W Retreat Koh Samui has unveiled details on aWay® Spa, the signature spa at the first W Retreat in Southeast Asia.  Slated to open in late 2010, aWay® Spa will whisk away W Retreat Koh Samui guests, in-the-know locals, and island visitors alike to a playground of surprising sensations and signature treatments that detoxify, decompress and refuel in an aura of peace, silent beauty and simple elegance.

Distinct from any other spa in Southeast Asia, aWay® Spa will be a masterpiece of modern design with 576 square meters of indoor and outdoor spa treatment areas that allow for total privacy and complete renewal.  aWay® Spa at W Retreat Koh Samui will fuse the sensory delights of glowing hues, playful scents, soothing sounds and energizing illumination with cutting-edge design and the distinctive vibe of Koh Samui, an oasis of natural beauty.  Housed in five luxurious treatment pavilions, the seven treatment rooms include the whimsically named Khoasis, Thaim Out, Thaid Away, Khozy, Thai’d Up, and Khosseted.  Every treatment room offers guests sweeping ocean views.

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has begun to promote Nepal Tourism Year 2011 aggressively in the international arena in the face of uncertainties in budget allocation and time constraints. According to Monday’s The Kathmandu Post daily, the NTB will be holding promotion at the JATA World Travel Fair, Japan in September, in the United States in October and in Britain and China in November. “We will move to other destinations gradually,” said NTB chief executive officer Prachanda Man Shrestha.

On the eve of national tourism campaign “Nepal Tourism Year” (NTY-2011), Nepal has unveiled two Chinese books on Sunday targeting Nepali tour guides and Nepalis who have little Chinese language background. Since Nepali government has projected northern neighbor China as its second largest market after southern neighbor India, government as well as tourism entrepreneurs are paying high attention toward Chinese tourists at present. Nepal is observing the year 2011 as the year of tourism with the aim of alluring more than one million international tourists among which more than 100,000 Chinese tourists are expected to visit the country.

“Nepali government has given high priority to Chinese tourists visiting Nepal as per its policy. Our target is to increase Chinese tourists each year,” said Kishor Thapa, Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. According to him, those Chinese visitors coming to Nepal are dominantly tourists and businessmen.”The number of Chinese visiting to Nepal is soaring up every year and language has been the major barrier. I hope recently released books will help to wipe out that language barrier and soothe easy communication between Nepalis and Chinese people,” Thapa added.

In the year 2009, more than 35,000 Chinese visitors arrived Nepal and government has analyzed that this number can be doubled during 2011 if heedful attention paid for promotional activities in China this year. In contrast to the soaring number of Chinese visitor arrivals in Nepal, the number of Chinese speaking Nepali tour guides are limited. There are only 40 licensed Chinese speaking tour guides in Nepal.

China Airlines proudly announces it has signed a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement with the municipal government of Fuzhou, the bustling capital of southeastern China¡¦s Fujian Province. Signed at a ceremony in Fuzhou by Yang Yiming, Fuzhou Deputy Mayor, and China Airlines Chairman Philip Wei, this agreement will expand cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and Fuzhou while also speeding up development of the aviation industry in Fuzhou.

Over six months have already passed since year 2011 was officially declared “Nepal Tourism Year”. The spontaneous participation by people from every walk of life in its official launching in the month of February was overwhelming. Not only tourism entrepreneurs and its stakeholders but also political leaders showed their solidarity in raising their voice for a common national interest. However, the sigh of relief that swept our mind, which is still vivid, seems to be fading away with time. Where are we in terms of our preparedness in hosting over a million tourists?