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- World's most questionable tourism slogans
- Gallery: World's largest natural flower garden opens in Dubai
- Panda palace pushes plush perfection
- Asia’s top chefs: What do they eat?
| World's most questionable tourism slogans Posted: 04 Mar 2013 10:02 PM PST It's always going to be tough to capture everything your country has to offer in a catchy slogan, but sometimes tourist boards miss the mark by miles. In no particular order, here are some of the most ill-advised tourism slogans we've come across. Seen any other howlers? Share them in the comments section below. 'It's got to be Austria'
This tourist slogan is far too presumptuous. After all, in its immediate neighborhood there's Italy, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia to choose from. We just can't help but feel that this alpine nation would do better to draw on its most famous export -– Arnold Schwarzenegger. A cheeky alternative: Austria should ask the star of "The Terminator" to be their official spokesperson, and put a little twist on his famous catchphrase: "Austria -- You'll Be Back." 'Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay'
Then came the ruthless 1970s narc lords, most notoriously the Medellín Cartel under Pablo Escobar. In recent decades there's been the ongoing insurgency by FARC guerillas and an American-supported war on drugs. More on CNN: Meet a drug lord's brother on Pablo Escobar Trail Still, we're sure a comforting slogan will make holidaying tourists forget all that. A cheeky alternative: "Colombia –- forget everything." 'Albania, A New Mediterranean Love'
For much of the second half of the 20th century, the hermetic country was off-limits to foreigners. The Communist government even made the decision to shun its only friends the Soviet Union and China, for being what they deemed to be revisionist to the ideals of Stalinism. A cheeky alternative: "Albania, you don't even know where we are." 'I Feel Slovenia'
In 1999, Texas Governor George W. Bush told a Slovakian journalist: "The only thing I know about Slovakia is what I learned firsthand from your foreign minister, who came to Texas." Bush had actually met with the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek. Still, we don't imagine the Slovenians are concerned. A cheeky alternative: "Slovenia –- not Slovakia." 'Canada -- Keep Exploring'
Are they admitting that the scenery is more spectacular in Alaska, or the food better south of the border? A cheeky alternative: "Canada –- more than just a polite United States." 'Touching Moments Experience Macau'
The problem with this slogan is wordiness. "Touching moments," "experience" –- just one of these would do, though none actually captures the charms of the former Portuguese colony. There's also the small matter of the music and video that goes with the slogan. It begins with a gently strumming Iberian guitar and a woman softly singing, "Touch me, with your romance ..." Around the 35-second mark, the tempo zooms forward and the poor lounge crooner is hardly able to keep up. Did we touch too much? A cheeky alternative: "Macau –- welcome mainlanders, this way to the casinos!" 'You in Greece'
1) If we're already in the country, why are they still trying to attract us? 2) Is there a problem with tourists wandering across the border from Macedonia who are unsure where they are? 3) This slogan doesn't end here, but extends io, "You in Athens," "You in Thessaloniki" and the confusing "Youth in Greece." A cheeky alternative: "Greece: We could really use your money." |
| Gallery: World's largest natural flower garden opens in Dubai Posted: 04 Mar 2013 06:02 PM PST Another week, another announcement of a massive super project in Dubai. The Middle Eastern city's latest mega-project is the Dubai Miracle Garden. Billing itself as the world's largest natural flower garden, the 72,000-square-meter attraction, located in Dubailand, has more than 45 million flowers. The name is apt, considering this mega-garden was -– like pretty much everything in Dubai –- built on desert land. According to a report in Gulfnews.com, Miracle Gardens' landscaper, Akar, says it wants to demonstrate "that it's possible to green the desert through judicious re-use of waste water, through drip irrigation." More on CNN: What a wonderful world: 12 fabulous gardens The U.A.E.-based company is also planting trees on the perimeter as windbreakers. Though the gardens are now open to visitors, the attraction isn't complete. Shopping outlets, restaurants and plant nurseries will be added during the second development phase, which kicks off mid-2013. The gardens will be closed during Dubai's notoriously hot summer months. Temperatures average 40 C (104 F) from June to September -- not exactly conducive to flower gazing. Dubai Miracle Garden: Al Barsha South; open daily, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., October to late May. Entrance 20 AED (US$5.50) per person, kids under three free; www.the-miracle-garden.com |
| Panda palace pushes plush perfection Posted: 04 Mar 2013 03:53 PM PST In the heirarchy of cute, fuzzy animals, there's a recognized pecking order. Kittens, koalas, penguins, harp seals and baby raccoons occupy positions near the top of the pack. But it's only the mighty panda that can be called the King of the Cuddly Beasts. Which is why the only thing we can think to ask about the new Panda Inn in China is: what took so long? More on CNN Travel: World's 20 cutest wild creatures Located at the foot of Emei Mountain in Emeishan, in southwest China's Sichuan province, the new hotel, slated to open in May, appears to answer the prayers of traveling panda lovers in need of a place to sleep. The hotel's 32 rooms will soon embrace their first guests with black, white and cuddles. Available in single, twin and double, each room differs with themes ranging from anime and film to embroidery and tea culture. It's hard to imagine the hotel won't satisfy the world's innate love of pandas, but a two-hour drive will take you to the real deal at the Chengdu Breeding and Research Centre, which houses the most captive-born giant pandas in the world. Sichuan province has China's largest population of pandas. Located in the Sichuan basin, Emei Mountain is a World Heritage site and World Cultural site. More alliterative China headlines: Shanghai beach babes bust bikini barrier Nights in panda paradise start from RMB 344 (US$55) during the hotel's opening promotion. Regular rates are RMB 688 (US$110) per night. 5 Emei Yard, Emeishan, China; +86 388 509 5333; www.panda-inn.cn |
| Asia’s top chefs: What do they eat? Posted: 04 Mar 2013 02:02 PM PST Asia's best chefs have recently been named, in the inaugural S.Pelligrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards, held in Singapore last week. Here, three of the winners explain how their culinary tastes impact their dishes, and ultimately our orders. Yoshihiro Narisawa, chef/owner, Narisawa (1st Place), Tokyo
Steamed Japanese white rice and tomato-based pasta are high on his culinary love list. "We get our rice from an organic rice producer," says Narisawa, whose modernist approach has earned him the top spot on the 2013 San Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best list. He placed 27th in last year's World's Best list. "This rice is farmed for subsistence but the farmer offers it to us. "I also enjoy pasta prepared with tokutani tomate, a tomato with high sugar content from Kochi Prefecture," says Narisawa. "I like dishes where I can taste the sheer [flavor] of the ingredients." "I never eat nor cook food produced against the law of nature," he says. "This includes processed food with chemical substances and genetically modified vegetables -- they destroy the future of all life on earth." Les Creations de Narisawa, 2-6-15 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku; +81 (3) 5785 0799; narisawa-yoshihiro.com More on CNN: The World's 50 Best Restaurants Andre Chiang, chef/owner, Restaurant Andre (5th Place), Singapore
"Pork and pork and pork, it can never go wrong," says Chiang, whose eponymous restaurant in Singapore hit fifth place in the Asia's best list and was ranked 68th on the 2012 San Pellegrino World 100 Best list -- barely two years after its debut. "At this relatively unknown restaurant called D-Jen in Taipei -- my birthplace -- a 72-year-old self-taught chef cooks a white pork knuckle in Yunnan ham jus and cured Iberico pork with nary a sprinkle of seasoning nor added ingredient," says Chiang, Taiwan-born and now specializing in French cuisine. When Chiang is back in his adopted home of Singapore, he prefers food prepared by his Thai wife. "I don't cook that much at home," says Chiang, "My wife's clear broth pho with chicken, spicy Thai vermicelli and pork ball, done 'floating market style' is comfort food for me." But Chiang hates capsicums. "I don't eat nor use capsicums in my cooking because I don't know how to make them taste better," says Chiang, who is known for being a perfectionist. "I want to make sure that everything I put on the plate is perfectly prepared, with total control and understanding," says Chiang. "If not, I'd rather not use it." Restaurant Andre, 41 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore; +65 6534 8880; http://restaurantandre.com More on CNN: Singapore dining: Best of the old and new Paul Pairet, chef/owner, Mr & Mrs Bund (7th Place) and Ultraviolet (8th Place), Shanghai
Pairet is the man behind Mr & Mrs Bund (ranked 7th on the Asia's best list and 7th on the Miele Guide 2011/2012) and ultra-sensorial Ultraviolet. The Frenchman has also made a name for himself with modernist creations like "Shrimp in the Jar." "And the roast pork belly from Crystal Jade Xintiandi, it 's a three Michelin-starred dish in itself with succulent fat meat and a lovely crisp skin," he says. "The roast pork foot with French fries and béarnaise sauce in Paris' Au Pied de Cochon is also to die-for. "Of course, we have also created a similar dish at Mr & Mrs Bund -- a perfect contrast of crunchy and mellow texture with a fabulous béarnaise sauce." Ask what he loathes and he only has this to say: "Never say never, though I would never do any harm to dogs." Mr & Mrs Bund, Bund 18, 6/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Nanjing Dong Lu, Shanghai; +86 21 6323 9898; http://mmbund.com Ultraviolet, address undisclosed, confirmed guests depart from a set meeting point in Shanghai. Email: thehost@uvbypp.cc; http://uvbypp.cc More on CNN: The 24-hour Shanghai travel guide |
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