Author: Shawon Hannan
In light of the recent events whereby the Cypriot government has announced a one-off fee on bank savings, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is warning travellers about the potential risk of running short of funds while in the country. Banks are currently closed today for a public holiday – although this may continue to be the case tomorrow amid fears of a run on savings – and it is expected that events may lead to a shortage of cash available at ATM’s. As a result, although there are no other restrictions on travel to the country, the FCO…
The head of Travelodge, a UK-based budget hotel chain, has written to a number of British politicians urging them to use their influence to fight for the nation’s tourism industry. Grant Hearn, the hotel chain’s chief executive, has written to 106 members of parliament whose constituencies have tourism interests, asking for their support in raising the profile of the UK’s tourism industry from what he sees as its ‘second class’ status in the eyes of policymakers. Hearn claims that with the right regulatory framework, the tourism industry has the potential to create 300,000 UK jobs by 2020. He has put…
Princess Cruises, a cruise ship company with its corporate headquarters in Southampton, UK, has announced details of the inaugural celebrations for its new liner, Royal Princess. The company has organised a number of events to take place in Southampton this coming June to celebrate the arrival of the vessel and introduce it to the public. The ship will arrive on June 7 at Ocean Cruise Terminal, Southampton, and following the naming celebrations on June 12 and 13, which are set to be the highlight of the festivities, Royal Princess will depart on her maiden voyage on June 16. Among the…
Vueling Airlines, a Spanish based airline with its headquarters in Barcelona, has decided to increase its flights from Cardiff to Spanish resort destinations. The company has made the decision to increase the number of Welsh flights due to the growing popularity of existing flights to Spain from Cardiff. The new flights to Malaga and Alicante have been scheduled to commence on the 23rd of this month, so will be in place in time for the Easter holiday exodus. More flights to Malaga will be added on Wednesdays during the peak school holiday time of August and September. From March 23,…
The Great Northern Hotel is the latest of London’s classic railway hotels to reopen after major refurbishment work. The hotel, which is conveniently located near to both the King’s Cross and St. Pancras International railway stations, was the first of London’s railway hotels when it originally opened in 1854. Following its closure in 2001, it has now undergone a £40 million refurbishment programme and will open next month as a 91-room boutique hotel. The refurbishment has been careful to preserve the building’s period facade, with its classic features painstakingly replaced, and in keeping with its period ambience the hotel’s rooms…
The cruise industry is experiencing massive growth in Europe that is epitomised by the UK, according to recently released figures The figures, released by industry body, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Europe, showed that the number of cruises booked by Europeans in 2012 rose to a record 6.139 million, doubling the figure for 2004. The CLIA made the figures public at the 29th Annual Cruise Shipping Miami conference, and they reflect an annual growth in the industry of 8 percent per annum over the past 5 years. The UK is in the vanguard of cruise-oriented nations, and its individual…
The European Commission is set to introduce new rules that will give more rights to air passengers. The Commission has laid down new rules that make European airlines more liable for a range of customer services issues, including long terminal delays, runway delays and lost baggage. Scheduled for implementation by 2015, the new rules will put the onus on air carriers to reroute passengers with a competitor airline if they have been delayed for more than 12 hours and no alternative aircraft can be located. Delays on board the aircraft due to congested runways are also addressed, with a ruling…
UK-based on-line travel agent, ebookers.com has become the first company of its kind to provide tickets for the UK’s rail network. The travel agency, which already takes bookings for air travel, hotel rooms and car hire, has now added rail journeys to its portfolio, with the promise of integrating the service to the benefit of its customers’ itineraries. Until now, rail had to be booked through the appropriate booking agent and separate to other travel plans. ebookers can now provide tickets for 20,000 trains per day, visiting 2,500 stations across the UK, on behalf of 21 rail operating companies. The…
A day on from Tuesday’s snow and freezing conditions in the UK’s southeast, travel plans were still suffering disruption in the region this morning. Those worst affected were passengers on Eurostar, the high-speed rail network that connects the UK with France and the rest of Europe via the Channel Tunnel. Continuing freezing weather in Kent, southeastern England, and also in northern France means that delays on the route were inevitable, and longer journey times were also predicted. A statement on Eurostar’s website read, ‘We anticipate speed restrictions remaining in place throughout the day. Unfortunately as a consequence, we will only…
With their growing numbers and healthy levels of disposable income, travellers of retirement age have never been more important to the on-going success of the travel industry. The over 65 age group, while not immune to the ravages of recession, is still producing enough individuals with sufficient levels of affluence and time on their hands to be specifically targeted by travel companies. Growing in numbers as life expectancy improves, unrestricted by school term times, and still healthy enough to target ever more adventurous destinations, older travellers are no longer considered to be nothing more than fodder for Spanish beaches or…