You Most Know Before Going Tour

Introduction
 East Asia consists of two distinct regions: South-East Asia, lying within the tropics, and the countries to the north, which Europeans and people from the Americas refer to as the ‘Far East’, although to an Australian this would seem geographically inappropriate. Most countries in East Asia have experienced rapid growth since the 1970s and have adopted Western technology without sacrificing their cultural identity, which is based on older civilizations and religions than those of the West. Economic growth has fuelled the demand for business travel, and also encouraged a significant volume of outbound leisure tourism. Demand for tourism in the region has been affected by three major events – the financial crisis of 1997/1998, the Bali bombings in 2002 and the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak of 2003. In the future China will be a dominant force in outbound tourism to the rest of the world.

South-East Asia
The part of Asia extending from Burma to the Philippines was culturally influenced many centuries ago by India to the west, and China to the north. Overseas Chinese communities play an important role in the economic life of many countries in the region and indeed throughout the Pacific, but since the nineteenth century, the influence of Western Europe and the USA has become increasingly important.

The Western powers were soon challenged by Japan, which although defeated
 militarily in the Second World War, has subsequently become the major economic influence in the region. After the Second World War most countries in South-East Asia suffered a good deal of political upheaval that was part of the wider struggle between the West and the Communist powers. This adversely affected the growth of tourism, which was also restricted or given a low priority by those countries with a socialist regime.
 Most countries in the region have joined together to form ASEAN(Association of South East Asia Nations), which promotes cooperation in all spheres of economic activity. Although member countries compete for visitors, they each see the advantages of joint promotion aimed at the main tourist-generating markets. However, ASEAN has been less effective at coping with environmental issues, notably the severe pollution in the region.
 The setting for tourism There are wide disparities in wealth between the different countries of South-East Asia. The per capita incomes of Singapore and Brunei approach those of Western Europe, while Burma, Laos and Cambodia rank among the world’s least developed nations. There are also great contrasts in economic and social development within many countries, particularly between the major cities on the one hand, and the impoverished rural communities on the other. The countries of South-East Asia also contain tribal societies, often regarded as primitive by the mainstream culture.
 These include:
 ● the hill tribes of northern Thailand
 ● the Montagnards of Vietnam
 ● the forest-dwellers of Malaysia
 ● the indigenous peoples of Western Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, in
 Indonesia. Traditional cultures such as these fascinate Western tourists, but they are highly vulnerable to the negative impacts of tourism, as well as the exploitation of their environment by commercial logging and plantation agriculture.Almost the whole of South-East Asia lies within the tropics, and experiences warm to hot weather throughout the year, with frequent but brief torrential downpours. The northern parts of the region do have a clearly defined cool dry season, while the timing and duration of the rainy season in the coastal areas of West Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Indonesia depends on their exposure.

As an island situated at the western periphery of Europe, Ireland is geographically isolated from
 the rest of the EU and the world’s main tourist-generating countries, with the exception of Britain.
 Since 1922 it has also been a divided island. The Republic of Ireland chose independence and
 neutrality in the Second World War, whereas the Province of Northern Ireland (made up of six out
 of the nine counties of Ulster) remained part of the United Kingdom. This partition never achieved
 widespread support among the Catholic population, who form a substantial minority in Northern
 Ireland. In 1969, the outbreak of violence in Northern Ireland proved detrimental to both its
 tourism industry and that of the Republic. The division of Ireland, based largely on religious.

• Domestic and outbound tourism
• The propensity for, and frequency of, holiday-taking has increased in recent years
• particularly for overseas travel. The strength of the Irish economy allied to airline
• competition has encouraged the growth of overseas tourism, and over 4 million
• trips overseas are made each year. The most popular destinations are the United
• Kingdom (with around half of all trips) and mainland Europe, but with budget and
• charter flights to long-haul destinations, a greater range of destinations are in evidence. There is also a substantial volume of cross-border traffic by road and rail

Transport
 The mode of travel to Ireland has changed since the 1970s as budget airlines and
 aggressive marketing have seen air transport increase at the expense of the ferry
 services. The only direct sea routes to Ireland from the Continent are:
 Cork/Roscoff
  Rosslare/Cherbourg.
 There is a wide choice of sea routes from Britain:
  Rosslare/Fishguard or Pembroke
  Dun Laoghaire/Holyhead
  Dublin/Liverpool
  Belfast/Liverpool
  Belfast/Douglas and Heysham
  Belfast/Stranraer or Cairnryan.
 On many of these sea routes operators are investing in state of the art vessels,
 including high-speed catamarans, and are also cutting fares in a bid to regain market share from the airlines. Deregulated airlines have also reduced fares, sparking a
 price war, and opened up access to Ireland’s regional airports. Ryanair for example,
 pioneered the budget airline as a business model and the development of regional
 airports – supported by EU funding – namely Waterford, Kerry (Farranfore),
 Galway, Sligo, Donegal (Carrickfinn) and Horan International (formerly Knock).
 The four main airports are Belfast, Dublin, Shannon and Cork. Dublin is the international gateway to the Republic of Ireland, and the hub for Aer Lingus, the
 national carrier. Belfast City Airport is the gateway to Northern Ireland, and is well
 served by routes to the rest of the UK (including a shuttle service to Heathrow) and
 the Continent. The expansion of air services has encouraged the growth of business
 and conference traffic. Ireland’s location on the western periphery of Europe does
 give it the advantage of uncongested skies and, with the development of route networks between European regional airports, the authorities intend that Ireland will
 become less isolated from its tourist markets. Road transport is much more important for domestic tourism than the limited railway network. Some measure of integrated travel is possible through Coras Iompair Irelandann (CIE), which operates
 coach/bus services throughout the Republic.

Introduction to Cyrus

Cyprus is an island with a rich history. Its history is enriched by its Greek heritage, but, being at the crossroads of three continents, it has endured a multitude of conquerors each one leaving behind several elements of their culture.

After the 1974 Turkish invasion, Cyprus is geographically divided in two parts: Northern Cyprus which is in habited by Turkish Cypriots and southern Cyprus which is mainly inhabited by Greek  Cypriots and The biggest community on the island, Before that two communities along with some other minorities, used to co-exist. The case of Nicosia City constitutes an interesting one since it is the world last divided Capital.

Cyprus was once among the richest countries in the world (owing to its copper resources). Now days, the main economy of southern Cyprus is dominated by the service sector with tourism. Financial service and real estate being the most important sectors. Among these tourism constitutes the primary source of income. With over 2 million tourist arrivals per years, Cyprus is the 40^th most popular destination in the world. In recent year Cyprus has also witnessed an increase in manufacturing and exporting to (Europe and Middle East) goods and services including citrus fruits, cement, potatoes, clothing and pharmaceuticals.

The structure of Cyprus cities of the south has also been upgraded recently with the addition of bicycle lanes, shops and many more local amenities. Big shopping malls, as well as small independent shops, have been on the increase in Cyprus whose quality draws visitors from all over the island. Besides the creation of designated dog parks, there are parks that, by popular demand, are primarily dominated by specific ethnicities and serve as a reference meeting point for their leisure time.

As for Leisure time, there are many things to do. The old city of Nicosia is very picturesque, with its graphic pedestrian brick road lined with many restaurants, cafeterias, bars and clubs. If you would like to go for a walk along the blue flag beaches of Cyprus, the nearest seaside is just thirty minutes, drive from Nicosia. For those who love travelling, visiting other European countries for a weekend is very easy as many airlines fly to and from southern Cyprus. Living in Cyprus means you can spend your holidays by the sea or in the mountains.

Sports, in Cyprus, and especially football, have achieved a level of professionalism in the last five year which are comparable to big European clubs. Local clubs have earned their way into the Champion’s League 32 Finalists, thus bringing giants of the trade lie FC Barcelona and Real Madrid to the island. In addition, basketball, volleyball, cricket, tennis, cycling and other sports have also been on the rise.

In general, life on the island is characterized by convenience afforded by its small-scale kindness generated by the people’s inherent up-bringing, cosmopolitan lifestyle.

This is due to its increase in demographics and recently discovered natural gas and oil which brought investors from all over the world.

Geography, Population and Language

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and covers an area of 3572 sq mi (9251 km). It is smaller than Sicily and Sardinia, but larger than Corsica and Crete. It stands at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia, and it has a picturesque coastline of 402.6 mi (648 km) with long sandy beaches and a rich variety of vegetation and a rich variety of vegetation and fruits.

In the last few years, the population of Cyprus has increased, due to its accession to the European Union, and has become a multicultural place. The current population of the entire island is 1192 285. The official languages are Greek and Turkish, but English holds a dominant position too. Nicosia the capital of Cyprus and it is located in the center of the island of the island. Other cities and areas worth visiting are Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Ayia Napa and Protaras.

Weather and Time Zone

Cyprus has a Mediterranean climate; it is generally dry and warm with sunshine likely on most days of the year. The winter is mild with often heavy, tropical-style rainstorms. The ski season usually runs from January to March. The summer is hot and dry, and perfect for swimming. With more than 340 days of sunshine, residents and tourists get to enjoy the sandy beaches of Cyprus throughout the year.The local time in Cyprus is two hours ahead of GMT (Green which Mean Time).

Ports and Airports

There are two ports in southern Cyprus. Larnaca Marina is a large port in Larnaca while the main commercial port of Cyprus is in Limassol Likewise, there are two international airports in southern Cyprus, one in Larnaca ( a thirty-minute drive from Nicosia) and one in Paphos ( one-hour-fifteen-minute drive from Nicosia). There are over 28 international airlines flying to and from Cyprus.

With two international airports located in Larnaca and Paphos, and with the increasingly popular transit region of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

Cyprus and the European Community

In 2004, Cyprus joined the European Union and therefore enjoys political, economic, social, environmental and other advantages. Cyprus is the 118^th largest export economy in the world. The top export destinations of Cyprus are Greek, Israel, the United Kingdom, Libya and Germany. Furthermore, Cyprus is a member of the United Nation, the Council of Europe, the British Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned Movement, while it is currently in the process of joining the schengen area.

Geographically, Great Britain and Ireland are the two largest islands in the group known as the British Isles, lying off the north-west coast of Europe. They include two sovereign states – the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) and the Republic of Ireland. Britain comprises the three nations of England, Scotland and Wales, and so excludes Northern Ireland, which we cover along with the Republic in Chapter 10. The islands of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are semi-independent states associated with the UK, but for geographical convenience we include the Channel Islands with England in Chapter 8 and the Isle of Man with Scotland and Wales in Chapter 9. Although only a narrow stretch of water separates Britain from the Continent of Europe, this has been sufficient to give the British:
● a strong maritime outlook with interests extending to all corners of the globe, while the naval heritage is an important part of Britain’s tourist appeal
● a cultural identity quite distinct from other west Europeans; the ‘Narrow Seas’ are often stormy and in the past have acted as a barrier against invaders from the European mainland. The British, with their long tradition of travel and exploration, invented holidays in the modern sense, since Britain was the first country to experience the consequences of the Industrial Revolution. The importance of tourism is clearly illustrated by these statistics for the beginning of the twenty-first century:
● Overseas arrivals to the UK exceeded 24 million.
● The British took 58 million trips abroad.
● The British took 160 million domestic trips.
● Tourism was estimated to support over 2 million jobs directly and indirectly, and
contribute almost 4.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Climate and weather
The latitudinal extent of the British Isles (from 50 North to 60 North) gives a
diversity of climatic influences and conditions. Their location off the coast of mainland Europe does mean that the climate is tempered by maritime influences, especially in the south-west of England, where moist, mild conditions predominate. The British Isles are a battleground of different air masses and conditions are dependent upon either the nature of the dominant air mass at the time or the wet and stormy weather which results from the ‘fronts’ where the air masses meet. Low-pressure systems are constantly coming in from the Atlantic, and the western highlands and uplands bear the brunt of these systems, sheltering the lowland zone. In winter, temperatures are lowest in the north-east of the British Isles and mildest in the south-west, but in summer the gradient changes to west–east, with cooler temperatures in the west, although sea temperatures are often lower along the North Sea coast, as the prevailing westerly winds are offshore. In the summer, too, sunshine figures are a source of keen competition between resorts. The south coast has the highest average duration of bright sunshine, with the number of sunshine hours decreasing inland, to the north, and with altitude. If sunshine is the goal of many holidaymakers, precipitation is to be avoided (apart from snow in winter sports resorts). The highest precipitation is found over the higher ground of the west (the Lake District, Wales and the Scottish Highlands) which, at 2500 millimetres per year, is about four times as much as parts of eastern England. Precipitation falling as snow is more common in the highland and upland zones, and the colder east. In the Cairngorms in Scotland snow can lie for more than 100 days of the year and this has led to a major development of winter sports in the Aviemore area. Climate statistics can be deceptive and the variety of influences upon weather in the British Isles means that there are considerable differences from the average experience.