“Autumnfest’s Top 10 Festivals and Events are great inspiration for extended-stay midweek getaways that linger into and beyond the weekend. Temecula hotels-and-resorts’ Sunday-through Thursday (better-than-weekend) nightly room-rates are appealing; the savings become resources for Autumnfest activities and purchases of Temecula Valley goodness and greatness.” Located 1-hour from San Diego, Orange County, and Palm Desert; and 1½ hours from Los Angeles, the casual, picturesque valley includes Downtown Old Town Temecula, Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country, and Pechanga Resort & Casino.

1-Autumnfest Events at Temecula Valley Wineries

(Labor Day Weekend through September-October-November)

Autumnfest is one of the most exciting and celebratory seasons in gracious and friendly Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country. From the Friday-Saturday-Sunday-Monday of Labor Day weekend throughout Autumnfest, unique and memorable winery venues host a variety of events. Signature “wine-and-live-music” is at wineries including Briar Rose, Callaway, Cougar, Europa Village, Falkner, Keyways, Leoness, Lorimar, Miramonte, Mount Palomar, Robert Renzoni, and Wilson Creek. Visitors with a quest for learning reserve in advance for Wine 101, educational tours, in-depth wine tastings, and related programs at wineries like Callaway, Europa Village, Falkner, Leoness, Lorimar, Robert Renzoni, South Coast, and Wiens.

During Autumnfest Temecula Valley Wine Country features Thornton Winery’s 25th anniversary Champagne Jazz concert series with jazz greats like Boz Scaggs, George Benson, Jesse Cook, and Keiko Matsui. Harvest Grape Stomps are at wineries such as Mount Palomar, Ponte, South Coast, and Wilson Creek; Wiensfest is at Wiens Family Cellars; Mount Palomar hosts Oktoberfest.

2-Old Town Temecula California-Certified Farmers Markets

(August 31, September 7-14-21-28, October 5-12-19-26, and November 2-9-16-23-30)

On Saturday mornings in Old Town Temecula, visitors join local chefs and slow food aficionados at the California Certified Farmers Market (6th Street between Old Town Front and Mercedes). With a happy atmosphere, the market celebrates the local bounty of fresh, local, seasonal fruits and vegetables (including exotic and organic), artisan foods, and fresh-baked goods. Shoppers enjoy spontaneous conversations with local farmers, growers, and artisans, and fill their shopping bags with avocados as well as prized “last-chance” peaches (September); persimmons and guavas (September-October); and sweet navel oranges, tangerines, pomegranates, and exotics like dragon fruit and Budha’s hand/fingered citron (November). Even visitors with a farmers market “back-home” are impressed and delighted with the Old Town Farmers Market – especially during Autumnfest.

After a morning at the Farmers Market, the festivities and fresh air inspire an appetite to be satisfied at one of Old Town Temecula’s independently owned bistros, cafés, and restaurants. The variety of Old Town dining establishments includes Baily’s, Front Street Bar & Grill, Nitza’s Pizza, Palumbo’s Ristorante, PUBlic House, Rosa’s Cantina, Soro’s Mediterranean Grill, Sweet Lumpy’s, The Bank of Mexican Food, and The Gambling Cowboy. After lunch, visitors enjoy traditional, southern-style, made-from-scratch desserts at Robin’s Nest bakery and dessert room.

3-California Wine Month in Temecula Valley Wine Country

(September 1-30)

In celebration of California Wine Month, the Temecula Valley Winegrowers promote SIP passports throughout September. The SIP Passport includes vouchers for tasting-flights at any 5 of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers 35 participating member wineries. Mid-month (September 14) all 35 of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association member wineries join together on one evening for the annual CRUSH Wine & Culinary Showcase tasting event at Callaway Vineyard & Winery. Ticketholders (the event is traditionally a sell-out) meet winery owners, talk with winemakers, and savor the culinary creations of both winery and local restaurants while sampling award-winning Temecula Valley wines.

California Wine Month is an especially excellent time to experience Temecula Valley winery-restaurants where talented winery chefs expertly pair premium, award-winning vintages with fresh, local, seasonal foods in a celebration of sun, soil, and natural affinity. Winery restaurants – many with dining rooms and terraces overlooking Temecula Valley Wine Country’s vineyards and rolling hills – include Café Champagne, Carol’s at Baily Winery, Creekside Grille, Maurice’s Kitchen, MDO Bistro, Meritage at Callaway, The Pinnacle, Restaurant at Leoness, Restaurant at Ponte, Shorty’s Bistro, and the Vineyard Rose.

4-Temecula Olive Oil Company Olive Ranch Tours

(select dates in September-October-November)

With an Olive Ranch east of Old Town Temecula, Temecula Olive Oil Company is family-owned and operated, and produces premium, 100% extra-virgin olive oil using 100% California olives. To capture unique qualities and distinctive flavors, a wide variety of olives are planted, grown, and harvested. By advance reservation on select dates, visitors can tour the Olive Ranch and learn of Temecula Olive Oil Company’s sustainable agriculture practices. Tour-participants see the olive mill and press, and learn of hand pressing to extract oil from the fruit to produce fresh, full-flavored, 100% extra-virgin olive oil. An olive oil tasting follows the tour. Those experiencing the true, all-natural freshness of Temecula Olive Oil for the first time are most often amazed; there is nothing else quite like it.

5-Autumnfest Farms: Cornfield Maze, Pumpkins, Hay Wagon Rides

(September-October)

With seasonal farm-inspired activities, two Temecula Valley properties welcome visitors during Autumnfest. Peltzer Farm Pumpkin Patch (open daily September 28-October 31) features the namesake pumpkin-patch, a petting farm, pig races, a tractor collection, and train rides. The Peltzer Farm seasonal bounty available for purchase includes pumpkins (up to 100-pounders), gourds, and corn stalks.

Big Horse Corn Maze and Harvest Festival (open weekends in October) is Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country’s original 11+ acre Cornfield Maze (believed to be Southern California’s largest authentic corn maze). Visitors discover and experience the challenges of the multi-path puzzle of pathways lined with 7-foot tall cornstalks. Additional on-the-farm activities include hay wagon rides, corn cannon, and pumpkin bowling.

6-Old Town Temecula Outdoor Quilt Show

(October-5)

Temecula Valley’s most colorful Autumnfest display is likely the Old Town Temecula Outdoor Quilt Show. Along six blocks of Old Town Front Street, hundreds of handmade quilts made with thousands of yards of patch-worked fabric hang from banisters and along storefronts. Small quilts are available for purchase at Town Square; a Valley of the Mist Quilters guild boutique is held at Temecula Civic Center; and a large, quilt auction takes place at 1 pm.

Strolling the pedestrian-friendly Old Town Temecula shopping-dining-entertainment district to witness the colorful celebration, provides easy opportunities to experience Old Town’s independently owned stores and boutiques. Among Old Town retail establishments are The Farmer’s Wife, Granny’s Attic & Antiques, Old California Lavender, Old Town Spice & Tea Merchants, Old Town Rootbeer Company, Old Town Sweet Shop, Temecula Lavender Company, and Temecula Olive Oil Company.

7-Susan G. Komen Inland Empire Race for the Cure

(October 20)

With more than 10,000 participants expected, Promenade Temecula is the venue for the 15th annual Susan G. Komen Inland Empire Race for the Cure. The popular fundraising event includes an Expo, Kids Expo, Survivor Activities, 5K Run/Walk competitive event, 5K Run/Walk fun run, 1.5-mile Family Fun Run/Walk, a Kids Only (10 and under) Run, and Awards Ceremony. In keeping with tradition and in a vivid demonstration of support and commitment, most participants and spectators wear the color pink.

8-Halloween Week in Temecula Valley Wine Country

(October 27-31)

Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country offers a memorable get-away during Halloween week with novelty activities to stay and experience. The Haunted Behind-the-Scenes Wine Tour at South Coast Winery takes participants from the vineyard to the winery’s cellar, complete with ghouls and goblins, and concludes with wine pairing in the private Carter Reserve Room. Evening dining is inspired by fresh seasonal ingredients at Café Champagne at Thornton Winery; the Vineyard Rose restaurant at South Coast Winery; at Baily’s restaurant in Old Town Temecula; and at Temet Grill located within Temecula Creek Inn Resort. An alternate, abundant-dining experience is The Pechanga Buffet with 250 fresh items and action stations.

Visitors can greet the morning from a hot air balloon floating serenely above Temecula Valley Wine Country’s vineyards and rolling hills. Local hot air balloon companies (A Grape Escape, California Dreamin’, D&D Ballooning, and Magical Adventures) launch at sunrise and float quietly just above the vineyards and to 2,000 feet. Downtown Old Town Temecula’s Tasting Trail is particularly intriguing during Autumnfest. Visitors can experience the olive oil tasting bar at Temecula Olive Oil Company and shop for seasonal inspirations; and be inspired at Old Town Spice & Tea Merchants. The crazy variety of hundreds of novelty sodas at Old Town Rootbeer is considered remarkable. Old Town Sweet Shop features hand-scooped pumpkin ice cream and an abundance of retro candy. Robin’s Nest bakery and dessert room showcases pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin bread. For local craft beer, visitors venture to Uptown Temecula’s Black Market Brewing Company; the autumn seasonal Black Hole Sun is a Russian-style imperial stout with complex flavors. On Thursday night, several Old Town Temecula establishments host October 31 festivities including masquerade parties and costume contests.

9-Temecula Valley Winegrowers Harvest Celebration Barrel Tasting Weekend

(November 2-3)

The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association celebrates the completion of harvest and the promise of the 2013 vintages with the annual Barrel Tasting Weekend. A food and wine experience to be savored, ticket holders enjoy food pairings with barrel-and-tank-samplings of finished and unfinished wines not yet available to the public.

10-Thanksgiving in Temecula Valley Wine Country

(November 28)

Increasing numbers of families and friends are putting a twist on traditional holidays – including Thanksgiving – and enjoying the value of out-of-the-ordinary shared experiences by getting away together and staying in Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country. Open at sunrise and with hiking trails, oak woodlands, and prairies, the 8,300-acre Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve is a memorable location to experience and give the first thanks of the day. The greatest Thanksgiving hike is perhaps to see the huge sycamore trees growing along the creek beds. With seasonal splendor, their large leaves turn from green to shades of walnut, mahogany, and gold. Or give thanks celebrating the game of golf at Journey at Pechanga, Temecula Creek Inn Resort, CrossCreek, RedHawk, Legends, Rancho California, or Pala Mesa.

For memorable Thanksgiving feasting, there are a variety of fine restaurants serving excellent, classic and creative fare including Café Champagne at Thornton Winery; the Vineyard Rose restaurant at South Coast Winery; Baily’s restaurant in Old Town Temecula; and Temet Grill located within Temecula Creek Inn Resort. Pechanga Resort & Casino’s fine dining restaurants include The Great Oak steakhouse and Seafood Grotto. Casual dining options include The Pechanga Buffet, Bamboo, Blazing Noodles, and Kelsey’s grill. After dinner, play at Pechanga Casino or catch a top, first-run movie at the Promenade Temecula 15-screen cinema.

Autumnfest visitors in-the-know make time to shop before departure in Temecula Valley Wine Country. The award-winning premium varietals and proprietary blends of Temecula Valley wineries are some of the December holiday season’s most appreciated gifts. Shoppers gather gift boxed sets, gift baskets, and wine accessories that make excellent stocking stuffers.

*Information is believed accurate but may be subject to change.

ABOUT TEMECULA VALLEY AND THE TEMECULA VALLEY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

With natural gifts of climate and geography bolstered by Pu’eska Mountain, the Rainbow Gap, and the Santa Margarita Gap, Temecula Valley is widely recognized for its quality wines and wineries as Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country. The popular boutique destination recently received TripAdvisors’ Travelers Choice “Best U.S. Wine Destination Top 10” award and includes a trio of main attractions: Downtown Old Town Temecula, Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country, and Pechanga Resort & Casino.

The Temecula Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, the region’s official tourism marketing organization and resource for visitors, is online at VisitTemecula.org; “Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country” on Facebook; and @Visit_Temecula on Twitter. The Temecula Valley Visitors Center in Downtown Old Town Temecula (Third Street and Mercedes, adjacent the free Old Town Temecula Parking Garage) is open 7 days. For visitor information and assistance, call 888/363-2852 or 951/491-6085.

The festival is the brainchild of JD Drury, who has a background in the surf, skate and music industries. Surf Rodeo takes the spirit of a rodeo – a mix of the competitive sport/practice of cattle herding and other variety acts – and brings it to the beach. Instead of roping steers, competitors at the Surf Rodeo will battle the waves from their surf boards, ride the mechanical bull and attempt to conquer all in a hay bale race in the hopes of being crowned “Surf Rodeo Grand Champion”. Surf competitions begin at 6:00 a.m. daily.

As one might infer, there is more to this rodeo than just the waves! The festival will also feature not one, but two beer gardens, 70+ vendors selling original local crafts and event-themed manufactured goods, and two music stages that will provide live rockin’ good tunes to all Rodeo-goers as they soak in the sights. Musicians showcased will include world-renowned surfer-turned-musician Timmy Curran and three time world champion surfer-turned-musician Tommy Curren, as well as 20+ other talented musical acts.

Surf Rodeo takes place July 13th (11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.) and 14th (10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.) at the Ventura Pierpont Beach. Visit www.facebook.com/SurfRodeo for up-to-date event information and specials. Tickets are available now online at www.surfrodeo.org/BUY-TICKETS-NOW.html

For more information, including bands and schedules, please visit www.surfrodeo.org or call (805) 655-5700.

One of the consistently most popular characters in Game of Thrones is Tyrion Lannister, played by the incomparable Peter Dinklage. While Tyrion has travelled to several locations in Westeros, his most consistent and recent home is in King’s Landing, the capital city of the Seven Kingdoms. Luckily for us Croatia’s Dubrovnik, the Jewel of the Adriatic, stands in for King’s Landing starting from the second season of the show. As a bonus, the nearby Lokrum Island has been used for sites in Qarth, allowing travellers to visit two locations in one trip.

Daenerys “Dany” Targaryen, portrayed on the show by Emilia Clarke, is another fan favourite. With most of Dany’s scenes taking place in Essos on the other side of the Narrow Sea, it is only logical that travellers of this world need to cross a Narrow Sea of their own. Set in Morocco, Ouarzazate has been the site of many movies, but to fans of Game of Thrones it is now recognized as the location of Essos. Furthering the experience, the nearby fortress of Aït Benhaddou provided the inspiration for the Yellow City of Yunkai.

For fans of the HBO show BikeHike Adventures features two trips that incorporate visits to Westeros and/or Essos.

Paddles and Pedals (Croatia): A 7-day multi-sport adventure showcasing the very best of active Croatia over land and water. This trip features a visit to both Westeros and Essos by visiting Dubrovnik and nearby Lokrum Island. Trip costs start at $2,499 USD (land only).

Biking The High Atlas to The Sahara (Morocco): An epic 10-day biking tour through the Deep South of Morocco. Pedal from Marrakech through the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert with a stop in both Ouarzazate and Aït Benhaddou. Trip costs start at $2,899 USD (land only).

About BikeHike Adventures

BikeHike Adventures is a Vancouver based global adventure travel company that offers guided tours to 30 destinations worldwide. BikeHike caters to outdoor enthusiasts with a passion to go a little deeper during their travels. Highly experienced and personable adventure guides facilitate the wonder and pride of exploration. Both big and small groups are accommodated with varying degrees of difficulty. If exploration is your lifestyle, BikeHike Adventures is your mentor. The results are memorable journeys, new friends, culinary treasures, a satisfying sense of accomplishment, and a new worldview. Visit BikeHike.com for more info.

“This year as visitors spend time with this ancient Amazon forest culture, they’ll experience the distress of this culture as oil interests threaten to force the Huaorani from ancestral lands,” says Jascivan Carvalho, Tropic’s owner. “This is perhaps as close as we can come today to understanding how, for example, the American Indians of the Wild West felt when they were being displaced and impacted by the rush for land in the 1800s.”

Tropic (http://www.destinationecuador.com/) facilitates small group interaction with these people as guests of Huaorani Ecolodge deep within the Ecuador jungle. The lodge is the result of a sustainable tourism partnership between Tropic and the Huaorani (or “People” as the name translates). In January 2008 Tropic assisted the formation of a five-community tourism affiliation to help secure the tribe’s health and heritage through the tools of sustainable tourism. Members of this tribe are trained to work at the award-winning, five-cabin Amazon rainforest lodge that they built of traditional materials harvested from Yasuni National Park, perhaps the most biodiverse region of the world. They are also learning how to produce and sell crafts. Produce is bought locally; there are plans to create a laundry service in Quehueri’ono to increase local employment; and biodegradable products are used in housekeeping services as well as in the bathrooms.

Three and four-night packages are available from $690 per person, double, for accommodations, meals, an English-speaking guide and guided activities (including one night camping).

Accessing this wild ecolodge is by a 45-minute flight in a small aircraft from the Amazonian lowlands town of Shell, flying over the rainforest to the grass airstrip at the Huaorani village of Quehueri’ono. Guests then board a dugout canoe for the final leg. Walled by rainforest on the downriver float, guests may see monkeys, toucans, macaws and other Amazonian wildlife. After the stay, on the return drive along the Auca Road built by the oil companies in the early 1970s, guests will witness miles of oil pipelines and the damage that oil exploration has done to the forest and Huaorani hunting grounds.

The government of Ecuador has requested that the international community raise funds to help off-set potential oil revenues in order to justify keeping the new oil development out.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130530-710156.html

“Indigenous groups with their own conservation efforts should be a source of national pride,” adds Carvalho. “Admittedly this is a David and Goliath story whose narrative is preserving a people in nature by keeping oil in the ground. Roads, settlers, deforestation, the introduction of cattle and non-native plant species, pipelines, leaks and spills are just the beginning.”

“Our community-based tourism project allows the Huaorani to earn an income while maintaining control of their territory and lifestyle,” notes Carvalho. The lodge is in the Yasuni International Biosphere reserve, one of four so designated by UNESCO in Ecuador for their ecological importance in the conservation and protection of biodiversity.

Accommodations at the Huaorani Ecolodge are individual palm-thatched cabins of local wood. Each cabin has twin beds, a private bathroom equipped with a shower and flush toilet, and a porch with comfortable chairs and hammock. Environmentally friendly soaps and shampoos are provided. Lighting comes from solar panels that power the shortwave radio, refrigerator and water pump. A bio-filter renders all waste products either recyclable or harmless before being discharged into the river. Meals are taken in a communal dining room.

On a two-day trip down the wild Shiripuno River, the Huaorani will explain how to use a blowgun, demonstrate hunting techniques, build fires without matches, climb trees, decorate faces with red achiote and point out exotic wildlife.

Carvalho launched his company to demonstrate that environmentally sustainable and culturally sensitive tourism can be a viable business model. Tropic pioneered indigenous community tourism in the Amazon region with the Huaorani people and over many years has been a consistent supporter, partner and promoter of indigenous tourism initiatives with several indigenous communities and organizations including the Siecoya, Cofan, Siona, Achuar and Quichua.

The company also integrates tourism with ecological, economic, socio-cultural and political concerns with local community tourism initiatives in the Galapagos Islands, the Andean region and the Pacific coast region of Ecuador. The communities it works with receive proper economic benefit from the tourism operation and these and other benefits are pointed out to clients.

About Tropic Journeys in Nature

Established in 1994, Tropic is an award–winning ecotourism company specializing in responsible, community-based tourism in Ecuador. Programs combine life-changing, active-but-cultural ecotourism experiences focusing on nature, conservation, diversity and sustainability in three distinct areas:

 Huaorani Ecolodge at the headwaters of the Amazon in Yasuni National Park – http://www.destinationecuador.com/huaorani-ecolodge-ecuador.html

 Floreana Lava Lodge a beachside accommodation in the Galapagos Islands, on Floreana Island: http://www.destinationecuador.com/galapagos-hotel-lava-lodge-floreana.html

 Journeys in Nature – Sustainable guided nature and culture-focused tours throughout Ecuador in collaboration with conservationists groups and local communities. http://www.destinationecuador.com/galapagos-island-adventure-trip.html

For information and reservations contact: Tropic Ecological Adventures LLC. / Phone: +593-02-2234-594 / 202. 657.5072 (US) / 593. 2. 222. 5907 (EC) / 1.888.207.8615

Website: http://www.destinationecuador.com/

“We are having our best tourism season yet, and this convenient travel option will get our visitors from the snow of the Midwest to the beaches of Mazatlan in four hours,” said Frank Cordova, secretary of tourism for the state of Sinaloa.

Audiences from around the world come to enjoy the productions that are set against the 700-year-old backdrop. This summer marks the 20th season of this open-air cultural highlight that runs from July 4 to July 21 in the Cathedral Square, where two shows will pull in huge audiences.

Topping the bill is Turandot, one of the world’s favourite operas, and Giacomo Puccini’s final work for the stage. Taking the lead role is Russian-born soprano Irina Rindzuner, who has earned rave reviews around the world, from New York and Chicago to London and Copenhagen. Tenor Sergey Nayda from Siberia is equally talented, known for his Wagnerian repertoire and his performances in Moscow with the Kirov Opera and at the Bolshoi Theatre. The fifteen performances begin as dusk falls over the medieval city at 8.30pm each night.

And, best of all, it doesn’t matter where you sit. The quality of the sound is rated “Superb”, thanks to one of the world’s most advanced sound systems. Critics and audiences alike praise the perfect balance between soloists, chorus and orchestra.

As for Erfurt itself, walking through the cobbled streets is like flicking though the pages of a German history book: half-timbered houses, stylish mansions and the 400-ft long medieval Merchants’ Bridge, the last bridge in Europe lined with shops and houses that are still lived in! During its eventful past, famous residents and visitors have ranged from Goethe and Schiller to Bach and Napoleon.

Most significantly, as we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, Erfurt was Martin Luther’s spiritual home. Here the Protestant Reformer studied, became a monk and was later ordained in the cathedral – and the steps of the cathedral are used as the stage. (Each year on November 10th, the city celebrates both Martin Luther and St Martin of Tours with the annual St Martin’s Festival).

July is a lovely time of year to sit outside one of the city’s traditional taverns, where they serve local dishes, or to linger in a beer garden by the river with a foaming glass of the locally-brewed Braugold. Or buy Thüringer Bratwurst, Germany’s best sausage, grilled over wood, from a street vendor. Then settle into your seat for the opera: a truly romantic experience.

++++

SPECIAL PACKAGE for the Cathedral Steps Festival 2013:

TURANDOTE (July 5 to July 21, 2013)

1 x Ticket for the festival

1 x night’s accommodation in a hotel (with breakfast). Extra nights on request.

Booking code: TTGDS2013

Price:

Sharing a double room: from 118,50 EUR per person

Single room: from 162 EUR per person

For more information about LutherCountry and the LutherDecade, please visit us at

www.visit-luther.com

“The state of Uttarkahand is experiencing the worst early flash floods. This is quite an unheard of phenomena in this period of the year, as usually monsoons start from June 15, and floods are expected in later parts of the year.

All measures are being taken by the State government to rescue tourists who are stranded in the higher reaches due to the ongoing Char Dham, trekking, hiking, etc. We at Tornos have set-up our own rescue system to combat this emergency.

All tourists being handled by Tornos in this region are being provided emergency help and evacuation. We are providing free shared transport out of Haridwar, so as to allow tourists to reach Delhi and continue with their further programs.

Tornos has tied up with a few basic hotels to provide overnight halts free of cost in Haridwar to all tourists who have been evacuated or are stranded in Haridwar, though this is only an overnight facility by Tornos, but if agents have booked their tours through us, we will be pleased to extend this for 2 nights, too, in special cases without any obligation.

We at Tornos have pressed a private helicopter to get our tourists from Kedarnath, Gangotri & Govind Ghat. This facility is being extended free of cost for all tourists being handled by us in the region.

It is recommended that all upcoming trips to Haridwar/Rishikesh/Dehradun be canceled until the situation gets a bit comfortable. For your information, the Road from Haridwar to Rishikesh is shut due to the flash floods and all city tours, and the aarti ceremony is suspended until further notice.

Our Haridwar office is working 24/7 to combat this grave situation. Nevertheless we wish to assure you that team Tornos stands with all the guests being handled by us, and we will leave no stone unturned to provide all help to tourists.

We wish to assure you that no tourists are left alone during this time of crisis, and our team from our Lucknow office, too, has reached Haridwar to provide assistance to all guests being handled by us.”

The Minister for Disaster and Relief in Uttarakhand, Yashpal Arya, said: “We are unable to confirm the number of deaths since most of the communication lines have broken down across the state. But at least 60 people are feared dead and nearly 50,000 are stranded,” in a statement to AFP. Government official, Amit Chandola, stated on television: “The situation is very grim. The meteorological office has predicted that the rain will continue for another three days at least.”

View video of building being washed away from flooding.

Source: Tornos – Haridwar

Image via indiaexpress.com

(eTN) – The Rwanda Development Board’s (RDB) Tourism and Conservation Department, led by Ms. Rica Rwigamba, is the country’s custodian body to not just promote the country abroad but also to manage the country’s three national parks and tourism attractions and conserve the precious wildlife, foremost, of course, the prized mountain gorillas. Ms. Rica was, in fact, saying ahead of the event: “This is a celebration of these wonderful animals but also a way to thank all those who take care of them, starting from rangers, vets, and the community living near their habitat.”

A revenue share program, which benefits communities living near and around national parks, gives back 5 percent of tourism revenues generated, and considering that in recent years Rwanda’s tourism industry grew by double-digit figures, the money available for disbursement has increased year after year. The program finances, as well as co-finances, water tanks, and water pipes to make life for rural folks easier, has supported schools and helped to set up or maintain health centers, largely meeting the requests of local communities vis-a-vis what they need the most.

On Wednesday, June 19, a maize mill project will be handed over to a women’s cooperative outside the Nyungwe Forest National Park, significant in two ways. First, of course, it will allow the women to mill maize corn and sell maize flower at a substantial premium, using mechanized equipment which will improve productivity and output.

Secondly, area residents, in days now thankfully long gone, had regularly raided the forest of a certain tree species, which they then turned into mortars, where the maize was pounded by hand until sufficiently pulverized. “When we engage in such projects, it is always aimed at reducing poaching and encroachment in the parks, but at the same time we offer the communities there benefits and incentives to respect our natural resources. Revenue sharing is also a way to say thank you to the communities.

They now act as our eyes and ears on the ground and any suspicious activity they report quickly. It promotes partnership because they see there is material gain from embracing conservation and tourism,” said a member of RDB’s PR team when passing relevant details on to this correspondent. RDB this year is aiming at a revenue target of about US$317 million, and as the second quarter of the year wanes, this seems well within reach.

“This week marks an important milestone in Finnair’s 90 years of history, as we build on a legacy of building better connections between Europe and Asia and bring our total number of Asian destinations to 13,” says CEO Pekka Vauramo. “Strong economic growth in China and Vietnam, combined with a growing appetite for outbound travel from both destinations, are driving our strategic focus on Asian traffic. There continue to be many exciting opportunities for growth in the East.”

Finnair has gradually built on its Asian strategy during the past two decades, taking advantage of the geographical position of its Helsinki hub on the shortest routes between the great cities of Asia and more than 60 European destinations. In addition to Xi’an and Hanoi, Finnair operates to Bangkok, Beijing, Chongqing, Delhi, Hong Kong, Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. The airline’s service and timetables are optimised for transfer traffic.

Finnair is the first airline to provide Xi’an with direct connections to Europe, and also the only European airline currently serving Hanoi.

(eTN) – The Tourism and Conservation Department of the Rwanda Development Board will this week launch the country’s first religious tourism product, focusing on the Kibeho area in Southern Rwanda. On November 28, 1981 the first apparitions were reported from that little village, with teenagers talking of having seen the images of Mary, mother of Jesus, something that kept occurring time and again until 1989.

In particular the visions seen in August 1982 are on record for having given a preview of the gruesome events in 1994 and those affected at the time gave testimony of seeing rivers of blood and mutilated bodies, harbingers of the things to come. The Catholic Church, through Bishop Misago of Gikongoro, sanctioned public devotion in August 1988 and formally declared the authenticity of the apparitions in June 2001.

In spite of the recognition by the Vatican though, few outside Rwanda knew about these events for a long time though slowly the word spread, making Kibeho a place with a steadily growing number of visitors from near and far, coming there to pray and to remember. Work on the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows started according to details received in late 1992 and managed by the order of the Pallotines.

The Tourism and Conservation Department recognized the value of the site and its potential to significantly increase the number participants of such pilgrimages coming to Rwanda, and hand in hand with local partners in Kibeho provided logistical support to market tours to this village.

The formal launch of Rwanda’s first religious tourism route will provide travelers to the country with compact information about the events in the 1980’s and the process of formally recognizing the apparitions, and allow local tour and safari operators to include a visit to Kibeho in their itineraries, when taking tourists to see the sights across the Land of a Thousand Hills.

The declaration made by the bishop of Gikongoro reads in part like this and will undoubtedly feature in pamphlets, maps and on the promotional websites: ‘Kibeho become a place of pilgrimage and of encounter for all who seek Christ and who come there to pray, a fundamental centre of conversion, of reparation for the sins of the world and of reconciliation, a point of meeting for ‘all who were dispersed’, as for those who aspire to the values of compassion and fraternity without borders, a fundamental centre that recalls the Gospel of the Cross’.

A tourism stakeholder, for long involved in Rwanda’s tourism industry, added his own assessment to the launch this week: ‘Our future lies in diversifying our tourism products. We now have 10 gorilla groups available for tracking but this is a finite resource.

Even at a cost of 750 US Dollars it sells like hotcakes. Near that park are the Musanze caves which RDB started to open up recently for visitors. But truth told, we need to offer a lot more beyond gorillas. We have Nyungwe and that park has seen growing acceptance. We wait for the other big forest, Gishwati, to open up for hikes because there is a lot of demand for such vacations. The Congo Nile Trail needs perhaps more marketing and logistics too with more tourist class boats for trips along the Lake Kivu shores. This market is for adventure travelers, for hikers and bikers.

But even normal tourists now take the route by 4×4 to enjoy the magnificent views from the hills down to the lake. Then, Akagera is our savannah park and we have new birding trails across the country even outside parks. Religious tourism opens another niche and allows for greater variety of tour options. We have highlighted the rich cultural heritage of song, dance and arts and our museums are giving visitors the insight they seek. All this combined gives us that extra element of value for money when tourists come here’.

Notre-Dame de Kibeho / Image via cartemarialedumonde.org