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French bike race turns 20

Europe's largest amateur bike race, the Ardechoise, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year when thousands of cyclists are once again expected to take part in the event in Saint-Felicien in the Ardeche from June 15 to 18.

Last year's race attracted around 13,000 competitors, according to the Ardeche tourist office. Participants can choose from 23 different routes, varying from 60 to 600 kilometers, and enjoy the winding roads, villages, mountains and steep valleys of southeastern France en route.

Chicago's skyscrapers up close

The skyscrapers of Chicago are opening their doors to the public from Oct 14 to 16 of this year as part of an initiative by the Chicago Architecture Foundation.

The open house is a free public event designed to give tourists the chance to get behind-the-scenes views of over 100 of the city's buildings in an effort to illuminate areas that are normally open by invitation only, according to local tourism officials.

Australia reopens cave

The Jewel Cave in Western Australia has re-opened after an 18-month closure for redevelopment work. The country's largest tourist cave, which is situated south of the Margaret River and north of Augusta, sinks to a reachable depth of 42 meters and is 1.9 kilometers long.

It also offers visitors the opportunity to see giant formations, including one of the longest straw stalactites found in any tourist cave in the world, measuring 580 centimeters. (www.margaretriver.com/pages/jewel-cave)

London's Olympic fever

There is still more than a year to go before the Olympic Games begin in the British capital, but enthusiastic crowds already can be found peering into the largest construction site in Europe.

On one recent chilly weekday, some 100 people gathered outside the Bromley-by-Bow subway station in East London for a guided walking tour along the banks of the River Lee to the Olympic site, the BBC said. Leaving at 11 am every day, rain or shine, the tour started more than a year ago and will continue after the Games are over. When the group reached the Greenway (the only area of the official site open to the public), they were joined by even more tours and tourists.

'Gorbachev birthmark' a hit

It is the latest twist in a travel trend that industry observers have labeled the "shapecation".

Russian tour operators told London's Daily Telegraph that a surge of interest in a hitherto little-known archipelago due to its uncanny resemblance to the birthmark of the former USSR leader, Mikhail Gorbachev.

The obscure archipelago, which is known as Durak Aprel, is located off the Siberian coast in the far northeast of the country.

An aerial photograph highlights the similarity between the group of islands and the brown coloration that marks Gorbachev's forehead - and that has prompted an influx of visitors to a particularly remote part of the country.

Airline news and deals

AirTran No 1 in airline quality study: Low-cost carrier AirTran had the best overall performance of the 16 largest US carriers last year in an annual study of airline quality released on Monday, knocking the previous leader - Hawaiian Airlines - into second place.

Regional air carrier American Eagle ranked last in the study based on Department of Transportation data.

Overall, airlines improved their performances over the last year. They lost fewer bags and bumped fewer passengers, while on-time arrivals were up. But travelers were still dissatisfied - complaints to the Transportation Department about airline performance rose a whopping 28 percent in 2010, the study said.

Shanghai-Macao air express opened: Spring Airlines has started its Shanghai-Macao air express, with the cheapest ticket priced at 199 yuan.

Discounted tickets between Beijing and Athens: Air China will open a new route between Beijing and the Greek capital beginning May 11, offering tickets from 2,900 yuan for a round trip. The offer is available until May 10 for flights before June 30.

China Daily - Associated Press - Deutsche Presse Agentur

(China Daily 04/10/2011 page16)