World Health Tourism Congress returns to Dubai

The event, hosted by Dubai for the second consecutive year, will take place September 6 and 7.

The 10th World Health Tourism Congress is returning to Dubai for the second consecutive year under the patronage of Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce (DTCM).

The annual event, which has gained the support of the Arab Tourism Organisation (ATO) and GCC Council of Health Ministers, will see the participation of GCC states and over 80 countries from Africa, Asia and Europe.

To be held at Mohammad Bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre in Dubai Health Care City (DHCC), the congress will host the ministers of health and tourism of a majority of the Arab countries, in addition to those from the Arabian Gulf, Asia, Africa and Europe, namely Italy, Switzerland, India, Thailand, Czech Republic, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Egypt, Lebanon, and others.

Commenting on the upcoming event, His Excellency Dr. Bandar Bin Fahd al-Fehaid, President of the ATO, noted that the concept of Health Tourism is perpetuating and becoming one of the fastest growing industries in the world; adding that over $100 billion are being spent yearly, among which $27 billion spent by Arabs. Due to the increasing attention paid by governments and key tourism stakeholders, health tourism is witnessing a dramatic transformation in the recent years.

He added: “Health tourism is an industry that’s vastly developing in the Arab countries due to different factors, mainly the natural resources and the infrastructure found in our countries in addition to our human resources; that’s why we’re competing with several established destinations in Europe and Asia.

“The future of Health Tourism in the Arab countries promises to be very bright; thus long-term strategies are being stretched in order to develop and to promote this industry and to attract patients from different nationalities”.

Tamer El Chamaa, director of the congress, noted: “As Dubai is aiming on attracting more than 500000 medical tourists by 2020 when hosting the World Expo, efforts are being gathered and plans are being developed to reach such a goal; thus the support and the participation of GCC’s health ministers and the representatives of ATO proves that a major attention is being drawn to health tourism in the GCC and the Arab World”.

source: arabiantravelnews

15 countries with the most tourists

China receives roughly 10 times more tourists than Bahrain, but why are they harder to spot in Beijing than in Manama? It’s because China has 1,000 times Bahrain’s population – which means Bahrain has about 100 times more tourists as a share of its population.

FiveThirtyEight analysed data collected by the World Bank to figure out which countries have the most international tourists on an average day, taking into account the country’s existing population.

Vatican City, with a population of nearly 900, ranks first, with a tourist percentage of 83.6%.

Below, we show you the 15 countries with the most tourists:

source: WorldEconomicForum

Spanish tourism on the rise

Madrid,Spain

The number of tourists arriving in Spain jumped 6.3% in July from a year earlier, reaching a record high as a weaker euro and security fears in competing resorts attracted more visitors to its shores.

Tourist arrivals reached 8.8 million in July, Frontur, an industry ministry body said, bringing the total for the first seven months of the year to nearly 38 million people - both record highs.

So far this year the number of visitors is up 4.7% from the same period last year, in a boost to the country's economic recovery. Tourism makes up about 11% of national economic output.

Tourism groups have welcomed the boost to the industry, especially in a country still scarred by 22.4% unemployment. Some warn, however, that Spain must shift away from relying on cheap beach-holiday packages to attract visitors as it tries to boost the average spending by tourists.

Spain's bumper summer season, traditionally a big boost for jobs, especially in coastal areas, comes as security fears in the Middle East and countries such as Tunisia push many tourists to seek out beaches elsewhere.

In the year to July, a surge in French visitors in particular helped push up numbers, while Britons remained the biggest source of tourist arrivals in Spain.

The number of arrivals from the United States, South Korea, China and Japan also grew, Frontur said.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said earlier this month that a record 68 million people were expected to visit the country this year.

source: arabiantravelnews

13 most stylish celebrity-owned hotels around the world

Taking their talents from the silver screen to the service industry, many actors have been investing their fame and fortune into hotels.

And why not? As frequent travelers, they know just what makes a good hotel.

Here are 13 of the most stylish celebrity-owned hotels around the world.

Andy Murray's Cromlix Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland

Courtsy of The Cromlix

It comes as no surprise that a hotel owned by a professional tennis player is home to one of the world's most scenic tennis courts. But on top of that personal touch, the 19th-century brick mansion is also a stone's throw from where the tennis great grew up: In fact, his family used to go there for special occasions when he was younger, and both Andy and his brother got married on its grounds.

Its 34 acres, in stereotypical Scottish fashion, include a loch, as well as an herb and vegetable garden and a croquet lawn, and the hotel offers classes in falconry and archery.

Rooms from $250 per night »

Robert De Niro’s The Greenwich Hotel in New York City, New York

Facebook/The Greenwich Hotel NY

Robert De Niro is credited with turning TriBeCa from run-down to upscale. His super stylish, 88-room The Greenwich Hotel, which is designed with hand-made bricks, reclaimed wood, and custom mirrors, helped with the speedy gentrification. The luxe hotel has an indoor pool, a Japanese-inspired spa, and one of the city's best Italian restaurants, Locanda Verde.

Rooms from $575 per night »

Hugh Jackman's Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Tallebudgera Valley, Australia

Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, which translates to "lookout," has a focus on health and wellness, and features a spa, two infinity pools, a yoga deck and a state of the art gym, as well as gym classes, private trainers, nutritionists and holistic counseling.

All meals are organic, many ingredients even picked from the resort's very own garden, and Hugh Jackman is a common sight.

Rooms from $721 for two nights (two night minimum) »

Olivia Newton-John's Gaia Retreat & Spa in Brooklet, Australia

Courtesy of Gaia Retreat & Spa

Olivia Newton-John's 23-room, 25-acre Gaia Retreat & Spa (which means spirit of Mother Earth) is probably the world's most luxurious hippie digs, and offers various packages for weight loss, meditation, destressing, and fitness.

The resort features a gym, yoga classes, a holistic spa with its own organic skincare line, and a garden that supplies its restaurant.

 Rooms from $852 for two nights (two night minimum) »

Francis Ford Coppola's Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda, Italy

Courtesy of Gundolf Pfotenhauer

Palazzo Margherita is Coppola's fifth hotel, but he was as involved in its design as the first, likening it to making a movie, thanks to the attention to detail hotel design requires. Six years in the making, the hotel is Coppola's most luxurious; his daughter, Sofia, even got married here. Inspired by a family home, each suite is named after a family member.

Rooms from $980 for two nights (two night minimum) »

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' Ariel Sands in Devonshire, Bermuda

Courtesy of Ariel Sands

Rendering

A family affair, the Ariel Sands property has been in Michael Douglas' family since the 1840s, as his mother was from Bermuda. However, it wasn't until a relatively recent trip to the island had the couple so smitten with the resort that they bought shares and became involved. Now, the 14-acre slice of paradise is undergoing extensive renovations, to emerge even more decadent than before in 2017. It will feature 84 rooms, 28 luxury suites, and 26 two- and three-bedroom cottages, as well as a golf course, tennis courts, spa, salon, and gym.

Rooms will be avilable in 2017 »

John Malkovich's The Big Sleep Hotel has various locations across the UK

Flicr/Nick Bramhall

How a wealthy American actor came to co-own a British budget hotel chain is beyond us, but is oddly befitting of an idiosyncratic actor like Malkovich. The Big Sleep Hotel has hotels in Cheltenham and Eastbourne in England, as well as in Cardiff, Wales. Each hotel is colorful and trendy, modern but affordable, and features a free breakfast.

Rooms from $50 per night »

Richard Gere's The Bedford Post Inn in Bedford, New York

Courtesy of The Bedford Post Inn

The classic 18th-century farmhouse in the heart of Westchester has eight cozy rooms, two excellent restaurants, and one yoga loft with daily classes (Gere's a devout Buddhist, remember).

One of the restaurants is run by Chef Michael White, who owns the Altamarea Restaurant Group, which oversees famous restaurants like Michelin-starred Marea, Osteria Morini and Ai Fiori.

Rooms from $390 per night »

Wladimir Klitschko's 11 Mirrors Design Hotel in Kiev, Ukraine

Courtesy of Design Hotels

The boxing heavyweight helped conceive this super stylish hotel, the first design hotel in the Ukraine. In the heart of Old Kiev, the sleek and stylish boutique hotel is indeed full of mirrors (by famous designer Philippe Starck), as well as lots of plate glass and wood, and exudes a masculine elegance. Each of its 49 rooms has a slightly different design, though all have the same floor-to-ceiling windows with knockout views of the city.

Rooms from $211 per night »

Robert Redford's Sundance Mountain Resort in Timphaven, Utah

Courtesy of the Sundance Mountain Resort

Robert Redford has spent the better part of the last 46 years creating this luxury ski resort outside of Park City, which he bought in 1969 and now spans over 5,000 acres. The name Sundance is no coincidence, as the Sundance Kid himself founded the famous film festival almost a decade after acquiring the hotel.

The rustic hotel, which sits at the base of  Mount Timpanogos, has 92 rooms, as well as mountain homes with private chefs and butlers. It prides itself on its focus on art and nature, featuring outdoor plays, film screenings and concerts, and an art studio with classes ranging from pottery to oil painting and printmaking, as well as hiking, biking, skiing and rafting.

Rooms from $309 per night »

Jason Priestley’s Terrace Beach Resort in Ucluelet, Canada

Courtesy of Terrace Beach Resort

Keeping it close to home, the former Beverly Hills, 90210 star opened a resort with his parents, near where he grew up on the southwestern coast of Vancouver Island. Laid out like an old fashioned fishing village, the outdoorsy resort is made of rustic cabins, many of which feature BBQ grills and hot tubs.

Rooms from $99 per night »

Clint Eastwood's Mission Ranch Hotel in Carmel, California

Facebook/Mission Ranch Hotel

This hotel's got history, having been one of the first dairy farms in California. In 1986, Clint Eastwood, a former Carmel mayor, bought the historic ranch in order to stop it from being converted into condos. He then turned it into a chic 32-room boutique hotel that has its own Mission Ranch Tennis & Fitness Club with six tennis courts and a gym.

Rooms from $125 per night »

Kate Pierson's Kate’s Lazy Meadow in Mount Tremper, New York

Flickr/David

This quirky spot is more upscale trailer park than hotel. Kate Pierson was a singer with The B-52's (of Love Shack fame), and dreamt up this retro resort in the Catskills, which features vintage cabins and refurbished airstreams that all have a kitschy '50s vibe.

But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean forgoing luxury, as each room has WiFi and DVD players, a private bathroom, full kitchen, and designer bedding and towels, and there's a 20-person salt Jacuzzi with underwater light show on the grounds.

Rooms from $155 per night »

Source: Business Insider

La Tomatina 2015 : The world's biggest tomato fight festival in Spain

How weird is this particular festival?

Well, it’s been compared to the orange-throwing festival of Ivrea in Northern Italy and the radish-carving festival in Oaxaca, Mexico. But undoubtedly, La Tomatina is by far the messiest as well as the most peculiar.

In late August, thousands of people from around the world will flock to the small town of Buñol, near Valencia in Spain, for the joy of hurling hundreds of tons of overripe tomatoes at each other in what is considered the world’s biggest food fight.

It’s a far cry from Tomatina’s humble origins 70 years ago when, according to local legend, a small dispute between two young farmers in 1945 ended in an open battle of tomatoes in the town’s main plaza, inciting passersby to join in and launching an annual tradition that’s grown every year.

To celebrate the Tomatina’s 70^th anniversary, this year the town plans to stock “more tomatoes than ever” – a record 150 tons as arms for the epic food fight.

Also for the first time, the festival is hosting the Tomatina Race, during which runners must overcome tomato-made obstacles.

Tomatina organisers as well have launched an international social media campaign to promote the festivities and attract more visitors during the week-long festival that includes parades, music, dancing and fireworks.

Second only to the famous “Running of the Bulls” in Pamplona, La Tomatina is held on the last Wednesday of August and attracts as many as 50,000 visitors to Buñol, swelling its resident population of 10,000.

The celebration starts the day before with an all-night street party. At 9am the next day, participants arrive to the town square where they breakfast on rolls and pastries before launching their tomatoes. As their red projectiles fly, townspeople hose them with water from their windows.

On either side of the wall, there’s no hiding from the attack of the tomatoes Photo: La Tomatina.org

Understandably, the tomatoes start turning into sauce in the streets.

The Tomatina Festival  runs during the last week of August. The tomato fight will be fought on August 26.

Source: Forbes

Pack Light and Be Happy

The importance of packing light cannot be overemphasized, but, for your own good, I’ll try. You’ll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags: “Every year I pack heavier.” The measure of a good traveler is how light he or she travels. You can’t travel heavy, happy, and cheap. Pick two.

One Bag, That’s It

My self-imposed limit is 20 pounds in a 9" × 21" × 14" carry-on-size bag (it’ll fit in your airplane’s overhead bin, at least on your transatlantic flight — though many European airlines restrict hand luggage to even smaller weights and dimensions). At my company, we’ve taken tens of thousands of people of all ages and styles on tours through Europe. We allow only one carry-on bag. For many, this is a radical concept: 9" × 21" × 14"? That’s my cosmetics kit! But they manage, and they’re glad they did. After you enjoy that sweet mobility and freedom, you’ll never go any other way.

You’ll walk with your luggage more than you think you will. Before flying to Europe, give yourself a test. Pack up completely, go into your hometown, and practice being a tourist for an hour. Fully loaded, you should enjoy window-shopping. If you can’t, stagger home and thin things out.

When you carry your own luggage, it’s less likely to get lost, broken, or stolen. Quick, last-minute changes in flight plans become simpler. A small bag sits on your lap or under your seat on the bus, taxi, and airplane. You don’t have to worry about it, and, when you arrive, you can hit the ground running. It’s a good feeling. When I land in London, I’m on my way downtown while everyone else stares anxiously at the luggage carousel. When I fly home, I’m the first guy the dog sniffs.

These days, you can also save money by carrying your own bag. While it’s still free to check one bag on most overseas trips, you’d likely pay a fee to check two. If you’re taking a separate flight within Europe, expect to be charged to check even just one bag.

Remember, packing light isn’t just about saving time or money — it’s about your traveling lifestyle. Too much luggage marks you as a typical tourist. It slams the Back Door shut. Serendipity suffers. Changing locations becomes a major operation. Con artists figure you’re helpless. Porters are a problem only to those who need them. With only one bag, you’re mobile and in control. Take this advice seriously.

Packing 101

How do you fit a whole trip’s worth of luggage into a small backpack or suitcase? The answer is simple: Bring very little.

Spread out everything you think you might need on the living-room floor. Pick up each item one at a time and scrutinize it. Ask yourself, “Will I really use my snorkel and fins enough to justify carrying them around all summer?” Not “Will I use them?” but “Will I use them enough to feel good about hauling them over the Swiss Alps?” Frugal as I may be, I’d buy them in Greece and give them away before I’d carry that extra weight over the Alps.

Don’t pack for the worst-case scenario. Pack for the best-case scenario and simply buy yourself out of any jams. Bring layers rather than take a heavy coat. Think in terms of what you can do without — not what will be handy on your trip. When in doubt, leave it out. I’ve seen people pack a whole summer’s supply of deodorant or razors, thinking they can’t get them there. The world is getting really small: You can buy Dial soap, Colgate toothpaste, Nivea cream, and Gillette razors in Sicily and Slovakia. Tourist shops in major international hotels are a sure bet whenever you have difficulty finding a personal item. If you can’t find one of your essentials, ask yourself how half a billion Europeans can live without it. Rather than carry a whole trip’s supply of toiletries, take enough to get started and look forward to running out of toothpaste in Bulgaria. Then you have the perfect excuse to go into a Bulgarian department store, shop around, and pick up something you think might be toothpaste.

Whether you’re traveling for three weeks or three months, pack exactly the same. To keep your clothes tightly packed and well organized, zip them up in packing cubes, airless baggies, or a clothes compressor. I like specially designed folding boards (such as Eagle Creek’s Pack-It Folder) to fold and carry clothes with minimal wrinkling. For smaller items, use packing cubes or mesh bags (one for underwear and socks, another for miscellaneous stuff such as a first-aid kit, earplugs,clothesline, sewing kit, and gadgets).

Go casual, simple, and very light. Remember, in your travels you’ll meet two kinds of tourists — those who pack light and those who wish they had. Say it out loud: “PACK LIGHT PACK LIGHT PACK LIGHT.”

By Rick Steves

1.5m visitors to Abu Dhabi beaches this year

Abu Dhabi Corniche Beach and Al Bateen Beach have attracted more than 1.525 million visitors since the beginning of the year.

Abu Dhabi Municipality said that the Corniche welcomed more than 1.154 million beachgoers during the period, while Al Bateen Beach welcomed more than 370,000.

The municipality said that new services would be introduced on the Corniche Beach – including water games and an announcement system that will remind visitors of opening hours and closing hours.

The municipality said that beachgoers will be kept up to date of all events happening at the beach.

It also plans to add additional umbrellas and deck chairs, as well as new restaurants and shops.

The authority has also increased the number of lifeguards from two to 29 on weekdays, with as many as 37 lifeguards on weekends and public holidays.

Source: The National

The 7 best new hotels in London

For the fifth time in seven years, London has been named the most popular city for international visitors.
According to MasterCard’s Global Destination Cities Index, the British capital is expected to end the year with 18.82 million overnight visitors, beating out Bangkok, Paris, Dubai, and Istanbul.
It’s a good thing, then, that London’s hotel scene is hotter than ever, with a dizzying number of new properties opening every year to accommodate the ever-growing tourist numbers.
There are still several highly anticipated openings later this year—The Old Street Courthouse Hotel, The Tobacco Dock Hotel, and citizenM Tower of London among them—but our list includes the best of the bunch that have opened since fall 2013.
With private butler services, eye-popping décor, bars with dramatic views, and cutting-edge technology, these are London’s best new hotels.

The Hoxton Holborn

Courtesy of The Hoxton Holborn

The Hoxton, born in Shoreditch in 2006, has brought its brand of sophisticated cool to the relatively quiet environs of Holborn, not far from the British Museum. Opened in September 2014, the Hoxton Holborn houses 174 rooms in an unglamorous-looking five-story building that was formerly a BT office block. Inside, however, there’s a handsome lobby that’s bustling no matter what time of day, stylishly distressed vintage furniture throughout the hotel, and smartly appointed guestrooms with wallpaper designed by East London artist Toby Triumph.
There are four room options—Shoebox, Snug, Cozy, and Roomy—yet aside from size they all feature the same plush beds, sleek bathrooms, and winning décor, not to mention free Wi-Fi and a breakfast bag that arrives at your door at the time of your choosing. The property is also home to Hubbard & Bell, Chicken Shop, and Holborn Grind, all of which have become local favorites. The Holborn location was just the beginning of an expansion plan, with an Amsterdam property set to open in July and outposts in Paris and New York City scheduled to follow in 2016.

Ace Hotel London Shoreditch

Andrew Meredith

As if to cement gritty East London’s status as the epicenter of cool, the Ace Hotel London Shoreditch opened its doors here in September 2013, making it the American brand’s first foray into Europe. Like many of its Shoreditch neighbors, the Ace has taken a setting that was once dreary—in this case, a hulking Crowne Plaza—and transformed it into one that is extremely desirable. As with other Ace properties, the lobby here is just as much for the locals as it for hotel guests, if not more so; in addition to a communal working space, the lobby houses a bar, coffee shop, florist, gallery, restaurant, and a front desk that doubles as a gift shop.
Upstairs, seven types of rooms and suites—there are 258 guestrooms in total—feature minimalist design schemes, patchwork quilts designed by French brand APC, and long, built-in benches that invite lounging. Vintage-looking Revo satellite radios, wall murals inspired by street art, and guitars and turntables are other standout aesthetic touches. The somewhat industrial feel may not appeal to all travelers, but if it’s scene you’re after, the Ace can’t be topped.

Shangri-La Hotel, at The Shard

Courtesy of Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London

South of the Thames, Shangri-La Hotel, at The Shard occupies floors 34–52 of the Renzo Piano–designed skyscraper and impresses all guests with its jaw-dropping views of the city. This is London's first high-rise hotel, the tallest in Western Europe, and home to the city’s highest cocktail bar and infinity pool. This is a luxury property, no doubt, with prices to match, but all rooms feature elegantly understated décor, Asian influences, large marble bathrooms with heated floors, and, of course, that view.

With regards to which of the four room types to choose (there are also six suites), the Iconic City View Room offers the best vistas of the city, and you’ll be able to spot just about any landmark you can think of with the binoculars provided to you at check-in. It should be noted that an early design flaw that inadvertently allowed guests to see into other rooms has been corrected, and staying here is still a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The Lanesborough

Courtesy of The Lanesborough

Tthere’s no doubt The Lanesborough will be a stunner. Having closed in late 2013, this iconic Knightsbridge property will reopen as part of the prestigious Oetker Collection, which also operates Le Bristol in Paris and Eden Rockin St. Barts, among others.
Housing ninety-three rooms and suites that have been thoroughly restored to their original Georgian splendor by designer Alberto Pinto, the hotel will be the only one in London to offer its pampered guests twenty-four-hour butler service. In addition to a spa, The Lanesborough is also home to two bars, a cigar lounge, and Apsleys, a grand dining space where you can enjoy the hotel’s award-winning tea service every afternoon.

Ham Yard Hotel

Courtesy of Ham Yard Hotel

Tucked away in always-bustling Soho, Ham Yard Hotel offers something of a quiet retreat from busy city streets. Ham Yard Village, a tree-filled courtyard just outside the hotel, is home to independent boutiques, a restaurant, and a theater that are all hidden away from the crowds of nearby Piccadilly Circus. Because this is a new build, all ninety-one rooms are huge (by London standards, anyway), with soundproof, floor-to-ceiling windows that let in lots of light.
The décor is playful, not pretentious, and you’ll find bursts of color anywhere you look. The property is also home to a lobby restaurant, cocktail bar, full-service spa, well-equipped gym, and a subterranean '50s-style bowling alley that was imported from Texas. Best of all is the rooftop terrace, where there’s a blooming garden and great views of the skyline.

The Zetter Townhouse, Marylebone

Andreas von Einsiedel

Known for its eclectic interiors and cool cocktail programs, the Zetter Group has brought its signature flair to a six-story, double-wide Georgian townhouse. In the posh environs of Marylebone, the just-opened Zetter Townhouse offers twenty-one guestrooms, two suites, and one spectacular rooftop apartment.
While the sister property in Clerkenwell was designed as the home of “Zetter’s great aunt Wilhelmina,” the Marylebone house is the residence of “wicked uncle Semour.” The namesake cocktail lounge, Seymour’s Parlour, is done up in the style of a Georgian drawing room and features menus from renowned French chef Bruno Loubet and drinks designed by Tony Conigliaro. Each bedroom has been individually decorated with antique furniture and curios from “Uncle Seymour’s days as a loveable rogue and gambler.”

The Laslett

Courtesy of The Laslett

Proving a welcome addition to Notting Hill’s lacking boutique hotel scene, The Laslett occupies five Victorian mansions on Pembridge Gardens and houses fifty-one bedrooms and suites designed to look like a “stylish friend’s townhouse.” Interiors feature modern furniture, locally sourced antiques, and contemporary artwork, aiming to reflect the neighborhood’s rich cultural heritage.
The ground floor aims to be a local hangout more than a hotel lobby, with a coffee shop, library, bar, and gallery featuring The Laslett’s collaborations with designers and artists. Celebrated chef Sally Clarke, whose dishes have heretofore only been available in her eponymous restaurant, oversees the food program.

Source: Business Insider