Commenting on the above, the CEO of RTA Strategy & Corporate Governance Sector Abdul Mohsin Younes said, “The RTA Strategic Planning Department studied the impact of the metro stations on the surrounding lands & properties in coordination with the Dubai Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), which provided the data about the rates of lands & properties in areas close or far from the metro stations.

The study revealed that the value of lands & properties adjacent to the metro stations has soared since the operation of the metro and reached in some cases up to 34% as a result of the high demand for buying lands & renting properties in close proximity to the metro stations; which is attributed to the ease of mobility, and the provision of multi transit options at lower costs of transit aboard the Dubai Metro; which is characterized by absolute minimal fares and high efficiency across the city, particularly for those inhabiting near the metro stations. This explains the huge impact of the transit network on the economy of the Emirate, and reflects the importance of the metro in pushing up the economic development drive in the field of property development, and stimulating the tourist & commercial movement in various parts of the Dubai Emirate. “The study monitored the changes in rates of these lands & commercial properties in 2011 compared to the rates prevailing in 2009 before the opening of the metro; which illustrate the importance of the Metro in boosting the market value of lands & properties, particularly in the surrounds of the metro stations.

“A comparative study with the experiments of countries which have made advanced progresses in mass transit systems, particularly the metro, such as the UK, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, and the USA, revealed that public transit means in general have a positive impact on appreciating the value & rents of properties, and that such rates made remarkable hikes ranging from 3 to 50%,” continued Abdul Mohsin.

Exhibitors already confirmed for Blossom Japan 2012 include Silversea Cruises, Orient-Express, Amanresorts, Naiade Resorts and Ayana Resort and Spa Bali. Blossom Japan 2012 will take place February 13–16. The event will commence with a full-day conference followed by a three-day exhibition at ICC Kyoto. The exhibition will be facilitated by pre-scheduled appointments ensuring that all attendees are conducting serious business by day, and will be supplemented by a series of networking events by night for all Buyers, Exhibitors and Media attending.

In an open letter, Balala said the government was working closely with British, French and international authorities to ensure that acts of piracy are stopped and hostages are released. The move comes after a second kidnapping in under a month. A French woman was kidnapped by an armed gang on Kenya’s northern resort island of Manda and taken to Somalia.

The kidnap comes three weeks after a UK couple were attacked further north. “It has been widely acknowledged today that the containment of the long term problems of Somalia within that country’s borders has become a major international problem,” explained Balala.

“Kenya, working closely with its allies and the United Nations, is doing everything within its power to ensure that the effects of the blight and unrest, which have affected Somalia for so long, does not further encroach across Kenyan borders either by land or sea. “We wish to point out to all our international visitors and our friends in the travel trade that the recent despicable acts of Somali pirates have only affected a small part of our territory.

“A glance at the map will show that these events have occurred hundreds of kilometres away from the coastal and inland destinations which are so popular with the majority of our visitors. “With the small exception of the northern coast none of our visitor destinations are in any way affected by the changes in some country’s travel advisories which were announced overnight.” The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised against “all but essential travel” to the region, urging visitors to remain at least 100 kilometres from the Somali border.

“Tourism, being an important sector within Kenya’s economy and a major employer, the Government will spare no efforts to ensure that our visitors enjoy their holidays and stay in Kenya without any apprehension,” concluded Balala.

Utell Hotels & Resorts

Aiming an international audience of corporate and leisure customers, Utell Groups & Events permits users to choose the facility they need by filling in an online application form figuring out their demand or by contacting international call centre of the Utell Hotels & Resorts. The request form will be available in Brazilian, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, with committed language support available worldwide.

Utell Groups & Events service is provided with three alternatives, featuring: 1. group accommodation only, 2. meeting area and event support only, or 3. a combination of both – group accommodation, detailed meeting requests and event assistance. After the inquiry form has been submitted, Utell’s international dedicated teams will reply within 24 hours, delivering customized service to address complex demands effectively and efficiently.

Many smart cheats take advantage of our obsession of technology. Watch out if the cashier at the souvenir shop is busy talking on his/her mobile phone while ringing up your acquisition. Dishonest clerks have used phone cameras to take pictures of the credit-card numbers of the purchasers. Thus pay with cash.

A lot of the most successful cheats necessitate an inexperienced and trusting traveler. Be distrustful of any strangely close contact or a commotion in crowded public (principally touristy) places. If you are alert and savvy, you can avoid most scams and problems.

Do not purchase anything off the street in the literal sense of the word. A harmless-looking person picks up a ring on the ground in front of you and asks if you dropped it. When you say no, the guy studies the ring more closely, and then shows you a sign “proving” that it’s pure gold. He suggests selling it to you for a good price, however far more than he paid for it before throwing it on the ground.

Avoid getting attached into unsolicited gifts and guilt trips. A street salesperson asks you if you will help him with a “demonstration.” He proceeds to make a friendship bracelet right on your wrist. When finished, he asks you to pay a reward for the wristlet he invented just for you. And, since you can’t easily take it off on the spot, you feel obliged to pay for it.

If you didn’t break it, don’t fix it. Someone approaches you with a camera and asks that you take his photo. But the camera doesn’t seem to work. When you hand it back, the “tourist” fumbles and drops it on the ground, where it breaks into pieces. He will either ask you to pay for repairs or lift your wallet while you are bending over to pick up the broken camera. If you sniff a whiff of a trick, just walk away.

If you do happen to get scammed, as even the smartest and most careful tourist can, know that you’ll survive it. It may not help at the time, but try to remember that your loss will make for a good story when you get home.

Thirty six percent of the oversea travelers select the destination country proceeding from the hotel. It is essential for the tourists to stay in luxury or just in unusual hotel.

Elena Demidova from NTK Intourist says that the interest of the foreign tourists in Russia was always strong. The most popular routes among the foreigners all the time are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sergiev Posad, the Golden Ring due to the service of high quality and lots of the sights, Ms Demidova adds.

“The river cruises are very popular as well. The cruise Moscow – St. Petersburg – Petrozavodsk – Kizhi – Vaalam and Moscow – Astrakhan by Volga River, which according to some sources is called a wonder of the world, are on great demand,” affirmed Elena Demidova.

A very small number of the foreign tourists in Russia visit Lake Baikal. Those, who make plans to discover the miracles of Russia during two weeks from the train window, go on Transsib tour. KMP Group representative explained that the train goes from Moscow to Vladivostok with the five stops in different five cities. During these stops the travelers have the possibility to get about the local color and the cuisine.

A promenade down the main everyday drag of Barcelona, the Ramblas, is a freefall into sensory overload. This magnificent boulevard takes you from rich (Placa de Catalunya, the graceful main square) to brutal (the port) in a one-mile stroll lasting for 30 minutes.

The Ramblas is a never-ending stream of people and activity. You’ll meet on your way a grand opera house, smart cafes, artists, retread prostitutes, street mimes, an outdoor bird market and pickpockets. At the dynamic La Boqueria produce market, locals purchase in the morning for the best and freshest selection of meat, fruit and veggies.

East of the Ramblas is Barcelona’s Gothic quarter, the Barri Gotic, which centers around the gigantic cathedral. The small avenues that frame the cathedral are a tangled but inviting grab bag of undiscovered Art Nouveau storefronts, classy antique shops, musty junk shops, neighborhood flea markets and musicians playing the folk songs of Catalunya.

Contemporary artist Joan Miro lived in the Barri Gotic. His design projects are found everywhere in the city, from walls paintings to mobiles to the La Caixa bank logo.

The Barri Gotic was also home to a young Pablo Picasso. It was in Barcelona, in the 1890s, that Picasso snatched hold of the artistic vision that raised him high to Paris and glory. In the La Ribera district the Picasso Museum is the best collection of the artist’s work in Spain.

For an inspirational vacation from the dense old parts of the city, go north to the modern Eixample neighborhood, with its broad streets, charming shade trees, smart shops and Art Nouveau frills.

Antoni Gaudi, the most legendary Modernista artist from Barcelona, designed architectural fancies that are an eccentric quilt of galloping gables and organic arches.

But Gaudi’s most famous and persistent work is the forever unfinished Sagrada Familia in the city of Barcelona, with its melting ice cream cone spires and towers. The Nativity Facade, the only part of the church essentially completed in Gaudi’s lifetime, shows the architect’s original vision. Mixing Christian symbolism, images from nature, and the organic style of Modernisme, it’s a striking example of his particular style.