Loos with a star rating
China is to build new restrooms at scenic spots and improve existing ones in a bid to beef up tourism infrastructure
Loos with a star rating
China is to build new restrooms at scenic spots and improve existing ones in a bid to beef up tourism infrastructure, officials say. A total of 33,500 modern public restrooms are likely to appear in tourist sites, transportation hubs and entertainment facilities in the next three years. China expects all such restrooms to meet its “three-star” standard by 2017. The toilets will be rated on the basis of the number of squatting pots, pedestal pans (standard Western toilet), public resting space and outer facilities. The “three-star” toilet outside the north gate of the Forbidden City, for example, has seven squatting pots and one pedestal pan in the ladies' room.
Catering to the new tourist
Japanese cosmetics are just one of the attractions drawing foreign tourists, the Chinese in particular, to the Land of the Rising Sun as a weakening yen makes products much more affordable. Fancl Ginza Square, a store directly managed by major cosmetic maker Fancl Corp, is constantly packed with Chinese tourists and item descriptions are now presented not only in Japanese but also in Chinese. Some of the sales staff are also conversant in Chinese. - The Yomiuri Shimbun
Cutting down on waiting
Frankfurt Airport in Germany, recently extended information services for passengers and waiting times at checkpoints are now displayed on smartphones and in the terminals. The “Frankfurt Airport App” sends the expected waiting times at passport and security checkpoints straight to smartphones in real time. This helps passengers decide how early they need to leave home to avoid the stress of long lines at the airport. The information is also displayed on the information kiosks around Frankfurt Airport. “We’re making it a bit easier for passengers to find their way through the terminals to their planes,” says Dr Pierre Dominique of Frankfurt Airport management.
Armani museum to open
Fashion designer Giorgio Armani plans to open a fashion museum in Milan in time for this year’s world expo in the northern Italian city. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of his company, 80-year-old Armani wants the museum to show the history of the Italian fashion house – from the first piece of clothing to the most recent.
The transformation of a former warehouse used by food manufacturer Nestle is costing Armani around 50 million euros (Bt18.47 billion). The museum will be called the Armani Silos, because food used to be stored in silos on the site and, as the Milan designer explains, clothing is as much a part of life as food. The Milan Expo runs from May 1 to October 31 on the theme “Feeding the planet, energy for life”.
A new lease on life
The area around the European Central Bank’s new skyscraper headquarters in Frankfurt is on the verge of becoming a trendy tourist draw, with parkland, riverside walks and hip shops. Older Frankfurters can remember when the German city’s Ostend section was a factory zone with working-class residents only. Not any more. The transformation started in the 1990s and went into high gear when the ECB was offered a former produce market on the riverbank as a site to build its stunning new twin-tower offices and meeting chamber.
While the official opening of the building is still a good two months away, the nearby streets are already becoming an expensive residential area with posh restaurants and hotels suited to bankers and well-heeled tourists.
