Must need apps for travellers

TRAVELLING for work or pleasure? There are certain apps you just need to have to make life that little bit more stress-free try these 7 must-have apps and they're all free!

Google Translate - if you travel overseas, you may find yourself in a situation where you do not understand the local language.

XE Currency - convert between any two currencies in the world.

WiFi Map - when traveling, it is not uncommon to need a WiFi connection, especially if you find yourself outside your cell coverage area. This is why you need WiFi Map, which will not only show you public hotspots nearby, it will also provide you the passwords for these hotspots.

Tripit - not only can you track what you are supposed to be doing and where you are supposed to be, but you do not even have to enter this information directly into the app. The app can import your itineraries from confirmation emails. Best of all, you do not even have to be online to use it.

Triposo lets you discover hotels, restaurants and things to do in more than 50,000 locations worldwide.

Sit or Squat - an app which will help you find a bathroom no matter where you are.

American Red Cross First Aid - an app, which will let you know what to do if an emergency happens. It even comes with videos to instruct you.

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Yas Experiences rebrands

YAS Experiences, the trade arm of the leisure and entertainment destination Yas Island Abu Dhabi, today announced it has strategically rebranded to Experience Hub.

The new identity reflects the role Yas Island’s promotional hub will play to facilitate overall tourism packages in Abu Dhabi, as the demand for leisure and entertainment packages in the UAE’s capital continues to grow.

Experience Hub will continue to operate as the one-stop destination partner promoting Yas Island Abu Dhabi – one of the world’s fastest growing leisure and entertainment destinations.

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Emirates lands in Chile

EMIRATES has today launched a new, five times-a-week service from Dubai (DXB) to Santiago International Airport (SCL), via the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo (GRU), marking the airline’s first arrival in Chile. On board the inaugural Boeing 777-200LR flight, which was welcomed at both Sao Paulo and Santiago airports with a water cannon salute, was a group of special guests and media.

#Chile is a popular destination for business and leisure travellers around the world, in particular from Asian destinations such as China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and India. Chile is also home to large Chinese and Middle East communities that can now take advantage of the new service.

Chile is one of the most stable and prosperous nations in South America filled with stunning landscapes, historic beauty, local charm and delectable foods. Tourism in Chile has seen a sustained growth over the last few years with 5.6 million international visitors visiting the country in 2016 compared to 4.43 million in 2015. Chile has many different adventures to offer tourists: stargazing in the driest desert in the world, millennial glaciers in the southernmost part of the planet, enchanted forests, and lakes located at the foot of massive volcanoes. Chile is also one of the top producers and exporters of wine in the world.

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Top five leisure trends for hotels

THERE is no doubt that global leisure travel has been on the increase over the past decade and there are no signs of slow down. According to howmuch.net, the five countries that spend the most on #travel are China ($164.9 billion), the US ($145.7 billion), Germany ($106.6 billion), the UK ($79.9 billion) and France ($59.4 billion). Independent hotels are fantastically placed to capitalise on some of the hottest leisure trends. Below we review the top five trends that independent hotels should be considered as they develop their sales and marketing plans.

1. “Bleisure”: With the frequency of business trips increasing, corporate travellers have had enough to being stuck in the endless cycle of the hotel to office and back to the hotel. More and more, we are seeing corporate guests opting to extend their business trips by adding on some time for leisure.

2. Millennials: This demographic is causing titanic shifts in all industries, so of course, they are also changing the very nature of leisure travel. Contrary to popular belief, according to a new report by Merrill Edge, millennials are saving money, with 81% say they are more likely to spend that money on travel.

3. The quest for new experiences: The World Travel & Tourism Council reported that the countries showing the strongest international travel and tourism growth in 2017 were: Myanmar, Sudan, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Sao Tome & Principe and Sri Lanka. These are probably not the places that came to mind immediately when you were planning your last holiday but, it’s crucial to remember that a key driver of today’s leisure travel is travellers looking for adventure and new experiences.

4. Female travellers: Forbes reports that women account for 80% of purchases related to travel and tourism. From deciding on the place to visit and why type of holiday to booking the tickets and reserving the hotel and restaurants, women are making these decisions.

5. Responsible travel: The United Nations designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organisation, said, “This is a unique opportunity to advance the contribution of the tourism sector to the three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental while raising awareness of the true dimensions of a sector which is often undervalued.”

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Up in the Air . . .

WOW AIR, Iceland's ultra-low-fare transatlantic airline, announces WOW premium, a new full-service ticket bundle that is perfect for the business or leisure traveler seeking a more inclusive travel experience.

The WOW premium ticket bundle includes: the WOW air BigSeat, featuring a wider seat with a foot rest and at least 37 inches of legroom; priority boarding and fast track security; an in-flight meal and drinks; two checked bags; one carry-on item; one personal item; and no change fee for rescheduling and cancellation protection.

As of spring 2018, the airline services 39 destinations across Europe and North America including Dublin, London, Paris, Berlin, and Copenhagen.

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Dual win for Swiss-Belhotel Seef

SWISS-BELHOTEL Seef was voted the winner of the ‘Best 4-Star Hotel’ and the ‘Best Hotel of the Year’ titles at the prestigious #Bahrain 2018 Food & Travel Awards held in the Kingdom last week. The award celebrates excellence in Bahrain’s hospitality industry and is only given to establishments that consistently deliver outstanding quality.

Located in Bahrain’s central business and commercial district only 20 minutes’ drive from Bahrain International Airport, Swiss-Belhotel Seef provides guests with superior facilities and standards of service. The hotel is fully equipped to meet the needs of modern business and leisure travellers

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Mövenpick Hotel Muscat Airport capitalises on city’s tourism growth

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts’ #Oman expansion strategy is gathering pace with the company revealing plans to operate its third property in the Sultanate’s capital, #Muscat.

The global hospitality company has inked an agreement with Oman’s Golden Group of Companies to manage the 370-key Mövenpick Hotel Muscat Airport, part of a new upscale mixed-use project under development near Muscat International Airport, which will also feature retail and commercial space covering 3,000sqm and 10,000sqm respectively when it opens in 2021.

It expands Mövenpick’s inventory pipeline to almost 1,000 keys countrywide after deals to operate Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Al Azaiba Muscat and Mövenpick Hotel Bausher Muscat were recently signed.

The three properties will capitalise on Oman’s growing importance as a regional hub for business and leisure tourism, spurred by the development of new infrastructure that ranges from conference centres to cruise terminals. At the same time, Muscat International Airport is undergoing extensive renovations and expansion that will boost its annual capacity from 12 million to 48 million passengers when the redevelopment project is fully completed.

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Japanese tourism on the rise

TOKYO, Osaka and Kyoto are experiencing tourism growth and becoming more visible as top International destinations.

In Euromonitor's Top 100 City #Destinations Ranking 2017, the organization named #Japan one of the year's greatest success stories. Tokyo rose six places to 17, and Osaka experienced 52% more tourist arrivals in 2015 than 2014. 

Further evidence that Osaka is on the rise, the city's Hotel St. Regis was recently named both one of the 10 best city hotels in Asia and one of the top 100 hotels in the world by Travel & Leisure. Kyoto was listed fourth on Travel & Leisure's 2017 The World’s Top 15 Cities list.

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New Orleans a top culinary destination

NEW Orleans continues to be recognized as a top culinary destination, most recently being named as one of the Best Food Cities in the World by the prestigious culinary publication, Food & Wine.

The list was produced after extensive research by Food & Wine, which polled more than 50 travel professionals, including top chefs, critics, as well as their own Food & Wine writers, photographers and contributors. The exclusive list featured six international cities including Florence, London, Toronto, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong. #NewOrleans was in good company as one of only four U.S. cities included: Los Angeles, New York City and Charleston.

The ranking as one of the Best Food Cities in the World by Food & Wine is New Orleans' most recent accomplishment in a string of accolades including being named the number four city in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure's 2017 World's Best readers survey.

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UNESCO status for the Lake District great for tourism

THE news of the UNESCO status for the Lake District has been welcomed with open arms from many in the tourism and travel industry. Pitchup.com, which features camping and glamping sites in the Lakes has reported that bookings in the region are up 72% year on year over the last three months.

Commenting on the news Pitchup.com founder Dan Yates said: “The news of the UNESCO World Heritage Status for the Lake District is fantastic for the leisure industry and tourism. It means that one of the UK’s most loved National Parks will now be protected forever, for future generations to enjoy. For businesses operating in the area this status is going to raise interest and appeal and we’re anticipating a strong drive on bookings to the area.”

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Travel and Sustainability

THE United Nations has designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

More than one billion international tourists travel the world each year, which means that tourism provides millions of jobs and is crucial for national and local economies, not least in the developing world.

More than many other industries, tourism relies on a stable climate, and is already being impacted by increased incidents of storms and heatwaves, desertification, fresh water loss, rising sea levels that threaten coastal resorts, and diminished snowfall in alpine skiing areas.

This year is an opportunity to look at how tourism is affected by climate change and how emissions from the sector can be curbed, along with finding ways for the industry to better adapt to the inevitable impacts of rising global average temperatures.

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Sports Fans Delight: Hotel Omni Frisco to open near Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters

SET to open in early summer 2017, the luxury Omni Frisco Hotel will serve as a cornerstone of The Star development, which will be anchored by the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and The Ford Center. The 16-story Omni Frisco Hotel will feature 300 guest rooms and suites, fine dining venue, lobby coffee and wine bar, and a rooftop pool bar and grill.

Mayor Maher Maso, City of Frisco said at the VIP launch in 2015 “As one of the fastest growing communities in #Texas and America for the last decade, Frisco’s reputation as a top destination for travelers – both for business and leisure – is growing, as well,”  “We know the #DallasCowboys and Omni will help bolster Frisco’s reputation as a world-class destination for visitors, while enhancing quality of life, entertainment and business opportunities for our residents, too.”

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Up in the air … to Jersey and Norway

BMI REGIONAL will fly direct from Bristol to Jersey from July 16 for the summer season. The new route is designed for leisure travellers, with a Saturday morning flight each week.  Fares start from £80 one way.

The airline is also starting flights between Newcastle and Stavanger, Norway, from May 31. The Norwegian city is both a major business destination due to the proximity of North Sea oil fields and a tourist base with original dockside warehouses and 18th century streets.

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New record for cruise passenger numbers from UK and Ireland

A RECORD 1,789,000 passengers from the UK and Ireland took an ocean cruise in 2015, a nine percent rise year-on-year and the highest increase in seven years, according to statistics published by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

UK and Ireland, which saw 145,000 more passengers take a cruise in 2015, also has the highest growth rate out of all the major European countries.

The number of Europeans taking an ocean cruise holiday has also grown – since 2008, the market has increased by 49 percent, proving both the cruise industry’s resilience to economic downturns and, says the CLIA, the value provided by a cruise holiday.

A Mediterranean cruise was the most popular holiday choice for Brits, accounting for 672,000 passengers, although the Atlantic Islands (Canaries and Madeira) had the best ever year with a record 188,000 passengers. The Caribbean reclaimed more passengers after a three-year lull.

The number of UK passengers starting their cruise at home rather than overseas grew strongly, with UK cruise departures now accounting for 47% of the market. It was another successful year for British ports overall; in total, more than one million UK and international passengers visited a British port during a cruise, a figure that has more than doubled in six years.

CLIA UK and Ireland Director Andy Harmer commented: ‘The cruise industry’s continued confidence in the UK market is clearly demonstrated by an increasing number of ships that will sail from British ports in the coming years.’


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Riverside apartments in Brisbane

SERVICED APARTMENTS company Oakwood Asia Pacific has announced its expansion into #Australia. 

Scheduled to open in April 2016, Oakwood Apartments #Brisbane is located near the waterfront, with views of the Brisbane River, its Story Bridge, and the city skyline. Adjacent to the city’s central business district, it’s within walking distance of Brisbane’s top attractions.

Oakwood’s brand of serviced apartments, says the company, combines the space and privacy of a home with the services of first-class excellent hotel.

The property will have a restaurant and bar, an outdoor pool overlooking the Brisbane River, a tennis court, a fitness centre, and sauna.

Oakwood Apartments Brisbane comprises of 162 apartments with a choice of studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments.

www.oakwood.com

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Paris bookings halve as travel sales shrink by 15%

TRAVEL agents suffered a 50% drop in passenger bookings to #Paris amid a ‘dramatic’ fall in flight bookings in the week following the massacre in the French capital on November 13. 

Latest leisure travel market data from GfK also revealed that total bookings for all destinations in the week to last Saturday were 15% down year-on-year. Mid-haul destinations suffered the sharpest fall, with 26% fewer holidays booked. Egypt and Tunisia accounted for most of the decline.

Industry data analyst ForwardKeys reported airline bookings to Paris down 27% at the start of this week, while cancellations rose 21% year on year in the week to November 21.

ForwardKeys chief executive Oliver Jago said: ‘There were last-minute cancellations of immediate travel plans, predominantly among business travellers. New bookings have also dropped dramatically.’

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Joint venture sees £250 million Chinese investment in UK tourism

AN ANGLO-CHINESE partnership designed to bring British and Chinese people together during their leisure time will see £250 million invested in the UK’s tourism infrastructure. 

The enterprise will be named SinoBritish Waterside Villages and will give British, Chinese, and other overseas visitors the opportunity to experience each other’s cultures in outstanding locations, and to develop friendships with individuals and families from other nations.

The London Group – in partnership with the SinoFortone Group – has made the first acquisition for this concept by purchasing the Lakeview Country Club, a 30-year-old Cornish holiday village near Bodmin for £12.5 million, and has been given planning permission to extend the 120-acre site into what it says will be ‘the largest and most desirable private waterside village in Britain’.

Similar projects are planned for London, Scotland, and The Lake District.

The Cornish village will be designed by architects Evans and Shalev, designers of the Tate Modern in St Ives.

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit #Cornwall, said the resort would help to propel Cornwall into the ranks of one of the world's leading tourist destinations.

‘To stay competitive, any sector has to constantly invest and we welcome this significant investment in the future of Cornish tourism. Cornwall is already the country's leading leisure tourism destination, evidenced by Cornwall winning the UK’s most popular tourist region for six years in succession at the British Travel Awards. It is right that Cornwall now starts to take its place as an international tourism destination. We have a world-class coastline, landscape, heritage, attractions, and culture and this exciting investment will help us to meet our ambitions.’

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Soccer scores for UK tourism

STATISTICS from #VisitBritain highlight the increasing value to the economy of international visitors attending football matches. 

VisitBritain’s report, #Football tourism scores for Britain, shows that the 800,000 international visitors to Britain last year who went to a football match spent a total of £684 million during their time in the country … a 15% rise, or an increase of £89 million, since the last research was done in 2010. While the overall global average spend on an international visit to Britain in 2014 was £636, visits including football match attendance had an average spend of £855.

It’s not just leisure visitors who enjoy football matches; out of the 800,000 total, more than 40,000 international business visitors went to a match during their stay.

The findings show that football is the number one sporting draw for international tourists to Britain. Of those visitors who gave their primary journey purpose to the UK as ‘watching sport,’ 73% said they had attended a football match.

The research also demonstrates football’s effectiveness in enticing international visitors to Britain at quieter times of the year and encouraging visitors from overseas to explore different parts of Britain. The North-West of England continues to be the region receiving the highest proportion of football-driven visits from overseas.

Looking at visits to specific stadiums, Old Trafford in Manchester and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in North London were neck-and-neck, both receiving 109,000 international visits. Wembley’s popularity has grown significantly, with visits more than doubling since 2010.

Tourism Minister Tracey Crouch, said: ‘Britain is home to many of the world's favourite football clubs, so it's no surprise that more and more international visitors are going to football games while they are here. Millions of overseas tourists visit the UK every year and most take in the sights of London. But Britain has so much more to offer, so it's fantastic to see the positive role football is playing in showcasing key destinations in many different regions of the UK. It's great for local economies, great for football, and great for the UK's tourism industry."

The research was undertaken for VisitBritain by the Office for National Statistics as part of the International Passenger Survey during 2014.

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Cycle tourism boosts UK economy

LEISURE and tourism #cycling on Britain’s National Cycle Network supports more than 15,000 jobs and directly contributes £650 million annually to the country’s economy, says #Sustrans charity.

Its research looked at the average amount spent by people on day trips and cycling holidays. The charity estimates conservatively that people who use the network for holidays and day trips spend an average of £7 a day, although this figure is likely to be even higher for people who take cycling holidays.

The network, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, was also found to support directly 15,262 full time equivalent jobs across the services industry, particularly in the food and drink sector where it supports more than 10,000 jobs.

The National Cycle Network now stretches to all four corners of the UK and covers more than 14,000 miles.

Jason Torrance, Policy and Partnerships director at Sustrans, said: ‘Since the National Cycle Network was first developed, usage has increased year-on-year, with people using it for all kinds of reasons, from using it to get to work and school as well as going on day trips and holidays. The economic benefits of quality walking and cycling routes are significant, both from tourism but also day-to-day, by reducing congestion, pollution, and by enabling people to improve their health.’

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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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Picture Credit: Blackpool Council