World News

After 15 years of trying, a white-bearded Florida man won the "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, a highlight of Key West's annual Hemingway Days celebration that ended Sunday, 26 July 2015.  Charlie Boice, 56, a retired air traffic controller from Palm Beach Gardens, triumphed over 121 other entrants in the final round of the contest that concluded late Saturday after a three-way draw. Preliminary rounds were held on Thursday and Friday last week.

Choice Hotels International, Inc. executive, Bill Clegg, a respected hotel industry professional, believes that as the Caribbean tourism industry recovers, its leadership should work more collectively to ensure growth in the region is sustained.

Jade Mountain's recognition by Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2015 is the fourth time, and the third consecutive year, readers of the distinguished travel magazine have cast top votes for St. Lucia's leading luxury resort.

The first-ever “Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon”, a major cycling event, will take place on 10 and 11 October. Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the event will consist of cycling races and activities, and a carnival.

According to the GlobeScan Canada Study, 59% Pakistanis agree that their children and grandchildren will have a higher quality of life than themselves; 35% disagree. This study was conducted in 24 countries, in which approximately 24000 randomly chosen men and women were asked a set of questions.

Swim with whale sharks off the coast of Tanzania and Mexico with Aqua-Firma, the wilderness travel company who will host expeditions to dive with the biggest fish on the planet: Whale Sharks. This is a unique chance to experience marine life in some of the world's most exotic locations, led by some of the world's best experts in the field.

This week, the city of Santiago de Compostela celebrates St James' Day on 25 July with special church services, art exhibitions, theatre productions, street shows, concerts and processions. The patron saint of Portugal and Spain has also inspired pilgrims to flock to the city from many corners of Europe using the 'Way of St James' – probably the most popular long distance walking routes in the world with well over 200,000 people embarking on their own personal journey each year.

Qatar Airways, the national airline of the State of Qatar, has launched two new destinations in Pakistan on consecutive days – Sialkot and Faisalabad. Beginning 16th July, the airline commenced four weekly passenger services to Sialkot where it already operates dedicated freighter services. A day later, on 17th July, Qatar Airways added Faisalabad to its Pakistan network with three flights a week.

The Nutmeg Princess has been added to the world’s first underwater sculpture park at Moliniere Bay in Grenada. The statue depicts Grenada’s first fairy tale princess emerging from a large nutmeg pod, reaching to the heavens with a handful of Grenada’s most famed spice, the nutmeg. The 11-foot tall sculpture was inspired by the 1992 book The Nutmeg Princess by Grenadian author/playwright Richardo Keens-Douglas and designed by artist Lene Kilde.

Hotel Verde, by BON has just been awarded a second LEED® Platinum Green Building Certification by the United States Green Building Council making Hotel Verde the first hotel globally to achieve a double Platinum certification for LEED®. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

England's green and pleasant lands aren't always green or pleasant in the summer festival season, especially if you prefer to have some of the rudiments of normal living. You may find yourself paying out hundreds, even thousands of pounds, to get something resembling a civilised place to sleep, shower and do the necessary.

The original Singita lodge has reopened, having been redesigned by Cecil & Boyd. who also worked on Singita's other lodges in South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. There are 12 luxury suites, each with their own private plunge pool. The biggest change to the property is that many of the walls have been removed, allowing guests to feel 'at one' with nature and to maximise the light and Sand River views.

The luxurious Paresa Resort Phuket offers guests the chance to combine exclusivity and authentic Thai experiences with its unique choice of 'adventures'.   The imaginative experiences, created by the hotel's General Manager and his team include 'Tales of a Rice Farmer', where guests are taught the secrets of Southern Thai cuisine by Khun Mina, the island chief and rice farmer on the small island of Yao Noi.

“We need to look for new ways of doing old things; of putting new wine in both old and new wineskins. I say old wineskins because in reaching for what is new we must not forget ourselves, who we are and what really makes us unique as a Caribbean people.”

An appeal for the rescue of Bulgaria's last two circus lions was launched by the Born Free Foundation in a bid to secure their relocation to the international wildlife charity's sanctuary at Shamwari, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Jora and Black (due to the latter’s distinguishing black mane) are two seven-year-old lions known to be brothers.

Jade Mountain's latest recognition by the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2015 is the fourth time and third year in a row readers have cast top votes for St. Lucia's storied resort. The magazine listed Jade Mountain as the number one Caribbean resort which defines the very best in travel.