China's annual Ice and Snow Festival, with its fairy-tale ice sculptures, opened on Friday attracting throngs of tourists who shuffled carefully over the slippy ice and snow and dragged their children in sledges around the park. This year the ice park spans 810,000 sq metres with 250,000 cubic metres of sculptured ice, harvested from the nearby frozen Songhua River, and lit up at night with colourful lights. A woman dressed up in a costume poses for pictures in front of an ice sculpture depicting a castle, at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 4, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang The sculptures, some a few-storeys-high, featured Chinese-style buildings and bridges, fairy-tale castles, towers and one fashioned after Beijing's T...
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The Bahamas continues its meteoric rise in tourism as air and sea arrivals reach unprecedented heights, marking sustained growth that has surpassed previous years' benchmarks. As of the end of November 2023, the cumulative count of foreign air and sea arrivals soared to a staggering 8,645,374, showcasing an astounding 41.8 percent surge compared to the corresponding period in 2022. This substantial increase reflects The Bahamas' unwavering allure and growing popularity among global travellers. I. Chester Cooper, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments & Aviation, lauded these remarkable achievements, highlighting the continued upward trajectory of visitor numbers. "Notably, air arrivals through November 2023, totaling 1,555,636, have eclipsed both 2022 ...
Read MorePlanning a trip this winter? Yes, it’s tempting to look for sunny spots where you can lie on a beach or play golf. But some of my favorite winter vacations have been to northerly destinations at their coldest, darkest times of year. I don’t ski, so I’m not looking for powder. But I have seen northern lights in Alaska, explored an ice cave in Iceland, and stood outdoors in 20-degree weather watching migrating cranes in Nebraska. I’ve been to Detroit in December, Canada for Christmas, Finland in February. And I’ve taken visitors around my hometown, New York City, in January, when holiday crowds are gone and prices are lower. Here are some tips and ideas for planning a trip in the depths of winter. This Nov. 18, 2023 image provided by Beth Harpaz shows visitors in an ice cave at ...
Read MoreIn early 2023, Miami Beach was officially named "North America's Leading Beach Destination" and "North America's Leading City Destination" by one of the travel industry's most respected organizations. Now, the world-famous destination has been recognized as the "World's Leading Lifestyle Destination 2023" by the World Travel Awards, adding to Miami Beach's collection of awards and accolades designated in the 2023 calendar year. As a diverse city with an abundance of experiences for all travelers, Miami Beach is home to a renowned public art collection, variety of museums and galleries, a selection of globally-recognized luxury hotels and spas and travel-worthy restaurants with both established and rising chefs at the helm. World-famous Miami Beach has been recognized as the “World’s Le...
Read MoreEurope experienced stark weather contrasts on Wednesday, with extreme cold and snowstorms disrupting transportation and closing schools in Scandinavia while strong winds and heavy rain in western Europe caused flooding and at least one death. Temperatures fell below minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Nordic region for a second day in a row Wednesday. In Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka in Swedish Lapland, the mercury dropped to minus 43.6 C (minus 46.5 F), the lowest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years, Sweden’s TT news agency reported. Extremely cold temperatures, snow and gale-force winds disrupted transportation throughout the Nordic region, with several bridges closed and some train and ferry services suspended. Several schools in Scandinavia we...
Read MoreTravel in China flourished over the three-day New Year's holiday, with 135 million domestic tourist trips, up 155% from last year, while domestic tourism revenue rose to 79.73 billion yuan ($11.23 billion), data released Monday showed. During the New Year holidays, more than 128 million passenger trips were made on China's transport network, up 78.4% from 2023 and 33.1% from 2022, according to Ministry of Transport figures reported by state media. The number of railway passenger trips surged 177.5% year-on-year, and air passenger trips jumped 140.3%, the Global Times reported. Cold weather across large parts of the country did not deter people from flocking to music festivals and concerts, while group outings of families increased, the government said, adding that the popularity ...
Read MoreAs the glowing river of lava from a volcano that erupted last month in Iceland ebbed, not everyone was happy. Hazel Lane, a 49-year-old dental practice manager in London, had booked a ticket to Reykjavik as soon as she saw footage of the eruption on television, hoping to witness spectacular lava flows beneath molten red skies. Lane had already visited Iceland the previous month, but it was too soon. Although authorities had by that time evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the nearby town of Grindavik, weeks passed before the volcano - which lies about 40 km (25 miles) southwest of Reykjavik - erupted on Dec. 18. "I had a crazy notion of going to Reykjavik for the day to fly over the volcanic eruption," Lane said. She arrived with her son and his girlfriend on Dec. 22 to fin...
Read MoreTour d’Argent overlooks Paris 2024 Olympics and reborn Notre Dame The Tour d’Argent already boasts a 320,000-bottle wine cellar, a world-famous duck recipe and a storied 441-year history. Now, the legendary Paris restaurant is about to serve up its “plat de résistance": a front-row view of two of the biggest events of 2024 — the renaissance of Notre Dame Cathedral and the 2024 Summer Olympics. A city landmark unto itself — and an inspiration for the restaurant in the movie “Ratatouille’’ — the Tour d’Argent recently reopened after its own renovation, which preserved revered traditions while adapting to the 21st century. A waiter prepares table at La Tour d’Argent restaurant in Paris, with Notre Dame Cathedral in background, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) ‘...
Read MoreGrammy-winning Colombian singer Shakira, one of the world's top-selling musicians, has been immortalized in her famous belly-dancing pose in a giant bronze statue in her home city of Barranquilla. The Colombian city's Mayor Jaime Pumarejo unveiled the 6.5 meter (21 foot) sculpture in a park along the banks of the Magdalena River on Tuesday in the company of the singer's parents. The statue of Colombian singer Shakira stands at the Gran Malecon de Barranquilla, in Barranquilla, Colombia December 27, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Parra Rios The statue by artist Yino Marquez "shows millions of girls that they can, that they can pursue their dreams and any of them can achieve what they want," said Pumarejo, noting that he used to see Shakira sing at local children's concerts. The sculpture...
Read MoreThe Victoria Harbour has always been the belle of the ball for Hong Kong’s spectacular countdown on New Year’s Eve. This year, get ready to be dazzled by a 12-minute firework musical extravaganza themed ‘New Year New Legend’. The show will span 1,300 metres, from Central to Causeway Bay, surpassing all previous editions in Hong Kong in both scale and duration. This phenomenal display will depict the changing seasons and the beauty of nature through colourful fireworks, as well as lighting effects and pyrotechnics set off from the rooftops of iconic buildings on Hong Kong Island. There will also be pre-show wishmaking sessions every 15 minutes from 11 pm onwards. Pyrotechnics will shoot from the rooftops of 2 three prominent harbourfront high-rises on Hong Kong Island, illuminating the ...
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