Posts Tagged ‘Holidays’

Flying Start For 2008 Holidays

As regular as Santa coming down the chimney at Christmas, the travel industry gives a dire warning of hard times for the year ahead, prices rising, and bookings looking poor.

But 2008 has been an exception with what could be record numbers booking for not just winter holidays but putting deposits down for a summer holiday.

Nearly all traditional travel agents and on-line travel sites report a surge of interest with many translating into bookings around the Christmas period.

ABTA, The British Association of Travel Agents, who safeguard consumer interests for the travelling public in the UK, put the rise in holiday bookings down to the awful weather in the country last summer.

The weather ABTA refer to were floods that affected large parts of England, claimed four lives, and left a hundred thousand homes without water for two weeks in parts of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Insurance companies have warned that the floods will ultimately cost small businesses millions, and insurers have processed tens of millions in claims from homeowners. The British government has given emergency aid to the worst affected areas to help with the cost of the clear-up. Yorkshire in the north of England saw some of the heaviest flooding, with thousands of homes left without power and three people dying.

Included in the holiday areas that have benefitted from the booking surge are Malta, Tenerife, Menorca, Majorca and Lanzarote – some of the favourites from previous years.

Early reports from Malta suggest that the holiday island had a best ever year for tourism in 2007, and is now considering how she can broaden her appeal to entice more tourists to the Mediterranean sunshine isle. Malta Airport saw a record number of passenger flights arriving in 2007 thanks to the low cost airlines bringing in extra visitors, and 2008 looks set to be busier still as more competition arrives.

The Canary Islands are hosting a winter festival of classical music and hopes to boost its visitors before the summer begins. The fourth largest island of Lanzarote, named for its red mountains, will host several of the festival’s upcoming concerts. Lanzarote is well known for its picturesque volcanic landscapes. It is perhaps also just as well known for its futuristic appearance and controlled development of wildlife and plant life.

Another of the Canary Islands, Tenerife, is known for its great winter climate and attracts nearly three and a half million tourists a year to its scenic 2,034 square kilometers. Most of Tenerife’s tourism comes from the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Italy and France, among many others. The island is home to many beautiful resorts, including the Playas de las Americas and Los Cristianos. In fact, recent legislation was passed to ensure that any future resort construction must either be of five-star status or offer resort luxuries like golf courses or banquet facilities.

It is likely that both Tenerife and Lanzarote will see their first quarter tourism numbers up for 2008, and if bookings continue as they have been can look forward to a good 2008.

2008 Holidays Not Hit By Economy – Yet

Early in 2008 the travel industry gives a dire warning of hard times for the year ahead, prices rising, and bookings looking poor.

But 2008 has so far been a good year, with the Easter holidays period showing no signs of a slow down, and summer bookings for traditional favourite holiday areas looking healthy.

Nearly all traditional travel agents and on-line travel sites report a surge of interest with many translating into bookings around the Christmas period, but this was before the real extent of the credit crunch was headline news on almost every news bulletin.

ABTA, The British Association of Travel Agents, who safeguard consumer interests for the travelling public in the UK, put the rise in holiday bookings for 2008 from British tourits who frequent the Mediterranean down to the awful weather in the country last summer.

The weather ABTA refer to were floods that affected large parts of England, claimed four lives, and left a hundred thousand homes without water for two weeks in parts of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Insurance companies have warned that the floods will ultimately cost small businesses millions, and insurers have processed tens of millions in claims from homeowners. The British government has given emergency aid to the worst affected areas to help with the cost of the clear-up. Yorkshire in the north of England saw some of the heaviest flooding, with thousands of homes left without power and three people dying.

Included in the holiday areas that have benefitted from good 2008 bookings are Malta, Tenerife, Menorca, Majorca and Lanzarote – some of the favourites from previous years.

Early reports from Malta suggest that the holiday island had a best ever year for tourism in 2007, and is now considering how she can broaden her appeal to entice more tourists to the Mediterranean sunshine isle. Malta Airport saw a record number of passenger flights arriving in 2007 thanks to the low cost airlines bringing in extra visitors, and 2008 looks set to be busier still as more competition arrives.

The Canary Islands have hosted a winter festival of classical music which boosted visitor numbers and hopes for a good summer too.

The fourth largest island of the Canary Islands Lanzarote, famed for its red mountains, hosted several of the festival’s concerts. Lanzarote is well known for its picturesque volcanic landscapes. It is perhaps also just as well known for its futuristic appearance and controlled development of wildlife and plant life.

Another of the Canary Islands, Tenerife, is known for its great winter climate and attracts nearly three and a half million tourists a year. Most of Tenerife’s tourism comes from the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Italy and France, among others.

The island is home to many excellent holiday resorts, including the Playas de las Americas and Los Cristianos. In fact, recent legislation was passed to ensure that any future resort construction must either be of five-star status or offer resort luxuries like golf courses or banquet facilities.

It is likely that both Tenerife and Lanzarote will see their overall tourism numbers up for 2008 based on the first few months, and if bookings continue as they have been can look forward to a good surprisingly good year – it could be the 2009 holidays trade which will suffer more from poor economies if people don’t book for next summer in January or so.

Things To See On Your Holidays In Belize

Bounties of treasures await the visitors of Belize. It is well said by those who have gone there that Belize is an adventurer’s paradise. It is on the Caribbean coast and just two hours away from 3 major U.S. gateways. It has rich wildlife, majestic mountains, mysterious Maya temples, and diving and fishing experiences.

One of the many attractions of Belize includes the Cays. Cays are islands that are located between the mainland and the barrier reef perimeters of the offshore atolls. The mangrove cays serve as a shelter of the many birds, fish shellfish, and marine organisms. The island cays, on the other hand, have provided the foundation for the development of many fine resorts to cater for the water sports enthusiasts and the marine naturalists.

One of the popular cays includes the famous CAE Caulker, second-most popular to the Ambergris CAE- the La Isla Bonita from Madonna’s song. It is located on the Caribbean coast of Belize in Central America. It is considered as a magnet for mid range travellers looking to detach themselves from the world.

Belize is also a haven for those who love fishing. All kinds of fishing can be experienced there. The estuaries, inlets and mouths to the many rivers are known for their tarpon, snook and jack. The lagoons and flats are known for the bone fish, permit and barracuda.

The coral reefs support grouper, snapper, jack and barracuda while the deeper waters off the drop off are home to sailfish, marlin, bonito and pompano. Belize also has 20 major river systems and smaller streams that provide outdoor adventures for the kayak and canoe lovers. It is also an excellent way to bird watch and view wildlife.

There are also many caves in Belize. It is an ideal location for the formation of caves because caves are a common feature in the landscape of Belize. The caves include the Che Chem Ha Cave, Rio Frio Cave, St Herman Cave, Barton Creek Cave, Ben Loman Cave and the Actun Tunichi Muknal Cave.

Though there are thousands of caves in Belize for some reason, one of which includes the protection of the caves archaeological significance many of the caves are closed to public exploration.

Golf courses are also abundant in Belize. Not to mention the Cave Chapel Island Resort Golf Course, it is located just off shore from Belize City on a cave that was developed for the very purpose of golfing and relaxation.

The Maskall Golf course Lodge, located in the Belize District, has a nine-hole jungle setting.

As a country whose history is rooted from the Mayan civilization, Belize is also known from its place Cayo. It is a 1500 square mile district that encompasses a good portion of the Maya Mountains and has more than its fair share of ancient Maya sites.

Holidays – World’s Best Villa Destinations

If your idea of a holidays is the up most of luxury and seclusion then a villa holiday is likely to appeal. There are hundreds of thousands of villas across the globe, each with their own appeal from relaxing on private beaches to exploring the depths of the outback on your own personal safari.

The following outlines some of the worlds most popular destinations and what villas in these areas have to offer.

Africa

World renowned for its magnificent contrasting scenery, Africa is a majestic mixture of lush jungles, endless deserts and bustling cities filled with diverse races and religions each with their own way of life. One of the major pulls of African holidays is the opportunity visitors have to get close to the some of the world’s most wild animals in their natural habitat.

Indian Ocean

Boasting some of the worlds most beautiful coast lines, the islands situated within the Indian Ocean are often cited as the “picture perfect island castaway”. If the clear warm water that peacefully laps on the talcum powder soft white sands isn’t enough, many of the islands resorts are renowned for providing world class pampering.

Caribbean

Once reserved for the rich and famous, the 7,000 islands that make up the Caribbean have become a popular resort from travellers from all walks of life. From the laid back beauty of Anguilla to the busting island of Bermuda and Jamaica the Caribbean has something for everyone. Water sports and on-land sports such as Golf and Tennis are particularly popular on some of the islands.

Australasia

The term Australasia is used to describe New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea and the surrounding islands. Australia is a huge country, and its sheer size can be quite daunting, for this reason it is recommended that you choose to fly instead of driving if you wish to cover long distances. Either way, the country manages to combine the ultimate in luxury within its bustling cosmopolitan cities with nail biting adventures when you take to the outback.

Since the Lord of the Rings, interest in New Zealand has sawed, and it’s no surprise. The country is home to some of the worlds most outstanding natural wonders, from snowy peaks to golden beaches. The contrast in culture and environment between the north and south island also makes for a very interesting holiday.

Villa holidays are becoming considerably popular and finding villa rentals in the above resorts as well as anywhere else around globe is very easy. The amount you will pay will vary considerably depending on what kind of villa holidays you are looking for.

Don’t Miss these Hotel Beauties during Your Cheap Holidays in Dubai

The larger than life emirate of Dubai has earned well deserved epithets like ‘Venice of the East’ and ‘City of Merchants’. Unsurprisingly, people flock to Dubai in hordes and the country makes sure that its guests receive unparalleled service. Dubai is as famous for its hotels as for its other tourist magnets. In fact, some of the hotels in themselves have become the biggest crowd pullers. Let us take a look at three of the biggest charmers.

Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai

This is the latest addition to Dubai’s treasure kitty. This hotel is like a gigantic ocean based theme park complete with heady water rides and submerged old ruins. One can get up close to creatures like sharks and dolphins. Sitting in the world’s largest artificial island, Atlantis offers you amazing aquatic attractions spread across more than 15 million gallons of fresh and sea water attractions. The Aquaventure water playground is packed with a plethora of heart pumping delights. Imagine, being flung thirty feet into the air and dashed through lagoons teeming with sharks. The different rides through simulated tidal waves and rapids are just hair rising.

The Royal Towers offers over 1,500 guest accommodations with more than 16 restaurants, lounges, bars, and cafes. The stunning Palm Terrace and Royal Palm ballroom are just two of the conferencing facilities. For shopping, there is a mind boggling array of designer brands to choose besides local goodies. The overall awesome luxury makes the word cheap belong to some other dimension among those who celebrate their holidays in Dubai at the Atlantis

Burj Al Arab

No discussion on hotels or for that matter on holidays in Dubai can be complete without an allusion to the Burj Al Arab. Being the tallest hotel in the world, its appearance reflects its reputation. Stretching way up into the clouds from its own small Island, the Burj looks like a giant ship from some science fiction flick. During dark, the effect is astounding, when the hotel explodes into thousands of gleaming lights. Guests are treated like royalty with a Rolls Royce limousine pick up service from the airport. Every floor has a private reception, while every suite has butler service. There are as many as six restaurants and lounges. Burj al Arab is highly renowned for its al Mahara and al Muntaha restaurants. The al Mahara is an underwater restaurant reached by a submarine ride, while the al Muntaha is a suspension restaurant nestling among the clouds.

Shangri-La Hotel Dubai

Housed within the Al Jaber multipurpose complex, Shangri-La is not only conveniently located in the heart of the city, but also commands one of the best sea views. One may choose from one bedroom to four bedroom suites. The hotel boasts some of the roomiest accommodation facilities. There are nine restaurants and bars dishing out a wide array of exotic cuisines, including Cantonese, Moroccan, Vietnamese, and seafood delicacies. The Business Centre offers well trained professional staff along with state of the art technology catering to the requirements of executives on the move. The Horizon Club rooms give a host of extra services like complimentary breakfast and beverages during the day and cocktails during evenings. Shangri-La is definitely one of the best places for spending a holidays in Dubai.

Although, these three hotels are among the most well-known ones, but by no means are they the exclusive options. Dubai is just crawling with accommodation facilities of all types, be they big and small or expensive and cheap.