AFP: Darfur? What Darfur? Tourists discover Sudan's treasures 23 April

The ancient lake has dried up and created the worlds largest salt flats measuring roughly 4,250 square miles.

Marmary is an undersea rail project linking the Asian and European shores of Istanbul under the Bosphorus strait. The work has led to the discovery of extraordinary treasures from the Byzantine times, including some 30 shipwrecks.

Bethlehem, cradle of Christianity, is a magnet at this time of year for the faithful from all over the world. And after a period when tourist numbers fell, pilgrims are returning.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court filed genocide charges Monday against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, accusing him of masterminding attempts to wipe out African tribes in Darfur. (July 14)

Real treasures of colour and embroidery, the textiles produced by an almost unknown people, the Paracas, who lived between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. in southern Peru, are on display at the Quai Branly Museum of native arts in Paris.

The last two years have seen the value of the US dollar fall by more than 10 percent against the euro. American tourists are still drawn to the charms of the French capital, but a visit to Paris dents wallets -- and raises hackles -- much more than it used to. Voiced report.

Tourists are flooding back into Nepal this year despite the continuing political uncertainty and a decade-long Maoist insurgency. Arrivals are up by 32 percent in the Himalayan nation which is heavily dependent on the industry, but locals fear the postponed elections and further outbreak of protests could once again scare away visitors, and rob them of their livelihoods. Voiced report.

Casamance, a land of pristine beaches and some of the most stunning landscapes in west Africa, was once Senegal's biggest tourist draw. But for more than 20 years the army and rebels seeking independence were engaged in bloody conflict, isolating it from the world. Now it's back on the vacationers' map.

The west African state of Burkina Faso is a long way down the league of the world’s favourite tourism destinations: only 300,000 visitors a year and most of them businessmen. But there are plans to change that. In the capital Ougadougou an international exhibition devoted to tourism and the hotel industry opens on Thursday and the hosts hope its will draw attention to the country's attractions. But its tourist infrastructure suffers from severe underdevelopment. A voiced report.