Zanzibar Is Luring Tourists With A 30Kg Christmas Cake  

BY  Abdul Aziz Oct 11, 2023

Officials have issued a statement that Thailand is bent on restoring the confidence of tourists in the tourism sector. The statement follows closely on the heels of a mass shooting at a luxury mall. Two foreigners have been killed, and it has made hopes of attracting overseas visitors a distant dream. On Tuesday, the police arrested a 14-year-old boy suspected of having unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the Siam Paragon Mall. The location being the center of Bangkok’s commercial zone has raised all too many eyebrows. The incident caused the death of two women- one of them from China and the other from Myanmar, injuring five people. Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, has said that the agencies have vowed to do their best to restore confidence. "We need to improve security in all areas for Thai and foreign tourists," she said without explaining any necessary steps being taken. Somsong Sachaphimukh, Vice President of the Tourism Council of Thailand industry group, has remarked, "This will impact tourism confidence and will affect our reputation. In the past, there were complaints about safety from China but this was something unthinkable." Chinese tourists have accounted for 11 million of the 39.9 million foreign visitors in Thailand in 2019. Tourism so far has been pretty slow, and it has prompted the government to decide on the visa waiver ahead of the peak season. Thai Examiner issued a report on the fee situation so far. The visa waiver will be collected from foreign travelers to provide “emergency medical health insurance cover and other benefits for 30 days from the point of entry.” The report explained that the fee needs “to be paid on arrival at kiosks at Immigration Bureau points of entry, including at airports after landing. The fee will also be delivered via a website or smartphone app.” It further added that “The tourism fee is supported broadly by the tourism industry as its tourist insurance fund is considered an essential step forward given the repeated stories of tragedies, accidents, and personal disasters which occur every year.” Read Also: Israel Government Declares War: Multiple Flights Cancelled National Taco Day: How To Celebrate If You Are From Chicago Columbus Day And Indigenous People’s Day: What IS Open And What Is Closed?

BY  Abdul Aziz Nov 23, 2023

Like any popular rock band, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree went on a two-week tour, stopping in towns all over West Virginia, and had managers, security, roadies, and even a few groupies. After being cut down from the Monongahela National Forest on November 1st, the 63-foot Norway spruce was placed on a specially constructed tractor-trailer and driven 19 times in a fortnight. On November 17, the tree will be formally delivered to the US Capitol. On November 28, there will be a tree lighting ceremony on the US Capitol's West Lawn. “We’re so proud here in Randolph County to have the forest headquarters in Elkins,” Robbie Morris, the executive director for the Randolph County Development Authority said. “I think it’s appropriate that the kickoff of the tour happened here.” The obvious starting point for the tree's statewide tour is Elkins, West Virginia, home of the Monongahela National Forest headquarters. The tree was escorted through the middle of town by several high school bands before stopping at the Elkins Train Depot, drawing a throng of well-wishers from the picturesque mountain community. Visitors are urged to sign a large banner that is hung over the tree and fastened to the tractor trailer at each location. Hundreds of people, including West Virginia celebrity Mark Bowe, host of the Discovery Plus series Barnwood Builders, enjoyed the various informational booths and festivities surrounding the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. “I wanted to be here with the national tree so it can go from the people’s land to the people’s house and I want everybody to know that this tree came from West Virginia and that’s nowhere near Richmond," Bowe said sarcastically. Without a stop at the West Virginia Capitol Building in Charleston, the tour wouldn't have been complete. With marching bands, live music, amazing decorations, and even a makeshift skating rink set up on the Capitol steps, the city and state went all out. “I came around the corner and told my mom I’m so excited since I’m a Hallmark fanatic,” Charleston Sternwheel Regatta Queen Sophia Wigal recalled. “It looked like a Hallmark movie so I was really excited.” The people of the Mountain State showed evident pride in their state and gathered in sizable crowds at each stop along the tour.“West Virginians are very proud people,” remarked Robbie Morris. “The fact that the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree will sit on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for countless amounts of people to see throughout the holiday season makes me overwhelmed with pride.” Read Also: Record-Breaking Holiday Travel Anticipated As TSA Prepares For Busy Season! The Italian Train Group FS Will Launch A New “Night Train Like Hotel”: Rome To Dolomites Chinese And US Presidents Have Come To A Common Ground Regarding Tourism Facilitation!

BY  Abdul Aziz Dec 5, 2023

The people of Norway have sent a Christmas tree to Trafalgar Square. Every year since 1947 it has been a tradition of Norway to send Britain a Christmas tree in order to commemorate their support during the Second World War. The Norwegian spruce is nearly 20 meters high and is around 70 years old. It has been chosen to be the "queen of the forest" from the woodlands of Oslo. It was felled in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Patricia McAllister, who described the spruce saying it was "spectacular". Every year, the selected tree is brought to the UK by a sea route which then ends up getting delivered by a lorry. The Christmas lights will be draped vertically in traditional Norwegian style. The energy efficient bulbs will be switched on during a ceremony on Thursday 7 December. Ms McAllister helped fell the Christmas tree in Oslo. "It was astonishing, spectacular, emotional: especially when the tree was hoisted [from where it's been for] the last 70 years," she said. "It really is a spectacular tree. It's stunning." She further added. Few of the previous Christmas trees that were sent From Norway, were not so warmly received. They would sometimes be of the opinion that they were either "sparse" or "anemic". However, the Norwegian foresters who take care of these trees described the chosen tree to be the "queen of the forest". Every year The Poetry Society commissions a poem based on the Oslo Christmas Tree. This year poem is set to be called "T for Tree" written by Isabel Galleymore. It is composed mainly for children and it will be read during the tree-lighting ceremony. The spruce will stay in Trafalgar Square until the 5th of January when it will be composted and chipped. Read Also: Traveling Christmas Tree For The Western Lawn Of U.S. Capitol Ghana Is Ready To Host The Rest Of The World: Ghana Tourism Authority On Christmas Concerts Excited For Christmas? Leicester Square’s Glittering Christmas Market Is Returning To London From Nov 8