6 places with the most unique landscapes in the world
19 March 2018
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This article was originally on GET.com at: 6 Places With The Most Unique Landscapes In the World
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Singaporeans who have a thing for the unusual will naturally prefer visiting stunning destinations that aren’t on every mainstream auntie or uncle’s bucket list. The following six places that we at GET.com are about to share with you are some of the most unique landscapes in the world. Not only will they induce serious envy on your Instagram or Facebook feed, but also your friends and family will be waiting for you to come back with stories to tell!
6 Places With The Most Unique Landscapes In the World
1. Danakil Desert
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Danakil Desert sure looks like it does not belong to Earth but this Martian-esque place is located in Northeast Ethiopia. This place is not somewhere you would want to hobble along randomly for it is home to geysers that spit toxic gases and active volcanoes. Plus, its temperature averages around 50°C.
2. Salar de Uyuni
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Do you dream of travelling to South America? If you do make it there, it will be worth the while to spend some time seeing Bolivia’s remarkable Salar de Uyuni up close in person. This expansive salt flat is the largest one in the world, left behind by prehistoric lakes that evaporated a long time ago. The Salar de Uyuni is definitely one of those places you need to visit before it disappears!
3. Vatnajökull
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Without a doubt, Iceland is an increasingly popular destination amongst travellers from all over the world, Singapore included. Besides the world famous Blue Lagoon, Gullfoss and Þingvellir, you might want to allocate some time to visit the Vatnajökull National Park. Vatnajökull is the biggest ice cap in the Nordic island nation, covering a good 8% of Iceland’s landmass. Those who enjoy glacier hiking or ice caving tours must make a trip there.
4. Great Blue Hole
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Image source: Belize
Belize may not be at the top of your head when you think of making a trip somewhere far away from Singapore, but the Great Blue Hole that is part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is intriguing in its own right. Spanning more than 125m in depth and 300m in width, the Great Blue Hole is every diver’s dream. Beneath those enigmatic ombre shades of blue, green and turquoise lies absolutely fascinating marine life including mako sharks, gigantic tunas, colourful fish and beautiful coral reefs.
5. Glow Worm Cave
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Image source: uniquehunters.com
New Zealand is well-known for being home to picture-perfect natural landscapes including beaches, caves, lakes, mountains, glaciers and more. Nature lovers who enjoy weaving whimsical nuances into their experiences will remember the trip to Waitomo Glowworm Caves possibly for life. What gives the cave such an unreal, ethereal glow? The answer is tiny luminescent glowworms native to New Zealand. This is Mother Nature’s light display for those privileged enough to be there in real life.
6. Reed Flute Cave
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Nestled in Guilin, China, the Reed Flute Cave is said to be over 180 million years old. This roughly 240m deep cavern comprises stalactites, stalagmites, and rock formations in all sorts of wonderful and weird shapes. While these limestone formations are au naturel, the vibrant neon illumination that bounces off them is the way it is because of creatively and strategically placed coloured lights. This cave is affectionately known as the Palace of Natural Arts.
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Gov’t sees Clark as Philippines’ next big metropolis
April 14, 2018 | 12:31 am
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New Clark City
An artist’s impression of New Clark City, which is being developed by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority. — THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/HANDOUT
By Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan, Reporter
CLARK, PAMPANGA — New Clark City is poised to be the showcase of the Duterte administration’s efforts to beef up infrastructure spending, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said on Friday.
“This will soon be the showcase of the Duterte administration’s economic strategy,” Mr. Dominguez said during the second leg of the Philippine Economic Briefing.
“We expect this area to be the growth driver of central Luzon, especially since it sits at the nexus of the network of expressways and soon a railway running from here to Manila and Los Baños,” he added.
Mr. Dominguez noted President Rodrigo R. Duterte has already approved three big-ticket infrastructure projects that will benefit Clark Freeport Zone. These are the P211.43-billion Philippine National Railways (PNR) North 2 project, the P12.55-billion New Terminal Building for the Clark International Airport, as well as the P4.37-billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project.
The New Clark City, which Mr. Dominguez described as the “country’s next big metropolis,” is envisioned to be a hub for agro-industrial firms, including food processing and technology companies.
New Clark City will also house the planned 40-hectare National Government Administrative Center, which is designed to be a hub for administrative government offices that will ensure “continuous delivery of services in the country at the onset of a natural disaster.”
“This is where the future begins,” Mr. Dominguez said.
The Finance chief noted the increased inflow of official development assistance from Japan and China, as well as lenders World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) will support the Philippines’ infrastructure program to stimulate rapid growth.
STRONG GROWTH
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia meanwhile said he expects the Philippine economy to grow “better than 6.7% this year,” which would be driven by “public spending on infrastructure.”
He added the administration is making it a priority to link regions outside Metro Manila in order to broaden the country’s growth base.
Rolando U. Toledo, the Budget department’s Fiscal Planning and Reforms Bureau chief, said the government is banking on the speedy release of budget allotments as well as the one-year validity of appropriated funds through the Budget Reform Bill — which is currently up for plenary deliberations in the Senate.
“This will reflect actual goods and services that will be delivered in the fiscal year, not intentions or commitments,” Mr. Toledo said.
At the same time, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor A. Espenilla said the country’s economy has increasingly become broad-based, “creating more opportunities across more sectors in the society,” which he said is supported by “low and stable inflation,” and a robust external payments position that shields the economy from external headwinds.
However, Mr. Dominguez noted the Philippines may be affected by a possible trade war between the United States and China.
“We are growing our market locally so we are very robust. We don’t rely much on exports or imports as much as other economies, so we are sort of insulated. But still I’m not downplaying it. If there is a full-blown trade war, everybody is going to be affected… Walang nananalo. So if our two markets get hurt, China and the US, we will also get hurt. I’m really concerned,” he told reporters after the briefing.
The world’s two biggest economies have recently fanned fears of a trade war. China has warned it will hit back at any US protectionist moves after President Donald J. Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese imports.
TOP 20 MOST DANGEROUS COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD FOR TOURISTS NOV 25, 2017 AT 02:31 AM 3707931 When the travelling bug bites you, you want to explore as many countries in the world as you possibly can. If you have planned for that long pending holiday that can assist you to relax and let go of the problems you face at your job or at home, you may have wondered about the safety of where you plan to visit. Because holidays are something to be treasured, do not risk ruining them because of bad experiences. The bitter truth is, some nations are better for you to go than others. Earlier this year, the WEF (World Economic Forum) released the annual Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report that studies the travel and tourism sectors in 136 nations worldwide. The additional feature that comes along with the report is ranking the security of these countries. It does not account for petty crimes though; just the extent to which a country exposes businesses as well as tourists to safety risks via terrorism and violence. In no particular order, here are the twenty most dangerous countries that you can consider crossing off your bucket list. THAILAND The country’s southern provinces - Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat and Pattaya - have gotten a bad reputation for security in the country in the last thirteen years. Pattaya has particularly suffered a spate of muggings by motorcycle operators, and there have been incidences of mugging of tourists by gangs in the area, mostly made up of young boys. More than 6,500 deaths have unfortunately occurred because of violence, and there is a martial law in the region. Click "Next" to continue reading: Content on WoJournals.com doesn't constitute, nor is meant to constitute, professional advice of any kind. You should always consult a suitably qualified appropriate professional regarding any specific problem or matter.
Read more: http://wojournals.com/top-20-most-dangerous-countries-in-the-world-for-tourists.html
Paradise lost: Beautiful islands ruined by tourism
The Telegraph Oliver Smith,The Telegraph 12 hours ago
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Workers remove litter from a popular beach in Bali - AFP
Their very geographical nature makes islands particularly prone to overcrowding – simply put, there’s not enough room for endless streams of tourists. Here are some of the most worrying examples of islands, many of which were once untouched, falling victim to their own popularity.
Phi Phi Islands, Thailand
Twenty years ago this little archipelago in the Andaman Sea really was paradise - and practically unknown - making it the perfect filming location for the big screen adaptation of The Beach, Alex Garland’s novel about the search for untouched backpacker heaven. Now as many as 5,000 people arrive each day on boat trips from the bustling mainland resorts of Krabi and Phuket, turning Maya Bay, the sheltered cove where much of the movie takes place, into a selfie-taking free-for-all. The situation has become so bad that Thai authorities recently announced plans to completely close Maya Bay for four months this summer (June 1 until September 30) to give the surrounding coral reef a chance to recover.
Boat tours descend on Maya Bay - Credit: HANNARES
Boat tours descend on Maya Bay Credit: HANNARES
The tactic has been used on other Thai beaches but this will be the first time that Maya Bay is closed to travellers. “Parts of the Similans and Surin islands have been closed in the past to let the corals recover, but this is a first for Maya Bay,” explained Lee Cobaj, Telegraph Travel’s Thailand expert. “The closure will be in the middle of low season, when rain is pretty persistent, so I can’t imagine too many tourists will be turned away. But the beach is stupidly busy in high season so it’s good to see Thailand putting nature ahead of profits for once.”
Back when Leo was finding fame in Danny Boyle’s film, Thailand was still considered fairly “off the beaten track”. These days that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Last year 35.4m people visited the country, up from 5.3m in 1990. That’s a lot of unspoiled islands turning into tourists traps (like Ko Phangan, where an airport is currently under construction).
And further growth is expected. In 2018, Thailand is predicting 37.6m tourists will visit.
At a glance | The growth of tourism in Thailand
Boracay, The Philippines
While not as dramatic as Thailand’s, The Philippines has also experienced a surge in tourists. Just over one million went there in 1990 – last year that figure was 6.6m. And almost a third of those tourists - more than two million - visited one tiny island measuring just 3.98 square miles and with a resident population of just 30,000: Boracay. It’s all the more remarkable when you consider that the Philippines has 7,640 other islands to choose from, according to the most recent estimate from the country’s National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.
The countries with the most islands (and the idyllic ones you must visit)
A decade ago, Boracay certainly was worth visiting. The magazine Travel+Leisure declared it the best island in the world back in 2012, thanks largely to the powder soft sand of White Beach. Today, according to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, it’s a “cesspool”. His verdict came after a video showing sewage flowing directly into Boracay’s blue waters went viral. The controversial leader castigated local authorities for permitting unchecked development and dispatched an emergency government taskforce to save the island from an ecological catastrophe. Inspectors found over 800 environmental violations.
Boracay is feeling the strain - Credit: GETTY
Boracay is feeling the strain Credit: GETTY
Drastic measures are now planned, and Boracay will be closed to tourists for six months from April 26. It will provide time to overhaul the island’s creaking infrastructure, but don’t expect a new breed of sustainable tourism once it reopens. Only last month the Philippine government signed a deal with a Macau-based company to build a $500m beachfront casino.
Cozumel
This nugget of land off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula was once a sleepy place, with just a few hundred residents, a couple of churches, and a spattering of Maya ruins.
Then came the cruise ships. A deepwater pier was built in the 1990s, allowing large vessels to dock (but damaging the island’s coral reef) and today it is the busiest cruise port outside of Florida, with 3.6m passengers arriving annually (almost all from Florida). To offer a comparison, Venice, where residents regularly come out in force to protest the presence of cruise ships, only welcomes 1.6m. Add that to the 541,598 who touch down each year at Cozumel Airport and it’s easy to see why the island makes our list.
Cruise capitals | The world's 20 busiest cruise ports
Mexico is another country where tourism has grown exponentially in recent years. A staggering 39.6m visited in 2017 – up from just 17.2m in 1990. Which isn’t to say there aren’t unspoiled islands waiting to be explored. Our experts recommend Holbox, just 30 minutes from Cancun, another overcrowded tourist trap.
Hungary's out, Macao's in – how the travel map has changed since 1990
Venice
No round-up of overtourism would be complete without mentioning Venice, a cause célèbre for proponents of sustainable travel for years.
It has, of course, has been on tourists’ radars for centuries. But the 18th century nobles who came on their Grand Tours found a city full of real Venetians. John Moore, in A View of Society and Manners in Italy, 1781, wrote of “such a mixed multitude of Jews, Turks and Christians; lawyers, knaves and pick-pockets, mountebanks, old women, and physicians; women of quality, with masks; strumpets barefaced; and, in short, such a jumble of senators, citizens, gondoleers, and people of every character and condition, that your ideas are broken, bruised, and dislocated in the crowd, in such a manner that you can think, or reflect, on nothing…”
Visitors today will find nothing but other tourists. Indeed, while 22 million travellers visit the city each year, the resident population has dwindled to just 50,000. And according to local media, if depopulation were to continue at its current rate, Venice won’t have a single resident by 2030.
Crowds in Venice - Credit: GETTY
Crowds in Venice Credit: GETTY
New measures have been put in place to prevent the largest cruise ships from visiting, but - as outlined above - they account for just a fraction of Venice’s annual arrivals. Authorities are also trying to tackle the problem by banning new hotels and fast food restaurants. Even an entry fee for St Mark’s Square was recently suggested.
Our expert's view | Will an entry fee solve Venice's problems?
Our solution? Try an uncrowded alternative. Italy has dozens of fine cities that aren’t creaking under the weight of tourists. How about Bologna, the capital of Italy’s tastiest region, Emilia-Romagna? Or vibrant and atmospheric Palermo, which still bears the unique stamp of its former Arab, Norman and Spanish rulers?
Bali
Indonesia welcomed 13.7 million overseas tourists in 2017 - up from around 2.2m in 1990. And around 1 in 3 of those (4.5m) went to Bali.
Its emergence as a packaged paradise for international consumption began in 1963, with the construction of the Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur. Until then just three hotels existed on the entire island. But many more would follow and in 1970 the construction of Ngurah Rai International Airport opened the floodgates. Sanur remains a tourist hub, but it has been joined by Kuta, Seminyak, Ubud, and newer developments like Nusa Dua and Pecatu.
The surge in visitors has contributed to the island’s environmental problems. Late last year Bali declared a “garbage emergency” after several of the country's most popular beaches were inundated with a rising tide of plastic waste. Workers sent in to Jimbaran, Kuta and Seminyak beaches, among the busiest, were carting off up to 100 tons of junk each day at the peak of the clean-up.
It isn’t only tourists to blame - fly-tipping by indifferent residents is a major factor - but they certainly aren’t helping matters.
According to a 2002 survey by the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space, there are 18,306 other Indonesian islands to try. We recommend Sumba. Natalie Paris writes: “This remote outpost, an hour’s flight from Bali, is now accessible thanks to Nihiwatu, a luxury resort that takes the best of the island’s fascinating tribal culture and accommodates guest in lodges built like Sumbanese houses, with distinctive, tall thatched roofs that poke up above the treetops like witches’ hats.”
Sumba never gets crowded - Credit: Linda Berman
Sumba never gets crowded Credit: Linda Berman
Big Major Cay, The Bahamas
A curious colony of pigs live on this island - besides a few goats and stray cats, they are the island's only permanent inhabitants. How did they get there? The most convincing theory is that they were taken there to boost tourism (another theory is that sailors dropped them off, intending to come back and cook them, but never returned).
But the ploy worked too well. Boat trips to see the cute little porkers have become wildly popular, with each arrival apparently determined to outdo the last to capture that perfect Instagram snap. Disgracefully, seven of the pigs died last year, with tourists accused of feeding them alcohol and trying to ride on top of them. This is one seaside wildlife experience you ought to skip - leave the pigs to their paradise. Instead, go and see the wild horses of the Camargue, or the kangaroos of Australia’s Cape Le Grand National Park.
Too cute for their own good - Credit: GETTY
Too cute for their own good Credit: GETTY
Mallorca
To say Mallorca has been spoiled isn’t quite fair. The Serra de Tramuntana mountain range in the north of the island is still magnificent, and on a hike to the mountaintop fortress of Castell d’Alaró last summer this correspondent saw barely a soul. But with Mallorca now receiving around 10 million annual visitors, parts of the island are undoubtedly feeling the strain. The spectacular road to Sa Calobra becomes a traffic jam in peak season, while the capital Palma can become stiflingly busy - especially when cruise ships disgorge their passengers (as many as 500 cruise ships now dock in the city each year, depositing up to 22,000 people a day). The capital was the scene of an anti-tourist protest last September, with demonstrators demanding holidaymakers “go home”.
The travel trend to avoid before you die | How the ‘bucket list’ is ruining the world
Local authorities are well aware of the problem and are trying to fix it by doubling the tourist tax during peak season. Raising the levy to as much as €4 per person per day, depending on the type of accommodation used, will help fund ecological projects, they say, as well as encourage holidaymakers to visit out of season. Other proposed measures have included tougher restrictions on Airbnb and a ban on tourists arriving by car.
18 idyllic islands you've probably never heard of
Telegraph Travel’s tip for a quieter Spanish island? Off the coast of Galicia lies the Cíes Islands, billed as the region’s answer to the Caribbean - and perfect for those in search of isolation. “There are several walking routes and the islands are popular with hikers and birdwatchers, particularly in the autumn,” explains Annie Bennett, our Spain expert. “Part of the Galician Atlantic Islands National Park, the land and the surrounding sea are highly protected. Visitors are limited to 2,200 a day; there are no hotels – only a campsite – and just a couple of basic restaurants. There are no bikes, let alone cars.”
