Luxury Link Partners with Orient-Express
Posted September 18, 2009 , comments closed) Los Angeles, CA (September 16, 2009)- Luxury Link (www.luxurylink.com), the online luxury travel resource that offers high-end trips to destinations around the globe, announces its partnership with Orient-Express (www.orient-express.com) the world-renowned hotel and travel company. Orient-Express properties join Luxury Link’s esteemed portfolio of world-class hotels, resorts and tour companies in over 60 countries, gaining instant access to the sophisticated Luxury Link consumer.
“Partnering with Luxury Link provides a distinct advantage to our luxury hotels throughout the world,” said Shawn K. Jereb, Corporate Director of Revenue Management for Orient-Express. “Luxury Link boasts one of the world’s most coveted online audiences. Our properties adhere to the highest standards and are an excellent match for the sophisticated traveler Luxury Link attracts.”
Luxury Link customers now have the opportunity to bid on or immediately purchase world-class getaways to the elite collection of travel experiences in the Orient-Express Hotels portfolio. Luxury Link also features an exclusive section highlighting the latest news and travel offerings from Orient-Express (www.luxurylink.com/mini/orient_express.php). Additionally Luxury Link travelers have full access to the redesigned Orient-Express web site to facilitate comprehensive research on each property and direct booking.
“Few brands stir the imagination like Orient-Express,” said Diane McDavitt, president of Luxury Link. “Exotic journeys, legendary hotels and modern elegance combine in one iconic collection that is as unique as it is luxurious. We are pleased to be making these special properties available to our travelers via this new partnership.”
About Orient-Express Hotels
Orient-Express Hotels is a hotel and travel company focused on the luxury end of the leisure market with many iconic and highly acclaimed properties. Beginning in 1976 with the acquisition of the legendary Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Orient-Express has grown to encompass 51 businesses, including 41 highly individual hotels across five continents, two restaurants, two river cruise operations and six tourist trains, including the fabled Venice Simplon-Orient-Express which operates through Europe, linking London, Paris and Venice. Orient-Express chooses to own or part-own and manage its businesses, and continues to seek out unique properties with expansion potential and to introduce new experiences, restoring romance, glamour and style to international travel.
About Luxury Link
Founded in 1997, LuxuryLink.com is the world’s premier online luxury travel resource. Showcasing hundreds of extraordinary hotels and resorts, cruises, tours and villas in more than 60 countries, LuxuryLink.com provides unparalleled access to exclusive offers and insider tips for the sophisticated traveler. For more information, please visit www.luxurylink.com or call 1-888-2973299.
Goodbye, Virgin Nigeria; hello, Nigerian Eagle Airlines
Posted , comments closed- Virgin Atlantic to walk away from Virgin Nigeria
- Virgin Nigeria dumps Virgin Atlantic deal for Ethiopian Airlines
- Another setback for Nigeria tourism as Virgin Nigeria suspends flights to London and Johannesburg
- Domestic airlines in Nigeria reel over losses
- Branson’s Virgin Nigeria nightmare
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- ATA's 35th Annual Congress will be hosted by Gambia
- Government says tourists are safe in Uganda
By
Ikechi Uko, eTN Ambassador |
Sep 18, 2009
The controversial relationship between Virgin Atlantic and its erstwhile Nigeria counterpart Virgin Nigeria has finally came to an end on September 17 at a well attended press conference at the VIP lounge of the Lagos Airport where the new name of the airline as Nigerian Eagle Airlines with a complete change of logo was unveiled by the airline’s managing director, Dapo Olumide.
The famous Virgin Livery has been changed to a stylized eagle with the word Nigeria written a unique font. Mr. Olumide explained that in arriving at the name Nigerian Eagle Airlines, extensive research into Africa’s rich culture and heritage were painstakingly conducted by a team of researchers. He noted that the eagle is a bird that typifies strength and foresight and it is common among Africans irrespective of their cultural affiliations.
Mr. Olumide, who is the former managing director of one of Nigeria’s most successful Airline Aero contractor and who was recruited to save a dying airline, announced the new chief operating officer (COO) is an Ethiopian, Kinfe Kahssaye, who is obviously from Ethiopian Airlines, the airline’s new technical partner signed on to replace Virgin Atlantic airline. The post was formerly occupied by a seconded staff of Virgin Atlantic airline.
Nigerian Eagle Airlines’ chief commercial officer is Mr. Jimmy Kibati, a Kenyan. The choice of Africans as replacement of the old team is part of the new philosophy of the new management.
According to Mr. Olumide, the future of aviation in Africa lies on alliances as opposed to unhealthy competitions among airlines in the continent. “Nigerian Eagle Airlines is the first airline that has adopted the model by going into a landmark partnership with Ethiopian Airlines through the Technical Services Agreement (TSA) both airlines recently signed.”
He praised the new partner, Ethiopian Airlines, as being bigger (more than twice the fleet size and double the route network) and richer (four times more profitable) than Virgin Atlantic and among the top 10 airlines in the world.
Nigerian Eagle Airlines will concentrate on the regional routes with its 7 aircraft that includes B737s and Embraer 190s. It plans to go long-haul within 5 years.
The relationship with Virgin Atlantic collapsed when the Nigerian institutional owners decided that the unending losses must cease and hired Olumide, who had retired from Aero contractor after 25 years of service and joined a development bank AFC. After taking office, he fired a third of the staff, stopped all loss making long-haul flights, returned the unprofitable B767 and streamlined the operations of the airline. He also ceased the payment of huge royalties to the Richard Branson- owned Virgin Atlantic.
The process of separation led to media accusations of ill intensions and mismanagement before the arrival on the new airline as a way out of the clutches of Virgin Atlantic.
Already, plans for a private placement to inject additional operational funds are underway for Nigerian Eagle Airlines, which is 51 percent owned by Nigerian institutional investors and 49 percent by Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited.
It is expected that Mr. Branson will soon divest of his interest in the airline. He was invited by the former president of Nigeria to help set up a world-class airline after the collapse of Nigeria Airways. The airline he set up was not profitable and was running up huge debts and the majority shareholders wanted a change.
Airbus increases its 20-year forecast for aircraft
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Sep 18, 2009
LONDON — European aerospace giant Airbus on Thursday increased its 20-year forecast for aircraft, citing the impact of emerging countries, low-cost air travel and demand for more fuel-efficient planes.
Airbus forecast around 25,000 passenger and cargo planes will be sold for a total of 3.1 trillion dollars (2.1 trillion euros) between 2009 and 2028.
Passenger traffic will rise 4.7 percent and cargo 5.2 percent annually through to 2028, led by growth in Asia-Pacific and emerging markets, it added.
It said long-haul carriers such as the A380 superjumbo and Boeing’s 747 will account for seven percent of the anticipated sales by number but represent 19 percent by value.
Smaller long-haul carriers such as the A350 and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner carrying 250-400 people will account for 25 percent of the sales and 42 percent of the revenue.
Short-haul aircraft — the A320 and Boeing 737 which are favoured by low-cost carriers — will account for 68 percent of all aircraft sold and generate 39 percent of the revenues.
Airbus last year estimated that 24,300 planes would be sold over the 20-year period between 2007 and 2026.
Five Great Cities for Children
Posted August 21, 2009 , add a commentAs a general rule, children and cities don’t tend to mix. A family holiday can be far less stressful when it’s restricted to a resort or quiet countryside area. But there are some cities in the world that are jam-packed with child-friendly attractions and activities. And these are arguably the best five…
Happy Kids - Happy Holidays!
Sydney, Australia
Sydney has an outdoor culture that children, by and large, adore. The beaches are an obvious starting point – those on the harbour itself are safer swimming spots for the younger ones, while the surf beaches along the coast are brilliant for the more adventurous tykes. It’s even possible to do learn-to-surf courses at Bondi Beach. But the outdoor ethos stretches beyond the beaches. Centennial Park is another fantastic place to hang out, whether it’s for playing park football or cricket, having a picnic or barbecue or going to the open air cinema in the summer. There’s also the chance to hire rollerblades or go horse-riding around the park.
And once you throw in boat rides on the harbour and the street entertainers at Circular Quay and Darling Harbour, Sydney is obviously something of a family tourism heaven.
Feeding the Kangaroos at Taronga Zoo, Sydney
But then comes the trump card – Australian wildlife. Sydney is crammed with excellent animal experiences where kids (and big kids) can get close to koalas, kangaroos and other Australian fauna. The best two are arguably Taronga Zoo and the Featherdale Wildlife Park. The former is arguably the best located zoo in the world, with superb harbour views. It also has some excellent keeper-guided behind-the-scenes tours. Featherdale is a little more rough and ready, but is brilliant for getting photos with koalas and being able to hand-feed kangaroos.
Singapore
Another city with awesome animal attractions is Singapore. Singapore Zoo pioneered the “open” concept, where animals are in full view rather than cages, and kept away from visitors by well concealed moats that are below eye level. Next to it is the Night Safari, a rather novel zoo concept. Essentially it offers the opportunity to stroll (or be driven) around a jungle at night, while the nocturnal creatures are at their most active. They’re all subtly lit up and animals from various different areas of the world are represented.
Singapore is also surprisingly green – there are some massive parks and nature reserves for children to explore. Apparently, Rio De Janeiro is the only other city in the world to have rainforest within the city boundaries. For indoor activities, the Science Centre is an excellent bet. It’s full of entrancing technology, has plenty of buttons for inquisitive little ones to press and goes for a very hands-on approach.
Copenhagen, Denmark
The Danish capital has long been billed as a fairytale city – mainly due to its links with Hans Christian Andersen – and it’s unsurprising that kids seem to love it so much. For lovers of Andersen’s stories, there’s the famous Little Mermaid statue, Hans-themed walking trails and a dedicated museum. But there’s more to Copenhagen than ugly ducklings and the Emperor’s New Clothes. For a start it’s home to the two oldest theme parks in the world.
Amusement park in Bakken, Copenhagen
They’re not Disneyfied affairs, and still have buckets of charm. The oldest is just to the north of the city and is part of an enormous park – Dyrebakken. Dyrebakken was formerly a royal hunting ground, but it has now been turned into one of the world’s greatest parks – families swarm to it when the sun comes out.
Part of the great swathe of green is Bakken, which has plenty of quaintly old-fashioned rides amongst lots of restaurants and caf?s. The second oldest amusement park is right in Copenhagen city centre. Tivoli is pretty much opposite the main train station and is an action-packed funland mixed in with beautiful gardens. The rides are generally a bit more up-to-date (and scarier) than those at Bakken, and it’s quite easy to while away the day in Tivoli’s grounds.
Los Angeles
Unsurprisingly, the movie capital of the world has plenty to keep the little ones entertained. An obligatory first stop has to be Hollywood, where the youngsters can hunt down the stars of their heroes on the Walk of Fame and watch the fancy dress circus outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The Hollywood Museum and celebrity homes tours are generally winners as well.
Then there are the movie studios. Films are still made at the likes of Warner Brothers and Universal Studios, but most of the visitors aren’t part of movie crews any more. The big studio complexes have morphed over the years to become theme parks in all but name – and even for theme park cynics, they are genuinely superb. Universal Studios, for example, has plenty of film-themed rides and shows, but the highlight is the backlot tour. This takes guests around where the movie magic is made and is educational as well as entertaining. It’s interspersed with some big action movie set pieces, such as a village flooding or a helicopter crashing.
LA also has beaches and plenty of odd attractions such as the La Brea tar pits, where fossils of mammoths and more have been trapped for thousands of years.
London
There’s so much to do in London that it’s virtually impossible to be bored. Many of the standard kiddy favourites are present and correct – London Zoo is one of the best in the world, boat trips down the River Thames are regular and affordable, and there are some fabulous open spaces such as Hyde Park and Regent Park.
London Natural History Museum
If you have to pick one area, then South Kensington is a sure fire winner. It’s home to two of the world’s most child-friendly museums. The Science Museum has lots of interactive exhibits about how our world works, and many displays with a wow factor. Even better is the Natural History Museum, which is like a zoo but with stuffed animals. The massive whale and dinosaur skeletons are always popular, while the hands-on creepy crawly exhibits should delight the sort of young boy that revels in pulling the legs off spiders.
These kids will also enjoy the gruesome tales on offer at the Tower of London and London Dungeon. There are some rather interesting tours too – such as one of Harry Potter filming locations by black taxi, or a land-and-water trip in an amphibious ‘duck’ vehicle.
Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Sydney tours & things to do in Sydney for tips and itineraries in Australia, and check Singapore tours & sightseeing in Singapore for local trips. Going to Europe? Our Copenhagen activities and our London tours & attractions will help you out choosing the best tours. Or be the star of the day with one of Viator’s Los Angeles trips & activities.
7 Places to Visit in England Besides London
Posted , add a comment7 Places to Visit in England Besides London
When I’m backpacking I always meet people who are travelling to London, but there is so much more to England than the nation’s capital. We may be a tiny and rather compact country but often travellers seem to think that England is London.
On several occasions friends of mine from other countries have said “I’m in London, fancy meeting up for a drink?” “Errr no I live in Manchester” is my response. Whilst the weather may not always be up to much, this country has some of the most spectacular countryside on offer- there’s a reason they call it the green and pleasant land. Here is my list of some of the most beautiful parts of England.
Devon & Cornwall
If you want to experience quintessential English villages, cream teas and country pubs, Devon & Cornwall is the perfect place to do just that. I spent countless summers as a child on the south coast of Devon, nicknamed the ‘English Riviera’, in the sailing towns of Salcombe and Dartmouth.
People often don’t realise that England has some spectacular coastline and the south coast of Devon has some of my most favourite beaches in the world. The north coast of Cornwall is home to the best surf in the UK with Polzeath and Newquay offering excellent waves.
The tiny fishing village of Port Isaac and Padstow have some of the finest restaurants in the country and if you want to mingle with the rich and famous and maybe spot a royal or meet your own Prince Harry, take a trip to Rock- Britain’s answer to St Tropez.
Cambridge
Submerge yourself in academia and appreciate the architecture of the many colleges in this famous university town. The world- renowned Cambridge University has seen many famous scientists and artists graduate through its doors including Newton, Darwin and Wordsworth.
Cambridge itself has stunning medieval buildings, courtyards, gardens and bridges as well as number of shops, bars and restaurants. Situated in the East of England, Cambridge sits on the River Cam.
Take a picnic and some strawberries and go ‘punting’ on the river. ‘Punting’ involves moving a boat along the river with a giant stick, a bit like the English version of a gondola - just don’t fall in!
Brighton
Instead of following fashion, Brighton leads it - it’s full of the most wacky, colourful, eccentric, up-and-coming and creative people. It’s a cool seaside town on the south coast of England with plenty going on, excellent shopping and some amazing nightlife. Brighton is a brilliant mix of bustling city life and laid-back beach lifestyle.
Just 50 minutes outside London, Brighton has famous landmarks including the Royal Pavilion, home of King George IV, and the Victorian promenade, Brighton Pier. The sea front is lined with surf shops, art galleries, fish and chip shops and buskers. This is a city of festivals too - not only is it home to Britain’s biggest arts festival, Brighton Festival, but there’s comedy, music and food festivals all year round.
Brighton happens to be the gay capital of England, so Brighton Summer pride is the biggest pride festival celebrating all things gay and lesbian. In December the Burning of The Clocks takes place to welcome the lengthening of the days, where people carry lanterns through the city, culminating in a huge pyrotechnic and firework display.
The Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is an area in central-West England and is well known for gentle hillsides, dry-stone walls and sleepy honey- coloured limestone villages. It lies between the cities of Stratford Upon Avon, Oxford and Bath and covers around 790 square miles - it is classified as the largest area of ‘outstanding natural beauty.’
It includes the famous spa city of Bath and the town of Cheltenham, home to horse racing. The Cheltenham Gold Cup horse race takes place every year in March and is part of a weeklong event, the Cheltenham Festival.
The Cotswolds is also rather a chic area with celebrity visitors and residents, critically acclaimed restaurants, gastro pubs and farmers’ markets. The area is truly beautiful, with manor houses, national trust properties, museums and gardens to visit.
The Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire folk have a no-nonsense attitude, a great sense of humour, are fond of a cup of builder’s tea and make a great Yorkshire pudding (I have tried to describe this to people many a time - it’s made from batter and it’s like a cross between a pancake and a dumpling).
They also have beautiful dales (valleys) and heather moors, which are excellent for walking, hiking and mountain biking. If you don’t want to walk you can always take a steam train instead.
The Dales has sweeping valleys, sleepy meadows, high fells, broad-leaved woodland, dramatic rocky crags, caves, historic buildings and bustling market towns. The landscape is scattered with stone barns and houses and an abundance of waterfalls.
Manchester
In the words of Ian Brown ‘Manchester has everything but a beach.’ This is home of one of the most famous football teams in the world - when travelling anywhere in the world, even in some far off distant land, Mancunians like myself are asked, ‘Do you support Manchester United?’ So why not take the opportunity to visit the reds’ home ground and see a game at Old Trafford.
Manchester’s other export is the band Oasis, and any karaoke night abroad wouldn’t be complete without a bad rendition of Wonderwall. The MEN arena is a great venue to go and see famous music acts, and Manchester has a lively and original music scene.
England’s second largest is an industrial city with a multicultural community; try a curry on the Curry Mile, visit the famous Lowry Centre and Art Gallery or learn about Manchester’s history at the URBIS museum.
Manchester has a tram system for getting around and a big wheel offers panoramic views of the city and the surrounding areas. Nightlife centres around the Northern Quarter, Deansgate and Castlefield. With some parts rebuilt after the IRA bomb in 1996, Manchester is a perfect blend of old and new.
The Lake District
Once the home of Beatrix Potter and the inspiration for her childrens books, the Lake District is England’s largest National Park. It was also poet William Wordsworth’s inspiration and now nurtures a new generation of writers and artists.
Located in the North West of England the stunning scenery includes fells, valleys, peaks, towns and villages and of course lakes! It’s great for walking, climbing and cycling and you can also get on the water and do some sailing, kite surfing and windsurfing on the lakes and coastline.
So if you’re an outdoors-y type it is really worth going to this area of the North West. There are plenty of cafes, Michelin-starred restaurants and pubs for foodies and you can buy all sorts of individual arts and crafts.
Top things to do include taking a cruise on Lake Windermere, exploring the World of Beatrix Potter or visiting Wordsworth’s home, Dove Cottage.
Photo credits:
Manchester by samdiablo666 on Flickr, Cambridge by Prisoner 5413 on Flickr, Lake District by 1UK3 on Flickr, Yorkshire Dales by bbodien on Flickr, Brighton by jvoronine on Flickr, Cotswolds by James-Hetherington (away in Italy for 2 weeks) on Flickr, Devon and Cornwall by R P Marks on Flickr