Police in northern China shot a man dead who had taken a bus containing 10 Australian tourists hostage yesterday, with none of the passengers coming to any harm according to the Australian Embassy in Beijing. The reasons for the bus hijacking are as yet unclear. The bus was hijacked in the north-central city of Xi’an,  Continue Reading »

Anyone who has made the trip to India in the past knows that though acquiring a Visa is always possible, there are a few hurdles to jump through before landing in the subcontinent. Everyone needs a visa to enter India, and before you can check in for a flight bound for India, you must produce  Continue Reading »

For westerners, the name Disney references a part of childhood; animated films, family entertainment and of course the theme parks home to giant Mice and other anthropomorphic characters. In Asia, the brand doesn’t incite such direct memories, and Hong Kong Disneyland, the first Disney resort in Asia, is rethinking its marketing strategy, in an attempt  Continue Reading »

For the first time ever, the two main tourism bodies of Mongolia have held a US press event highlighting Mongolia’s desirability for tourists, from the adventurers looking to get a way from it all to those seeking luxury in exotic lands. The Ministry of Roads, Transport and Tourism made a presentation together with the Mongolia  Continue Reading »

Safari World is one of the biggest theme parks in Thailand, and the Prachin Buri park plans to begin construction on a new 10 billion baht addition to the park if it can get financial help from the government. Safari World’s president Pin Kewkacha says that funding the park is in the government’s best interest.  Continue Reading »

Starting from March 30th, Chinese national carrier, Air China will begin service on a non-stop route between Shanghai and Milan, Italy. The flight will take pace four times weekly, and feature an emphasis on business travellers, with refurbished business and first class cabins. These four new flights will add to the existing 14 flights per  Continue Reading »

In its lineup of 2009 cruises, the Holland America cruise company will feature nine different voyages that focus on different areas and aspects of the Asia Pacific region. The cruises will all have ports of call in a combination of Russia, Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. THE 2009 cruise roster will feature  Continue Reading »

Singapore Airlines was the first commercial airline to put the Airbus A380 into the air after the build-up of years to its unveiling, but the world’s other leading airlines are not far behind SIA in putting the superjumbo A380 into the air. The first A380-enabled flight path for Emirates Airlines will take place in October  Continue Reading »

After much anticipation, fanfare and hubbub, Beijing Capital International Airport received its first commercial landing today after its official opening on Friday. After flight SC1151 arrived at 08:50 from Jinan, 41 more flights alighted throughout the day, the first day of operations ending smoothly without incident. The US$ 3.8 billion terminal was designed by British  Continue Reading »

There was much ado about the 2007 ASEAN Tourism Forum that took place in Bangkok, Thailand recently, not least among the big announcements was Singapore’s tally sheet that showed the city-state set record for visitor arrivals and surpassed its own growth projections in the tourism sector. Over 10.3 million people visited Singapore last year, a  Continue Reading »

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has inked a new partnership deal with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, including them in a select group of big corporations that share opportunities and collaborate on projects in the Asia Pacific region. Peter de Jong is the president and chief executive officer of PATA, and he recently voiced  Continue Reading »

Beijing Capital International Airport has put the finishing touches on its super modern Terminal 3 building, and has set aside no less than 100,000 square metres of space to accommodate charter flights that will be arriving for the 2008 Olympic Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. This represents only 10 percent of the total space available  Continue Reading »