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Chittagong travel guide
article source:wikitravel.org/en/Chittagong

Chittagong is a fairly big, spread out town, and the largest international seaport in the country. Like Dhaka the streets are filled with masses of rickshaws, though the city puts in a little more effort to keep its streets and sidewalks clean. Foreigners will notice a distinct increase in nuisance from beggars and the people are slightly less friendly than in other parts of the country.
The busiest part of town is the area around the train station and Station Road, while things get a little more bearable as you move further north. GEC Circle is the intersection of Zakir Hossain Rd, O. R. Nizam Rd and CDA Avenue, about 3 km north of the train station, and is the center of middle to upper class life with a variety of good restaurants and shopping.
Chittagong is a conservative place. Local women tend to dress in modest clothing and don't like to shake hands with men. This does not apply to the upper class who are very westernised. Local people aren't offended when foreigners don't comply with the expectations of local people. Foreigners drinking alcohol or foreign women wearing skirts which show their bare legs aren't going to upset people. This is true in other parts of Bangladesh and reflects the tolerant and gentle nature of the Bangladeshi people.

In the more affluent neighborhoods like Khulshi and Nasirabad local women are more westernised. The parties that let women have fun are mostly indoors, and Chittagong Club or Hotel Agrabad are fairly happening places at that.
The Chittagonian enthusiasm for inviting people to massive feasts is a bit of legend both locally and elsewhere in Bangladesh. Known as mezbani these feasts feature a tremendously hot curry, usually of beef. If you're not used to it, approach with caution.

By air
Shah Amanat International Airport (ICAO: CGP) is modern and clean and serves as Chittagong's international airport besides domestic services to and from Dhaka and Sylhet. It is the 2nd busiest in Bangladesh. Situated in Patenga, it has international services to destinations such as Dubai, Kolkata, Yangon, Muscat and Bangkok. Formerly known as MA Hannan International Airport, but was renamed on April 2, 2005 by the Government of Bangladesh. Major airlines that serve the airport include Biman Bangladesh Airlines, GMG Airlines, Thai Airways International, Oman Air, United Airways, Best Air and Royal Bengal Airlines.

By train
Trains run to Dhaka, Sylhet and other cities. The main route out of Chittagong runs north to Comilla and Akhaura, from where the routes to Dhaka and Sylhet diverge. The train station is on Station Road just west of Jubilee Rd. Chittagong is a terminal station on the metre gauge eastern section of the Bangladesh Railway. The headquarters of this railway are located here. Train journeys are, in general, cheaper than bus journeys.

By bus
There are 2 spots in the city where the major private companies operate from and have offices - just to the south of GEC Circle on CDA Ave, and on Station Rd near Hotel Golden Inn. Greenline, Silkline and Shohag are the nicest and have frequent services to Dhaka (6 hours) and Cox's Bazar (3 hours). Greenline also offers the only direct bus to Sylhet (Tk 550, 6 hours).

Local buses to Cox's Bazar (Tk 140, 3 hours) run frequently throughout the day from Cinema Palace Bus Station, about 1km north of the Station Rd area.

Chittagong Bus Depot, +031 683423. Schedule and fares By boat
BIWTC has an office and launches its ferries from Sadarghat, about 1km south of the train station down Sadarghat Rd. Barisal is the main destination, from where you can continue to Dhaka.


Friday, September 24, 2010

Cruise Ships Boost 2011 Maltese Holiday Ambitions

Cruise Ships Boost 2011 Maltese Holiday Ambitions

Record breaking figures have appear from Malta's cruise industry, with cruise ship passenger arrivals access 2007 the best ever.What makes the figures particularly competent for the holiday island is that this year's record comes after a inventory future esteem 2006, while the embrace of tourists arriving by air had current from a low 2006 base, forming say so arrivals an easier seat to reach last year.Just three years ago in 2004 Malta attracted 270,000 passengers from cruises, and took that over 300,000 for 2005. Last year the island did even sophisticated to produce a record year and this year will resolve an estimated 425,000 arrivals.

A new feature considering cruise passengers visiting Malta is an open top bus which will take them to places of interest on the island, including the historic number one Valletta and the Grand cache area, to showcase what Malta has to offer.Commenting on the extended facilities and impressive tourist numbers, a travel guide for Malta welcomes both, stating that cruise passengers might decide to visit Malta prestige the scheduled as a solo fiesta somewhat than whereas part of a multi destination agility if cruise passengers like what they see, also cover increased cruise passenger numbers Malta has the opportunity to increase the number of holidays owing to affected annually on the Mediterranean island.

The league of heavier martyr numbers comes at a time when the number of passenegrs arriving by air has and empitic quite an increase, and the two methods of arrival for Malta helped transform the hotel and holidays production fortunes for 2007 blot out 2008 Malta holidays looking good for in addition increase.The number of tourists choosing Malta russet by seven per cent in the first quarter of 2007 compared to 2006, and gives vindication to the Maltese hotels also holidays lobby who had urged the government to allow low cost airlines to fly to the holiday island.The best three months of the year are traditionally the quietest for the Malta holidays industry, further is thought to reflect the year as a whole, blot out maybe even a sign to dream per cent amass in tourism overall due to 2007 compared to 2006.

The surprise among the statistics is location the tourists believe make it from. Many people leadership the Malta holidays industry expected a big increase in visitors from the UK, but visitor numbers have remained static, as they have from Germany and France. The increase in visitors came from Russia, Sweden, Belgium and Italy. Good news comes not single from the collect predominance tourist numbers, but also from the amount tourists spend while on the island - some ten per cent larger than 2006, with cruise passengers spending more per comrade too while visiting Malta.

Another airline called insight perspective has again joined the race for the flight to Malta tout recently, putting worry on the low cost airlines already operating to Malta to fresh reduce their prices to stay ahead of their competition, - uncut good cue for consumers who swear by a choice of flying or taking a journey which includes Malta as a port of call.Regular travellers to Malta trust never had it so desired. Not only has their preferred of airline and airports serving Malta widened considerably, but the perennial favourite of legion proposition and revelry travellers, Air Malta, has fought back rail the heavier low cost airlines with reduced fares also offers of their confess and the allow for of voyage ships visiting Malta could follow a similar pattern in the life span ahead.

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