: DuBai :

Dubai is one of the most multicultural cities in the world with the expatriate community covering most of the population, with less than 10% of the total being national Emiratis. The state of Dubai is commonly referred to as a city because it has been distinguished as the most modern and cosmopolitan environments in the Emirates, especially due to its rapid technological transformation over the past few decades. Although Dubai has been transformed into a man-made hi-tech city, it still has a strong 

Islamic culture with a stretch of historical buildings by the Creek. Whilst some may view this as a conflict of old meeting new, it is also considered to be a captivating city that offers both extremes; a traditional past interlinked with modern day. Dubai's massive constructions and developments in various industries through pioneering real estate projects, sporting events, shopping festivals and conventions has attracted world-wide attention for Dubai City, establishing it as the world's leading business hub.

The emirate's revenues are from trade, real estate and financial services.[7] Revenues from petroleum and natural gas contribute less than 6% of Dubai's US$ 37 billion economy. Real estate and construction, on the other hand, contributed 22.6% to the economy in 2005, before the current large-scale construction boom.  Dubai has attracted worldwide attention through innovative real estate projects and sports events. This increased attention, coinciding with its emergence as a world business hub, has also highlighted human rights issues concerning its largely foreign workforce.

Dubai is an important tourist destination and its port (Jebel Ali) operates at the centre of the exporting trade in the Middle East. With the introduction of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in 2004, it has allowed Dubai to develop as a global hub for service industries such as IT and finance.

The UAE has a sub-tropical and arid climate. Rainfall is infrequent and irregular. Falling mainly in winter, it amounts to some 12 centimeters a year. Temperatures range from a low of about 10 degrees Celsius to a high of 50 degrees Celsius. Arabic is the official language. English is widely spoken and used as a second language in commerce along with other languages like Persian, Hindi, Malayalam, 

Punjabi, and Tagalog. Islam is the official religion of all of the emirates.

Dubai's location makes it easily accessible, as most major cities in Europe, Africa and Asia provide direct flights. Dubai International Airport is ranked in the world's top 10 airports and now has a passenger handling capacity of 14 million per year. For routine travel, visas for tourists, travelers and business travelers must be arranged via the sponsor. Sponsor may be the UAE resident/company or hotel/travel agents. This includes transit visas. To obtain approval, the sponsor will require the visitor’s proposed flight and passport details in advance. Business visits are made by invitation only and proof of company trading license is required. The sponsor will then confirm to the visitor that a visa has been arranged, usually by fax, and that she/he will be met at the airport.

: DisNeyLanD , TokYo :

Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park based on the films produced by Walt Disney. It was opened in 1983 as the first Disney theme park outside of the United States. Modeled after Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland is made up of seven themed lands and features seasonal decorations and parades.

disneyland map

World Bazaar

World Bazaar, located at the main entrance to the park, is a covered shopping arcade lined by shops and restaurants. The area is designed like an early 20th century American town and serves as the park's main shopping area where many guests stop on their way out of the park.

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland explores the themes of outer space and future technologies. It is home to popular attractions such as Space Mountain, Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters

Toontown

Toontown is a suburban toon neighborhood where the Disney characters live, work and play. Aimed at a younger audience, Toontown lets visitors meet Mickey at his house, play on Donald Duck's boat, check out Chip'n Dale's Treehouse and ride a kid sized rollercoaster

Fantasyland

Fantasyland is based on the classic animated films by Disney and is home to the iconic Cinderella's Castle at the center of the park, as well as other characters and rides such as Peter Pan, Snow White, It's A Small World and Pooh's Hunny Hunt, an original Fantasyland attraction unique to Tokyo Disneyland.

Critter Country

Critter Country is home to Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, Br'er Bear and the other characters from the Disney film "Song of the South". Here you can find the popular Splash Mountain log ride, as well as guided canoe tours on the Rivers of America.

Westernland

Westernland is themed after the US western frontier along the Rivers of America. The area is home to the popular rollercoaster Big Thunder Mountain, while Tom Sawyer Island is located out in the middle of the river.

Adventureland

Adventureland includes attractions that encompass the spirit of adventure. Here you can join a jungle cruise, explore the Swiss Family Treehouse, ride the Western River Railroad and sail with the Pirates of the Caribbean.

: PhUkEt, tHaiLanD :

Phuket Holiday Packages

Breath taking scenery, stunningly beautiful tropical sunsets and the welcoming warm sea with its lulling breeze are what you can look forward to when the set foot at Asia’s leading popular beach destination. 

Irrespective of what Phuket holiday packages you opt for, you’re bound to be thrilled.

Choose from world-class diving in the Andaman Sea, playing a round (or few rounds) of golf at world-class championship courses or even fun eco-adventures in tropical forests, Phuket island is definitely the place to widen your vacation horizons.

Have a go at an exciting speedboat trip to Phuket’s many enchanting surrounding islands or take the gentle and serene boat cruise around the mystical Phang Nga Bay. Or if you’re into some upbeat nightlife, there’s the famous Patong Beach at your disposal.

While we could cover many of the not-to-miss places and things to do while in Phuket, there’s a bunch of gems that you really shouldn’t miss out. And we don’t mean the kinds that you’d find at a jeweller.

The wonderful uniqueness of Phuket over its competing beach destinations is that it always has something to offer its visitors to do on and off the island, come rain or shine. Phuket holiday packages offer activities that range from the most languid to the fast-and-furious, so much so that even if you managed to experience half of what’s offered, you’d have enjoyed a splendid holiday. Its spread of activities and places to see is amazing for an island of this size.

Phuket island lies 862 kilometres South-West from Thailand’s capital of Bangkok, off Thailand’s Western coastline of the Andaman Sea. Historically, the island derived its economic wealth from the trading of tin and rubber as a direct result of its location along the major trading routes plying the India-China sea route.

In recent times though, the Phuket’s economic driver has been from the tourism industry, turning the popular island into Thailand’s wealthiest province. The importance of tourism to Phuket was most apparent when the West coast of Phuket was severely damaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami that stuck on 26 December 2004, damaging many popular tourist attractions. However, with fast resolute actions by the local government and residents, Phuket’s beauty was restored and hardly any evidence of damage remains. In fact, some tour operators are so proud of this fact that they have special Phuket holiday packages that cater to those who like to view the “before-and-after” transformation of the damaged popular tourist spots on the island. And in most cases, the restored sites look even better than before the tragedy struck.

: India :

A surge in tourist numbers moved the Indian High Commission on Friday to open the first of four visa application centres in South Africa.

"It is part of our streamlining of consular services," Virendra Gupta, the Indian High Commissioner in South Africa, said.

Tourists have been flocking to the country that has massively gained in popularity in the past decade. Books such as Gregory David Roberts' Shantaram and Aravind Adiga's White Tiger going close to viral, and movies such as Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi hitting it big on the silver screen have put India on the place-to-be lists for many a tourist.

India's economy has also been booming for more than a decade.

So some trips inevitably involved business.

The country's growing middle-class is seen as a massive potential market and South Africans have been trying to get a foothold in everything, from luxury goods to wines from the Cape.

India is the second-most populous country in the world.

Last year, according to Gupta, about 60000 South Africans visited India.

The first of these centres was opened in Bedfordview, east of Johannesburg, on Friday.

Plans are afoot to open more in Durban, Cape Town and Pretoria to help supply the demand for tourist visas.

"These are basically selection centres," said Gupta.

Applications are sent to the Indian Embassy in Pretoria and visas, Gupta said, would be ready within four days.

"Tourism is growing both ways," he said.

Statistics from the Department of Tourism showed Indian tourists to South Africa increased in 2011.

"South Africa attracted 90367 tourists from India, up 26.2% on 2010," said the department's Melene Rossouw.

"From January to September 2012, South Africa attracted a total of 79 306 tourists, up 18.3% on the 67 039 that visited between January and September in 2011," she said.

: hAtYai, tHaILaNd :

Floating Market in Hat Yai Thailand.

This very interesting attraction is called Khong Hee Floating Market or Klonghae Floating Market and is one of the most popular tourist destination in this region. Anyone who is heading to Hat Yai will most likely pay a visit to this unique floating market. Just about all kinds of local Thai food, snacks and drinks are sold by local Thai hawkers on little boats that dock by the river here. The beauty about this market is that these floating hawkers line up side by and number to about 100 boats at any one time. Visit at about 6pm and you can witness these boats that paddle in to set up their floating shop and once they finish selling their items, the simply row away with the days takings.

On arrival at the Floating Market here in Hat Yai, the first thing that greeted was a mobile karoke station where anyone could sing here for a price 10 Baht. This was most definitely a hit with the locals here as the music kept going throughout my visit here.

mobile karaoke at the floating Market in Hatyai

Bamboo drinks

One Unique feature here was taht some of the boat hawkers sold dirnks in custom made bamboo cups or porcelain containers. I could not help but order one from one of the beautiful ladies here. A long bamboo about 12 inches long was cleaned and had a rope secured at the top for you to hold. The choice pf orange or lemon was served inside and you could carry it around the floating market.