Festival fan?

The semester is almost over and it seems that I will not be adding posts anymore... If you are interested in festivals, as much as I am, the best side to go to is probably www.festivals.com... There you can choose from festivals of all kinds all around the states!
I wish you good luck and have fun :)

Etisalat-Sharjah Water Festival 2009 opened!

The Festival, which opened its gates to visitors at 16:00, was officially opened by H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), which is responsible for organizing the annual event. Also in attendance were H. E. Abdullah Al Owais, Director of Sharjah's Cultural Department, Col. Hamid Mohammed Al-Hudaidi, Sharjah's Chief of Police, and H.E. Abdul Wahab Al Romi Director of Sharjah's Civil Aviation, as well as a number of other dignitaries and VIPs.

The Etisalat-Sharjah Water Festival will run until 12 December from 16:00 to 22:00 Saturday to Wednesday, and 16:00 to 24:00 on Thursdays and Fridays.

Read also previous article about the festival below

Qatar Tourism Authority participates at EIBTM in Barcelona

Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) participated in the annual Global Meetings and Incentive Exhibition (EIBTM) in Barcelona, Spain from 1.-3.December to promote Qatar tourism and hospitality industry and Qatar itself as a great unique business destination. As one of the premier MICE Industry ( Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions..one of the fastest growing segments within the tourism industry)events, QTA has exhibited at EIBTM for a number of years.

More than 90% of visitors to Qatar come on business or attend one of the conferences or exhibitions in the country.

Qatar Tourism Authority will be accompanied by an important delegation representing the examples of high-quality standards Qatar has achieved to become an upscale MICE destination, including the Qatar National Convention Center, the Museum of Islamic Art and representatives from several luxury hotels and the top tour operators in Qatar.

EIBTM ...where the world meets

The Arab Health 2010

Every day throughout the world thousands of hospital patients are victims of identification breakdowns and errors of various degrees. This can result in major problems with transfusion, drug administering, specimen collection and point of care testing.
Brenmoor company, UK producer of hospital bracelets is launching a new type of wristbands that are easy to print, extremely comfortable for the patient and are resistant to soaps, alcohol, water and other commonly used chemicals used in hospitals and is ready to introduce them across the Middle East.

"Between February 2006 and January 2007, the National Patient Safety Agency Advice in the UK received over 24,000 reports of patients being wrongly identified and mismatched with their care. This can be distressing for patients and for staff and can result in serious, lasting harm, such as chronic pain, undiagnosed cancers, blindness and even death."Paul Brennan, Director of Brenmoor Limited

The Brenmoor company will participate at the Arab Health to propagate its products.

Arab Health is the largest medical technologies trade fair in the world and will be taking place between 25-28 January 2010.

Read more about the manufacturer

For You, Our Dear Travelers

How to Order a Beer in Fifty Languages

To not get lost!

*Jedno pivo, prosím!*

AIRPORT NAVIGATOR

Long while at the airport?

Waiting for your flight long time? Do not know what to do?? Be ready for such situation..

Airport navigator is here to help you find some entertainment!

Click!Clack!:)

Happy Double Ninth Festival, October 26, 2009

"The Double Ninth Festival is based on the theory of Yin and Yang, the two opposing principles in nature by which the ancient Chinese believed that every natural phenomenon could be explained. According to the I Ching, nine is the biggest Yang number. The Double Ninth Festival, the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, is a date when the biggest Yang number is doubled. That is why it is also called Chongyang Festival, which means double Yang.

This year, the festival falls on October 26th and has brought throngs of people to Badachu Park. Climbing a high mountain during the Double Ninth Festival is supposed to protect individuals against danger and preserve longevity. Although it may not have the highest peaks around, the steep path up Badachu rewards visitors with a great view of the changing colors of the surrounding Lushi Hills.

Besides providing a good reason to go out and hike, the festival inspired many of China’s elderly to seek a longer life. Drinking chrysanthemum wine and wearing a zhuyu plant is said to have cleansing and protective qualities.

However, for those that don’t like wine or prefer not to lengthen their life span by climbing a mountain, there’s a sweet solution. The Chinese word for “cake,” gao, sounds the same as “high.” So if you don’t feel like exercising your legs but want to work your mouth, Chongyang Cake is the perfect solution."

Sources: www.chinaculture.org

11th Annual San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest 2009

Last week, from November 20th to 22nd people were "krumping, clowning, strobing, turfing, breaking, locking" in San Francisco... Don´t worry if you don´t understand these words..I did not either... It is vocab of "Hip-Hop dancers" which not many people understand... Nevertheless this festival seems to be very interesting. People could see Hip-hop dancers from all around America."The San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest remains unique for its dedication to presenting the highest quality professional Hip Hop dance companies and for its forward-thinking curatorial focus. This legendary event offers professional Hip Hop dance companies the level of production, exposure, and acknowledgement that they urgently deserve, nurturing emerging artists and consistently contributing to the evolution of both Hip Hop and dance. With a record of ten years of sold-out performances, the DanceFest has developed a reputation for both quality and innovation."

Sources: www.sfhiphopdancefest.com

International Festival of Outdoor Films

"The festival is one of the biggest touring festivals in the Czech Republic (Europe). This year we assume that the festival will take place in 25 towns of the Czech Republic in the term from 16th
October to 5th December 2009.
We try to improve this festival all the time and we are glad that IFOF has gained favor of large audience. The number of spectators increases every year which is certainly interesting fact for you. We expect at least 25 000 spectators this year.
Film categories of the festival:
A. Adventurous any extreme sport film - outdoor sports (exept mountain climbing), skiing, extreme skiing, mountain bikes, paragliding, etc.
B. mountainclimbing and mountain films – mountain climbing sports, expedition climbing, arctic expeditions, mountain scenery, man & mountains
C. Adventurous water sport films – rafting, watercraft sports, yachting, canoeing, diving, surfing, long distance swimming, etc.
D. Travel film – (films of travel character which are not selected into categories A,B,C)"
Sources: www.mfof.cz

Completion of the Burj Dubai

By the 2 december the highest building in the world Burj Dubai should be completed!

See the video by Phil Blizzard, reporter for the AMEinfo web, Middle East business resource.
Video

INTERCONTINENTAL RESIDENCE SUITES

Luxury apartments in Dubai..for longer stay

Check the video and see what the InterContinental Residence Suites offers, the stylish, comfortable accommodation..

Festival of Mass Animal Sacrifice Begins in Nepal

Recently I have read shocking article about this festival in Nepal... It makes me wonder why don´t "the animal protectors" do anything about it?
The thing is that a big part of this festival is worshiping the Hindu god of power Gadhimai... Although that doesn´t sound as bad as it actually is... To worship this god properly Hinduists have to kill about 200, 000 buffaloes, goats, chickens and pigeons! This festival takes place every five years...
''I am here with my mother who had promised the goddess she would sacrifice a goat. It was her wish and promise and I am glad we were able to fulfill it,'' said Pramod Das, a farmer from the nearby village of Sarlahi. ''I believe now my mother's wishes will come true.''

For more information go to: www.nytimes.com

Queenscliff Music Festival

The Queenscliff Music Festival is a family friendly event for music lovers of all ages. Held in the seaside town of Queenscliff on the shores of Swan Bay, only 90 minutes from Melbourne. It will last from November 27th - 29th. The 2009 Festival will feature artists playing across a variety of stages including marquees, intimate church spaces, grand ballrooms, community buildings and even a stream train!
For more information please visit: www.qmf.net.au

24th Festival International de Louisiane

Festival International de Louisiane is a community-based, non-profit arts organization formed in 1986 to produce an annual visual and performing arts festival celebrating the French cultural heritage of southern Louisiana – primarily a combination of French, African, Caribbean and Hispanic influences.
Good thing is that the festival is FREE :) you can enjoy over 100 musical performances for free. So the only thing you have to do is to buy a ticket to Louisiana. You wil hear several kinds of music. From rock to folk, jazz, blues to funk, reggae,...There is something for everyone! The annual 5-day festival is held during the last full week of April.(April 21-25, 2010) Historic downtown Lafayette, Louisiana, is transformed into an entertainment mecca featuring six music stages, food court areas, street musicians and animators, arts and crafts boutiques, art galleries, beverage stands, cultural workshops, international cooking demonstrations and a world music store.
For more information keep track on: www.festivalinternational.com

12th French Film Festival

You have probably seen many billboards and posters around Prague with this colorful popcorn box. I was wondering what they are and had to find out more about this festival. This 12th French Film Festival will start tomorrow and will last until November 25th. The tickets will cost 89 czech crowns and you can buy them mostly in every cinema. Movies will be shown in four main cinemas : Lucerna, Světozor, Slovanský dům and Kino 35. The tickets will be also available in Palace Cinemas.
If you are not from Prague you have other seven cities to choose from : Brno, České Budějovice, Hradec Králové, Olomouc, Ostrava, Pardubice and Plzeň.
Enjoy :)
www.festivalff.cz

33rd Cairo International Film Festival 2009

The Head of the Supreme Council for the CIFF said about the festival: "Once again Cairo is ready to celebrate the fine art of Cinema during its annual Cairo International Film Festival.It is imperative that we re-emphasize international communication and understanding between nations.Ours is the oldest festival in the Middle East and has beenan inspiration to several other budding festivals of which we are proud. We extend a hand of friendship and co-operation to them and to all festivals, hoping that the exchange of ideas and concepts will be beneficial to all.
This is the positive direction to achieve our dreams and develop and enhance the Egyptian, Arab and African film industry. Hard work & devotion are necessary to allow us to project in a comprehensive manner the reality of our culture & tradition.
We dream of bringing the four corners of the globe together at this time of violence, conflicts, wars, the mesmerizing art of Cinema is the most effective approach to narrow the gap between the various viewpoints."
This year´s festival started yesterday- November 11th and will last until November 20th 2009.


For more information visit the official website: www.cairofilmfest.org

World Architecture Festival

I know, it is very different from my previous festivals, but I find this one very interesting. It is a festival which was held in Barcelona, Spain from November 4th to November 6th. It is the only international festival which focuses on architecture. Every year they choose "the building of a year." It is a festival for poeple who are interested in architecture. They could meet many famous architects out there. What I especially like about this festival is that they also appreciate work of students from architectural schools. This way they have a chance to present their own works and be known worldwide.
This year´s World Building (which you can see on the picture) became "Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre" in South Africa done by Peter Rich Architects.

Where for massage??

One of the largest massage and wellness centre in United Arab Emirates is opening already the ninth massage centre in just two years in Dubai, the Dreamworks arranged a cooperation with Gold Swiss-Belhotel and opened the Dreamworks Spa and massage Centre on the 5th floor of the hotel.
The massage centre specializes in traditional Balinese massage and foot reflexology.
There was opened 3 treatment rooms, with separate ladies and gents facilities, including stream, sauna and lockers. More than 40staff is employed there. You can enjoy all the pleasures of various massages of high quality, including the four hand massage

Price list of Dreamworks massages

Enjoy little bit of massage secrets in Prague...

World Green Tourism Congress

Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates will host the first-of-its-kind international World green Tourism Congress in 2010. It has been chosen for its easy access from Europe and Asia as well and because of its excellent business tourism infrastructure.
Organised by Streamline Marketing Group (UAE) and Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority the congress should be held from 6 to 8 December 2010.

„The congress should reflect the main values of the Abu Dhabi Government´s 2030 plan, which clearly identifies tourism as a key economic diversification driver and environmental sustainability as an underlying fundamental of all we do,“ said Dayne Lim, Product Development Director of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.
The conference is concentrated on discussing the environmental challenges in tourism, highlighting the green tourism aims and influencing the integration of environment friendly tourism industry. The congress is also expected to reinforce Abu Dhabi´s reputation as a determined supporter of environmental protection.

Read more

http://www.worldgreentourism.com/

Yemeni rebels suppressed

Saudi soldiers gained back control over the mountainous region Jabal Dokhan that was occupied by probably Houthi rebels from Yemen who are intermittently in conflict with Yemeni forces for 5 years.
Soldiers were able to suppress the rebels within Saudi borders. The clashes killed 3 members of the Saudi security forces and wounded 15.

The relationship between Saudi Arabia and Yemen is said to be not affected.


Source

Property Exhibition in Kuwait

An amazing Real Estate Exhibition will take place in Kuwait from 9 to 13 December. The exhibition will be organized by Durrat Al Bahrain, the largest planned luxury tourist resort development.

The exhibition is expected to attract investors and estate professionals from the region, more than 45 companies should participate in the exhibition introducing more then 100 real estate projects from 17 countries.

Organizers of the exhibition want also show how Durrat Al Bahrain is an ideal lifestyle destination where over 1000 luxury villas, gardens, beaches are ready to provide you all the comfort and peace needed.

Expansion and renovation!

Mövenpick Hotel and Apartments Bur Dubai in United Emirates has strongly enhanced its facilities and launched also new hotel apartments building. Visitors can also enjoy pleasant time, relaxation and also privacy of renovated and redecorated 255 hotel rooms that will be available for hotel guests very soon. The hotel has also improved food and beverages service, guests can expect delicious meal, excellent quality. Introducing an Executive Lounge with complimentary breakfasts and evening drinks for executive guests. New restaurant Chutneys is also launched, offering North-Indian cuisine.

The Rose Rayhaan by Rotana

Rotana is opening the tallest hotel in the world in Dubai.

Check the video..

New York Butoh Festival

From October 23 to November 25, 2009, CAVE will present its fourth biennial Butoh Festival. Events will be presented at Dixon Place in Soho, Dance New Amsterdam in Tribeca and CAVE in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Butoh-kan offers rigorous physical training and enriches students with first person contact with international masters. It is an integrative opportunity for the dancers, actors and interdisciplinary performers. This year’s festival presents a striking roster of master teachers and performers. With performances, artist talks, workshops and participatory opportunities for scholars, it offers a unique platform for the development of local dancers and encourages active dialogue on Butoh’s origins, evolution and global status.

"The New York Butoh Festival allowed connoisseurs and novices alike to steep themselves in this enigmatic dance… You couldn’t explain it, perhaps, but the raw experience was undeniable.”
– The New York Times

Sources:
www.nytimes.com

Europalia Arts Festival

This International Arts Festival started on October 8th, 2009 and will last until February 14th, 2010 in Belgium and its neighbouring regions. Europalia is a major international arts festival held every two years to celebrate one invited country. This year it will be China. Its name is a combination of two words: “Europe” and “Opalia,” an ancient Roman harvest festival held in mid-December in honour of Ops, earth-goddess and fertility deity. Her name lies at the root of the Latin word “Opus”, that denotes a work of art. Since 1969, Europalia has organised some twenty-one festivals. People will be able to experience the music, fine arts, photography, cinema, theatre, dance and literature of China.It has brought new insight into the many different countries that form Europe including Italy, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Austria, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria, as well as into more distant lands: Mexico, Japan and Russia. Sources: www.europalia.eu www.chinaculture.org

Back to Mezipatra Queer Festival

Today at 10 pm you can watch "The Minutes from Mezipatra!" It will be shown on ČT 2... It will probably be in Czech language, but at least you will see what does it look like on the festival...
So don´t forget! :)

Mezipatra Queer Film Festival 2009

I have just got back from one of the movies shown on this years Mezipatra Queer Film Festival. It took place in Brno from October 23rd to October 31st, next day it moved to Prague where it will last until November 8th. To explain the use of the word queer I will use an explanation I have found on the official websites of the festival. It says that: Queer is a liberation from the traditional understanding of sexual and tender identities based on fixed categories male / female, gay / straight.
The movie I saw is called Pedro and talks about young HIV positive gay activist who participated in the 90´s reality-show "The Real World", named Pedro Zamora. The movie focuses on Pedro´s life from his childhood, how he got inficated, the relationship with his husband. It was very interesting movie and made me kind of change my opinion on homosexuals and HIV positive people. I highly recommend to go to see at least one of the movies shown on this festival. Most of them are in English with Czech subtitles.

For more information go to: www.mezipatra.cz

By Julie H.

Holland Animation FIlm Festival

If you did not make it to the Viennale you can visit Utrecht, Holland. Especially if you love animation and comics. Today is the opening day of thirtteenth edition of the Holland Animation Film Festival. It will last until November 8th. During these five days the festival takes place at locations in the historical heart of the city Utrecht. The festival devotes special attention to autonomous art films and the latest developments, but also commercials, educational films, music videos and student films from the Netherlands and Belgium will be screened. There are expositions, lectures, workshops and talkshows, thematic programmes, sfx/vfx and feature films.
The opening movie is the Japanese Russian co-production, First Squad: The Moment of Truth by Yoshiharu Ashino, Aljoscha Klimov and Misha Shprits. "The film is combination of fiction and documentary.The film is a combination of fiction and documentary, adapted from the Russian comic stripPioneer Heroes, from the 1980s. During the winter of 1942, the Red Army valiantly resists the Nazi invasion. Nadya, a Russian adolescent, has the ability to foresee the moment of truth, the crucial point where all powers converge. This ability becomes indispensable to the ultra-secret 6th Division of Russian Military Intelligence that is waging war against an occult order within the SS." (Haff Magazine)

Sources: www.youtube.com
www.haff.awn.com
www.nytimes.com

by Julie H.

The Viennale is almost over!

Most of us has heard about Biennale which was held in Prague on May 2009 and showed artworks of several artist coming from all over the world. Nevertheless Viennale is a movie festival held in Vienna. It lasted from October 22nd until today, November 4th.

Facts about Viennale:
- it took place for the first time in 1960
- takes place for 47th time this year
- it is the biggest international film festival in Austria
- it shows over 300 feature films, documentaries and short films
- it has more than 90, 000 visitors
- it has approximately 700 accredited guests from film, the film industry and the press
- it devotes smaller-scale shows of works, the so-called TRIBUTES, to prominent filmmakers, directors, actors and producers from all over the world
- it presents selected examples from the history of film and rediscovered films in restored versions
- it organizes public interviews and audience discussions with film-makers and other festival guests, as well as bokk presentation, exhibitions, concerts and other events

"I give the Viennale credit for being much more genuinely interested in independent work than most festivals are now. Each time I’ve been here, I’ve seen work, that I probably wouldn’t have seen very easily anywhere else."
(Jem Cohen, filmmaker)

(source: www.viennale.at)

by Julie H.

Sharjah Water Festival

One of the major annual events in United Arab Emirates is coming!
Traditional and very popular water festival takes place on Sharjah´s Khalid Lagoon and in the Al Majaz Park, Sharjah, from 2nd to 12th December. The festival has became very popular in Emirates, it is seen as great sport and family-oriented tourism event organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority. Providing a variety of entertainment, educational activities, sport competitions the water festival became one of the most highly anticipated event in Emirates and a huge attraction for visitors.. The Water Festival focuses also on the emirate´s history, culture and heritage and will culminate in the Sharjah´s Grand Prix 09, the final F1 Powerboat Championship.

The main sponsors of the Sharjah water festival are Etisalat, telecommunications services provider and Dana Gas, private natural gas company.

The SWF

Middle East and Medical Tourism

During the economic crisis the medical tourism has grown compared to other tourism sectors.
The growth of medical tourism is significant opportunity for Middle East. Current situation of Middle East is now changed. While in last years medical tourists from the Middle East were attracted by medical providers outside of the region nowadays the ME is more and more attracting people from Europe and USA where the cost of health care have risen.

The ME should now focus on establishing legal protections and guidelines, which are still lacking, to avoid problems connected with increase of arriving medical tourists to the ME.

To capture more from the international market, the ME will also need to focus on the critical factors in tourism industry as a quality of offered care, destination and its safety and quality of facilities and leisure or cultural attraction of the destination.

Reuters
Read more!

Touristic countries statistics

Lebanese local newspaper the Daily Star is bringing information that Lebanon is at first place among the countries with increase in tourism.

According to research by UNWTO Lebanon saw a 46,3 % increase in the first month of this year (2009) compared to the first months in last year. It is the highest growth rate among 165 examined countries.

As a second that witness increase in tourism in ranked Kenya with 43% growth in the number of tourists, third South Korea with 15 %.

Until August 2009 more than 1,28 million tourists came to Lebanon, in the whole year the number is expected to exceed 2 million.

Source

International Halal Show 2009

International halal show takes place in Jordan, on 28 October 2009!
If you are interested in halal food this show will present global producers of halal food, mainly the seafood and fish producers. It is great opportunity to visit workshops, conferences, see the technology and current halal industry trends for preparing halal!
Also the showcase of a wide variety of food, ingredients is provided!

What HALAL means ??

Qatar Airways - Fuel From Natural Gas

Special blend of synthetic Gas to Liquids (GTL) kerosene and oil-based kerosene fuel was developed by Shell and now should be used as a more nature-friendly fuel for airplanes under the name GTL Jet Fuel.
Qatar Airways as a first airline used this fuel technology completed the world´s first commercial passenger flight!
The journey from London Gatwick to Doha was operated with an Airbus A340-600 and took over 6 hours.
The Qatar Airwais is very proud to use this new fuel technology - it is very ecological. during the process of burning there is lower percentage of sulphur dioxide and emissions.

See the Qatar Airways webpage!

Lebanese President visited UNWTO

Tourism - Instrument of Peace and International Understanding

Tourism is considered as a fundamental factor for a mixing of cultures, international understanding and tolerance, exchange of ideas and also is the way how to keep the peace among peoples. Thanks to the communication, exchange of interests, capacities, expertise, tourism has significant effect on the economy, culture and political behaviour of the state.
20 October 2009 President of Lebanese Republic, H.E. Michel Suleiman, as the first head of government, visited the UNWTO headquaters in Madrid to discuss cooperation between Lebanon and UNWTO. Lebanon is ready to support the activities and programmes of UNWTO in the field of combating poverty through the tourism and the application of the Global Code of Ethics.
Lebanon is a founding member of the UNWTO. Since 1975 Lebanon has occupied several key positions in the Organization and now presides the Commission for the Middle East.

Read more...

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings.[1] The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information on international tourism. This organization represents public sector tourism bodies, from most countries in the world and the publication of its data makes possible comparisons of the flow and growth of tourism on a global scale. The official languages of UNWTO are Arabic, English, French, Russian and ‎Spanish. ‎

Wikipedia

Because we care! Beach Cleanup!

On the International Cleanup Day, October 3 there was held a cleanup campaign of Al Khan coast, organised by Sharjah Aquarium and Sharjah Maritime Museum with cooperation of Project Aware and Ocean Conservancy. The objective of the project was to call attention to our behaviour to the nature and to minimize ocean pollution.
As Manal Ataya, Director General, Sharjah Maritime Museum said: "By launching this campaign, we are not only supporting the International Cleanup day, but also inspiring Sharjah residents and visitors to respect the maritime environment and nature and to be part of this protection."
During the Cleanup day more than 1000 volunteers, including members of government establishments and NGOs participated in collecting rubbish as well as in cleaning the seabed. The campaign included also promotion action to protect aquatic habitats, drawing workshops for children and also rewarding the most unusual piece of rubbish.

Next time you can join the team of volunteers!

Tokyo Film Festival 2009

The 22nd Tokyo Film Festival started on October 17th and will last until this Sunday, October 23rd. So you still have time to go!
The festival was opened very interesting way. It was introduced by Hollywood actress Sigourney Weaver by strolling a carpet made of recycled plastic bottles. The theme of this nine-day festival is ecology. And more than 100 movies will be shown. One of them is also very famous "The Cove" which has won many awards all over the world. Althought the tickets for this movie are already sold out. New York Times says about this movie that: "The movie has provoked outrage over the dolphin hunt in the seaside town of Taiji in southwestern Japan, where 2,000 dolphins are killed every year, mostly for meat.The film shows fishermen banging on poles to frighten the dolphins into a cove, where they are killed with spears. The cove is closed off by barbed wire, and the movie crew had to film most footage covertly.Japanese police say the film's American director, Louie Psihoyos, and other members of his crew violated trespassing laws."
This festival is recognized as one of the four major film festivals in the world- as well as Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals.

Sources: nytimes.com

by Julie Hlaváčová

The 11th Asia Arts Festival

The nine-day festival started on August 18th in Ordos, InnerMongolia. It is organized by the Chinese Ministry of Clture and the government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The festival features a series of cultural activities exhibiting the diversity if Asian cultures and cementing cultural links in the region.
It is the first time when The Art Festival is held in the minority nationality regions in China. More than 150 artistic troupes coming from 25 Asian nations will attend the annual gala. They will show the best of culture of their country. The performances are also held on streets.
A highlight of the festival will be a conference involving more than 20 culture ministers and high-ranking officials in Asia. They will discuss opporunities, challenges and methodsfor cultural development amid the ongoing financial crisis.

Sci-FI Festival in London

A two-day film festival will take place on October 23rd and 24th. The festival will include film hort, features and documentaries, as well s series of talksa debates on genre literature, film and TV, stand-up comedy and a planetarium show.
It will all start on Friday at 8 p.m. with panel discussion about whether science-fiction authors should be writing about climate change, global pandemics and population growth instead of wasting their time writing about inerplanetary travel and space colonization. A planetarium show will start at 8 p.m. at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. On Saturday visitors will be able to see a sci-fi stand up comedy performance at 8 p.m. From 11 p.m. until 11 a.m. they will see three all-nighter films. All Saturday events will take place at London´s Piccadily Circus.
So those of you who are sci-fi fans should not miss this festival!


Sourc: www.nytimes.com

Kingdom's biggest display of superyachts, leisure boats and marine equipment on show at Jeddah's Al Furusya Marina.

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, inaugarated the 16th Dubai International Boat Show at the Dubai International Marine Club at Mina Seyahi.

During the opening of the First Saudi International Boat Show.

Saudi International Boat Show

From 14. to 17. October 2009 there was hosted an unique exhibition at the Al Furusya Marina and Yacht Club in Jeddah.

Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre and supported by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, the opening event shown the world's leading names participating in the Kingdom's largest display of boats, the latest marine and diving equipment, tourism, supplies and services.

More than 80 companies from 13 countries (as Canada, Netherlands, Denmark, Kuwait, USA, New Zaeland, for example) across the globe was participating at this special occasion.

Stunning parade of the best yachts and boats in the world was supplemented by leisure activities such as diving, fishing competitions and another entertainment as exciting raffle where the main prize was a new luxury Lincoln MKS.

Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre, noted:

"The Saudi International Boat Show will not only provide a unique meeting place for thousands of marine enthusiasts in Saudi Arabia but will offer a fun packed visitor experience of the latest and newest boats, yachts, fishing, diving and sailing activities from all around the world."

Whole event was open for public and free of charge, but there was also special opening event for only VIP guests on Wednesday 14 Oct.

Check also the pictures from this amazing show!

The New York Musical Theatre Festival is almost over!

All of you who are interested to visit this festival should hurry up, you have only 4 more days. For those of you who don´t know about this great festivals - there is a lot to see! In just five years the NYMF presented over 175 new musical theatre produtions and hundreds of readings, workshops, concerts, parties, special events, seminars and master classes. You will be able to see new musicals from all around the world and they won´t be those kinds of musicals you are used to. There are various types of music and styles, such as hip hop, emo-pop, rock, punk, ska, country, or opera.

So all of you who want to see Encore, Andy Warhol Was Right, Academy, All Fall Down, The Cure, The Last Smoker In America, or Whatever Man should buy a ticket to New York and be there before the festival is over.

If you are interested visit: http://www.nymg.org/

Visit Abu Dhabi and its wonderful culinary arts festival!

The traditional culinary festival is now planned to last whole 15 days, from February 5 in Abu Dhabi, one of the most known cities in United Arabic Emirates.
The festival´s main aim is to introduce its visitors the traditional culinary art and customs as well as to move the emirate along in its campaign to be a global culinary destination.
Because the food is a great part of each culture and its reflection, you should definitely visit this festival during your winter holidays to discover the secrets of Arabic culture.
As Ahmed Hussein, the Deputy Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, has said: "Bringing culinary experts from around the world to share and absorb knowledge is significant force for greater cross-cultural understanding."

Faces of India

This biggest Bolywood film festival will take place in the capital of Czech Republic - Prague. It started this Monday, October 12th, and lasts until October 18th. Movies as Luck By Chance, Bill Brber, Dostana, Rock On, Drona any many other will be shown in Prague cinema Svetozor and also exclusively at Indian Embassy. The projection in embassy will be free and visitors will pay onyl 100 Czech crowns in the cinema Svetozor. Movies are available with Czech and English subtitles.

The theme of this 7th festival is Faces of India. Visitors will see documentary movies, dramas and comedies. They will also have a chance to taste some of the typical Indian food, such as samosas.

However it is very interesting how this festival started. When Radim Spacek, festival´s artisic director, came from his pilgrimage he wanted to have an Indian movie night with his friends. Although his apartment was to small, so it took place at the Film Academy, where suddenly hundreds of people showed up. From that time, festival became a famous event. Last year´s festival had about 4,000 visitors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYMcG1PTqoA&feature=player_embedded

Low-cost carriers? More popular!

The gobal crisis surprisingly has also brougt some advantages to the tourism industry. For example, the downturn has helped boost the fortunes of Air Arabia airline.
Because the price is very important consideration for travelers and tourists seek the best price, Air Arabia decided to focus more on low-cost flights. Since they have launched the first low-cost airline in the Gulf region six years ago, Air arabia has made great profit and also the number of passengers grown, so that now flies to more than 60 popular destinations.
Mr. Adel Ali, the CEO of Air Arabia believes that the future for the airline is very bright. The average passenger capacity should reach 80% per year and should still move forward thanks to active expansion plans.

Recovering from the global crisis

The global crisis affected all business sectors as well as the tourism industry. Significant gains to global tourism industry have also tourists from the Middle East and other Arabic countries but also for them the crisis has played fundamental role and lowered their profit.
To compare, last year (2008) the percentage of tourists arriving to the Middle East(counted for the first seven months of the year) was 13% higher than this year. Last year only 42% of Arabs visited another Arabic country while 58% went outside of the Arabic region.
From statistics of World Tourism Organisation results that the tourism industry is recovering step by step and it is predicted that the crisis could be, hopefully, overcame by 2010.

Beijing Music Festival

"The Beijing Music Festival has become a symbolic cultural activity of Beijing and a world famous international music ceremony, inviting distinguished musicians and music groups from home and abroad." The festival can offer its visitors music of various kinds. Such as opera, symphonic solo, chamber music, classical jazz and vocal concerts and song and dance drama.
The festival lasts from October 10th to November 1Oth. This year´s festival is the 12th in a row and will be opened by Giuseppe Verdi´s Macbeth. The Beijing Music Festival also focuses on music education of children. Every year the festival offers free children´s and students´ concerts. It also won many praises from people from all around and achieved great successes.
So lets go to Beijing! :)
For more information: http://www.bmf.org.cn/

Tourism industry affected by crisis

The global crisis affected all business sectors as well as the tourism industry.
Significant contribution to global tourism have tourists from countries of Middle East and other arabic countries. But also for them has the crisis played fundamental role and lowered their profit.
To compare, last year (2008) the percentage of tourists arriving to the Middle East (counted for the first seven months of year) was 13% higher than this year (2009). And last year only 42% of Arabs visisted another arabic country, while 58% went outside from the arabic region.
From statistics of World Tourism Organisation results that the tourism industry is recovering step by step and it is predicted that the crisis in tourism could be, hopefully, overcame by 2010.

Intercity Festival 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNJVPiQ7VR8&feature=player_embedded

Intercity Festival

In 1988 when this festival was created, Intercity was in fact the name of the type of train which connected two big cities. By creating this festival, the theater hoped to connect the cities of Florence and Sesto Fiorentino with other global cities.

Intercity lasts for about 3 weeks (September 25-October 29) and includes two or three productions from the chosen city. This year it is Norwegian capital, Oslo. The visitors will enjoy readings, seminars, films and shows by Norwegian performers.

The festival already cooperated with New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Athens, Toronto, Moscow and others. This year it is the 22nd festival.

By Julie H.

This is 50 Festival

"Put your hands up!" rappers demanded on October 3rd. All of the sudden the whole Water Taxi Beach´on Governors Island came back to life. Thanks to Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, people could hear hip-hop and rap artists of various ages and qualities. The Festival started with Kid Cudi and Wale and 50 Cent himself sang for about two-and-a-half-hours. His songs are full of danger, guns, drugs and sex. It seems like that is what rap is about. He has multimillion-selling albums in 2003 and 2005. People could enjoy music of several artists such as: G-Unit, D-Block, Wyclef Jean, Maino and Red Cafe. There were many guests before 50 Cent took his part on a stage: Jim Jones and Juelz Santana, along with Al Be Back, Uncle Murda, Cory Gunz, Papoose and the four-rapper group Slaughterhouse.

The tickets for this festivals were sold-out and I believe that people enjoyed it fully. 33-year-old 50 Cent seems to be "the head" of rap music and one of the richest hip-hop performers.

Pingyao International Photography Festival

On September 19, 2009 many tourists came to north China´s Shanxi Province to see a large seven-day-festival of photography. "PIP is among 10 largest photography festivals in China and the only one to be held in a world heritage site,"said Hu Suping, head of Shanxi Provincial Publicity Department. Pingyao is a historical city with a history of approximately 2, 700 years and it was listed as a world heritage site by the UNESCO in 1997. This year we could see more than 20, 000 pictures coming from 1, 232 photographers from 46 countries. This festival was first viewed 8 years ago. Nevertheless more than 1.6 milion people enjoyed works of 1, 600 photographers from all around the world so far.

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