Departure Gate
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-12 10:08
 |
Large Medium Small |
Your passport to the latest destinations and airline promotions
Formula 1 night races
Singapore will be hosting the 2010 Formula 1 Grand Prix from Sept 24 to 26, during which spectators will get more than ringside seats to the world's only night races.
The Marina Bay Street Circuit will host a three-day carnival with international acts and adrenaline-charged shows.
There are also the brand-new casinos to check out, as well as the Universal Studio theme park on Sentosa, the country's main resort island.
Macao fireworks festival
The annual Macao International Fireworks Display Contest is currently underway and the final will be on Oct 1. Macao started hosting this annual contest in the 1980s and it is now an internationally acclaimed event.
More than 100 teams from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain take part. Nightly displays light up the Macao skyline, giving tourists plenty of photo opportunities.
More bank card services in Singapore
China UnionPay Co Ltd. (CUP) announced Wednesday that it will work with the Singapore Tourism Board to expand CUP bankcard services in the city-state, making shopping easier for tourists from China.
Both sides have signed a memorandum agreeing to promote the use of CUP bankcards in Singapore and further their cooperation to other countries and regions.
China UnionPay will issue new bankcards to Chinese card holders traveling to Singapore, according to the memorandum.
Jefferson estate updates attractions
Thomas Jefferson's clothes and linens didn't get pressed on their own and the meals at his lavish parties didn't cook themselves.
Now Jefferson's estate, Monticello, is expanding efforts to depict the lives and activities of the people who worked behind the scenes, allowing visitors to see that Jefferson had a lot of support for his achievements.
Other sites have been undertaking similar updates - and in doing so, they're providing a more complete depiction of history. Curators at the third president's mountain-top home have been using Jefferson's detailed journals, archaeological finds and other research to expand Monticello's stories beyond the great man and his achievements.
Historic Triangle seeks heritage status
Colonial Williamsburg, Va. is seeking to designate the Historic Triangle as a World Heritage Site.
Representatives says it is partnering Preservation Virginia and working with the National Park Service to seek the designation. The Historic Triangle is made up of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown.
Colonial Williamsburg says there are 20 sites in the US on the World Heritage Committee list, but none that relate specifically to the establishment of English society in America.
The move comes as Colonial Williamsburg and Preservation Virginia are working together to enhance visitor experience and give visitors a glimpse at archaeological discoveries found in the area.
Art outdoors around Detroit
The Detroit Institute of Arts is putting up ornately framed reproductions of some of its most significant paintings on the streets of southeast Michigan as part of a celebration of its 125th anniversary.
The life-sized digital copies look as if they've been pulled from the museum's walls and will be on display through November.
Some of the reproductions for DIA: Inside/Out are on walls outside shops and restaurants, while others are on freestanding posts at parks or other outdoor locations. Each one will have an information plaque.
Indonesian exodus at Ramadan's end
Millions of Indonesians crammed into trains, ferries and in greater numbers than ever, motorcycles, as they poured out of major cities to return home to their villages to celebrate the end of the Islamic holy month this weekend.
The annual mass exodus, which always leaves the country's overburdened and poorly maintained transportation systems bursting at the seams, resulted in massive jams and increased the ever-present threat of road accidents.
Flights were overbooked and anxious relatives weighed down with boxes of gifts formed long lines at bus stations for journeys that can take days.
Airline news and deals
Air tickets on Mid-Autumn Festival: A huge 63-percent discount is being offered by several airlines for the Mid-Autumn Day flights from Guangzhou to Beijing for tickets purchased online.
Passenger headed to Sanya or elsewhere in Hainan are out of luck, however, with Mid-Autumn flight prices there currently 300 yuan higher than usual.
First flight between Hongqiao and Hong Kong:The first flight between Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Hong Kong was jointly launched by China Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd and Shanghai Airlines Co Ltd on Sept 10.
Travelers who buy round-trip tickets three to seven days before their flights on workdays will get discounts.
Xinhua - China daily - Associated press