PHOTO: Turkmenistan's Darvaza Gas Crater is becoming something of a tourist attraction. The natural gas in the crater has been burning for more than four decades. (Photo courtesy of Thinkstock)

Here are stories from Asia, Africa and Europe that you should read during your online travels today...

Indonesia’s Unlikely Pork Feast Thanksgiving turkey has nothing on babi guling. Hindu Bali is one of the few places in Indonesia where you can order pork. Babi guling is a spit-roasted suckling pig made with a special blend of spices and perfectly crisped skin. Source: BBC

Golf Course Development Key for Cyprus Tourism  Golf tourism brought 25,000 visitors to Cyprus this past year. That is an improvement over past years, but authorities are calling for the development of 6-8 more courses so that the country can build on this modest success. Source: Cyprus Mail

Hong Kong’s Nature Thrives in the Shadow of Skyscrapers Only about 25 percent of Hong Kong is urbanized. Almost half of the territory’s land is protected. People are now starting to discover the eco-tourism potential here. Source: Asia Correspondent

Witnessing The Never-Ending Fire in Turkmenistan The Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert has become something of a tourist attraction. Authorities attempted to burn off natural gas that was being emitted from the crater more than four decades ago, but there is such a large reserve of gas beneath the surface that the fire continues to this day. Source: The West Australian

JUST THE LINKS

The mayor of Dubrovnik, Croatia met with representatives from Expedia recently. The travel site is an important source of business for the city’s hotels, especially during the summertime.
 
Gozo is one of three inhabited islands that make up Malta. Despite having some charming villages and unique rock formations, Gozo lags far behind the main island of Malta when it comes to tourism. A new promotional campaign, aimed at travelers from the EU, is trying bring more attention to the island.  

Bristol is another English city that is getting more connected to Europe. Easyjet has added flights to Vienna, Basel, Gibraltar and Porto. The carrier also announced that it would launch service from Bristol to Dubrovnik, Nantes and Venice early next year. 

Manchester wants to take its place alongside Heathrow as a major hub for the UK. The Northern England airport is targeting two dozen long haul routes that would connect the city with Asia and the Americas. 

China will start to promote domestic tourism as part of a bid to jumpstart its lagging economy. Other consumer sectors, such as health and sporting goods, will also get help from the government. 

Tai Hang is one of Hong Kong’s newly popular neighborhoods. It is rapidly becoming gentrified, but is still hanging on to its blue-collar roots with street-food-style noodle shops. The worry is that these mom and pop operations will be priced out of the market soon, however. 

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