Author: News Team

Think the people in your city are vulgar and rude? Location-based social network foursquare has hunted all over the world for the locations in which it inhabitants are the rudest. The UK’s northern city of Manchester tops the list of foursquare places with the highest percentage of tips containing curse words. El Paso in Texas, USA, is second on the list. “Its good to see that the Mancunians truly are not only the rudest people in the UK, but the rudest people globally, only El Paso comes close,” said foursquare in a February 28 post on its engineering blog. ??Cities…

The vast majority of British nationals, who wished to leave Libya following the recent unrest, have now been evacuated. Many left on the commercial flights that are still running, with government charters and military evacuations also contributing to the mass departure. Three British military transport planes evacuated 150 people from areas in the Libyan Desert. Including British people and those from other countries, the civilians were eager to leave the country following the uprising. “Three Royal Air Force C130 Hercules aircraft have successfully evacuated around a further 150 civilians from multiple locations in the eastern Libyan Desert,” defense secretary Liam…

Restricted to half term holidays, many families are likely to pay a premium of more than 50% to go away this year, holiday operators say it’s just supply and demand. Taking advantage of parents, businesses have put the cost of some holidays up by more than £1000. Under the Governments new academy programme, head teachers could be given the power to shift term dates to give parents the option to go on holiday without being over charged. Some of the worst culprits were holidays to Lanzarote, traveling from London, with one example at a popular four-star resort increasing its price…

Over half of all official advice given to passengers about rail tickets is incorrect, according to an investigation by a watchdog. Passengers looking to find the cheapest ticket, either from a clerk at a station or from National Rail Enquiries, the telephone helpline, were recurrently given the wrong information about how to save money. In some cases passengers could have ended up spending over 100GBP more than they needed to. The investigation by Which? found the structure remained difficult, and confusing despite frequent complaints from passenger groups. In some cases staff didn’t even know some money-saving fares existed, it appeared.…

Britain’s tourism industry certainly hasn’t enjoyed a lucrative year. From the Icelandic volcano and its cancellation fallout to the recent stream of bankruptcies in the private travel sector, some of the nation’s leading companies are no longer the powerhouses that they once were. Some have blamed the poor tourism sector on a weak economy, although others believe there’s significantly more to it. Some, for example, have pointed to the rising role of the internet in travel as a reason for the poor performance of many travel resellers. Others claim that the industry is suffering due to a change in consumer…

Say goodbye to the soul food holiday. While most of us enjoy holiday food – foreign meals, new dishes, and comforting fat-filled hotel staples, a growing number of British travellers are opting to take their own food abroad in an effort to decrease their caloric consumption. With a rising rate of obesity and some of the most nutritionally nasty food in the world, we don’t think it’s a great idea. For most, holidays are about sampling the local culture – something that certainly includes a local take on cuisine and culinary arts. From Malaysia’s famed hawker stands to Rome’s backstreet…

Following the death of twenty-one-year-old Emily Jordan, New Zealand’s well-known adventure tourism industry has undergone a complete safety review. The industry was once considered safe beyond any doubt, but has seen its regulatory standards and operating procedures revised in a bid aimed at significantly reducing the amount of injuries caused by ‘adventure’ operators. Jordan was one of several tourists aboard a ‘river-boarding’ expedition in Queenstown, one of the country’s largest adventure tourism locations. While the rest of her team managed to navigate the river’s rapids and small waterfalls without issue, Jordan drowned during the activity. The company which operated the…

One of the United States’ top tourism cities, the last thing San Francisco needed was a crime wave to scare away its legion of international fans. Following a series of stabbings in the city’s traveller-heavy inner districts, authorities are planning to implement measures designed to keep the city safe at night. The measures will help San Francisco’s lucrative tourism sector and boost home values. It’s certainly an odd situation in a city regarded as one of the country’s most safe and universally tolerant. Crime in San Francisco has typically been significantly lower than in its surrounding city areas, and even…

Florida’s tourism industry may be in better shape than many predicted. The gulf state, which brings in over $20 billion annually through tourism, has reported that visitors are coming in numbers that fall within traditional targets. Tourism spending throughout the state has actually grown by around three percent since the disaster, although analysts had expected greater growth before the oil spill. The positive growth is being seen by many in the gulf region as evidence that local tourism will regain strength over the next year. With oil washed ashore on many Gulf of Mexico beaches, the region’s largest tour operators…

For most travellers, long haul flights are an uncomfortable nightmare. From small seats to limited service, the average long distance flight is a task that few wish to repeat. Until last year, travellers had just one option to relieve the stress and discomfort of a long haul flight: buy a first-class ticket and simultaneously triple their fare – a solution that few were willing to pay for. But Dubai-based airline Emirates Airways may have found the ultimate solution. Priced in excess of £9,000 and aimed at travellers with an eye for extreme luxury, the airline has introduced its private seating…