Author: News Team
A recent study has highlighted the wineries most popular with British wine tourists. The study was undertaken by Kayak.co.uk, a travel metasearch engine that compares airline, hotel, car rental, cruise, and other vacation deals from other travel sites, including other fare aggregators. The company based its findings on an analysis of searches on its website, and the survey results have been released at a time of burgeoning interest in wine tourism, and as World Wine Week draws to a close (last day Tuesday May 14). Europe monopolises the vineyard popularity poll for British wine enthusiasts, not surprising considering its proximity…
UK drivers planning to take their cars to Europe during the holiday season, or to tour the continent in a rental car, will notice a considerable increase in the price of fuel compared to what they would have been charged last summer. The warning for increased expense comes from the Post Office’s seventh annual report on Motoring on the Continent. According to the report, while pump prices for unleaded fuel in the UK have not been subject to an increase in the last 12 months, France has seen an increase of £0.07 per litre, and Spain’s increase is £0.09 per…
Ryanir, an Ireland-based low-cost air carrier, has introduced a money saving smartphone app for its customers. The app, Ryanair Talk, is claimed to help users avoid roaming charges from their network providers, help them to benefit from cheap calls home while overseas, and to make cheaper international calls when they are at home. The app will perform its cost saving functions using wi-fi or 3G Internet connections, to any landline or mobile device. Ryanair claims that the app will help users to save over 65 percent on their bills by enabling them to call any mobile phone in Europe for…
Armagh Gaol, an operational prison in Northern Ireland until 1986, is set to become a hotel and spa. The listed building, which is an historic landmark dating from 1780, will be subject to a £23 million redevelopment that will turn it into a hotel with apartments. Viewers of the BBC’s Restoration programme, which was on air a few years ago and which involved a number of historic buildings competing for redevelopment funds, will recognise the former prison as one of the competing structures. Seven shops are included in the design plans, in addition to 32 apartments, the hotel and spa…
TripAdvisor, a travel information website featuring customer reviews and opinions, has launched a new review collection service to assist tourism-related businesses in obtaining reviews. Review Express is a free facility that enables businesses to send a customised e-mail simultaneously to a large number of their recent customers, requesting them to post a review of their visit. TripAdvisor claims that the importance of reviews to businesses cannot be underestimated, as figures compiled by its own statistical format, TripBarometer, show that 87 percent of travellers worldwide said that they use review sites when planning a trip, and 95 percent say that they…
Several major UK travel agents are backing a government-sponsored campaign to promote domestic holidays. The ‘Great Adventure’ campaign gets underway today, launched by VisitEngland, the body responsible for promoting English tourism, and Maria Miller, the UK government’s culture secretary. It has received the backing of travel agents operating within the UK, including Thomas Cook, Premier Travel, Coop Travel, The Travel Network Group, Tui, Advantage, Shearings Holidays, Superbreak, Hoseasons, Bourne Leisure and Attraction World. The main thrust of the promotion, which has a budget of £4 million, will be TV adverts featuring animated screen stars Wallace and Gromit setting off on…
Easyjet, a UK-based low-cost air carrier, is to carry out tests relating to the operation of aircraft near volcanic ash clouds, using a tonne of ash collected in Iceland. The planned experiment is part of the company’s effort to better understand the true dangers of ash clouds to aviation and to investigate methods of avoidance. The project has been deemed necessary due to the lengthy grounding of aircraft across large areas of Europe in 2010, due to the ash cloud created by Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull. The natural event was a costly nightmare for the aviation industry and for those passengers…
Hays Travel, a travel agency group with its head office in Sunderland, UK, could be set to benefit from the previously announced branch closures by UK-based travel company, Thomas Cook. Hays is involved in talks with Thomas Cook with a view to taking on some of the high street stores that are set for closure. Hays Travel founder and managing director, John Hays, says that his group had experienced ten consecutive months of year-on-year profit growth, and achieved sales in excess of £500 million last year. He said, ‘We are still in an exercise with regards to Thomas Cook shops…
With the new holiday season comes a warning to tourists travelling abroad to beware of rip-off traders. Failing to acquaint themselves with the price that they are about to be charged for typical holiday extras that are generally expected to be inexpensive, could result in tourists staring down the barrel of an eye-watering bill once the deal is done. The Daily Telegraph has highlighted one particular case where not confirming the price of a holiday ice cream prior to ordering left four British tourists stunned at the expense that they had incurred. Brothers Roger and Steven Bannister were visiting Rome…
Easyjet, a UK-based low-cost air carrier, is the subject of internal conflict over the proposed purchase of new aircraft. Divisions have been drawn within the company between its founder and major shareholder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who is opposed to the purchase of the new aircraft, and other major investors in the company who are in support of the deal. The deal involves as many as 200 new aircraft, and the Financial Times has reported that six investors with a significant stake in the company are prepared to support it. Their backing could enable the company’s chief executive, Carolyn McCall, to…