10th February 2008 marks Chinese New Year, and this year’s celebrations both in London and China are set to be bigger and better than ever.

‘China in London’ will celebrate Chinese art, heritage and culture, with performances and exhibitions held at venues throughout the city. The event, set to be the largest London-wide festival of Chinese arts and culture ever staged, marks the beginning of preparations for the Beijing Olympics in August and the following handover to London, which will host the Games in 2012.

The China in London season kicks off on February 6 with the annual lighting up of Chinese lanterns at Oxford Circus, followed by Chinese New Year celebrations in central London on February 10 to welcome the Year of the Rat. Amongst the highlights will be performances by visiting artists from Beijing, a Beijing art exhibition and a Chinese film season, with screenings of Chinese film held at Arts cinemas nationwide. Regular events will continue until the Olympic Torch Relay on April 6, when the Olympic flame comes to London as it travels around the world on its way to Beijing for the start of the Games.

Visitor numbers to China have grown significantly in recent years, and Far East specialist Cox & Kings recommends booking early. The company’s Far East Product Manager, Robin Ball, says: “China is really taking off as a tourist destination, with its thriving economy and developments in place for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Such has been the dramatic pace of development in China that visitors are now equally drawn to its spectacular modern architecture, including the new Olympic sites, as they are by the traditional attractions such as the Great Wall and Terracotta Warriors.”

Cox & Kings’ 13-night group tour China: The Grand Tour combines a stay in Beijing’s historic Raffles Hotel with the Terracotta Warriors in Xian, the Great Wall of China, Shanghai, Guilin and Hangzhou plus a three-night Yangtze cruise. From £2,695 per person including flights with British Airways, accommodation with breakfast and some additional meals, transfers and all excursions.

Europe's largest resort operator, Club Mediterranae (Club Med), has reportedly been scouting the scenic north coast of South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province for what would be its first resort in southern Africa.

Local newspaper The Mercury reported in November that Club Med bosses had made trips to potential sites that included the iSimangaliso (formerly St Lucia) Wetland Park World Heritage site and the eLan Group's Blythedale resort location near Ballito north of Durban.

Thierry Orsoni, spokesmen for the French-based luxury resort group, confirmed this, telling The Mercury that while a final decision had yet to be made, Club Med hoped to make an announcement in early 2008, with an eye to opening the new resort in time for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

The KwaZulu-Natal north coast was being considered "because of the region's good weather, which permitted an all-year-round operation," Orsoni told The Mercury. "The new King Shaka International Airport at the Dube TradePort, which would make this destination easily accessible from Europe, and South Africa's hosting the Fifa World Cup in 2010, were also significant considerations."

There has reportedly been strong interest from local and international tourism investors since the iSimangaliso Wetland Park put a number of resort development sites out to tender in September.

Terri Castis, commercial director of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, told The Mercury's Suren Naidoo that securing good operators for the facilities in iSimangaliso would raise the park's profile and increase the number of visitors to the region.

"Importantly it will also result in significant economic ownership, jobs and SMME opportunities for local community partners," Castis said. "The projects will also provide a direct link to Durban's iNkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre and the new King Shaka International Airport." source SAinfo

Not only is Brazil blessed with some of the best beaches and purest air in the world, last month the whole country was celebrating the world’s biggest ever deep-water oil discovery. This incredible treasure was found 250km offshore from Rio de Janeiro and has been dubbed ‘Tupi field’. Predicted to quickly turn Brazil into a major oil exporter and big player in world affairs, the knock-on effect for the economy and property investment industry is set to be massive… No wonder people say “God is Brazilian”.

The discovery by state-run company, Petrobras, of up to 8-billion barrels of light crude oil in the Tupi fields is likely to raise Brazil’s oil reserves by 50%. And now, just one month later, further reserves have been revealed in the northerly Campos and Espirito Santo basins off the South eastern coast. The country is now poised to become one of the world’s most powerful emerging economic powers, alongside Russia, India and China. The Senior Minister in charge of the cabinet, Dilma Rousseff, was quoted by The Associate Press as saying, “This has changed our reality. It will transform the nation to another level, with exporting capabilities like Venezuela, Arab nations and others.”

Petrobras’ Chief Executive , Sergio Gabrielli said that the Tupi field was “only part of a new frontier” for Brazilian oil exploration. He predicted that the current fields and future finds could give Brazil the world’s eighth-largest oil reserves. Bear Stearns analyst, Marc McCarthy estimates the value of Tupi alone at $25 to $60 billion, depending on international prices.

Peter Hakim, President of the inter-American Dialogue – a policy group in Washington which focuses on Latin America, commented “All of a sudden Brazil is emerging as an energy power,” he said, “Everything they have developed, from soya beans to sugar to oil is suddenly working. They have had amazing luck!”

The New York Times recently reported that countries around the region had been quick to sense the potential benefits of a strong alliance with Brazil. With news of the discovery coming just ahead of a meeting of Latin American leaders in Santiago, Chile; President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva acknowledged that during the meeting he was being “treated with a certain deference” by other leaders.

The magnitude of this discovery is already having an effect on the Brazilian population who is understandably euphoric. The discovery of such a large quantity of oil is expected by many industry experts to have a positive effect on small businesses and on economic growth in general, with the most significant increase in prosperity being in the North East of the country as reported by the Brazilian national Statistics Institute (IBGE). Furthermore, it is expected that property investors will be greatly encouraged to invest in here, as Brazil is without doubt a huge boom waiting to happen.

So, don’t miss out on this monster opportunity to strike while the iron is hot and invest in your own piece of heaven on earth. Brazil property experts uv10 (http://www.uv10.com) is promoting Domus Villas in the relaxed and stylish village of Pipa, Natal – widely considered to be the jewel in the crown of Brazil’s up-and-coming north east. As uv10’s Sales & Marketing Director, Samantha Gore, commented, “In my opinion Domus Villas occupies possibly the best plot of land in the whole of Pipa, elevated with turquoise sea all around.”

Domus Villas are top quality, Italian-designed properties that occupy an enviable position at the very edge of Pipa’s famous Chapadao, with ocean on two sides and private access to the endless beaches. The resort, which will remain 80% construction-free, comprises just 20 villas set around a 300 metre long lagoon style swimming pool with feature islands and bridges. Fully furnished with fine South American hardwoods and with air conditioning throughout, the villas will be professionally managed, maintained and marketed as an upmarket boutique resort providing rental income in your absence.

Glasgow's artists are celebrated internationally, winning the most prestigious awards and selling to the most famous collectors. Thanks to the city's galleries, you don't have to be a wealthy philanthropist to enjoy them first-hand.

• Gallery of Modern Art
Based in what was once the townhouse of tobacco trader William Cunninghame of Lainshaw, the Gallery of Modern Art counteracts the impression created by its imposing 18th century, neo-classical façade by going out of its way to be accessible to the man - or woman - on the street.

Everything in this city-centre gallery comes with clear descriptions that explain the work in terms even the most casual gallery-goer can understand. It's a policy that has encouraged GoMA's status as the second most visited contemporary art gallery outside London.

Showcasing the City of Glasgow's impressive collection of contemporary art, the gallery features artists cutting a dash on the international scene, many of them from Glasgow itself. Names to look out for include Peter Howson, Ross Sinclair, Ian Hamilton Finlay, John Byrne, Christine Borland, Adrian Wiszniewski, Kenny Hunter and Ken Currie.

The high-ceilinged ground floor is used for changing exhibitions of painting and sculpture taken either from the city's collection or from outside. Every two years there are specially curated exhibitions in which artists address the political issues of the day. Take the stairs or lift to the higher galleries and you'll discover displays of recently acquired artworks and smaller visiting exhibitions of video art.

Making links with the wider community, the attractively curved walls of the small balcony galleries show off the work of local children and adult groups. This work is produced by the education department which uses the top-floor studio for workshops and talks. The basement library, meanwhile, goes further to put modern art in context.

• CCA
Known in the 70s and 80s as the Third Eye Centre, the CCA is the longstanding Sauchiehall Street home of cutting-edge creativity. Here you'll find experimental film, video, sound and contemporary music, as well as the more traditional disciplines of painting, photography and sculpture.

The Grade A listed building, designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, re-opened in 2001 after a £10.5 million refurbishment. It sprang back to life as a chic and airy gallery with five spacious exhibition and performance rooms surrounding a high-ceilinged restaurant and bar – a popular meeting place ever since.

It's here the annual Beck's Futures exhibition has made its Glasgow home, as have students from the neighbouring Glasgow School of Art and all manner of conceptual and performance artists. Established names to have exhibited include Glasgow favourites Ross Sinclair, Toby Paterson and Kenny Hunter.

The small cinema specialises in films you won't see at your local multiplex. The programme typically embraces short films by women directors, seasons by acclaimed European masters and the work of independent documentary makers.

Believing that the avant-garde needn't be exclusive, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, to give it its full title, aims to be as welcoming as possible. Children can get creative with regular Saturday morning Kids Club workshops based on the local, national and international artists who are exhibiting at the time. Their parents might pick up something unusual in the monthly book fair, while those in more of a party frame of mind will appreciate the weekend DJs pumping up the volume in the bar. http://www.cca-glasgow.com

• Tramway
By the end of the 1980s, this southside venue was a neglected corner of the Glasgow landscape, long since redundant as a tram shed and no longer needed as the Museum of Transport which moved out in 1986. But all changed when the famous theatre director Peter Brook saw the building's potential and used it to stage his epic production of The Mahabharata in 1988. The city woke up to the possibilities offered by this expansive industrial space and, with Glasgow's Year of Culture around the corner, the Tramway was born.

For artist and art lover alike what Tramway offers more than any other gallery in the city is a monumental sense of scale. Its airy brick-lined spaces open great opportunities to the artist bold enough to exploit them. And even after the refurbishment of 2000, the building has an energising rough-and-ready industrial atmosphere, perfectly suited to the programme of innovative artists from Scotland and beyond.

Although Andy Goldsworthy, David Mach and Douglas Gordon were among the first to exhibit here, it's not all about the large scale. The building is extensive enough to accommodate several smaller rooms, many of which have been used for installations at events such as the National Review of Live Art.

No visit is complete without a tour round the Hidden Gardens, the attractive landscape at the back of the building developed by NVA in consultation with local people. While you're enjoying a peaceful wander look out for the permanent artworks, including Gerry Loose's sandstone poetry and Alex Finlay's woodland library. http://www.tramway.org

• The Lighthouse
The best place to start at the Lighthouse is the top. Take the lift to the sixth floor and step out into the small viewing platform for a panoramic view of the city in all its architectural glory. Alternatively, start at level 3 and climb the helical staircase in the Mackintosh Tower for an uninterrupted view. That will put you in a perfect frame of mind for the gallery: Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City.

Established in 1995 in anticipation of Glasgow's role as UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999, the Lighthouse is a tall and thin gallery occupying what was once a warehouse at the back of the old printing office for the Glasgow Herald. It might seem strangely situated down a narrow alleyway off Buchanan Street, but the building has a prestigious claim to fame. It was designed by a young draughtsman by the name of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Appropriately, the Lighthouse pays tribute to Glasgow's most famous architect with a permanent exhibition on the third floor. There are scale models of some of his best-known buildings, examples of his furniture, a video introduction and extensive photographs to illustrate Mackintosh's widely imitated but never bettered style.

On other floors, there are changing exhibitions showcasing the work of international architects and designers working in fields as diverse as poster-making and product design including a substantial education department with work by young people showcased on level 2. Stretching over two floors (ground and level 2), The Lighthouse Shop presents the best in classic and contemporary design. Alongside homeward, jewellery and stationery is the first Scottish outlet for Marimekko fabrics; the only Vitra retail space outside London and the RIAS Bookshop stocking specialist magazines and publications. http://www.thelighthouse.co.uk

• The Modern Institute
Don't be fooled by appearances. It might look as if you're wandering into an office block uninvited, but have faith that this tenement a couple of streets away from Central Station really is where you'll find one of the most talked about galleries in the city. Ignore the book binders and the design consultants and head up to the first floor where two front rooms have been claimed by The Modern Institute.

Inauspicious though the space is, the gallery has been associated with such fashionable names in contemporary art as Richard Wright, Christine Borland, Jim Lambie, Jeremy Deller, Toby Paterson, Claire Barclay, Martin Boyce and Simon Starling. Over the past decade it has made a splash with shows in galleries across Europe and the USA. It has more than one Turner Prize nominee on its books – and winners in Jeremy Deller and Simon Starling – and several who have represented Scotland at the Venice Biennale.

When it's not exporting work to London, Munich and Miami, the gallery is mounting monthly exhibitions of young artists from home and abroad. These artists are as likely to be influenced by pop culture as high art and their work is more likely to take over the whole gallery in 3D installations than sit politely in frames upon the wall.

Billing themselves as ‘culturepreneurs’, the gallery's management team represents around 30 artists at an international level and has helped put Glasgow on the world art map. http://www.themoderninstitute.com

• Cultural Quarter
The Merchant City divides itself into two distinct halves. North of the Trongate is all elegant bars, restaurants and jewellers. South is more rough and ready, independent music shops nestling alongside traditional pubs in the streets around the Tron Theatre. http://www.tron.co.uk

In true bohemian style, a generation of artists has made this area its own, moving into a network of galleries and studios and forming a cultural quarter which has been given the seal of approval by a Glasgow City Council redevelopment strategy. When people talk about the vigour of the Glasgow art scene, this is the crucible that makes it possible.

Not that this is immediately apparent. The galleries concerned are necessarily small – most just a single shop front – and some you can miss altogether if you fail to spot the sign on the door. This only adds to the air of adventure and discovery created by the artworks themselves.

source Trav4Media

The Western Lake District is providing an answer to post-Christmas Day melancholy midst the holly by laying on some real treats for those heading to this stunningly beautiful area, both over the festive season and in Spring 2008.

Best for Beauty-Bagging:

Best for View Baggers must definitely be the view of Wastwater, Britain’s deepest lake (249ft), officially voted Britain’s Favourite View a few months ago, thanks to the support of Coronation Street actress Sally Whittaker.

Close to unspoilt and remote Wastwater, located in the Wasdale Valley and which is nearly three miles long and almost half a mile wide, lie a series of breathtaking walks, some exclusively created by the walker’s icon, Alfred Wainwright.

He was also the creator of a series of walks from stations on the Ravenglass and Eskdale steam railway’s route. Passengers can pay a few pounds to purchase a book of these walks and then head off, under their own steam, to explore a world Wainwright adored.

For more details about the railway’s wonderful journeys, itineraries and prices, through some of Britain’s most stunning scenery, visit www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk

Best for Bird-Watching:

If you’re a bit of an ornithologist on the quiet, the Western Lake District ticks all the boxes, or Boxing Days, for you.

If you head to the Coast, you can check out the largest seabird colony on the Western Coast of England. On top of a spectacular 100ft cliff, at St Bees Head, you will encounter the only place in England where black guillemot breed, spotting razorbills, peregrines, kittiwake, fumars and herring gull, at different times of the year.

A 2.8 mile/4.5 km nature trail can be followed along a cliff-top path, though this can be uneven in places and is fairly steep. Those reaching the colony, at this time of year, will be able to see large flocks gathering to feed, whilst at dusk, the birds fly, to form large roosts, to keep warm.

Entrance to this area is free, but the RSPB does welcome donations.

Bird lovers able to wait until April, can head to beautiful Bassenthwaite to view Cumbria’s famous ospreys, frequently to be spotted flying over this breathtaking lake. An open air viewpoint, at Dodd Wood, enables visitors to watch the osprey fishing in the still waters of the lake, swooping to catch their prey and then struggling to break free of the water with their catch in their talons.

For close-up action, visitors can go the Osprey Watch at the Forestry Commission's Whinlatter Forest Park, where live pictures of the ospreys are available by a camera link. This offers rare insights into their lives and is highly popular. For more information, visit www.ospreywatch.co.uk

If you cap this off with a visit to the award-winning, Good Pub Guide 2008’s Hotel Bar of the Year, The Pheasant Inn, in Bassenthwaite, following the birds will give you a great day out.

Best for Beachcombers:

If it’s a brisk walk along a beautiful beach that’s needed to blow away the Christmas cobwebs, the Western Lake District has some great options.

Taking the coastal walk from Whitehaven to St Bees, provides a combination of stunning scenery and brilliant beach jaunts, exploring a coast once frequented by smugglers, pirates and rogues engaged in the rum, spice and slave trades operating in and around Whitehaven once Britain’s second largest port.

Check out the Victorian graffiti scrawled on the rocks inside the caves at Fleswick Bay and keep your eyes trained on the sea for a glimpse of the porpoises, basking sharks, common dolphin and seals frequenting this area.

Alternatively, don your lifejacket and head to Whitehaven, to take a 75-minute Eco Tour with Whitehaven Marine Adventures. If the sea is calm, it will take you right up the coast, recounting the myths, legends and tales that give the Western Lake District a rich history, as well as pointing out the mammals and bird-life that you might encounter.

The boat and crew tie up in Whitehaven harbour and in winter the boat can be chartered, in advance, at a cost of £240 for twelve. Clothing and life-jackets are provided by the crew.

From Easter onwards, the trip can be booked at a cost of £20 for an adult and £10 for a child. More details are available at www.whitehavenmarineadventures.co.uk or from 0784 648 6483.

Best for Bond Girls:

Anyone who’s dreamed of riding through the surf, or along the beach like Caterina Murino in the last Bond movie, can head to Silescroft, on the Solway Coast stretch of the Western Lake District, where their steed awaits, be it Monty, Tomahawk, Angelo, or their various stable mates.

The award-winning Murthwaite Green Trekking Centre has a horse to suit all abilities of rider, from four-years-old upwards, and frequently delights those able to live out their dream of strolling, trotting or galloping across the five-mile expanse of beautiful sand.

The stunning coastal scenery simply adds to either one hour or 1.5 hour experience, whilst those wishing to appreciate this further can choose to head to the fells to savour the view across Morecambe Bay. source Trav4Media