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28.09.2024 - 00:35 / euronews.com / Angela Symons
Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing on Thursday with a lavish ceremony, raising hopes for a boost to the city's tourism.
An An and Ke Ke are the third pair of giant pandas to be sent to the city from mainland China since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Their arrival came after their new neighbour, Ying Ying, gave birth to twins last month and became the world’s oldest first-time panda mother on record.
With the addition of the new bears, the twins, and their father, Le Le, Hong Kong now houses six pandas.
Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said An An is a five-year-old male panda who is agile, intelligent and active, while Ke Ke, a five-year-old female, is good at climbing, cute and has a gentle temperament.
The new arrivals will undergo two months of quarantine and adapt to their new home at Ocean Park, a zoo and aquarium that has long been a favourite of residents and tourists. Lee expressed hope that the public could meet the new bears in mid-December.
In October, the government will invite residents to propose new names that showcase the pandas’ characteristics.
Tourism industry representatives are optimistic about the potential impact of housing six pandas, hoping it will boost visitor numbers in Hong Kong. Officials have encouraged businesses to capitalise on the popularity of the new bears and newborn cubs to seize opportunities in what some lawmakers have dubbed the “panda economy".
Pandas are widely considered China’s unofficial national mascot. The country's giant panda loan programme with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy. Giant pandas are only found in China's southwest and their population is under threat from development.
But caring for pandas in captivity is expensive. A zoo in Finland agreed with Chinese authorities to return two loaned giant pandas to China more than eight years ahead of schedule because they were too costly for the facility to maintain amid declining visitors.
Hong Kong's Ocean Park has been hosting pandas since 1999, when the first pair, An An and Jia Jia, arrived in the financial hub shortly after it was handed back to China.
Jia Jia, who died at 38 in 2016, is the world’s oldest-ever panda to have lived in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it’s 30 years, according to the Guinness World Records.
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It’s about to get easier to travel from Nashville to Europe thanks to the addition of two new direct flights to both Ireland and Iceland this spring.
My husband and I have been planning three-week vacations with our five children for over 15 years. Before we leave home, we usually have several destinations, campground reservations, and various activities in place.
After Norway was added to China's visa-free list earlier in September, five more European countries have made the cut.
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Dallas-Fort Worth travelers who want to take high tea overlooking Victoria Harbour at the Peninsula Hong Kong or chow down on dim sum have a new way to get to the bustling Asian metropolis next spring.
Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio includes 32 different brands. More than any standout architectural or interior design details, consistent quality and a beloved rewards program tend to keep travelers checking into the world’s largest hotel chain. However, one of the first things that struck me about the Munich Marriott Hotel City West, one of the brand’s newest locations, as I approached from the nearby train station on a sunny June afternoon was its impressive, almost Bauhaus-esque silhouette on Landsberger Strasse, the main thoroughfare that leads into downtown Munich.
There are two types of train trip: The long, slow, and often luxurious train journey that takes you through beautiful scenery that you book specifically to spend time on the rails; and the speedy, no-nonsense, cheap train ride you take to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. In the first category, you’ll find grand trips like Australia’s The Ghan, South Africa’s Blue Train, and Britain’s Caledonian Sleeper. In the second, there are trips from London to Brussels in just two hours, from Rome to Venice in four hours, and from Miami to Orlando in three hours. And if you’re a train traveler who belongs to the second category and likes getting places fast without flying, there are plenty of trains in this world that do just that at speeds previously unimaginable on land, including the fastest train in the world and its closest competitors.
The Catskills does Autumn very well. A getaway in the fall provides a consolation for the end of summer. It feels like a homely embrace, offering comfort, warmth, and a sweep of color that will bring cheer to even the most die-hard warm-season devotees. As fall begins to drape across New York State, it’s the perfect time to book a getaway — after all, we deserve to celebrate this time of year in a place where the season is in its brightest incarnation. The Catskills’ Hamptonsification, however, means that a weekend in the mountains can quickly get expensive. There are some ways to do a getaway on the dime. One is to set a reminder for October 3, noon ET. On a first-served basis, Urban Cowboy Lodge, arguably the best cabin hotel in the area, is offering a stay on the Big Indian Wilderness for $24 per night.