Worlds most popular cruise destinations

THE world's leading cruise reviews site, Cruise Critic and its online #cruise community, has announced the winners of its third annual Cruisers' Choice Destination Awards, naming the world's most popular cruise #destinations, based entirely on consumer ratings submitted with reviews on Cruise Critic. The awards name the top cruise destinations across 18 regions worldwide. New in 2018, the awards also highlight the best cruise lines to visit each region.

The Eastern Mediterranean port of Kotor, in Montenegro, came out as the number one destination hotspot for UK cruisers. The Baltic Sea port of Talinn, capital city of Estonia, secured second place in popularity, and the Aegean island of Santorini proved third favourite overall, for UK cruise travellers.

Highlighted Awards:

Glacier Bay in Alaska was named the Most Popular Cruise Destination in 2018 – It's one of the best Inside Passage locations for glacier and wildlife viewing, with its Margerie Glacier considered one of the most photogenic glaciers.

Edinburgh secured the top destination award in the British Isles & Western Europe category – for the very first time - beating Barcelona, Rome and Venice, among many others. 

Cuba's capital city of Havana was named the Best Cruise Destination in the Western Caribbean & Riviera Maya for the first time. While international cruise lines have long visited Cuba, U.S. travelers were only able to begin visiting the island once regulations were eased in 2016.

Dubrovnik has been named the Top-Rated Eastern Mediterranean Destination for the past two years, and has done it again this year to score a hat trick.


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

Fly worldwide with easyJet and Norwegian

PASSENGERS will be able to book an easyJet short-haul flight and self-connect to a Norwegian long-haul flight in one simple transaction.

Norwegian is partnering with easyJet on the new ‘Worldwide by easyJet’ platform, allowing passengers to connect a Norwegian long-haul flight with an easyJet short-haul flight in one single booking.

Launched by easyJet, ‘Worldwide by easyJet’ allows passengers to seamlessly connect their easyJet flight with other partner airline flights, including Norwegian’s fast-growing network of affordable long-haul flights to the U.S, Asia and South America.

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

Tour the World

TOURMEGA a travel startup based in Silicon Valley, launched the first search engine dedicated to tours and activities around the world on November 4th, 2016.

TourMega features more than 10,000 tours and activities on six continents and will be adding new choices added on a weekly basis. Travelers will be able to search for and book a variety of experiences from a classic cruise on the Nile to a trek to the Annapurna mountains in Nepal.

"What's unique about TourMega is that not only will we pull from a variety of tour sites around the world, we also provide the option for amateur tour guides and local experts to sign up and post their own unique experiences,user-friendly," says Eric Espino, one of TourMega's founders.

For its launch, TourMega is offering travelers a 15% discount (with promotion code EXPLORETM) for any tour or activity from 1/12/2016 to 15/12/2016.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Lest We Forget . . .

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: JohnDaHun flickr.com/photos/100973111@N06/21852009672 Disney Dream via photopin.com

Explore

#EXPLORE, the adventure travel specialists, has launched eight brand new ‘Explore Beyond’ trips. Explore Beyond trips offer truly unique experiences such as canoeing along the Burro Burro River in the depths of the Amazon in Guyana to visiting indigenous tribes and learning about their culture and traditions in Sulawesi. Also added to the Explore Beyond collection are three festival trips focused in remote regions of China.

John Telfer, Product Director at Explore commented, “We’ve had an amazing response from customers since we launched the Explore Beyond range last year, with some itineraries selling out in a matter of days. We have designed another eight trips to meet the demand for these adventurous travellers. Some are one-off events, such as festivals while others are unpolished recce trips venturing into new territories around the world. These trips take Explore back to our roots and provide customers with pioneering new product choice."

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: Tambako the Jaguar 8070463@N03/29625486121 Two blue-fronted amazons flying over the Pantanal via photopin.com

Taj Hotels reveal . . .

TAJNESS—the group’s brand and operations philosophy for the future. For more than a century Taj Hotels has welcomed guests with a signature warmth, a practice of perfection, a culture of generosity and a clear sense of true Indian hospitality. Tajness seeks its inspiration from the nobility of this Indian heritage and blends it with local cultures to deliver an unparalleled experience of sincere care at its 100 hotels around the world.

The Tajness experience at Taj hotels will focus on delivering a consistency in service and providing a taste of Indian tradition mixed with authentic local experiences. Sensorial touchpoints are key to the brand experience and several elements will be consistent across hotels.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: By Vikramdeep Sidhu from Jhajjar, India - The Taj Hotel Mumbai, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41479892

High adrenaline adventure

THE Radical Reels Tour travels around the world to over 40 countries enticing adventurers everywhere to watch these short but action-packed films.

The nine films are chosen from over 300 following the Banff Mountain Festival which is held at the start of November each year since 1975 in Banff, Canada.

A tribute to extreme sports such as climbing, paddling, BASE jumping, skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking all over the world.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Wide World of Mottos

• Western Australia: Cygnis Insignis (Latin, "Distinguished by its swans") 

• Belize: Sub umbra floreo (Latin, "Under the shade I flourish") 

• Luxembourg: Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sin (Luxembourgeois, "We want to stay what we are") 

• Romania: Desteapta-te Romane (Romanian, "Wake up, Romanian") 

• Greece: Eleutheria i thanatos (Greek, Liberty or death)

Adam Jacot de Boinod worked on the first series of BBC Television’s QI for Stephen Fry, and is the author of The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World – Penguin Books, £10.  

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Responsible Travel awards – longlist published

RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL has announced the names of the 75 organizations longlisted for the 2016 World #Responsible #Tourism award.

Organizations in the running for the most rigorously judged awards for responsible tourism in the world cover a diverse range of issues from campaigning and innovation to poverty reduction and the inclusion of marginalized people, and from hotels with exemplary employment initiatives to wildlife and habitat conservation.

Representing a diversity of work in 30 countries worldwide, the longlist includes:

• A hotel in Dubai rescuing, rehabilitating and re-releasing turtles and educating guests and local children about conservation 
• An association of hotels and restaurants in Kerala, India, working to ensure food isn’t wasted and that no-one in their community goes hungry 
• A tour operator in India making heritage sites, street food markets, and festivals accessible to all through sensory tours and tailored assistance 
• A campaign to stop child abuse in tourism in Cambodia 
• A hotel offering employment and training to refugees in Austria

Justin Francis, managing director of Responsible Travel and founder of the Awards says: ‘This is an exciting time of year – it’s when we first get our real glimpse into diversity of the stellar work being done in responsible tourism worldwide.’

The shortlist of finalists will be published in August, and the winners will be announced at the World Travel Market in London in November.

The full longlist can be seen at www.responsibletravel.com/awards/media/longlist.html


Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Luxury villa specialist gets £1m funding

EDGE RETREATS, a London-based tech start-up specializing in #luxury villas worldwide, has closed a seed funding round of close to £1 million. 

Launched in 2015, the company says it is the first global curated marketplace for booking both luxury villas and concierge services online. It provides access to the world’s most #exclusive #villarentals – whose owners rarely want to use mass-market products.

The company was founded by travel journalist turned tech entrepreneur, Luke McCormick, who estimates that the value of the luxury villa rentals market will be at least £23 billion by the end of this year. With online travel sales growing at 12% annually, he sees plenty of room for growth.

McCormick says: ‘After getting great support from Forward Partners over the past year, we’re excited to be partnering with Lean Investments to accelerate the growth of our company. This investment will allow us to continue to build a world-class product while increasing the number of properties and countries that we feature.

‘We’re pleased to be simplifying the process of finding and booking luxury villas around the world while offering exceptional concierge service.’

The company currently has more than 2,000 upscale holiday properties in 35 countries from the US to Australia … and some of them are on private islands.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Mother's Day

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Get Go Holiday now …

‘UNIQUE’ is a much over-used adjective these days, but it’s the right word to describe Go Holiday magazine. It’s the only travel and tourism magazine in Britain – and possibly on the planet – that’s focused on the growing self-catering sector worldwide … everything from cottages in Cumbria and Cornwall to apartments and villas in Florida to the Med.

It features travel and tourism news, and expert location reports showcasing the best of holiday regions and vacation attractions throughout Britain – where the self-catering sector is conservatively estimated to account for 7.6% of all holiday visits and 12.9% of all tourism revenue – and globally.

Readers can make holiday bookings directly with property owners or their specialist rental agents. Properties – cottages, houses, apartments and villas – are advertised in Go Holiday by owners or letting agencies. E-mailing or ’phoning the owner direct means you'll be in contact with someone who knows the property and the locality well.

The self-catering sector is expanding, and it’s not difficult to see why; the advantages of a cottage or villa break have rarely been more obvious and attractive. They are in many cases less expensive than hotel stays, so they save you money that can be spent on the treats that make a get-away even more enjoyable or, in these tougher economic times, just saved. And they offer the flexibility, freedom and privacy that many hotels can’t provide – you eat when you want to, and many villas in Florida and southern Europe offer the luxury of your own private pool.

Go Holiday is your passport to this holiday heaven, and the latest issue is out now, with location reports about …

• South Devon
• Lincolnshire 
• Shropshire 
• Guernsey 
• Yorkshire 
• Kent’s castles and beaches 
• Pembrokeshire 
• Ulster’s NW coast 
• The Canary Islands, as shot by movie makers 
• Cyprus – day-trips from Paphos 
• Benidorm 
• Best Greek beaches 
• Tobago 
• 24 Hours in Florence

Get your online copy by going to http://www.magzter.com/GB/Go-Holiday-Worldwide-Limited/Go-Holiday-Worldwide/Lifestyle/ 

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: GoHoliday Worldwide Limited

Remembrance Day 2015

#respect #armisticeday #remembranceday

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Remember them . . .

"THEY shall not grow old as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn, At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them."

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

World Travel Market . . .

So the #GoHoliday team are all at the #WorldTravelMarket, the leading global event for the travel industry. 

They say they're working but I'm not sure . . . 

The must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry started on Monday. 

Our newest Sales Executive Dimitri Kardana even got a meeting with the Greek Minister for Tourism.

Almost 52,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL – London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: Andrew Suter, Dimitri Kardana

Eiffel Tower tops world landmarks poll

THE proud emblem of Paris – the Eiffel Tower – is the most iconic landmark in the world, according to a UK poll commissioned by British Airways.

The instantly recognizable structure, constructed by Gustave Eiffel in 1889, was found to be more popular among Brits than the Grand Canyon and London’s Big Ben – which came second and third respectively.

The poll of 2,000 adults revealed other celebrated landmarks in the top 30 list, including the Acropolis in Athens and Machu Picchu in Peru.

1. Eiffel Tower – Paris 

2. The Grand Canyon – USA

3. Big Ben – London

4. Stonehenge – England

5. Houses of Parliament – London

6. Statue of Liberty – New York

7. The Pyramids of Giza – Egypt

8. Great Wall of China

9. Tower of Pisa – Italy

10. Niagara Falls – US/Canada

11. The Taj Mahal – India

12. The Colosseum – Italy

13. The Great Sphinx – Egypt

14. Edinburgh Castle – Scotland

15. Empire State Building – US

16. Sydney Opera House – Australia

17. Mount Everest – Nepal

18. Pompeii – Italy

19. Golden Gate Bridge – US

20. Ayres Rock – Australia

21. Great Barrier Reef – Australia

22. Loch Ness – Scotland

23. The Canals of Venice – Venice

24. Acropolis of Athens

25. The Louvre – Paris

26. Machu Picchu – Peru

27. Christ the Redeemer – Brazil

28. The Hollywood Sign – Los Angeles

29. The White House – US

30. Mount Rushmore – US


Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76879158@N00/5589954461">La Tour Eiffel</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)

Heritage list updated

THESE are some of the world’s historic or significant cultural sites given UNESCO World Heritage status this year:

• Christiansfeld, Moravian Church Settlement (Denmark)

• Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars (France)

• Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus district, Hamburg (Germany)

• Cultural landscape of Maymand (Iran)

• Necropolis of Beth She’arim—a landmark of Jewish Revival (Israel)

• Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedral churches of Cefalú and Monreale (Italy)

• Sites of Japan’s Meiji industrial revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining

• Rjukan-Notodden industrial heritage site (Norway)

• Singapore Botanical Gardens (Singapore)

• Ephesus (Turkey)

• Fray Bentos Cultural-Industrial landscape (Uruguay)

• The Forth Bridge (Scotland)

• San Antonio Missions (US)

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22490717@N02/2217167582">Turkey-2776</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Where to run … and what it costs

A GUIDE highlighting the most popular and unique #marathons around the globe has been compiled by Airport Parking and Hotels.

It lists marathons taking place in 22 cities across 18 countries around the world – between now and April next year – highlighting the locations, dates, entry fees, and stipulations for competitors.

Those in Antarctica, Peru, and South Africa were found to have the most expensive entry fees, with Antarctica’s Ice Marathon costing £7,766 and Peru’s Inca Trail Marathon costing £2,000 … although the entry fee for the Inca Trail Challenge and South Africa’s Big Five Marathon include flights, accommodation and some meals.

Marathons in Chile, France, and New Zealand all offer the cheapest entry fees, with Chile’s Patagonian International Marathon’ costing £79 for an early-bird entry fee. Registration for New Zealand’s ASB Auckland Marathon costs £77 for international participants, while the fee for the Marathon du Medoc is £60.

Marathon participants should also be aware that out of the 22 marathons researched, three European races – including Marathon du Medoc in Pauillac, France, the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris, and the Maratona di Roma, Rome – require participants to provide a health certificate on the day of the marathon. Those who do not provide a valid certificate will be not be able to run.

www.aph.com/community/know-before-you-go/worlds-top-marathons

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: "Ööjooks 3" by Kristel.kitsing - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

From the Department of Useless Statistics …

THE average UK adult has visited only 5% of the countries in the world, according to a study by the hostel booking site, Hostelworld. He – or she - has been to a mere ten countries, most of which are in Europe.

Yet despite having 95% of the world left to visit, the UK is miles ahead of the other nations surveyed. The average German has seen just 4.5% of the world (eight countries), while Australians have on average seen 3% of the world (six countries). The French have seen slightly less than 3% of the world, having visited an average of five countries each, while residents of the US have seen only around 2% of countries.

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: My response when I read this less than fascinating news was, so what! Isn’t it about time a study was done to find out how much money and time is spent on utterly pointless studies? If the money is right, I’ll do it!

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/80497449@N04/10012162166">World Map - Abstract Acrylic</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Record number of pensioners using travel websites

WELL-OFF UK pensioners made 35 million visits to travel websites in the past year, driving record growth, according to Experian’s Hitwise tool.

The number of visits to travel sites rose to 920 million in May, up from 906 million in the same month last year. This suggested that over-65s are becoming better off, e technologically aware, and keen to #travel.

San Francisco tops the ten more desired destinations so-called #silversurfers wish to visit, followed by France, mainland Spain, Ireland, Tenerife, Majorca, New York, Dubai, and Amsterdam.

Giles Longhurst, general manager, consumer insights, at Experian Marketing Services, said: ‘It’s interesting to see that those in the retired bracket are playing such a significant role in boosting online activity in the travel sector.

‘Silver surfers are defying stereotypes about those in later life using the internet and technology. They are also likely to be taking advantage of their extra disposable income. Having paid off their mortgages and downsized their homes, many over 65s are taking advantage of the added freedom they have found and are enjoying a very active retirement – including plenty of overseas travel.’

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9106303@N05/5379885034">The Village Blogger, after Albert Anker</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)