Introduction
It is a major economic centre, with one of Spain's principal
Mediterranean ports and its second largest airport. Barcelona
is a tourist destination with a rich cultural heritage.
The architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís
Domènech i Montaner are particularly renowned,
and are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.As the capital of
Catalonia, Barcelona houses the seat of the Catalan autonomous
government, known as the Generalitat de Catalunya, notably
its executive branch, the Parliament and the Supreme Court
of Catalonia. It is also the capital of the province of
Barcelona and of the comarca of the Barcelonès.
The foundation of Barcelona is the subject of two different
legends. The first attributes the founding of the city
to Hercules 400 years before the building of Rome, and
that it was rebuilt by the Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca,
father of Hannibal, who named the city Barcino after his
family, in the 3rd century BC. The second legend attributes
the foundation directly to Hamilcar Barca.
Hotels: 5 Star Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel GL, AB Skipper, Ayre
Hotel Gran Via , Zenit Borrell, Hotel Barcelona Catedral.
Budget Category:
Eurostars Mitre, Hotel Abba Rambla, Best Western Premier
Hotel Regina, Moderno, Silken Concordia.
Beijing,
China
Introduction
Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China.
The city is also known as Peking. It is located in the
northern and eastern parts of the country. The city of
Beijing has played a very important role in the development
of China. Many people from different cities and countries
come to Beijing to look for better chances to find work.
Nearly 15 million people live there. In 2008 Beijing will
host the Olympic Games. Beijing is well known for its
ancient history. Since the Jin dynasty, Beijing has been
the capital of several dynasties, including the Yuan,
Ming, Qing, and others. There are many places of historic
interest in Beijing. These places include the Summer Palace,
the Temple of Heaven, and the Great Wall of China. The
center of Beijing was settled in the 1st millennium BC.
In those days, the Kingdom of Yan (?) set up their capital
where Beijing is today. They called it Ji (?). After the
Kingdom of Yan was destroyed, the city became smaller,
although it was still an important place.
Hotels: 5 Star Kunlun Hotel, The St. Regis, Great Wall Sheraton,
Crowne Plaza Park View Wuzhou, Shangri-La Beijing.
Budget Category:
Hua Du Hotel , Courtyard By Marriott , China Travel Service
Plaza , Jianguo Hotel Beijing , Luxury Serviced Residence.
Colombo
Introduction
Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of
Sri Lanka. Located on the west coast of the island and
adjacent to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the administrative
capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo is a busy and vibrant city
with a mixture of modern life and colonial ruins [1] and
a metropolitan population of over 600,000 people. As Colombo
possesses a natural harbor, it was known to Romans, Arabs,
and Chinese traders over 2,000 years ago. Traveler Ibn
Batuta who visited the island in the 14th century, referred
to it as Kalanpu.[6] Arabian Muslims whose prime interests
were trade, began to settle in Colombo around the 8th
century CE mostly because the port helped their business
and controlled much of the trade between the Sinhalese
kingdoms and the outside world.
Hotels: 5 Star Galle Face, Ceylon Continental, Taj Samudra, Galadari,
Trans Asia.
Budget Category:
Holiday Inn, The Hotel Sapphire, Palm Village, Grand Oriental
Hotel, Pegasus Reef Hotel.
Dubai
Introduction
Dubai, city of merchants, cultural crossroads, second
largest of the seven United Arab Emirates. A country where
the dust of the desert is clearing to reveal the potential
for one of the most significant international cities of
the 21st century. Wedged between Europe and Asia, buttressed
by Africa, Dubai’s encouraging tax regimes, state-of-the-art
telecommunications and sympathetic business environment
have produced a country that is building energetically
on the advantages which location, centuries-old trading
savvy and oil wealth have given it. Dubai is not just
a city of excitement. It’s also a city of surprises.
Try the ice skating rink in the Galleria shopping mall
at the Hyatt Regency, where young men wearing traditional
dish dash dress pirouette around the ice while their friends
consume French pastries and coffee at Frosty’s café.
Hotels: 5 Star Le Meridien Dubai, Royal Ascot Hotel, Kempinski
Hotel Mall of the Emirates, Dusit Dubai.
Budget Category:
Arabian Park Hotel, Chelsea Hotel, Towers Rotana, Dream
Palace Hotel, Villa Rotana Suites.
Hong
Kong
Introduction
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Traditional
Chinese: [pronunciation]), commonly known as Hong Kong,[4]
is one of the two special administrative regions of the
People's Republic of China, along with Macau. Comprising
more than 260 islands, the territory is located on the
eastern side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong
province in the north and facing the South China Sea in
the east, west and south. Hong Kong was a dependent territory
of the United Kingdom from 1842 until the transfer of
sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997.
The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of
Hong Kong stipulate that Hong Kong operate with a high
degree of autonomy until at least 2047, fifty years after
the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two
systems", the Central People's Government is responsible
for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while
Hong Kong maintains its own legal system, police force,
monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and
delegates to international organizations and events.
Hotels: 5 Star Harbour Plaza Hong Kong, AUD Kowloon Hotel, Kimberley
Hotel Hong Kong, Metropark Hotel, YMCA Salisbury Hotel.
Budget Category:
Garden View International House, Harbour View International
House, Novotel Century Harbourview, Charterhouse Hong
Kong , City Garden Hotel.
Macau
Introduction
The Macau Special Administrative Region [in Mandarin (help
info), in Cantonese (info)] ; Portuguese: Região
Administrativa Especial de Macau [in Portuguese (info)],
abbreviated as RAEM), commonly known as Macau or Macao
(Traditional Chinese:, or informally known as maa-gau)
is one of the two special administrative regions (SARs)
of the People's Republic of China (PRC), along with Hong
Kong. Administered by Portugal until 1999, it was the
oldest European colony in China, dating back to the 16th
century. The administrative power over Macau was transferred
to China in 1999. Historical records show that what was
later known as Macau was part of Panyu County, Nanhai
District, Guangdong Province, under the Qin empire (221–206
BC). During the Jin Dynasty (265-420), the area was part
of Dongguan County and later alternated under the control
of Nanhai and Dongguan. In 1152 (during the Song Dynasty,
960–1279), it was identified as administratively
part of the new Xiangshan County. Besides historical Chinese
and Portuguese world-heritage relics, Macau's biggest
attraction is its gambling industry and casinos. Though
many forms of gambling are legal here, the most popular
game is baccarat, which generates over two thirds of the
gaming industry's gross receipts.
Hotels: 5 Star Lisboa Hotel Macau, Mandarin Oriental Macau, New
Century Hotel & Casino Macau, Westin Resort Macau
, Ritz Hotel Macau.
Budget Category:
Sintra Hotel Macau, Metropole Hotel Macau, Best Western
Taipa Hotel Macau, Kingsway Hotel Macau , Beverly Plaza
Macau.
Phuket,
Thailand
Introduction
Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand, located in the
Andaman Sea off southern Thailand. The island is mostly
mountainous with a mountain range in the west of the island
from the north to the south. The mountains of Phuket form
the southern end of the Phuket mountain range, which ranges
for 440 km from the Kra Isthmus. The highest elevation
of the island is Mai Thao Sip Song (Twelve Canes), at
529 m above sea level. The most significant event in the
history of Phuket was the attack by the Burmese in 1785.
Sir Francis Light, a British East India Company captain
passing by the island, sent word to the local administration
that he had observed Burmese forces preparing to attack.
Khunying Jan, the wife of the recently deceased governor,
and her sister Mook then assembled what forces they could.
After a month-long siege, the Burmese were forced to retreat
March 13, 1785. The two women became local heroines, receiving
the honorary titles Thao Thep Kasatri and Thao Sri Sunthon
from King Rama I.
Hotels: 5 Star Baumanburi, Naithonburi Beach Resort, Dusit Laguna
Resort, Thavorn Beach Village & Spa, JW Marriott Phuket
Resort & Spa
Budget Category:
Patong Beach Lodge, CS Resort, Patong City Hotel, 20 Baan
Karon Resort, Baan Nern Sai.
Singapore
Introduction
The Republic of Singapore is a country in the continent
of Asia at the southern end of the Malay peninsula. It
is a member of ASEAN. 4.4 million people live in Singapore,
and many of them (76%) are Chinese. In Sanskrit, an old
Indian language, "Singapore" means "Lion
city". The important languages of Singapore are English,
Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. Most Singaporeans speak English.
Singapore is located 137km (85 miles) north of the Equator.
Singapore got its name from 'Singa Pura' which means City
of Lion. There are many version of how the name is derived.
One popular legend has it that an Indonesian prince called
Parameswara landed on Temasek(Singapore's old name) and
sighted a Lion which is called 'Singa'in Malay. Thus he
gave the island a new name, 'Singapura'.
Hotels: 5 Star Marriott hotel Singapore, Negara On Claymore Singapore,
Royal Plaza on the Scotts, Amara Hotel Singapore, Marina
Mandarin Singapore.
Budget Category:
York Hotel Singapore, Hotel Grand Central Singapore, Orchard
Hotel Singapore, Rendezvous Hotel Singapore, Bayview Hotel
Singapore.
Thailand
Introduction
Thailand, formally the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country
in Southeast Asia. To its east, lie Laos and Cambodia;
to its south, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia; and to
its west, the Andaman Sea and Myanmar. Its capital and
largest city is Bangkok, one of the largest cities in
the world. Different indigenous cultures have existed
in Thailand since the time of the Baan Chiang culture.
However, due to its geographical location, Thai culture
has always been greatly influenced by China and India
as well as other neighboring cultures. However, the first
Siamese/Thai state is traditionally considered to be the
Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai founded in 1238, following
the decline and fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th -
15th century.
Hotels: 5 Star Montien Riverside Hotel, Bangkok Marriott Resort
& Spa , Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, Millennium Hilton
Bangkok , Shangri-La Bangkok. Budget Category:
Royal Hotel Bangkok, S.D. Avenue, Tongtara Riverview Hotel,
Grand Tower Inn, Royal City Hotel.
