Archive for Travel
January 15, 2008 at 4:31 am · Filed under Travel
Looking for hotels using the Internet is better than getting in touch with travel agencies the old-fashioned way. For one, you instantly get an idea of how much you will really pay for a room. There are a lot of sites offering the same service which is one of its advantages. But it also has its drawbacks as you might get confused with what site offers what. Good thing there are sites like Hotels Combined which really combines the information from thirty or so travel sites which offer hotel deals in a wide variety of destination. It only takes a minute or so for the site to list down the deals being offered by the thirty or so sites. All you have to do is choose the day you want to check in and your destination.
Overall, this site can help you find what you are looking for in a more convenient way.
December 28, 2007 at 4:53 pm · Filed under Travel
Cheap flights from low cost airlines operating out of the UK and other European countries could be under threat as the Conservative Party - once a campaigner and implementer of lower taxes - has called for purchase tax to be introduced to domestic flights.
The tax would add up to 17.5 per cent on to the cost of a flight from one British city to another, but while flights to the European mainland and popular holiday islands such as Menorca aren’t specifically mentioned, one travel company believes the new policy will inevitably lead to higher fares for flights not just within Britain, but elsewhere too.
The Tory policy review calls for the UK to be a leader on green growth, noting that it was illogical for flights to attract less tax than cars and trains, with David Cameron, the Tory Party leader, saying that much of the report would be included in their manifesto at the next British General Election, which could be up to two years away, but at the time could have been just weeks away as Prime Minister Gordon Brown considered an early poll.
‘It’s not so much that we’re convinced the Tories will win the next election and tax domestic flights’, say the travel company, ‘But by proposing new taxes on flights it leads the door open to the Labour Party, who are more likely to win, to use taxes on flights as a revenue raiser with no opposition from the Tories who are traditionally seen as the tax cutting party. We have no doubt that flights will be taxed a lot more in 2008 because the Tories have now made it a soft target for the British government of any political persuasion and the Treasury when they prepare their annual budgets.’
Menorca
Citing Menorca as an example, the company points to the holiday industry on the island being a major employer, and the Menorca map changing over the years as new resorts have been built to accommodate additional visitors.
‘One of the other aspects of the report that is a worry for the holiday industry’, continues the travel company, ‘Is that new runways at Stansted, Gatwick and Heathrow Airports are all ruled out - all three airports serve London and the South-East of England. Any increased demand for example for Menorca holidays probably won’t be able to be met without increased capacity, inevitably leading to a consequence of higher prices overall.’
From the environmental lobby the Green Party described the proposals as ‘fiddling around the edges when what is needed is urgent and radical action’, adding that the Tory eco-taxes would hit the poorest in society hardest.
Citing Menorca as typical of the areas that could be affected most by additional flight taxes, the travel company takes the view that any downturn in visitor numbers and the volume of bookings for holidays and hotels in Menorca would hit an island that relies heavily on tourism.
The Spanish island is currently served by three UK airlines that offer scheduled flights, including one low cost carrier that offers cheap Menorca flights. But there are a high number of holiday companies who offer chartered flights in the summer months, and these companies have helped reduced prices for holidaymakers visiting the island. Neighbouring island Majorca attracted most UK tourists for 2007, beating off competition from low cost destinations in Eastern Europe, and Menorca has also benefitted from an increase in visitor numbers.
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December 28, 2007 at 4:42 pm · Filed under Travel
Low lying European ski countries last year who saw a decline in ski holiday visitors, including Andorra, have been investing in her facilities to try and tempt the skiiers she lost back for the 2008 season.
In the past Andorra has grown in stature from a destination offering cheap ski holidays to one that can compete with the best that Europe has to offer, with a growing number of ski holidays being taken in the country over the last decade to the point where it was attracting some ten million tourists a year.
But unexpectedly the rise in visitors to Andorra came to a screeching halt for the 2006/7 ski season, and the ski slopes closed two weeks earlier than anticipated due to a lack of snow that saw many other resorts in Europe, especially in countries with low lying slopes like Austria, badly affected by the lack of natural snow.
The Andorra economy is unusually reliant on the ski holidays industry, the other main activity being the financial and banking industry due to her tax haven status, and the Andorra weather refused to play her part last year. Some estimates suggest takings for supermarkets, petrol stations, department stores and supermarkets were down some 40 per cent compared to 2006 in the main ski holiday areas.
The good news for the Andorra ski holiday industry as it hopes for an improved 2008 holidays season is that the snow - notably absent last year - started to fall in November, and long range weather forecasts suggest that January through to April could see enough snow to give Andorra skiiers good snow depth, and little if any need for snow cannons to make up any shortfall.
But the tourist authorities are determined not to be caught out again, and continue with the progress made in the last twenty years that has seen Andorra rise impressively from a cheap ski holiday destination to one that caters for the middle and upmarket price range with UK ski holiday specialist companies like Crystal Ski offering a full range of holidays in Andorra.
Private money as well as finance from the banks in Andorra have helped to upgrade Soldeu, a main Andorra ski holiday resort, to a high class status with new hotels and upgrades for existing ones.
New Investment
In total it is estimated that nearly 200 million Euros has been invested in Andorra’s on-mountain ski facilities, and the figure rises significantly when off-mountain spending is taken into account, such as the new hotels in Andorra, notably in the top ski areas of Soldeu and Arinsal.
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December 17, 2007 at 5:58 am · Filed under Travel
Hong Kong has the busiest ports in all of Asia. Businesses have grown because of the tourism industry boom. Considered the shopping capital of Asia, a trip is never complete without splurging on the Brand name stores all over the city.
If you’re planning a weekend shopping spree with your friends, visit Hongkongtravelguide365.com for more information about the city. It’s the ultimate Hong Kong guide. Hotel and other forms of accomodations are abundant in Hong Kong, and this website will be able to give you the best deal. Aside from this feature, Honkongtravelguide365.com also has a list of the popular tourist attractions, nightclubs, restaurants and café in Hong Kong.
December 12, 2007 at 9:40 pm · Filed under Travel
Plenty of websites offer what they call in-depth information about Milan, Italy; but who knows what real or false nowadays. If you’re looking for the best Milan guide around, I suggest you take a look at Travelguidemilan.com.
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December 10, 2007 at 9:23 pm · Filed under Travel
The entire family will surely have a very pleasant vacation with Orlando Vacation Homes. These prime vacation residences are located within Reunion Resort, a huge 5,000 square feet compound filled with all the necessary and sundry amenities to accommodate all your family’s leisure and activity needs. You can contact the resort online through windsorpalmsflorida.com.
Online vacation sites like windsorpalmsflorida.com are good if you are planning on a getaway vacation for the weekend, or for the entire week. The site provides detailed description of everything the resort has to offer, including the perk of being minutes near the area of Orlando’s great theme parks.
