News Archive: travel and tourism

09, 2010 February:

Most romantic spots in Britian

Love is in the air - if you are trying to think of somewhere special to take your loved one this Valentine's Day, the National Trust has named its top 10 most romantic UK country houses to visit on February 14th...

World's tallest tower closes to tourists

The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks...

Easter Island fears ‘eclipse tourists'

Easter Island authorities yesterday they were worried about a sudden invasion of thousands of tourists expected on July 11 this year to witness a rare total solar eclipse...

Seoul's floating island sails away

A giant steel float that will be part of a "floating island" in Seoul boasting off-shore entertainment facilities began a snails-paced trip towards the city's Han River on Saturday...

Driving force in WA

The West Australian government has turned to WA's online social community and the international theme of a taxi to help lure more visitors to the west...

08, 2010 February:

Sharm-el-Sheikh goes green

In a bid to entice the ever-increasing number of eco-tourists, the Egyptian holiday resort of Sharm- el-Sheikh intends to slash its carbon emissions in the next decade, becoming entirely carbon-neutral by 2020...

05, 2010 February:

Love's young dream

It's just what every woman dreams of - being whisked away on a romantic Valentine's Day break to Rome, Paris or Prague - but it's actually Benidorm that has beaten off competition from those typical romantic hotspots to claim the title of top Valentine's weekend destination for British couples...

Pope to fly easyJet?

British low-cost airline easyJet offered Wednesday to fly Pope Benedict XVI to Britain for free after a controversy erupted over the high cost of the pontiff's visit...

Oops, wrong Vancouver!

Sallie Reavey picked up the phone at her charming Briar Rose Inn and the caller asked about rooms in mid-February. "We have a nice selection of rooms for those dates," she replied, to which the caller gasped: "You still have rooms during the Olympics?"...

New water museum in Siena

If you have ever visited Siena, you may have wondered why the city has so many fountains...

QE2 won't sail to SA's World Cup

Dubai's cash-strapped owner of the QE2 says it will not sail the famed British ocean liner to South Africa to serve as a floating hotel during the World Cup this summer...

Ryanair, Aer Lingus: Irish price war

Air passengers in Ireland could benefit from lower fares following Ryanair's announcement that it will directly compete with Aer Lingus on several of its popular sun destinations...

04, 2010 February:

Holidays auctioned for $1

Tourism operators in Queensland's Whitsundays are selling everything from luxury boat charters to three night cruises and daytrips to Whitehaven Beach from $1...

03, 2010 February:

Oxford becomes Hollywood Wonderland

Tim Burton's new film, Alice in Wonderland, is set to send Oxford tourism through the roof as much of the film is set in the city of dreaming spires - so just what can we expect from the latest Hollywood blockbuster?...

Most popular walk in Britain

A walk around the city of Bath has been identified as the most popular in Britain by the National Trust...

Brits opt to self-cater

The increasing popularity of self-catering and camping holidays in Britain is believed to have led to a sharp rise in the number of hotel insolvencies...

Concorde crash trial starts in France

US airline Continental and five individuals went on trial on Tuesday on manslaughter charges for the crash of the Concorde that left 113 dead, nearly a decade ago...

Machu Picchu closed to tourists

The fabled Inca site of Machu Picchu will be closed to tourists for at least three weeks - and shut off from all but the hardiest of visitors for almost two months - as Peruvian authorities assess the damage caused by the recent floods along the Urubamba river...

Ryanair: seat prices to rise

Ryanair has raised its profit forecast after reporting that the carrier performed better in the the third quarter of 2009 than predicted...

02, 2010 February:

World Cup flights: price fixing?

A British Airways franchisee is facing an investigation over allegations that it has been colluding with other airlines over the cost of flights within South Africa during this summer's World Cup...

Fighting fears over full-body scans

Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, has sought to allay privacy fears over the introduction of full body scans at airports by saying that the images are deleted "immediately"...

US deadline for travellers

Travellers to the US who have not registered their details online via the US Embassy will not be allowed to board flights from March 20th...

Qantas to dump 1st class

Qantas is planning to dump two-thirds of its first-class airline seats as part of a radical $400 million overhaul of its long-haul fleet...

The World heads to SE Asia

After two months of cruising the Australian coastline, the World is bound for South-East Asia...

Audio hit for self-drive

Self-drive holidays have plenty of advantages and they're about to get even better, in New Zealand at least, with an audio guide that claims to be the first to employ GPS technology to match commentary with position...

Day spa guide for Oz

Australia's first online guide to day spas has been launched. The site's creator, Marc Llewellyn, says it has more than 420 listings...

01, 2010 February:

A lifetime of holidays

We would all love to take the holiday of a lifetime - but how about the holiday for a lifetime - that is exactly what one of the world's top luxury resorts is offering one lucky winner, so read on to find out how to win two weeks in the Maldives every year until you reach 65...

Chocolate theme park opens

Thousands of Chinese flocked to a new chocolate theme park on Friday, gobbling the sweet treat and savouring the visual feast of replicas of the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army and even a sleek BMW...

Goa to ban bikini ads following attacks

The government of the Indian resort state of Goa may ban tourism ads featuring bikini-clad women to improve its image after a string of crimes against women, an official said last week...

29, 2010 January:

‘Feel the warmth' in South-East Asia

A brand new tourist campaign has been introduced in South East Asia in a bid to attract more tourists from Australia, India, USA and the UK - so just what is the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) rolling out?...

Harry Potter park comes to life

Fans of the world's most popular wizard will be able to immerse themselves in Harry Potter's fantastical world in Orlando, Florida, soon - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is taking shape as we speak...

Rome revives carnival

The cities of Rome and Venice will be twinned for the Carnival season this year with Rome reviving traditions that have not been seen in the city since the seventeenth century...

BA threatens staff over strikes

British Airways has issued cabin crew with a threat to rescind their travel privileges if they go ahead with strike action...

Aldi Travel off the market

German budget supermarket Aldi has stopped taking bookings on its travel subsidiary Aldi Travel after just one year of trading...

Foodies head to Melbourne for festival

Food lovers will be flocking to the Australian city of Melbourne in March for the annual internationally-acclaimed Food and Wine Festival (12-23 March 2010)...

28, 2010 January:

Free tickets to placate rail travellers

FirstGroup will today attempt to appease incandescent passengers on its First Capital Connect rail franchise with free tickets and discounts thought to be worth £1million...

Boarding pass via text

Paperless air travel moves a step further from next week, with Jetstar expanding its trial of text-message boarding passes beamed to travellers' mobile phones...

Why do Aussie flyers pay more?

Just like the swine flu, it seems whinging is a contagion for Australian politicians who travel to the UK...

Seeing double: Gold Coast airport

The tourism industry is banking on a $100 million doubling of the size of the Gold Coast Airport terminal to deliver a much-needed boost...

27, 2010 January:

China renames Avatar mountain

Avatar is officially the biggest film of all time-so who can blame a province in southern China from trying to cash in on the success by renaming one of their craggy peaks after the film's floating mountains...

Brits ‘more likely to travel' now

Nearly a fifth of British travellers say they are more likely to go on holiday in the coming year than they were six months ago, according to new research...

Obama's heritage boosts African tourism

Africa bucked global trends by attracting an increase in tourists last year, attributable in part to the "Obama effect"...

New flights to Vilnius

AirBaltic has announced a new route from London Gatwick to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania...

Thomson launches gay friendly holidays

Thomson Holidays has announced a new holiday range called the Freedom Collection, aimed at the gay and lesbian market...

No-frills airlines 'better for environment'

Passengers who fly with no-frills carriers leave a softer "carbon footprint" than those on full-service airlines, new research has shown...

Tighter security for propeller aircraft

Tighter security measures for aircraft powered by turbo-propeller engines will not be introduced sooner, despite aviation experts warning that such checks are essential to ensure the safety of domestic flights...

26, 2010 January:

Quality Street

Once again, it's time for the annual ‘Quality of Life Index,' which tells us, in no uncertain terms, where the best places to live in the world are - taking into consideration health, environment, work, climate, culture and economy - so which country has triumphed in 2010?

Happy Australia Day!

It's Australia Day and, although we don't get a public holiday over here in the UK, raising a couple of tinnies to the good folk Down Under could bring some much needed sunshine in to your life...

Grey-haired gallivanting

It seems that globetrotting is no longer the preserve of gap-year teenagers - their grandparents could soon be giving them a run for their money when it comes to clocking up the passport stamps...