Dubai is one of the seven emirates and most populous city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. The city of Dubai is sometimes called "Dubai city" to distinguish it from the emirate.

Written accounts document the existence of the city for at least 150 years prior to the formation of the UAE. Dubai shares legal, political, military and economic functions with the other emirates within a federal framework, although each emirate has jurisdiction over some functions such as civic law enforcement and provision and upkeep of local facilities. Dubai has the largest population and is the second largest emirate by area, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to possess veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum dynasty since 1833. The emirates' current ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is also the Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE.

The emirate's revenues are from trade, real estate and financial services. Revenues from petroleum and natural gas contribute less than 6% (2006) of Dubai's US$ 37 billion economy (2005). Real estate and construction, on the other hand, contributed 22.6% to the economy in 2005, before the current large-scale construction boom. Dubai has attracted worldwide attention through innovative real estate projects and sports events. This increased attention, coinciding with its emergence as a world business hub, has also highlighted human rights issues concerning its largely foreign workforce.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China (simplified Chinese:; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Chángchéng; literally "Long City/fortress") or (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese:; pinyin: Wànlǐ Chángchéng; literally "The long wall of 10,000 ) is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from Xiongnu attacks during the rule of successive dynasties. Several walls, referred to as the Great Wall of China, were built since the 5th century BC. The most famous is the wall built between 220–200 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang; little of it remains; it was much farther north than the current wall, which was built during the Ming Dynasty.

The Great Wall stretches over approximately 6,400 km (4,000 miles) from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia, but stretches to over 6,700 km (4,160 miles) in total. At its peak, the Ming Wall was guarded by more than one million men. It has been estimated that somewhere in the range of 2 to 3 million Chinese died as part of the centuries-long project of building the wall.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and later British monarchs. It briefly held the status of a cathedral from 1546–1556, and is currently a Royal Peculiar.


source from : www.wikipedia.org

London

London

Greater London

London (pronunciation (help·info); IPA: /ˈlʌndən/) is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. An important settlement for two millennia, London's history goes back to its founding by the Romans. Since its settlement, London has been part of many important movements and phenomena throughout history, such as the English Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gothic Revival. The city's core, the ancient City of London, still retains its limited medieval boundaries; but since at least the 19th century the name "London" has also referred to the whole metropolis that has developed around it.^[11] Today the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region of England and the Greater London administrative area, with its own elected mayor and assembly.

London is one of the world's leading business, financial and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts contribute to its status as a major global city. London boasts four World Heritage Sites: The Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church; the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The city is a major tourist destination both for domestic and overseas visitors.

As of 2006, it has an official population of 7,512,400 within the boundaries of Greater London and is the most populous municipality in the European Union. As of 2001, the Greater London Urban Area has a population of 8,278,251 and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of between 12 and 14 million.

source from: www.wikipedia.org

Often called The Windy City or The City of Broad Shoulders, Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 after initailly being founded in 1833 at the site of a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. The city soon became a major transportation hub in North America and quickly became the transportation, financial and industrial center of the Midwest. Today the city's attractions bring 44.2 million visitors annually.

Chicago was once the capital of the railroad industry and until the 1960s the world's largest meatpacking facilities were at the Union Stock Yards; currently the city is home to the nation's second busiest airport, O'Hare International. Chicago became notorious worldwide for its violent gangsters in the 1920s, most notably Al Capone, and for the political corruption in one of the longest lasting political machines in the nation. The city has long been a stronghold of the Democratic Party and has been home to many Democratic presidential candidates including the current presidential nominee, Barack Obama.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

Tourism in Cuba

Tourism in Cuba attracts over 2 million people a year, and is one of the main sources of revenue for the island. With its favorable climate, beaches, colonial architecture and distinct cultural history, Cuba has long been an attractive destination for tourists. In the first part of the 20th century Cuba benefited from its close proximity to the United States. As relations between Cuba and the United States deteriorated rapidly after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the island became cut off from its traditional market by an embargo and travel ban imposed on U.S. citizens visiting Cuba, and the industry declined to record low levels within two years.

Following the collapse of Cuba's chief trading partner the Soviet Union, and the resulting economic crisis known as the Special Period, Cuba embarked on a major program to bolster its tourist industry in order to bring in much needed finance to the island. Schemes to encourage visitors meant that by the late 1990s, tourism surpassed Cuba's traditional export industry, sugar, as the nation's leading source of revenue. Visitors come primarily from Canada and Europe and tourist areas are highly concentrated around Varadero Beach, Cayo Coco, the beach areas north of Holguin, and Havana. The impact on Cuba's socialist society and economy has been significant, leading to complaints that the state has fostered a form of divisive wealth apartheid on the island.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls (French: les Chutes du Niagara) are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York, 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

Tourism in Scotland

Scotland is a well-developed tourist destination, with tourism generally being responsible for sustaining 200,000 jobs mainly in the service sector, with tourist spending averaging at £4bn per year. Tourists from the United Kingdom make up the bulk of visitors to Scotland. In 2002 , for example, UK visitors made 18.5 million visits to Scotland, staying 64.5 million nights and spending £3.7bn. In contrast, overseas residents made 1.58 million visits to Scotland, staying 15 million nights and spending £806m. In terms of overseas visitors, those from the United States made up 24% of visits to Scotland, with the United States being the largest source of overseas visitors, and Germany (9%), France (8%), Canada (7%) and Australia (6%), following behind.

Scotland is generally seen as clean, unspoilt destination with beautiful scenery which has a long and complex history, combined with thousands of historic sites and attractions. These include prehistoric stone circles, standing stones and burial chambers, and various Bronze Age, Iron Age and Stone Age remains. There are also many historic castles, houses, and battlegrounds, ruins and museums. Many people are drawn by the culture of Scotland.

The cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow are increasingly being seen as a cosmopolitan alternative to Scotland's countryside, with visitors year round, but the main tourist season is generally from April to October inclusive. In addition to these factors, the national tourist agency, VisitScotland, have deployed a strategy of niche marketing, aimed at exploiting, amongst other things, Scotland's strengths in golf, fishing and food and drink tourism. Another significant, and increasingly popular reason for tourism to Scotland - especially by those from North America - is genealogy, with many visitors coming to Scotland to explore their family and ancestral roots.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

The Parthenon Temple

The Parthenon (ancient Greek: Παρθενών) is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of ancient Greece and of Athenian democracy, and is one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a program of restoration and reconstruction.

The Parthenon replaced an older temple of Athena, called the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury, and for a time served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin. After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted into a mosque in the early 1460s, and it even had a minaret. On 28 September 1687 an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures. In 1806, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures, with Ottoman permission. These sculptures, now known as the Elgin or Parthenon Marbles, were sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they are now displayed. The Greek government is committed to the return of the sculptures to Greece, so far with no success.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

Tourism

The Giza Pyramids, Cairo, Egypt.

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited". Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2007, there were over 903 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 6.6% as compared to 2006. International tourist receipts were USD 856 billion in 2007. Despite the uncertainties in the global economy, arrivals grew at around 5% during the first four months of 2008, almost a similar growth than the same period in 2007.

Tourism is vital for many countries such as Egypt, Thailand and many island nations such as Fiji, due to the large intake of money for businesses with their goods and services and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated with tourism. These service industries include transportation services such as cruise ships and taxis, accommodation such as hotels and entertainment venues, and other hospitality industry services such as resorts.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

Boutique hotel

The 110-room Madison Hotel in downtown Memphis, Tennessee is a typical high-end boutique hotel.

Boutique hotel is a term popularised in North America and the United Kingdom to describe intimate, usually luxurious or quirky hotel environments. Boutique hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized accommodation and services / facilities. Sometimes known as "design hotels" or "lifestyle hotels", boutique hotels began appearing in the 1980s in major cities like London, New York, and San Francisco. Typically boutique hotels are furnished in a themed, stylish and/or aspirational manner. Although usually considerably smaller than mainstream hotels, often ranging from 3 to 100 guest rooms, some city-centre boutique hotels may have several hundred. Boutique hotels are always individual and are therefore extremely unlikely to be found amongst the homogenity of large chain hotel groups. Guest rooms and suites may be fitted with telephony and Wi-Fi Internet, air-conditioning, honesty bars and often cable/pay TV, but equally may have none of these, focusing on quiet and comfort rather than gadgetry. Guest services are often attended to by 24-hour hotel staff. Many boutique hotels have on-site dining facilities, and the majority offer bars and lounges which may also be open to the general public.

Despite this definition, the popularity of the boutique term and concept has led to some confusion about the term. Boutique hotels have typically been unique properties operated by individuals or companies with a small collection. However, their successes have prompted established multi-national hotel companies to usurp the term and/or try to establish their own brands in order to capture a market share. The most notable example is Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide's W Hotels, ranging from boutique-style hotels like the W Union Square NY to the W 'boutique resorts' in the Maldives.

There is some overlap between the concept of a small boutique hotel and a bed and breakfast.

In the United States, New York remains the center of the boutique hotel phenomenon, as the original Schrager-era boutique hotels remain relevant and are joined by scores of independent and small-chain competitors, mainly clustered about Midtown and downtown Manhattan. The French Quarter and Garden District, New Orleans have several dozen boutique hotels, most of which are located in old homes or inns. These usually provide an ambience based on 19th-century antiques, artwork with New Orleans themes, vintage or reproduction furniture and decor and/or interesting historical associations. Miami and Miami Beach also have a large number of boutique hotels, mostly found along the beachfront streets Ocean Drive and Collins Drive. Most of these are in buildings from the heyday of the Art Deco period. Their attractions include the Art Deco ambiance, beach access, nouvelle and Latin cuisines and tropical-themes interior decor.

The concept of boutique or design hotels has spread elsewhere outside the US. A good example is Thailand where many boutique or design hotels are sprouting, especially in resort locations, such as Phuket and Hua Hin. Boutique hotels are even now appearing in such places as Indonesia, Shanghai, Iceland, Peru and Turkey. Boutique and design hotels are becoming increasingly popular in Far Eastern cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong and even Beijing.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

hotel and tourism

Historical Tokatlıyan Hotel in Beyoğlu.

Contemporary hotel management in Istanbul started in the second half of the 19th century. Along with the efforts of minorities and levantines of Istanbul and with the partnership of Wagons-Lits company, Hotel Pera Palace was opened in 1892. Shortly after, a series of hotels including Tokatlıyan's hotel and the Bristol hotel were opened in Beyoğlu district.

While the new hotels were being opened in the Beyoğlu district, Sirkeci quarter within the old city quickly adapted to the new tendency and the old inns in the neighbourhood were gradually transformed into hotels in the beginning of the 20th century. The other districts of the city followed the trend and the number of hotels in Istanbul was more than 50 in the year 1910.

Similar progress applied for the cities İzmir and Ankara in the following years, while the development of hotel management was relatively slow in the rest of Anatolian cities.

In the Republican era, in 1950s, openings of hotels of various types gained speed. The most important event of this period was the opening of Istanbul Hilton in 1954. As a result of the development of transportation and domestic/outbound tourism numerous new hotels were opened in 1960s. The same situation applied for 1970s and 1980s as well, along with the openings of 5 star hotels such as Sheraton or Etap Marmara (later Ceylan Intercontinental and The Marmara hotels, respectively).

In 1990s and 2000s, along with the rapid progress of different types of tourism, such as conference, health and religious tourism sectors, a new wave of hotel openings took place in the city. Among the hotels opened in this era, Conrad Hilton, Maslak Sheraton, Four Seasons Hotel and Ritz-Carlton et al. could be mentioned. There are several ongoing and planned hotel projects for the years to come.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

Historical Tokatlıyan Hotel in Beyoğlu.

Contemporary hotel management in Istanbul started in the second half of the 19th century. Along with the efforts of minorities and levantines of Istanbul and with the partnership of Wagons-Lits company, Hotel Pera Palace was opened in 1892. Shortly after, a series of hotels including Tokatlıyan's hotel and the Bristol hotel were opened in Beyoğlu district.

While the new hotels were being opened in the Beyoğlu district, Sirkeci quarter within the old city quickly adapted to the new tendency and the old inns in the neighbourhood were gradually transformed into hotels in the beginning of the 20th century. The other districts of the city followed the trend and the number of hotels in Istanbul was more than 50 in the year 1910.

Similar progress applied for the cities İzmir and Ankara in the following years, while the development of hotel management was relatively slow in the rest of Anatolian cities.

In the Republican era, in 1950s, openings of hotels of various types gained speed. The most important event of this period was the opening of Istanbul Hilton in 1954. As a result of the development of transportation and domestic/outbound tourism numerous new hotels were opened in 1960s. The same situation applied for 1970s and 1980s as well, along with the openings of 5 star hotels such as Sheraton or Etap Marmara (later Ceylan Intercontinental and The Marmara hotels, respectively).

In 1990s and 2000s, along with the rapid progress of different types of tourism, such as conference, health and religious tourism sectors, a new wave of hotel openings took place in the city. Among the hotels opened in this era, Conrad Hilton, Maslak Sheraton, Four Seasons Hotel and Ritz-Carlton et al. could be mentioned. There are several ongoing and planned hotel projects for the years to come.

source from : www.wikipedia.org