World Of Tourism

Dwarka is known as one of the seven most ancient cities in India. Dwarka is also one of the main centers of the Krishna legend. The origin of Dwarka is related to Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is believed that after killing the evil Kansa adopted the city of Dwarka and he gave up his home at Mathura.

Dwarka is home of attractions worth visiting. These popular tourist attractions in Dwarka comprised of architectural wonders, interesting origin and history.
Lighthouse of Dwarka offers magnificent panoramic view of the setting sun which shows in the nightfall. The calm and quiet atmosphere of this monument provides the much needed relaxation from the busy life. This tourist spot-free for the public, is remains open between 16:30 and 18:00 hours.

Dwarka Lighthouse has magnificent architectural works. It has also rich checkered history to share with to its visitors.

Its history goes back to the 19th century when a port was constructed at Rupeen Creek. The history of this famous structure started in the early 19th century when a port was built at Rupen creek. There is a flag posted here with a lamp at the top to work similarly to a lighthouse.

The square tower made of stone was constructed at the present site in the year 1866. This tower stands 18 meters high. The lamp was made of oil wick and installed afterwards at the tower of this lighthouse.
When Sir Richard Temple, Governor of Bombay visited Dwarka in November 29, 1877 via sea route took chance to visit Dwarka Lighthouse. The governor then found out that the light was very insufficient. It was replaced with a better form of light in 1881. This equipment was imported from M/s. Chance Bros of England. In 1900 this Lighthouse had undergone also minor modifications.

Further more, D. Alen Stevenson, LH specialist also visited the lighthouse in February of 1927. Stevenson then appreciated the good maintenance of this lighthouse. The new square masonry Tower, 43 meter tall was built from Birmingham's Stone Chance was installed over the tower between the year1960-62. The storm warning signal mast which was the latest equipment at that time was also installed at the station of the lighthouse.

July 15, 1962 was the date when Raj Bahadur, then Minister for Transport, Government of India, inaugurated the new lighthouse. It was constructed with RCC Baffle wall with vibrations and fog signals technology. These new equipments were supplied by M/s BBT of Paris, and were commissioned in April of 1964. It was in the year 1988 the fog signal service was eventually stopped.May 11 1978 was the date when this Lighthouse of Dwarka took a Racon of Marconi origin. And it was on April 5, 1996, when the incandescent lamp was substituted to MH lamp and the direct drive was replaced to a stepper motor.

Moreover, visiting this famous landmark in Dwarka one will find lighthouse keepers. These people are friendly and are always ready and willing to guide the visitors around the Lighthouse. They accept token or something not available in Dwarka like souvenirs and foreign coins especially the old coins, very much in demand among the Lighthouse keepers.

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple also called Nagnath Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva in India. This structure is considered to represent the removal of evil activities from earth. It is located 17 kilometers from Dwarka and remains open from 6am to 10pm.
Nageshwar Jyotirlinga has interesting legend. There was a devotee of the temple, named Supriya who was attacked by a demon called Daaruka. Daaruka imprisoned the devotee and several others in his Daarukaavana. Lord Shiva appeared at the temple in the form of Jyotirlinga. Lord Shiva freed the prisoners and killed Daaruka.

The place took its name from the demon Daruka. According to legend, before Daaruka's death, this demon appealed to the god that the place be named after him, now known as Nagnath.

This temple houses the idol of Shivalinga that faces towards the south. The idol of Gomugam housed inside the temple is positioned on the east portion. Nageshwar Jyotirlinga also houses the Giant statue of Lord Shiva which allures the devotees. This temple during the eve of Shivaratri turns to a place of festivities amidst a large number of devotees.

Another beautiful place in Dwarka to visit is the Sabha Mandapa there. Sabha Mandapa is a 12th century structure which has been the highlight of Dwarkadhish Temple.

Sabha Mandapa is a stunning multi-pillared structure of prominent Dwarkadhish Temple. This structure leads to 60 pillared sanctum of the temple which has very old scriptures dating back of 2500 years.
source:http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Popular-Tourist-Attractions-in-Dwarka&id=2907467

The top 10 most searched for holiday destinations for 2009 have now been named
Beach holiday hotspots in Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Cyprus feature prominently in the top 10, suggesting that Brits are still determined to take holidays despite the difficult economic conditions.

Flight search engine Skyscanner.net compiled the list based on the most searched for destinations by UK travellers for travel in 2009. The most popular destinations in Spain are Malaga, Alicante and Tenerife, which come in second, third and fourth respectively. Palma in Majorca is seventh, and the up and coming Spanish region of Murcia is tenth.
But heading the list in number one spot is London. This confirms that domestic air travel remains strong and more Brits are looking to take holidays in the UK such as short city breaks. Four other UK cities also made the top 50.

People looking for good value holidays outside the Eurozone have ensured that Turkey has become an increasingly popular holiday destination in the last year or so. This is confirmed by the appearance of Dalaman in Turkey in fifth spot in the most searched for flight destinations.
Long-time holiday favourites Faro in Portugal and Paphos in Cyprus appear in sixth and ninth place respectively. Not surprisingly a skiing holiday destination also appears in the top 10. Geneva in Switzerland, one of the gateways to the Alps, is the eighth most searched for destination.

Skyscanner co-founder Barry Smith comments: “It’s still early days for 2009 bookings, but already we can see that British people don’t want to give up their beach holidays, even when times are tough. This year, it’s all about making your money go as far as possible, which is why Spain remains an extremely popular destination for British travellers. It’s close, warm and still very good value. Turkey is another value destination, jumping up five places compared to last year’s top 10, partly because it’s outside the Eurozone.”
Skyscanner is predicting that short haul destinations will be the winners in 2009. Of the top 50 most searched for destinations only eight were outside Europe. But New York and Orlando in Florida remain popular despite the pound weakening against the dollar, as both made the top 20. source:http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/news/hx-travel/most-popular-destinations-for-2009-revealed-11509.html

When foreigners go to Japan, Tokyo tops their list of places to see. Seven of the 10 most-visited destinations in the country are in the capital, according to the Japan National Tourist Organization.

This makes it easy for visitors to check the top spots off their must-see lists without leaving Tokyo, a sprawling city encompassing nearly every important aspect of Japanese life (except nature; "man-made" is the buzzword here). To get to the other spots on the top-10 list, a quick shinkansen (bullet train) ride is all that's required, and that's an experience itself, as the trains run at speeds of about 200 miles per hour.

Whether you choose to stay inside Tokyo's city limits or leave them, however, the complete tourism experience in Japan involves an equal mix of modern and traditional — easy to accomplish in the city and beyond.

Wherever you go, you can expect the locals to be friendly due to a government tourism-promotion campaign, Yokoso Japan (Welcome to Japan), through which the Japanese government is aiming to increase the number of international visitors to 10 million by 2010 (the country had 6 million foreign tourists in 2007). The tourism agency has spent the last five years trying to convince foreigners that the famously closed society is welcoming.

Tokyo sights
The No. 1 place tourists visit is Shinjuku, a massive, crowded skyscraper district within Tokyo. Built beginning in the '70s, Shinjuku keeps adding new and bigger towers, and its commuter rail station is the transit system's busiest, with nearly 2 million passengers a day.

Shinjuku has three main components: offices, shopping and nightlife. The shopping consists of a flotilla of chic department stores, mainly branches of the stores you'll find in Ginza or elsewhere. At night, many tourists head for Shinjuku's Park Hyatt, the hotel made famous in the film "Lost in Translation", to have a drink at the penthouse New York Bar and take in the city-wide views. The Kabukicho district is also a popular hangout, thanks to its many bars and lounges.

Tokyo's next most-visited area is the famous Ginza neighborhood, a shopping mecca that's home to the fanciest stores, Japanese and foreign alike. Weighing in at No. 4 on the most-visited list, Ginza is where you'll find all the luxury brands from around the world, many in custom-designed boutiques.

Shoppers throng the streets as they meander from Chanel to Mikimoto (for world-renowned pearls); you'll also find them stopping for lunch in the department store cafés. When you're done at Fendi and Gucci, follow their example and stop at the basement food halls in one of the department stores (every department store, all over town, has one). It's fun to pick up a picnic lunch from the myriad prepared-food vendors, but remember, it's considered rude to eat standing up in Japan.

Also on the top-destination list, within Tokyo are Shibuya and Harajuku, the twin centers of teen culture and the places to see what the hip kids are wearing these days. But there are also more traditional attractions that shouldn't be skipped, such as the museums, zoo and Asakusa, an old-style temple district.
source:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

Cheonggyecheon, the restored downtown stream that celebrated its second anniversary last month, is to undergo a facelift to attract more tourists by highlighting its history and culture.

The stream has become one of Seoul’s most popular tourist attractions since opening in October 2005 and has attracted more than 56 million visitors.

However, most visitors mainly stroll around the stream because Cheonggyecheon lacks facilities for cultural experiences beyond sightseeing.

To counter that, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has recently unveiled a project aimed at making the stream a center for tourism and culture in the city. It has called for the construction of a traditional Korean village, floating catwalk and other cultural facilities near the stream and spread throughout the capital by February next year.

City officials say that the project aims to draw more foreign visitors by establishing diverse cultural facilities based on Cheonggyecheon’s unique features and location.

One of the most distinctive features of the project is the planned restoration of some of the shacks, which lined the stream up until the 1970s to feature the everyday life of post-war Korea.
Shantytowns made of wooden planks covered the banks of Cheonggyecheon in the 1950s and 60s after the Korean War. Restored versions of the shabby dwellings will be displayed along with tools, such as carriers for water buckets and soft coal, a key source of home heating at the time.
Also, part of the project is "the cultural and digital Cheonggyecheon," the city said it will create a digital screen by Dec. 21, using Cheonggye waters for romantic events and a floating stage for entertainment.

People can also make romantic proposals by using the digital screen. They can run UCC images or text messages for their lovers on the so-called "wall of digital proposals" by making applications in advance.

When there are no proposal plans reserved, the huge digital screen will show artistic graphic images every night, made with water and multi-colored lasers.

In the block near the Dongdaemun fashion town, a runway stage with lighting facilities will be set up on the water. The floating catwalk and fountains will be used as a debut stage for aspiring young fashion designers and artists to showcase their works.

On another bridge near the Sewoon electronics arcade, an artsy lighting tower named "Sotdae" will rise to underscore the history of Korea`s electronics mecca in the 1970s and 1980s.

A creative studio will also open near the cluster of hardware stores alongside Cheonggyecheon to develop and showcase products of unique design and metallic processing technology.

A second-phase development plan will follow to make Cheonggyecheon a more captivating part of Seoul, according to city officials.

Source:http://www.kois.go.kr/News/News/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20071123022