And here's to 2019

Here's to wealth, health, happiness and more holidays in 2019!

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Countdown to the the New Year in Auckland

AUCKLAND will be the first major city in the world to welcome in 2019, and is planning a visual and entertainment extravaganza to light up Auckland’s cityscape this New Year’s Eve. 

For the first time, Vector Lights on #Auckland Harbour Bridge will join the celebrations with a sparkling display from 9pm, before building up to a countdown to midnight where it will pulse in time with the Auckland Sky Tower.

At the stroke of midnight, Vector Lights will explode into a five-minute spectacular designed to complement SKYCITY’s fireworks display, then continue until 1am. Those lucky enough to be down at Silo Park for the Wondergarden Festival will have a perfect view of the bridge and the fireworks alongside world-class international and local acts.

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News from Top French Cities

WHILE the Top French Cities of Orleans and Tours celebrate the French Renaissance year round, mark your calendars for these upcoming developments:

In late March the city of Saint-Etienne will hold its 11th Design Biennial, curated by American Lisa White.

Starting April 27, 2019 and through early December, the great Northern city of Lille will be effervescent —indoors and out—with contemporary art exhibits, installations and other events. A great open-air kick-off will launch "Eldorado: Lille 3000," a huge citywide fete held every three years.

Lille will also host March 13 to June 11, 2019 a major Giacometti retrospective featuring over 150 works at its Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Sports fans must know by now that France will be hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup from June 7 to July 7 in 9 cities. Six of the 9 host stadiums are in the Top French Cities: Grenoble, Le Havre, Montpellier, Nice, Reims, and Rennes; from which of course the French team will try to match their male counterparts and win. 

Elegant Montpellier will welcome a new contemporary art center in July which will be known as Le MoCo.

Nice will be now be accessible via direct flights from New York on La Compagnie from May through October.


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Anniversary of the D-Day Landings

FRANCE is always an exciting destination and June 5 and 6, 2019 will mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the launch of the crucial Battle of Normandy, which paved the way for Europe's liberation and the end of WWII. 

The anniversary will also include military parades, fireworks, giant picnics, concerts, airdrops, and of course, a great international ceremony attended by the Allied heads of state on June 6.

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Adventure Travel Trends for 2019

AS experts in adventure travel, K E Travel have weighed in what we think will be popular in the year of travel ahead. We've seen rises and falls and our iexperts have identified 10 travel trends for 2019 

1. Cosmic events will be in the spotlight - More and more travellers are visiting the most distant reaches of the planet, and the chance to see the rare event of a solar eclipse is now more accessible than ever, with a 34% increase in bookings to the Polar Regions and Patagonia in 2018.

2. More travellers will take on the self-guided challenge - In the last year, tour operators have seen a 20% increase in self-guided holidays. Adventurers want to take the reins, pick their own departure dates and go at their own pace, with the assurance help is on hand if needed. 

3. Adventure travel will embrace the new ‘slow travel’ trend - With daily life only ever becoming more hectic and well-being at the forefront of the modern zeitgeist, travellers are increasingly seeking adventures which allow them to enjoy a leisurely pace, relax, and reconnect with the idea of exploration and travel.

4. Cruises will offer more active options - Whilst more travellers want to slow down, they don’t want to stand still either. Active cruises are the answer, which offer the opportunity to intersperse a relaxing journey with options for adventure.

5. Solo travel will continue to rise - Google searches for “solo travel” were at the highest they've ever been in 2018. Travel companies are now building catered products to not only accommodate, but celebrate the solo traveller. 

6. Adventure travel will go cross-borders  - With Europe’s most popular destinations only getting busier, adventure travel is looking to lesser-visited countries and seeing what else is out there.

7. New visa regulations will give rise to emerging destinations - As a booming adventure travel industry puts the spotlight on lesser-visited destinations, countries are taking note and making it easier for them to get there.

8. Travellers will look for smaller guided groups- KE has seen more travellers seek low-impact, small group numbers, with trips of less than 12 passengers selling most in 2018. 

9. Travel destinations will make a comeback - When once popular destinations suffer the threat of terrorism, or recover from a major disasters or events, reductions in the number of visitors are inevitable. However it’s when these situations start to settle that travellers are itching to return. In 2018 compared to 2017 KE has seen bookings to Turkey increase by a staggering 475%.

10. Non EU countries in Europe more popular than ever  - With only a few months to go until Brexit, the information of how it will affect travellers is still not clear. The uncertainty of EU travel has no doubt influenced travel to non-EU destinations such as Georgia, Albania and Norway. 



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Chile solar eclipse tour

ON July 2, 2019 a total solar eclipse will cross the Pacific Ocean and peter out in Argentina before sunset. La Serena in Chile sits on the Pacific Coast just south of the centerline of the eclipse. The closer you are to the centerline, the longer totality lasts. Eclipse viewing will be slightly inland and at a small gain in elevation. Probabilities of seeing the eclipse are in 80 plus percent range according to historical weather figures.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes in front of the sun. Totality will last just over 2 minutes. At this time the moon will hang a black dot surrounded by the sun's corona.

A new 5-day 4-night tour is being offered by Tropical Sails Corp. It will feature the wines of Chile near Viña del Mar, the Total Solar Eclipse in La Serena and Santiago, Chile. There is an option to extend you visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Iguazu Falls for 6-days, 5 nights. The tour begins in Santiago and visits Vina del Mar, La Serena, Vina del Mar and ends in Santiago.



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Chile and Argentina 2019 Solar Eclipse

SELECT Latin America has launched a new five-day ‘Chile & Argentina 2019 Eclipse’ tour which will take place during the next total solar eclipse visible in Chile in July 2019. 

The holiday includes travelling to La Serena, the Elqui valley, Limari Valley, the Cruz Sure and La Silla observatories, as well as visiting the port city of Coquimbo which boasts some of the clearest skies in Chile. The trip is priced from £3,113 per person excluding flights.

www.selectlatinamerica.com

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