The Netflights Autumn Sale ends Midnight Tonight!
Posted October 23, 2009 , comments closed) If this rain isn’t enough to make you want to book a holiday, the prices in the Netflights autumn sale will be but hurry up and get booking, because it ends at midnight tonight!
The Netflights autumn sale has seen prices drop on flights, hotels and holidays worldwide. Over the last six days, Netflights customers have benefitted from up to a massive 60% off hotel prices, up to nearly £400 off worldwide flights, and brand new holiday packages, with free nights, free food and drink, free child places and reduced rates all up for grabs. Today is the last day you can take advantage of these fantastic prices so get booking!
If it’s inspiration you need this autumn, look no further than the latest offers pages at www.netflights.com, so jam packed with special offers and exclusive deals you’ll be spoilt for choice! Choose from a collection of brand new holidays in Thailand, Dubai, Florida and Barbados. Get some guaranteed sunshine if you book one of these fabulous packages before midnight tonight! What’s more, as part of the Netflights autumn sale, get up to four nights in amazing destinations like Las Vegas, Mauritius and Malaysia absolutely free, not to mention free half board and kids go free offers at world class resorts in stunning destinations, including Borneo, Bali, Orlando and the Maldives. Now that’s what we call a sale, and it ends soon!
British holidaymakers have struggled through the decidedly dreary “Credit Crunch” summer of 2009. But with the economy looking up, so Netflights flight fares come down, making this autumn the perfect time to book a holiday. Until midnight tonight, get cheap return flights to the USA, starting at an incredible £329, cheap flights to the ever popular Bangkok and Hong Kong at a jaw dropping £337, and return Dubai flights from only £269. Offers like this don’t come along every day, and this sale ends in just a few hours’ time, so visit www.netflights.com and see how much you could save on a fantastic last minute holiday this autumn.
About Netflights
Netflights is part of the Thomas Cook Group and guarantees fantastic offers on flights, hotels, holidays and car hire worldwide. Thousands of discounted airfares from over 135 airlines, reduced rates at over 15 000 hotels, great holiday offers and cheap car hire are all available at www.netflights.com, giving you easy access to all the latest and best travel discounts.
Netflights is a member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), and every flight and holiday sold is ATOL protected, giving you full financial protection and complete peace of mind when booking whether online or over the phone.
To book, visit www.netflights.com TODAY. Sale ends midnight tonight!
Call of South America tourism
Posted September 30, 2009 , comments closed- Jeremy Gilley discovers why Colombia is passion
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Sep 30, 2009
ARGENTINA
Aerolineas Argentinas will continue flying to Chapelco
Aerolineas Argentinas will not cancel its flights to Chapelco. At the beginning, there will be two weekly flights and the fixed schedule will be recovered from the fleet recomposition and the pilot training to the new equipment of the airline.
URUGUAY
New airport in Montevideo will be operative in November
Soon, the new Carrasco International Airport will be operative; this airport will have an area of 45,000 sq.m, and it will have cafeterias, VIP rooms, and two premises of McDonald’s, as well as a well-known company in the main restaurant. The new infrastructure, which was invested in US$165 million, must operate at 100 percent for November 15 in order to serve three million passengers per year.
Cruise season begins on November 30
The cruise season will begin on November 30 with the arrival of the Dutch cruise “Veendam” from Holland America Line to Montevideo.
CHILE
Pluna will fly to Punta Arenas
Pluna stated that it hopes to begin its flights between Santiago and Punta Arenas in December, and it confirmed that the agreements already exist to operate in the country. When operations begin, it will consider the idea of expanding its service to other cities.
Norwegian Cruise Line will cancel its flights to Valparaiso
Norwegian Cruise Line will replace its scales in Valparaiso due to high prices paid in Chilean terminals added because of the world economic crisis and the impossibility to operate its own casinos in ships and because of the lack of a guiding organization of the industry in Chile. Its withdrawal means that for the next season less than 24,000 tourists will arrive.
More hotels planned
The hotel projects, which are inaugurated or to begin its building work in the second semester of the year, add up to investments of US$768 million. It is estimated that there are 18 new hotels planned, most of them of four- and five-star hotels placed basically in Santiago and Valparaiso.
Explora with new web
After two years of development, proofs, and implementations, the new Chilean website of Explora is ready. Among the novelties, there is a possibility of booking and checking the availability of the rooms in real time. Also, the website offers some details of geography, history, fleet, and fauna of each region where the hotels are placed. Also it offers architecture and design data of the hotels. http://www.explora.com/
Metropolitan Touring opens an office and begins operations
The official launch of Metropolitan Touring Chile was on September 24 in Puerto Varas during the carrying out of the TravelMart LatinAmerica. During the last two years, Metropolitan Touring has fortified its skills and abilities beyond Ecuador. This process involved the opening of new offices in exclusive zones of Latin America.
BRAZIL
Rio de Janeiro will extend its hotel offer
The chain Windsor will inaugurate five new projects with a total of 1,830 new rooms in the next years. It will build two hotels in the neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca. Other three establishments will be opened in Copacabana in 2011.
Sao Paulo will have air connection with Trelew, Argentina
Aerolineas Argentinas and nine operators associated to Braztoa are carrying out a project to join Brazil (Guarulhos) and Paragonia (Trelew). It is planned that the flights will begin in July 2010.
Whale observation season began in Bahia
The whale observation season is open in Bahia; these whales arrive from the Antarctic in a period of three months to reproduce. The main places of observation are Praia do Forte, Abrolhos, Itacare, and Morro de Sao Paulo.
PERU
Night visits to Machu Picchu planned
The Ministry of Tourism planned night visits to Machu Picchu to begin from December of this year or at the latest in April 2010. The target is to extend the visiting hours to the citadel and to avoid that these could be only between 0900 and 1600 hours.
LAN PERU inaugurates flights to Cancun via Mexico DF
LAN PERU will begin its new international route to Cancun via Mexico DF with a direct return flight. From November, these will be direct. The inaugural flight will be on October 7 in a Boeing 767.
TACA will fly directly to Mexico DF and to Cancun via Salvador
TACA Airlines informed that from November 1, it will increase its connection with Mexico by 100 percent with three new direct flights per week to join Lima and Mexico DF. Also, it begins a new connection to Cancun from Lima via Salvador three times a week, too.
TACA will fly from its Lima hub to Porto Alegre
Since December 1, TACA will join Lima and Puerto Alegre in Brazil with a direct flight and with three weekly frequencies expanding in this way the connectivity and its flight offer between Peru and Brazil. Currently, the airline joins Lima with Sao Paulo on two different schedules twelve times per week and to Rio de Janeiro with 4 weekly flights, all of them direct.
Museo Santuarios Andinos will have more rooms
Museo Santuarios Andinos, which has the Mummy Juanita, will have three new rooms in order to show the visitors some unknown pieces found in pre-Inca tombs. The new environments will house mummies and its offerings found in the tombs of the volcanoes Sara Sara, Misti, and Pichu Pichu, apus where the Research Center of Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria carried out some studies since 1979.
ECUADOR
Aerogal will fly to New York from December 7
From December 7, Aerogal will fly daily from Cuenca to New York with scale in Guayaquil using a Boeing 767-300 with capacity for 205 passengers.
COLOMBIA
Aerorepublica and Air France will offer Thru Check In
The Thru Check-In service will allow users of the two airlines to make light of its luggage from the city of origin in Colombia or in any place of the world to its final destination without transporting the luggage from one airline to another.
Aires will fly to New York and to Fort Lauderdale
Aires will have six new routes to New York and to Fort Lauderdale, United States. There will be three frequencies weekly from departure and return via Pereira-Cartagena-Fort Lauderdale, which will operate in November.
Asian Trails celebrates 10th anniversary
Posted , comments closed- eTN Executive Talk: Palestinian tourism minister one-on-one
- Africa Business Summit in Washington, DC
- New cruise law about to set sail
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- Berlin tourism is fitter than other European metropolis
- Empowerment, flexibility, and networking to continue in travel
- Tourism cannot end under any circumstance, former ASTA head says
By
Luc Citrinot, eTN Asia Staff Writer |
Sep 30, 2009
It has been ten years now since Luzi Matzig, one of the most prominent personalities in Asian tourism, created his own tour operation. For eTurboNews, Matzig – who just celebrated his 60th birthday - gives his vision of tourism in southeast Asia.
eTN: What are the most dramatic changes you have experienced over the last ten years?
Luzi Matzig: This is definitely Internet booking that has revolutionized distribution and the way to do business. Booking engines are now into the hands of large travel groups that contract directly with travel suppliers such as hotels. Agoda.com has been taken over by Priceline and asiarooms.com by TUI. Tour operators such as ourselves are not anymore needed to book rooms. We just lost ourselves a contract with asiarooms.com as they decided to deal directly with hotels. And we cannot compete, as it would request a lot of effort and money. We have to adapt our strategy and concentrate on our core business, the tour operating. We just, in fact, gained Kuoni UK as a new customer.
eTN: Are travelers from today very different from ten years ago?
Matzig: We definitely experience[d] a strong rise in individual travelers. As soon as a market becomes mature, it walks away from group tourism. We see also emerging two strong types of travelers, both at the extreme. With the collapse in airlines and hotels prices due to increased competition, there is a trend for cheaper and ever-cheaper packages. But how cheap can we further go? Is it really worth the energy to chase those mass tourism markets producing a very small return on investment? We prefer to look after the other segment, FIT who looks after exclusive up-market products. There is more disposable money and less competition.
eTN: What are the products then that you can offer?
Matzig: These FIT travelers have very determined ideas about what they would like to do and when. Our strength is then to propose packages à la carte. We can arrange for a private car with chauffeur or offer a tailor-made circuit in southeast Asia. We see, for example, a strong interest for cruises as the choice becomes more sophisticated in the region. They are classical cruises on the Mekong River or on the Andaman Sea. Borneo is also emerging as an attractive cruise destination. We also propose private jet[s] for top travelers. We also find more holidaymakers looking for exclusive destinations. For example in Thailand, we see up-market clients moving away from well-known tourist destinations such as Krabi, Phuket, or Pattaya to go more to secluded islands. The last Kuoni Switzerland catalogue on Asia is a very good example of the current trend. It contains up to ten pages of stays and packages at little-know[n] Thai islands.
eTN: Did you also experience a shift in destinations requested by travelers?
Matzig: Indochina has seen the biggest growth over the decade with tourism booming in countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and also Laos. Burma is coming back, rather slowly, but it went through a terrible time in 2008. I expect that Myanmar will double the number of its travelers next year compared to 2009… The Philippines is gaining in popularity, especially for Boracay with its fine beaches. But the most successful destination over the last two years is Indonesia. Especially for Bali, where it becomes extremely difficult to sort out an accommodation. The EU ban lift on air travel for some Indonesian airlines help us to design new packages. We propose again overland tours from Sumatra to Bali or propose tours to the Toraja in South Sulawesi in complement to a stay in Bali.
eTN: Is culture an attractive theme in Southeast Asia?
Matzig: It has always been, but as travelers are becoming more discerning, they like to link many cultural destinations with eventually a few days break at a seaside resort at the end of their tour. In Europe, travelers from France, Germany, or Switzerland are very keen at combining multi-countries cultural tours, such as Vietnam-Cambodia and Thailand. But Russians, Scandinavians, and Britons would mostly favor a single sea and sun holiday destination.
eTN: What are your predictions for 2010 for Asian Trails?
Matzig: We definitely will see a recovery, let[’s] say in a growth range of 10 percent. We are personally very happy with our position today and our presence all around southeast Asia. We do not plan to move to other markets as we estimate to remain among the best specialists in the region.
An Artificial Paradise in an Airplane Hangar: Tropical Islands Resort, Germany, Europe
Posted August 21, 2009 , add a commentWhen I was little I used to imagine that my street was a cool watery canal. On hot summer days I would pretend to swim home, and then once home, my house became a rain forest, my bedroom a lagoon.
Not very tropical from the outside. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wassmer/1351546487/
It seems that I am not the only one with such imaginings of tropical paradise where none such exist. Meet the Tropical Islands Resort, an artificial paradise in the middle of Germany of all places. The numbers alone astound. Housed under an enormous dome originally commissioned for cargo lifters, the roof stands 350 feet tall and encloses 194 million cubic feet of space. The waterpark is 710,000 square feet; the pool can accommodate up to 8,000 visitors a day. (Hopefully nobody pees in the water.) There are restaurants, shopping, tanning, stage entertainment, daycare facilities, bars and overnight camping on Paradise beach. Admission is 18.50 Euro on weekdays, and 23.50 Euro on weekends. The resort is open around the clock, all year round.
The illusion of ideal. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hagengraf/2269879844/
The resort also includes a rain forest, beaches, artificial sunlight, palm trees, tropical flowers and foliage complete with a backdrop of birdsong. There is also a “Balinese lagoon” with whirlpools and a waterfall, a “south sea” with an impressively large white sand beach, a tropical village, and a rainforest section with winding walkways.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hagengraf/2269930112/
Along the south side of the dome hang transparent panels, allowing natural sunlight to help brighten the interior during the day. The internal temperature is always kept at a comfortable 77-82 degrees Fahrenheit with 50-60% air humidity year-round, creating a miniature sub-tropical eco-system smack dab in the middle of Germany.
Of course those that built this indoor paradise did not just think of aesthetics. About 80% of the resort’s square footage is used for green space. Water from the pools is reclaimed to water the plant life, which grows in a rich, custom-made soil made up of sand, organic waste, clay, and tree bark. The dome’s transparent panels are also UV permeable, exposing the plants to natural sunlight and allowing the building to operate as a giant greenhouse. At times the high humidity causes water condensation to collect on the inside of the dome before finally falling. This produces light, spontaneous rain showers on occasion, adding to the tropicality of the airplane hangar.
Complete with culture. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hagengraf/2269212985/
Honestly, this is what I imagined as a child walking home on hot summer days, only my ten year old mind could not fathom the enormity of reclaimed water, waterfalls, artificial birdsong under a Balinese lagoon. Even more honest: my 36 year old mind has trouble fathoming it, too. I think this is something I have to see for myself, a Utopian paradise housed under a hangar in Krausnik, Germany.
Somali piracy and Islamic militancy reaches Australia
Posted August 7, 2009 , add a comment- Australia on top again as number one destination for Americans
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- Hawaii Tourism Authority approves US$3.4 million for marketing push
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- New conservation zone links Australia to its southeast Asian neighbors
- Cruise lines weigh tougher response to pirate threat near Somalia
- 60 nations meet in Bali to discuss how to end international smuggling and trafficking of human beings
By
Wolfgang H. Thome, eTN Africa |
Aug 07, 2009
The recent arrests in Australia of several Somali-born Australian citizens once again demonstrate the global reach of this festering problem originating from the Horn of Africa. The entire east African region is under increasing threat by Islamic militants who congregated in the war-torn country, following in the footsteps of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.
The piracy problem was long underestimated or played down, and the covert involvement of Eritrea in supplying arms, ammunition, and other supplies – no involvement of Eritrean forces in the conflict has been proven yet – has the alarm bells ringing with the African Union and the coalition partners based in Djibouti.
Earlier in the week, a German vessel being held hostage was released after a reported US$2.5+ million was dropped onto the ship from a light aircraft, and similar payoffs reportedly also helped to free other ships.
What is often overlooked, however, is the use of such money beyond the individual greed of the pirates. Much of the funds so extracted are rumored to find their way into the coffers of the militants to help them to buy arms, ammunition, and other supplies, beyond what is provided freely by their political godfathers and supporters, based in countries known to continue to sponsor and support terrorism.
A few weeks ago, German Special Forces were called back over emerging issues about rules of engagement, while they were already in the air towards their intended targets. These special commandos were reportedly well on the way to take the held ship by force and free the hostages before returning to their base inside Kenya.
Some participating nations with the coalition naval forces that are now patrolling the Indian Ocean, the Horn of Africa, and the Red Sea continue to operate under orders not to arrest pirates spotted unless they are fired upon, or only if the pirates are suspected to have captured a vessel operating under their own home flag.
It is time now to enter into a more robust forward defense against these pirates and terrorists, giving the naval forces clearer and more aggressive operating parameters, and effectively blockade Somalia and Eritrea to stop the flow of illegal arm shipments. At the same time, neighboring countries need logistical and intelligence support to secure their land borders with Somalia to halt the potential flow of terrorists into those countries where they could wreak havoc in revenge.
Ethiopia reacted some time ago to these threats against their national security and continues to play an important role in the fight against militants and terrorists, in spite of having withdrawn their initial fighting forces back into their own territory. Yet, they remain under attack, and it is understood, from usually well-informed sources, that they may re-enter the conflict, and if so, hopefully with an international mandate.
Uganda is already the largest contributor of troops for the AU “peace-keeping” mission, itself a misnomer considering that the Islamic militias are not at all interested in the type of peace the international community intends to propagate and for which purpose the AU sent forces in the first place.
Hence, Somalia could well become another Afghanistan in the making, and the sooner this is recognized, the better. East African economies are already said to have lost hundreds of millions of dollars as a result of piracy, and still the pirates enjoy safe havens in their hideouts along the coast line of the Indian Ocean.
How long can the world afford to just watch things from the sidelines before some serious action is taken against pirates and terrorists in Somalia? Does it really take another major successful terror attack in Europe, North America, Asia, or Australia? The Jakarta bombings should be the final wake-up call that the world continues to face a real and present danger, originating also from Somalia, and not just Afghanistan and their border regions with Pakistan or other known terrorist breeding grounds and hotbeds. The global anti-terror alliance is already present in Djibouti, and the time to act is now, not when it is too late. Eastern Africa, and the rest of the world, will be grateful, even if they don’t know it yet.
Maybe US State Secretary Hillary Clinton’s presence in Nairobi this week for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA Summit will aid in discussing the Somalia issue with the regional leaders to come up with a better strategy and way forward. The hopes and aspirations for peace of tens of millions of east Africans depend on it.