French embassy to issue visas within 48 hours starting Nov. 1

French embassy to issue visas within 48 hours starting Nov. 1

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Indonesian tourists planning to go to France will not need to wait long for visa approval. Starting November 1, 2017, the embassy of France will issue visas within 48 hours. Previously, applicants had to wait up to 10 days to obtain the visa.

KompasTravel reports that the new rule will also apply to seven other countries namely Thailand, Russia, India, The Philippines, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. 

France’s prime minister, Edouard Phillipe said that tourist visits to France have declined following the Paris and Nice tragedies last year. In 2017, France aims to get 89 million international tourists. The target will continuously increase until the year 2020 where the country aims to get 100 million foreign tourists. 

In anticipation of a tourist boom, the government of France also adds more immigration personnel in the country's international airports. (asw)

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Las Ramblas boulevard, Barcelona's historic promenade

Las Ramblas boulevard, Barcelona's historic promenade

Las Ramblas, the site of a deadly terror attack Thursday, is a key boulevard in Barcelona, a promenade which is popular with tourists and where the city traditionally celebrates the Barca football club's victories.

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Las Ramblas was created in the 19th century, when Barcelona destroyed the city walls which were limiting its growth and built a promenade to unite the upper part of the city with the sea.

The road gave rise to the Barcelonian word "ramblear", which means to promenade on Las Ramblas.

The key artery was once packed with the Catalan city's wealthy -- on their way to the theatre -- and with visiting American marines, local prostitutes, flower and bird merchants, and vendors from the city's famed Boqueria market.

Although Barcelonians have long since given Las Ramblas over to the tourists, the historic promenade, which runs from the Plaza de Catalunya to the old port, holds a special place in the city's heart.

It is home to the city's political, spiritual and commercial seats of power -- the Catalan government and Barcelona's municipal council, the cathedral and the large church of Santa Maria, as well as the headquarters of banks and the old stock exchange.

The promenade is divided into five parts. The upper part, known as the promenade of Canaletas, houses the fountain of Canaletas -- local legend holds that if visitors drink from it, they will return to Barcelona.

Further along is the promenade of students, so called because it housed one of the first universities in the city.

Further still, is the promenade of flowers -- named for its florists -- and the promenade of the Capucins, with the Boqueria market and the Liceo theatre. 

Finally, there is the promenade of Santa Monica, when the promenade ends by the sea, with a statue of Christopher Colombus.

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'A Taste of Indonesia' Lures Tourists in Sydney

'A Taste of Indonesia' Lures Tourists in Sydney

Jakarta. The culinary festival "A Taste of Indonesia" at the Shangri-La hotel in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 4-12 will present Australians with traditional Indonesian recipes.

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"We are bringing two chefs in from the Shangri-La hotel in Jakarta who excel in cooking Indonesian food," said I Gde Pitana, the Ministry of Tourism's deputy for foreign marketing.

Traditional Indonesian dishes to be served include soto ayam (Javanese chicken noodle soup), daging konro Makassar (Makassar rib soup), rendang (slow-cooked beef in coconut milk), bebek betutu (smoked stuffed duck wrapped in bamboo leaves), ayam bakar Jawa (Javanese grilled chicken), telor balado (egg with chili sauce) and udang goreng sambal balado (fried shrimp with chili sauce).

Travel agents will also attend the culinary festival to offer prospective tourists enticing tour packages to destinations across the archipelago.

Pitana said the event should be attended by more than 1,000 people due to the high popularity of Indonesian cuisine in Sydney.

"[Indonesian] restaurants are always crowded with Sydney residents who enjoy a variety of Indonesian cuisine, as well as students and workers from Indonesia who live there," Pitana said.

This year, CNN named rendang, nasi goreng and satay in its list of the World's 50 Best Foods.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya stated that cuisine is a powerful way to promote the “Wonderful Indonesia” campaign.

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Saudi Arabia to open luxury beach resort where women can wear bikinis

Saudi Arabia to open luxury beach resort where women can wear bikinis

Saudi Arabia is to open a new luxury beach resort where women will be allowed to wear bikinis.

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The country's new heir to the throne, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, announced a Red Sea resort on a stretch of Saudi Arabia’s northwest coastline.  

It comes as part of the royal's attempt to modernise the Saudi economy.

Saudi Arabia’s rules on women are among the strictest in the world. Women are not allowed to drive and are unable to travel without permission from a male relative.

Women are also expected to cover their skin and hair when they are outside, meaning bikinis are traditionally out of the question.

But the government has said the resort will be “governed by laws on par with international standards”.

The resort, spread over 200 miles of golden beaches and 50 “untouched natural islands” will allow women to sunbathe in bikinis even when men are nearby.

“It will set new standards for sustainable development and bring about the next generation of luxury travel to put Saudi Arabia on the international tourism map.”

Tourists would also not need a visa to travel to the destination, and the resort will offer activities such as parachuting, trekking and rock climbing.

The development is set to begin in 2019 and the first phase is predicted to be completed by 2022. 

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