Author: News Team
A ‘once in one hundred year’ earthquake has hit Japan, the most powerful since records began struck the north-east coast on Friday, triggering a massive tsunami. Ships, cars, even a bullet train are missing, swept away by a wall of water after the 8.9 magnitude tremor took hold of north-east Tokyo. A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant, where pressure went over the normal levels. Thousands of people living near the Fukushima nuclear power plant have been ordered to evacuate. The death toll has been predicted to reach over 10,000 -thousands are still missing, but…
At approximately 11:26 am on Friday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre cancelled the tsunami advisory for the Hawaiian Islands following the 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan sending a tsunami warning throughout the Pacific. The event passed with no major impact to Hawaii’s six major islands – Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii Island – and with the exception of a section of Alii Drive in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii Island; it is business as usual across the state. Travellers heading to Hawaii should continue do so with confidence after checking with their airline as there may be some temporary delays.…
People love their dogs, and dogs love to romp in wide-open spaces, so why don’t more people take their dogs on holiday with them? The answer, of course, is that hotel operators usually ban dogs from their premises. There are good reasons for this, mainly consideration for other guests and issues of hygiene, but in a villa-style resort and with responsible owners taking care of their pets, then maybe a doggie holiday is possible. That at least is the thinking of Centara Hotels&Resorts, Thailand’s largest hotel operator, who are piloting a scheme to gauge market response to those guests wanting…
The Hawaii Tourism Association (HiTA) praises Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie for signing the Civil Union bill today in Honolulu. As the Governor said: “E Komo Mai – it means all are welcome. This signing today of this measure says to all of the world that they are welcome; that everyone is a brother or sister here in paradise.” Civil Unions allow any two people regardless of gender or sexual orientation to share the same responsibilities and rights shared of married couples. Hawaii is the 7th state in the U.S. to allow Civil Unions. HiTA president Juergen T Steinmetz said: “Civil…
With research indicating that employees are increasingly desk bound and restricting their break times to compensate for work pressures, Center Parcs is encouraging human resources departments and event planners to look outside the confines of the UK’s traditional meeting and events venues. Contrary to daily office life where less then 33 percent leave the building for fresh air and the majority are desk bound, Center Parcs is capitalizing on its acreage and enlightening decision makers on the benefits of fresh air to employees’ welfare and learning. With 8 out of 10 employees taking less than 30 minutes for lunch…
The Notting Hill’s group from UK was a resounding success in the 2011 Seychelles Carnival and has been undisputedly awarded the Best International Float trophy. The reputed Notting Hill carnival was one of over 20 international floats taking part in the islands’ very first international carnival, which took place in the heart of the capital – Victoria – last weekend. Three days of exciting carnival activities literally brought the whole Seychelles population to the streets in Victoria, and the Notting Hill Carnival Delegation became a favourite from day 1 when several of their extravagant costumes were displayed at the opening…
With passenger numbers rising to 829,000, Kenya Airways has reported an 8.9% rise in passenger volume in the final quarter of 2010. The increase coincides with more frequent flights to Juba in south Sudan. The company reports that the load factor increased to 69.8% in 2010 from 67.8% in the same period for 2009. The numbers reflect growth in capacity in the Northern Africa region of 16.9% owing to the introduction of flights to Djibouti and into Juba on the Embraer aircraft. Victor Odendo, an analyst at Apex Africa Capital, stated that, “The improved passenger numbers reflect a better performance…
Scotland has launched a year of exciting activities and events with the announcement of Active Scotland. The year-long program of events, festivals, and activities will outline Scotland as a must-visit active and adventure destination and showcase the best of Scotland to the world. Active Scotland builds upon on the success of Homecoming 2009 and the Year of Food and Drink – which runs until May 2011, in showcasing Scotland around a common theme. On January 1, visitors and Scots came together to signal the start of Active Scotland at the Scottish capital’s famous One o’ Clock run – a fun…
The Zagreb Tourist Board presented Zagreb at the TTF&OTM (Travel Tourism Fair&Outbound Travel Mart) fair, which was held in Mumbai (India) in February, and it’s proud to announce that Zagreb won the “Award for Excellence – the most promising new destination”. Zagreb was presented as the Croatian capital and its tourist and cultural capital, and the interest in it was outstanding. TTF&OTM is India’s largest tourism fair, and the only trade fair that focuses on traveling outside of India. It was attended by more than 700 exhibitors from 31 countries and 25 Indian states in order to present their tourist…
Contenders for the 2011 World Travel Awards include each region’s leading tourist boards, airlines, and luxury hotels. Over 5,000 organizations from across 160 countries will be competing in over 900 categories. Nominees of the World categories will be announced at the end of September. Online voting has now opened and the organizers of the awards are urging both trade and consumers to submit their votes in order to seek out those who excel in the travel industry. Self nominations in 2011 has increased by 35% compared to the previous year as companies and destinations are becoming more aware of the…