Author: Lee Fletcher
British Airways, the UK based airline company, has opened the new Park Live, an entertainment area and gathering space that is part of the 250-acre Olympic Park. Park Live is set on the centre of the wetland bowl, and provides giant LED screens for audiences to follow all of the 2012 London Olympic action. The outdoor attraction can accommodate up to 10,000 visitors at any given time, and they can watch broadcasts of continuous live action from BBC during the Olympic games, and Channel 4 during the Paralympic Games. The area will have plenty more on offer to entertain its…
Visit England, the official travel promotion agency for England, has reported that literary tours, Science adventures, historical tours and tours to movie sets will remain the favourite motivations for tourism to England in 2013. Literary tours have see an increase in popularity, with 2013 being the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and 2012 being the bicentenary of Charles Dickens and the year of the World Shakespeare Festival. These tours typically offer visits to the literary figures’ residences and work places. Norwich is the first English city to be awarded a UNESCO City of Literature honour, and is…
JetBlue Airways and Virgin America have announced that they are to offer more benefits for frequent travellers. The two airline companies are to introduce new reward tiers that provide additional perks for their most-frequent travellers. JetBlue Airways said that it would launch TrueBlue Mosaic for members who either have earned 15,000 flight points, or who have completed 30 flight segments and reached a minimum of 12,000 flight points in a year. Those who are eligible for this benefit can get a free second-checked bag. A companion accompanying the traveller may also claim the benefit. Other benefits include quicker security screening…
IT consulting and professional services firm, Capegemini, has won an award for its green travel initiatives. The firm won the award for its eco-friendly corporate travel programme, which is to include personal carbon budgets from next year, and which is called TravelWell. The award was presented to the winner by BusinessGreen, a website that offers news, information and advice on environmental responsibility. The firm won the Green Transport Project of the Year award. The website also stated that next year, in the region of 400 Capgemini employees in the United Kingdom would, ‘find out if they can stay within their…
The Department of Tourism and Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines have announced new attractions for delegates that are attending the PATA Travel Mart (PTM2012). The two departments said that they have created exclusive tour itineraries for delegates who are planning to attend the event, which is to be hosted in Manila, Philippines between September 25 and September 28. It was announced that the tours would either be complementary or discounted, and each tour is claimed to offer in-depth insight into the natural resources, heritage and culture of the Philippines. The packages will also offer a lot of fun features.…
First Great Western, a UK based railway company, has launched new trains for the north Cotswolds area of England. In November 2012 the company entered into a GBP29 million deal with the Department of Transport, to operate new trains and add excess capacity to its network. The company intends to provide 48 new vehicles for its customers on the completion of its expansion plans. Currently, the company has launched five new trains, comprising of 25 carriages, to serve the North Cotswolds region. The new trains are adding around 4,500 seats on the routes that include those through Oxfordshire and the…
Easyjet is reporting a slowdown in demand during the 2012 Olympics for its flights to airports in and around London. The airline has reported a slowdown, not only of its corporate traffic during the 2012 Olympics Games period, but also for leisure customers. However, the airline’s bookings are reported to look much healthier after the Games end on August 12, 2012. The decrease in business travel is likely to be due to a perception that London will be too busy a place to comfortably do business while the Games are on. A report on the company website has stated, ‘The…
BAA Ltd, owner and operator of six British airports including London Heathrow, has announced that the airports under company management are all ready to receive the influx of international visitors for the 2012 London Olympic Games, which commence tomorrow. Colin Matthews, the chief executive of BAA, said, ‘We are pleased that Olympic arrivals have gone smoothly so far but there is lots more to do. London 2012 is Britain’s biggest peacetime transport challenge and we are spending more than GBP20 million to ensure Heathrow is ready for its busiest ever period, including building a temporary Games Terminal; preparing to host…
The tiger, one of India’s most recognisable icons, is set to become an even more elusive sight for the country’s wildlife-loving tourists, with the announcement of a ban on tourism in the key national parks where the big cats roam. Following a ruling from India’s Supreme Court, the protected parks where tourists were able to experience close encounters with the predator are likely to exclude all such future visits in an attempt to provide the animals with better protection and to increase their population. At the same time, six states that had not introduced buffer zones around their park’s tiger…
Travellers hiring a car during a vacation are not paying enough attention to the small print, according to online car insurance company, Carhireinsurance.co.uk. The company has stated that travellers are often ignorant of rules that include paying for replacement costs in case of damage as part of an additional cost, or excess. The excess may range from GBP500 to GBP2000, and is often used to pay for minor damage to the car. It is important for travellers booking car rental to be aware whether they have paid for insurance that also covers the excess. Ben Simpson, the spokesperson for Car-hire-insurance.co.uk,…