Thursday, May 31, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com

Thailand Travel Mart Plus: Three days of tourism wheeling and dealing

Posted: 30 May 2012 08:19 PM PDT

Thailand's tourism industry is renowned for its ability to jump back after a crisis, the most recent example being last year's flood tragedy.  

From January to April of this year, the number of foreign arrivals rose 7 per cent to 7.3 million year-on-year, say tourism officials.

These days, the industry is back doing what it does best: marketing the goods.

More than 1,000 tourism buyers and sellers will be in Bangkok June 6-8 for the Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) annual Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+), a trade fair set up to highlight the country's tourism products, experiences and attractions.

TTM+ 2012, which will take place at IMPACT Exhibition Center, is focusing on four key tourism categories: golf, ecotourism, weddings/honeymoons and health/wellness.  

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Miyazaki chicken: The world's tastiest white meat

Posted: 30 May 2012 02:55 PM PDT

by Jane Kitagawa

When it comes to eating chicken in Japan, most folk, whether eager visitor or seasoned resident, plump for that eternal favorite on a stick, yakitori.

Or, for those with a penchant for izakaya fare, crispy, deep-fried karaage works too -- like yakitori, it tastes great with beer, shochu or pretty much anything cold, after all.

But delve a little more deeply into Japan's cuisine du coq and there's another prize-winning poultry contender to consider in the delicious, juicy form of Miyazaki jidori free-range chicken from the southern island of Kyushu.

The chicken, one of a handful of poultry breeds indigenous to Japan, boasts a low fat-to-flesh ratio, a non-gamey smell and a springy, toothsome texture.

Created through crossbreeding and agricultural experiments in the mid-twentieth century, Miyazaki jidori are raised without hormones and antibiotics and are designed to outlive their more common cousins (six-week "meat" birds) by anywhere from 60 to 120 days.

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Sand blasters: 8 dirty desert adventures you can do right now

Posted: 30 May 2012 09:01 AM PDT

by Helen Elfer

Scorching days, freezing nights, no water, dangerous reptiles for company -- and an unfortunate reputation for making travelers hallucinate.

It's no surprise deserts are among the most daunting places on earth and, for some, clearly best avoided.

For the rest of us, however, these mysterious wildernesses can make for the ultimate playground.

1. Sand sliding: Kubuqi desert, China

For sheer spectacle, there's no place like Xiangshawan (Resonant Sand Bay).

Essentially an amusement park in the heart of Inner Mongolia's desert, the site is filled with local tourists sporting wacky knee-high sand socks, riding camels and zipping over the dunes in buggies.

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Gallery: What 100,000 people are lining up (in frustration) to see at Yeosu World Expo

Posted: 30 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT

by Frances Cha

Apparently, visitors to the Expo 2012 in Yeosu, Korea, are like blind dates. You pray they'll show up, but when they do, you don't really know what to do with them.

Despite being riddled with global superlatives -- of the quirky techie variety, including biggest gathering of robots in the history of expos, the world's largest dome screen, the world's tallest robot and a laser-shooting robot fish -- the ocean-themed Expo 2012 in Yeosu, Korea, has had a rickety start the past few weeks in terms of attendance and operations. 

Visitor turnout

The daily number of visitors to the Yeosu Expo -- located 455 kilometers south of Seoul -- finally reached 100,000 this past Sunday, mostly due to the three-day Buddha's Birthday holiday weekend.

The local press reported that the growing number of visitors served to highlight the shortcomings of the expo, especially in regards to advance bookings and lack of parking, restrooms and accommodations. 

According to Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo, more than 1,000 visitors who could not reserve admission to the eight main exhibition halls filed for refunds on Sunday, while some facility operations were stalled when annoyed patrons caused a ruckus at an aquarium. 

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at 9:06 AM