Heading for some winter sun

WITH the winter chill predicted to last four months in the U.K. Brits will be heading abroad for some winter sun in their droves. Research conducted by beach holiday specialist On the Beach has revealed Spain as the most popular winter sun destination this year, with the Canary Islands and resorts across the mainland attracting more Brits than any other destination in Europe, with Turkey firmly back in the Top 5 winter sun destinations.

Top 10 most popular winter sun destinations:

1.   Canary Islands
2.   Mainland Spain
3.   Balearic Islands
4.   Turkey
5.   Algarve (Portugal)
6.   Greece
7.   Malta
8.   Morocco
9.   Egypt
10. Cyprus

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Marriott International crosses Africa

MARRIOTT International has announced rapid expansion plans across #Africa. Strong demand for select-service brands and conversion opportunities are driving the momentum of growth for the company, amplified by five new hotel signings. 

The new signings will further consolidate Marriott International's presence in Ghana, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa and mark the company's entry into Mozambique. The signings put Marriott International on track to increase its portfolio by 50 percent with over 200 hotels and 38,000 rooms by 2023 estimated to generate 12,000 new job opportunities.


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World’s Best Safari Outfitter

ALLURING Africa’s continued dedication to providing exceptional travel experiences has struck a chord with readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine, as they have named the Florida-based luxury tour operator as the World’s Best Safari Outfitter for 2018.

Travel + Leisure cited Alluring Africa’s “exacting attention to detail and earnest love for the places where it works” as a reason for the company’s enduring popularity amongst their “travel-hungry” readers, with this survey response typical of the many citations that Alluring Africa received: “They treat their clients like family, and create ultra-personalized itineraries... they are a world-class business that truly wants to help people connect with Africa!”

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Lufthansa offers six new destinations from Frankfurt and Munich

IF you want to escape the foul weather in autumn and winter, you can now book additional and attractive winter destinations with Lufthansa. Because Europe’s leading airline is expanding its offers from Frankfurt and Munich to include six new tourist destinations. 

Lufthansa now flies from Frankfurt and Munich to Eilat (Ovda), the attractive holiday resort on the Red Sea in the south of Israel. 

Starting this winter, Lufthansa will fly to Agadir (Morocco) located on the southern Atlantic coast of Morocco, in the foothills of the Anti-Atlas mountains. The capital of the province of Agadir Ida-Ou Tanane is a popular holiday destination featuring golf courses and endless beaches. 

Trieste (Italy), the capital of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the north-east of Italy, is considered one of the literary capitals of Europe, and its many ethnic and religious groups have earned it the moniker of ‘early New York’. 

From winter 2018, Lufthansa once again offers flights to Thessaloniki (Greece) from Frankfurt. The town is the ideal starting point for hikes and explorations of the north of Greece, and it is the transit airport for onward travel to Chalkidiki in the south east. 

Edinburgh (United Kingdom) is the new European destination from Munich. From December 2018, Lufthansa will fly to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh not only has an interesting old town, it is also the perfect starting point for visiting the Highlands. 

Munich is also the starting point for another new destination, Tromsø (Norway). The city is an important cultural centre north of the Arctic Circle and is regarded as an ideal starting point for experiencing the Northern Lights.
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Industry News . . .

GLOBAL luxury travel network Virtuoso has revealed the hotels and hoteliers nominated for its coveted Best of the Best awards this year, winners will be announced in August. All nominees are part of the industry-defining Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts program, which boasts over 1,300 hand-selected properties worldwide and more five-star hotels than any other program. Nominees for Hotel of the Year:

• Adare Manor, Limerick, Ireland
• Berkeley, London, U.K.
• Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, France
• One&Only Le Saint Geran, Post de Flacq, Mauritius
• Royal Mansour Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco

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New route from Heathrow to Marrakech

BUSTLING souks, desert landscapes and striking sunsets are set to get even closer this winter as British Airways launches a new direct service to #Marrakech from Heathrow.

 

The airline has announced it will be adding a new four-per-week service from Terminal 5 to the Moroccan holiday hotspot from October 28, 2018. During the winter season customers will be able to fly direct from British Airways’ London-hub offering holidaymakers the perfect excuse to escape for a sunshine weekend break.

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Moreish Morocco

CNN'S selection of the “18 Best Places to Visit in 2018″ includes Morocco’s Essaouira – the picturesque port that is home to the Hotel L’Heure Bleue Palais. Two hours west of Marrakech, the breezy fishing town is surrounded by 18th-century ramparts on the Atlantic Coast. 

One of only four Relais & Châteaux properties in the country (and the only one in Essaouira), L’Heure Bleue Palais is located on the edge of the ancient Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. L’Heure Bleue Palais’ rooftop and pool look out over the windy Atlantic – the perfect setting to watch the sun set over the blue-and-white houses within the historic Medina walls. 

Once the palace of Caïd Mbark Saïdi, Pasha of Mogador, the 19th-century riad was built with a separate floor for each of the pasha’s four wives. Long abandoned, the riad was transformed in 2004 by a family with roots in Essaouira into an elegant, lavish, antique- and art-filled boutique hotel, showcasing Moroccan architecture throughout.

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Ryanair unveils new route from Liverpool

#Ryanair has announced an expansion to its Liverpool winter 2016 schedule with the addition of a service to #Marrakesh, #Morocco, which will operate twice-weekly from October. 

This is in addition to a new route to Sofia announced earlier. Ryanair’s Liverpool winter 2016 schedule will now deliver two new routes to Sofia and Marrakesh, both twice-weekly, and five new winter services, including twice-weekly services to Bergerac, Pisa, Porto, Szczecin, and a weekly flight to Gran Canaria. The airline will also operate more flights to Alicante (five-weekly) and Malaga (four-weekly).

With the expansion move, the airline will operate 25 winter routes in total, with 95 weekly flights.

Seats for Marrakesh are on sale from £24.99.

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Banyan Tree to open villa resort in Morocco

BANYAN TREE will open Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay, #Morocco’s first all-inclusive villa resort in September. The resort will have 92 luxury villas.

Each villa will have a garden and a private pool, while some will have direct access to the beach.

Facilities at the resort will include spa treatment rooms, a hydro and vitality pool, a hammam, and a yoga room. Sports activities include scuba diving, wakeboarding, and jet-skiing, while golfers will have two superb courses nearby.

Guests will be able to visit Tetouan, a UNESCO World Heritage site 20 minutes from the resort, and Tangier, drive away.

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Morocco tourism push, but FCO has terrorism warning

A NEW website is spearheading a campaign designed to boost tourism to #Morocco. The site at visitmorocco.com has been unveiled as part of a tourism promotion push by the North African country which also involves print and online display advertising, events, and social media.

The #MuchMorocco campaign is targeting the UK, Ireland, US, and Canada. The website includes information on where to stay, attractions, the best places to eat, and links to practical details such as flights.

Amine Boughaleb, director of the Moroccan National Tourist Office in London, said: ‘Our aim with this campaign is to bring the essence of Morocco to holidaymakers. It is warm, vibrant, friendly, accessible, stylish … all qualities shared by Morocco as a country.

Britain’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office, however, warns currently of a ‘high threat from terrorism in Morocco’.

‘Attacks’ it says in its travel advisory, ‘could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners. In April 2011, 17 people were killed and 25 injured in a large explosion in Marrakech. Protective security measures are in place at many Moroccan hotels and sites popular with tourists. Security measures, including security personnel, may be visible in certain areas.

‘The Moroccan authorities have warned of an increased threat linked to the growing number of Moroccans sympathetic or belonging to international terrorist organisations operating in Syria, Iraq, and Libya, and regularly report the disruption of terrorist cells.’

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14228046@N03/8607596584">Behind the walls</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(license)

Morocco – FCO raises terror threat level

BRITISH travellers to #Morocco have been warned of a ‘high threat’ of terrorism in the North African country. The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has changed its terrorism threat level in amended travel advice.

The revised travel advisory said: ‘Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.Protective security measures are in place at many Moroccan hotels and sites popular with tourists. Security measures, including security personnel, may be visible in certain areas.’

The FCO added: ‘The Moroccan authorities have warned of an increased threat linked to the growing number of Moroccans sympathetic or belonging to international terrorist organizations operating in Syria, Iraq, and Libya, and regularly report the disruption of terrorist cells.

‘There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria.You should be vigilant at this time.”

Seventeen people were killed and 25 injured in an explosion at a restaurant in Marrakech in April 2011.

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Morocco steps up security after Tunisia massacre

HOLIDAY resorts in #Morocco are reportedly being swamped with armed police as the country goes on high alert after last month’s beach massacre in Tunisia. The North African country’s security services have also stepped up surveillance of domestic militant cells, The Times reports.

A recent anti-terror raid was directed at a nine-member Isis cell operating in northern cities, the interior ministry said. The group had allegedly been recruiting fighters to Syria and made explosives and chemical materials for attacks on home soil.

‘No organized networks can develop here in Morocco because we dismantle them before they can get anywhere,’ said Mustapha El Khalfi, a government official. ‘Last summer, authorities launched the Vigilance programme, which means we have posted many more military police at main tourist places and in front of airports. It follows a comprehensive plan we have developed since 2004 of religious reform, security measures, and fighting extremist ideas.”

Tourism has increased by at least 8% since 2010 and accounts for 9% of Morocco’s gross domestic product. More than 500,000 British tourists visit the country every year, the second largest group of visitors after the French.

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Picture Credit: Maroc Essaouira Luc Viatour 4 by I, Luc Viatour. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

Agadir named best value luxury destination

RESEARCH by On the Beach flags up Morocco's premier holiday resort – Agadir – as Europe's best value luxury holiday destination for 2015.

The online travel agent looked at average holiday costs during 2014 to predict the best value destinations for 2015, with Agadir pipping Malta to the post in the 5*category.

The Algarve in Portugal is the third best value 5* destination, followed by Hammamet in Tunisia. Paphos, Cyprus, completes the top five.

In the 4* holiday category, Spain reigns with three destinations in the top five list. 

Leading the way the Costa Brava, followed by the Algarve. Malaga and Alicante are placed third and fourth respectively, whilst Halkidiki, Greece, makes up the top five.


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Picture Credit: "Img02241-Agadir-20060529" by ArishG - Own work via Wikimedia Commons;

Morocco to push Rabat & Casablanca

OFFICIALS at the Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development have plans to make Rabat and Casablanca must-go destinations for holidaymakers around the world.

The plans will see the government spend $2 billion (£1.3 billion) in the development of tourism in the destinations. 

The aim is for Rabat and Casablanca, the political and commercial capitals of Morocco respectively, to join Marrakech on the world stage.

It is hoped the resorts will become world leaders for recreation and culture through the creation of museums, theatres, libraries, interpretation centres, marinas, restaurants, cafes, and shopping malls.



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Picture Credit: courtesy of Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development; "Casablanca fountain night" by (WT-shared) Radouane at wts wikivoyage - Own work. via Wikimedia Commons

Brits head for the beach

RESEARCH by On the Beach suggests that more Brits will be spending Christmas abroad this year compared to last, with Tenerife, Lanzarote, and Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea attracting many of them.

The research also found that many of the most popular hot spots for Brits are cheaper this Christmas compared to last. Agadir, Morocco's premier holiday destination, is showing the greatest savings with the average cost of a holiday down by 53% on last year.

Bookings at On the Beach reveal December 23 as the busiest day of travel.

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Picture Credit: "Sharm El Sheikh" by Tinaleung032 - Own work. via Wikimedia Commons

Up in the air............

UK’s aviation sector worth £52bn in GDP … and 960,000 jobs:

The UK’s aviation sector is worth £52 billion in overall GDP, 960,000 jobs and £8.7 billion in tax revenues, according to study by Oxford Economics.

The study, commissioned by leading players from the aviation and tourism sectors, shows that all three elements of the sector’s contribution to the UK economy have grown.

Essaouira......Morocco:

THE Moroccan port resort of Essaouira will move a step closer for British travellers next year with the launch of direct flights from London Luton Airport ...... easyJet will start the service on May 1.

Currently British holidaymakers visiting Essaouira must head first to Marrakesh, before taking a two- to three-hour taxi transfer to the coast – at a cost of up to £100 each way – or fly via Paris or Brussels.

New Belfast-Barcelona service:

EUROPEAN airline Vueling will start a twice-weekly Belfast-Barcelona service next May.

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Moroccan drive for Britain’s golfers

MOROCCO’S tourism board will showcase its growing portfolio of golf courses and resorts with an expansive programme of tournaments in UK clubs this summer. Prizes include golfing holidays in Morocco.

Morocco is regarded as one of the world's strongest emerging markets for golf tourism, with 29 courses already in existence and a further 11 under construction.

The destination's popularity with golfers has been boosted by direct flights from London, Bristol, Birmingham, and Manchester.

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We’re off to Morocco …

NEW daily flights between Gatwick and Casablanca, Morocco, have been announced for this autumn. Royal Air Maroc will run the service from October 26 in addition to the daily Heathrow to Casablanca flight it operates.

The carrier will continue to run four weekly flights between Gatwick and Marrakech.

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