Author: Alicia

  • News: ABTA responds to Government consultation on night flights

    ABTA has responded to the Government’s consultation on night flying restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted emphasising that any system must strike a balance between the commercial benefits of meeting demand and the impact of night flights on local communities and the surroundings.

    ABTA states that it’s essential for airlines to work closely with local communities and continue to speculate in newer, quieter aircraft and to further improve their environmental performance. However the contribution of night flying to the economy, particularly the local area ought to be recognised.  At Heathrow in 2011, night flights contributed £543m to the economy directly, supporting 6,800 jobs and generating £102m in tax revenue¹.

    Luke Pollard, ABTA Head of Public Affairs said: “Night flights may be an emotive subject because noise specifically may be particularly disruptive for local communities. quite a lot of progress have been made in reducing noise that is especially important at night or early within the morning,  and we encourage airports, airlines, the govt. and native communities to continue to make further improvements.

    Airlines must be encouraged to speculate in quieter, more efficient aircraft instead of punitively restricting the extent of night flights particularly on the capacity- constrained airports around London, which might only lead to higher prices for consumers and more delayed or cancelled flights.

    Night flights contribute significantly to the economy and enable thousands of holidaymakers and business traveller to fly every year. ABTA believes a balance should be struck between the massive economic contribution of those flights and the impacts they’ve on local communities. The aviation industry must also continue to take steps to cope their environmental impacts in order for solutions are located that work for the industry and native communities alike. “

  • News: Hilton Long island renamed as Ny Hilton-Midtown

    On the eve of its 50th anniversary, Hilton Manhattan today adopted a brand new name, Ny Hilton-Midtown, as a tribute to its storied past and a fashion of helping business and leisure travelers more easily identify its Manhattan neighborhood.

    When Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton opened the hotel in June 1963 on Sixth Avenue between West 53rd and 54th Streets, he named it the brand new York Hilton at Rockefeller Center, envisioning a midtown Manhattan where the world’s most successful businesses, exceptional entertainment options and legendary Hilton hospitality would converge.

    “As the hotel celebrates its 50th anniversary on June 26, we now have decided to come back to rename it Big apple Hilton-Midtown,” said Mark Lauer, hotel general manager. “The connection with midtown inside the new name provides the hotel with a locator for guests and helps to spot the neighborhood the hotel is situated, that is very important to both business and leisure travelers visiting Ny city.”

    Being on the epicenter of midtown Manhattan, the hot name celebrates the long-lasting sites and attractions that midtown has to present including Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, the Museum of recent Art (MoMA), Central Park, Carnegie Hall, Fifth Avenue and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, to call a number of.

    “We’re extremely happy with our new name, which pays homage to our stellar location within the heart of midtown,” Lauer said. “As we approach our 50th anniversary, this is a fitting tribute to revive the name that our founding father, Conrad Hilton, provided. The hotel have been a vital part of the dynamic fabric of midtown Manhattan for the last 50 years, and we glance forward to the following half-century.”

    The 1,981-room Ny Hilton-Midtown is well-liked by savvy sophisticated international and domestic travelers. The hotel, that’s a quick walk from Times Square, Broadway theaters and the renowned Fifth Avenue shopping district, can accommodate large conferences and conventions, smaller meetings and stylish banquets.

  • ITB Berlin: Russians like to book their holidays on the last moment

    Booking one’s holidays on the last possible moment remains a well-liked trend: a number of the world’s most vital travel markets last-minute bookings make up the most important percentage of holidays. Russian citizens specially opt to book their holidays at short notice (lower than a month before departing). That is the results of a distinct survey by IPK International’s World Travel Monitor, which was commissioned by ITB Berlin. Many of the top ten international source markets for travel abroad (with at the least one overnight) Russia reported the top percentage of last-minute bookings. In 2012 Russians booked 73 per cent in their trips on the last moment, under one month before departing. The habit of booking trips late has always been popular in Russia. During the last five years the craze towards booking travel on the last moment has remained unchanged and has fluctuated hardly in any respect.

    The Italian and Chinese markets also clearly belong within the same category. Unlike in Russia last-minute bookings inside the above markets have declined. In 2008 69 per cent of Italian holidaymakers booked their trips on the last moment, whereas in 2012 that figure was only 64 per cent. In China the selection of last-minute bookings fell from 73 per cent in 2008 to 62 per cent in 2012. At 58 per cent and 53 per cent respectively last-minute bookings in Japan and France were comparatively low, although both markets reported a slight upward trend. In 2008 the figure for Japan was 53 per cent and for France it was 51 per cent. At 46 per cent, the German market’s share of last-minute bookings was relatively high. However, compared with other western European countries this figure was below average.

    When it involves their next holidays the Dutch like to make their plans ahead. At 33 per cent the Dutch market reported the best percentage of early bookings (four months or more before departing). Nevertheless, there’s a shift going down here too: over the past five years early bookings have fallen by 27 per cent. At 29 and 28 per cent respectively, the German and UK markets also reported a comparatively high percentage of early bookings. In Germany last-minute bookings have fallen by six per cent since 2008, whereas within the UK they’ve got risen slightly, by four per cent. Early bookings are of only minor importance in Russia, China and Japan. In 2012 only six per cent of Russian holidaymakers and 8 per cent each of Chinese and Japanese travellers booked their trips four months or more prematurely.

    Commenting, Dr. Martin Buck, director of Travel & Logistics at Messe Berlin, said: “The proven fact that the varied source markets report widely differing booking habits could carry an incredible message for all those commercial providers who’re already operating within the respective markets or are planning on doing so. The brilliant level of dialogue in this subject, which in Germany a minimum of was going down over the past few years, is a trademark of the way important the aspect of booking ahead is when buying a vacation. We’re delighted that conducting market surveys of this type gives us the chance to produce the travel industry with much more essential information that extends far beyond the normal function of our show.“

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  • Abu Dhabi records sharp rise in visitor numbers

    Abu Dhabi has reported a 12 per cent rise within the choice of guests staying in its 145 hotels and hotel apartments for the primary half this year in comparison to the 1st six months of last year.

    Figures just released by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority also show guests inside the emirate are staying longer and that there were significant increases in hotel occupancies and revenues.

    During the primary 1/2 this year some 1,333,339 guests checked into Abu Dhabi accommodation delivering 4,226,604 guest nights – an increase of 25 per cent on 2012.

    On average the guest stayed 3.17 nights – that’s up 12 per cent on last year, which translates into an occupancy rate of 71 per cent – again up eight per cent on 2012.

    “We on target and this heightened performance, despite significant increases in resort and hotel inventory, justifies our increased efforts in trade engagement and international marketing and promotion and the expanded product operators and investors have put into the destination,” said HE Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general, TCA Abu Dhabi.

    “We anticipate the momentum building within the second half the year which covers key happenings consisting of the Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi Art, the Al Ain Aerobatics Show, some of headline concerts on Yas Island and major sports including the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the Wake Park World Champonship Finals.

    “On the business events front we will watch for hosting the International Conference on Neurology and Epidemiology that is expected to be attended by upwards of 600 specialists in these fields and Abu Dhabi’s hosting, this December, of the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum.”

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  • News: Royal Caribbean announces 2014-15 short Caribbean and Bahamas cruises

    Royal Caribbean International today announced a whole lot of short three- to 5-night Caribbean and Bahamas cruises throughout 2014-15, sailing from Tampa, Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and Miami, Florida. The vast majority of these Royal Caribbean ships have recently undergone extensive refurbishments, offering guests as much as 10 onboard dining options, spectacular entertainment and onboard features that provide greater convenience and connectivity.

    On all ships except Majesty of the Seas, guests also can enjoy an outsized outdoor movie screen beside the major pool, new staterooms featuring flat-panel televisions, bow-to-stern Wi-Fi service, interactive digital signage and masses more. For a brief webisode about the whole innovative enhancements that guests are already enjoying, please see http://tinyurl.com/c3au67b. Royal Caribbean’s 2014-15 short Caribbean and Bahamas cruises at the moment are open for booking.

    From Port Canaveral and Miami respectively, Enchantment of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas will continue year-round three- and 4-night Bahamas cruises, calling at Nassau and CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island paradise within the Bahamas. On Majesty of the Seas’ four-night sailing, guests also call at Key West, Florida. At CocoCay, guests enjoy a personal island with watersports options, lots of beautiful beaches to take in the sun, sip refreshing cocktails and luxuriate in a barbeque lunch by the ocean.

    Throughout the summer 2014 season, holidaymakers may also choose a Caribbean getaway from Port Everglades aboard Vision of the Seas. A four-night itinerary takes guests to Cozumel, Mexico, whilst two five-night itineraries take guests to Cozumel and Roatan, Honduras, on one, or Key West, Florida, and Grand Cayman. Guests may even have access to the spectacular high-flying, acrobatic musical production overhead inside the four-deck high Centrum, while others can enjoy a cocktail on the new retro-chic R-Bar below.

    Also from Port Everglades, Liberty of the Seas will sail four- and five-night Western Caribbean cruises for the winter 2014-15 season, offering the broadest range of innovative and popular features and entertainment that were first introduced onboard the arena-acclaimed Oasis-class and Freedom-class. Guests benefit from the FlowRider surf simulator, the four-bedroom, four-bathroom Presidential Family Suite – that could accommodate as much as 14, in addition to the exclusive DreamWorks Experience, featuring DreamWorks Animations’ lovable ogres Shrek and Fiona, Po the Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar’s Alex the Lion and Gloria the Hippo; a three-D cinema showing a number of the latest DreamWorks Animation films; Broadway-musical Saturday Night Fever, and more. Liberty of the Seas’ four-night cruise calls at Cozumel, Mexico, and its two five-night itineraries call at Cozumel and Belize City, Belize, on one and Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach destination, at the other.

    From Tampa, Brilliance of the Seas will also offer four-night cruises to Cozumel, and two five-night Cozumel itineraries, with the intention to additionally call at Key West on one, and at Grand Cayman on another.