Author: News Team

Dublin, Ireland, will be hosting next year’s TBEX Europe travel bloggers conference, one of the largest conferences, worldwide, for travel bloggers. Rick Calvert, the chief executive of TBEX, a community of travel bloggers, said, ‘We are very excited to have chosen as the destination for our event in October, 2013. We’ll be hosting hundreds of travel bloggers and travel industry professionals from all over the world for two days of comprehensive educational programming and engaging networking events. Our delegates will be sharing their unique Dublin discoveries and experiences with the world online. We couldn’t have chosen a better destination, as…

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), the central agency for passenger rail operators in the UK, has reported that most rail passengers will be unaffected by a series of planned improvement works that are expected to be carried out between the Christmas and New Year holiday period. As the upcoming holiday period is going to see a slow down in passenger traffic, new statistics from the agency show that number of replacement buses will be much less than the same period last year. The majority of rail routes in the UK will stay open despite the planned improvement work.…

Hyatt Hotels, the US-based hospitality company that owns brands such as Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency and others, is reporting that a company affiliate has acquired the Hyatt Regency Birmingham hotel in the UK. The hotel, which was only partly owned by the company affiliate, will now be fully owned for a price of GBP27 million. Tim Flodin, the general manager at Hyatt Regency Birmingham, said, ‘The team at the hotel is delighted at the news that a Hyatt affiliate has purchased the hotel, and as one of the most popular hotels in the city amongst both…

Air New Zealand, a New Zealand-based airline company, has announced the withdrawal of services between Hong Kong and London Heathrow Airport in the UK. The services will be terminated, effective from March 4, 2013. The airline has confirmed that there will be no changes to its daily London Heathrow to Auckland service, via Los Angeles, in the US. The airline, which has conducted a comprehensive review of the Hong Kong to London service, has reported that the route has become unprofitable to operate. The termination of the service will lead to job losses for around 70 of the airline’s London-based…

The DoubleTree by Hilton hotel brand is to open its new DoubleTree by Hilton Dundee hotel in Scotland, after Hilton Worldwide, the brand owner, entered into a franchise agreement with BDL Select Operations Limited. The new hotel will be converted from the previous Landmark Hotel, a 95-guestroom property, and is expected to open in spring of 2013. The hotel will be located in a 100-year-old listed mansion house, and its neighbouring gardens. Patrick Fitzgibbon, the Hilton Worldwide senior vice president of development, for Europe and Africa, said, ‘DoubleTree by Hilton is one of our most successful growth brands in the…

Megabus, a city-to-city express bus service operating in the UK, is offering complimentary seats as part of its winter promotion. The low cost transport operator is offering around 10,000 complimentary seats on its coach networks in England and Wales. The offer is available for travel on weekdays between January 14, and February 28, 2013, and may be booked online at the megabus.com website. The general manager of megabus.com, Ian Laing, said, ‘Everybody loves a bargain and we hope this huge seat giveaway will help our passengers beat the winter blues. We have a loyal customer base and we’re delighted to…

The UK economy may be slowly coming out of recession according to the hospitality industry, as more travellers are ready to invest in a holiday. A similar positive outlook has been proposed by a report submitted at the World Travel Market, currently being held in London. The World Travel Market 2012 Industry Report has highlighted that around 52 percent, of the 1,001 UK holidaymakers polled have taken more than one holiday in 2012. This is the best result for a poll since the downturn in the economy, and compares favourably to 2010, when only 24 percent of British citizens polled…

Monarch Airlines, a UK-based airline company, has commenced services from Birmingham Airport in the UK to Sharm El Sheikh, in Egypt. Sharm El Sheikh is bordered by the Red Sea on one side, and Mount Sinai on the other side. Water sports are a major attraction for tourists visiting the beach destination, and scuba diving in particular. Visitors flock to the resort to experience the underwater beauty of 250 coral reefs, and 1,000 different species of fish, which thrive in the waters. The airline is offering a service to Sharm El Sheikh once a week, on a Thursday, for the…

South West Trains, a UK-based train operating company, is offering a new online Rainbow Board information resource. The online tool will provide passengers with detailed information about their train itinerary, and a summary of the South West Trains network. The new Rainbow Board, which is available at southwesttrains.co.uk, offers a colour-coded panel for each of the company’s 12 different route lines on the Rainbow Board, and maps of each of these routes. The guide allows passengers to see how each of the routes is running on a minute-by-minute basis; for example, green shows a normal service, yellow shows that there…

While the British are renowned for their reserve in most things, especially what they eat, a new survey has revealed that once they travel abroad that reserve is abandoned and nothing, it seems, is too exotic for their palates. The new research, which has been carried out by river cruise company, Viking River Cruises, revealed that 97 percent of British respondents said they were more likely to be adventurous with food when they were abroad on holiday. The survey also revealed the top five exotic foods that the British traveller is likely to sample, with the French delicacy, snails, leading…