Dar es Salaam — As one of the ways of empowering more women economically, women in the tourism sector have formed their own group -Association Of Women in Tourism in Tanzania (AWOTTA).                                                                                                                    

Speaking at the launch of the association in Dar es Salaam last week, the Director of Tourism in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Ibrahim Mussa, urged women to promote gender equality, women’s empowerment and take proactive steps to mainstream gender in tourism policies, planning and operations.

“AWOTTA will work with planners and owners of land to assist women in tourism business,” she said adding that placing women tourist activists at strategic places, will help boost local economy.

“More women will be able to control their own income,” she said.

Mama Kalikawe said AWOTTA will be supporting women in tourism businesses and other tourism engagements, economically, legally and socially among other things.

Kenya Association of Women in Tourism (KAWT) chairperson Faith Kithu said the launching of AWOTTA was a big milestone for Tanzanians women in tourism industry.

Ms Hafsa Mbamba, Managing Director, Grassroots Traveller in Zanzibar said one of the core agenda of AWOTTA was promoting and further developing “sustainable tourism” in Tanzania.

Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, England
Anyone who is familiar with King Arthur would be thrilled to visit this legendary hill in England. Glastonbury Tor is believed by some to be the famous Avalon in the Arthurian legend. For people unfamiliar with the story, Avalon is the place where Excalibur, King Arthur’s sword, was forged. After the Battle of Camlann, King Arthur was taken in Avalon Island to recover from his wounds. Aside from the Arthurian legend, Glastonbury is also known for the story of Joseph the Arithamea and the Holy Grail. The Glastonbury Tor has seven prominent symmetrical terraces. The terraces’ origin is a mystery, but has been associated with several causes, including cattle grazing, agriculture, labyrinths, and castle fortification. Visitors can see the ruins of Saint Michael Church up in the high conical bulk of the hill.

Valley of the Kings, Egypt
Indisputably one of the most famous places in the world, Valley of the Kings in Egypt is the resting place of the dead rulers of Ancient Egypt. The valley was used for burials since 1589 BC and contains approximately 63 tombs, including Tutankhamun, the world’s most popular pharaoh. The popularity of King Tut began after the discovery of his almost untouched tomb. This also initiated the popular legend about the Curse of the Pharaohs, where it is believe that anyone who disturbs the tomb of a mummy will be put under curse.  With or without a curse, the Valley of the Kings remains as one of the most significant tourists and archeological sites in the world. Although the excavation and exploration sites are off-limits to tourists, visitors are able to tour the site through the new tourist center. The rules are stricter, as flash photography is not permitted. Not all tombs are open to people, but you can still view 18 tombs.

 Troy, Turkey
Troy is both a legendary and a real place. It is best known as the setting of the notorious Trojan War. For many years, people believed that Troy was just a fictional place. In was not until 1822 that a serious of adventurer and archeologists discovered the ruins of Troy in north western Turkey. Troy is approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Dardanelles and about five hours away from Istanbul. Both mythology and history enthusiasts would be thrilled to visit the ruins. Portions of the legendary walls of Troy, the temple of Pergamum, and the amphitheatre which was built during the Roman Empire can still be seen in the site.

Ys in Brittany, France
Ys is a mythical city and a legendary city in the coast of Brittany, France. It was said to be built below sea level and was later swallowed by the ocean. It was built by Gradlon, the King of Cornouaille, upon the request of Dahut, his daughter, who is fond of the sea. Ys flooded when Dahut stole the key and opened the floodgates that were supposed to protect the city. The ruinsof Ys are supposed to be under the popular beach town in Brittany. Although there is no way to see the ruins, the dense and impenetrable forest that separates the region from the mainland attracts as much tourists as the infamous legend. Brittany is also visited for its many megalithic monuments and calvary (crucifix) structures that can be seen on the region’s small towns and crossroads.

Shambhala in Zhongdian, Tibet
Shambhala is also known as the Hidden Kingdom, a mysterious city that is located somewhere, hidden, in Inner Asia. According to ancient texts, Shambhala is an enlightened place where perfect and semi-perfect beings reside. The city is also the inspiration of James Hilton’s Lost Horizon.                              

There is no trace of the so-called kingdom, but it is said to be found in Zhongdian, Tibet. Zhongdian is later renamed as Shangri-La County. Shangri-La is famous for its remote temples, ancient villages, and its rugged terrain. Backpackers usually travel to this place to taste the Tibetan life. It is also relatively close to Pudacuo National Park and the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Visitors can only visit between April and October, as the road to the county is closed due to snow storms.

Jerusalem’s legendary Machane Yehuda open-air food market has developed into a gourmand wonderland, featuring more than 250 food stalls and vendors boasting a wide range of products — from locally sourced produce, dairy products and delicacies to imported sweets and organic wines from Israel and around the world.

Conveniently located just steps away from the Jerusalem city center, the Machane Yehuda market was first established in 1887 and exists today as one of Israel’s most buzzing markets, where espresso bars, photography galleries and fashion boutiques sit alongside butchers, repairmen and vegetable vendors. The Machane Yehuda market has also launched a new website, featuring interactive maps, interviews with vendors and options to book special themed tours.

“The Machane Yehuda Market is one of the most exciting parts of the city for travelers and locals alike,” said Oded Grofman, Consul for Tourism, Israel Government Tourist Office – Canada. “The colorful mix of local and international gourmet food products will be sure to surprise and satisfy travelers of all tastes and palates.”

 The market will also host the Balabasta food festival, featuring food-centric events, music and acting performances, every Monday through August 2012.

 For more information on travel to Israel, visit www.goisrael.ca.

Looking for travel to Israel – call Sharleen at Travel Masters – 604-659-4176 or 1-877-659-4176 and ask about her visit to the market.

Welcome to Fugging. The 104 denizens of the Austrian town of Fucking have voted to change their town’s name to Fugging. The problem? There already is a Fugging, Austria. …read on

There’s no doubt that the luxury of  lying on a beach for a few weeks’ holiday can be just the tonic needed for a busy lifestyle.                                                                                         

But, according to research, there seems to be genuine psychological benefits to a spell, however short, spent beside the sea.

A study has found that a walk on the beach has more impact on emotional wellbeing than a stroll in the park.

Researchers looked at data on 2,750 participants aged eight to 80 in a two-year study of people’s engagement with the natural environment.

All outdoor locations were associated with positive feelings of enjoyment, calmness and refreshment.

But visits to the coast were the most beneficial, while urban parks had the least effect.

The trend remained after taking account of factors such as age, distance of travel, the presence of others, and type of activity.

Mathew White, from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health in Truro, Cornwall, said: ‘There is a lot of work on the beneficial effects of visiting natural environments, but our findings suggest it is time to move beyond a simple “urban versus rural” debate and start looking at the effect that different natural environments have on people’s health and wellbeing.’

Dr White will tell the British Psychological Society’s annual meeting in London today that the feelings of positivity people get when at the seaside may be ‘hard-wired’ into their brains.

Another possibility is that people consider the sea a ‘good thing’ because they are constantly told that. Dr White added that there was growing evidence that positive feelings have an impact on health.

Dutch coffee shop owners have gone to court to fight the introduction of a “cannabis card” next month to stop foreigners from buying the drug in the country, a court says.

“A request for an interim application was heard before the court,” said Saskia Panchoe, spokeswoman for The Hague district court where 19 coffee shop owners lodged their case against what they termed “discriminatory measures.”

 Judges will give a written decision on April 27, Panchoe said.

New cannabis-for-locals-only laws are to roll out on May 1 in three southern Dutch provinces – North Brabant, Limburg and Zeeland on the Belgian and German borders – and in the rest of the Netherlands in 2013.

The centre-right government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte has since September 2010 been weighing a “cannabis card”, reserved for residents only and obligatory when visiting one of the country’s 670 licenced coffee shops.

Dutch coffee shops will now become closed clubs allowed up to 2000 members from among residents, including foreigners, living in the Netherlands and aged over 18.

The move, which coffee shop owners say would harm an industry that has been a drawcard for travellers for years, was taken to protect locals against the nuisance of drug tourism and criminality, authorities said.

Dutch residents have long complained about the impact of drug tourism including pollution, traffic jams, noise at night and a proliferation of hard-drug dealers on the streets.

“This is a discriminatory measure,” said Andre Beckers, one of the four lawyers who represent the 19 coffee shops, located in the country’s 19 judicial districts as well as two pro-cannabis organisations.

“These 19 coffee shops have been selected to represent the whole country and it is clear that many other coffee shops support the action,” Beckers said.

Though cannabis is technically illegal, the Netherlands decriminalised the possession of less than five grams of the substance in 1976 under a so-called “tolerance” policy.

A 49-year-old American man became so fed up with airport screening that he stripped naked at Portland International Airport security checkpoint, police said.

Some passengers covered their own eyes, as well as their children’s, during the Tuesday evening incident, a Port of Portland Police report said, while others “stepped out of the screening lanes to look, laugh and take photos.”

Officials asked John Brennan numerous times to put his clothes back on, but “Mr. Brennan refused to dress” and was taken into custody, according to the police report.

“When interviewed about his actions, Mr. Brennan stated he flies a lot and had disrobed as a form of protest against (Transportation Security Administration) screeners who he felt were harassing him,” the report said.

He jailed on suspicion of disorderly conduct and indecent exposure and later released. Neither alcohol nor drugs was involved in the incident, the report said.

Brennan missed his Alaska Airlines flight to San Jose, California.

The National Museums of Kenya’s Mombasa butterfly exhibit project manager Antony Githitho the project, which is a collaboration between the USaid and the NMK, will soon be open to the public at the Fort Jesus grounds.

“It is designed to provide an additional attraction for visitors and locals in Mombasa and will also showcase the rich and varied biodiversity of the coast region,” added Githitho.

The official said the project, which has so far cost Sh45 million was started in 2005. It is anticipated that the facility will be a popular venue and meet its objectives of enhancing conservation awareness and supporting livelihoods.

“These are already essential destinations for tourists and visitors to Mombasa which the exhibit will supplement with a ‘nature’ experience. However, it will not only showcase coastal biological treasures but also their value and links to local communities,” added Githitho.

The building will be completed and inaugurated this month but work on it will continue and the exhibit is expected to open to the public in the second half of 2012, according to the NMK official.

“The exhibit is located in the Research Institute of Swahili Studies of Eastern Africa, Swahili Cultural Centre compound behind the historic fort and next to Mombasa Hospital but will be approached mainly from the fort,” he added.

Githitho said the project will include a butterfly flight cage with biodiversity conservation story boards and a gift shop. Live butterflies will be released into flight cage for visitors to admire and enjoy.

“The butterflies will be produced by local coastal communities. The gift shop will specialise in cultural and natural products from conservation areas and Mombasa Old Town. In addition to the butterfly house, the grounds have been landscaped for increased enjoyment of this scenic spot. There is an amphitheatre for outdoor performances and meetings with attractive views of Tudor Channel and the open sea,” he said.

The oil rich country of Caucasus makes huge investments both for tourism and the global image

Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea country is looking to build the tallest building in the world.

Tentatively named Azerbaijan Tower, the planned 1,050 metre structure will dwarf Dubai’s Burj Khalifa to look over Baku’s largest development project which is planned to include dozens of artifical islands and a Formula One race track.

It is also likely to be taller than the Kingdom Tower, the planned 1km-high building backed by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed.

Following in the footsteps of other oil and natural gas-rich post-Soviet countries along the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan wants to use its newly found oil wealth to project an image of modernity in a country where the Nobel brothers struck oil more than a century ago.

A planned 41 islands that will dot the Caspian Sea will be connected by 150 bridges.

“One million people will live here…It will be Venice, new Venice,” said Ibrahim

Ibrahimov, the brains behind the project and the head of real estate developer Avesta, seen as close to President Ilham Aliyev.

Ibrahimov said that American, Turkish, Arab and Chinese investors have already showed their interest in the project which is expected to cost some $100bn.

Ibrahimov said the project will be completed between 2020 and 2025.

Construction work is currently underway on a road system which will include a Formula 1 quality race track.

In an attempt to return Baku to the glamour it possesed during the years of its first oil boom more than a century ago, five-star hotels are under construction, as well as a sprawling, curvaceous construction designed by architect Zaha Hadid.

The country will host Eurovision song contest in May in another chance for Baku authorities to showcase the city. Rights groups and residents say that much of the new construction is being carried out with massive forced eviction of residents across the city.