Author: Shawon Hannan

West African airline, Gambia Bird, is offering its services for the first time from London Gatwick Airport in the UK. Gambia Bird airline is owned by German airline company, Germania, and is offering a twice a week direct service to the Gambia capital, Banjul, from London Heathrow airport. The flight will then continue on to Freetown in Sierra Leone. Matt Wood, the head of airline relations at Gatwick Airport, said, ‘We are delighted to welcome Gambia Bird and its passengers to the airport today, offering passengers further choice to the west coast of Africa. We continue to compete with other…

Is taking consumable items from a hotel room, such as toiletries or stationary, considered to be pilfering or the customer’s right as they have paid for the room? Those hotel guests who believe the latter, and take such items as their perceived right are certainly not alone, according to a recent poll of British travellers. The report suggested that around 58 percent of male respondents feel that it is not within their rights to take home hotel toiletry items, even consumables, such as shampoos, soaps etc. That sentiment was not reflected by women travellers however, with around 48 percent of…

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), a UK-based travel agents association, is launching a winter sports marketing campaign for enthusiasts. The association will be exhibiting at the Ski and Snowboard show at Earl’s Court, in London from October 31, to November 4, 2012. The ABTA stand will be hosting a number of activities, including a Wii ski jump competition to win a seven night snow-sure ski holiday, and a prize draw to win either a seven-night break or a weekend for two to Hemsedal, Norway. Victoria Bacon, the head of communications at ABTA, said, ‘For many of our Members…

British Transport Police has recently launched Operation Goliath, aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour on public transport. From October 30, 2012, the police will be offering extra assistance to commuters on the public transport network in the West Midlands area, in terms of more patrols on board buses, trains and trams. The officers from the Safer Travel team will be there to boost traveller confidence with a more visible presence, and to target incidences of high level and low-level anti-social behaviour, such as smoking and swearing inside the coaches. The operation will also include the handing out of informative cards to…

One of London’s most iconic buildings, Admiralty Arch is to become a luxury hotel, according to reports. The landmark, bow-shaped building that incorporates a road and pedestrian access between the Mall to its southwest, and Trafalgar Square to its northeast, has been leased to an investment company for 99 years by the British government. The company, Prime Investors Capital, headed by Spanish developer, Rafael Serrano, expects to see a return on the £60m that it has paid for the building by developing it into a 100-bedroom hotel with a ballroom, a spa and high-end dining options. The Grade 1 listed…

Auckland International Airport Ltd’s (AIA.NZ) chairwoman, Joan Withers, has said that Chinese visitors to New Zealand should be encouraged to spend more. Acknowledging that the China tourism market was one of the few growth areas in New Zealand, Withers said that more avenues should be made available that would encourage Chinese tourists to spend more in the nation. She said that spending by Chinese tourists in Australia was higher than that in New Zealand, and therefore visitors need to be encouraged to spend more to bring Chinese tourist spending in the two countries on a par. Withers said, ‘Global markets…

While travellers are increasingly using mobile apps for almost all phases of their travel, rail travellers are claimed to be travelling in constant fear of losing their tickets. Dubbing British rail users, ‘a nation of pocket patting train travellers’, a new survey conducted by CrossCountry Trains, a UK based search engine for cheap train tickets, has reported that large numbers of rail travellers are still wasting man hours while patting their pockets to ensure that they are carrying their tickets during the journey. A poll of 2,000 rail users has reported that around 24 hours are wasted every year by…

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), a UK-based travel agents association, is urging the British government to consider developing a sustainable strategy for airports. The association is stressing that the government should not prioritise business traffic over leisure travel at the busiest airports in the country. ABTA expects that undue emphasis on business travel is likely to hamper outbound travel from the UK, and outbound travel accounts for 1.6 percent of the UK’s DP, or around GBP22 billion. The association is emphasising that it is important that air passengers travelling from the UK are be able to fly from…

AirPlus International Inc, a US-based company that provides a suite of business travel payment solutions, has reported that corporate travellers are becoming more and more compliant with companies’ travel policies. The company has surveyed around 300 travel buyers and found that 15 percent expect compliance rates to be less than current levels in the next two years, and 48 percent of corporate buyers are expecting improved compliance from their travellers. A recent report by the company said, ‘In spite of much discussion about pressure from travellers to book trips independently, buyers say employees are becoming more compliant, not less. No…

Centro, a UK based organisation operating bus, rail and the Midland Metro Tram transport in the West Midlands area, is launching a new visitor and transport information system. The new transportation information system, Interconnect Birmingham, is a collaboration between Centro, Marketing Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Colmore Business District and Retail Birmingham. The system includes maps of important destinations and attractions in the Birmingham area, with information on walking, cycling, bus, tram and train routes. At the launch of the new system, the Centro chairman, Cllr John McNicholas, said, ‘Having clear directions and travel information can make a big difference to…