Author: News Team
The bad weather that affected large areas of the UK in January is thought to have had a major influence on hotel results for the month. Hotel room occupancy saw a predictable fall as snowy conditions impacted on travel, although room rates across the UK saw an increase, according to PKF Hotel Consultancy Services, a division of PKF, a global network of accountancy firms. London hotel room rates rose by 0.2 percent to average £112.49 during January, while occupancy in the capital saw a decline of 4.2 percent to 67.8 percent, compared to 72 percent for the same month a…
The state of Florida in the US has put a controversial driving licence law on hold. The law, which was passed with little publicity last year, stated that all foreign drivers should carry an international driving permit. Although the law was brought in to ensure that all drivers in Florida carried a version of their licence that was printed in English, its wording meant that holders of British and Canadian licences were also legally obligated to purchase a permit at a cost of just over £16. The law caused an outcry, not only from British and Canadian drivers arriving in…
Every holidaymaker’s nightmare is falling ill whilst away from home – regardless of whether you’re visiting a coastal region of the UK or an exotic paradise in a foreign land. Of course, international travel often carries the biggest risks as there are various diseases, illnesses and infections unheard of at home which are prevalent in other parts of the world. You should therefore always consider visiting a travel health specialist before and after you leave, to ensure you are in a fit condition to travel. Preventative measures Prevention is the best course of action so rather than leaving things to…
Taking a lead from budget airline experts Ryanair and easyjet, UK-based carrier, British Airways, is to offer passengers on certain flights the option of paying less for a ticket by not checking baggage into the airplane’s hold. BA is to trial the new service on five routes to European destinations from Gatwick. The short-haul flights will be those to Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Jersey, Tunis and Turin, routes that the airline says are flown by a large percentage of passengers that are only making short visits and who therefore have less need to take a large amount of baggage. If the initial…
Owing to erosion caused by months of almost continuous wet weather, the South West Coast Path Association is asking for donations from walkers to help it fund repairs. The path runs around England’s southwest tip between Minehead in Somerset and Poole in Dorset, including all of Devon and Cornwall’s coastline, making it the longest of the UK’s National Trails and one of the most popular with walkers and tourists. However, continuous heavy rain has caused landslips and erosion that has led to the closure of several sections of the path for safety reasons. A statement on the South West Coast…
The practice of UK-based ski tour operators showing their clients around slopes at French resorts has been banned. It has been custom and practice for a number of years for UK tour operators at European ski resorts to provide their clients with a complimentary tour of the slopes as part of a familiarisation service that also includes the local restaurants and bars. However, despite the fact that no ski instruction is included on such tours and the most advanced slopes are avoided, the French authorities have now ruled that the practice compromises safety. A court in Albertville ruled on Monday…
After a gap of 23 years, direct flights between the UK and the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, are set to return. Commencing next month, Iraqi Airways will operate the service twice a week to Baghdad, with one going to the Iraqi city of Sulimaniya. By June 15 this year, it is intended that the flight frequency will increase to six per week. All inbound flights to Gatwick from Iraq will land first at Malmo in Sweden for an hour before continuing to the UK, with Iraqi Airlines commenting that the stopover is for ‘security reasons.’ The airline further commented that the…
UK-based air carrier, British Airways, is to provide its pilots with iPad electronic devices as part of an operational efficiency drive. The IAG-owned company is providing all 3,600 of its pilots with iPads as a step towards improving customer service and operational efficiency levels. The airline’s cabin crews and ground operation staff have been issued with the devices previously, as part of a programme of investment in new equipment and technology, costing £5bn, which is intended to help provide the company’s passengers with the best possible flying experience. The pilots will use the devices to access additional operational data in…
ABTA, the UK travel trade association for tour operators and travel agents, has revealed the results of research indicating that its stance on tourism has strong support in the UK parliament. According to the results of the survey, 75 percent of MP’s are of the opinion that in order to help create new jobs, the government should do more to develop domestic inbound and outbound tourism. The survey also revealed that 70 percent of MP’s are of the opinion that all tourism sectors, domestic, inbound and outbound, should be given equal importance, a result that showed a 2 percent increase…
Heathrow Ltd, the owner of, Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, has recorded an increase in revenue for 2012, part funded by record passenger figures. The company saw its revenue increase by 8.1 percent in 2012, to £2.46bn. The adjusted pre-tax profit of £46.4m was a turnaround on the previous year’s loss of £166.7m, and was boosted by the arrival of thousands of athletes, officials and supporters for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games last summer. A further statistic that added to the company’s positive year was that the average amount spent by passengers that used the airport shops had risen…