Are you a travel fanatic? If the answer is yes, then here are the top 10 travel destinations you should consider visiting this year and a few reasons why.

Colombia: a place you just have to visit, with its plenty of momentum, friendly people, Colombia has a natural beauty and a country that is fun and safe to explore.

The coastal Caribbean city of Cartagena has great tourist infrastructure mixed with its colonial architecture and history. All the major cities here have fairly large International airports, and flights are often easier and cheaper.

Panama:  when you mention Panama, what comes in the mind is canal. While you may not hear much about it, this country has lots of tourists’ attraction sites than canals only. Panama has a little bit of everything to offer travelers from the lush jungle highlands to excellent surf ad beaches on the pacific side. Add the mix friendly people with diverse and rich culture and you have yourself an equation for a perfect destination.

Cambodia: Siem Reap is just a bit south of Bangkok and it offers a far more authentic and less slick look into the culture while still having well developed infrastructure. One of the benefits here is Angkor Wat temple complex, most visitors use it as a staging area for their time.

Argentina:  Bariloche in Argentina is a city jammed with winter and summer activities. Its stunning scenery in almost all directions makes it popular among those touring different places in the region.

Australia: the island of Tasmania in Australia though it’s a small state is enough to keep most travelers occupied for the entire trip, with its incredible landscapes, national parks, nature reserves and world heritage sites are just but a few great options to fill your days in Australia.

Bangladesh:  This is definitely a place worth to look for when travelling to Asia. The capital city Dakar is the obvious place to start with, the people here are welcoming and friendly. The port city of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar the worlds longest beach are some of the must go places in Bangladesh.

Italy:  travelers need not to be told to go to Italy, but many people need to be told about the many big Italian Island besides Sicily. Sardinia is one of them; it has long been a vacation destination for Italians. It’s a haven for anyone who loves the outdoors.
Senegal- If you are looking to explore the real Africa you should consider visiting Senegal as your entry point. Its fascinating and easily accessible culture makes it a safe place to be.

Germany:  fun loving?  Berlin in Germany is fairly filled with interesting and amazing new tourist attraction. It has plenty going for including a feel that is somewhat exotic compared to some other countries.

Syria:  Damascus in Syria is one place where you can feel like you are truly stepping back in time. It is the oldest city in the world but this part of the city looks, smells and sounds like it did long ago. It’s full of history and credibly affordable.

So every one, 2009 is the year of travelling to your destination go for it!

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www.MedellinTraveler.com — Medellin, Colombia Travel Guide. Medellin, Colombia video by Matt Stabile. Discover Medellin, the capital of the Colombian state of Antioquia. The city of Medellin is Colombia’s second largest city and said to be one of the most beautiful cities in all of South America. There is plenty to do and see in this wonderful and vibrant city in Colombia.

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During the 1980s and 1990s, Bogota had a dismal reputation in the international media, due in large part to its murder rate, which was one of the highest in the region. Thanks to new government policies and massive policing efforts, Bogota’s crime rate has dropped 70 percent and the city is today considered safer than Washington, D.C., Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City.

Bogota offers an eclectic blend of modernity and history, with gleaming skyscrapers set amidst colonial buildings. Spanish and French colonial influences are seen throughout the city, which also has also been widely impacted by American-style architecture. The city is home to diverse cultural and artistic offerings, as well as an eclectic shopping scene and numerous gourmet food shops and restaurants.

Bogota’s modern transportation system is a well-planning and highly organized, making travel to and within Colombia’s capital city easy and efficient. If you are traveling to Colombia by airplane, you will arrive at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport, South America’s largest airport, and able to handle more than 16 million travelers a year. Traveling from within Colombia is also convenient, since Bogota is a hub for national bus routes and has the largest bus station in the country. The station also offers international routes, including to Ecuador and Venezuela.

Once you have landed or arrived in Bogota, you will likely do most of your getting around by bus, which is the city’s primary and most prolific form of mass transportation. The city has two bus systems: the traditional system and the TransMilenio. The traditional system utilizes a combination of large city buses, mini-buses and mini-vans to transport passengers via city streets. The TransMilenio is a rapid transit system, which networks modern articulated buses operating on bus-only roads with smaller feeder buses bringing passengers from residential areas to the main grid. The TransMilenio, which is still being expanded, is expected to cover the entire city by 2030, at which point it will completely replace the traditional bus system.

Although the TransMilenio is Bogota’s most efficient transportation system, it is also the city’s most expensive one (other than private taxis), since the buses run on diesel and are subject to fare increases in accordance with rising oil prices.

For a less expensive and more environmentally friendly mode of transportation, consider renting a bike. Bogota has a city-wide network of bike paths (called ciclorutas), totaling more than 300 kilometers. Since construction of the ciclorutas began in 1995, bicycle use in Bogota has increased 5 times. Today, an estimated 400,000 bike trips are made daily in the city.

While Bogota does not have a commuter train, its so-called tourist train is popular both with visitors and the local population. On weekends, the tourist train rides from Bogota to the outlying neighborhoods of Nemocon and Zipaquira, which is famous for its salt cathedral. The route is 53 kilometers long and takes several hours (for the roundtrip experience).

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Imagine the exciting experience discovering this amazing tropical island.

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The continuous innovations in modes of travel and the growth of global awareness have incited an increase in the travel and tourist activities all over the world. With the hectic demanding, polluted city life a lot of travelers are in constant search for locations that are still environmentally healthy that will allow them to experience an unspoiled area of Nature. As the world’s population keep on increasing, most vacation spots will eventually become more crowded, making it unsuitable for relaxation. Ultimately those in search of a truly unique travel experience will tend to explore new areas of the world.

One such area that is still commercially unexploited is South America. Nowadays more and more people are becoming fascinated with South American vacations. Whether your interest lies in exploring the spectacular archaeological ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, or the mystery of Rapa Nui off the coast of Chile, or experience the majestic beauty of Ecuador?s Galapagos Islands, this is one experience you will never forget.

Salsa, cumbia, Samba and Tango, life really swings in the rhythmic continent of South America. A variety of influences from different countries like Africa, India and Europe penetrated this undiscovered area giving it a very distinct flavor that lures travelers in embarking on an adventurous South American travel.

The exotic continent offers amazing Pre-Columbian sights all along the Andes in Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. The most popular of these are the Nazca and Machu Picchu in Peru and Ciudad Perdida in Colombia. In addition, tourists are also treated to a tour of stylish colonial churches and palaces in each South-American country. Without doubt architecture lovers and avid historians will flock at South American airlines.

People with a more active and sporty lifestyle are captivated with the idea of skiing in exotic Latin countries like Chile, Bolivia and Argentina during their South American vacations. Meanwhile, innate environmentalists cannot wait for an opportunity to see the biggest rainforest and the longest river in the world in Brazil. The abundance of wildlife, especially on the Wadden islands, also added to its appeal.

People who are intend on finding quite and relaxation usually headed for the Carribean, where the coast of Venezuela and Colombia, as well as the beaches of Brazil, offers great beaches and a relaxing atmosphere. If you had enough of the peace and quite and crave some city action, head for the nearest city. There are several to choose from: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Santiago or Lima all of which offers attractions that you will normally find in the city but still with a touch of South America?s exotic culture.

South America is a very diverse continent. Although most countries are speaks Spanish, with the exception of Brazil and three Guyana’s. French Guiana, British Guyana and Suriname still speaks the language of their former colonial masters as well as their own languages. Majority of South America?s still utilizes the native Indian languages however they becoming less frequent nowadays.

Planning for a dream vacation in South America can now be arranged quite easily and quickly. Gone is the time when planning and booking a dream vacation meant getting in touch with a travel agent, today there are numerous sites dedicated to travel in the internet.

So, if you have been yearning to get away, start logging on to the internet and check out all the details on South American travel and destinations. You?ll find all the information on hotels, tours and South American airlines, taking it from there will get you to South America in no time.

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www.TheExpeditioner.com Bogotá, Colombia’s bustling capital city, is one of the best places to explore Colombian culture for the very reason that the city is full of Colombians from all over the country. In this video I check out the view from the top of Cerro de Monserrate, see the sights around Plaza de Bolívar, and travel to the small town of Zipaquirá, where I head deep underground to visit the famous Salt Cathedral, a cathedral carved out in the middle of a mountain….

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Gloria Diaz researches and writes on a variety of topics and interests. For more information on South American Travel and South American Destinations please visit her site at http://www.la-cadenatricolor.

Latin America is rapidly becoming a promising alternative offshoring destination.  Up until now India, China and the Philippines have been in the limelight but as these markets are reaching maturity, Latin American is become a viable alternative option with a wealth of choice for  companies choosing to move their operations offshore. Even though the region is well explored with the likes of Accenture, IBM, Capgemini etc having a presence in various countries here, there are still well kept secrets, like Colombia.

Over the last few decades negative publicity about guerrilla, drug cartels and high crime rates has slowed down investments from corporate companies in the country and has been limited and has impacted on its ranking as a service delivery location. However, during Alvaro Uribe’s presidential period, security and crime rates have improved significantly. Today, countries such as Brazil and Mexico are ranked even more dangerous and risky destinations. This has allowed Colombia to get back in business and has contributed to a positive development in the country’s economy and political stability.

• In 2009, Bogotá was ranked by AméricaEconomia magazine as the 6th (out of 50) top cities to do business in Latin America
• Doing Business 2009 ranked Colombia as the 2nd best “Business Friendly” in Latin America (Chile being the first).
• Foreign investments has increased by 400% since 2002 and Banco de La República registered the highest record of foreign investment in 2008 (US$ 10,564 millions).
• During the last 5 year the economy has grown over 4% every year.
• Business week rated in 2007 Colombia as the most extreme merging market
• Merril Lynch  ranked Colombia in 2008 as “Country with the lowest risk in the world in times of crisis”

Outsourcing market in Colombia

So what about Outsourcing in Colombia? In the last few years outsourcing has seen a huge development and now plays an important role in the country’s economy, obtaining significant revenue figures. The sector has grown 42% in BPO and just over 12% in IT services in the last three years. BPO services achieved revenues of US$ 430 million in 2004 and IT services reached revenue of US$ 650 millions in 2004 (almost doubled compared to 2003) and projection made by Business Software Alliance (BSA) predicts revenues of US$ 1,153 millions in 2009.

Well known global BPO service providers such as IBM, EDS and Accenture, have already placed operations in Colombia. Also European suppliers, such Transcom Emerigia and Unísono, have entered the market. Unísono alone invested in 2008 US$ 3 million in setting up a free trade zone in Bogotá where they provide BPO, telemarketing and consultancy services. But not only the big players play an important role in the Colombian market, also a wide variety of local suppliers such as InterSoft, Gattaca, Colgrabar, among others, are growing within the sector and are highly qualified to deliver outsourcing services.         

What does Colombia have to offer?

Colombia is geographically well located, allowing easy and fast access to US based customers and to other Latin American countries. Similar time zones to the US also provides great advantages in managing and monitoring operations. Some of the key advantages are listed below:

Costs: Colombia offers a significant cost reduction to European and US based companies. As shown in the table below, in terms of labour savings just behind Argentina, Colombia is the location with the most favourable cost benefits in the region. A BPO/call centre agent costs on average US$ 447/month (5.292 US$/year) and IT service and development agent an average of US$ 11.500/year. Other key cost such as real estate and communications are nearly the lowest compare to other main locations within the region. Also the privatization of utilities companies has allowed a significant cost reduction and an increase in the quality of the services.

Average Building rent prices US$/m2                                  

Source: Colliers International

Average Utilities Cost by city for a family of 4

Source: EIU Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, Ministerio de Minas y Energía; Comisión para la Integración Eléctrica Regional

Table summarises overall cost compared to main locations in the region.

1=less expensive; 6= most expensive

Inflation is another benefit Colombia offers. Inflation is a key factor in the projection of cost in your business case. Colombia, unlike other offshoring locations in places such as Asia, has managed to control inflation and additional control mechanisms were put in place in 1999 to ensure there is no big fluctuation in the indicator. This allows having a more realistic cost estimate in the long term.

Cultural Similarity: North America has a history of strongly influenced countries in Latin America, which gives them plenty of cultural similarities. Additionally, a high number of Colombians migrated to US and European countries to acquire higher educational degrees and job opportunities.  They travelled to these countries to avoid the local economic crisis and high unemployment rates the country suffered in the late 90’s. Many have now returned and have brought with them not only greater skills and experience, but some of the cultural similarities that play a key factor on business relationships. These cultural similarities help improve the business strategy and communication between the retained organization and the outsourcer.

Talent pool: Colombia has a population of 18 million people, the largest population after Brazil and Mexico, with an average age of 27 years of age. According to the World Competitiveness Report (2005), they have the second best skilled group in mathematics and science education. This makes Colombia popular and full of potential for the IT sector and has allowed it to grow in the software market up to the point of becoming one of the largest sectors in Latin America. It has over 3000 software development companies and has an average of 17,000 professional graduates a year in technology and engineering. There are many universities within the main cities and the constant economic crisis Colombia has suffered over the last decades has made the working market extremely competitive. Professional graduates are getting masters and post graduates degrees just after completing their college courses just to maintain their competitive position within their sector. This has not only improved the labour skills, but has made universities and other education facilities to invest in new and high quality programmes. Today, Colombia has 26 schools registered in SAT “Resourcing Test” which allows them to enter universities in the US, 19 schools that provides graduates with International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) that allows access to the best universities world wide and 3 universities ranked in the top 30 universities in Latin America.

In terms of language skills, Colombia holds a good level of English speakers and posses a neutral accent that allows them to assimilate other Spanish accents, ideal for call centre services.

Government support: President Alvaro Uribe announced last May in VI Congreso Andino de Call Centers, Contact Centers y CRM, held in Bogotá, that Colombian government is working to encourage further development of BPO and ITO services in the country.  They recognise this will provide a strategic approach to deal with the impact of the global financial crisis. Even though the Government’s support specific to the BPO/ITO sector is not very clear yet, is something to keep an eye open for. However, today there are already several investments incentives in place that are bringing the attention of foreign investors, such as:

¨        Free trade zones with 50% off Income Tax and sales to the local market.

¨        Tax incentives to encourage investments in IT, through law 788 of 2002. This law establishes a 10-year income tax exemption to companies that invest in software development with high Colombian content, made and patented in the country.

¨        3 to 20 years Legal Stability Contracts with the Colombian Government for investments staring at US$1,5 millions.

¨        Income Tax Deductible Expenses (100% of the amount paid for industry and commerce, signs and billboards, and property taxes during the fiscal year, as long as these are directly related to the taxpayer’s economic activity; 25% of the tax paid on financial transactions may be deducted, regardless of their relationship to the taxpayer’s economic activity, others…)

Conclusion

As Latin America continues to grow in provision of offshoring and nearshoring services, the need to further explore its different locations is a “must do” when building your sourcing strategy. Considering the number of local and foreign BPO suppliers operating in Colombia and the significant growth the sector has had in the last couple of years, clearly shows how the country is gaining the confidence of foreign companies not only to invest in setting their operational centres but  in having their services delivered here by third party suppliers. With a good combination of low cost, talent pool and government support, Colombia shows a promising future as a service delivery location.

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El Portal Oficial de Turismo de Colombia www.colombia.travel fue nominado entre los 10 finalistas de la categoría Mejor Web de los Premios de Internet España 2009, en el que participaron 401 páginas web. Estos premios son considerados los más importantes a nivel digital en los países de habla hispana.

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Juan Díaz is a Senior Consultant with Alsbridge plc, the award winning advisory firm on shared services and outsourcing. Juan can be contacted at juan.diaz@alsbridge.eu or +44 (0) 20 7242 0666

Europe is the second largest continent in the world. This is a diversified continent because of its cultural diversification. An established fact about the continent which came out in the year 2004 is that Europe is visited by the 59% of the total people visiting across the world. If you are also planning a trip here then Europe travel guide could be the best solution for you which can provide you the whole information about this beautiful continent. European countries are vast and have different culture, places, history etc and one can learn all this information through guides for traveling to Europe.

A preplanned trip is always successful and gives the most pleasure. These guides have all the information about different countries which really help you to plan out a perfect trip for you vacations. These guides can make your tour unforgettable. Europe travel guide provide you with the deepest insight about a place in Europe and make you feel like that you are already there.

The Europe travel guides are made by the professionals who have a good experience and association with Europe. Guides have the information about hotels; hang out spots, night life, popular restaurants, shopping centers, sight seeing information, taxi rentals, places of attraction, weather information and lots more. These guides are perfect for planning your holiday trip in a most efficient way.

Travel guide for Europe are also available online and can be accessed from anywhere. These guides are maintained by the tourist and professional people. Most importantly travel guide comes with the rate cards which will help you to plan your budget.

Europe travel guides are the professional advisors to you and give you the right information about Europe. These guides are the best solution

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StrayCompass.com – A Travel Adventure Web Site! Thinking about visiting Tijuana. Here’s a brief peak at what it has to offer. For a higher quality video, check out my web site www.agileH.com Please leave comments and subscribe so that you can be alerted when future videos are added. Corrections & Updates: 1)The Toreo de Tijuana was torn down in February of 2007. 2)Despite my best efforts, it seems I may not be pronouncing Tijuana exactly right. Check out my other video about visiting Okinawa!…

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Jason Born is offering advice for quite some time. Having completed his Bachelor of Science in Travel and Tourism Business Management from Institute For Tourism Studies(IFT). He provide useful advice through his articles that have been found very useful. To find Europe travel guide, Europe travel deals, Europe travel tips, Europe travel tours visit http://www.cheaptraveltoeurope.net/