Alton Towers comes out tops

USING search volume data from Google, travel website, The Tourist Trail has published a list of the top 20 most searched for UK attractions in 2018, and the results may surprise you.

Whilst over half of the top 20 attractions were based in London, the top spot went to an attraction much further outside the capital. In fact, only two out of the top five went to London attractions, with the number one spot going to Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire.

Since opening in 1980, Alton Towers has evolved into a large resort with a range of attractions, including a theme park, a waterpark, several hotels, and even a spa.

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Picture Credit: david.nikonvscanon Alton Towers: Rita Queen of Speed via photopin

Extra fun for your money

HOME to seven of the world's top theme parks, #Orlando is the No. 1 family vacation destination, Theme Park Capital of the World, and most visited destination in the United States. So to Celebrate the biggest shopping week of the year -- including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday -- Visit Orlando, the official tourism association for the destination, will offer an extra 10 percent off all purchases at OrlandoTickets.com. 

On top of exclusive deals and discounts to more than 40 world-famous theme parks, attractions, activities and dinner shows, the deals will be available for purchase starting November 20 and range from free additional days at theme parks to exclusive offers. Most are valid one year from purchase, perfect for gifting a 2019 vacation.

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A splash of colour

THE iconic family brand announced at a press conference today that it will open a Crayola Experience at Chandler Fashion Center next summer. This is the fifth location for the popular family attraction, which also has facilities in Orlando, Florida; Bloomington, Minnesota; Plano, Texas; and Easton, Pennsylvania – the home of #Crayola crayons since 1903.

At Crayola Experience Chandler, guests will enjoy classic experiences such as naming and wrapping their own Crayola crayon (Wrap It Up!), starring in their own coloring page (Be a Star), using their touch to bring art to 4-D life (Color Magic), creating melted wax spin-art (Drip Art) as well as some new experiences that will debut in #Arizona.



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Ride a white swan

SWAN boats are a classic, iconic piece of American history dating back to 1877 when they were first established in the Boston Commons, and then later spread to neighborhood lakes around the U.S by the early-to-mid 1900's. As one of few experiences that have changed so little over time, visitors can practically replicate the beloved rides they took in their own childhoods. Sharing those memories with the young ones makes for an even more special voyage.

Wheel Fun Rentals is pleased to announce the addition of swan boat rentals at New Orleans’ City Park. The swan boats were selected to reflect and highlight the local flora and fauna. City Park is home to creatures great and small including turtles, fish, insects, frogs, hundreds of species of birds and more. In fact, riders can make a game of it by downloading the City Park Boating Scavenger Hunt for ages 2-4 and ages 5-10. Visitors can also feed the ducks, geese and swans while on a swan. Park rangers say they’re always hungriest just before noon.

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Splash into Summer Down Under

VICTORIA'S biggest water theme park is ready to bring EPIC to your summer. Adventure Park Geelong, #Australia will open its doors to the public for the season on Saturday 27 October 2018. If you were one of the few who didn’t get out to Geelong to experience the epic new Tornado last year, this is the year to see what everyone has been talking about and brave the Tornado, Victoria’s biggest and only Proslide Tornado waterslide. 

Hugely popular as it launched in November 2017, the Tornado waterslide is a heart stopping, adrenaline pumping thrill ride that got everyone talking in 2017-18. It’s put Adventure Park Geelong on the map, and at just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne on the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula at the start of the Great Ocean Road, makes it the ultimate destination for families in summer.

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Multi-dimensional waterpark and entertainment complex for Phuket

PHUKET'S tourism industry has received a major shot in the arm with the unveiling of Blue Tree Phuket, a USD40 million investment (undiscloed local and overseas investors) and multi-dimensional destination waterpark and entertainment complex set over 140 rai in Cherng Talay. 

Positioned as Phuket’s premier family attraction, Blue Tree is located within easy reach of Phuket’s popular central west coast and will be the island’s first international-standard, fully integrated waterpark and family entertainment complex, placing it at the cutting-edge of a growing demand for inland tourism on the island. 

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Off on my travels . . . back in a week

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A new world sets to open in Abu Dhabi

WARNER BROS. World Abu Dhabi, the world's largest Warner Bros. branded indoor theme park, is putting the final touches on the Park ahead of its July 25, 2018 grand opening. The 1.65 million sq. ft. park promises captivating experiences, bringing together some of the world's most iconic characters and stories under one roof for the first time in the region. The park's incredibly immersive environments, unique thrill rides and fan-favorite characters will undoubtedly create a truly unparalleled experience and memories that will last a lifetime for all who visit.

When the highly-anticipated theme park opens its doors later this month, guests will be transported to six expertly designed lands including DC's Metropolis and Gotham City, as well as Cartoon Junction, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch and Warner Bros. Plaza.

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Summer of fun at Legoland Windsor

THE LEGOLAND Windsor Resort will be hosting its first-ever 'Summer of Fun' event, set to thrill families throughout the school holidays. The two-month long event will invite guests to join an awesome Beach Party built just for kids, hosted at the resort's all-new 10m long sandy beach, with a host of beach activities for all the family to enjoy.

Plus, the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort will be unveiling its first-ever giant sand sculpture. The 20 tonne creation will be sure to wow guests, who can watch the sculptor in action (07 – 10 July) as he builds the spectacle, before the final creation is revealed on 11 July.

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Road Trippin on Route 66

AS families are revving up for the summer travel season, Lipton, the iconic tea brand, is collaborating with TripAdvisor, to share "2018's Route 66 Road Trip Gems" – a list of must-experience attractions for families to check out this summer along one of America's most historical highways.

Lipton worked with TripAdvisor and its database of more than 600 million traveler reviews and opinions, to curate a list of the route's most notable spots for vacationers of all ages. Tapping into the beauty of the road trip by focusing not on the end destination but the actual journey itself, the list of stops includes fan-favorite diners, the best places for grab 'n go snacks, and the perfect locations to snap a roadside selfie.

Visit LiptonRoadTrip.com to check out the list of must-see summer road trip destinations, tips for planning your ultimate road trip 

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Lighting up the night

WILD and exotic times ahead, when the lights go on at two of Vivid Sydney’s favourite precincts, Taronga Zoo and The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Taronga Zoo will shine a bold and bright spotlight on conservation and endangered wildlife with a family-friendly, spectacular display of giant animal light sculptures. As the Zoo’s permanent residents retire for the evening, Lights for the Wild will introduce visitors to fierce and friendly creatures, and take them on a colourful journey through fragile habitats — from the ocean, to the jungle and the Australian bush.

www.vividsydney.com

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Headrush in Orlando

FUN Spot America, a family-owned business with a history dating back to 1969 in the industry, has announced a new ride at their Orlando, Florida location. Fun Spot America will open HeadRush 360 on May 1, 2018. 

HeadRush 360, which sits 12 riders and is 40 feet tall, is manufactured by SBF Visa Group. The ride is part of an overall expansion Fun Spot America has been planning for the Orlando location. The company also has parks in Kissimmee, Florida, and Atlanta, Georgia.

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Make a splash!

RAGING Waves, Illinois' largest #waterpark with 58 acres of slides, a lazy river, wave pool and more, will unveil Quokka-Nut Island and Wild Wallabies in 2018, marking the waterpark's largest expansion to date. Located southwest of Chicago, Raging Waves will open for the summer on May 26. Raging Waves features a wave pool, multiple kiddie areas, private cabanas, a quarter-mile long lazy river, and 26 water slides including the award winning Wonambi slide. Ranked one of the top new water rides in 2016, Wonambi is a must-experience this summer at Raging Waves.

Quokka-Nut Island is the newest addition for Raging Waves littlest mates (ages 2-5). Located within Kiddiebunga Bay, Quokka-Nut Island will include four new kiddie slides and a zero-depth pool which more than doubles the size of the existing kiddie pools. Additional interactive play features will include a coconut rain curtain, palm tree sprayers and a large octopus that spouts water.

Guests can embrace their competitive spirit as they race one another down the Wild Wallabies. The two new slides add more than 600 feet of twists, turns and thrills to Illinois' largest waterpark for guests over 42 inches.

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Rev up for a great family fun day

MOTORCYCLE stunt riders, live music and supercar passenger rides are just a few of the excellent activities planned for the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance annual Family Fun Day at North Weald Airbase on Sunday 20th May.

Brimming with entertainment, activities, local food and drink and much more, the all-day event is the finishing point of this year’s Motorcycle Run, which will see hundreds of motorcyclists embark on a 60-mile ride from Welwyn Garden City to North Weald to raise vital funds for the Charity.

The popular Motorcycle Run and Family Fun Day is one of the Air Ambulance’s biggest events and last year, a convoy of 800 motorcyclists raised thousands of pounds.

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Aqua play

CAMELBACK Lodge & Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark was ranked among the 30 top indoor waterparks in the world—and #1 in the state of Pennsylvania—by U.S. News & World Report. 

Featuring seven pools, 13 water slides and a multitude of thrilling water attractions, including: Storm Chaser, North America’s longest uphill water coaster; The Great Ka-Na-Gawa Wavepool; an indoor/outdoor hot tub; and Kartrite’s Quest, the world’s first themed “next generation” multi-level aqua play structure equipped with 84 interactive water effects. 

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Follow the footprints

WHEN dinosaurs walked the earth, they left big footprints wherever they trod. Physical evidence of this is prevalent around Isan in #Thailand, with massive #dinosaur footprints at the Phu Faek Forest Park in Kalasin. 

As the story goes, a family noticed strange footprints in the middle of a rock terrace back in November 1996. They later informed Thai geologists who came to survey the site. They discovered 21 footprints in total, belonging to carnivorous dinosaurs, believed to have lived in the area 140 million years ago. At present, only four footprints can be clearly accessed by the public.

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Family fun at Brussels Expo

EXACTLY 60 years ago, some diminutive blue creatures appeared in the magazine “Spirou” drawn by Pierre Culliford known as Peyo. To celebrate this anniversary in fitting style, 2018 will be #Smurfs Year with, as the smurfing on the cake, the Smurf Experience, from 9 June at #Brussels Expo. 

The Smurf Experience is a unique opportunity to explore the magical universe of these little blue folks. Larger-than-life sets, spectacular effects and adventures create a unique experience to share with family and friends. 

An immersive, interactive, fun and educational exhibition where visitors enter through a giant comic strip and find themselves deep in the forest; they become smaller and smaller until they are the same size as a Smurf. Then they arrive in the legendary village where they learn about the life of the Smurfs through holograms and a 360° application. They then get to sip a magic elixir in King Smurf’s house and become “real Smurfs”.

After Brussels, “The Smurf Experience” will depart on a 5-year world tour.

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Celebrate Ireland's Viking past this Easter

FROM the ancient Viking traces of Waterford city in Ireland’s Ancient East, to the foundations of medieval Dublin, #Ireland invites the world to celebrate its Viking past this Easter, with two wonderful events: the Viking Festival 2018, Waterford (31 March-April 2nd) and Dublin city’s Dublinia VikingFest 2018 (30 March-April 2nd).

Not sure how the #Vikings came to be part of this island’s legacy? Well, far from being just rampaging warriors, the Vikings also brought civilisation, founding many of Ireland’s towns and cities as time went on. It all started for Ireland in the late 8th Century, when the Vikings realised there were lands not far away that were richer in land, stock and provisions than their own. And so their journey overseas – and to Ireland – began.

These mighty Nordic warriors battled chieftains, forged alliances and settled into the history of Ireland’s rich heritage. And despite their terrifying arrival in Ireland, the Norsemen were settlers by inclination. The result, Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Youghal, Arklow, Wicklow and Dublin all have Viking origins. Even place names give notice to their Nordic roots (Waterford ends with a variant of fjord).

The key event will be in both cities. Follow the Vikings, a live outdoor spectacle involving film, dance, live animation and battle reenactment takes place at both events. Save the dates for live action on Saturday 31 March at the historic Wood Quay amphitheatre in Dublin, and in Waterford’s Apple Market on Easter Monday 2 April.



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Marvel, Frozen and Star Wars to join Disneyland Paris

ANNOUNCED recently were plans for a 2 billion euro, multi-year expansion for Disneyland Paris. The new development will include a transformation of the Walt Disney Studios Park, adding three new areas that are based on Marvel, Frozen and Star Wars, along with multiple new attractions and live entertainment experiences.

The expansion plan is one of the most ambitious development projects at Disneyland Paris since its opening in 1992 and underscores the Company’s commitment to the long-term success of the resort as Disney’s brand beacon in Europe.

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River Safari in Fiji

SIGATOKA River Safari have won two awards, The Fiji Pride Champion and The Fiji Tourism Leader award, at the ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards 2017 which celebrates the outstanding performance of those who have made exceptional contributions to their tourism industry.

Sigatoka River Safari (SRS) began operations in 2006 and is the world’s first jet-boat safari and village experience of its kind. It offers visitors of all ages a half-day adventure into the heart and soul of #Fiji. Passengers travel along the Sigatoka River aboard custom-built safari jet boats and visit authentic Fijian villages, experiencing a day in the life of the real ‘kaiviti’ (Fijian). 

Passengers take part in a kava ceremony, tour the village and are treated to a traditional Fijian lunch complete with singing and dancing. SRS operates daily and works with 15 different villages to minimise the impact of tourism on the village lifestyle, a key element in their success to date. 

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