World News

Electronic tourist visas (e-TVs) will be extended to citizens of 37 more countries from Friday, taking the total number to 150. The new additions are Albania, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Comoros, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Iceland, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Moldova, Namibia, Romania, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Trinidad & Tobago, Zambia and Zimbabwe, an official statement said.

Having seen their village smashed by the winds of Cyclone Winston, the people of Soso on Naviti Island in the Yasawas gathered in the Methodist church and thanked God for their salvation. As they lifted up their voices in wonderful songs of praise it was hard to believe that less than a week earlier the roar of 300km/h winds would have drowned them out.

There is a total solar eclipse due to occur in 2017, and there is no better way to see it than on an American tour, enabling travellers to view this spectacle of Mother Nature from superb locations including Yellowstone National Park. Tours such as Historic Route 66, Best of the West and the Yellowstone Ranch & Tetons will all offer departures positioning groups into the most spectacular locations to witness the 21 August 2017 phenomenon.

As America's National Park System gears up to celebrate its Centennial Anniversary, Crater Lake, Oregon's National Park gem, joined with Wuyishan National Scenic Area (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China) in a Sister Park Agreement. Representatives from Travel Oregon and the Crater Lake National Park Trust joined officials in China to sign the agreement.

The historic town of Park City, Utah is home to its namesake ski resort – the biggest in the USA, and Deer Valley – voted the best in the USA. With a short transfer time of just 35 minutes from Salt Lake City airport, the only piece of the jigsaw missing for UK skiers was the lack of a non-stop flight from London – but not any more!

On July 1, 2017, Canada will celebrate the big 1-5-0, marking 150years since Confederation - when three colonies got together to form one united maple-syrup-hockey-and-poutine-loving country. From coast to coast, Canadians are going all-out with special themed events, activities and cultural exhibits.

Maldives Marketing&Public Relations Corporation together with the tourism industry won the “Most Exclusive Leisure Product” award at India’s largest travel trade show which was held in Mumbai from February 18-20, 2016. Maldives was one of the two destinations who won this title at the conclusion ceremony of OneWorld Travel Mart (OTM) 2016.

The Government College University Lahore Thursday launched the “10,000 Trees Plantation Drive” to restore the traditional green look of the university’s main campus and beautify the landscapes of new 370 acres land allocated for the new campus at Kalal Shah Kaku. Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah and senior faculty members inaugurated the plantation drive for which the university’s six societies have teamed up with the Punjab Forest Department.

World Smile Archive organized a fun filled event for the orphan kids of Pakistan Sweet Homes. The chief guest of the event was the Polish Ambassador Mr. Pitor Opalinriski. He did drawings with the kids of sweet homes. The kids of Pakistan Sweet Homes also performed cultural dances, and the limelight of the event was the cultural dance on Polish songs by the orphan kids of North Waziristan.

Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza will kick off its summer season with one of the world's most influential music industry gatherings, the Ibiza International Music Summit (IMS), for the third consecutive year from 25-27 May 2016. Now a major opening weekend on the island, IMS will bring together the most influential decision makers in electronic music at Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza for three days of debates, workshops, panel sessions and afternoon mixers to set the agenda for the music genre for the year ahead.

A new tour focused on the wildlife of Madhya Pradesh – the area that inspired Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book has been launched. With the new live-action Jungle Book movie soon to be released in April, starring the voices of Bill Murray, Idris Elba and Scarlett Johansson, they are predicting interest in the region to rise. The new itinerary, The Jungle Book: Wildlife of India is a 13 day / 11 night private tour.

Last Thursday at the Gran Kaz Casino and Slots in Victoria, a ceremony was held to start the countdown to the Seychelles carnival. Present were the Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St.Ange; Principal Secretary for Tourism Anne Lafortune, and that of culture Benjamine Rose; and the Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Sherin Naiken, and that of the Vanilla Islands, Pascal Viroleau.

Comair, the franchise of British Airways has agreed a code-share agreement with Qatar Airways, adding three new African destinations to the Qatar Airways map, providing additional flight options to travellers in Durban and Cape Town. Coming into effect on the 23rd February 2016, Qatar Airways will place its code on flights with British Airways livery, operated by Comair, between Johannesburg and Cape Town, Harare, Durban, Victoria Falls and Port Elizabeth.

There is hardly a global hotel chain that is not eager to gain entry into India, making the future of this industry bright. Chef Y. B. Mathur, Executive Director, Culinary Design and Application Group, who spent long years with the ITC company, says that the restaurant industry globally is evolving on highly-professional lines. Chef Mathur will be speaking at the Food & Hotel Asia (FHA) 2016 event being held in Singapore from April 12 to 15 where Mathur will discuss innovations and other subjects.

The ASEANA Gardens of Shreveport are located at the corner of Texas Avenue and Common Street in downtown Shreveport. The ASEANA Spring Festival is a free, family-friendly event celebrating Asian culture through food, dance, music, fashion and more.  Each year, the festival spotlights the culture of one Asian country in particular. The Ninth Annual ASEANA Spring Festival will celebrate Laotian culture with a traditional celebration entitled “Sa Bai Dee.”

Sultan Kosen, the man who holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the tallest living male, met Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, at the circus grounds in the center of Victoria just days before the official opening of the Magic Circus of Samoa in Seychelles. Sultan Kosen is part of this year's circus delegation and will be in Seychelles until the third week of March.