Haroo Dendi Lodge, Ethiopia | A New Eco - Tourism Project Underscores the Country’s Growing Focus on High - End Tourism Development

Inaugurated in April 2026 by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Haroo Dendi Lodge is a premier eco - tourism destination in Ethiopia’s Oromia Region designed to blend modern architecture with nature, highlighted by stunning panoramic views of the Dendi  Crater Lake, offering sustainable, community - focused luxury accommodation near Ambo, the capital city of West Shewa zone in west - central Ethiopia, approximately 115 km from Addis Ababa.

The lodge was developed under the “Dine for Generation” or the “Dinner for a Good Cause” initiative seeks to create iconic tourist destinations that boost the local economy, generate employment and preserve the country’s natural heritage.

The establishment integrates environmental conservation practices and community benefits aligning with national goals of green development and climate resilience.

The lodge was built to harmonize with the local natural landscape and crater lake setting, focusing on preserving the natural ecosystem and empowering local communities.

The site includes a scenic, human - centred sanctuary, with potential amenities, often featured in similar recent Ethiopian eco - lodges like sunset decks and tranquil, natural surroundings. 

 Haroo Dendi Lodge serves as a key destination for tourists exploring western Ethiopia, offering unique opportunities for nature - focused activities, including hiking, discovering  the beauty of nearby Wenchi Crater Lakes and the unique biodiversity of the local territory.

According to the Ethiopian government, the lodge represents a strategic effort to harness the country’s natural beauty, while promoting environmentally responsible investments and for ENA, the official news agency of the government, this eco - tourism development underscores Ethiopia’s growing focus on high – end sustainable tourism development.

With this project, Ethiopia reinforces its position as an emerging destination for eco – tourism and luxury tourism in Africa, attracting visitors interested in authentic and sustainable experiences.

Link

https://tvbrics.com/es/news/etiop-a-inaugura-proyecto-ecotur-stico-sostenible-de-alto-nivel/

IHG Hotels & Resorts | To Open Four Hotels at Vinhomes Green Paradise Can Gio in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

IHG Hotels & Resorts, British multinational hospitality company based in Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK, will open four hotels in Ho Chi Minh City, commonly known as Saigon, the most populous city in Vietnam, located in the southern territory of the country on the western bank of the Saigon River, a sprawling metropolis that is a blend of modern and traditional with its ornate temples,  Chinese pagodas, classic colonial buildings linked to the former French rulers and sleek skyscrapers.

The company and Cangio Tourist City Corporation, a Vingroup subsidiary focused on development, real estate and hospitality have agreed to develop and open four hotels at Vinhomes Green Paradise Can Gio, a coastal urban development spans 2.870 hectares in southeastern Ho Chi Minh City, bordered by the sea on three sides and adjacent to the UNESCO recognized Can Gio Biosphere Reserve.

The development features transport infrastructure, including the Ben Thanh - Can Gio high - speed railway, which is planned to reduce travel time from central Ho Chi Minh City to 13 minutes, as well as the Can Gio Bridge, the Rang Sac - Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway interchange, and the Can Gio - Vung Tau coastal route, enabling travel between tourism hubs in 10 minutes.

In addition Vinhomes Green Paradise Can Gio will be complemented by a range of large - scale leisure and entertainment attractions, including a 122 - hectare VinWonders theme park featuring the world’s tallest artificial snow mountain, nearly 200 attractions, a 5.000 -seat Song Xanh Theatre, the 800 - hectare Paradise Lagoon, the Landmark Harbour five - star international cruise port,  two 18 - international - standard golf courses, all in a complex that aims to welcome 40 million visitors annually.

The agreement covers more than 1.000 rooms across Crowne Plaza Saigon Can Gio (400 rooms)  InterContinental Saigon Can Gio (400 rooms), Holiday Inn Express Saigon Can Gio (130 rooms) and Garner Hotel Saigon Gio (150 rooms), marking the official debut of the Garner and Holiday Inn Express brands in Vietnam.

The four IHG Hotels & Resorts properties will be part of a planned 7.000 room accommodations ecosystem Vinhomes Green Paradise Can Gio.

Vinpearl, a member of Vingroup, will manage and directly execute the collaboration with IHG Hotels & Reosrts and coordinate with relevant parties throughout the development and operational phases.

Holiday Inn Express Saigon Can Gio and Garner Hotel Saigon Can Gio are expected to begin operations from 2028, with Crowne Plaza Saigon Can Gio and InterContinental Saigon Can Gio scheduled to open in 2030.

With this project IHG Hotels & Resorts continues its expansion in Vietnam where has 23 open hotels and a pipeline of 20 properties in the country.

Links

https://www.ihgplc.com/en/news-and-media/news-releases/2026/ihg-hotels-and-resorts-and-vinhomes-green-paradise-can-gio-introduces-four-international-hotel-brands-to-coastal-megacity

https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article141078.html

Liora Estate Reopened its Doors as a 16 - Room Boutique Hotel in Healdsburg, California, U.S.

Liora Estate, formerly known as 27 North and previously Hotel Les Mars has reopened its doors as a 16 - room  boutique hotel in Healdsburg, a charming Sonoma County town in the North Bay of California, U.S.,  situated along the Russian River, 90 minutes north of San Francisco.

Healdsburg famous for its lively 19th - century Plaza, top - tier farm to table dining, and upscale boutique shopping lies at the convergence of three major wine - producing regions: the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Russian River Valley, lands produce fine Zinfandel, Pinot Noir/ Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon, providing immediate access to diverse, world - class wine tasting.

The property is located at 27 North Street near the plaza and just a 5 - minute drive from Russian River, and  following the rebranding of the former 27 North is now a boutique hote part of Foley Entertainment Group (FEG), a company operates entertainment, hospitality and sports assets, with strong operational roots in California and Nevada.

The new reimagined luxury boutique hotel serves as a European - inspired retreat and intimate hospitality property rather than a traditional corporate headquarters and focuses on intimate, high - end guest experiences.

Liora Estate features 16 comfortable, stylish rooms feature fireplaces, wrought - iron balconies and deep - soaking tubs. Each room includes a vinyl record player and access to a crated music library.

Evening turndown service provides seasonal fireplace preparation, a record-listening prompt card, and locally sourced truffles. Optional enhancements include in-room massage, wellness partnerships, bath rituals, fireside nightcaps, and curated picnics. Additional options such as florals, champagne, and wine pairings are also available.

The hotel offers Maréla, a new coastal European wine bistro offering a Mediterranean – inspired menu. Shareable dishes include house - made focaccia, lobster salads with seaweed crostini, and a selection of oysters under the Liora’s Voyage label. Main courses include King Crab Cavatelli, Sole Meunière, and Côte de Boeuf. In addition the bistro serves cocktails and offers additional menu items upon request.

Liora Estate has introduced daily guest rituals. Guests receive a Welcome Aperitif upon arrival and a “Parting Light” candle as a keepsake at departure.

Mornings feature an in - lobby Sonoma Coffee Ritual with locally sourced ingredients. Each afternoon, a Daily Sonoma Wine Hour is held afrom 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the library lounge, featuring local wine selections and music, and the lounge also offers cocktails. Evenings include an Atmosphere Ritual at Sundown, with changes to lighting, candle arrangements, and music.

Liora Estate remains a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, founded in 1968 with its corporate headquarters in Newport Beach, California., boasting a diverse collection of engaging and chic hotels located in famed cities and resort destinations around the globe.

Link

https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article141068.html

COMO Hotels and Resorts | Officially Opened a Boutique Hotel on the French Riviera, Located in Grimaud

 COMO Hotels and Resorts, a Singapore - based company that operates hotels in Australia, Bhutan, France, Indonesia, Italy, the Maldives, Thailand, Turks and Caicos, the United Kingdom, and the United States, founded by Christina Ong in 1991, has officially opened a boutique hotel on the French Riviera, located in Grimaud, a stunning medieval village located in the Var department of Provence - Alpes - Côte d’ Azur in southeastern France.

Nestled in the Gulf of Saint - Tropez, Grimaud, filled with Provencal charm, is  known for its historic, flower - lined stone streets, 11th – century castle ruins, the Romanesque Saint Michel Church, the 17th - century Saint Roch Windmillm, and the unique canal - side “lakeside town” of Port Grimaud, often called the “Little Venice of Provence”.

COMO Le Beauvallon is located at Boulevard des Collines within a 10-- acre estate of lawns, palms and pines on a a hillside on the Côte d’ Azur between Grimaud and Sainte - Maxime, and COMO Hotels and Resort team have transformed a  Belle  Époque palace into a stylish hotel offers a private setting with easy access to Saint - Tropez,  often via a private boat transfer.

The property features 42 elegant and stylish guest rooms and suites, many of them feature pieces from the hotel’s collection contemporary art boasts over 300 artworks including sculptures, installations, and rare objects d’ art.

All 28 suites, including the signature COMO Suite, have views of the unique  Gulf of Saint - Tropez while the Hillview rooms face the picturesque countryside.

The grounds extend down to the hotel’s beach club, Beauvallon Sur Mer, home to a bayside pool, lounge and rooftop bar, and the beachfront restaurant, designed by Dorothée Delaye.

The beach club’s 25 - metre mosaic pool, reserved exclusively for hotel guests, sits beside a sun - lounging area with direct access to the beach. Also available to guests are the resort’s boutique, shop by COMO, and the 2002 Serpentine Gallery Summer Pavilion by architect Toyo Ito.

The boutique hotel also offers a COMO Shambhala retreat with two treatments, alongside a fully equipped gym and daily yoga classes.

A private jetty allows guests to board a COMO speedboat for a complimentary eight - minute transfer to Saint - Tropez, with a second boat offering access to the beaches of Pampellonne.

CEO of COMO Holdings Olivier Jolivet said that the rebirth of the property reflects the company’s ambition to invest France’s iconic destinations through a contemporary vision of hospitality. The collaboration of COMO Hotels and Resorts with Yannick Alléno, chef of the beach club brings that long term vision to life, transforming COMO Le Beauvallon into a true culinary destination.

Links

https://www.comohotels.com/france/como-le-beauvallon?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=GoogleMyBusiness

https://boutiquehotelnews.com/news/hotel/como-le-beauvallon/

Chile | Carrying Out Scientific Expeditions to Protect the Underwater Forests of Patagonia

The Rewilding Chile Foundation, a legacy of Tompkins Conservation, works to combat the climate and extinction crises by creating national parks and restoring ecosystems, together with national and international specialists, is carrying out scientific expeditions in the underwater forests of Chilean Patagonia to study these ecosystems, considered key to marine biodiversity and climate change mitigation.

Underwater forests in Chilean Patagonia, primarily composed of Macrocystis pyrifera (giant kelp) and  “Huiros,” (giant macroalgae) , can  reach up to 80 metres in height and store up to 20 times more carbon than terrestrial forests and they constitute the world’s largest continuous ecosystem.

Spanning from the Gulf of Corcovado to Cape Horn, these ecosystems act as vital “lungs of the ocean”, serving as major blue carbon sinks, biodiversity hotspots, and natural coastline barriers. However, despite their environmental importance, less than 1% of these ecosystems are currently protected.

Through various projects and initiatives by organizations like Rewilding Chile, scientists are researching and mapping these ecosystems to protect them from threats like invasive species and industrial activities.

The current project called “Megatransect Patagonia” seeks to characterize the biodiversity of an area of 1.200 kilometres that extends from the Gulf of Corcovado, a large body of water separating the Chiloé island from the mainland of Chile to Cape Horn, a rocky headland on Hornos Island, in southern Chile’s Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

Researchers are conducting over 180 scientific diving transects, utilizing 7.200 underwater photo quadrants, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling and 90+ sampling sites to created a detailed map of biodiversity.

The data collected aims to define the role of the Patagonian sea in climate change miutigation and provide scientific evidence for the creation of new protected area in southern Chile.

Led by Rewilding Chile’s marine programme director Mathias Hüne, the project involves national and international experts from renowned institutions such as Austral University, the Southern Scientific Research Center in Argentina, and the University of Victoria.

In addition the project aims to quantify the storage capacity of carbon dioxide in Chilean Patagonia, known as blue carbon.

In the three expeditions carried out so far, the researchers detected threats such as the presence of the invasive anemone Metridium senile (Plumose Anemone), a highly variable, commonly found temperate sea anemone characterized by a smooth, slimy column and a “fluffy” or “trilled” appearance, which expands rapidly and reduces the habitat of macroalgae.

Experts recalled that Charles Darwin, iconic British naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contribution to evolutionary biology, was one of the first scientists to escribe the ecological role of these ecosystems almost 200 years ago.

During a press conference convened by Imagen de Chile, the Director of the Marine Program of Rrwilding Chile, Mathias Hüne, explained that the labyrinth of fjords, channels, bays and islands of Patagonia constitutes a unique marine territory, but still little explored by science.

Link

https://tvbrics.com/es/news/chile-busca-proteger-los-bosques-sumergidos-de-la-patagonia/

India | Inaugurated the Ganga Expressway, one of the Country’s Longest Highways, Developed in Uttar Pradesh

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ganga Expressway, one of the country’s longest highways, developed in Uttar Pradesh, a state in norther India, the most populated state in the country with over 241 million inhabitants.

The new 594 km Ganga Expressway (UP’s longest) developed by Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) , the flagship company of the Adani Group headquartered in Ahmedabad, India, focuses on building assets in key sectors like energy transition, transport, logistics, and consumer goods was developed with an investment of ₹36.230 Cr to link Meerut (Bijauli village) with Prayagraj (Judapur Dandu Village).

Gaanga Exressway features a 6 - lane access  - controlled highway, high - speed travel, and improved logistics, spanning 12 districts, including Amroha, Budaun, Bulandshahr,  Hapur, Hardoi, Meerut, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj, Rae Bareli, Shahjahanpur, Sambhal and Unnao.

The route runs through 12 key districts of Uttar Pradesh, reinforcing the connection between the west and east of the state and includes strategic infrastructures such as an emergency airstrip, numerous bridges, underpasses, along with modern traffic management systems, video surveillance, roadside assistance and emergency services. 

The corridor has been built as a six - lane road, with the possibility of being extended to eight, and is designed for vehicles travelling at speeds of up 120 km/h. 

The project also contemplates the creation of logistics centres, warehouses and agricultural processing units to boost investment and generate employment. It will also integrate with other express corridors in the state, consolidating an interconnected road network that seeks to boost industrial growth and bring Uttar Pradesh closer to its goal of becoming  a trillion - dollar economy.

The highway will improve connectivity, reduce travel time, as well as strengthening regional economic and logistical development in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

During the inauguration event in the city of Hardoi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the symbolic value of the project, noting that just as the Ganges River has been a vital source for centuries, this highway will be a modern engine of development, according to New9, a news channel based in Noida, providing latest news headlines from India and around the world.

Link

https://tvbrics.com/es/news/india-inaugura-una-de-las-autopistas-m-s-largas-del-pa-s-en-uttar-pradesh/

Belarus | An Annual Tulip Festival is Created to Boost Agritourism and Promote Rural Experiences

A tulip festival has been held in the Brest Region, also known as Best oblast, one of he six regions of Belarus, a premier agricultural and historically significant area bordering Poland and Ukraine , and there are plans to make it an annual event to boost agritourism and promote loical rural experiences.

This was announced by Chairman and vice president of the Brest Regional Executive Committeee, Mikhail Batsenko according to BelTA, Belarus’ largest news agency. 

This initiative aims to draw visitors to rural areas, showcasing regional culture and natural beauty to enhance the country’s tourism appeal. The organizers seek to combine international agritourism practices with the cultural traditions of the Polesie region.

The festival will be held during the peak of tulips in the agricultural town of Tyschovichi  situated within the low - lying, swampy plan of Polesie in the district of Ivanovo, part of the Brest Region, where there is a large flower farm.

The celebration of the annual festival  is planned to invite all those interested in bloom, expanding the event to the park and central square of the city of Ivanovo is also being considered. Ivanovo is a centre recognized as a 2025 Capital of culture, known for its rich history, connections to cultural figures like Napoleon Orda, proximity to the ancestral home of Fyodor Dostoevsky, and unique Polesie traditions.

The annual festival will serve as a platform to highlight rural landscapes, and local agricultural charm and is one of many initiatives in Belarus aimed at strengthening local economies through tourism, alongside other heritage sites and cultural events.

Link

https://tvbrics.com/es/news/en-bielorrusia-se-crea-un-festival-anual-de-tulipanes-para-impulsar-el-agroturismo/