Best Holiday Lettings

Category: Holidays

  • 96 cruise ships back to European waters from winter routes

    Online travel agent Directline Holidays reports package holiday bookings are up for summer 2013 following a surge of last minute bookings as holidaymakers snap up reduced price holidays, many with discounts of as much as 50%, as a result of Britain’s heat wave.

    All-inclusive packages have seen the most important increase over the past few weeks with bookings now up 11% in comparison to summer 2012. The hot surge has also seen overall passenger figures for summer 2013 surpass those of summer 2012, with the height summer time just beginning.

    Recent figures released by ABTA showed that package holiday bookings are up around the industry as an entire with almost half (48%) of these who booked an overseas holiday in 2012 booking a package holiday when compared with 47% in 2011 and just 37% in 2010.

    Maria Whiteman, CEO of Directline Holidays, says: “Package holidays are a well-liked choice with our customers who desire to be capable to budget for his or her holiday without being hit by hidden charges. All-inclusive holidays specially offer great value for money, especially for families who don’t wish to lay our a fortune on dining out overseas.  The new price reductions because of the warmth wave signifies that there are currently some exceptional deals available online with huge reductions on packages departing inside the following couple of weeks, so for those that haven’t yet booked their summer holiday, now could be the time to take action.”

  • 96 cruise ships back to European waters from winter routes

    As the summer cruise season gets under way in Europe, 96 ships have sailed back to European waters from their winter routes within the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and Asia, bringing the whole fleet inside the region this summer to 200 cruise ships, operated by 65 lines, serving at the least 530 destinations stretching from the Mediterranean to the Arctic.

    Underlining the industry’s steady growth in Europe, the eu summer fleet will include 11 new ships this year, including 3 ships re-entering service for brand spanking new operators because the data compiled for the Cruise Lines International Association in Europe shows.

    “The variety of new destinations, new lines and new ships entering service in Europe this year are all further evidence of ways cruising is growing and may keep growing inside the region, drawing on Europe’s unique offering in the case of its rich culture, its varied geography and its long maritime traditions, and its expertise in hospitality and repair,” said Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, CLIA Europe’s Chairman.

    “Seeing such a lot of ships arriving in European ports for the beginning of the summer cruising season underlines how the eu cruise sector is an integral and growing component of the worldwide cruise industry that provides consumers high value holiday options and economic benefits to hundreds of communities,” said Robert Ashdown, Secretary General of CLIA Europe.

  • UK visitor numbers increase to New Zealand

    Tourism New Zealand says UK visitor numbers in thefirst half 2013 were up 3.3% compared with the identical time last year. Globally, there was a robust increase in international visitor arrivals, setting an effective base for the winter season.

    “When we glance on the first six months of the year we see a robust picture for arrivals -with total arrivals up 5.8 per cent against the identical period last year and holiday arrivals up 10.0 per cent,’ says Justin Watson, Tourism New Zealand’s acting Chief Executive.

    “This puts the industry in an amazing good place earlier than the 2013 ski season which has already seen a pretty good start – with record levels of snow to all ski-fields and Australian arrivals up 17.0 per cent for the month. We anticipate seeing further growth over the arriving months.”

    For the primary six months of the year holiday arrivals are up across Tourism New Zealand’s top six markets: Australia 6.0%, China 30.9%, US 20.7%, UK 3.3%, Japan 7.8%, Germany 2.9%.

    “It is encouraging to determine this growth from our traditional long-haul markets after what was a tough few years for the industry.

    The US has become the third-largest source of tourists to New Zealand.

    “The underlying growth from the long-haul markets further supports the positive impact seen from the investment in marketing New Zealand’s association with the Hobbit trilogy.

    “Our 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign continues to realize its objectives – providing the extra motivation and reason to transform interest in a vacation to New Zealand into an exact booking.”

    Figures also just released report overall international arrivals up 5.6 per cent for June 2013. Total arrivals were unchanged year-on-year, because of 2012 being boosted by the Rugby World Cup, but up 5.0 per cent in comparison to year ending June 2011.

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  • VisitBritain in family-friendly focus as royal baby is born

    As the royal family celebrate the birth of the 1st Prince of Cambridge, VisitBritain are encouraging travellers to go to the country’s royal sights and produce their families to sample the attractions.

    The son of Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was born at 4:24 p.m. Monday, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces, Buckingham Palace revealed.

    The news of the birth was announced by easel proclamation outside Buckingham Palace, just as Prince William’s birth was announced in 1982.

    In true tradition, visitors and well wishes queued outside Buckingham Palace to photograph the birth sign.

    VisitBritain offers suggestions of royal-inspired family-friendly places to go to in Britain, bound to create special memories to your own little prince or princess!

    For example, VisitBritain means that royal revellers explore areas of Kensington Palace which might be open to the general public (for the reason that private residence where the young family will live isn’t), comparable to the state apartments of the king and queen.

    Kensington Palace is currently hosting a brand new Fashion Rules exhibition that includes dresses worn by Britain’s best dressed women; Queen Elizabeth, her sister Princess Margaret and Diana, the Princess of Wales.

    VisitBritain is usually encouraging visitors to experience the rustic and coast, highlighting Norfolk, at Sandringham, a lovely estate that’s open to the general public to go to. It also highlights the Norfolk coast, that’s famed for a number of Britain’s prettiest beaches.

    Buckingham Palace may also be open for visitors this summer with a different exhibition to accompany the summer opening that celebrates the Queen’s Coronation 60 years ago.The Palace has a drop-in learning room where older kids can design their very own carriage to head home in.

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  • New Zealand and Seychelles Ministers discuss tourism

    The New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP for East Coast Bays, the Hon. Murray McCully, who’s in Seychelles for the AIMS (Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Seas) sub-regional grouping meeting, made time to name on Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister liable for Tourism and Culture. The hot Zealand Minister was accompanied by Ambassador James Kember, the recent Zealand Ambassador just accredited to Seychelles.

    The two Ministers discussed the tourism development in Seychelles and likewise the moves to diversify the islands’ tourism source markets. At the marketing front they discussed their Tourism Board’s presence at tourism trade fairs and the usage of events to advertise tourism through culture and those. Minister McCully said as he was leaving the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Offices on the national Cultural Center in Victoria that he would discuss the participation of latest Zealand on the annual Carnaval International de Victoria that’s staged in Seychelles the last weekend of April along with his Minister liable for Tourism.

    “This annual carnival is quite much a festival of color because it is a chance for countries, as they do in tourism trade fairs, to fly their flags to showcase their unique selling points but this time using culture and folk as their key assets. This Indian Ocean Carnival remains the sole carnival where the suitable and most known carnivals parade together followed by cultural troupes from the Community of countries,” Minister St.Ange of the Seychelles told the brand new Zealand Minister.

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