TIBET - Qinghai-Tibet railway brings identity crisis for Tibet?

Following the introduction of the historic rail link to Lhasa, capital of Tibet, from Beijing and other mainland cities, the Tibetans’ fears of “erosion of their untouched landscape, unique culture and independent identity” are being highlighted.

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DEVELOPMENTS - UNWTO and Microsoft to Boost e-Tourism for Development

The UN World Tourism Organization and Microsoft Corporation today announced a long term partnership to expand information communications technology in the tourism sector. It will provide ICT systems and tools for emerging tourism economies to improve their export competitiveness, product quality and support skills. Its primary focus will be on Africa.

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ACOMMODATION - Villa Santi Back in Action

After four months of uncertainties following a site closure by the Phuket Governor, construction has resumed on the Bht800 million Villa Santi project in Kalim.

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DEMOGRAPHICS - Age does matter

Demographics will be one of the most important factors affecting the shape of tourism in the medium to long-term. However, booming population growth across much of the developing world combined with an aging population in the world’s major developed economies will raise a few issues.

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DUBAI - The sky is not the limit

Nowhere in the pages of history has a place transformed itself from an unknown town on the edge of the desert to an international hub for business and leisure travel as quickly as Dubai has.

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ECONOMY - Asian Economies Chart New Paths

The Asia Pacific region has become an engine of global growth. Although the United States and Europe will continue to remain important, China (PRC) and India are growing their respective profiles and relevance to the global economy. Asia is boosting its share of the world’s GDP and trade.

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SAMOA - Polynesian Blue's Tourism Boost for Samoa

The launch of Polynesian Blue Airlines and its ongoing efforts to stimulate tourism and travel to Samoa are already stimulating growth according to new data that shows tourism in Samoa grew by 14.5% for January-May 2006 compared to an average of just 3.9% per year for the past ten years.

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TRANSPORT - The Coming Traffic Jam in Bali

Speaking at a seminar on land transportation held in Sanur on Wednesday, June 28, 2006, the Director General of Land Transportation, Iskandar Abubakar warned that Bali's higher than average level of private vehicle ownership portends for traffic jams and added air pollution in the near future.

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INFRASTRUCTURE - Bullet train proposed for Kuala Lumpur-Singapore journey

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (eTN Asia) -- The Malaysian government will study a private sector proposal to build a high-speed 'bullet train' service pegged to cost some US$2.9 billion. As the country’s present railway track is not built for high-speed train service, a new standard gauge railway line will have to be built to accommodate the new trains which will travel at a speed of up to 350km per hour.

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INFRASTRUCTURE - Tourism and the Asian Highway

Facilitating travel along the Asian Highway for tourism purposes could clearly make a contribution to economic development, increased social interactions and better understanding among a great number of Asian countries.

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INFRASTRUCTURE - Video clip on the Asian Highway project

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CHINA - Airlines to benefit from Qinghai-Tibet Railway

China-based airlines flying into Lhasa have added more flights in anticipation of the tourism boom following the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway service, reports new wires from China.

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SINGAPORE - The Chief Executive Officer of Sentosa, shares plans to transform Sentosa into a destination in its own right.

Metzger, who came from a theme park background (Walt Disney and Ocean Park, Hong Kong), has been overseeing Sentosa’s initial 10-year masterplan over the last four years. Impatient to get the building over with, he and his team have compressed the plan into eight years.

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INDONESIA - Repackaging Riau

Plans to promote the historical, cultural and agricultural aspects of the destination are under way. Over the next few years, it plans to build the infrastructure to support tourism.

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CAMBODIA - Khmer hot picks

THE Cambodian government has identified four priority zones that will receive special attention in all tourism-related areas. The zones are Phnom Penh (for business travellers), Siem Reap (cultural and historical tours), Koh Kong and Sihanoukville (beachgoers), and Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri (ecotourism).

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AVIATION - Personnel shortages the “next big storm on aviation radar”

Shortages of skilled employees are beginning to bite with some Asia Pacific airlines scaling back their expansion plans - and things are likely to worsen in future, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).

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PHILIPPINES - Empowering residents to build tourism via Homestay Program

In an effort to the tap the tourism potential of various places, which suffer due to lack of proper accommodation, Department of Tourism in Philippines is strengthening its Homestay Program launched a decade back in the region to boost local tourism especially in the small towns of the region.

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SINGAPORE - opens its skies

The Singapore government has announced it is ready to open up its skies to the region's low-cost carriers by extending its air services agreement with Malaysia in a policy move to expand air services in the region. "AirAsia can now land directly at Changi Airport," said Trade and Industry Minister Lee Yi Shyan told reporters at a business forum in Kuala Lumpur.

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CSR - in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industries

CSR in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industries is the first global conference to focus on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts of companies in this sector. Hosted By CSR Asia in partnership with the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), this two-day conference will convene prominent industry leaders to share their experiences and address critical social and environmental challenges facing company growth and local development.

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MARKETS - Lucrative “Grey” Travel Segment In Asia Expected To Grow In Size And Value

An ageing but increasingly-wealthy and mobile Asian population represents a boon for the travel sector, and one which is requiring a new focus from industry service providers.

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THAILAND - Loei province is becoming a popular tourist destination

The number of tou rists visiting Loei is expected to increase by no fewer than 25% at the end of the 2006 fiscal year compared to that of last year.

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PENANG - RM10m spruce-up for inner city

Penang’s historic inner city is set to be spruced up soon with a RM10 million allocation from Tourism Malaysia.

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VIETNAM - beaches bound to attract Russian travelers

Vietnamese travel agencies are expecting a boom in the now prosperous Russian tourists to Vietnam’s sunny and beautiful beaches. An emerging trend as evidenced by figures from the southern Ho Chi Minh City tourism department, showed a 60 percent growth rate in Russian travel groups in the first six months of 2006.

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PHILIPPINES - Where is Cebu going?

WHEN told that we get half of the foreign tourist arrivals in the country, we think that Cebu is already or going to become Asia’s new tourist haven. We saw a few call centers being put in place and we also think that ICT, which is actually more sophisticated and far removed from a call center business, is the next biggest thing happening or going to happen in Cebu.

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THAILAND - Koh Chang beginning to shine

Koh Chang is simply a gem in the rough. And set in the Gulf of Thailand 270kms southeast of Bangkok, agents and developers alike say Koh Chang is only beginning to shine.

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THAILAND - Samui Property Market Focus

One reason for the current fast-paced development on Samui is that after the millennium, international security issues and regional natural disasters prompted a popularity boom that quickly made the island one of Southeast Asia’s more lucrative investment options.

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THAILAND - Multinationals eyeing Phuket property

Generally regarded among local property developers as a surprise move, the acquisition of Crowne Plaza by Saudi-based Kingdom Home Investment (KHI) has property people thinking about the future of Phuket real estate. And some of that thinking firmly wonders if there is an acquisition trend evolving.

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INDONESIA - Air Paradise and Star Air to Fly Again?

The Director of Aviation in the Department, Eddy Wibowo, told the publication, "they (the airlines) are in the process of finalizing various requirements." Wibowo said PT Air Paradise will continue to operate on international routes while PT Star Air will fly as a domestic carrier.

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VIETNAM - spending US$5.5 billion to develop tourism

Vietnam has budgeted an investment of US$5.5 billion to develop its tourism industry as a growth engine under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Action Program 2006 - 2010. The tourism development plan will include promoting the country's image globally, improve tourism products, with emphasis on the country's ecological, cultural and historical resources.

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