "There is no doubt a proportion of travellers are either 'tick list' travellers or whose interest has darker motivations." Travel taboos: how not to be an obnoxious tourist - wherever you're from As travel becomes more accessible, and the trend of sharing experiences via social media more widespread, the question is: do such macabre experiences play a role in educating and atoning, or are they simply

New Delhi , September 17 : Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will today be travelling to Turkmenistan for a day to attend 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. The ten-day event, beginning on on September 17, will be held at Ashgabat. "Travelling to Turkmenistan for a day to attend the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Art Games in Ashgabat," Pradhan tweeted. He also wished the Indian athletes participating in the event under various categories. "172 athletes will be representing India in 13 disciplines at this international event. My best wishes to them," he added. Ashgabat is the first city in the former Soviet Central Asian region, which has won the right to host the Asian Indoor Games. The opening ceremony will be held at the newly built Olympics stadium in Ashgabat. All the 45 member-countries of the Olympic Council of Asia will attend this event, apart from the first-timers - 17 Oceania National Olympic Committees. Source: Dharmendra Pradhan to travel

Staff writer Thursday 14 September 2017 Spending within the UAE's travel and tourism sector is expected to reach over $56bn in 2022 as new mega projects come to market, a new study conducted by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has found. The analysis, based on new data from Business Monitor International and the World Travel and Tourism Council, revealed that total spending in the sector is predicted to increase by 4.5 per cent year-on-year in 2017 to reach over $42bn. Tourism and travel accounted for 12.1 per cent of the UAE's GDP in 2016, or $43.3bn, the report stated. Overall, 14.9 million leisure and business travellers visited the UAE in 2016, representing a 4.9 per cent increase compared to 2015. The Middle East was identified as the largest source of visitors, with a share of 28.6 per cent in total arrivals during 2016, followed by the Asia Pacific region at 25.7 per cent, and Europe at 17.1 per cent. The report also found that leisure

Chinese tier two city passengers are more inclined to visit the South East Asia region than their tier one, three and four counterparts, new air traffic analysis from m1nd-set shows. Data from the firm's *Business 1intelligence Service (B1S) platform in association with IATA reveals South East Asia as their preferred destination, with 40% of trips made to the region versus 25% of trips made from tier one cities, 22% from tier three cities and a mere 12% from tier four cities. In a similiar fashion, outbound travel to North East Asian countries were far fewer from tier 1 cities at 32%, versus 42% from tier two cities, 49% from tier three cities and a significant 78% from tier four cities. By comparison, Western Europe and North America received a higher percentage of flights from tier one Chinese cities, at 13% each, than from Hong Kong, where 9% of outbound travel was to Western Europe and 8% to North America. Even tier three cities notched a higher percentage of outbound

September 13, 2017 2:16 pm Spending within the UAE's travel and tourism sector is expected to rise steadily over the next five years and reach over $56 billion in 2022 as new mega projects come to market, analysis by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry showed. The analysis, based on new data from Business Monitor International (BMI) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) revealed that total spending in the sector is predicted to increase 4.5 per cent year on year in 2017 to reach over $42bn. Source of growth Growth within the UAE's travel market growth will likely be supported by several recently announced projects, including Marsa Al Arab, a $1.7bn mega tourist resort near the Burj Al Arab, the new IMG Worlds of Legends theme park, a Formula One theme park at Dubai's Motor City, Six Flags at Dubai Parks and Resorts, in addition to a number of planned shopping malls and cultural venues. These mega projects fall in line with Du

Mumbai-based travel tech startup makes planning for holidays to Thailand and Indonesia as easy as chatting with a bot named 'Sparrow.' Planning a holiday is often a painstaking and time-consuming affair. From initial research and chats with friends and family to learn about their experiences to getting down to the nitty-gritties of trip planning like bookings and drawing up a checklist of must-do and must-see things, it can be a lot of work. Ithaka wants to take the sweat out of travel planning. Founded by IIT-Bombay graduates Ameya Sahasrabudhe and Rahul Singh in 2015, Ithaka started off as a marketplace for travel experiences and local experience bookings, but the founders soon realised the massive problem of travel planning. Ameya says, "While we were trying to market our bookings business, we figured that there was a huge demand in terms of real-time help for travellers in their journey. Hence, we ventured in with the 100 percent chat-based assistance model.&

10 Foods to Bring Home From Your Travels in Asia Advertiser Disclosure The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Source: 10 Foods to Bring Home From Your Travels in Asia

World's largest continent is home to some of earth's most beautiful natural and man-made treasures, making it a huge draw for travellers. From pristine beaches and dense forests to giant walls and ethereal pagodas, there's a lot in Asia to be explored.  Source: 20 must-visit holiday destinations in Asia

Summer is the busiest tourism season for many destinations in the northern hemisphere, and the warmer weather brought some heat to an array of areas besides beaches, boardwalks, and backyards. But before the temperatures began to rise, many regions in the northern hemisphere and elsewhere were already experiencing some of the strongest tourism growth they've had in seven years. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) released data this week showing 598 million travelers crossed international borders in the first six months of 2017, a six percent increase in the same period last year. The January-through-June stretch was also the strongest such period since 2010 for global tourism growth as the average year-over-year growth for those months has been four percent during the past seven years. UNWTO data show that Europe and Africa had the strongest tourism growth for January through June (eight percent year-over-year) while Asia-Pacific was six percent and North

Irish travellers looking for a budget trip to Asia are in luck as Finnair have announced some incredible low fares. The airline has announced return flights for just over €400 to a range of top destinations from Dublin via their base in Helskini. Holidaymakers keen to visit India can snap up return flights to Delhi, costing just €420 for those travelling between November 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018. Another option for those looking to travel in the same time period is Beijing for €447. Read More If you're looking to jet off immediately, there are bargain flights to Singapore available for just €458. Meanwhile, travelling to Bangkok between October 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, will set you back just €497. The special offers are available on bookings made until September 19. Commenting on the offers, Finnair's Andrew Fish said: "With summer behind us, now is a great time to take advantage of Finnair's sale fares to a range of leisure and business destinat