20 REGION AFRICA &
20 REGION AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST ABU DHABI: THE CULTURAL JEWEL OF THE MIDDLE EAST Formula1- Track - Yas Marina circuit With an incredible 10 million visitors to Abu Dhabi in 2018, and growth continuing, there are many factors driving this success. The emirate has been greatly diversifying its tourism offering, and aside from the usual holiday makers, placing a greater focus on developing different subsectors – such as cultural, business, medical, and cruise tourism. This, according to Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Acting Executive Director of the Marketing and Communications Sector at Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, has been paying off. In 2018, the cruise sector provided more than 350,000 visitors, while world-class cultural assets, such as Louvre Abu Dhabi, attracted more than 2.6 million people to the emirate. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe – the beating heart of Africa – at ITB China Zimbabwe comes to ITB China having been voted “Best in Travel 2019” after Sri Lanka and Germany respectively by Lonely Planet. Frommer’s, endorsed Zimbabwe as one of the “Best places to go in 2019” and the National Geographic Traveller voted Zimbabwe as one of the “Most Cool Places” to visit in 2019. These accolades attest to the fact that Zimbabwe is a destination worth travelling half way around the world for. Zimbabwe is a destination with amazing natural, cultural and historic wonders. Arch of Antoninus Pius, Sbeitla, Tunisia © Bernard Gagnon The destination is privileged to have 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Mighty Victoria Falls being one of them. The nation has such a friendly people, diverse attractions that will make any vacation or incentive trip special. Zimbabwe has extremely comfortable accommodation options throughout the country and wonderful traditional cuisine STAND B036 © JackyR © Chris Eason Indeed, cultural tourism is a key factor to the emirate’s tourism success. December 2018 saw the addition of a “jewel” to Abu Dhabi’s cultural crown, with the muchanticipated launch of the Al Hosn cultural site. The original urban block of the city, Al Hosn features the Emirates’s oldest and most significant landmark, Qasr Al Hosn, now transformed into a museum narrating the history of the emirate, as well as the Cultural Foundation, dedicated to all forms of contemporary Emirati culture. Al Hosn takes its place alongside many other cultural assets, such as landmark museum Louvre Abu Dhabi, which in November 2018 celebrated both its one-year anniversary and the tremendous milestone of one million visitors. Many new luxury hotels are enhancing Abu Dhabi’s hospitality landscape. Notable recent additions include The Edition, located in the redeveloped Bateen Marina area, and the Saadiyat Rotana. Saadiyat Island in particular has so much to offer guests, with a cluster of fantastic resorts, beautiful beaches, and for a dash of culture, the exhibitions and events going on at Manarat al Saadiyat and NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery. For attractions, Yas Island now boasts the recently-opened Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi. Yas Island will also be host to SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, scheduled to open in 2022 as the first-ever SeaWorld outside the US STAND A091 TUNISIA: THE ROSE OF NORTH AFRICA Tunisian National Tourist Office has come to ITB China with the goal of deepening Chinese travel professionals’ knowledge about the nation’s tourism. Tunisia is a Mediterranean country, located on the northern coast of the African continent. It is known as the “rose of North Africa” because of its rich tourism resources covering the sea and desert, with 3,000 years history and culture STAND B077 Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe DESTINATIONS AFRICA – A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR BOOKING Destinations Africa is a global booking platform that aggregates the most exciting African holidays all under one roof - from Safaris and Beach Getaways, to Spa outings, Adventure, Spiritual renewals and much more. It was borne out of a quest to promote the true essence of Africa to the world and provide a seamless, enjoyable and tailored “African” travel experience to inbound Africa travellers. Destinations Africa is powered by Wakanow, an online travel company that handles thousands of happy holidays all over the world with physical presence in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, UAE and the UK STAND B030 ITB CHINA NEWS NEWS • Thursday 9 th May 2019 www.itb-china-news.com
21 © King of Hearts Shanghai Sightseeing Longhua Temple LONGHUA TEMPLE Shanghai’s largest and most active temple has as its centerpiece a seven-story, eightsided pagoda. While the temple, which made a cameo in Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, is thought to have been built in the 3 rd century, the pagoda dates from the 10 th century; it’s not open to visitors. Near the front entrance stands a three-story bell tower, where a 3.3-ton bronze bell is rung at midnight every Lunar New Year’s Eve. Along the side corridors you’ll find a room filled seven rows deep with small golden statues. The third hall is the most impressive. Its three giant Buddhas sit beneath a swirled red and gold dome. Longhua Temple 2853 Longhua Lu, Shanghai, Shanghai Shi, 200232, China www.longhua.org © Stefan Fussan PEOPLE’S SQUARE The geographical center of Shanghai, People’s Square is an enormous public square in which Shanghai denizens hang out all day, every day. Residents stroll, practice tai chi, and fly kites. Grandparents sit, drinking tea from thermoses and gossiping. Come evening, ballroom dancers hold group lessons. The subway station below people’s square is the intersection of metro lines 1, 2, and 8, and is estimated to be the busiest metro station in China, handling some 700,000 people every day. People’s Square is home to Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. For kids, there’s a tiny amusement park with inexpensive rides. Weekends here are extremely busy, particularly on Xizang Road. © Lienyuan Lee Shopping People’s Square NANJING LU Shanghai’s main shopping street, Nanjing Lu (lu means road) runs in two sections—East Nanjing Road, from the Bund to People’s Square, and West Nanjing Road, from People’s Square to Jing’an district. A walk along Nanjing Road in either direction is a walk through the city’s history. East Nanjing Road is the Times Square of Shanghai, pedestrianized and lit by the blaze of neon signs. It has long been Shanghai’s high street, and at the turn of the century had eight posh department stores and a slew of smaller shops. West Nanjing Road ran through the International Settlement and was called Bubbling Well Road. It was quiet and treelined, a popular place for expats to stroll and home to a few residences. It was home to Bubbling Well Cemetery, which is now Jing’an Park, and all that remains of its past is a row of imported London planes. Today, West Nanjing Road is a busy upscale street, lined in gleaming malls, shops, offices, and hotels. Nanjing Lu © MiLu24 TIANZIFANG A labyrinth of alleyways run between the red brick lanehouses of the former residential district that makes up Tianzifang. The narrow alleyways are packed with restaurants, cafés, galleries, and shops. You’ll find everything from the ubiquitous Obamao T-shirts to leather journals and shoes, tea, and vintage photographs of Shanghai. Tianzifang has a much more traditional feel than Xintiandi, though like Xintiandi it is packed on weekends. You can enter Tianzifang from the front, on Taikang Lu, or on the back side at 155 Jianguo Zhong Lu. Tianzifang For more information or a plethora of other ideas, go to the Official Shanghai Tourism Website: http://www.meet-in-shanghai.net/
