Author: Shawon Hannan

Some of the best loved musicals are being staged in London’s West End right now, as well as some dramatic adaptations of the most popular books and films of recent years. From the beautiful new performance of Ghost, featuring music from the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart and every bit living up to the original 1990 movie starring Demi Moore and the late great Patrick Swayze; to the first West End staging of childrens’ favourite Shrek. The Theatre Royal Drury Lane imagining of Dreamworks’ 2001 kids’ classic is proving to be just as popular as the big screen version on websites vending…

There has been so much hype and negative publicity surrounding the allocation and pricing of tickets for events at the forthcoming London Olympics, that it may have gone almost unnoticed that there will be plenty of opportunity for fans on a restricted budget to witness sporting action firsthand, without having to pay for tickets at all. Some of the events take place on such a grand scale that only the most prime viewing locations can be cordoned off for ticket holders, providing ample opportunity for the rest of us to benefit from a free show. The most obvious of these…

Following a recent high-profile honeymoon in the island, Seychelles is promoting itself as the first choice for honeymooners to celebrate their wedding. The island nation is to promote its exotic mid-ocean islands as the most sought after wedding and honeymoon destination. The Island was recently featured in a full-page report in the UK-based Planning your Wedding Magazine. The Tourism Board of the island said that the much publicized honeymoon of Prince William and Kate Middleton a year ago has taken the name and fame of the island far and wide. An official with the board said, ‘but since that royal…

Tour operators conducting business in the SAARC nations have agreed to jointly promote tourism in the region. A Tour Operators Conclave was convened by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in New Delhi earlier this month, and in the conclave tour operators were urged to work with each other to promote tourism in the SAARC nations. The minister for Tourism in India, Subodh Kant Sahai, said, ‘We must motivate each SAARC country in such a way that tourism becomes the focus of economic and political agenda. SAARC region has immense growth potential. If it could be fully utilized in…

Bridgetown, a popular tourist destination in Barbados, West Indies, has been added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Site list. UNESCO officially handed over the honours to Bridgetown at its 35th session in Paris. After adding the site to the prestigious list, UNESCO said that Bridgetown and its Garrison are considered as ‘an outstanding example of British colonial architecture, offering a story which testifies to the spread of Great Britain’s Atlantic colonial empire.’ The addition to the list enhances the status of Bridgetown and places it in par with other world-renowned cultural sites such…

The UK Government has recently released the First Draft of its Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation. Commenting on the report, Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association said, ‘We welcome the publication of the First Draft of the Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation, and look forward to all airports being allowed to grow sustainably, within a decent planning and regulatory framework, whilst delivering on cleaner, quieter, smarter aviation, to ensure the UK economy has the connectivity in needs in order to emerge from recession.’ London Gatwick Airport, has supported the UK Government’s decision to open discussions on how…

Thomas Cook Group, Plc, a UK-based travel company, is offering new ticket packages for the London 2012 Olympic Games, with stays at its best value hotels. The London City breaks, celebrating the 2012 Olympics Games, were launched earlier in June 2012, and the company has added more options to the selection, in order to capture the last minute buyers that are intent on obtaining tickets for the games as part of an accommodation package. The Games Breaks prices start at £79 for budget conscious travellers, and are currently also available without tickets included, for those travellers that already have tickets…

British Airways, the UK-based airline company, is offering a complementary two-night stay, on its London flights, as a part of its ‘London for Free’ sale during this summer. The airline is offering two nights free accommodation in certain London hotels throughout the summer season. The hotels participating in this offer include the DoubleTree London Westminster, and the Rembrandt, as well as the Tavistock, the Royal National, the President and the Astons Apartments in London. The sale will remain available until July 25, 2012, on booking a roundtrip airfare between any US destination, and London, UK, for travel to be completed…

Monarch Airlines, a UK-based airline company, has announced that it is opening a new airbase at Leeds Bradford Airport, in the UK, and will be commencing its operations out of the airport from the summer of 2013. The airline will be offering 12 new routes, flying twice weekly, from Leeds Bradford, and including the destinations of Antalya (Turkey), Barcelona (Spain), Bodrum (Turkey), Dalaman (Turkey), Faro (Portugal), Heraklion (Greece), Lanzarote (Spain), Larnaca (Cyprus), Majorca (Spain), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), and Tenerife (Spain). The airline will be providing its services from Leeds Bradford airport with two A320 aircraft, and flights will commence…

While British holidaymakers may book their holidays in Spain and Turkey, in the belief that those destinations offer the best value for money, a recent survey suggests that this might not be the case in reality, and that by comparison, vacations in Portugal and Bulgaria are likely to be less expensive. A new Post Office Travel Money report suggests that couples can save up to £457 on a holiday, by simply changing their booking to a different country, as long as they do their homework properly. Vacations are cheaper for a couple in Portugal, Bulgaria and Majorca, when including accommodation,…