Author: Shawon Hannan

The 2012 Olympic games have added around $1.4 billion to the UK tourism industry, according to a report by Visa, a US-based credit card company. International travellers have spent an additional $716.7 million using their Visa accounts while staying in the UK for the second week of the games, from July 30 to August 5. Foreign tourists have spent the most on services, which accounted for around $139.1 million, including items such as shoe and jewellery repairs, and spas. Entertainment accounted for around $106.6 million, including theatre tickets and other attractions, while airlines have taken around $82.4 million. Kevin Burke,…

With the London Olympic games nearing an end, commuters in the UK are taking to biking, and showing increased interest in electric bikes, according to 50cycles Electric Bicycles, a company that sells electric powered bicycles and motorbikes. The company has reported that it has doubled the sales of its Kalkhoff electric bike range in the last few months, compared to the same time last year. With traffic congestion occurring more frequently in the city of London, Transport for London, a UK-based government agency responsible for the transport system in Greater London, has produced a guide of cycling routes to the…

The National Trust, the charitable organisation that takes care of around 250,000 hectares of countryside, 720 miles of coastline, and numerous historic places in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has announced celebrity endorsements of its restoration of the White Cliffs of Dover, the cliffs that form part of the British coastline on the English Channel. Dame Judi Dench, Joss Stone, Ben Ainslie and Rick Stein have joined the campaign conducted by the National Trust to raise £1.2 million to acquire a stretch of the Dover coastline. Soul singer Joss Stone, a native of Dover, said, ‘I love Dover and the…

Britain’s reputation for breeding adventurous, globetrotting holidaymakers might be unwarranted according to the findings of a recent survey. The survey, which was carried out by Jungle Formula, a company that manufactures insect repellent, indicated that that a large percentage of Brits either do not travel abroad at all, or do so reluctantly. Of the two thousand people that were questioned for the survey, 20 percent had never been on a foreign holiday, and 50 percent of those that had taken holidays abroad regretted not having stayed in the UK. The tedium of being processed through airports was cited as the…

Tourism is now Kenya’s largest foreign exchange earning sector and has helped to position the country as the largest economy in East and Central Africa. For the indigenous tribes, tourism has brought the opportunity for employment which has provided a lifeline following the introduction of intensive farming as the tribes were stripped of their lands making it increasingly difficult to follow a traditional nomadic lifestyle as livestock ranching expanded.  Investment in infrastructure has been heavy to accommodate tourists and this has also increased industrial and agricultural growth. Tourism raises awareness of the declining population numbers of wildlife and funds conservation…

Although tourists still state a preference for traditional Italian and French cuisine when on holiday, the third most favourite food worldwide is Japanese, according to a recent survey conducted by Hotels.com, an online travel company. Around 27,000 travellers from across the world have voted Japanese cuisine their third favourite when on vacation. The survey questioned travellers regarding their favourite international cuisines, and 32 percent of them voted for Italian food, 24 percent voted for French food, but a very creditable 18 percent voted for Japanese food, making it the next most popular cuisine to stake a place on the world…

The new ME by Melia brand hotel from Melia Hotels International, a Spain-based hotel company, will be opening in London later this month. The new ME London is located on the Strand, close to Covent Garden, and Trafalgar Square, and is also close to London’s art galleries, museums, restaurants, bars, shopping and nightlife. The hotel has 157 contemporary rooms, 17 suites and 1 designer suite, SuiteME. The ME London also has The Level, an exclusive adults-only floor with private check in/out, complimentary local calls, and the use of an iPod during the stay. The other hotel amenities include two restaurants,…

London hotel room rates have increased by an average of 2 percent to £154 in the first six months of 2012, according to the research findings of Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), a UK based professional services firm. The research also reported that slow growth has decreased occupancy by 1.2 percent, with only a marginal gain in RevPAR for the six months, compared to a 12.7 percent increase in RevPAR for the same period last year. While June 2012 occupancy decreased by 8.4 points to 82 percent, occupancy has continued to decline up to the beginning of the Olympic Games at…

Foreign tourists are not impressed with British cuisine, according to the findings of a recent survey. The survey, which was carried out by Hotels.com, revealed that tourists from the United States, Australia and Norway had voted UK food the worst local food when dining out on holiday. Britons are proud of their ‘national dishes’ of fish and chips, traditional roast dinner and full English breakfast, and these topped the list of meals that Brits thought that foreign tourists should try during their visits. However, these offerings apparently failed to win over the food-loving foreigners. British travellers, meanwhile, expressed their admiration…

Travel management companies are facing an uncertain future, as more and more travellers are opting to manage their own travel plans. A recent report published by Air and Business Travel News said that corporate companies are opting to manage their own travel expenses, without the involvement of travel management companies, leading to a downturn in the travel management industry. While some companies are exercising their own controls over their travel and accommodation expenses, through price negotiations and the use of travel management software, many others are allowing their employees to use their smart phones to manage their own travel schedules…