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Monday, 23 February 2009 |
By Roberto Garabell
 The Merlion, the heraldic animal of Singapore, spouts a powerful stream of water into the Singapore river. This mythical creature has the head of a lion and the body of a fish.
The Merlion's origins are a combination of the magical and mundane. Toward the end of the thirteenth century, a Buddhist prince from the Indonesian island of Sumatra founded the Kingdom of Temasek near what is today Singapore.
One day, he arrived at a large island, where he saw a terrifying beast. He thought it was a lion, although no lions had ever been seen in the area, nor have they been sighted since.
The city founded on the island was named Singha Pura ("Lion City") as a result. The Merlion's tail connects it to fishing, the traditional occupation of the local population.
A British crown colony.
In Singapore, drivers still follow the British practice of keeping to the left side of the road. British influence began in the early nineteenth century when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founded the first branch office of the British East India |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 23 February 2009 )
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Monday, 23 February 2009 |
By Henry Ashworth
 With the Euro hitting the pound and British tourists' spending power, Turkey is gaining ground as a favourite holiday destination for Brits.
The Cooperative Travel Group's director of retail travel, Trevor Davis, said packaged holiday sales for Turkey have increased by 30 percent. Mr. Davis also said sales to Majorca, Spain's top-selling holiday destination, have dropped by 13 percent. Ian Hailes, head of product and development for Cosmos, offers similar statistics. Hailes said packaged summer holiday sales for destinations in Turkey were up by a quarter while sales to destinations in Spain decreased by 6 percent.
Poor Economic Conditions
This year's recession has left the travel industry nervous, not knowing just how far holiday sales will fall in 2009.
While some families have elected to enjoy a "stay-cation," a stay-home-vacation, many others have not let economic misfortunes impact their holidays time.
Some low-cost airlines have been working with travel agents to help increase their own business as well as retaining the agent's client base. Agents are able to offer their clients less expensive flights to and from many |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 23 February 2009 )
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