Jetsettersblog

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) reached an agreement in principle on an expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland (HKD). Announcing the agreement on the expansion plan and related financial arrangements,

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau said, “I am pleased that the two shareholders of HKD, after much challenging negotiation in the past six to seven months, have come to an agreement on a package deal that will benefit both HKD and Hong Kong.”

Lau also pointed out that the expansion project would bring about some 3,700 jobs in terms of man-years in the coming five years. The expanded HKD will give rise to total net economic benefits in present value (at 2008 prices) ranging from $8.29 billion to $15.03 billion up to 2044-45 under different scenarios.

The park expansion will be completed in phases over five years. The expanded park will have three new themed areas — “Grizzly Trail,” “Mystic Point” and “Toy Story Land.”

There will be more than 30 new attractions, including thrill rides targeted at the young adult segment, bringing the total number of attractions in HKD to over 100. TWDC has given assurance that “Grizzly Trail” and “Mystic Point” will be exclusive among Disney theme parks worldwide and “Toy Story Land” will be exclusive within the Asian region, for five years from their respective opening.

On the financing arrangement, TWDC will contribute all the necessary new capital (estimated to be about $448.7 million) for the construction of the new themed areas as well as for sustaining the park’s operation during the construction years. It will also convert the entire outstanding balance (projected to be $353.8 million) of its loan to the joint venture to equity.

The government will not inject any new capital into the expansion plan. “The government has already made significant contribution towards the development and operation of HKD thus far,”

Lau said. “However, as a contribution to deleverage the joint venture, the government is prepared to convert a substantial part of its loan to equity, retaining a balance of not less than $128.2 million. The loan-to-equity conversion is subject to approval by the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council.

According to current projections, the government will continue to be a majority shareholder of HKD after the capital realignment, retaining 52 percent shareholding.”

The government and TWDC have also agreed on some changes to the existing arrangements relating to HKD’s operation, and on enhancing the transparency of the theme park’s operation.

The formula for calculating the management fee will be revised to link to the park’s performance. Both sides have also agreed to put in place a mechanism whereby at times of adversity the joint venture can defer payment of royalties to TWDC and payment of interest and principal of the retained government loan.

For more information, visit www.discoverhongkong.com

To attract American and European travelers to Taiwan in the face of the current worldwide economic slump, the Tourism Bureau, in cooperation with China Airlines and EVA Airways, is launching the “One-Dollar/Euro Super-Value Taiwan Stopover” incentive promotion.

With the addition of just one dollar/euro (monetary unit of cost is determined by port of embarkation), passengers will be able to have a one-night stay at one of eight top Taipei hotels (taxes included, with breakfast), be exempt from the usual stopover fee, receive a free seasonal gift courtesy of Tour Taiwan Year (agricultural products through September, and hot spring vouchers in October and November), as well as have the chance of becoming NT$300,000 ($9,093) and NT$400,000 ($12,118) cash card winners as the 3 and 4 millionth visitors to Taiwan.

This six-month promotion begins on July 1 and is open to all persons traveling on China Airlines and EVA Airways from their 11 North American and European ports, through Taiwan, and onto one of 50 Asian destinations.

Taiwan is a transfer hub for North American and European travelers to Southeast Asia, India, and Australia. Statistics show, that approximately 2 million travelers make such transfers every year, and the Tourism Bureau aims to attract these travelers to Taiwan through the “One-Dollar/Euro” incentive scheme. In addition to providing discounted fares,

China Airlines and EVA Airways will absorb the obligatory stopover fee.

The eight participating hotels, including the Grand Hotel, Ambassador Hotel Taipei, Landis Taipei, Grand Formosa Regent, United Hotel, Brother Hotel, Gloria Prince Hotel Taipei, and Howard Plaza Hotel, will also offer discounted rates for any additional nights’ stay.

For more information, visit www.supervaluestop-taiwan.net

To help couples navigate the stressful wedding planning process, Hilton Family of Hotels has launched “Guestiquette” at www.hiltonfamily.com/guestiquette,  a practical online wedding resource to provide guidance on wedding guest etiquette topics and even help brides and grooms book and manage their hotel accommodations.

The site covers topics such as How to Speak “Guestiquette” and Making Guests Feel Welcome.

For more information, visit www.hiltonfamily.com/guestiquette

According to Tara Tours, Colombia is making a comeback as a modern, safe and dynamic nation, as well as a vacation destination welcoming visitors to Andean mountain vistas and Amazonian rainforests, long white beaches on Caribbean and Pacific coasts, rich history of pre-Columbian and Spanish colonial treasures, great food, music and shopping.

Tara Tours is offering daily departures from the U.S. in cooperation with ProExport Colombia. Tara’s Cartagena all-inclusive package includes seven days and six nights at the four-star Decameron beach resort for $997 per person double, including air fare from Miami.

The package includes roundtrip air fare between Miami and Cartagena, with add-on costs from New York, Washington and Los Angeles.

In Cartagena, transfers are included on arrival and departure. Accommodations for six nights are at the Hotel Beach Resort Decameron, a four-star property that is five minutes from Cartagena’s historic district.

Guests enjoy all meals at any of the five restaurants — breakfast and lunch are buffet style, dinners a la carte; unlimited beverages, including domestic and international alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks; a daily choice of activities and tours from dawn to dusk; use of all non-motorized water sports equipment—wind gliders, kayaks, snorkeling gear and sailboats; beach towels and chairs; nightly entertainment; unlimited drinks at the discotheque; all resort tips and taxes.

Not included are insurance; airport departure taxes from the U.S. ($72) and on leaving Colombia ($20); Colombia tourist card ($5) issued on arrival; and any other services not mentioned in the program.

In addition, Tara Tours is offering more of Colombia, with all-inclusive packages to Santa Marta from $961 per person double, and to San Andres & Providencia Islands from $1,096 per person double.

Round up the whole destination with Tara’s 13-night Best of Colombia program, visiting Bogota, Barranquilla, Santa Marta and Cartagena, priced from $2,995 per person double and based on Sunday departures from U.S. gateways.

For more information, call 800-327-0080 or visit www.taratours.com

MSC Cruises has announced its dining options aboard the new MSC Splendida, which sets sail July 12 in Barcelona.

The ship will offers 18 bars and lounges, four restaurants and two buffets.

Traditional fare includes provincial food and fine wines in L’Enoteca wine bar and Mexican specialties in the Santa Fe restaurant. Villa Verde offers Italian delicacies with a panoramic view.

The Bora Bora buffet extends the spectrum with its own pizzeria, while La Reggia serves varied Italian dining on two floors. L’Olivo, the ship’s specialty Mediterranean restaurant, offers authentic delicacies from 14 Mediterranean countries –

Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey.

The MSC Splendida’s chefs offer a combined recipe collection of 2,000 selections during a typical seven-night cruise, allowing guests to choose from 14 menus daily.

Food is available onboard 24 hours a day.

The recently named Reserva de la Biosfera Tiburón Ballena (Whale Shark Biosphere Reserve) is located in front of the north coast region of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, with a surface area of 145,988 acres.

The marine surface of this Protected Area guarantees the protection of the region which contains waters rich with organic material.

This concentration of nutrients allow for the presence of species such as mussels, crustaceans, birds and marine mammals, and above all, schools of fish of commercial and sport importance, as well as large groups of whale sharks, making it the perfect environment for spotting these gentle sea giants in their own environment.

Until September, whale sharks prefer the nutrient- filled waters of the northern areas of Holbox, Isla Contoy and Cabo Catoche, where they feed and mate.

The whale shark is unique in that its mouth is located in front of its head, unlike other shark species.

This positioning allows the whale shark to feed, normally just below the surface, by simply opening its mouth and scooping up plankton, literally vacuuming food from the water. Local guides have been provided with additional training in developing and executing tours that are safe for the whale sharks and tourists alike.

In addition, strict rules have been implemented against scuba equipment being used to view the species. Cancun and Puerto Morelos is home to the second-largest barrier reef in the world, making a hands-on encounter with the marine world more attainable. Whale sharks, dolphins, manatees, manta rays, stingrays and sea turtles are just a few of the marine species you can spot underwater accompanied by marine staff and experts, such as Biologist Rafael de la Parra, Director of the Project Domino Research sponsored by the Mexican Government, or Dr. Roberto Sanchez from Dolphin Discovery in Cancun.

For more information, visit www.cancun.travel

Copenhagen has a new climate-friendly bus route. The electric-powered CityCirkel buses run every seven minutes and go past some of Copenhagen’s top attractions. Tickets for the ordinary buses, trains and Metro are also valid on the CityCirkel buses. Line 11 CityCirkel (city circle) is Copenhagen’s new electric bus route.

The buses run all day on electricity from batteries which are charged during the night.

Thus the electric driven buses emit less CO2 than cars and ordinary buses, and there is no pollution from exhaust fumes and hazardous particles from the new buses.

The buses are shorter and narrower than ordinary buses. Therefore, they can run in the narrow streets of the medieval city where the ordinary buses cannot. However, the CityCirkel buses still connect with other means of public transport in Copenhagen at City Hall Square, Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen central train station, Nørreport and Vesterport station as well as with the water buses.

The buses stop at the normal bus stops, wherever it is possible. But the CityCirkel buses also have their own bus stops, and in some places they can be hailed with a wave, wherever you find green dots at the curb. Tickets and cards used for public transport in Copenhagen are also valid on the CityCirkel line.

The plan is to make the buses completely free of charge.

For more information, visit www.citycirkel.dk/en

For the 1.5 million people in the U.S. of Danish heritage who seek to learn more about their lineage — or for others with strong interest in exploring Danish history and traditions — VisitDenmark, the official tourism office of Denmark, has launched a new microsite: www.visitdenmark.com/heritage.

The site enables Danish-American visitors to discover and celebrate their Danish heritage via a link guide that helps research Danish roots while providing information on the history and patterns of Danish immigration to the U.S.

Practical ideas and instructions for organizing a Danish heritage trip to explore specific ancestral regions are offered, along with tempting and often familiar descriptions of regional cuisine available to today’s travelers to the “old country.”

Travel tips and suggested accommodations include valuable information on programs that provide personal introductions to Danish families, and even home-cooked meals, as part of the “Dine with the Danes” program at www.dinewiththedanes.dk. Meeting the locals is also possible through such accommodations as a B&B, traditional inn, working farm or house-swapping program.

Contemporary visitors can walk in the footsteps of their ancestors at living history museums and open-air museums located throughout the country, including the Open Air Museum

“Frilandsmuseet,” the Old Town Museum in ?rhus, Funen Village, Hjerl Hede and the co-operative Village Nyvang.

Here, traditional houses, farms, stores and school rooms recreate the authentic environments that typified Denmark in days gone by.

Visitors can also participate in the largest Independence Day celebration held outside of the U.S. each July 4th in Rebild Bakker, located south of Aalborg in Jutland.

The 190-acre national park was donated by Danish Americans in 1912 as a location for thousands of people to celebrate the holiday while remembering those who left Denmark to seek a new life in America.

In addition to visiting the VisitDenmark’s new heritage web site, Danish Americans can also consult the Danish State Archives which provides a number of Internet services for searching for ancestors online. Individuals whose ancestors emigrated to the U.S. between 1869 and 1908 can find information at the Danish Emigration Archives in Aalborg. Another useful website for Danish genealogy research is www.MyDanishRoots.com.

For more information, visit www.visitdenmark.com/heritage  or www.visitcopenhagen.com

Located high on the cliffs of Ravello overlooking the Amalfi Coast and Mediterranean Sea, Palazzo Sasso offers one of the most extraordinary views in the world. 

The luxury hotel is adding a private seaside villa that it is calling Sasso by the Sea.

The villa is just steps away from the Mediterranean. Guests of Palazzo Sasso will have exclusive access to Sasso by the Sea daily through September with a free private shuttle operating from the main hotel to the seaside villa in the village of Marmorata.

Sasso by the Sea’s amenities include a salt water pool, gardens with two cabanas, changing rooms for men and women, plus two “relaxation living” rooms.

Also on the terrace is a small restaurant serving local favorites including pizzas and fresh seafood, as well as a full service bar.

A path through the gardens leads to a stone staircase leading down to the Mediterranean. Cut directly into the side of the cliff walls are flat-surfaced sunning terraces with lounge beds staggered on different levels off the staircase landings.

The staff of Sasso by the Sea sees to guests’ every need and. Daily accommodation rates at Palazzo Sasso range from 198 to 2,200 euros, depending on season and accommodation.

Rates include full buffet breakfast and taxes.

For more information and reservations, call 011-39-089-818181, email info@palazzosasso.com  or visit www.palazzosasso.com

July 1 saw the partial opening of the CABINN Metro, the largest hotel in Denmark.

The hotel’s design is by architect Daniel Libeskind. The new CABINN Metro will open in the northwest corner of Copenhagen’s fast-growing city quarter, Ørestad.

It will initially open with 350 rooms with the rest of its 710 rooms coming on stream by Sept. 1, making it the largest hotel in Denmark. The hotel is well located three miles from Copenhagen International Airport and the city center in Ørestad, one of Europe’s fastest-growing urban developments.

It is within walking distance of Scandinavia’s largest conference and exhibition venue, Bella Center, beside Scandinavia’s largest shopping mall, Fields, and several transport links to the city center and to Malmö, Sweden.

CABINN Metro will have a conference center for up to 200 people, a breakfast restaurant for 150, free wireless Internet connection in all rooms and lobby, 24-hour reception, a lobby bar, business center, and cafe.

Meanwhile, a new golf course, the Royal Golf Centre’s Open Course, will open on the other side of the road from CABINN Metro for the new season in 2009.

For more information, visit www.cabinn.com