The New Seven Wonders of the World

It was Herodotus, the Greek historian, who first developed the idea of the seven wonders of the ancient world in the fifth century BC.

Ancient 7 Wonders of the World

1. Great Pyramids of Giza
2. The hanging Gardens of Babylon
3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
5. Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
6. Colossus of Rhodes
7. Light House at Alexandria.

Sadly all but the great Pyramids of Giza remain which are still magnificent five thousand years after their construction.

Jumping forward 2500 years, to Lisbon, Portugal on the 7^th July 2007 – 07.07.07 to be precise, a panel of renowned architects and the former director general of UNESCO revealed the new seven wonders of the world.

New 7 Wonders of the World

1. Machu Piccu – Peru
2. Statue of Christ the Redeemer – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
3. Chichen Itza – Mexico
4. The Colosseum - Rome
5. Taj Mahal – India
6. Petra – Jordan
7. Great Wall – China

To celebrate this Travel Light are offering amazing discounts on 7 tours to the 7 wonders and this special lasts for 7 weeks! Promotion ends Saturday 25th August 2007 and is valid for departures in 2007 only.

Organisers say around 100 million votes were cast mainly over the internet and cell phone SMS and the new wonders were tops in a list of 14 which included the The Kremlin in Moscow, the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Sydney Opera House.

UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) who in the past have granted world heritage status to 660 cultural sites across the world have criticized the list for being too selective. Other concerns have been raised over the influx of tourists to these sites that will cause extra wear and tear may force numbers to be limited. Although many point out the obvious potential tourism income to gained by the mainly developing countries.

The next project is the new Seven Natural Wonders of World and the winners are due to be announced on 8^th August 2008 – 08.08.08

Travel Light are offering amazing discounts on 7 tours to the 7 wonders and this special lasts for 7 weeks*. What are you waiting for? Dream, Discover, Explore!