Your passport to the latest destinations and airline promotions

Warm spring festival Queensland Decked out in red and with dragon dances, fireworks and Chinese folk music, the Chinatown at Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, will be bathed in festive spirits of the Lunar New Year.

Put on your swimming suits and dive into the blue sea along the Gold Coast, the second largest city of Queensland, to enjoy a warm Spring festival with your families.

You can also take the famous "Skyrail" to enjoy the natural attractions of ancient rainforests at Cairns.

Bear-watching on Kodiak Island

Visitors to Kodiak Island in southern Alaska are to have more opportunities to watch the region's Kodiak bears.

In 2011, for the first time in 17 years, a region along the O'Malley River is being reopened to tourists, the Alaska Tourism Office says.

In contrast to the well-known bear observation points on the McNeil and Brooks rivers, there are no waterfalls on the O'Malley, so the Kodiak bears spread out along the river's banks to catch salmon.

Visitors can travel to the remote region only in small groups as participants in the new O'Malley Bear Viewing Program. (www.kodiak.org)

Southern France in early spring

Even before spring arrives, southern France will already be celebrating. Three major festivals are starting up on Feb 18.

One is the Mimosa Festival in Mandelieu-La Napoule, including an evening of mulled wine, the election of "Miss Mimosa" and various street parades, the regional tourism office reports.

In Menton, a lemon festival will be held until March 9. More excitement awaits visitors in Nice during the Carnival season up through March 8, when flower-bedecked wagons roll through the famous Promenade des Anglais and the many Carnival knaves assure an atmosphere of celebration for days on end.

"Chimney Rock" being furbished

The famous "Chimney Rock", with its viewing platform in the eastern US state of North Carolina, is undergoing a renovation this winter.

Among other things, the steep rock formation, located about 40 kilometers south of Asheville, will be getting a new stairway. And the lift built inside the cliff is being renovated, the North Carolina Tourism Office reports.

From atop Chimney Rock, the view in good weather is up to 120 kilometers. The platform is open during the winter Thursday through Monday, and every day starting April 1. (www.visitnc.com)

Austria's ski region touts mountainside eateries

The restaurant owners in Austria's winter sports region Schladming-Dachstein have created a new guide telling visitors where they can be served something more sophisticated than the usual sausages-and-fries. The "Skihuetten-Guide" (ski huts guide) lists 85 mountainside huts, which are reachable from the ski trails. Sun terraces and apres-ski bars are also part of the offering.

Airline news and deals

Fare discounts offered by HK airlines: Hong Kong Airlines, established in 2001, is offering discounted prices on flights between Hong Kong and Kunming in Yunnan province. Round-trip tickets for business class will cost between 3,500 and 4,700 yuan, and economy-class tickets will cost between 1,250 to 2,610 yuan.

Five percent off the original discounts: China Eastern Airlines is offering domestic flights an additional 5 percent off the original discounts, on condition that tickets are reserved seven days to three months ahead of time. The total discount is expected to be as low as 77 percent. Passengers between 12 and 23 years old and above 55 can enjoy up to a 67 percent discount.

Discounts for seniors, students, teachers: China Southern Airlines is offering up to 61 percent discount for passengers aged 55 and above, and up to 50 percent off for teachers, and 60 percent for students.

China Southern Airlines will arrange an additional 80 round-trip flights between Taiwan and mainland cities such as Guangzhou, Dalian and Shenzhen between Jan 18 to Feb 22.

Discounts from Shenzhen Airlines

Shenzhen Airlines is offering as much as 20 to 30 percent off the original prices of round-trip tickets during the Spring Festival period. Passengers can enjoy an additional 2 percent off if they buy tickets online.

Deutsche Presse Agentur - Associated Press - China Daily