Reconsider travel to Thailand? Really?

Smart Traveller is now smarter. At least, that's the idea now that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has relaunched its travel advisory website, smartraveller.gov.au.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, KRudd, was on hand last week to spruik the new site, saying it would "help Australians make smart choices about where, when and how they travel overseas".

The old site has been streamlined (translation: had all the useless junk stripped out of it), there's now a dedicated mobile site, plus a DFAT Twitter feed and instructional videos on YouTube.

There's also a new ad campaign to go with the relaunch, urging Aussie travellers to "register, subscribe, insure" – as in, register your plans with Smart Traveller before leaving the country, subscribe to the website's updates, and get travel insurance.

All good advice. But just how useful is the website now?

I've criticised smartraveller.gov.au before, not least for its stupid spelling, which makes it Smart Raveller, or Smart Rave Ller – ie, not very smart at all – but also because its dire warnings of danger overseas too often sound like the kind of thing a hand-wringing parent might say, not an all-knowing government agency.

That's still going to be a problem.

But let's do the good stuff first. The new mobile website is a great idea, provided you have WiFi access overseas. With a few jabs of your finger you can have up-to-date advice on the country you're travelling in, plus addresses and map references of your nearest embassy should anything go wrong.

It also makes it easy to register your whereabouts if you decide to change your plans, or if there's a problem in the area you're travelling through.

The once ugly, unwieldy regular website has now been cleaned up, making it easier to quickly access the information you need.

It's all good. My only problem with Smart Traveller now is with some of the teeth-clattering warnings. There's some useful, sound advice on the site, but it's far from perfect.

Some of the information seems out of date. Thailand, for example, is listed as "exercise high degree of caution", and "reconsider your need to travel" in certain areas. That's largely due to the floods that have affected the country.

That information, however, was issued three weeks ago. Surely things might have changed slightly since then?

And some of the information seems overly frightening, if a little vague. Back in Thailand, there's a warning that "political demonstrations ... have resulted in fatalities in recent years. Firearms, grenades and small explosive devices have been used at various locations."

Right. Um, which locations again? (No mention of gun crime in the USA section though.)

Turkey, meanwhile, is listed as "exercise high degree of caution" largely due to a terrorist attack in Ankara last September. "Terrorist attacks can occur anywhere at any time in Turkey," Smart Traveller says. Yowser. Count me out.

Indonesia, too, currently has a code orange "reconsider your need to travel" slapped on it, citing more threats of terrorist attacks and other violence. Bali, in particular, is a "priority target" for terrorists, which is enough to put anyone off their Bintang.

The reality, however, is that plenty of travellers are visiting supposedly dangerous countries right now and not experiencing any problems, just as travellers are inevitably getting themselves robbed or bitten by wild animals or stuffed into jail cells in seemingly harmless countries.

Travel can be unpredictable like that. And I don't mean to play down the warnings on the site – this stuff is real. But it's not going to happen to everyone. Not even close.

That's where Smart Traveller's three steps – register, subscribe, insure – become great advice. It's an extra layer of protection for those choosing to go against the dire warnings of terrorist doom.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/blogs/the-backpacker/reconsider-travel-to-thailand-really-20111129-1o497.html

Cleveland Ohio: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

When you arrive on your flight to Ohio the city of Cleveland Ohio will keep you entertained for a moment. The strong quantity of events and attractions only keep visitors tremendously demanding! Tack on neighborhood tours, fantastic cinemas, Cleveland golf, brilliant live music, many parks, gardens, theaters and more and visitors get an idea of just how thrilling Cleveland Ohio attractions are. The preferred times to visit the city are spring and fall, but in summer the city can often been quite muggy.

A lot of people like to spend a relaxing day or two shopping in Cleveland Ohio. Downtown offers a well-planned area where great shopping is available. Here is a vast range of restaurants offering casual to fine dining as well as downtown Cleveland attractions waiting to be explored if shopping only keeps your attention for so long! West Side Market and Terminal Tower at Tower City are both venues offering many kinds of shops. The Galleria at Erie view has a lively Friday souk and a Friday terrace with live entertainment. The Arcade building has been one of the Cleveland attractions around since 1890. There is still more great shopping in the historic building.

The Great Lakes Science Center is another of the Cleveland Ohio attractions and details all things science as well as showing visitors why the Great Lakes and their protection is such a priority Cleveland tourism reigns in Ohio because of the many brilliant attractions found in the city. First on the long list is the Rock and Roll Hall of celebrity anywhere visitors can learn about the history of rock and roll and view all kinds of rock and roll memorabilia. A thrilling trip to the Cleveland Metro parks Zoo will keep both kids and adults busy with its many interesting exhibits, zookeeper talks, fun feeding sessions and an amazing variety of animals from all around the globe.

An easy walk to University Circle in Cleveland Ohio will take you to the Cleveland Museum of Art where many spend hours perusing the magnificent permanent collection and the visiting exhibits. Cleveland attractions include other museums such as the Children’s Museum of Cleveland and the African American Museum.

Riches of outdoor activity await visitors along the “crooked river”. Cleveland tourism includes a closer look at some of the area’s well-known metro parks. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a short distance from Cleveland and Akron’s urban settings. The Ohio and Erie Canal way provides a beautiful natural backdrop for Ohio biking and hiking.

Hotels range of Cleveland from very reasonable to comfy and classy creating a variety of choices for different budgets. Take advantage of hotel caretaker and front desk services and get some help planning evening activities to enjoy the city nightlife, another of the great Cleveland attractions popular with visitors. Take a day trip out of the city and visit Cedar Point Amusement Park for an exciting day out riding coasters, taking in live events and cooling off in the water park. Cleveland Ohio allows a chance to enjoy a laid back vacation taking in Cleveland attractions at an easy lilt or a fun filled, action packed courageous pace among one of Ohio’s greatest and most impressive cities.

Choose your favorite time of year to travel Cleveland Ohio and prepare yourself for a holiday filled with exciting day trips and pleasant surprises.

Source : http://news.cheapflighthouse.co.uk/2011/11/24/cleveland-ohio-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-and-museum/

European tourism defies the euro crisis

Good news for European tourism: despite continuing economic turbulence European tourism industry figures are up. These are the findings of the ITB World Travel Trends Report, compiled by IPK International and commissioned by ITB Berlin. The figures are based on extracts from the European Travel Monitor and World Travel Monitor as well as on assessments by more than 50 tourism experts and scientists from around the world.

According to the findings, a year-on-year comparison shows that trips out of Europe have increased by four per cent. Economic uncertainty in many European countries has not affected travel spending, which has risen by two per cent.

According to UNTWO, from January to August 2011 international trips to Europe rose to 671 million, an increase of 4.5 per cent. The forecast for next year is positive too. In September 2011 travellers from 13 European countries were asked whether and how often they intended to travel next year. 43 per cent said they would be travelling as often in 2012 as this year. 27 per cent aimed to travel more. By contrast, 20 per cent said they would be travelling less than in 2011. Overall, IPK’s ‘European Travel Confidence Index’ lies at 103 points for 2012, indicating 2-3% growth next year. This would represent solid growth and would mean a new all-time high number of trips, ahead of the previous record year of 2008.

Martin Buck, director of the Competence Center Travel and Logistics at Messe Berlin: “Despite the difficulties experienced by various eurozone countries Europe’s travel industry has to date made it safely through 2011. In particular, stable prices and easy online booking procedures have ensured that Europe continues to attract international travellers and also remains the world’s leading source market.“

The Swiss are keen travellers - popular destinations

The Swiss were noted as particularly keen travellers. The number of trips they took grew by nine per cent. They were followed by Sweden (seven per cent) and Belgium (six per cent) respectively. Germans were more restrained. In 2011 the number of trips they took rose by only one per cent.

According to the European Travel Monitor, compared with 2010 short-haul trips grew by four per cent and made up 90 per cent of trips overall. An extra three per cent decided to travel long distance. The number of short trips with one to three overnights rose by ten per cent, while figures for longer stays stagnated.

As far as shorter journeys were concerned, respondents among the 13 European nations polled preferred trips to northern, central and southwestern European regions. Due to the political revolutions in countries such as Tunisia and Egypt many tourists avoided North Africa, which suffered losses of 15 per cent. Travel to the Asia-Pacific region stagnated too, due to a drop in trips to Japan following the Fukushima disaster. The winners were North and South America, which together registered a six per cent increase in tourism.

Among European travellers major cities were popular again this year. City breaks were among the most popular form of travel, rising by ten per cent, followed by round trips (eight per cent) and beach holidays (six per cent). By contrast, trips to rural regions and ski holidays fell by seven and five per cent respectively. European travellers clearly like to save money getting to their destination: low-cost flights rose by ten per cent, while traditional air travel suffered a four per cent drop.

Bookings by smartphones have made no significant impact to date. Only three per cent of European travellers said they used mobile devices to make their travel reservations. 97 per cent of internet users booked their trips via a PC or laptop. As far as booking accommodation is concerned, online reservations (63 per cent) have now already overtaken bookings by telephone or in person (37 per cent).

Details of European travel trends will be presented by the ITB World Travel Trends Report, which will be published in early December at www.itb-berlin.com. The report is based on the assessments of 50 tourism experts from 30 countries, on a special IPK International trend analysis undertaken in leading source markets, and on core data supplied by the World Travel Monitor, recognised as the largest continuous survey of global travel trends in some 60 source countries. The findings reflect trends which emerged during the first eight months of 2011. At the ITB Berlin Convention Rolf Freitag, CEO of IPK International, will present the findings for the entire year, as well as the latest forecasts for 2012.

Source: traveldailynews.com/

United Kingdom lifts advisory against travel to Bangkok

Bangkok workers clean up a convenience store that was flooded for weeks. Though water is now starting to recede in some areas, many Bangkok communities are still battling floods.

Here's some long-awaited good news for Thailand's embattled tourism industry. The United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has downgraded its warnings for visitors to Thailand.

On Monday, the FCO changed its advisory and is now telling travelers to exercise caution when visiting the country's 22 flood-stricken provinces, including Bangkok. Previously, it advised against all but essential travel.

More on CNNGo: Updated Thailand flood info for tourists

A statement on the FCO website said: "We now assess that the risk of floods affecting central Bangkok is reducing, though a small risk remains that some of the floodwater affecting the suburbs to the north, east and west of Bangkok could spread slowly towards the centre of the city. This risk will diminish as more floodwater drains into the sea."

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Australian and United States governments had yet to downgrade their advice to citizens and are still advising them to reconsider travel to Thailand's flood-hit provinces, including Bangkok.

The U.S. advisory does, however, note that most tourist destinations, such as Phuket and Chiang Mai, are unaffected by the current flooding and Bangkok’s main international airport, Suvarnabhumi, is operating normally.

Source : http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/visit/united-kingdom-lifts-advisory-against-travel-bangkok-278056?hpt=itr_t1

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U.S. Travel Association Invites the World to Discover America

The organization responsible for driving international tourism to the U.S has rebranded under a new name: Brand USA and it will soon launch the country's first international marketing campaign.

Brand USA debuted at the World Travel Market in London this week as the new name of the Corporation for Travel Promotion, along with its logo and consumer website - DiscoverAmerica.com - the first official tourism website for the United States by the U.S. Travel Association. The new identity represents the first phase of a promotional campaign aimed at increasing visitor numbers to the country by 40 percent to 300 million by 2020.

The website includes information on all 50 states, five U.S. territories, more than 125 destinations and more than 5,000 attractions, as well as shopping and dining information. The new logo features a collection of dots forming the letters "USA", each dot representing a facet of the country's diversity. According to Brand USA, the logo was created to be "fresh, welcoming and inclusive" to symbolize the diversity of the places and people of the country.

Through the creation of Brand USA, the government is inviting the world's travelers to come to the U.S for leisure, business and experience the limitless possibilities for themselves. "The United States offers a range of destinations and experiences that are unparalleled in the world market", Brand USA Inc. chief executive Jim Evans said at the launch of the brand.

The advertising and marketing initiative, which cost up to USD$200 million, will be officially launched at ITB Berlin in the spring of 2012 and will run in as many as 15 nations to reverse a slide in foreign visitors to the U.S. In addition to advertising, promotions and public relations, the campaign will use new elements like social media and mobile media. It is funded through a combination of private sector investment and funds collected by the Department of Homeland Security from international visitors who visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.

Through marketing and promotional efforts, the organization hopes to ultimately drive the country's economic growth and job creation with the campaign by increasing international tourists to the U.S. "In the last 10 years, we enjoyed an economic boom that didn't necessarily highlight or focus on travel to the U.S., because people just wanted to come to the U.S." Adding, "Over time, however, other countries have really ramped up their tourism spend, and like a lot of industries, we've had to wake up and realize we have to be more competitive."

If you are interested in Visas to the USA, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to the United States of America.

Source: Migration expert

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2BHK / 3BHK apartments for sale in Kalavakkam, Chennai

Marg Savithanjali is located in Kalavakkam, which is just 3 kilometres from kelambakkam Junction. From Madhya Kailash it will take just 40 minutes drive on the six lanes IT corridor of Chennai. You can get easy access of schools and hospitals as Marg Savithanjali is right on the main road.

The Total land extent is 7.11 acres and it is being constructed on 2 phases With 353 Units on Phase I and 325 units on Phase II.

Phase I of Marg Savithanjali includes 5 different types of apartments ranging between 1157 sq ft to 3149 sq ft. See below the types of apartments they built.

• 2BHK - 102 units
• 2BHK with Study - 114 units
• 3BHK - 116 units
• Duplex Home - 16 units
• Pent House - 5 units
  

The base price of Marg Savithnjali is Rs.2999 per sq. Ft.

The falls within the category of Rs. 39.5 to 120 lakhs (All Inclusive).

Club house in Marg Savithanjali includes

• Club House
• Library
• Jacuzzi
• Swimming pool
• Toddlers pool (Children pool)
• Clinic
• Tennis Court
• Health club
• Squash court
• 24/ 7 security
• Intercom facilities
• Landscaped Gardens
• Broad band connectivity
• Amphitheater
• Piped gas
• Kids Play area (safe and secure, sand pits, rubber mats etc.)
• Creche (Day care centre)
• Reflexology jogging track
• Table Tennis, Foos ball, Caroms, chess
• Snooker table
• Lightning arrestor
• Convenio (Grocery store)
• Aerobics room
• Laundromat (Laundry)
• Garbage chute

Marg Savithanjali will be the right place for people, who are looking for duplex apartments in Chennai. Buyers who are very much concerned about vaastu got great news as Marg Savithanjali vaastu complaint.

Marg Savithanjali will be completed within 24 months from the date of construction and we have scheduled our construction by October 2010; hence we could commit the possession as May 2013 plus 3 month's grace period.

So apartments and flat buyers hurry up to book your spot.

For payment schedule visit http://www.margproperties.com/savithanjali/paymentschedule.php

For Bookings Contact

Marg Properties Ltd
4/318, Old Mahabalipuram Road,
Kotivakkam, Chennai – 600041
Tamil Nadu, India
Contact no : 04442525252
Website: http://www.margproperties.com/
Email: smarthomes@margproperties.com

Source: http://chennai.olx.in/item_page.php?Id=272218846&ts=1320318005