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  • News: Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary to satisfy in first Cunard royal rendezvous

    On 12 March 2013, Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth and the legendary Queen Mary will make history once they meet for the primary time in a Cunard Royal Rendezvous in Long Beach Harbor. This rare evening encounter can be open to the general public and should feature traditional whistle salutes between the ships and conclude with a fireworks display.

    Adding to the importance of this event, the Royal Rendezvous can be Queen Mary’s first encounter with a Queen Elizabeth since 1967 when Queen Mary, during her final Transatlantic Crossing in Cunard service, glided by the unique Queen Elizabeth at the morning of 25 September.
    “The Queen Mary is a cornerstone in our nearly 175-year history, and we’re more than happy to introduce our youngest Cunarder to this legendary ship in festive Royal Rendezvous fashion,” said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line.

    “What a superior time this fusion of voyages past and present shall be for the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and Cunard,” said Everette Hoard, commodore of the Queen Mary. “Those that witness this splendid day in history will undoubtedly carry the Queens of their hearts forever.”

    The best public viewing location of the Royal Rendezvous is at the Promenade Deck of the Queen Mary, on the aft (back) of the ship. Free access to the ship should be offered from 4:00-9:00pm; parking would be $15.00. A DJ shall be on deck providing musical entertainment while everyone eagerly awaits this historic meeting. Queen Elizabeth will sail into Long Beach Harbor at approximately 6:30pm, and the fireworks display will begin at 7:30pm.

    Joining these maritime icons high above often is the famed Goodyear blimp, the Spirit of America. The presence of a Goodyear blimp overhead lends a unique appeal at major sporting and red carpet events and should add to the historical significance of this Royal Rendezvous. For more info on Goodyear blimp, visit: http://www.goodyearblimp.com.

    During Cunard Line’s legendary history, the enduring Queen Mary epitomized the Golden Age of Ocean Travel and served as a Cunard liner for greater than 30 years. She also served as a British Royal Mail Ship (RMS) and as a troopship during World War II. Winston Churchill credited Cunard with ending the war three hundred and sixty five days early as a result troop transport that both the Queen Mary and the unique Queen Elizabeth provided.

    The Queen Mary’s influence lives on today, inspiring Cunard’s modern fleet; and she or he is still a favored tourist and maritime destination as a hotel and museum in Long Beach Harbor, located 40 kilometers south of la.

    The elegant Queen Elizabeth captured the area stage in 2010 when she was christened in a Royal Naming Ceremony by Her Majesty The Queen in Southampton, England, amongst greater than 1,500 guests, celebrities and dignitaries. The youngest in Cunard Line’s fleet, Queen Elizabeth recalls the wealthy heritage of the 1st Cunarder to bear the name, and contours many unique Cunard traditions linking her along with her sister ships and their predecessors, along with each of the today’s luxuries Cunard guests have come to expect. The ship’s adherence to liner traditions is most blatant through art deco touches, elegant double- and triple-height public rooms on a grand scale, luxuriously endowed with rich wood paneling, intricate mosaics, hand-woven carpets, gleaming chandeliers and funky marbles. Moreover, Queen Elizabeth reintroduced The Verandah Restaurant which was first conceived at the Queen Mary and pays homage to her predecessor with replicas of the legendary ship’s artwork.

    Key features of Queen Elizabeth which might be on display within the Grand Lobby include a specially commissioned portrait of Her Majesty The Queen, in addition to an 18.5 ft. marquetry piece of the unique Queen Elizabeth, expertly created by David Linley, the only real nephew of Her Majesty.

    Earlier within the day on 12 March, Queen Elizabeth could have returned from a 36-day roundtrip voyage from L. a. through New Zealand, and departs at 5:00pm that day, en path to The big apple via the Panama Canal.

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  • Cape Town Tourism within the spotlight at ITB

    December 2012 marked the only billionth international tourism arrival globally and competition between destinations is more fierce than ever. Staying relevant by maintaining with future trends is a key focus at this year’s ITB tourism trade exhibition in Berlin, set to attract some 170,000 visitors between March 6-10, 2013. As in previous years, Cape Town Tourism and Wesgro are representing the region’s tourism industry at ITB.

    As portion of ITB’s strong cope with etravel, Cape Town Tourism CEO, Mariette du Toit-Helmbold (pictured), is presenting a conversation called “How Tourism Boards Work With Social Media, Local Citizens And Travel Bloggers To inform The tale Of A Destination” on March 9.

    The talk follows a year by which Cape Town Tourism caught the notice of world tourism trend watchers through its #LoveCapeTown social media campaign. The campaign included an iambassador campaign that saw the DMO bringing respected international bloggers to Cape Town to experience the destination first hand. The main factor that differentiated the campaign is that Cape Town’s twitter community felt a swelling of pride about their town and engaged heavily with the visiting e-journos about what to do and notice during their stay.

    The #loveCapeTown program has since been included in a White Paper on travel blogging and used for instance internationally on how DMOs can work with travel bloggers. Plans are afoot to continue the #loveCapeTown campaign during 2013, along with South African Tourism and a gaggle of international and native bloggers. Most significantly the tag is now a part of the social media lingua franca when pertaining to Cape Town.

    In addition to the strong specialize in social media and digital marketing, Cape Town Tourism is (at the side of Blue Yonder, India) a co-partner of ITB’s Responsible Tourism program and could feature as portion of their CSR day program on March 7. Up for discussion stands out as the need for tourist interactions with local communities and problems surrounding water shortages and rising energy costs.

    Councillor Grant Pascoe, Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Marketing on the City of Cape Town, says: “The City of Cape Town is driving responsible tourism with the support of industry players like Cape Town Tourism. The purpose is to maneuver from pockets of excellence to a complete destination approach.

    “This means the adaption of RT principles as a core way of doing business – not just by a chosen group of responsible operators but by all of the tourism industry. The Responsible Tourism Pilot Project is an example of ways the responsible tourism principles were adopted on a large scale by the industry.” Added Grant.

    Speaking at the broader objectives in their visit to ITB, Du Toit-Helmbold said: “Our key challenge within the industry is to stimulate jobs and investment by eliminating barriers to travel resembling visa restrictions, taxation, and outmoded infrastructure systems. i’m confident that these issues could be addressed at Europe’s premier travel trade fair – ITB Berlin. It’s the key place to benefit about new trends, market developments, and to deepen existing business relations.”

  • News: Consolid designates Travelport primary technology partner

    Travelport, the business services provider to the worldwide travel industry, today announces an extended-term agreement with Consolid, a number one multiple points of sale consolidator in Latin America. The hot agreement establishes Travelport as Consolid’s travel technology partner, providing access to travel content including air, hotel, car rental and cruise lines via its Worldspan platform.

    Consolid will incorporate Travelport’s Worldspan platform and Universal API technology within the following Central and South American countries: Uruguay, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay, El Salvador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Panama, in addition to the usa. With over 15,000 travel agency clients and 385 offices within the region, Consolid offers a comprehensive network of distribution and sales for the Latin American travel industry.

    “As Consolid continues to expand in Latin America, we’re faced with the challenge of choosing a travel technology partner who can grow and continually evolve alongside us,” said Joaquin Navasal, General Manger, Consolid. “Travelport’s innovative technology, paired with their first-rate customer support, made our choice a simple one.”

    “As a frontrunner in Latin American travel distribution and sales, Consolid is definitely positioned to continue its expansion inside the region,” said Martin Invernizzi, Travelport’s Country Manager for Argentina and Uruguay. “Travelport is proud to be Consolid’s chosen technology partner and we glance forward to providing their customers, members and partners with the foremost innovative and effective travel solutions within the industry.”

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  • Focus: Cyprus for families

    The island-country of Cyprus, situated within the Eastern Mediterranean sea, is an ideal destination for a family holiday. With daily temperatures of as much as 36° C, in the course of the hottest months of July and August, Cyprus is blessed with a climate that provides families over 11 hours of bright sunshine to enjoy each day, in the course of the six summer months.

    While choosing a destination for a family holiday isn’t always straightforward, Cyprus is endowed with qualities keep your loved ones truly entertained.

    Sun and sea
    Whether you’re trying to find a spot to unwind, or somewhere with a bit entertainment value to maintain your kids amused, Cyprus has all of it.

    Golden beaches and crystal clear blue waters make Cyprus a fanciful beach holiday destination. Whether you’re attracted by the hustle and bustle of the ever-popular Phinikoudes Beach, or the seclusion of Green Bay, Cyprus offers variety, suitable to cater for each mood.

    If you’re looking to keep your kids entertained, there’s a vast array of activities on offer. Cyprus offers families the chance to benefit from the thrills and spills of a water park, let alone providing you with the possibility to aim your hand at windsurfing, sailing, snorkelling, diving or even bungee jumping. If you’re worried about entertaining your kids, fear not, Cyprus is a destination with the intention to satisfy the needs of even the foremost adventurous families amongst you.

    Family-friendly accommodation
    As you will expect from any holiday destination with a lot to provide, much of the accommodation in Cyprus is deliberately family-friendly.

    Hotels, consisting of the Avlida Hotel Paphos, offer all inclusive deals with the intention to satisfy your family’s every whim. Located just 250 metres from the beach, and just one.5km from Paphos harbour, the Avlida Hotel Paphos epitomises the family-friendly ambience of Cyprus. It gives parents access to bars and restaurants, serving traditional drinks and food, while children might be enamoured with the wealth of activities on offer, from pools to tennis courts, so we can keep them entertained for hours.

    Satisfy their curiosity
    When you’re taking a family holiday, keeping the teens entertained is usually an unenviable task. While the resorts of Cyprus are committed to offering children fun activities to maintain them amused, and the newness of the beach will suffice for some time, Cyprus’ trump card is its historical intrigue.

    Cyprus is a veritable voyage of discovery for the curious child. In case you have children which are serious about history, Cyprus offers the risk for them to find what life was like on the dawn of civilisation, by visiting Choirokoitia, the most effective preserved prehistoric settlement sites within the Eastern Mediterranean. Roman villas, ruins and a trip to the breathtaking Tombs of the Kings will fill up your trip to Cyprus and provides your loved ones an experience that they are going to cherish forever.

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  • Westin opens in Chennai, India

    The Westin Chennai Velachery has opened its doors within the fast growing business district of Chennai within the Southern a part of India. The Westin Chennai Velachery is the sixth Westin hotel in India and the primary out of 7 new Westin hotels expected to open in 2013 across Asia Pacific.

    The hotel offers 215 spacious guestrooms and suites with pool or city skyline views. Each guestroom is outfitted with Westin Heavenly Beds and high-speed Internet access is out there.

    Other features include a 24-hour WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio, an out of doors swimming pool and a Heavenly Spa by Westin.

    There are a spread of 3 restaurants for guests to dine in meanwhile business travellers are invited to make use of over 12,600 square feet of refined meeting and performance space, including 2 large pillar-less ballrooms and 12 break-out rooms and a Business Centre.

    “The Westin Chennai Velachery is a serious addition to our strong Westin portfolio in India,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Westin Hotels & Resorts.

    “We are delighted with the success of the logo and the rave reviews it has received from our guests,” Brian added.

    “The prime location of The Westin Chennai Velachery and the draw of the signature Westin experience, designed to give our guests a bit well-being within the center of the colourful city of Chennai, make us confident that this new landmark hotel will soon become a popular destination for both business and leisure travellers.” Concluded Brian.

    The Westin Executive Club located at the top floor offers panoramic views of the town with complimentary breakfast, Wireless Internet Access, and evening cocktail service with an eclectic choice of hors d’oeuvres.

    Located within 20-minute drive from Chennai Domestic and International Airport, the hotel provides convenient accessibility to Guindy business district, OMR-IT corridor, city center and Chennai Trade Centre.

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