Brave a few “security problems” and trek the mountain ranges of Pakistan, take a vacation in Kuwait where the sand is very hot or risk a bit of heli-skiing in Uzbekistan.

If you are a tourist ready to go somewhere a bit different, there is a growing queue of destinations desperate to welcome you; 166 nations jostled for attention this week at the World Tourism Trade Fair in Madrid.

Pakistan International Airlines joined for the first time, keen to get some of the action from 200,000 trade and general public visitors anticipated at the five-day fair.

The world-renowned Franklin Mint has unveiled a rare and unprecedented work of artistry – the Taj Mahal Gold Coin – at their new Manhattan showroom.

Minted and designed by the world-renowned Monnaie de Paris, only 29 of these coins will ever be produced.

The coin is not only the first and only French coin comprised of over 2 lbs. of solid gold, but it is the world’s first coin to include 68 hand-set Cartier diamonds.

When it comes to meal time, the French do it differently. That is the argument being put to UNESCO as it decides this week whether French cuisine deserves a spot on its intangible heritage list.

“The gastronomic meal of the French” is seen as a strong contender as the UN agency meets in Nairobi from Monday to Friday to consider new submissions for the list, set up in 2003 to safeguard cultural traditions, rituals and crafts.

France’s submission to the list centres around the ritual of the festive meal in a country where food is a key part of social life.

A city in central China has renamed a mountain after the US blockbuster movie “Avatar,” which set a Chinese box office record.

The majestic peak in Hunan province previously known as “Heaven and Earth Pillar” or “South Sky Pillar” has been officially renamed “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain,” the Zhangjiajie city government said in a statement.

The statement said the peak was believed to have inspired a floating mountain, one of the most dramatic images in the movie, set on fictional Pandora.

La Reunión Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala’s first golf resort, opened last month.

Built on what used to be a coffee plantation outside the colonial town of Antigua (a Unesco World Heritage site), the property is lodged between four volcanoes, at 3,700 feet above sea level, with the Pacific Ocean about 30 minutes away.

Twenty-six golf casitas, each with personal infinity pools and indoor/outdoor showers, have been built, and there are plans for a boutique hotel and a spa.

The mayor of Paris is blocking the Emir of Qatar’s plans for a multimillion-dollar renovation of the Hotel Lambert, an historic 17th century mansion in the Quai d’Anjou on the city’s ÃŽle Saint-Louis.

Bertrand Delanoe says that the alterations to the 17th century mansion on the exclusive Saint Louis island in the heart of Paris including an underground carpark, the addition of elevators and new rooms, will spoil the important heritage of the building.

He wants the owner to re-consider and look at more friendly way to renovate the three-storey Hotel which was built in 1639 by Louis Le Vau and is part of a Unesco World Heritage site.