Author: News Team

Colombia was once South America’s murder capital. The country was home to one of the world’s largest drug industries and a centre for mob-driven crime, with several high-profile international drug dealers residing within its borders. It was a reputation that put off tourism to the country for several decades, and it’s one that, for many, remains to this day. But despite its reputation, Bogota has emerged as one of South America’s safest, cleanest, and most interesting capital cities. Home to classical housing and a number of historic churches, the capital is the most popular destination in Colombia and one of…

Hoteliers have rejoiced about the increase in occupancy rates. With a twenty percent surge in the number of booked hotel rooms throughout the first half of 2010 and an increase in travel industry spending, it seems as if Britain’s travel-friendly population was back to its old habits. But there’s one demographic that’s missed out on the industry-wide praise: internet-savvy solo travellers. Hotel aggregator firms like Priceline and its Pacific subsidiary Agoda have helped solo travellers find low-cost room deals and fill gaps in hotel inventory, industry journalists claim. The surge in recent bookings is primarily due to families and business…

One of the UK’s top tourism spots could be in the middle of an unwelcome re-branding effort. The town of Newquay, renowned as Britain’s surf capital, is growing increasingly popular with students and recent graduates, particularly those looking for a place to party. The small Cornish resort town has also grown popular with school students at year end as a beach party destination. While its new popularity certainly pleases some, many locals aren’t so impressed with the town’s new audience. Underage drinking has become fairly common in the town, with a typical night in Newquay revealing drunken tourists, unconscious underage…

Employees of BAA ( formerly British Airlines Authority) are threatening to strike, a move which could spell disaster for Britain’s tourism industry. The six airports owned and operated by BAA cover several of the UK’s biggest travel and aviation regions, and could result in thousands of missed flights and cancelled appointments if closure is the final outcome. BAA was privatized in the late 1980s as part of efforts by the Thatcher government to minimize state control of assets. The company operates six airports within the United Kingdom and many more overseas, making it one of the largest of its type…

With airfares at an all-time low and inexpensive travel the preferred option for most Britons, a large portion of the country’s frequent travellers are jumping the pond for a holiday in the northeast USA. While New York City tends to receive the region’s major share of visitors, there’s certainly reason to skip the city and head north – the historically significant New England region is just a few miles up. New England is frequently skipped over by Britons visiting the United States, despite its historical importance for both nations. The region consists of the six states northeast of New York,…

Russia’s ongoing heat wave may have taken a turn for the worst. The fires, which have blazed on the edges of capital city Moscow for the better part of two weeks, have approached a secret nuclear research centre, inspiring panic amongst city residents and prompting embassies to advise against travel to the Russian capital. Moscow is currently engulfed in smoke and hazardous dust. The warning comes at a bad time for the Russian economy, which is already fighting the effects of one of the worst agricultural crises in recent history. With output levels at an all-time low and most exports…

Indian travel company MakeMyTrip recently debuted in the USA, drawing praise from expert travel industry analysts and a fair degree of controversy from its American competitors. After debuting its stock at $14 on the Nasdaq, the company’s shares gained over 67 percent towards the end of trading, moving over five million shares throughout the day and securing it a place in the US travel space. The online travel company is the largest of its type in India, securing both air and rail tickets for the country’s growing middle class. While critics have pointed to the country’s low internet usage rates…

Over the last decade, Vietnam has emerged as one of Asia’s most accessible and exciting travel and leisure destinations. It’s an unusual development, particularly as the country was one of the world’s most tightly controlled and economically inaccessible just twenty years ago. As Vietnam increases its ties with the United States, the surge in international visitors could speed up development. It’s the summer of 2010, and Saigon’s large boulevards are showing signs of rapid development and economic improvement. While the rest of the world has spent the last three years fighting off major recessions, Vietnam has been in a state…

While Singapore certainly has a reputation for expense, the city’s restaurants offer some of the most varied and affordable food in the world. Mixing the best of Malay, Indian, and Chinese cuisine, the food on offer in Singapore’s street-level dining establishments and outdoor restaurants is varied and exciting – just what any food obsessed tourists lives for. We took a look at the city’s ubiquitous ‘hawker stands’ – large, table-filled, inexpensive food centres found on just about every major street corner. The ‘stands’ are similar to the food courts found inside most shopping malls, offering a selection of Singaporean treats…

For years, one of the world’s most well-known hotel chains lacked a presence in Hong Kong. While the Conrad and Intercontinental reserved spots in Hong Kong Island’s immense skyline, there was no sight of the acclaimed Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel on either side of the city’s harbour. Was it a lack of corporate interest, or merely an oversight in one of Asia’s most popular tourist destinations? It appears to have been neither, as the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company recently announced it will return to Hong Kong with a spectacular new Kowloon-based property. The luxury hotel chain has bought a sixteen-floor share in…