New York - Visitors to New York's Times Square will no longer have to dodge taxis if they want to stop in the middle of the street to stare at its iconic neon lights.

On Sunday, authorities blocked of the notorious traffic clogged intersection that will become a pedestrian zone, with only walkers, bicyclists and skaters allowed on Broadway between 42nd and 47th streets.

Seoul  - Despite the global economic slowdown, South Korean travellers aren't likely to abandon plans for holidays in their favourite destinations in South-East Asia, China and Japan, a survey has found.

Opole, Poland  - The Museum of Opole Silesia has reopened its doors to the public after a 12-month break for renovations, according to the local tourist office.

The building has been modernized and the exhibition space tripled in size. The original wing of the building is a former Jesuit college, parts of which date back to the 16th century.

Innsbruck, Austria  - Innsbruck in Tyrol in western Austria is to take on an extraterrestrial theme when it hosts an ice sculpture competition from January 12 to 16.

Ten teams of two artists each will compete to create the best sculpture based on well-known alien figures such as ET, according to the local tourist office in Innsbruck.

Belek, Turkey  - Many people think of the Turkish Riviera only as a romping place for beach vacationers that offers plenty of clubs and entertainment possibilities.

Frankfurt  - Continental Airlines has announced details of a new connection between Germany and the United States.

From November 2, 2009, Continental will fly daily from Houston, Texas to Frankfurt in central Germany.

Munich  - A new tour route connecting the Great Barrier Reef and the Australian Outback has been inaugurated in the state of Queensland.

The trail stretches more than 2,000 kilometres and takes between four and 11 days to complete depending on the mode of transport and your itinerary, according to the Queensland tourist office in Munich.

Surakarta, Indonesia  - The show starts at 5:30 a. m., but it is still night on Penanggungan, a 2,700-metre mountain on the Indonesian island of Java that serves as an auditorium for a daily performance.

Spectators gather on a platform staring in awe at the stage consisting of three volcanoes called Bromo, Batok and Mahameru.

Chetumal, Quintana Roo - The vast lagoons between Bacalar on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the open Caribbean Sea are famous for their many colours. They glisten in a frothy white over green and in hues of violet and blue.

Hong Kong  - Hong Kong's struggling Disneyland theme park, the smallest Disney park in the world, is to grow by more than one third in a 500-million-US-dollar expansion, a news report said Tuesday.