Seeing stars

#TENERIFE has boosted its position as one of the best locations on the planet for stargazing, with the introduction of eight new telescopes at the Teide Observatory.

The recently-launched Volcano Life Experience operates guided tours several days a week to the observatory, which is also home to GREGOR, the largest solar telescope in Europe.

Located at 7,800ft above sea level and next to Mount Teide – Spain's highest peak at 12,100ft – Teide Observatory is perfect for studying stars at night due to its location, low-light pollution and clear night skies, which are protected by laws relating to contamination levels and flight paths. The observatory is in the Teide National Park, recognized as a Starlight Tourist Destination by the Starlight Foundation.

The largest island in the Canaries, Tenerife offers a huge choice of 'star tourism' experiences for visitors to enjoy on their island get-away. Those with an interest in outer space can learn about the important astrophysics research carried out at the observatory by joining a guided tour to see the stars and dazzling displays. Visitors can also tour the planetarium at the Museum of Science and the Cosmos in La Laguna, or stay overnight in a rural cottage or country hotel complete with a telescope. Mount Teide's cable car offers a Sunset and Stars stargazing trip, with a dusk-time dinner served at 6,500ft above sea level. 


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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23629083@N03/6578877883">Mt. Teide & Rock Pedestal, Tenerife</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)

EU’s package travel directive will ‘disadvantage’ consumers

THE head of a UK government advisory committee has warned that the European Union’s Package Travel Directive threatens ‘real disadvantage’ to consumers.

John Cox, chairman of the Air Travel Insolvency Protection Advisory Committee (ATIPAC), said: ‘How does a customer unfortunate enough to have their travel company go bankrupt navigate a situation where the company may not be established in the UK? How do you ensure the customer is adequately protected?’

The directive, due to come into force in 2017, will move responsibility for regulation from the country where a holiday is sold to the jurisdiction in which the holiday company is ‘established’.

Mr Cox said: ‘You could have a UK customer of a tour operator based in any member state. We have to take it on trust that the regulator in that state has been as rigorous as it should be.’

In its annual report, ATIPAC warned: ‘It will require strict enforcement from the European Commission to ensure protection is consistently applied. If there is an insolvency, who does the customer contact? This has the potential for real disadvantage. Confusion is almost a certain. History does not inspire me with confidence.’

ATIPAC looked into the Spanish system after Low Cost Holidays re-located to Majorca in November 2013, and found: ‘Responsibility [in Spain] is delegated to regional governments. It would mean consumers having to go through the Spanish court system to establish a claim, and there is no fund to pay for repatriation or refunds.

‘Most tour operators will maintain businesses in different member states to take advantage of re-assuring customers that the local scheme applies. But where that is not the case, how is the consumer expected to understand how the scheme applies and how to make a claim? What is the process? You can imagine all kinds of claims management companies being established to deal with this. We can see Citizens Advice being inundated as soon as a company fails.’

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Picture Credit: "European flag outside the Commission" by Xavier Häpe - http://www.flickr.com/photos/vier/192493917/. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Coast & Country Cottages in line for award

HOLIDAY lettings agency Coast & Country Cottages is again a finalist in the Best UK Holiday Cottage/Self-Catering Booking Company category of the 2015 British Travel Awards. 

The family-owned and run agency – which won the title in last year’s awards – manages more than 430 properties in Salcombe, Dartmouth, and the surrounding coast and countryside. 

The winners will be chosen by customers, who have until September 30 to cast their vote, and the winning companies will be known in November.

www.coastandcountry.co.uk
www.britishtravelawards.com

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/112922914@N02/15496611922">Salcombe</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Tussauds marks Queen’s record reign

MADAME TUSSAUDS LONDON is celebrating #QueenElizabethII's record-breaking reign this summer.

Running from today August 1 to September 30, Memories of Her Majesty will feature never before seen archive materials and photography of the many sittings she has given the #MadameTussauds artistic team. Also on show will be a re-creation of the Coronation Crown.

‘We wanted to do something special to mark Her Majesty becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history, and sharing some of Madame Tussauds' memories of a relationship going back 87 years seemed the perfect way to do that,’ says Edward Fuller, general manager at Madame Tussauds. 

‘We have such a wealth of materials charting that relationship and 23 wax figures of Queen Elizabeth from the age of two right up to her current incarnation.’

The centrepiece of the display will be the life-like wax figure of the Queen created for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

www.madametussauds.com/london

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Picture Credit: "Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom" by SodacanThis vector image was created with Inkscape. - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons, "Elizabeth II" by Ricardo Stuckert/PR - Agência Brasil [1]. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 br via Wikimedia Commons 

Price probe at Disneyland Paris

ALLEGATIONS that Disneyland Paris charges foreign tourists more than its French customers could lead to a European Commission investigation, the Financial Times (FT) reports. 

A commission assessment found that British customers could be paying up to 15% more for one-day tickets, the paper said. 

The FT added that for premium packages UK visitors to the park could be paying €1,870 (£1,327), compared with €1,346 (£955) for French ticketholders and €2,447 (£1,736) for Germans.

European Union rules prohibit price differences based on a customer’s country of residence.

Disneyland Paris said its promotions were based on school holiday periods in local markets, adding that basic packages without promotional discounts were the same across all states.
The EU assessed prices of other theme parks in Europe and did not find the same variation, according to the FT. 

Elzbieta Bienkowska, EU commissioner for the single market, said there had been a number of complaints which were ‘very significant, particularly in one or two instances’.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45131552@N08/4160067853">Central Plaza view from 1994 Disneyland Paris postcard book</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Tee off by the Thames

GREENWICH Peninsula Golf Driving Range on the banks of the Thames in East London has opened its doors to the public. 

With prices starting from £6 for a bucket of 60 balls and having 300 yards of river frontage, the 60-bay range has eight PGA professionals to provide lessons and advice, a restaurant, and sports outlet, A1 Golf Store. 

It’s five minutes from North Greenwich Underground station on the Jubilee Line.

www.n1golf.com

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Picture Credit: "Marked ball and club" by Lu - http://www.flickr.com/photos/gusilu/2785690627/. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

All-inclusive savings? They’re a myth!

RESEARCH by the Post Office debunks the idea that holidaymakers spend less staying in #all-inclusive resorts because they save on the cost of drinks and eating out. More than two-thirds of families spent an average of £233 extra on meals and drinks away from their hotel on their last European all-inclusive holiday.

Almost seven-in-ten parents paid for meals in local resort restaurants at an average cost of £62. The extra money spent means many families could pay between 10-15% on top of their all-inclusive package. 

More than four-in-five parents said they expected all meals to be included in their package. Yet almost a quarter of them paid extra for these in their resort, spending an average of almost £54 extra on meals on top of their paid-for package.

Two-in-five of those surveyed said they spent an average of £43 on international brands of alcohol, a third spent £44 on bottles of wine, 37% spent almost £27 on bottled water, and three-in-ten paid £41 extra for cocktails. 

Andrew Brown, at Post Office Travel Money, said: ‘Over the past four years, our annual research has consistently shown that European all-inclusive resorts offer less than holidaymakers expect, so it is important for families to be aware of what is included in their package to avoid getting caught out. If you have already booked an all-inclusive holiday, budget carefully and allow for the extra costs you are likely to incur.

‘On the plus side, the powerful pound means that all-inclusive holidaymakers who want to get a real flavour of their holiday destination can eat and drink in local restaurants and bars more cheaply this year.’

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/81464596@N00/2741062439">Gala Buffet</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)