Pattaya Photos, Pictures, Images, Pattaya Photo Gallery, Thailand

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Abu Dhabi's Marina Development project forms a key component of tourism strategy

Abu Dhabi is determined to grow its marine and yachting industries as a key component of a wider tourism strategy, says His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), ahead of the 2nd Abu Dhabi Yacht Show (ADYS) set to take place in next month.

Marina Development forms key component of Abu Dhabi's tourism strategy. ADTA has thrown its full support behind ADYS as the headline sponsor of the Middle East's premier show focusing exclusively on the luxury superyacht and megayacht sector, in a bid to boost Abu Dhabi's aspirations to become the epicentre of the Middle East's yachting and marine leisure business.

Abu Dhabi's 2030 strategic plan includes a massive marina component, including approximately 45 marinas of various sizes, and it is believed that in the future there could be as many as 10,000 recreational craft in the emirate. Currently there are about 1,600 berths available in six existing marinas in Abu Dhabi. From the world's largest luxury motor yachts to family day boats, from tall ships to tenders, racing yachts to fishing boats, superyachts to ski boats, Abu Dhabi plans to deliver a range of unique marinas catering to the entire spectrum of needs of the boating community wishing to enjoy the UAE capital's warm waters.


"Marine leisure is expected to play an increasingly important role in advancing Abu Dhabi's tourism growth. This is a very natural lifestyle for us as Abu Dhabi is blessed with over 400 kilometres of coastline, over 200 islands and a rich marine life. Progression into the marine leisure segment will, however, be measured, in line with our preferred style. We will leverage these assets while at the same time conserving them, for the benefit of this generation and for those to come,"

says Al Nahyan.

Marina expert Captain Stephen Hunt, who serves as an Advisor for Water Transport in Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport, also believes the UAE capital is well placed to adopt a leading role in the regional yachting industry.

"It is made up of about 200 islands interspersed with numerous waterways and the country has something of a maritime history, having a heritage of pearling and fishing," says Hunt.

Some of the biggest projects in Abu Dhabi have marina components. A huge development in the pipeline aims to turn Mina Zayed, currently Abu Dhabi's main port, into a superyacht marina to be known as Marina Zayed, which will be home to a large number of megayachts. Close to this development will be another marina for recreational boating which will be linked to other projects such as the Corniche and Saadiyat Island developments by canals that will be cut through the existing port.

The world-class marina facilities of the iconic Yas Island development were recently unveiled during the F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and generated impressive international interest. The island project - developed by one of the emirate's largest developers, Aldar Properties - has brought to the emirate stunning marina facilities that were magnificently showcased at last November's racing extravaganza. Yas Marina is again expected to bring more yachting enthusiasts together and further contribute to developing Abu Dhabi's expanding leisure marine industry when it hosts the ADYS 2010.

Informa Yacht Group (IYG), the ADYS organiser, stresses the inaugural show held in March 2011 opened to an enthusiastic reception, and went on to impress exhibitors, industry experts, press and visitors alike over the course of its three-days.

"By general consensus, we provided brand new, first-class business opportunities in a vastly wealthy and largely unexploited market. Some exceptional sales were made, at a time when business in the rest of the world was largely depressed, and that gave a massive uplift to the region's industry," said Franck Dailles, Group Director of IYG.

The UAE leads the Middle East yacht and boat industry with an annual demand of about 1,500 units. Meanwhile, GCC countries top the list in the buying and renting of yachts, which makes the region a target for major European and American companies, many of which will make their presence felt at the 2nd ADYS.

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Thailand Places to Visit,Places to See in Thailand,Tourist places

Ko Phi Phi

Ko Phi Phi is made up of two islands, Phi Phi Don with its endless beaches and Phi Phi Le, a private enclosed area girdled by sheer cliffs.

Previously (and still is) a temporary residence for sea gypsies, Ko Phi Phi has since turned into a favorite spot for diving lovers from all over the world. The coral reefs in the clear waters ensure a spectacular sighting and the colorful fishes swimming in their natural habitat is a sight to behold.

Situated 48 km from Phuket and 42 km from Krabi, the island is only accessible by boats. Tours to Phi Phi Le is commonly done on board kayaks where tour guides would take you to the Viking Cave, which is rich with its prehistoric paintings of things resembling Viking longboats. Most tours would include a visit to the cliffs where swiflets' nests are harvested for bird's nest soup, a Chinese delicacy throughout Asia.

Formally a quiet Muslim fishing village, Phi Phi Island now meets all touristy demands, including restaurants, diving schools, and hundreds of overpriced souvenir shops.

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Taj Mahal Building in India

The Taj Mahal base structure is a large, multi-chambered structure. The base is essentially a cube with chamfered edges and is roughly 55 meters on each side (see floor plan, right). On the long sides, a massive pishtaq, or vaulted archway, frames the iwan with a similar arch-shaped balcony. On either side of the main arch, additional pishtaqs are stacked above and below. This motif of stacked pishtaqs is replicated on chamfered corner areas as well. The design is completely symmetrical on all sides of the building. Four minarets, one at each corner of the plinth, facing the chamfered corners, frame the tomb. The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan; their actual graves are at a lower level.

The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is its most spectacular feature. Its height is about the same size as the base of the building, about 35 meters, and is accentuated as it sits on a cylindrical "drum" of about 7 metres high. Because of its shape, the dome is often called an onion dome (also called an amrud or guava dome). The top is decorated with a lotus design, which serves to accentuate its height as well. The shape of the dome is emphasised by four smaller domed chattris (kiosks) placed at its corners. The chattri domes replicate the onion shape of the main dome. Their columned bases open through the roof of the tomb and provide light to the interior. Tall decorative spires (guldastas) extend from edges of base walls, and provide visual emphasis to the height of the dome. The lotus motif is repeated on both the chattris and guldastas. The dome and chattris are topped by a gilded finial, which mixes traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements. The main dome is crowned by a gilded spire or finial. The finial, made of gold until the early 1800s, is now made of bronze. The finial provides a clear example of integration of traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements. The finial is topped by a moon, a typical Islamic motif, whose horns point heavenward. Because of its placement on the main spire, the horns of moon and finial point combine to create a trident shape, reminiscent of traditional Hindu symbols of Shiva.

The exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal are among the finest to be found in Mughal architecture. As the surface area changes, a large pishtaq has more area than a smaller one, and the decorations are refined proportionally. The decorative elements were created by applying paint or stucco, or by stone inlays or carvings. In line with the Islamic prohibition against the use of anthropomorphic forms, the decorative elements can be grouped into either calligraphy, abstract forms or vegetative motifs.

The interior chamber of the Taj Mahal steps far beyond traditional decorative elements. Here the inlay work is not pietra dura, but lapidary of precious and semiprecious gemstones. The inner chamber is an octagon with the design allowing for entry from each face, though only the south garden-facing door is used. The interior walls are about 25 metres high and topped by a "false" interior dome decorated with a sun motif. Eight pishtaq arches define the space at ground level. As with the exterior, each lower pishtaq is crowned by a second pishtaq about midway up the wall. The four central upper arches form balconies or viewing areas and each balcony's exterior window has an intricate screen or jali cut from marble. In addition to the light from the balcony screens, light enters through roof openings covered by chattris at the corners. Each chamber wall has been highly decorated with dado bas relief, intricate lapidary inlay and refined calligraphy panels, reflecting in miniature detail the design elements seen throughout the exterior of the complex. The octagonal marble screen or jali which borders the cenotaphs is made from eight marble panels. Each panel has been carved through with intricate pierce work. The remaining surfaces have been inlaid with semiprecious stones in extremely delicate detail, forming twining vines, fruits and flowers.

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Disneyland Park at Paris

Disneyland Paris Park is a theme park which is a part of Disneyland Resort Paris. Operated by Euro Disney S.C.A., it is one of two theme parks in the complex just outside of Paris, in Marne-la-Vallée, France.

The park is based on a concept pioneered by Disneyland in California and further employed at the Magic Kingdom in Florida and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. Occupying 566,560 m² (140 acres), it is the largest Disney park based on the original in California. The park opened as Euro Disneyland on 12 April 1992.

The park, as well as its surrounding complex, initially failed to meet financial expectations. This resulted in an image change in which the word "Euro" was phased out of several names, including Euro Disneyland.

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Exotic Burj Al Arab Dubai Hotel

Dubai hotels and resorts are well known around the world for the great service and their excellent facilities. No where else in the world can hotel guests receive such Royal treatment and enjoy so many outstanding facilities. Dubai beach resorts are simply spectacular. The beach resorts in Dubai are located along the crystal white sands of the Jumeirah beach area and no words can describe the beauty of this section of Dubai. Dubai resorts are notoriously expensive which comes as no shock when looking at the quality of product that guests receive in return. There are however ways to obtain much lower rates at the Dubai resorts. This allowed for many tourists visiting Dubai who normally could not afford a Dubai resort to stay at one of the Dubai beach resorts. Of course we will offer you advice on how to get rates so that you can afford one of the spectacular Dubai beach hotels. Please look in our Dubai resort section for additional information on how to get cheap Dubai hotels in Deira and Bur Dubai and beach resorts in the Jumeirah beach area.

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Puerto Vallarta at Mexico

Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas. The 2005 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 177,830 making it the fifth-largest city in the state of Jalisco. The City of Puerto Vallarta is the government seat of the Municipality of Puerto Vallarta which comprises the city as well as population centers outside of the city extending from Boca de Tomatlán to the Nayarit border (the Ameca River).

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Trip to Venice Italy

The history of Venice Italy is unclear. The burghal was aboriginal formed by refugees artifice from barbaric hordes, weary evacuees who gave up their acreage for the achievability of abandon aloft the adjacent islands accounted uninhabitable by abounding at the time. Like their ancestors, the Venetians are active again.

Every year, the city's baptize levels rise. The clammy summertime air cooks the canals and scrapes the acrylic and apply from the city's finest pieces of art. Faithful to its origins, aggregate in Venice seems to be in peril. This has - logically - acicular tourism in Venice, which for years has been the sole agency of abutment for the celebrated city, so at atomic you can blow assured that the aerial prices you'll appointment will be funneled into programs to clean the city. Because, admitting its around-the-clock adulteration and a blueprint so abashing it makes your eyes spasm, the burghal is still one of the best admirable destinations in the world.

Tourism in Venice alcove its aiguille during Carnavale, the anniversary anniversary afore lent, area millions of visitors appear from about the apple to booty allotment in festivities. Added attractions accommodate St. Mark's Basilica, additionally accepted as “The Church Of Gold.” The basilica takes its names because it houses a aureate chantry barometer 40 aboveboard anxiety and set with bags aloft bags of jewels. Hundreds of added treasures adopted from centuries of abundance and advantage additionally abide inside.

The gondola is the primary mode of transportation throughout the canals, not to mention the enduring symbol of tourism in Venice. Though speedboats have become more commonplace nowadays, they are unable to drown out the traditional songs of the gondoliers, with most of these ballads reciting tales of true love or the magnificent history of Venice Italy itself.

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Raja Ampat Beautiful Place For Diving

Raja Ampat is a great place where the best diving is now being threatened sustainability of coral reefs. Immediately pictured a white sand, blue sky, sea water of various colors and sound waves. Raja Ampat Located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea. It is a part of the newly named West Papua (province) of Indonesia which was formerly Irian Jaya.

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