ABTA advises think twice

ABTA – The Travel Association is strongly advising holidaymakers and other travellers to think twice before hiring mopeds whilst overseas, and to only ride quad bikes as part of an organised excursion.  Every year many people have dangerous accidents while on holiday after driving quad bikes on the road and hiring mopeds – causing serious injuries and some accidents have been fatal.

ABTA Members reported 36 quad bike accidents and seven moped accidents in 2017. So far in 2018, seven people have been involved in quad bike accidents on the road. These figures represent just those cases reported by ABTA Members – and ABTA believes the total number of accidents to be much higher.

New figures from ABTA reveal as many as 4.5 million Britons have hired a moped or quad bike whilst overseas – the equivalent of one in ten British holidaymakers. Younger adults are most likely to put themselves at risk - one in seven (16%) British 18-24 year olds who have taken an overseas holiday in the last 12 months said they had hired either a quad bike or a moped.

In recent years, quad bikes have become increasingly popular, particularly in places like Greece, Cape Verde & Turkey. Hiring mopeds has also become common among British travellers in countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. Whether in Europe or further afield, these vehicles give little protection in an accident, and riders are particularly vulnerable on the open roads.

ABTA is advising anyone travelling abroad that there are always safer alternatives to hiring mopeds and quad bikes, including hiring a car, taking a taxi or using public transport, and to only ride quad bikes as part of an organised excursion. It is also reminding holidaymakers of the limitations and exclusions of standard travel insurance policies – many of which will not cover accidents from quad bikes and mopeds, leaving seriously injured holidaymakers facing unaffordable medical bills.


Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Meliá Hotels International continues its growth in Cape Verde

Meliá Hotels International continues its international growth in #CapeVerde, where it currently has two hotels operating on Sal Island, the Meliá Tortuga Beach and Meliá Dunas Beach Resort & Spa. 

At the end of this year a third hotel in Sal, the Meliá Llana Beach Resort & Spa (Adults Only) is scheduled to open, and in the coming years the Meliá White Sands and Meliá Salamansa will also be opened. Along with the resort announced today, they will take the number of hotels operated under the Meliá Hotels & Resorts brand in Cape Verde to 8, with a total of nearly 4,000 rooms.

Cape Verde hopes to attract more than half a million international tourists this year, a figure that continues to grow and makes it ever closer to becoming the African Caribbean. The beauty of its scenery and unspoilt beaches, and an annual average temperature of 27º, make this archipelago a region with enormous potential to compete with destinations in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands, with the region having one of the fastest-growing economies in #Africa.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: CarolineG2011 58108850@N07/16696353652 Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde via photopin

Birmingham to Cape Verde

THOMAS Cook will be operating a new route in winter 2017 from Birmingham to #Cape Verde which will run from 2nd November 2017 until 26th April 2018 and are available from £139 one-way.

William Pearson, Aviation Director from Birmingham Airport, said: “Cape Verde is growing in popularity with both sun seekers and those with holiday homes on this beautiful Island off the Coast of West Africa, so this new service is a welcome addition to our winter schedule."
www.thomascookairlines.com

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: Andy Flish 22941602@N00/9583108660 Boa Vista, Cape Verde via photopin.com

Thomson gives pregnant women option to avoid Zika-hit countries

#THOMSON has offering pregnant women travelling to a number of countries hit by the #Zikavirus to amend their booking free of charge. It will offer free amendments to pregnant women due to travel on charter packages to Zika-infected countries before April 30. Women who have a doctor's note confirming their pregnancy can switch to another destination up to October 31 this year.

Its offer is available to women travelling to Mexico, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Cape Verde, Panama, Colombia, and Martinique.

The decision comes as the World Health Organisation announced it was setting up a Zika emergency team to fight the virus, which has been linked to thousands of babies being born with small brains in Brazil and has now spread to more than 20 countries in the region.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Cuba & Cape Verde tipped as Sharm and Tunisia alternatives

ALL-INCLUSIVE #destinations such as #Cuba and #CapeVerde have been tipped as being among the 2016 alternatives to Sharm el-Sheikh and Tunisia, where flights bans exist.

The predictions come from the analysis of millions of flight searches on Skyscanner from the last three years, combined with qualitative research carried out by the company’s travel experts.

The top five hot spots for 2016, based on the percentage increase in searches from the UK over the last three years, are:

Ponta Delgada, the Azores
With more airlines flying to the Azores, including Ryanair’s new weekly flight from Stansted to Ponta Delgada, this autonomous region of Portugal is opening up as a viable budget travel destination. 

Havana, Cuba
Cuba is back on the world stage as the US restored diplomatic relations in July and continues to loosen restrictions on trade. There might be flights from the US and US hotel chains opening in Cuba in 2016 if more restrictions are lifted. Many people are booking to travel to Cuba to experience the country before it changes –or starts to resemble Miami – and before prices rise as a result.

Tokyo, Japan

Tourism has boomed under the current administration. The national tourist board is actively targeting niche UK markets by focusing on ski, honeymoon, and adventure tourism offerings. Thanks to the excellent value Japan Rail Passes and Airbnb-type accommodation, Tokyo is now 50% cheaper for UK travellers than in 2013, according to the Post Office’s long haul report.

Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is a popular choice for culture vultures and foodies. Home to the five-month long Tivoli Festival (May to September), classical music fans can expect a star-studded line-up at the Tivoli Gardens. The Copenhagen cooking festival takes place in February showcasing increasingly popular Nordic cuisine, whilst fashionistas have Copenhagen’s Fashion Week, the largest of its kind in Northern Europe.



Sal, Cape Verde
With unspoilt beaches, the island of Sal is only just emerging as a tourist destination. Thomson Airways is adding a new route from Bristol in summer 2016. Sal is also a base for exploring the rest of the archipelago, from the canyons, gorges, and valleys of Santo Antao to the Sahara-like dunes of Boa Vista.


Skyscanner travel editor, Cat McGloin, said: ‘With 50 million searches to the site every month from all over the world, our search data gives us some really robust insight in to these trends. It’s interesting to see how people’s travel interests are changing and what these destinations are offering to become even more appealing.’

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14812197@N00/9712732659">The Pool at Hotel Nacional de Cuba</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/>(license), Cape Verde Sal kitesurfing by Cayambe - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

New Bristol flights for winter 2015/16

NEW routes to Sal in Cape Verde, Hurghada in Egypt, and Paphos in Cyprus are to be introduced by Thomson and First Choice from Bristol airport for winter 2015-16.

The Thomson Airways flights to Paphos will capitalize on the popularity of Cyprus and feed Thomson’s cruise-and-stay programme in the region, which includes calls to Ashdod in Israel and Athens.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK