Qatar Is an Emirate in the Middle East

Qatar is an emirate in the Middle East, occupying the Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Capital and largest city is Doha. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia (south); otherwise the Persian Gulf with the island of Bahrain and at the other side Iran surrounds the state.

qatar map

qatar in future

Even the world’s fastest growing economy has not been able to escape the global economic crisis this year. GDP growth in Qatar is set to decelerate to seven to 10 per cent in 2009 from 14.3 per cent in 2008, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (see latest update here).

It latest report on the oil and gas rich peninsula in the Persian Gulf points to an 80 per cent hike in gas production from 2009-10 as six new super-trains come on stream, supporting GDP growth at a time when other oil states are going to be hit by an expected 50 per cent fall in oil revenues.

Inflation falling

But there is some good news coming in the form of lower inflation. Qatar has seen its cost of living, particularly accommodation, rocket with inflation of 15.1 per cent in 2008 the highest on record. At the end of the first quarter inflation was down to 13.2 per cent as the economy cooled.

The EIU also notes that Qatar has a solid accumulation of financial reserves and steady expected income from gas exports that will shield the tiny country from the global recession.

However, the current account surplus is set to fall to 2.5 per cent of GDP in 2009, the lowest in a decade. By 2010, all the same, this will balloon to 17.6 per cent thanks to a surge in LNG exports to 72 million tones.

Diversification

There is also praise for the country’s economic diversification strategy from the EIU. It cites a series of major infrastructure projects, including the causeway to Bahrain that critically do not depend on finance raised in global markets.

Other policy shifts on the horizon are a cut in corporation tax from 35 to 10 per cent to encourage business start-ups, a streamlined licensing system and a single regulatory framework for the financial system.

It is therefore easy to conclude that Qatar has probably been the country in the world least affected by the global economic crisis, and will be the first to overcome its challenges.

qatar bulding
qatar sea views
qatar view

Brazil Culture and Pictures

Brazil's World Cup Squad will be one of the hardest to break down. With their skills, it seems as if they will win another World Cup. For Brazil, their goalies include: Dida (AC Milan), Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Rogerio Ceni (Sao Paulo). And defense: Cafu (AC Milan), Cicinho (Real Madrid), Lucio (Bayern Munich), Juan (Bayer Leverkusen), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid), Gilberto (Hertha Berlin), Cris (Olympique Lyon), Luisao (Benfica). As for the midfield Brazil have many options making them one of the scariest midfield attackers in the World Cup: Edmilson (Barcelona), Juninho Pernambucano (Olympique Lyon), Emerson (Juventus), Ze Roberto (Bayern Munich), Gilberto Silva (Arsenal), Kaka (AC Milan), Ricardinho (Corinthians). Lastly, the attackers: Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Robinho (Real Madrid), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Adriano (Inter Milan), Fred (Olympique Lyon).
brazil football team
brazil map
brazil sea views
brazil football
brazil people
brazil

Pictures Of Spain

hoteles.es is reporting each month on the trends of Spain’s hotel industry, reporting on and interpreting the monthly figures released by Spain’s Institute of National Statistics (INE), which reveal the varying fluctuations of the country’s hotel sector, covering price rises and falls, hotel occupancy rates, changes in overnight stay figures and the origin of non-resident hotel guests. hoteles.es also provides a detailed regional breakdown of the figures.

March 2009 Overview

The big news to emerge this month from the INE is the 7.3% drop in average hotel prices throughout Spain in March compared to the same month in 2008. Assigned a points rating by the Hotel Price Index (HPI), this drop represents a fall of 9.5 points; a clear indication that a number of hotels throughout Spain have been forced to cut their prices in the wake of falling hotel figures.

So have these price cuts had any positive effect? Initial analysis would seem to suggest not. The second talking point to emerge from this month’s figures is the reported 18.9% fall in overall overnight stays in hotels in March compared to last year. While the average stay increased by 0.6% to 2.9 nights per guest, the indications are that people are still travelling much less than they used to in 2008.

Taken as a quarterly figure, 2009 has so far seen 16% fewer overnight stays when compared to the first three months of last year, yet these figures may be skewed somewhat by the fact that Easter - a traditionally busy time for the hotel sector - fell in March last year and April this year, so it is expected that next month’s figures will paint a clearer picture by way of comparison.

In terms of average hotel occupancy rates, the downward trend continued. While the 42.2% occupancy rate for March was better than the previous month (February 2009 saw an average occupancy rate of just 40.3%), this is to be expected given that Springtime always attracts more travellers than late winter. More pertinent, however, is that fact that hotel occupancy rates in March this year were down by 16.8% when compared to last year; which is a greater decrease than last month (when 2009 rates were only 14% worse than 2008), suggesting that the credit crunch is still having a negative effect. As ever, the weekend occupancy rates were better, with 48.7% of hotel rooms occupied - although this still represented a fall of 13.7% compared to last year.

spain of map
spain ocean
spain city
spain picture
spain valley

Burj Dubai Info and Burj Dubai pictures

The king of dreams Sheikh Mo, have a vision to transform Dubai (with a population of only 240 000 lucky people) into an Arab and Muslim superpower.

Contrasting Norwegians oil wealth, which is discreetly hidden away, for no one to see. The Muslim-Arab ethnicitas recognise the true value of money, its potential to turn the world into an oasis of beauty More is more and the sky`s no limit…

Burj Dubai, a magnificent tower which will rise from the desert sand by the end of 2008:

The Dubai Towers, an imitation of a candlelight flame, too romantic

And one must not forget, the good old Palm islands

Dubai Palm City

Burj Dubai

Burj Dubai

Burj Dubai

Helsinki Samba Carnival in Finland

" border="0"> A gorgeously dressed performer takes part in the 15th Samba Carnival held in the central part of Helsinki, capital of Finland, June 11, 2005. The performers were samba-lovers from across the country and students majoring in samba dance. The carnival attracted numerous citizens' interests. " border="0"> A gorgeously dressed performer takes part in the 15th Samba Carnival held in the central part of Helsinki, capital of Finland, June 11, 2005. The performers were samba-lovers from across the country and students majoring in samba dance. The carnival attracted numerous citizens' interests. " border="0"> A gorgeously dressed performer takes part in the 15th Samba Carnival held in the central part of Helsinki, capital of Finland, June 11, 2005. The performers were samba-lovers from across the country and students majoring in samba dance. The carnival attracted numerous citizens' interests. " border="0"> Gorgeously dressed performers take part in the 15th Samba Carnival held in the central part of Helsinki, capital of Finland, June 11, 2005. The performers were samba-lovers from across the country and students majoring in samba dance. The carnival attracted numerous citizens' interests.

Top Destinations - Top Ten Cities to Travel in the World

We would like to share our findings on the world-wide cities that offer the most as far as attractions, elegance, comfort, safety. The follwing is a listing of the top ten cities in the world to travel. The following destinations were selected by a group of thirty-two world travelers from several different world-wide counties. Please enjoy our list of the top ten world cities to travel..

10. San Francisco, USA. Spring Break Links

9. Beirut, Lebanon

8. Buenes Aires, Argentina

7. Cape Town, South Africa

6. New York City, USA

5. Chiang Mai, Thailand

4. Sydney, Australia

3. Bangkok, Thailand

2. Rome, Italy

Spring Break Links

1. Florence, Italy
Spring Break Links

Bangkok - Night