Indonesia Takes Part in The Biggest Tourist Bourse

Indonesia will take part in the biggest tourist bourse in the Netherlands, Vakantiebeurs on January 12-17, 2010. "The Ministry of Culture and Tourism along with the Indonesian embassy in The Hague facilitate 20 tourism industries (hotels and travel agencies) will take part in Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht, the Netherlands," Marketing Director General of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Sapta Nirwandar said in Jakarta Thursday.

Sapta who will be leading the Indonesian delegation planned to bring along teams of artists from Maluku, West Sumatera, and East Nusa Tenggara. They will hold a cultural performance and an Indonesia Night highlighted by singing legend Bob Tutupoli and a fashion show by Oscar Lawalata.

"Indonesia will be the host partner country at Vakantiebeurs 2010, for which the Indonesian delegation will not only occupay the largest pavilion covering 154 m2 at Island Location, but will also have the privilege in occupying 349 m2 at hall 2 (Indonesia Area) for cultural and artistic promotion or non-commercial activities," he said.

The organizers will also give Indonesia a time slot for cultural performances every day during the exhibition prime time of Vakantiebeurs. "Indonesia’s participation in Vakantiebeurs 2010 is a very important momentum because starting June 1, 2010 Garuda Indonesia vill be flying the Jakarta-Amsterdam route via Dubai every day by Airbus A330-200," Sapta said.

Vakantiebeurs or Holiday Fair is the biggest tourist exhibition in Holland, and also a trade and consumer fair. Last year Vakantiebeurs was joined by 1,630 participants from 160 different countries, and attended by 132,961 visitors.

The Netherlands is an important market for Indonesia’s tourism for the European region. The number of Dutch tourists visiting Indonesia in 2008 reached 141,202, up by 26.21 percent compared to the 111,882 in 2007, while last year the projected number of Dutch tourists coming to Indonesia reached 135,000, and in the January-November 2009 period reached 132,184, up by 6.3 percent, compared to the same period last year.

The market of Dutch tourists is very promising, in which 10 percent or 1.6 million of the 16.7 million Dutch population has a historical bond with Indonesia, while the number of outbound Dutch tourists reached 6 million per year. The Indonesian delegation to Vakantiebeurs will also provide information, hold awareness campaigns, press conferences, industrial gatherings, hospitality, batik and spa demonstrations, and coffee corners.

Twenty tourist industries taking part in the even are Panorama Destination (Jakarta), Bali Garden Beach Resort, Miracle Batik (Yogyakarta), Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa (Bali), Limbunan Tours and Travel Services (Sulawesi Selatan), Exotic Java Trails (W Java), Aerowisata International (Jakarta), Nikko Bali Resort & Spa , Synergi Ravelino Tours & Travel (North Sumatera, Daya Patal Tour and Travel ((Maluku), Deva Tour & Travel Reizen (Netherlands), Vista Ekspress (Jakarta), Smarag Reizen (Netherlands), Suita Tours and Travel (South Sulawesi), TA/TO of the Netherlands, Nusa Andika Tour and Travel (Bali), Nuansa Bali Tours and Travel (Bali), Trans Borneo Adventure, and Melia Bali (Bali).

Travel Guide 2010

Lonely Planet's top 10 places include El Salvador in Central America, for hiking, surfing and low tourist numbers, and the Dutch-speaking Suriname in northern South America - the smallest country on that continent - for its cultural diversity and natural riches, including underwater wonders.

On the more traditional front, the US is "cool again" thanks to President Barack Obama, Morocco makes the list for its combination of "glam and grit" and Nepal is expected to be in demand now that peace has returned.

Interest in Germany is expected to be high, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, while Greece makes the cut for having "something for everyone" - from ruins to idyllic beaches - and Portugal is expected to draw in travellers as it experiences a "new wave" of modernity amid tradition. Closer to home, New Zealand and Malaysia round out the top 10 due to their natural beauty and diversity of experiences.

The US (particularly New York and Las Vegas) also makes the cut for Flight Centre's top 10 destinations, along with Vancouver in Canada, with the city hosting the Winter Olympic Games next month.

Botswana's plush tented camps are predicted to be in favour with the glamping (glamour camping) market, while Mexican and Caribbean beaches are back in fashion and luxury river cruising is expected to draw visitors to Vietnam.

Flight Centre joins Lonely Planet in including Greece (particularly Santorini and Mykonos) in its top 10, along with Malaysia (especially for shopping in Kuala Lumpur).

Rounding out Flight Centre's top 10 are Cadaques in northern Spain, "for a coastal yet cultural escape"; Provence in France for activity-based holidays such as cooking and art classes; and cruises from Australia.

Intrepid Travel is banking on interest in East Timor, with a new trip this year. The company says East Timor is "virtually untouched" by tourism and offers a combination of lush rainforest, traditional villages and Portuguese and Indonesian influences.

Transglobal Destinations says Turkey is emerging as a cheaper alternative to France, Spain and Italy, while World Expeditions says demand for off-the-beaten-track destinations such as Madagascar, Syria and Ethiopia has risen as confidence has returned.

A Brief History Of The Linens You Use Everyday

Derived from Linum, the Latin word for the Flax plant, and the Greek Linon, Linen is a fabric associated with woven textiles known for domestic materials used for bed, bathing, and décor, such as towels, sheets, pillow cases, and tablecloths. Past references to linen, though, included lightweight undergarments like chemises, waist shirts, and lingerie.

Modern linen is composed of natural fibers (Cotton, silk, modals, and sometimes flax) and synthetic fibers (polyester and rayon), although at one time the fabric was made solely of fibers from the flax plant (linum usitatisimum), cotton, or hemp. In some cases, linen was made of a combination of flax fiber, cotton, and hemp. Now three thousand years old, Flax is one of the oldest fibers around and used in small amounts, so combinations continue to be the tradition.

Bulk linen yarn is measured in the lea (symbol: NeL), which equals out to three hundred yards per pound. This specific length (or indirect grist system, as which it is already known) is the count of length units per unit mass. The measurement of lea is calculated as thus: the length in the number of leas X 300. For example, forty lea handkerchiefs X 300 = 40X300= 12,000 yards per pound.

Linen was also used to make what were typically non-fabric items. During the Middle Ages, books (Liber Linteus is the only book surviving made of this fabric), shields, and gambeson were all made (either in whole in part) from linen, the last two due to their strength. Nowadays, billiard cues are wrapped in Irish linen because of the absorbent quality of the fabric. This works well with sweaty hands. Quality paper, too, is made of this fiber, which explains why paper currency is 25% linen and 75% Cotton. Because of its flax consistency, top-grade linen is firm and smooth.

For items composed of better-made material, it's a good bet that the flax fiber is a part of that intricate combination. Because of flax’s extensive age, Linen is undoubtedly one of the oldest fabrics in the world. It’s understandable why such a fabric is still in use today.

The Real Man Behind the Myth

Like America itself, the jolly figure we call Santa Claus is a melting pot of cultures, blending elements of folklore with the fantastical.

Santa Claus the man is actually loosely rooted in fact, though he hasn't always looked the way he does today, having evolved from a gift-giving Catholic saint who lived during the third century.

The Protestant Reformation and the emigration of European traditions to America morphed that pious figure into the red-suited character that is now one of the most famous images in the world, complete with his iconic army of elves and a magical transportation system.

St. Nicholas the Generous

Ol' St. Nick wasn't always the rotund, bearded fellow you see gracing Christmas cards. The historical St. Nicholas was the revered Bishop of Myra, a Roman town in what is now Turkey. Born around the year 270 A.D., historians believe, Nicholas became bishop as a young man.

Nicholas was dedicated to helping the poor throughout his life, famously (and anonymously) paying for the dowries of impoverished girls. His reputation as a secret gift-giver around town grew with time, and he became known especially for depositing coins or treats in the shoes of children who would place them out for that very purpose, sometimes in exchange for carrots or hay left for his horses. Nicholas is traditionally depicted wearing a red bishop's cloak, and was often helped by a small orphan boy, according to some legends.

Canonized after his death, St. Nicholas was named as the patron saint of children, sailors and all of Greece, among others. He remained a popular figure of worship through the Middle Ages, with elaborate feasts held each year on the date of his death – Dec. 6 – and small gifts given to children, usually in their shoes, in his honor.

Dutch revival

The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, when the veneration of Catholic saints was suppressed in many regions of Europe, saw a drop in the popularity of St. Nicholas.

Only in The Netherlands was the celebration of St. Nicholas kept alive in the form of Sinterklaas, a kindly figure who traveled from house to house on the evening of Dec. 5, leaving treats or presents in children's shoes in exchange for a snack for his horses, according to folklore.

In the Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas wore red bishop's robes, had elfin assistants, and rode his horses over rooftops before slipping down the chimney to deliver the gifts.

Coming to America

Sinterklaas came to America with the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries, and it was in the new colonies that he really evolved.

The anglicizing of the name – from Sinterklaas to Santa Claus – happened by 1773, when the latter was referenced for the first time, in a New York City newspaper. Santa's waistline expanded in 1809 with the publication of author Washington Irving's book "A History of New York," in which the big man is described as portly and smoking a pipe instead of as a lanky bishop.

In an 1822 poem entitled "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" – more commonly called "Twas the Night Before Christmas" – by Clement Moore, Santa is further imagined with a magic sleigh powered by reindeer, a sack full of toys, and a round stomach, "like a bowl full of jelly."

By the late 1800s, most depictions of Santa Claus followed this imagery, but the final cog in the Claus legend was provided by Coca-Cola ad illustrator Haddon Sundblom, whose 1930s red-suited Santa, complete with white-fur trim and leather boots, became the iconic standard recognizable today.