Upmarket French leisure group Club Med said Thursday it will open a Club Med ski village in China, its first venture into the huge and booming Chinese leisure market, in November.

Club Med reached agreement with Melco China Resorts to run the ski village at the Mountain Yabuli resort, developed by MCR since 2008 in Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China, under a 10-year management contract.

The Chinese Government has started to roll out plans to turn the southern island of Hainan into what is being called a “global destination” and the private sector has been quick to rally to the cause.

New resorts, visa-free entry to tourists from more countries, duty-free shopping for everyone and the possibility of more sports-betting “lotteries” to increase revenue flow have been touted by the government as ways to lure the world to a destination commonly referred to as the “Hawaii of China.”

It may not be possible to buy love. But at least you can spend a fortune trying to do so in the United Arab Emirates, where luxury hotels are offering Valentine’s Day specials for mega-rich romantics.

Lovey dovey in Abu Dhabi? The Emirates Palace, which bills itself as a seven-star hotel, has the priciest Valentine offer — a seven-day stay for a cool million bucks.

Takers will have a private butler and a chauffeur-driven Maybach luxury car at their disposal, which can be “tailor-made to your design.”

A US cruise line is to allow friends and family of passengers on board its ships ahead of departure, reincarnating an old tradition.

Before the tightening of security regulations, passengers on board grand cruise liners were normally allowed to bring families and friends on board to show off the ship before setting sail.

The Disney Cruise Line has unveiled new images of its forthcoming vessel, the Disney Dream.

Scheduled to launch on January 26, 2011, the Dream is the first of two new liners under construction for Disney.

She will be captained by Captain Tom Forberg, pictured above. Booking will be available from November 9.

This was filmed in Dubai over 5 days and nights by Philip Bloom. Beautiful!