"So ferry, across the Mersy..."

In an age where travellers desire for the fastest, most efficient forms of transport, it is interesting to find out that travelling by ferry has managed not only to survive as a method of getting from one place to another, but has continued to grow...

This is a part of the travel sector that has seen many innovations and technological advancements over the years that has included hovercraft, jetfoils and submarines as competition...

With more than 40 million annual passenger journeys, the UK ferry industry is still very much a formidable force in the travel sector...

Despite the tough economic climate, figures for the first 10 months of the year show the number of passengers travelling to Western Europe by ferry decreased by just 3.7% compared to the same period last year, whereas the number of people choosing to fly to the same countries dropped by an estimated 9.8%...

The number of passengers carried to the Continent up until the end of October was 20.6 million with the number of cars carried changing very little over the same period to 4.8 million...

With predictions that more people will be holidaying closer to home in 2010, now is the time for both travel agents and tour operators to revisit ferry travel and take advantage of renewed interest in a form of transport that offers everything from luxury cabins and celebrity restaurants, to fast crossings and leisurely mini-cruises, all at prices that offer exceptional value provided in a hassle-free environment...

For more on this, go to http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1139811.php

Barticus.

'Protect Us!'

Independent travellers who enjoy creating all aspects of their desired experience may continue doing so with an extra bonus – levels of protection for holidaymakers is to be available for all.

According to the European Commission, compensation, when company failure occurs, will be provided to those vacationers who organise their own flights, accommodation and other additional services such as car hire.

We have heard many cases where travellers have been abandoned at airports due to the sudden collapse of their chosen operator, and due to recent European airlines that have been unsuccessful it is a positive beginning for the travel industry. Let’s hope that it all goes according to plan.

To follow this story click below...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/6661514/Europe-seeks-to-extend-protection-for-holidaymakers.html

G.T.I.

"But, is it really cultural??.."

Thanks to Virtual Tourist for bringing out a list (ye gods, another list, ha ha) that this time focuses on one of the most notorious cultural reflections of modern city life, Ugly Buildings...

From Morris A. Mechanic Theater; Baltimore, Maryland, that they describe as "Looking at the grim, impersonal façade of this once-thriving theater, it’s hard to believe its stage once hosted the likes of Katherine Hepburn and George C. Scott. Although it would be ugly without them, the windows boarded up with wood certainly don’t help matters. Its doors now closed, the structure still incites debate among locals, many of whom feel the final curtain should have come down on this building long ago," to Ryugyong Hotel; Pyongyang, North Korea said to be "Riddled with issues that range from lack of money to poor construction to rumored collapse, this still unfinished nightmare has been under some form of construction for over 20 years. Started in 1987, construction was halted a few years later and left untouched until fairly recently."

But are these monstrosities really so bad? Or are they set to be the "must see" cultural icons of the future?

Follow http://members.virtualtourist.com/vt/t/354 and you decide.

Barticus.

"You want me to what????"

Silly signage out to confuse the traveller...

This is an absolutely brilliant collection of REAL signs that have been posted around the world to help out the travelling community...

Please follow http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/travel_images/article6923037.ece?slideshowPopup=true&articleId=6923037&nSlide=1&sectionName=Travel and enjoy as you try to work out how such curious mistakes were possible, while wondering who paid for these...

Barticus.

"Brit's don't go..."

This follows the news that Outbound International tourism has fallen 14% (which is nearly 10 million actual trips) in the year so far from the UK...

Inbound tourism fell as well, but not by as much with actual income down only 1%...

But why the surprise? With the value of the tourist pound falling through the floor, threats of redundancies looming, and the promise of a "barbecue" summer, the "staycation" was the only option available for many...

With the promise that inbound tourism will be the foundation for economic recovery in the UK, these figures will only make sense when evaluating what the Brit's spent on domestic tourism for the same period...

To follow this, and try to evaluate your own findings, go to http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1139543.php

Barticus.

"Two's company, three's a crowd..."

So what is eight hundred and forty?......

With news that the first ( in fact being the first and second as they have ordered 2) single class Airbus A380 double-decker super jumbos carrying 840 passengers have been ordered by Air Austral, who are based in La Réunion in the Indian Ocean....

The airline’s president Gérard Ethève said: “The A380 will offer the best comfort of any aircraft in a high density configuration. “With its spacious and extremely quiet cabins, we'll enter a new era in terms of economic air travel....”

But 840 in one class on a plane designed to carry 315 less in various classes, is it really an answer, or are travellers being treated more and more like cattle?

Follow the link and you decide http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1139517.php?mpnlog=1&m_id=s~bvs~bm

Barticus.

"Poor Mans Riches for Dominic.."

This follows news that, thanks to the addition of flights from British Airways as well as a stylish new face lift, that, that is known as "poor man's Caribbean" the Dominican Republic, has become more accessible to all from the U.K....

Fred Mawer explains "Let's say you have £900 to spend on a low-season week in the Caribbean including flights. For that money you could stay in a distinctly average three-star, all-inclusive, in Antigua; in a mid-range hotel, room only, in Barbados; or all-inclusive at the five-star Dreams Punta Cana. Why would you hesitate over the decision? Only, perhaps, because the Dreams Punta Cana is in the Dominican Republic, long lumbered with the label of "the poor man's Caribbean"..."

He then goes on to say that "I stayed in and visited as many of those upmarket hotels as I could. Most are still of the giant, all-inclusive variety. Though service and food rarely matched that of luxury hotels on other Caribbean islands, it was hard not to be dazzled by some elements of their offerings. We are talking beautiful grounds, gigantic swimming pools, king-size double day beds under canvas drapes or thatch by the beach or pool, and giant suites with whirlpool baths designed for sharing. Moreover, the all-inclusive rates at these classier hotels included premium (not just locally branded) drinks, room service and a turn down in the evenings. A few exclusive, small-scale "boutique" hotels – such as the Sivory and Tortuga Bay – have also been opening in the Punta Cana area in the past few years..."

Does this mean that the Dominican Republic will ever be able to lose this label? Follow the link and you decide http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/centralamericaandcaribbean/6589350/Dominican-Republic-Riches-in-the-poor-mans-Caribbean.html

Barticus.

"Er, excuse me Madame..."

It would appear that narcotics are not the only thing that people run the risk of smuggling...

This follows the publication of "the weirdest items confiscated by customs" and kicks off with the story of a woman that was stopped in Stockholm, Sweden with 75 live snakes hidden in her bra after only giving the game away by the constant scratching of her chest...

Other stories include when Robert Cusack, 49 was stopped at LAX when 4 birds of paradise flew from his luggage creating much disturbance in arrivals only to utter the immortal words "I have monkeys in my pants," which turned out to be 2 slow loris pygmy monkeys, all earning him 5 and a half months in prison...

Away from the airports, America 2006 saw the arrival of a Mexican truck that caught the attention of officials after seeing 40 packages hidden in compartments when performing an x-ray, but instead of the drugs they were anticipating police found 40 pounds of cheese...

For the full list of smuggling craziness, please follow http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/6580933/The-weirdest-items-confiscated-by-airport-security.html

Barticus.

"Can I get fries with that?..."

Thai street food has always been an area of worry for the hungry traveller, but not anymore if this article from visit-Chiang-Mai is anything to go by....

Street sellers have, so they say, cleaned up their act thus leaving the days of "somewhat unhygienic, with rumours that consumption of it could lead to serious stomach complaints" far behind them...

With various menu's to choose from, including:
* Som Tam - a spicy salad with shredded papaya
* Khao Mun Gai Tom - steamed chicken served on rice cooked in chicken broth
* Rat Naa - fried flat noodles and pork in a thick gravy
* Ba Mee Nam - yellow egg noodle soup with wonton
* Pad Thai - fried noodles with dried shrimp and tofu
* Johk - a thick rice soup excellent for breakfast
* Pad See Iew - pan-fried noodles with pork & green vegetables
* Khao Pad - fried rice
* Pad Krapow Moo - pork fried with basil served on rice
* Khao Moo Daeng - red pork with rice
This is leaving even me quite hungry...

For more on Thai Street Food, please go to http://www.visit-chiang-mai-online.com/thai-street-food.html and enjoy having your taste buds tickled...

Barticus.

"Up Ship Creek...."

An inspiring story from Belfast, Ireland (via New Zealand) about the destination tourism being incurred thanks to it's ship building past...

But of course Belfast didn't just build any ships. It built THE ship. The biggest and most flamboyant of it's age, claimed to be the most decadent and totally un-sinkable. The Titanic...

In Ireland the story is still told how "We built the unsinkable ship. Well, it was unsinkable when it left Belfast, but it had an English captain so it wasn't our fault...."

Although there is currently no Titanic museum in Belfast - or indeed a maritime museum to acknowledge the 3000 other vessels built here - the city has long since come to terms with the notoriety of the great "unsinkable" ship. In fact, after those decades of denial by silence, Belfast is celebrating the Titanic and the city's maritime history with an annual festival in April...

For more on this story, follow http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10609111&ref=rss

Barticus.

"Where's the beach?..."

Rising sea levels and coastal erosion are the source of major worry for tourism chiefs in Hawaii as a new report out shows how quickly their beautiful white beaches are disappearing...

Geologists say more than 70 percent of Kauai's beaches are eroding while Oahu has lost a quarter of its sandy shoreline. They warn the problem is only likely to get significantly worse in coming decades as global warming causes sea levels to rise more rapidly...

The loss of so many beaches is an alarming prospect for Hawaii on many levels. Many tourists come to Hawaii precisely because they want to lounge on and walk along its soft sandy shoreline. These visitors spend some $11.4 billion each year, making tourism the state's largest employer...

Follow more at http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2009/11/14/hawaiis-famed-white-sandy-beaches-are-shrinking.html?s_cid=rss:hawaiis-famed-white-sandy-beaches-are-shrinking

Barticus.

"Australians sing when they are winning...."

Eco Tourism in Australia got a nice boost when Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa was judged the ‘World’s Leading Eco Lodge’ at the World Travel Awards in London earlier this month....

Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson said: “The World Travel Awards acknowledge excellence across the global tourism industry and it is wonderful to see Australian businesses recognised...

“The future success of Australia’s travel and tourism sectors depends upon the development of high quality and innovative product and services and pioneering companies such as the Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa are to be commended...

Tourism Australia and 94 partner organisations have also invested almost $4 million to separate hard-working Australians their 123 million days of accrued leave, worth around $33 billion....

Well done to them. Follow this story at http://minister.ret.gov.au/TheHonMartinFergusonMP/Pages/MINISTERWELCOMESINTERNATIONALACHIEVEMENT.aspx

Barticus.

"For Forks sake..."

An excellent example of film tourism is shown in today's Guardian that centres around the little known town of Forks in Washington state that has become an instant tourist destination thanks to Vampire flick "Twilight."

When she decided to set her books in the town of Forks (population 3,120) on the basis that it is one of the rainiest places in America, she inadvertently changed the town's fortunes. Last month 16,000 Twilight tourists alighted on the Washington state town, twice as many visitors than it received the entire previous year. Fans eat at Twilight restaurants, drink at Twilight bars and can have their photographs taken by a truck purporting to belong to the novels' heroine, Bella...

Such amazing fortunes for such a small town. If only it was so easy to promote so many other places, (writers take note).....

To see more of this story go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/13/twilight-stephenie-meyer-vampire-film

Barticus.

"Good news for travel agents..."

Agents at a World Travel Market seminar on the future of the industry could be forgiven for their wry smiles on Thursday as expert speakers suggested that selling had gone full circle on the web and the focus was now on personalization...

This is good news for the part of the travel and tourism sector that has seen big job losses thanks to the Internet, and suggests that the high street travel agent is going to remain the place where many people still book their main family holiday...

Executive chairman of Cheapflights Hugo Burge told the seminar that he didn’t think the travel industry had got it quite right yet in the way that Igoogle had because it was difficult to predict what people wanted travel-wise as their needs varied from trip to trip, as they could be booking a business trip one minute and a family holiday the next. “There is some way to go yet in anticipating people’s needs,” he said...

For more on this go to http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1139427.php?mpnlog=1&tmclt=bs~s~m_rv

Barticus.

"Brazilians are the fashion for Israeli's ..."

Good news for Israeli tourism as a new travel deal struck between their, and Brazil's Governments, should see it easier for Brazilians to vacation there...

Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, accompanying President Shimon Peres on a state visit to Brazil, has signed a tourism agreement in hopes of encouraging Brazilian and South American travel to Israel, the Tourism Ministry announced in a statement yesterday...

"The Tourism Ministry sees great importance in strengthening ties with the South American countries, both in order to encourage tourism to Israel and to promote cooperation in various areas," Misezhnikov said...

For more information on this fantastic news, please follow http://www.eturbonews.com/12744/brazil-signs-tourism-agreement-israel

Barticus.

"British Airways... Ole!"

The biggest airline news of the year (so far in this strange year for airlines) sees the merger of what used to be "The worlds favourite airline" British airways, and Spanish superstar Iberia...

The deal, which comes after months of negotiations, is aimed at helping the airlines cope during the global economic slump. The industry has suffered from a sharp decline in passenger and cargo traffic. ...

Both airlines will retain their brands and heritage while achieving significant synergies as a combined force BA chief executive Willie Walsh was quoted as saying...

British Airways will hold 55 percent of the combined firm, while Iberia will retain 45 percent, the statement said, adding that the merger will save around 400 million euros ($594 million) after five years.....

Follow more of this breaking news at http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4888471,00.html

Barticus.

"I need to get out of the cold..."

Dubai tourism set for Russian onslaught..

Rita Boustany, Editor-in-Chief of Aviamost, the most popular and widely circulated Russian language magazine in the Gulf, has said Dubai should expect 15% to 20% increase in tourist influx during the November Russian holiday of this year compared to the same period in 2008...

Dubai’s tourism industry is bracing itself for a large number of Russian tourists as nearly 10,000 to 15,000 who are expected to arrive in the city during the November holiday period. According to the Russian tour operators Dubai hotels lowered their room rates by the end of 2008 and the trend continued till mid 2009. As the room rates are still the same it has helped Russian operators to sell Dubai well amid economic crisis....

To hear more follow http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/33863-Influx-of-Russian-tourists-to-enhance-Dubai%E2%80%99s-tourism-industry

Barticus.

"Big IS Beautifull..."

Well that's the view of Emirates president Tim Clark when referring to the new Airbus A38O super jumbo...

Calling it a good "crowd puller" he then described the A38O as being more fuel efficient than expected and "hugely profitable," adding that “The faster you fly it, the less fuel it burns...”

Easy to say when Emirates currently has five of the aircraft in its fleet operating 16 hours a day and 9O per cent full....

Follow this story and more reactions to the WTM at http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1139377.php?news_cat=3

Barticus.

"And the winner is...."

World Travel Awards 2009 Grand Final winners announced....

Wednesday saw the winners of various categories announced at the World Travel Awards. Etihad, Virgin Atlantic, Visa, India Tourism, TUI Travel and Silversea Cruises were amongst companies who triumphed during the World Travel Awards Grand Final that was staged at Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel in London’s Mayfair.

The awards, described by the Wall Street Journal as the ‘Oscars’ of the global travel and tourism industry, revealed who are the ‘best of the best’ in the world. The Grand Final ceremony concludes the 2009 regional tour which has taken the World Travel Awards to Dubai, South Africa, Mexico and Portugal, celebrating the achievements of the leading lights of the travel and tourism industry.

To find out more follow http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/34061-World-Travel-Awards-2009-Grand-Final-winners-announced

Barticus.

'Come along with me'

I've read this really positive article in the Mail about "Dad Packers"...

According to a survey by The Gap Year - an online reality series, it states that a quarter of young explorers aged between 19 - 25yrs would like to have their parent on their gap year voyage. I find that to be wonderful news. Parent and child (well, young adult) travelling away together to see the world.
It looks like we might have a new trend on the go...

Read more at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1226352/Quarter-gap-year-travellers-want-parents-join-them.html

G.T.I.