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

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.

Royal Caribbean claims that Oasis of the Seas is the most technologically advanced vessel in the world.

Children can wear a tag that sends their location, so that parents can pinpoint exactly where their child is on board the 16-deck, 225,282-ton monster.

The information is sent to “Royal Connect” branded smartphones rented to parents for a reported $17.50 a day.

Abu Dhabi has announced ambitious environmental targets for 2010, promising to slash energy, water and waste-to-landfill usage.

The targets, announced January 3 by the Abu Dhabi tourism authority, commit Abu Dhabi to a 10-percent energy cut, 20-percent water usage cut and 20-percent waste-to-landfill cut.

If delivered, Abu Dhabi believes its hotels will be in line with, if not greener, than the world’s greenest hotels.

France is the best place in the world to live, according to a survey released January 5, topping the list for the fifth year in a row.

International Living magazine’s 30th Quality of Life Index surveyed almost 200 countries across nine categories, including cost of living, environment, safety and risk and culture and leisure.

France topped the list for the fifth consecutive year, beating Australia and Switzerland; which took second and third place respectively.

Consumers can expect to see “granny chic,” “eco luxe,” and “bleisure” trips exploding in 2010.

A list of top trends, compiled by Mr & Mrs Smith Editor-in-Chief Juliet Kinsman, suggests that holidays next year will still be affected by the economic downturn, but consumers will demand a more individual style when booking their trips.

“If our hotel bookings are anything to go by, people are still determined to travel but are choosing how and where they spend their money much more carefully,” commented Juliet Kinsman.