Djibouti: World capital of culture and tourism

THE induction of Djibouti as World Capital of Culture and Tourism will take place on April 18, 2018, on the occasion of the official handover ceremony to be held at Presidential Palace in #Djibouti.

The country encompasses ten world heritage sites on tentative list ranging from natural treasures and natural protected areas such as: Lake Assal and Lake Abbe, National Park Foret du day to the tumulus of Awellos, cave paintings of Abourma.

The capital city: Djibouti is home to a treasure trove of architectural marvels from the historical Haji Hamoudi Mosque, European Quarter (Malik Square) and African Quarter, Djibouti Cathedral and Ethiopian Church Saint Gabriel of the Sun and the cultural blending space of Les Caisses.

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Caves of the Ice Age become 42nd UNESCO World Heritage Site in Germany

THE UNESCO World Heritage Committee has included a new site to its list: the caves of the Ice Age in the Swabian Jura in Baden-Württemberg. More than 50 artifacts mostly made of bone and ivory, were discovered in six caves in the Ach- and Lonetal. These archaeological sites and prehistoric works of art from the Ice Age allow researchers to draw conclusions about the earliest traces of human settlement. 

Visitors to #Germany will experience the works of the Ice Age in various historical #museums in Baden-Württemberg. The Prehistoric Museum Blaubeuren is a central museum for the Paleolithic period of the state of Baden-Württemberg. It displays, among other original finds, the "Venus vom Hohlenfels" and three flutes of the Ice Age. At various locations, visitors can not only marvel at the objects, but also try working with stone tools. 

The museum of the University Tübingen displays a 40,000-year-old figure of a horse made of mammoth ivory, called “Vogelherdpferd“, and a cave named “Vogelherdhöhle“ is part of the archaeological park Niederstotzingen. Other artifacts from the era of hunters and gatherers are on display in the permanent Stone Age exhibition of the Landesmuseum Württemberg in Stuttgart.

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Picture Credit: whc.unesco.org

Americans to set sail for Cuba

HOLLAND America Line has received approval to begin sailing to #Cuba from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, starting with the Dec. 22, 2017, 12-day holiday #cruise aboard ms Veendam.

“For many, travel is about seeking new places to explore and discovering meaningful new cultural opportunities, and Cuba is one of the most sought-after new destinations for many of our guests,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “We are excited to finally be able to include Cuba in our itineraries, and our guests and travel partners have been anxiously awaiting a premium cruise experience to this relatively undiscovered Caribbean treasure.”

As leaders in destination immersion and experiential travel, Holland America Line adds Cuba to its itineraries in order to provide guests with a thoughtful cultural exchange experience. Most itineraries include an extended call at Havana, allowing guests the time to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site and immerse themselves in a wide array of historical and cultural adventures. Additionally, a stop at Cienfuegos presents the opportunity for a special visit to Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Cuba’s province of Sancti Spíritus.

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Japan: UNESCO World Heritage Tour

VISIT a staggering number of UNESCO World Heritage sites on this fascinating and insightful journey through Japan's unique cultural and natural heritage with Battered Suitcase. The tour offers unbeatable flexibility, as departures can be arranged for anywhere in the world.

Explore the landscape, geology and architecture of #Japan, a land laden with cultural gems, as you spend time travelling around historically significant UNESCO sites in Tokyo, Nikko, Takayama, Kyoto and Nara, zipping your way from place to place using Japan’s renowned world-class rail services.

Your immersive visit will include the famous “gassho-zukuri” farmhouses in Gifu, with their steeply pitched roofs constructed without nails like hands in prayer, and Nikko National Park’s UNESCO-listed Toshogu shrine complex. 

Along the way, you’ll also get the chance to marvel at the ornamental beauty of Nijo Castle, dating from 1603, in Kyoto, and pay your respects at the Peace Memorial Park, created at the site of ground zero of the atomic bomb dropped on the 6th August 1945, in Hiroshima.

www.battered-suitcase.com

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Picture Credit: wallyg 70323761@N00/5810082473 Nikkō: Tōshō-gū - Five Storied Pagoda via photopin.

23 newly discovered caves in Ha Long Bay to be named

THE 23 caves have been added to the system of local caves following a field survey at Ha Long and Bai Tu Long Bays in late 2015. The caves, together with 30 saltwater lakes, will be soon opened to tourists. Ha Long and Bai Tu Long Bays are home to 59 caves, including 23 new discoveries, of which 19 are greeting tourists.

Ha Long Bay, which spans 1,553 square kilometres and houses 1,969 islands of various sizes, was twice recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and 2000. Together with the neighbouring Bai Tu Long Bay, they form a tourism complex with thousands of islands, considered among the most valuable biological and geographical assets of the country and the world.

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Picture Credit: Nathan O'Nions 50523792@N03/14479294904 Ha Long Bay, Vietnam via photopin

Alan Titchmarsh to open Blenheim Palace Flower Show

ALAN Titchmarsh is to open this year's Blenheim Palace Flower Show (June 23-25).  A record number of floral and garden exhibitors will be taking part again this year at the palace’s fifth flower show at the World Heritage site in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, which was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Advanced tickets are priced from £12 for adults and £5.00 for children. Concessions and family tickets are also available.

www.blenheimflowershow.co.uk

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Forth Bridge voted Scotland's greatest man-made wonder

THE Forth Bridge has been voted Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder in new research by VisitScotland as part of the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016.

The 126 year old bridge and UNESCO World Heritage Site pipped Edinburgh Castle, The Kelpies and the Glenfinnan Viaduct to take the top spot, with 30% of the votes in the survey.

Other ‘wonders’ on the list include Stirling Castle, Falkirk Wheel, Caledonian Canal, Scott Monument, Bell Rock Lighthouse and Melrose Abbey.

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Picture Credit: Miroslav Petrasko flickr.com/photos/35722809@N03/9260911898 The Forth Rail bridge via photopin

Germany gains 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site

UNESCO title for Le Corbusier Houses in Stuttgart. On July 17, 2016, the two Le Corbusier houses at the Weissenhof Estate in the Southern German city of Stuttgart were designated as #UNESCO World Heritage Sites, making it the first World Heritage Site for #Stuttgart and the 41st for #Germany.

The two Stuttgart houses are the architect’s only buildings in Germany and include the Weissenhof Museum, which illustrates the radical change in architecture around the time of the Second World War as well as Le Corbusier’s visionary thinking.

Germany’s other 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites include the majestic Cologne Cathedral, the expansive Wadden Sea habitat, Classical Weimar and Regensburg’s charming Old Town. They can be explored via eight different themed routes, from natural wonders to architecture to palaces and parks.

For more information about Germany’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, visit www.germany.travel/unesco

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Picture Credit: By Photo: Andreas Praefcke - Own work (own photograph), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11149757

Climate change degrading World Heritage Sites, says UN

MORE than 30 natural and cultural heritage sites from 29 countries across the globe are becoming vulnerable because of the dangerous effects of climate change. Increasing temperature, sea water levels, intense weather conditions, flood and famine, and wildfires are the side effects of the climate change, which directly or indirectly are damaging the structures of 31 World Heritage Sites, which include Venice, Galapagos Islands, and Stonehenge, says the United Nations (UN). 

Elisa Tonda, head of the UN Environment Programme, says: ‘World governments, the private sector, and tourists all need to co-ordinate their efforts to reduce carbon emissions and to protect the world’s most treasured cultural and natural resources from the impact of tourism activities.’

A report by the UNESCO and the Union of Concerned Scientists says that some of the Easter Island statues are at high risk of disappearing into the sea, and that many coral reefs in the western Pacific are eroding.

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Good news for tour groups in planned Stonehenge improvements

ENGLISH HERITAGE has submitted a planning application for a range of permanent improvements to accommodate the 1.3 million visitors each year to #Stonehenge in England. 

Suggested changes include the creation of a new coach park with a more streamlined lay-out and permanent spaces for up to 53 60-seater coaches; a group reception building in a more convenient location, with WC facilities just for group visitors; and a visitor transit shuttle pick-up-point exclusively for groups, so they can go directly from their coach to the stone circle at peak times.

#EnglishHeritage expects to get a decision on its proposals for the World Heritage site from Wiltshire County Council by the end of July.

Kate Davies, Stonehenge’s general manager says: ‘The temporary expanded coach park which has provided extra parking for more than 20 coaches over the past year has made a substantial difference to the efficiency of our operation at Stonehenge, and brought benefits to all our visitors. But permission for this temporary parking expires in 2017. So we are now seeking to introduce a sustainable longer term and permanent solution, which also addresses other pressure points that have impacted negatively on our ability to fully offer world class facilities at this leading UK attraction.’

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Island hop in Indonesia

FOLLOWING the launching the first non-stop service from the UK to Jakarta from London Heathrow, Garuda #Indonesia is offering its Wonderful Indonesia Travel Pass. 

The pass enables travellers to explore the country beyond the capital – and Bali –with the itinerary of their choice, giving them the opportunity to go to tropical beaches, see underwater landscapes, and visit World Heritage sites, and multi-cultural cities with a flexible flight ticket that allows travel between three and five destinations.

There are six price levels – for example, £25 for 1-200 miles, £62 for 450-800 miles and £150 for 1,400-2,000 miles – representing overall savings of up to 30% on standard airfares. Business class fares for the passes are also available, starting from £75 for up to 200 miles up to £469 for 1,400-2,000 miles.

The pass can also be purchased in different categories: Adventure, Underwater, Heritage, and Explore.

The pass is available from Garuda Indonesia sales offices and via selected travel agents and must be purchased outside Indonesia in combination with a Garuda Indonesia international return ticket.

www.garuda-indonesia.com

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13931652@N00/3902262564">Pura Ulan Danu</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(license)

Where to see the Wadden Sea

THE WADDEN SEA, the 4,000 square-mile UNESCO World Heritage area that extends along German, Dutch, and Danish stretches of the North Sea coastline, now has a state-of-the-art visitor centre in Cuxhaven, Germany. 

The sea is a unique habitat for many rare species of flora and fauna. There are three #WaddenSea #nationalparks in #Germany – in Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, and Hamburg – and the mudflats of the North Sea and Hallig islands can be reached on foot at low tide.

At the visitor centre on Sahlenburg beach in Cuxhaven, visitors can learn about the area’s eco-system and book guided walking tours of the mudflats.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26525816@N06/18616615859">Dutch Wadden Sea</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Heritage list updated

THESE are some of the world’s historic or significant cultural sites given UNESCO World Heritage status this year:

• Christiansfeld, Moravian Church Settlement (Denmark)

• Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars (France)

• Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus district, Hamburg (Germany)

• Cultural landscape of Maymand (Iran)

• Necropolis of Beth She’arim—a landmark of Jewish Revival (Israel)

• Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedral churches of Cefalú and Monreale (Italy)

• Sites of Japan’s Meiji industrial revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining

• Rjukan-Notodden industrial heritage site (Norway)

• Singapore Botanical Gardens (Singapore)

• Ephesus (Turkey)

• Fray Bentos Cultural-Industrial landscape (Uruguay)

• The Forth Bridge (Scotland)

• San Antonio Missions (US)

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22490717@N02/2217167582">Turkey-2776</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Forth Bridge wins World Heritage status

#SCOTLAND has won UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the Forth Bridge. 

The red bridge which has carried trains across the Forth since 1890 now ranks alongside the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, and the Sydney Opera House in terms of cultural significance, plus other World Heritage sites in Scotland: New Lanark, St Kilda, the Old and New Towns in Edinburgh, Neolithic Orkney, and the Antonine Wall.

Designed by Sir John Fowler and Benjamin Baker, it measures 1.5 miles, weighs 53,000 tons, and was at the time the world's longest multi-span cantilever bridge.

The UNESCO inspection report stated: ‘This enormous structure, with its distinctive industrial aesthetic and striking red colour, was conceived and built using advanced civil engineering design principles and construction methods. Innovative in design, materials and scale, #theForthBridge is an extraordinary and impressive milestone in bridge design and construction during the period when railways came to dominate long-distance land travel.’

#VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay said the award would lend ‘even greater aura and appeal to one of the planet's most instantly recognizable landmarks’.

There are now more than 1,000 World Heritage Sites across the globe, in 161 countries. Of these, 29 are British, including the Tower of London, the Giant's Causeway, the city of Bath, and Stonehenge.

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Picture Credit: Wikipedia

Lake District ready to bid for World Heritage status

THE Lake District’s quest for World Heritage status has reached its most significant milestone in more than a year as 25 of the area’s leading organizations formally endorsed its nomination.

Partners including the National Trust, Cumbria Tourism, and Natural England have agreed the documents that make the #LakeDistrict’s case for being globally important and deserving its place on the prestigious World Heritage list.

Once finalized, these will be submitted to the UK government and Historic England ahead of formal submission next year to #UNESCO in the ‘cultural landscape’ category.

Richard Greenwood, head of operations for Cumbria Tourism, said: ‘We believe there will be real benefits for the county’s visitor economy from World Heritage inscription – for example, just a one percent increase in cultural visitors could boost our economy by about £20 million.’

Steve Ratcliffe, director of sustainable development for the Lake District National Park Authority, added: ‘World Heritage is a huge opportunity for global recognition that will finally, and rightly, put the Lake District on the global map. It will raise its cultural profile, showcase the special relationship between farming and this stunning landscape which will continue to evolve, and create a real sense of community pride.’

There are 1,007 UNESCO sites across the world including East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, Bath in Somerset, and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32365888@N05/3462538821">A not so small pond</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Wanted: World Heritage status for, er, Benidorm

THINK for a moment about just a handful of the 1,007 #UNESCO World Heritage sites: there’s Australia’s Great Barrier Reef; Austria has Salzburg’s city centre; there are the Angkor temples in Cambodia; France has Chartes Cathedral; Scotland has the old and new towns of Edinburgh, and in England there is Bath, celebrated for its Roman baths and its 18th century Palladian architecture.

Would you add #Benidorm, the Spanish birthplace of Europe’s high-rise-hotel-sun-and-beach package tour industry, to the list? Many wouldn’t, but the town’s council thinks it should be up there with the world’s great natural and man-made wonders. It intends to apply for UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition.

It argues that because tourism is now one of the world's most important industries – whether viewed in terms of employment, cultural change, or environmental impact – and because the beach holiday is an especially significant component of tourism's growth, “pioneering” holiday destinations such as Benidorm deserve to be taken seriously.

What’s the Spanish for … you have got to be joking!

www.lovebenidorm.co.uk
www.en.visitbenidorm.es

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42033648@N00/6162594254">Benidorm, Costa Blanca, Spain, 18 Sept. 2011</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Life’s a beach drive

AUSTRALIA’S Great Beach Drive has been launched to provide 125 miles of motoring along Queensland’s Sunshine and Fraser coasts.

The full journey covers two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, a World Heritage-listed Marine Park, and the largest sand island in the world.

Australia’s Nature Coast, which has been established by the Sunshine and Fraser Coast tourism organizations, has put together an itinerary involving six drives 

covering the region, which can be tailored to meet the interests and time span of visitors.

While subject to tidal and weather conditions, the Great Beach Drive is suitable for most experienced off-road drivers. The sections or the entire route can be covered in anything from half a day, a long weekend to a full week.

The drive starts in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, where travellers can complement the sophisticated lifestyle of the beachside village with a kayak, canoe, or cruise of the Noosa Everglades.

They can then take to their four-wheel drive for a trek on the ‘beach highway’ to Rainbow Beach, along which travellers will have the chance to see wildlife including whales, dolphins, birds of prey, kangaroos, and monitor lizards. Rainbow Beach is a base for paragliding, hang-gliding, sky diving, surfing, fishing, and horse-riding.

There is diving at Wolf Rock, and Double Island Point has the world’s longest right-hand surfing break and an 1884 lighthouse. Fraser Island is accessed by ferry and has a feast of 4WD routes. Back on the mainland, Hervey Bay has cosmopolitan dining, shopping and accommodation, and sheltered waters for sailing and fishing.

Visitors can return to Sunshine Coast Airport or Brisbane via the gold rush town of Gympie and market towns of Eumundi and Cooroy.

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Picture Credit: Rainbow Beach, Queensland by S. Newrick - Own work via Wikimedia Commons

£7.8 million grant for Northumberland heritage project

A UNIQUE opportunity to create a multi-million pound Northumberland tourist destination has been awarded a grant of £7.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Located at the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site in Northumberland National Park, the Sill will become the country’s first national landscape discovery centre, directing visitors to the places that might seem out of reach or difficult to find and engaging people from all walks of life in the natural and cultural heritage of the sweeping Northumberland landscape.

The all-weather, year-round centre – with a programme of interpretation, education, research, and events – will aim to attract more than 100,000 visitors a year.

Spearheaded by the Northumberland National Park Authority and YHA (England and Wales), the lead partners are celebrating the latest stage of this flagship project. They need to raise a further £2.2 million.

The Northumberland National Park has some of England’s darkest skies – having recently been awarded International Dark Sky Park status – plus clean rivers, ancient landscapes, rich culture and heritage, and stand-out scenery.

Ivor Crowther, head of HLF North East, said: ‘With the famous Hadrian’s Wall and much more besides on the doorstep, this new state-of-the-art discovery centre will become the perfect base from which to explore the national park’s unquestionable beauty. The Heritage Lottery Fund’s investment is also supporting a year-round programme of exhibitions and activities that will ensure that visitors are tempted back to Northumberland again and again, providing a much-needed boost to the local economy.’

Caroline White, chief executive of YHA added: ‘The announcement of funding from HLF is a huge step forward for the Sill. The HLF funding, together with that from other providers, has closed the funding gap significantly. It is immensely exciting that we are now within touching distance of transforming the current YHA site at Once Brewed, and creating a nationally significant landscape discovery centre which will ensure that young people can continue to enjoy exciting outdoor experiences in Northumberland National Park.’

The HLF grant will help to secure the future of the project, with construction expected to begin on the site later this year. The activity programme will start this autumn, and the landscape discovery building will open its doors to the public in June 2017.

For more information about the project, visit www.thesill.org.uk

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Picture Credit: Courtesy Jane Darbyshire and David Kendall

Edinburgh’s World Heritage status challenged

EDINBURGH should be stripped of its UNESCO World Heritage status – that’s the view of David Black, the first chairman of the city’s Southside Association, which monitors planning and environmental developments in the city.

He is writing a report that deplores planning and architectural decisions affecting the city’s historic centre, and plans to send it to the international heritage body in New York with a request to have Edinburgh's UNESCO status – granted in 1995 – removed.

‘At the time, Edinburgh was seen as a prime example of an old town and new town co-existing well,’ Mr Black told the Edinburgh Evening News. ‘But since then we have seen one poor planning decision after another, from St Andrew Square to the Parliament building and Princes Street.’

Decisions which he finds particularly distasteful include plans to turn the 190-year-old Royal High School into a five-star hotel.

‘This is not just some old fogey talking who doesn’t like anything modern. I like the Festival Theatre, for example. But I think there is a balance to be struck between preserving the best of the new – and what we’re getting generally is not the best.’

Of the 28 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, only three are entire cities or towns: Edinburgh, Bath, and St. George on Bermuda.

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Picture Credit: "Scottish Parliament" by gren - Self-published work by gren via Wikimedia Commons

The Vikings are coming!

THE annual Jorvik Viking Festival (February 14-22) is a celebration of York’s Viking heritage organized by the York Archaeological Trust. 

The largest Viking festival in Europe, it attracts more than 40,000 visitors to the city and commemorates the celebrations – called Jolablot– the Vikings held each February to welcome the approach of spring and the end of winter hardships.

http://jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/festivals/jorvik-viking-festival

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Picture Credit: Courtesy jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk