Business or pleasure afloat on the Thames

CITY Cruises has acquired its first dedicated events boat, named the Erasmus. The 300-capacity boat is City Cruises only private-hire corporate and leisure event venue in #London.

The 38-metre vessel has several versatile indoor and outdoor spaces including, three alfresco decks, a formal 130-seater dining space with booth and table seating, plus a large inside mid-deck room which increases the inside vessel capacity to 300 guests.

The flexibility and technology capabilities of the boat allows event organisers to host corporate product launches, award ceremonies, company gatherings and personal celebrations from weddings to birthday parties.

Erasmus’ galley and kitchen team will cater to a wide variety of dining styles, from casual fare to canapés, fine dining and upper deck BBQs during the summer months.



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High tea in Fiji

TEA plantations were established in Fiji in the late 1800s at Wainunu on Vanua Levu to provide European plantation owners and the Colonial Government with income. The tradition of the classic High Tea will become a daily ritual at Outrigger’s Castaway Island, #Fiji with the introduction of an exclusive tea menu.

Starting on May 24th, Castaway Island, Fiji will preserve the rich High Tea tradition by serving the highest quality leaf teas that are blends from many estates and guarantee the purest expression of flavour, place and quality.

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Singles golf week

THAILAND'S famed holiday playground of #Pattaya will host a week of #golf, fun and entertainment for singles from 16 to 22 September 2018. Open to all singles, you don’t have to be off single figures, you just have to be single!

Australian based Go Golfing started hosting golfing get-togethers for singles more than 10 years ago. Founder, Peter McCarthy, arranged the events as an alternative to online dating or trying your luck in clubs and bars. The events were fun, social and classy and typically the majority of the singles were aged 30 to 55.

Now singles can bring their sense of fun and adventure and passion for golf to Pattaya, just 90 minutes’ drive from Bangkok. Pattaya is known worldwide as a holiday destination of amazing beauty, with sandy beaches, water sports, world-class golf, tantalising Thai cuisine, rooftop bars and exotic nightlife.

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South Africa not just for wildlife . . .

ON the Southern tip of Africa, #SouthAfrica conjures images of sun and The Big Five: African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and Rhinoceros. All with various status of threatened or vulnerable, South African safaris these days consist of using the camera as the weapon of choice. Wildlife Conservation is one of the major tourism drawcards for S.A, with Kruger National Park the biggest of them all.

For something totally different, S.A is full of paleoanthropological sites such as the Cradle of Humankind, with early human development also popular with thousand year old Khoisan rock art scattered across the country. If that’s not your flavour head to some of the big cities for museums, art and nightlife. Not commonly known, is the fact that ,any parts of South Africa have a vibrant and exciting nightlife.

Across South Africa, roomsXML has over 1000 properties. Cape Town: Parliamentary capital and site of parliament and close to Table Mountain, increasingly popular with tourists. Durban: One of the biggest cities in S.A and home to holiday destinations frequented by locals. Johannesburg: One of the greenest cities in the world and with the largest man made forest. The economical hub of South Africa.

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Chiang Mai top city destination for 2017

CHIANG Mai in Northern #Thailand has taken third place in a list of the 15 best city #destinations in the world for 2017 by readers of the respected and influential travel magazine Travel + Leisure in their Travel +Leisure World’s Best Awards: The World’s Top 15 Cities.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said, “Chiang Mai, with its lovely Lanna temples, charming traditions, unique food, family-friendly attractions and stunning setting is a gem in Thailand’s northern hills. There’s so much for tourists to do here, from cultural exploration to adventurous treks and food tours. I’d like to thank the readers of Travel + Leisure for rating the city so highly and naming the capital of Lanna one of Travel + Leisure’s World’s Top 15 Cities 2017.”

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It's a hat trick

THE Lodge at Kauri Cliffs is the number one hotel in Australia & New Zealand, as voted by Travel + Leisure readers in the publication’s World’s Best Awards 2017. With this most recent award coming more than 15 years after Kauri Cliffs first opened, it stands as a testament to the enduring style and timeless elegance of this much-loved #NewZealand lodge.

Kauri Cliffs’ sister properties, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers and Matakauri Lodge were also named in the Top 5 Resorts in Australia & New Zealand, at #2 (Cape Kidnappers), and #5 Matakauri Lodge. The trio are the only New Zealand properties in the top five.

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Play stops Work in Malta

NOTHING worse than going on holiday for a relaxing time only to hear construction noise, well head to #Malta because they have it sorted.

Tourism areas will be spared the noise and disruption caused by demolition and excavation works over the summer months, in accordance with a legal notice banning such work between June 15 and September 30.

The ban is being spearheaded by the Planning Authority, the Building Regulation Office and the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).

It is aimed at alleviating the intrusion that construction sites have on both the tourism industry and the number of Maltese families who move to their summer residence.


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Thomas Cook’s German website and travel agents awarded for quality and service

THOMAS Cook, one of the world’s leading leisure travel companies, has been awarded first prize in two separate surveys for the quality of its German travel agents and website.

In a survey of more than 350 websites by 20,000 customers, The German Institute for Service Quality and television news channel n-tv awarded Thomascook.de first prize for the ‘offer and performance’ of its website, and second place for ‘customer service’ and ‘recommendation’.

A second survey, by Germany’s leading consumer comparison and market research company, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verbraucherstudien, awarded first prize to Thomas Cook’s retail travel agents for both ‘service’ and ‘advice’, and awarded second prize for the ‘ambience’ of its shops. The study was carried out by professional secret shoppers across 20 of Germany’s biggest travel agency chains.

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Vienna excels for the eighth year in a row

ONCE again in 2017 – and for the eighth year in a row – a comparison of cities worldwide confirmed what millions of visitors to the city discover each year: #Vienna excels in every respect.

Each year, international consultants Mercer conduct a quality of life survey in 230 major cities worldwide. In 2017 Vienna claimed top marks once again, with the Austrian capital taking the title of the world’s most liveable city for the eighth year in a row.

The study looks at a range of factors including the political, social and economic environment, medical services, education, and infrastructure facilities including public transportation and power and water utilities. Leisure facilities such as restaurants, theatres, and cinemas, sports facilities, availability of consumer goods ranging from food to automobiles and environmental factors including green space and air quality are all taken into consideration.

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New York no longer America's rudest city

#MIAMI has over taken New York City as America's rudest city, according to a survey by Travel + Leisure magazine. 

The Big Apple, which had topped previous surveys, dropped to number three in the list behind Phoenix, Arizona. Los Angeles was voted the fourth rudest city, followed by Philadelphia.

More than 50,000 people voted in the magazine's America's Favorite Places survey, which asked visitors to judge 38 US cities on safety, style, walkability, eating, and drinking, and cultural attractions. It also ranked cities according to how friendly and polite their residents are.

San Antonio and Austin in Texas were ranked as America's top two friendliest cities, followed by Madison, Wisconsin.

Rudest US cities, according to the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine:

Miami, Florida
Phoenix, Arizona
New York City, New York
Los Angeles, California
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Salt Lake City, Utah
Boston, Massachusetts
Dallas, Texas
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Picture Credit: Southern Sunny Isles Beach Skyline via photopin.com"

Saudi tourism to boom – forecast

SAUDI ARABIA’S in-bound tourism numbers could increase by 43% by 2020, according to research done for Deloitte. The number of international trips made to #SaudiArabia is estimated to increase from 18 million in 2015 to 25.8 million in 2020. 

Says Grant Salter, head of Travel, Hospitality and Leisure Advisory (Middle East) at Deloitte: ‘The kingdom already sees strong #tourism figures and hotel occupancy rates have historically been relatively high. There are more than 49,000 new hotel rooms under construction or in final planning across the country to meet the demands of this significant increase in tourists. We believe that with the improvements to the hospitality and leisure offering throughout the kingdom, there is a good chance that the projected increases will be met, if not exceeded.’

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190-mile Lakes & Dales loop unveiled for cyclists

A 190-MILE circular #cycle route taking in two national parks and some of the most scenic landscapes across #Cumbria and the #YorkshireDales has been opened.

The on-road route is a significantly revised and re-vitalised version of the former Cumbria Cycleway, which was opened in 1980 but, over the next 15 years, became too busy with traffic to be promoted as a recreational cycleway.

The new Lakes and Dales Loop uses quieter lanes, following the boundary of the Lake District National Park on its north, west, and south sides. It completes the loop by linking the Lune and Eden Valleys to the east, and passing through extensions into the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The aim is to promote the loop as an internationally recognized cycle route, offering both experienced leisure cyclists and 'hard challenge' riders the chance to experience a range of landscapes, heritage, and culture.

The suggested start and finish point at Penrith is easily accessible for cyclists travelling to Cumbria by train via the West Coast mainline.

A downloadable map of the 190-mile route is available at www.lakesdalesloop.co.uk

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Welcome to Blackpool! …

… will be the message from the town’s Resort Ambassadors as they show visitors the way around Blackpool’s £2.4 million Lightpool project. 

The team, funded by a £2 million grant from the Coastal Communities Fund, will help direct people to exhibits that are coming to the town centre. It will also have a role outside the Illuminations season, welcoming people to the town, offering advice to visitors, and providing travel and tourism tips.

Lightpool will enhance the Illuminations using creative content, the most noticeable change being the introduction of projection mapping technology. As well as the display along the six mile stretch of Promenade, a projection show will adorn The Blackpool Tower buildings.

Coun. Gillian Campbell, deputy leader of Blackpool Council, said: ‘We’ve got a huge range of new features for this year, as well as returning favourites and community sections and, of course, our new #Lightpool project.’

The full display runs from September 4 to November 8.

*Blackpool’s first electric lighting was in 1879 when eight Siemens arc lamps illuminated the Promenade. The effect was described by Victorian visitors as ‘artificial sunshine’.

Leisure pass launched in Blackpool

#VISITBLACKPOOL has teamed with the Leisure Pass Group to introduce a credit card-style Blackpool Resort Pass, giving visitors faster and more convenient access to six featured attractions in the seaside resort.

Priced at £55 per person, the pass entitles customers to one visit over a seven-day period to each of the following:

Blackpool Pleasure Beach (including the rides)
Nickelodeon Land
Blackpool Tower Eye & 4D Experience
Blackpool Tower Dungeon
SEA LIFE Blackpool
Madame Tussauds Blackpool

Customers can upgrade to the Blackpool Resort Pass Plus (£80 per person), which adds Blackpool Zoo, Sandcastle Waterpark, and Blackpool Model Village & Gardens.

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Online calendar for free family-friendly activities

THE rising cost of leisure activities is limiting families from spending more quality time out together, according to a report commissioned by car rental firm #HertzUK, which has created a digital calendar of free #family-friendly activity events.

Families which took part in a survey revealed they are spending an average of £440 per year on days out, with two-thirds of British parents saying the cost of activities has put a stop to them going out with the kids.

Olivier Lecocq at Hertz International, said: ‘After compiling this customer research, we learned that people in the UK are struggling for inspiration and the funds to enjoy memorable family days. We developed Hertz Together to allow families to discover a number of free activities in various cities across the country, putting parents’ minds at rest about the expense of days out.

‘Parents on the hunt for stimulating fun activities for the family will certainly find fresh ideas in our comprehensive list, which contains some of the country’s most-visited museums, galleries, and parks and gardens – and all are free of charge.”

A quarter of those surveyed said it’s too expensive to take their children out regularly.

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Guernsey reports rise in tourism arrivals in Q1

#VISITGUERNSEY has reported a 7.3% increase in staying visitors for Q1, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.

The latest figures show that staying leisure visitors to the island increased by 8.4% year-on-year.

The island saw a significant increase in visitors by sea year-on-year, with an upsurge of 37%, while the number of visitors arriving was down by 1.4%.

Mike Hopkins, director of Marketing & Tourism at VisitGuernsey said: ‘We are delighted to announce a positive start to the year, especially for the all-important, value-generating, staying visitors. It is encouraging to see this growth in Q1, which is traditionally a quieter time on the island for tourism.’

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