helpful information

Australia

Capital:  Canberra

Population:i26,638,544 as at 2023

Currency: Australian Dollar  

Language: English, Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Hindi, Aboriginal dialects, Punjabi, Tagalog

Major Ethnic Groups:  Aboriginal, English, Irish, Scottish, Han Chinese, Italian, Greek, German, Arabs and Vietnamese

Major Tourist Hubs: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Whitsundays, Uluru/Ayers Rock, the Great Ocean Road, Kakadu National Park/Arnhem Land.

Major Tourist Attractions: Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, The Rocks, Blue Mountains, (3 Sisters, Jelonan Caves, Norman Lindsay Gallery, Scenic Railway) Uluru, Port Arthur, Great Ocean Road, Crown Casino, Puffing Billy Railway, Sovereign Hill, Phillip Island, Dream World, Sea World, Movie World, Currumbin Bird Sanctuary, Gold Coast Hinterland, Gold Coast beaches, Fraser Island, Hamilton Island, Kakadu National Park, Arnhem Land and many more.

Recommended Hotels: Grace Hotel, Ibis Darling Harbour, Novotel Brighton Beach, YWCA Sydney.

New Zealand

Capital: Wellington

Population: 5228,100

Currency: New Zealand Dollar

Languages: English and Maori

Major Ethnic Groups: Kiwi, Maori, European, Pacific Islanders, Asians

Major Tourist Hubs: Auckland, Tauranga,  Bay of islands, Napier, Rotorua, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, New Zealand Fjordlands

Major Attractions: Auckland  Sky Tower, Weta Workshop, Hobbiton,  Auckland Whale and Dolphin Watching,  Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland Museum, My Eden, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, The Elms/The Papa, Napier Art Deco walks, Wellington cable Car, Museum of Wellington Te Papa Tongarewa, Larach Castle, Olverston House, Speight Brewery,  Baldwin Street ( Steepest street in the world), taieri Gorge Railway,  Franz Josef Glacier and sail through Fjordlands.

Recommended Hotels: Both times I have been to New Zealand were on cruises.

Vietnam

Capital: Hanoi

Population: 98,858,950 as at 2023

Currency: Vietnamese Dong

Languages: Vietnamese, Khmer, Chinese and Hmong

Major Ethnic Groups: Vietnamese, Khmer, Hoa and Chams

Major Tourist Hubs: Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Ha Long Bay, Sapa, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City.

Major Tourist Attractions: Cruise Ha Long Bay, Vung Vieng Fishing Floating Village, Ti Top Island, Hue Markets, My Son, Marble Mountain, Imperial City, Hoi An Silk Village, Quan Thanh Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Cu Chi Tunnels, Ben Thanh Market, History Museum of Ho Chi Minh, Giac Lam Buddhist Temple.

Recommended Hotels: Hanoi Sky Hotel (Old Quarter Hanoi), Venus Hotel & Spa (Hoi An), Rosaleen Boutique Hotel (Hue), Happy Life Grand Hotel & Spa (Ho Chi Minh City)

Hong Kong

Capital: Victoria

Population: As at 2023, Hong Kong's population is 7,498,100

Currency: Hong Kong Dollar

Languages: Cantonese and English

Major Tourist Hubs: Kowloon and Hong Kong Island

Major Tourist Attractions:  The Peak, The Peak Tram, Disneyland, Ocean Park, Botanic Gardens, Tian Tan Buddha, Victoria Harbour, Stanley Street Markets, Hong Kong Museum of History, Mong Kok Street Food Market and the Good Wish Garden at Wong Tai Sin Temple.

Recommended Hotel: Newton Hotel Hong Kong Island

Singapore

Capital: Singapore

Population: 5.92 million

Currency: Singapore Dollar

Languages: Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil

Major Tourist Hubs: Singapore, Little India and Sentosa Island.

Major Tourist Attractions: Singapore Lion, Gardens by the Bay (Cloud Forest, Floral Fantasy, Flower Dome, Supertree Observatory), Marina Bay Sands, Chinatown, Little India, Universal Studios, Changi Airport, Sentosa Cable Car and Singapore National Orchid Garden.

Recommended Hotel: Jen Tanglin Orchard Gateway by Shangri-La

China

Capital: Beijing

Population: 1.6 Billion

Currency: RMB Yuan

Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Putonghua, Huanese, Gab dialect, Wu dialect, Kejia and Hakka

Major Tourist Hubs: Beijing, Xi'an, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Macau, and Shanghai

Major Tourist Attractions: Tiananamen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall of China, Terracotta Warriors, Chinese Houtons, Lingering Gardens,  West Lake Park, Meijiawu Tea Village, Bund, Oriental Pearl and giant pandas.

Recommended Hotels: Beijing Chun Hui Yuan Resort, Metro Park Xi'an Huan Yu Hotel, Aloft Zhengzhou Shangjie Hotel, Holiday Inn Suzhou Huirong Plaza, Fubang International Hotel Hangzhou, Regal Plaza Hotel & Residence Shanghai

United Kingdom

Capital: London

Population: 67,738,802 as at 2023

Currency: Pounds Sterling

Languages: English, Welsh, Gaelic

Major Ethnic Groups: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Islanders, Indian, Asian, African, Arabs

Major Tourist Hubs: London, Bath, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cambridge, Oxford, Canterbury, Leeds, Glasgow, York, Cardiff, Lake District, Cotswolds, Inverness, Loch Ness, St Andrews

Major Tourist Attractions: Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, London Eye, British Museum, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Madame Tussauds, Harrods, Harry Potter/Hogwarts Tour, Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew,  Victoria and Albert Museum, Highclere Castle, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Marble Arch, Hyde Park, Borough Markets, Roman Baths, Globe Theatre, Abby Road,  York Cathedral and many more.

Recommended Hotels: Mecure London Paddington Hotel and Russell Square Hotel for budget travellers.

Kingdom of The Netherlands

Capital: Amsterdam

Population: 17,828,593 as at 2024

Currency: Euro

Languages: Dutch, Frisian (spoken in the Northern Province of Fryslan

Major Ethnic Groups:  Dutch, Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, Indonesian

Major Tourist Hubs: Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Delft

Major Tourist Attractions: Amsterdam's Red Light District, Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, canal cruises, Amsterdam Central Station, Royal Palace, Rotterdam Central Station, Euromast,  Markthal,  Fort Rotterdam, City Hall Rotterdam, Kijk-Kubus, World Heritage Kinderkijk, Amsterdam Tulip Museum, Keukenhof, Vermeer Centrum Delft Museum, Guided Pottery Workshop (Choorstraat), Peace Palace, The Hague Tower, Mauritshuis, Dom Tower, Kasteel de Haar

Recommended Hotels: Hotel Old Quarter

Germany

Capital: Berlin

Population: 84,552,242 as at 2024

Currency: Euro

Languages: German, Sorbian, Frisian

Major Ethnic Groups: German, turkish, Polish, Syrian, Romanian

Major Tourist Hubs: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dresden, Nuremberg, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Heidelberg

Major Tourist Attractions: River Rhine, The Main River, The Danube River, Brandenburg Gate, Cologne Cathedral, Neuschwanstein Castle, the Berlin Wall Memorial, The Cavern Club, The Hofbrau Haus, Glockenspiel, Marienplatz, Reichstag Building, Heidelberg Castle, Hamburg Town Hall, International Maritime Museum, Mercedes Benz Museum, Schlossplatz, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Rheinuferpromenade, Konigsallee, Dresden Castle, Dresden Zwinger, Frauenkirche Dresden, Imperial Castle of Nuremberg, St Lorenz, Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds

Recommended Hotel: Ibis Munich

Austria

Capital: Vienna

Population: 9,120,813 as at 2024

Currency: Euro

Languages: German, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian

Major Ethnic Groups: Austrian, German, Romanian, Serbian, Turkish, Croatian

Major Tourist Hubs: Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Linz

Major Tourist Attractions: Schonbrunn Palace, St Stephens Cathedral, Belvedere Palace, Hofburg, Albertina, Vienna Natural History Museum, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Fortress Hohensalzburg, Schloss Hellbrunn, Salzburg Cathedral, Mozart's Birthplace, Mirabell Palace and Gardens, DomQuartier  Salzburg, Franziskanerkirche, Golden Roof, Schloss Ambras. Tyrolean Folk Art Museum, Swarosvski Kristallwelten, Hauptplatz Linz, Linzer Mariendom, Grottenbahn

Italy

Capital: Rme

Population: 59,340,000 as at 2024  

Currency: Euro

Languages: Italian, Latin, French, German, Greek, Catalan, Sardinian, Franco-Provencal, Albanian, Occitan, Croatian

Major Ethnic Groups: Italian, Romanians, Han Chinese, Ukranians, Albanians

Major Tourist Hubs: Rome, Pompeii, Sicily, Florence, Venice, Lake Como, Lucca, Milan, Genoa, Verona, Naples, Pisa, Bari, Trieste, Bologna, Assisi, Siena, Amalfi Coast, Positano, Cinque Terra

Major Tourist Attractions: Vatican - St. Peters Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Colossuem, Spanish Steps, Roman Forum, Pompeii, Pantheon, Gondola ride in Venice, Murano Glass Factory, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Castel St. Angelo, Uffizi Gallery - Statue of David, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Leonardo Da Vinci Museum, St. Mark's Square, Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper at Basilica Santa Maria delle Grazie

Hawaii

Capital: Honolulu

Population: 1,435,138

Currency: US Dollars

Languages: English, Hawaiin

Main Tourist Hubs: Honolulu, Hawaii (Big Island), Maui, Kaui, Molokai

Main Tourist Attractions: Pearl Harbour, Waikiki Beaches, Diamond Head, Polynesian Cultural Centre, Dole Pineapple Plantation, Byodo-In Temple, Ioalani Palace, Mt Kilauea, Big Chief's Luau

Recommended Hotels: Illikai Marina Apartments, Illikai Hotel & Luxury Suites.