Azerbaijani governmental agencies are ready to give support for Crocus International (Russia) to create a world-class seaside resort on the Caspian coastline in the region of Nardaran and Kurdakhani settlements.
Gunduz Kerimov, general director of Crocus Azerbaijan (established by Crocus International), said that Crocus International applied to the Ministry of Culture & Tourism of Azerbaijan with a proposal to include a resort project in the State Tourism Development Program, reported Abc.az.
“And the Ministry considers it expedient to do that,“ Kerimov said.
The project will last two years and cost of its first stage is $100 million. It will be funded by lending agencies.
“Presently shore-strengthening work is being conducted on the 2 km coastline--the shore is heightened in case of Caspian Sea level change,“ Kerimov emphasized.
The Nardaran-Kurdakhani resort will be one of the biggest on the Caspian coast and will compete with world-known resorts of Antalia and Dubai.
The resort to be designed for 8,000-10,000 persons will include a yacht club, medical spa centre and other sites.
Crocus International plans are expected to become the Russia’s largest investment in economy of Azerbaijan and the largest in the non-oil sector.
Crocus International belongs to Russia entrepreneur of Azerbaijan origin Araz Agalarov.

An historic agreement to establish the first “World Tourism University“ for Africa in Tanzania by the Canada-based World Trade University Global Secretariat was one of the major outcomes of the 2nd World Tourism Marketing Summit, held in Beijing, China, from October 28-30, 2007.
According to Sujit Chowdhury, Secretary General of the Summit and President of the World Trade University Global Secretariat, the World Tourism University in Tanzania would be the first of its kind and would be a graduate level tourism management center be learning serving continental Africa, Asiatraveltips.com said.
“Tanzania is a perfect location for this university where tourism is booming with stable democracy and economic growth; there are seven world Heritage Sites, and with over 25 percent of the land protected under law, Tanzania has set an example in its commitment to the conservation of its natural resources, wildlife, and rich cultural heritage“, Chowdhury said.
“We ought to celebrate this and I look forward to work with the government and the people of Tanzania in pursuing this most timely endeavor.“
The Summit, organized by the World Trade University Global Secretariat and hosted by the Beijing Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China, brought together more than 350 high-level tourism industry professionals and government officials from over 35 countries.
Included in the Summit were representatives from 150 major cities throughout 30 provinces in China.

Irrawaddy dolphin

Cambodia and the UN have launched a joint project aimed at saving endangered Irrawaddy dolphins from extinction, the international body’s World Tourism Organization said.
The Mekong River Discovery Trail Project encourages local fishermen to work in dolphin-watching tourism instead of fishing, the UN agency said in a statement.
Fishing nets often cause the death of Irrawaddy dolphins, AFP reported.
“Local authorities believe fishing is depleting the dolphins’ food supply. Fishermen will be encouraged to take visitors to see the dolphins and sell food and drinks instead,“ it said. It did not give financial details.
Conservationists estimate that fewer than 100 Irrawaddy dolphins exist in the wild, but the Cambodian government has said the number could be around 130 and could rise to 170 within the next five years.
Thousands of the Irrawaddy dolphins, which have blunt, round heads and are almost white in color, once swam in the Mekong-- which flows from Tibet to the South China Sea and has tributaries in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
The project, which begins this month, will teach fishermen about tourism activities, the UN agency said, adding it hopes to draw tens of thousands of visitors.
The Cambodian government said it would help build hotels in a bid to draw visitors.
“No dolphins means no tourism. No tourism means no development,“ Tourism Minister Thong Khon said in the statement.
Tourism is one of the few sources of foreign exchange for impoverished Cambodia, which is still recovering from decades of conflict.

A landscape in Tromsoe

Oslo, a small town in Norway’s far north hopes to become the snowman capital of the world as it seeks a share of the lucrative tourism boom in the Arctic, organizers said.
The project is still in the early stages but will likely feature a snowman theme park “a bit inspired by the Disney parks“, a snow hotel, and open air activities across northern Norway’s pristine Arctic, AFP reported.
A group of investors in Maalselv, a town of 6,600 inhabitants located near Tromsoe far above the Arctic Circle, are behind the plans that are aimed at rivaling the popular Santa Claus’ Village in Rovaniemi in neighboring Finland.
“The snowman is the authentic and natural character that you associate with winter.
Santa Claus is a vulgar, commercial and plastic figure who is not recommendable for children,“ the project’s mastermind Even Hegbom told AFP.
“The starting point is better here: we have spectacular landscapes, we’re close to the fjords and the sea and high snowy mountains, while Finland’s forests and small mountains are somewhat less impressive,“ he said.
Maalselv aims to make northern Norway a top tourist attraction in the region, outdoing Finnish Lapland which each year draws hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world, including many Europeans--Britons, Danes, Germans and French--who occasionally make a one-day return trip to meet Santa Claus.
“The Finns made a mistake by positioning themselves on a market that only works a few weeks a year. We want to be operational year-round,“ Hegbom said.
Norwegian airport authorities have already begun the process of changing the name of the local Bardufoss airport to “Snowman International Airport“, he added.
The cost of the project was not disclosed. The snowman park was expected to take at least 15 years to see the light of day, providing the effects of global warming have not ravaged the local environment by then.

Bisheh Waterfall (forest waterfall) located in Iran's Puran forest, somewhere between two cities of Dorud and Azna, Lorestan province.

Cyrus tomb in Pasargad.

Pasargad was a city in ancient Persia, and is today an archeological site and one of Iran’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Its ruins lie 87 km (54 mi) northeast of Persepolis, in present Fars province of Iran, and was the first capital of the Achaemenid Empire, according to Wikipedia.
The construction of the capital city by Cyrus the Great, begun in 546 BCE or later, was left unfinished, for Cyrus died in battle in 530 BCE or 529 BCE.
Pasargad remained the Persian capital until Darius began assembling another in Persepolis. The modern name comes from the Greek, but may derive from an earlier one used during Achaemenid times, P‰thrag‰da. meaning the garden of Pars.
The archeological site covers 1.6 square kilometers and includes a structure commonly believed to be the mausoleum of Cyrus, the fortress of Toll-e Takht sitting on top of a nearby hill, and the remains of two royal palaces and gardens. The gardens provide the earliest known example of the Persian chahar bagh, or four-fold garden design.
Latest research on Pasargad’s structural engineering has shown the Achaemenid engineers constructed the city to withstand a severe earthquake, at what would today be classified as a ’7.0’ on the Richter magnitude scale.
The foundations are today classified as having a “Base Isolation“ design, much the same as what is presently used in countries for the construction of facilities--such as nuclear power plants--that require insulation from the effects of a seismic activity.
The monument generally assumed to be the tomb of Cyrus the Great. The most important monument in Pasargad is the tomb of Cyrus the Great. It has six broad steps leading to the sepulcher, the chamber of which measures 3.17 m long by 2.11 m wide by 2.11 m high, and has a low and narrow entrance.
Though there is no firm evidence identifying the tomb as that of Cyrus, Greek historians tell us that Alexander the Great believed it was so.
When Alexander looted and destroyed Persepolis, he paid a visit to the tomb of Cyrus. Arrian, writing in the second century of the common era, recorded that Alexander commanded Aristobulus, one of his warriors, to enter the monument.
Inside he found a golden bed, a table set with drinking vessels, a gold coffin, some ornaments studded with precious stones and an inscription of the tomb. No trace of any such inscription survives to modern times, and there is considerable disagreement to the exact wording of the text. Strabo reports that it read:
Passer-by, I am Cyrus, who gave the Persians an empire, and was king of Asia. Grudge me not therefore this monument.
In general, the art and architecture found at Pasargad exemplified the Persian synthesis of various traditions, drawing on precedents from Elam, Babylon, Assyria, and ancient Egypt, with the addition of some Anatolian influences.

Vietnam greeted its four-millionth visitor of the year, celebrating a milestone for the tourism sector as it is seeking to position itself as a leading Southeast Asian travel destination.
Vietnam, mainly a backpackers’ destination in the 1990s, is now ramping up its airline capacity and building a string of new hotels and resorts as it seeks to catch up as a mainstream destination with countries such as Thailand, reported AFP.
The number of international arrivals is forecast to reach 4.3 million in 2007, or 700,000 more visitors than last year.
Visitors from neighboring China made up the largest group, with 515,000 arrivals in 11 months, followed by arrivals from South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, France, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Eco-tourism has the potential to give tourism in India a big boost, but if not carefully managed it has the potential of ruining the wildlife and the delicate biodiversity, said Bernard Harrison, former Chief Executive Officer of Singapore zoo at an eco-tourism conference on Dec. 7.
“One of India’s many USPs (unique selling propositions) is its wildlife which can take the country’s tourism industry to great heights, but only if managed properly. If not, then it can seriously damage the delicate biodiversity,“ Harrison told IANS at Horizons 2007--an eco-tourism conference organized by the CNN’s Tourism Advertising Solutions and Knowledge (TASK) group in association with the tourism ministry. A large number of tourists visiting national wildlife parks and sanctuaries can actually end up damaging the eco-system, for instance by littering, Harrison said.
“In order to take some pressure off the national wildlife parks and sanctuaries, alternatives such as managed wildlife sanctuaries with orchestrated activities can give the tourist a real wildlife experience.“
“For instance, bio parks which constitute zoological and botanical parks, national historic museum and geological museum can be an alternative to the national sanctuaries,“ he said.
According to Harrison, not all eco-tourists actually look forward to see animals in the wilderness. There are many others who actually want some adventure and the bio parks can suit their taste perfectly, while bringing in a good deal of money as well.
“Integrated wildlife attraction developed and managed on commercially sustainable basis can go a long way in boosting tourism the right way. But it should be remembered that these places should be strategic places such as near Delhi or Mumbai so that people can come easily,“ he said.

Ireland--marketed as a land of “100,000 welcomes“--is on course for registering its highest annual number of tourists in history, despite the strength of the euro currency and global economic worries, the government said.
“As we approach the end of 2007, all the indications are that we will enjoy another record year for Irish tourism,“ Tourism Minister Seamus Brennan said, AP reported.
The report said tourists were coming in increasing numbers from the United States and continental Europe, while visitors from the biggest market--neighboring Britain--were slightly down from last year’s record levels.