Tourism to Japan breaks all records

THE Japan National Tourism Organization announced that more than 30 million overseas travelers visited Japan in 2018, an all-time record and an 8.7% increase over 2017 (the previous record year).

"Tourism to Japan from the United States – about 5% of the total – soared 11%," says Naohito Ise, Executive Director of the Japan National Tourism Organization in New York.

In 2018, America's two most influential travel magazines gave #travel to #Japan a major thumbs-up, with Travel+Leisure pronouncing Japan the "Destination of the Year" for 2018 and the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards citing Tokyo and Kyoto as the top two big cities in the world.

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Helsinki and Lyon Awarded Titles of 2019 European Capitals of Smart Tourism

HELSINKI and Lyon the winners of the first edition of the European Capital of Smart Tourism competition were awarded their titles yesterday, November 7 at a ceremony in Brussels, on the occasion of the European Tourism Day.Cities of more than 100.000 inhabitants were eligible in the first edition of this competition, 38 cities from 19 EU Member States applied.In addition, four cities received 2019 European Smart Tourism Awards for their outstanding achievements in the four categories of the competition: Málaga (Accessibility), Ljubljana (Sustainability), Copenhagen (Digitalisation) and Linz (Cultural Heritage & Creativity).

The European Capital of Smart Tourism is a new EU initiative, based on a proposal from the European Parliament, which secured its funding for 2018 - 2019 through a Preparatory Action. The initiative seeks to strengthen tourism-generated innovative development in EU cities and their surroundings, increase their attractiveness as well as strengthen economic growth and job creation.

To celebrate their success, Helsinki and Lyon have planned an exciting schedule of activities for 2019. For example, Helsinki will be launching a smart city guidance pilot scheme, making use of collaborative work with businesses and digital tools to create a smarter way to guide people in the city. Lyon's representatives will be travelling the globe for shows, press meetings and special events to inform new audiences about the city's smart opportunities.

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Ultimate Winery Experiences

ULTIMATE Winery Experiences #Australia is thrilled to announce the inclusion of two new members to the collection – Jackalope at Willow Creek Vineyard, on the Mornington Peninsula and Mandoon Estate, located in the Swan Valley. Both properties offer luxury boutique accommodation, further enhancing UWEA’s suite of experiences. 

Luxury boutique hotel, Jackalope, opened in April 2017 to widespread excitement and acclaim, immediately earning one of Australian tourism’s most revered accolades – Australia’s Hotel of the Year at the annual Gourmet Traveller Australian Hotel Guide Awards.

Mandoon Estate is the first Swan Valley winery in the UWEA collection. Western Australia’s beautiful Swan Valley is a favourite of Perth locals, situated just over 25km from Perth CBD.

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Jutland's last royal castle turn 750 years old

KOLDINGHUS, Jutland’s last royal castle and home to a fascinating museum, turns 750 years old in 2018. The castle has played an important role in Denmark’s history, and the anniversary will be marked with a special exhibition, ’The Splendour of Power’, showcasing a selection of magnificent and unique Danish and European pieces to illustrate the ability of jewellery to capture our fascination and act as statements of shifting power structures over the past 750 years.

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Sit back and relax . . .

NEW Zealand’s original and most successful wine festival, the Marlborough Food and Wine Festival February 10 combines quality wine, gourmet food and live music. 

Sample the crisp sauvignon blanc that the region is famous for and enjoy entertainment from some of New Zealand’s top performers on one of the wine region's oldest and most beautiful vineyards, Brancott Heritage Estate.

Marlborough Food and Wine Festival

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When in Hungary . . . visit the zoo

THE Budapest Zoo, built in 1866, is the oldest and largest zoo park in Hungary. Until the 1950s, it was the sole zoo park of the country. Its 11-hectare territory has been declared a natural preserve area in 1986. The park features 3,500 species of plants and 750 animal species.

A major renovation began in 1990, resulting in nearly all species getting their modern, spacious habitats. There are quite a few works of art on the territory of the Zoo; the two most significant of these are the Elephant House and the main entrance to the Zoo, built in Art Nouveau style. 

For children the Zoo has a special section where the cubs of some species may be fondled and fed with special food. There are also signs in Braille along with statuettes to touch for the blind. The roads and the animal houses can be accessed by wheelchair.

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Hoppy to be in Scotland

IT'S believed that beer has been brewed in #Scotland for more than 5000 years and with more than 115 breweries, stretching from the Valhalla Brewery on Unst in Shetland to Portpatrick Brewery near Stranraer, Scotland is in the midst of a craft beer revolution.

Scotland’s Craft Beer Map will allow beer lovers to plot their very own ale adventures as they work their way around the country discovering some of the finest craft brews.

The new map from VisitScotland currently holds details of more than 70 producers, with more expected to be added in future. Virtual visitors can explore beers by region, find their favourite brands and embark on tours and tastings.

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Lighthouse on the move

2018 offers the last chance to visit the iconic Rubjerg Knude lighthouse before its moved to a new location. The light in Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse was first illuminated on 27 December 1900, at which point it was more than 200m inland and there were no large dunes around it. 

Over time the sea has moved closer and the wind has blown large amounts of sand up from the cliff. By 1968 the sand was so high it was sometimes impossible to see the lighthouse from the sea, and the light was switched off. Since then, the lighthouse has been under attack from coastal erosion, and is in danger of falling into the sea. So, in the next year or two, the old lighthouse will be dismantled and moved to a new location.

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Tokyo's popularity grows

BASED on survey results of over 160,000 AFAR magazine readers Tokyo was selected as the #1 Asian/Middle Eastern city to visit for 2018.

As the host city of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, #Tokyo has been striving to welcome more visitors to the city. Tokyo's growing popularity stems from the truly unique nature of the city, namely the co-existence of long-honored traditions and never-ending innovation.

On par with its art and cultural scene is Tokyo’s celebrated culinary scene. Now with the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, Tokyo continues to attract visitors for endless opportunities for world class dining, cultural experiences, and unmatched hospitality.

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Be inspired in Otago

TOURISM New Zealand has welcomed the launch of Landmarks Whenua Tohunga in Otago, which recognises 12 of the region’s most important historic and cultural sites. The initiative is designed to inspire locals and visitors – both domestic and international – to learn more about the places and stories that have shaped #NewZealand.

The Landmarks-recognised sites are located across the region, encouraging people to travel to less-visited areas of Otago.

Otago is a region in the South Island its major tourist centres being Queenstown, a lakeside resort town which is a magnet for adventure sports and Wanaka which is the gateway to the Southern Alps Mount Aspiring National Park.

Sites recognised by Landmark in Otago include:

• Arrowtown
• Bannockburn Sluicings
• Dunedin Railway Station
• Hayes Engineering Works
• Historic Oamaru
• Kawarau Suspension Bridge
• Larnach Castle
• Olveston
• Otago Central Rail Trail
• Taieri Gorge Railway
• Totara Estate
• TSS Earnslaw

Information about Landmarks will be made available to tourists via the i-SITE Visitor Network and at www.landmarks.nz.

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Picture Credit: Pintrest

Awards for Tai O Heritage Hotel

TAI O Heritage Hotel recently garnered three titles at the 2017 World Luxury Hotel Awards, including Country Winner in Luxury Historical Hotel, Country Winner in Luxury Heritage Hotel and Regional Winner for East Asia in Luxury Cultural Retreat.

Tai O Heritage Hotel is run as a non-profit social enterprise by the #HongKong Heritage Conservation Foundation. Since opening in 2012, Tai O Heritage Hotel has received more than a million visitors and guests. 

By conserving the structure that housed the Old Tai O Police Station and participating in more than 100 community events, the hotel not only strives to preserve the unique landscape and livelihood of the fishing village, but also works with the local community to turn Tai O into one of the most popular tourist destinations in Hong Kong. 

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Go wild in Scotland

SCOTLAND'S international reputation as a key destination for experiencing world-class wild landscapes and outstanding wildlife is to be boosted by Trees for Life joining a prestigious and growing European association of rewilding projects.

The conservation charity was invited to become a member of the European Rewilding Network – placing its restoration of the globally unique Caledonian Forest in the Highlands, especially in Glen Affric and Glenmoriston, firmly on the European map.

A key focus of the network is to show how rewilding – the restoration of damaged natural ecosystems – can benefit economic development, including through nature-based tourism, wildlife watching and volunteering opportunities.

A review of Scotland’s wildlife tourism sector by VisitScotland this year highlighted how the country’s landscapes, nature and wildlife are key reasons for people to choose it as a travel destination. Research in recent years has also shown that wildlife tourism generates an estimated £276 million a year for the Scottish economy.

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Picture Credit: By Rchillyard - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7528891

Count those Castles

RESEARCH has revealed that almost half (49%) of Brits have never visited a Scottish Castle, VisitScotland is encouraging visitors to get castle-bagging.

The research - which comes as the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology comes to a close - also reveals that the Queen’s Holiday Home, Balmoral Castle, is Scotland’s second best-known castle (53%) after the iconic Edinburgh Castle, which 80% of British people were aware of.

In total, #Scotland is thought to have around 3000 standing #castles, ruins and documented sites. Of these, about 1050 are merely sites, including those where a house has been built on the site of a previous castle and about 825 are standing ruins. At the last count, around 660 were in use (private house, hotel or wedding venue) and around 469 were open to the public, though some only for a couple of weeks each year.

Aberdour Castle in Fife and Castle Sween in Argyll are thought to be two of the oldest datable standing castles in Scotland, dating from around 1200 and the youngest castle in Scotland is thought to be Carbisdale Castle which was built in 1907.

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Travel through time in Queensland

EVER wondered what life was like in a 19th century Australian village, a time when British settlers forever changed the aboriginal people’s way of life? The new Spirts of the Red Sand experience in Beenleigh is a 2.5-hour journey through the 1800s, led by Jarrah, the only survivor of three Aboriginal brothers, and based on the true story of his family. 

This interactive experience with indigenous culture takes up to 120 guests through seven sets of live theatre, like the Dreamtime, a precolonial village and a jail, with an 18-strong cast of direct descendants of the first people. The cast will join guests for a warm damper dinner in the dining hall when the show concludes. 

Located in the Beenleigh Historical Village, 45km from the Gold Coast CBD and 36km from Brisbane’s CBD, tickets include transfers from either location. 

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New Archaeological site to open in Mexico

A new archaeological site called the Ichkabal Mayan – dating back to 300 BC – is set to open in 2018 in the southern region of Quintana Roo. The site is spread over more than 30 square kilometres and is believed to have been one of the most important political centres in the region during the Preclassic Mayan era. Located 82 kilometres from Chetumal in the municipality of Bacalar – the site is expected to increase visitor numbers to the region. 

www.visitmexico.com

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Giant of the Ice Age travels Down Under

THE Ice Age world of woolly mammoths is brought back to life for the first time in Mammoths – Giants of the Ice Age, exclusive to the Australian #Museum. 

Meet the most complete and best preserved mammoth ever found in the flesh: a 42,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth named #Lyuba (pronounced Lay-oo-bah), whose name means “love” in Russian. 

This is the first time the world’s most intact mammoth – who was discovered in 2007 with her flesh, internal organs, bones and milk tusks all perfectly intact – has travelled to the Southern Hemisphere from Siberia.

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Trail your literary heroes on the Isle of Wight

FOLLOWING on the heels of the launch of its Victoria’s Island Trail to celebrate the appearance of the Victoria & Abdul movie, Visit Isle of Wight (VIOW) has now published a new Literary Heroes Trail which visitors to the Island can follow all-year-round.

One of the highlights of the Literary Heroes Trail is the newly re-opened Farringford in Freshwater, where the renowned poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson once lived. The dramatic Gothic house has been the subject of a meticulous five-year restoration project, and is decorated in a late 19th Century style that reflects Tennyson’s tastes and interests. The grounds have also been returned to their authentic Tennyson-era appearance, complete with a full walled garden.

Other key locations on the Trail include the sailing village of Seaview, where author Enid Blyton was a regular visitor; and the traditional seaside resort of Ventnor, where Charles Dickens rented Winterbourne in Bonchurch – describing it to his wife as, “The prettiest place I ever saw in my life.”

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Picture Credit: Seaviw, Isle of Wight, Pintrest

Visit Zagreb for a brush with culture

ZAGREB is just an easy, two hour flight from London Heathrow with #Croatia Airlines and British Airways, from London Gatwick with Monarch and also from Manchester with Monarch with a flight time of just 30 minutes more. A wide range of accommodation in the capital from funky hostels, city apartments through to five star hotels.

Street Art - This is quite remarkable and brings present day street art to a new level. Also known as MUU, everyone is talking about this. Street Art was based on an idea by a group of famous Croatian artists to revitalise various parts of Zagreb. The ZagrebBeThere app is a free iOS and Android app which takes you to Zagreb’s coolest spots and helps you to discover the fabulous street art.

Museum of Broken Relationships - An art installation which is now world famous. It exhibits mementos of relationships which have gone wrong (not just between lovers) and is housed in an 18th Century Palace in the Upper Town.

Croatian Museum of Naive Art - Also in the Upper Town, there was an amazing collection of totally self-taught artists and sculptors, many of which were simple country folk. Without any training, this movement developed between 1930-1970’s with most of the artists from the Zagreb and surrounding area, with Hlebine having an important role in this genre. www.hmnu.hr/en

Mestrovic Atelier - The art scene of the capital cannot be considered without mention of Ivan Mestrovic, Croatia’s most famous sculptor and architect. Across Croatia, even in the smallest places, there is usually a Mestrovic creation somewhere. He lived from 1883-1962 and worked with Rodin. More than 300 sculptures and other artwork are on display in his former residence in the Upper Town and dating from 17th century. www.mestrovic.hr/muzeji/atelijer-mestrovic/atelijer-mestrovic.html

Art Pavilion - Not to be missed, a beautiful yellow art deco building at the southern end of Zrinjevac Park. This was never intended as a permanent structure (it was intended as temporary exhibit in Budapest in 1896) and was rebuilt in original stone in Zagreb. The Pavilion houses a wide range of exhibitions – featuring works of both local and international world class artists. www.umjetnicki-paviljon.hr/en

Moderna Gallery - Home to a national collection of 19th and 20th century art including “Tactile Gallery MG”, the first multi-sensory gallery in this part of Europe for visually impaired people. www.moderna-galerija.hr

Lauba House for People & Art - This contemporary art gallery opened in 2011 with a permanent collection that rotates every month. Located in an old Zagreb textile mill, it features new artists from Croatia and abroad. www.lauba.hr/en

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Scotland shines

A NEW exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland supported by Glenmorangie will show for the first time how silver, not gold, became the most important precious metal in Scotland over the course of the first millennium AD.

New research and recent archaeological discoveries will chart the first thousand years of silver in Scotland. The exhibition will showcase Scotland’s earliest silver, arriving with the Roman army, and show the lasting impact this new material had on early Medieval Scotland.

The exhibition will include the first public display of the recently unveiled Dairsie Hoard, which dates to the late 3rd century AD and is the earliest known example of hacksilver from anywhere beyond the Roman frontier.

13 October 2017 to 25 February 2018 at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh
Admission: Free

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Face your fears at the Natural History Museum this Autumn

EXPLORE the visceral fear and ever-lasting fascination that venom evokes, in the Natural History Museum’s new autumn exhibition, Venom: Killer and Cure.

Opening on November 10, this groundbreaking exhibition will explore venom as the ultimate weapon found in nature occurring throughout the animal kingdom. Unlock the mysteries and the diversity of its world, as we explore how across cultures and time humans have attempted to harness and neutralise this terrible power, approaching it with both fear and fascination.

Venom will take visitors on a journey through the eyes of both predator and prey, exploring the effects caused by venomous attacks and the attempt to scientifically measure the power that venom holds. It will reveal the different biological roles that venom plays - from predation to mating, discuss the development of anti-venom, as well as ranking these venomous animals and the pain they inflict.

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Picture Credit: amdubois01 138578145@N04/37026375252 Pacific Coast Parrotsnake via photopin