British Airways celebrates 90th Academy Awards

TO celebrate the 90th Academy Awards ceremony (the Oscars), and the British Academy Film Awards (the BAFTAs) last month, British Airways has added a collection of award-winning films to a newly-created category in its in-flight entertainment. The category, called Award Worthy, features films which won 12 Oscars and 12 BAFTAs in this year’s awards season, as well as receiving 87 nominations across the two ceremonies. 

Customers who fly with British Airways on long-haul flights have free access to over 1,000 hours of films, top TV shows and audio programmes via their personal seatback screen. The content is updated regularly, with categories often added for major holidays or key calendar events. These changes to British Airways’ in-flight entertainment system are just one of a number of ways that the airline is improving experiences for its long-haul customers. 

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

Paddington's Pop-Up London unveiled ahead of movie launch

FIVE spectacular pop-up book installations featuring Michael Bond’s much-loved bear will appear at iconic landmarks and attractions across #London from Monday 23 October – 3 December 2017, ahead of the film’s eagerly awaited release in UK Cinemas on 10 November 2017.

In PADDINGTON 2, #Paddington discovers an exceptional pop-up book in Mr Gruber’s antique store. Taking inspiration from this, these five stunning free attractions will be open for everyone to enjoy, with installations appearing across the Capital and featuring some of London’s most famous landmarks: Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus. The pop-ups will appear at the following popular tourist spots: Peter’s Hill (St Paul’s), Tower Bridge, Paddington Station, Peninsula Square (The O2) and Bankside (Tate Modern).

Families coming to London this half term will be able to discover Paddington’s Pop-Up London, which will lead them on a treasure hunt across the city, as they journey from pop-up book to pop-up book to discover a secret word. They will then be able to enter a competition on www.visitlondon.com/paddington2 to win a Paddington Afternoon tea journey for all the family, aboard the iconic Belmond British Pullman train.

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

Tyranosaurus Rex Visits Cumbria

THE Rheged Centre in Penrith, #Cumbria will be hosting an exhibition from the Natural History Museum in London from July 12 - September 3.

The #Dinosaurs Encounter #exhibition features ten more intricately detailed models, with state of the art animatronics and sound effects that will transport you back millions of years in time. Study replicas of ancient fossils taken from the Natural History Museum’s Archives, compare your feet to the footprint of a T-Rex and examine a replica of its skull which you can touch and feel!

£6.50 Adult, £5.50 for concessions, £5 for children (16 and under) and Children 2 and under are free.  Timed exhibition entry daily every 1.5 hrs from 10:45am – 3:15pm.

Or Book your tickets online in advance and skip the Box Office queue 

www.rheged.com/event/dinosaur-encounter-family-exhibition/

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

New Zealand in the picture again

The release of the epic sci-fi movie Ghost in the Shell has again put the spotlight on #NewZealand as a special place to visit. The film opened in New Zealand last week.

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, and Juliette Binoche #GhostintheShell was filmed primarily at Stone Street Studios in Wellington, with a key scene filmed in downtown Wellington.

Many of the cast and crew spent months living like locals in the capital and some were able to travel around New Zealand during their breaks.

René de Monchy, Tourism New Zealand’s Director of PR, Trade and Major Events says Ghost in the Shell is just the latest in a series of big productions being filmed in New Zealand. “It gives us another chance to promote New Zealand and everything we have to offer. It reinforces the fact that we can provide a warm and welcoming place to visit, and highlights our message that everything is easily accessible.”

Actor Scarlett Johansson, who plays the role of “Major” in the film adaptation of the famous Japanese manga, said Wellington was one of the best cities she’d worked in. “It has an outdoorsy vibe and it is so nice on your days off to be able to walk by the harbour, drive to the mountains or go hiking in the bush.

Ghost in the Shell Producer Ari Arad says Wellington has been a perfect location for filming.

Films have a powerful influence over people choosing where they want to travel. The Hobbit Trilogy is still responsible for attracting one in five visitors to New Zealand.

”This is another great opportunity for us to promote New Zealand as a tourism destination with diverse, unique landscapes alongside welcoming people,” said Mr de Monchy.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Pandora - The World of Avatar

THE largest addition in the history of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Pandora – The World of Avatar at opens May 27 at Walt Disney World Resort. The all-new land will immerse guests in a mystical world of massive floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and breathtaking new experiences.

Based on Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron’s record-breaking box-office hit, AVATAR, the new land welcomes guests to the lush world of Pandora long after the human conflict with the native Na’vi inhabitants has ended. The dramatic daytime beauty of the land transforms to glow by night when bioluminescent flora and intricate nighttime experiences add a dreamlike quality to Pandora.

Guests to Disney’s Animal Kingdom cross the park’s Discovery River into Pandora – The World of Avatar and continue along a winding rainforest path for their first glimpse of the land’s iconic floating mountains.

“When guests come across the bridge, they are transferred light-years away, to the Alpha-Centauri solar system and Pandora,” says Jon Landau, AVATAR producer, Lightstorm Entertainment. “It’s an otherworldly, fully-themed experience.”

As guests explore the verdant terrain sprawling beneath mountains that appear to float in the sky, they see waterfalls cascading down the mountainside into meandering streams and pools, and they discover two thrilling new expeditions: Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Drive In Canada

ON April 19, to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary, residents and visitors can experience a Canadian cinematic treat at the #Canada Aviation and Space Museum: Canada’s Drive-In.

From the comfort of their cars, movie-goers will witness an outdoor projection of THE ROCKET, an award-winning Canadian film about hockey legend Maurice Richard. The aviation hangar wall will be transformed into a giant screen for this inventive outdoor installation.

Canada’s Drive-In is a free event. People can reserve their tickets as of 10 a.m. Thursday, March 23, through Ottawa2017.ca.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Middle-earth tourism in New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND is celebrating 15 years as the home of Middle-earth and Tourism New Zealand says the magic is as alive as ever with record numbers of international visitors lining up for a Hobbit experience.

Figures released in the latest International Visitor Survey findings from MBIE for the year to September 2016 show one in three international tourists, about 437,000 people have some kind of Middle-earth experience here and nearly one in five claim the #Hobbit is a factor in choosing to visit #NewZealand. 

Sir Peter Jackson says that since the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 15 years ago nothing has changed- New Zealand is and will always be the real Middle-earth.

“New Zealand has such a variety of landscapes from lush green forests, to soaring mountains. The grandeur of these landscapes saw tourists flock to our shores, and made a huge impact on the #tourism industry.

New Zealand is the perfect Middle-earth and a real place that visitors can experience for years and years to come.” Jackson said.

To celebrate the 15 year milestone, Tourism New Zealand has developed Middle-earth travel, an online quiz that lets consumers see which character they are most aligned to: a Dwarf, Elf, Wizard or a Hobbit. They are then provided with a character-inspired itinerary for their journey through New Zealand. The quiz and itineraries are housed on tourism New Zealand’s website, newzealand.com.

Find out which character you would travel through the real Middle-earth as take the quiz:

http://www.newzealand.com/int/campaign/middle-earth-quiz

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: Daniel Peckham flickr.com/photos/95701140@N00/16793654981 New Zealand Foggy Golden Sunrise via photopin, Christopher Chan flickr.com/photos/17751217@N00/31560565031 Hobbit Hole, The Shire via photopin

Tenerife tops for movie-makers

THE RELEASE of the latest Jason #Bourne movie, shot in Tenerife's capital city, re-affirms the island's appeal as a top filming location for box-office blockbusters. The largest of the Canary Islands was chosen by 88 local and international production companies for their shoots in 2015, which generated record revenues of €19 million (£16 million) for the island’s economy, €11 million (£9.3 million) more than in 2014.

The Jason Bourne production team and cast spent five weeks on Tenerife in September last year to shoot many of the action scenes of the fifth instalment of the series.

In addition to the Bourne team, another 87 film crews, including the ones of Doctor Who and The Only Way is Essex, filmed in #Tenerife last year – most of them attracted by the island's tax incentives (including a reduced VAT rate of seven percent), diversity of landscapes, and 3,000 hours of sunshine a year.

Tenerife has welcomed a total of 1,126 local and international productions since 2000.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Heathrow downloads

PASSENGERS departing from Heathrow’s Terminal 5 this summer will be able to access recent Hollywood movies on their iPhones or iPads to watch during their flight. Using Heathrow EntertainMe kiosks, movies, magazines, and newspapers can be downloaded in approximately one minute. 

Two Heathrow kiosks offering a mixture of free and paid content will be located at gate level in each of Terminal 5’s satellites as part of the initial trial. Passengers can select their content on a screen and pay via ApplePay or with credit or debit cards. 

Roberto Segala, Heathrow’s head of commercial services, said: ‘We are constantly looking to enhance the travel experience for passengers, and these EntertainMe kiosks designed will provide a unique entertainment solution for our customers. The initial trial will take place in Heathrow’s iconic Terminal 5, which serves more than 30 million passengers a year.’

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Malta organizes screen tourism courses for tour guides

A SCREEN TOURISM training course for licensed guides has been started by the #Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) in collaboration with the country’s film commission and tourist guides union.

Screen tourism provides a link between a location and a film or television production, during or after the shooting.

So far, 42 licensed guides have successfully completed the ten-hour course.

Malta‘s history as a film location spans more than nine decades, with the first film having been shot on the island in 1925. Versatile locations, a skilled and adaptable workforce, a safe environment, long hours of daylight, competitive rates for crews, artists and extras, and fiscal incentives are among the factors that have attracted movie and television producers and directors.

Says the MTA’s chief executive Paul Bugeja: ‘Screen tourism is a growing phenomenon, with more and more destinations across the globe benefiting from a booming screen industry. Such courses can help provide a higher quality service level to tourists.’

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

£15 million in camera cash for Tenerife

A TOTAL of regional and international production companies chose #Tenerife as the location for their #movie and television show filming last year – 20 more than in 2014. 

Attracted by the island's tax incentives, variety of landscapes, and 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, the productions helped Tenerife to generate record revenues of €19 million in 2015 (£15.38 million).

As well as helping international production companies with locations, permits, and local contacts, the Tenerife Film Commission provides advice on how they can benefit from up to 35% tax allowances – one of the Canary Islands' main tax incentives for audio-visual productions, along with reduced rates of Value Added Tax.

Tenerife has welcomed 1,126 local and international productions since 2000.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: RememberWhen Movies Were a Reel Thing? :) -[ #FlickrFriday ]-

BA to show latest Star Wars film on long-haul flights

BRITISH AIRWAYS is to show the international box office smash #StarWars, #TheForceAwakens, on its long-haul flights. 

From March 1 and for four months, long-haul passengers can enjoy the film in immersive 3D sound. 

Troy Warfield, BA director of customer experience, said: ‘Blockbusters don't come much bigger than Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, which more than deserves all the hype generated by fans desperate to the see the latest twist in this incredible film series. 

‘We know it will be a huge hit with our customers, eager to watch the return of Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker - not forgetting R2D2 and C3PO.’

Also showing from March 1 are Spectre, The Martian, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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