Johannesburg is a unique destination which stands apart in South Africa, the country’s Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said as he welcomed news that visitor demand to the city is up.
“Last year we grew at more than double the world average – 10.5 percent for January to November 2012, compared to a global average growth of four percent,” Mr van Schalkwyk said.
“South Africa is indeed a unique and varied destination which offers tourist experiences that suit every taste and budget.”

There are more than 40 art galleries and a wide range of studios and cultural institutes in Johannesburg for travellers wanting to experience the culture of South Africa’s largest city.
Culture vultures can also enjoy the arts at one of the city’s many theatres, and for those wanting to learn more about traditional culture, they can visit the city’s villages.
For nightlife revellers, Johannesburg has a variety of popular pubs, clubs and shebeens which promise an evening to remember.
And travellers who like to shop will not be disappointed as Johannesburg is one of Africa’s top shopping cities, where people can enjoy handcrafted products as well as global brands at great local prices.
Heathrow Airport offers a range of flights to Johannesburg.
“South Africa still remains a story of hope, a story of inspiration, and a story of the future. That’s why more and more people want to come to our country and see it for themselvesm,” van Schalkwyk said.

As the cold weather lingers, around 1.7 million Britons will jet off this Easter in search of sunnier climes.

One of the coldest March months on record has prompted many people to snap up last-minute offers, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).
Destinations such as the Canary Islands, Majorca, Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey are proving popular with getaway Brits, while Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Rome and New York top the city breaks chart.
France and Austria, meanwhile, are the most popular ski-destination countries.

A total of 600,000 departures are expected from Heathrow airport over the Easter period, 110,000 from Manchester, 110,000 from Stansted and 55,000 from Luton.
Gatwick is preparing itself for 214,000 departures, with Barcelona, Geneva and the southern Spanish city of Malaga listed as its top destinations.

In addition, airports across Scotland will see more than 100,000 departures up until April 2.
“After two wet summers and no end in sight to the winter, many Brits are desperate for some sunshine,” said ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer.
“We’ve seen a surge in last minute bookings to warm destinations and ski lovers are also in for a treat with some of the best snow conditions seen for years.”

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Tourism officials in Nepal hope a recent travel award can help bolster inbound tourism this year, according to a report.
Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) picked up a gong for ‘Best Exhibit’ at the recent Adventure Travel Expo, which was held in Melbourne, Australia, on the weekend of February 23-24.

Thousands of holidaymakers flock to the landlocked South Asian republic each year, with many of those attempting to climb Mount Everest from Nepal’s south base camp.
However, NTB has expressed concerns about tourist arrivals over the last 12 months and hoped to use the Adventure Travel Expo to revive its fortunes.
It could prove to be a masterstroke after NTB was awarded for artistically designing and exhibiting the Nepal stand as a preferred adventure option for Australian visitors.
NTB focused its attentions on the Great Himalayan Trail, which offers holidaymakers and adventure tourists the chance to tackle the longest high altitude trek in the world.

The mammoth hike spans 1,700km (1,056 miles) and takes around 150 days to negotiate from Taplejung in the East to Darchula in West.
Although NTB targeted Australian tourism at the Melbourne event, Britons can get in on the act by taking direct flights from London Heathrow to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

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Sudden change should be expected in New York, the city that never sleeps. Yet we are always surprised. Dining fads are out before you can eat all the parts of your deconstructed hamburger. Hotels transform historical buildings for their purposes much like the cuckoo bird takes over another’s nest. And just as you got the moves down to the Harlem Shake, the dance is passé.

The city is continually inspired by music. The Greenwich Village Art Deco-like hotel The Jade saw a revival of 1920s-style jazz. The hotel where composer and the first prime minister of Poland, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, lived will become The Quin later this year. The hotel’s musical history will be celebrated through live entertainment, food and artwork, while the restaurant will boast both pre- and post-performance menus as it is only a short walking distance from Carnegie Hall. Those flying from London Heathrow can save themselves a strenuous journey by booking a bus service to the airport.

Fashion has also provided inspiration for hotel design. In New York’s Garment District the past life of the Refinery Hotel as a hat factory is evident. The hotel has incorporated the factory’s high ceilings and industrial aspects into its interior design. And the fun tea lounge, where cocktails come in teacups, is named after the woman who served tea to factory workers at the millinery in the early 1900s – Winnie’s.
Reinvention is not restricted to New York City. Only an hour away by car in the Hudson River Valley is The Roundhouse at Beacon Falls. The first 14 rooms of the hotel opened in the summer of 2012, and another 42 rooms are set to open this spring as two old mill houses have been transformed.

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Holidaymakers who are eyeing an exotic getaway this spring are advised to consider a trip to Japan for the annual cherry blossom festival.
Early April represents the best time to view the famous sakura trees bursting into bloom in Kyoto, as throngs of people gather in the parks for the ‘hanami’ cherry blossom viewing tradition.
Hanami, which roughly translates as ‘flower viewing’, is one of the most spectacular natural events in the calendar, as the cherry blossom emerges from the depths of winter for a two-week period.

Many Japanese people mark hanami with specially arranged events to celebrate the cherry blossom bursting into life with an array of vibrant colours and fragrances.
Maruyama Park is located in Kyoto’s Gion district and boasts one of the more flamboyant flower-laden displays, with revellers flocking to the park to drink sake and sing under the trees.
City officials in Kyoto even cater for night viewings of one particularly remarkable sakura tree, which has its outstanding natural beauty illuminated by lights.
Those who travel to Kyoto this April can also catch a glimpse of Geisha women performing their traditional yearly dances, with the eye-catching Geiko and Maiko performance taking centre stage at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theatre.

British tourists can fly direct from London Heathrow to Tokyo, with an internal flight or a five-hour overland transfer to Kyoto once they land.

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Cultural centres in Delhi are to be brought together under one roof – creating a cultural and tourist hub.
The venue will be similar to cultural precincts like Melbourne’s famous Federation Square and London’s South Bank cultural district.
Rajeev Shukla, the minister of state for planning, is reported to have given his approval to the project in principle.
“In Delhi, the biggest problem is that our cultural centres are scattered,” he said. “This hub will bring them together through private and public partnership.”
Two sites have been identified for the venue, although Central Delhi is believed to be the ideal location.

Meanwhile, the land with the International Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) at Pragati Maidan has been earmarked as the most suitable site.
In addition to creating the proposed centre for performing art, there is also talk of using the location to develop a museum complex on the pattern of Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.
Once the cultural hub is completed, it is hoped that it will bring artists of the world and tourists together in one place, creating a perfect destination for UK traveller departing from some of the country’s major airports such as Heathrow and Stansted.

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Ancient murals at Drepung Monastery in Tibet are to receive a much-needed facelift after funding was provided by the Chinese central government.
Government officials in Beijing have forked out six million yuan (£633,354) to restore the 600-year-old ruins back to its former glory in a project that is expected to take three years to complete.
It previously invested around 60 million yuan (£6.3m) to remove derelict buildings at the decrepit site close to Lhasa between 2006 and 2010.
“Without immediate action, large areas of the precious relics will fall off,” said Jin Yongchun, an ethnic Tibetan who studied archaeology at Sichuan University and who has worked at the Lhasa bureau of cultural heritage for 20 years.

The murals are believed to have been created around the same time as the monastery was built in 1614, although tourism has been forbidden since the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.
Situated 10km west of Lhasa, Drepung Monastery stands on a 250,000 square metre site and is the largest of its kind for the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Restoration specialists from the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage started the repairs last September after mud and smoke damaged the murals over a period of time.

Holidaymakers interested in heritage sites could fly from major UK airports such as Heathrow and Stansted to Lhasa, via Beijing, once the restored site opens in 2015.

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Families are set to descend on Heathrow and other top UK airports this Easter to visit the year’s hottest family holiday destinations.

There are a number of up-and-coming holiday hotspots trying to tempt holidaymakers to transfer their affections from the well-established family holiday destinations this year – with the likes of Sri Lanka and Costa Rica right at the top of the list.
What should families embarking on their airport transfers for their first holiday in Costa Rica expect from their well-earned getaway this year? Firstly, an absolute abundance of natural beauty that is sure to delight parents and kids alike is one of Costa Rica’s main attractions.
The stunning Latin American country is rich in amazing animal life, butterflies and birds, with a bus journey venturing into its lush rainforest a potentially life-changing experience.
Guided walks, volcano climbs and meeting members of the Maleku tribe are just a few of the awe-inspiring activities on offer in Costa Rica.

Alternatively, families opting for a long-haul holiday in Asia this time around have the option of beautiful and diverse Sri Lanka, with its rich Buddhist culture and friendly people.
Again, the natural scenery is nothing short of breathtaking, with everything from deep green forests and jungle through to highlands, it makes for a very special family holiday getaway.
The caves and temple at Dambulla, the rock at Sigiriya or a visit by coach to a tea plantation are some of the popular trips on offer in Sri Lanka.

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International tourists travelling into the scenic interior of Nepal will soon be able to experience a pair of new trekking trails providing a fresh perspective on the unique country.
The eco-friendly trekking trails are being created by Nepal’s tourism authorities as part of an infrastructure development project.

One trail will connect Dakchhinkali with Sundarijal, while the other will run between Budanilkantha and Gosaikunda, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) announced.
The tourism ministry has invited contractors to submit bids to develop the trails, with the government intending to complete the Mulkharka-Borlang Bhanjyang section of the Dakchhinkali-Sundarijal trail, and the Sagarkunda-Rauchuli section of the Budanilkantha-Gosaikunda trail, by the end of the current tax year.
Prakash Raghubanshi, the scheme’s project manager, said the eco-friendly aspects of the development will include the use of stone as opposed to sand.

It is a “major challenge” to save as many trees as possible given that the proposed trails pass through deep woodland, the spokesperson added, while also revealing that the next construction phase is dependent on additional budget being allocated.

Other new trekking trails in Nepal are also said to be imminent thanks to private sector investment designed to drive up the numbers arriving at the country’s international airport. Britons travelling from airports such as Heathrow or Stansted will now have more reasons to visit the beautiful and diverse landscape.

Seafood lovers will be heading from far and wide to West India this weekend as the Goa tourism seafood festival takes centre stage.

The event near the Caranzalem beach (NIWS grounds) offers a range of delicacies at over 75 different food stalls and opens just a day before the Goa Carnival begins in Panaji.
There are also three outstation food stalls providing food from Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh for people to sample, and there will be no lack of entertainment during the course of the five days either.
Former member of the girl-band Viva, Anushka Manchanda, will sing on the opening day of the festival. She will be followed by the likes of Remo Fernandes, Sonia Shirsat, Lorna, Farhan Akhtar and his band and the rock bands Parikrama and Agnee.

Wendell Rodricks will also host a fashion show and, after two preliminary cooking contests in North and South Goa, celebrity chef Kunal Vijaykar will hold a final ‘cookfest’ before crowning the Chef de Goa on Sunday.
More than 50 floats were confirmed well in advance for the carnival and organisers are expecting in the region of 100 in total, with prizes of Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000 to be handed out to the best ones by the tourism department.
And neither the Goa tourism seafood festival nor the Goa Carnival are out of reach for food lovers in the UK as flights to the state are readily available from the likes of London Heathrow and Gatwick, usually via Mumbai or Delhi.

Copyright Press Association 2013