Author: News Team
Japan’s travel and tourism industry is forecast to stage a complete recovery following last year’s earthquake and tsunami during the first half of 2012. A new report by the World Travel&Tourism Council (WTTC), its fourth and final report since the earthquake of March 11, 2011, forecasts the full recovery of international tourism demand during the first half of 2012, having initially fallen 62 percent in April 2011. According to WTTC, Japan’s travel and tourism industry is set to directly contribute JPY10,276 billion (US$129 billion) in 2012, marginally above the JPY10,246 billion (US$128.5 billion) in 2010. This followed a fall of…
A faulty overhead power cable has left thousands of passengers stranded on trains for up to nine hours overnight, during one of Paris’ busiest weeks. Eurostar were forced to cancel services leaving thousands of passengers – including catwalk models that are trying to get to the French capital for Paris Fashion Week – with major disruptions to their travels. Yesterday four trains services were cancelled during the disruptions, and delays were expected throughout the day on other services. Angry passengers took to Twitter to rant about their disrupted journeys. Model Poppy Delevingne, tweeted that she was ‘deliriously tired’ following an…
The UK will be increasingly reliant on travel and tourism in 2012 as jobs and economic growth in the sector outstrip the wider economy. According to a report released today by the World Travel&Tourism Council (WTTC), the industry will grow by 1.3 percent in 2012 – over double the rate of growth in the wider economy, predicted to be 0.6 percent by the International Monetary Fund. This rate of growth means that the travel and tourism industry is expected to directly contribute £35.6 billion and almost 950,000 jobs to the British economy. When the wider economic impacts of the industry…
Last year alone, over half of all European holidaymakers planned to enjoy a vacation in their home country. With many predicting the trend to continue into 2012, the European Commission, through its initiative, “European Destinations of Excellence” (EDEN) is urging Europeans to discover the breadth of hidden treasures on their doorstep. Destinations will compete to be awarded the destination of excellence, focusing on a different theme each year. Maša Puklavec, from the Slovenian Tourist Board said: “Slovenian EDEN destinations are shining examples of sustainable tourism and provide an unforgettable experience for visitors that seek inspiration and enjoyment in scenery landscapes.”…
THE mother of a Costa Concordia ‘hero’ is suffering the same “nightmare” as she waits for her daughter to return – who was stranded on the stricken sister ship. At the beginning of the week a worried Jayne Thomas said she had to learn about the second disaster via an email from a friend. Frantic Jayne has heard nothing from dancer daughter Becky, 23, since a blaze broke out on the Costa Allegra, leaving it adrift in the Indian Ocean. Incredibly, her 19-year-old son James had been working on the doomed Concordia, which capsized off the Italian coast in January,…
Work is due to start on Centre Parcs fifth site this year. The new Bedfordshire based centre will be built by the village of Woburn and is due to be opened by 2014. The plans for a fifth park have been welcomed by Prime Minister David Cameron, who stated it would be good for the UK economy. The park will feature 625 lodges, a hotel, swimming pool and a number of leisure facilities costing a total of around £250million. Mr Cameron said: ‘Center Parcs is much loved by many and this new site is not only great news for holiday…
Canadian travel guide ‘Her Own Way’ has come under fire after advising female travellers to wear a fake wedding ring to fend off unwanted attention while on holiday. The Canadian Government first released ‘Her Own Way: A Woman’s Safe – Travel Guide’ back in 2000, and it’s now in its third edition. Described as ‘preventive and female-friendly’ the guide looks at ‘tackling the security, cultural, health and social concerns of women travellers’. The pamphlet advises under the ‘coping with sexual harassment’ section that women travelling about should wear a fake wedding ring. It states: “Also carry a photo of your…
Montevideo is one of South America’s hidden glories, too often overlooked in favour of nearby Buenos Aires. Yet the compact, laid-back capital of Uruguay makes for a great weekend stopover while on the continent. Facing the mouth of the world’s widest river, the River Plate, the city is fringed by white-sand river beaches and filled with glorious 19th-century architecture. Montevideo was developed as a slave port in the 18th century by the Spanish, a history that can be traced in the neighbourhoods that skirt the river – the Ciudad Vieja (Old Town), Barrio Sur and Palermo – where some of…
The national tourism agency VisitBritain may be advised to double-check the spelling of promoted destinations, the next time they roll out a multi-million pound advertising campaign. An eagle-eyed commuter in New York spotted the misspelling of Wales’ ‘Brecon Beacons’, instead the beauty spot had been spelt: ‘Breacon Beacons’. The embarrassing glitch occurred on the latest campaign advertising ‘Great’ Britain – which aims to remind tourists around the world what is great about Britain, including this years major events: the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee. A member of the public uploaded the mistake onto the Internet, after it was spotted on…
It is the number one paid app of all time, it has millions of fans around the world – including Prime Minister David Cameron and now it has its very own theme park in the pipeline. The theme park will be opening in Finland on 28 April 2012, where the game was first designed. Angry Birds Land will be based on the popular smartphone game, and be part of the Särkänniemi Adventure Park in Tampere featuring rides and interactive games. Tourists have been told to expect something a bit different, an ‘interactive entertainment experience’ where ‘the physical and virtual worlds…