Sterling soars, more Brits to vacation abroad
The pound is currently stronger than many rival
currencies and Britons will receive as much as
14 per cent more cash for their summer 2012
trips to
Europe compared with last year, according to a
survey. The Sterling can buy 14 per cent more
than Turkish lira than last summer, the cost
index from Post Office Travel Money has
revealed, suggesting that resorts such as
Marmaris will be particularly good value for
British tourists.
Bulgaria is the cheapest destination for
Britons, with a basket of 10 typical holiday
items - including lager, sun-cream and a
three-course meal - costing just £42.79, four
per cent less than last year. The second
least-expensive destination was Turkey where the
items at the resort of Marmaris cost £54.22 - a
dip of 22 per cent compared with 2011 prices.
Portugal is the third cheapest country but
prices have risen by 10 per cent since last
year, with the 10 items costing £54.46. Prices
on Spain's Costa del Sol have risen 35 per cent
since last year, with the 10 items now costing
£56.84. Of the non-eurozone destinations,
Croatia was the most expensive, with the items
costing £73.65. But for those shunning Europe
and taking a holiday at home, Brighton was found
to be the most expensive of the 15 destinations
surveyed.
The 10 items cost as much as £ 79.25 in Brighton
–
up three per cent from last summer.
Post Office Travel Money head Andrew Brown said:
‘Resort prices and currency exchange rates are
always changing, so it is worth doing some
research to check the latest position before
booking a holiday. It is also worth considering
how you plan to spend your holiday cash. ‘Our
index includes the price of one meal but, if you
eat out every night, the difference in cost
between destinations can be quite marked. ‘For
example, according to our research, eating out
for seven nights in either Bulgaria or Portugal
will cost less than £175 but over £280 in Spain,
France or Malta.’
The pound is running at a 19-month high against
the euro of around 1.22, with predictions it
will rise even further before the schools break
up.
Tourists, Uncle Sam wants you!
There
was a time when just the mention of the Grand
Canyon, the Pacific Coast Highway or New York's
skyline was enough to entice tourists from
around the world. But that was before September
11, 2001, and the rise of security barriers to
entering the US, and before Asia's economic
renaissance drew travelers there.
So next month, the US will begin a coordinated
effort to market itself overseas, using
billboards, social media, public relations,
trade shows and educational campaigns.
The marketing effort grows out of a 2010 law,
the Travel Promotion Act. The US Travel
Association had noted that the US share of
global travel had declined between 2000-2010 and
that the country's economy was losing billions
of dollars in visitor spending as a result.
The law created a non-profit travel promotion
corporation, known as Brand USA, which is
financed with public and private money, to run
the marketing campaign. While the number of
visitors to the US has risen during the past 10
years, the number of travelers worldwide has
grown even more. As a result, the country's
share of the total travel market is down to 11.2
per cent in 2010 from 17.3 per cent in 2000.
"After September 11, the perception formed
around the world that America was not as
welcoming as it once was, that there was
difficulty in accessing the visa and the entry
process through customs was inefficient," Geoff
Freeman, the US Travel Association's chief
operations officer, says.
Freeman says people who have been to the US will
return, despite the obstacles perceived or real.
"But younger travellers or those who haven't
been would go elsewhere," he says.
Brand USA is relying on a combination of private
funds and a $14 fee for each traveller from the
36 countries whose citizens do not need a visa
to enter the US to raise $150 million this year.
So far, Marriott International, the Walt Disney
Company and Best Western International have also
agreed to invest $1 million each.
The competition to attract tourists includes
nine countries that spend from $50 million to
more than $150 million annually to promote
themselves: Australia ($106.7 million), Britain
($160 million), Canada ($91.9 million), France
($96 million), Germany ($50.8 million), Italy
($56.6 million), Mexico ($173.8 million), South
Korea ($80.5 million) and Turkey ($96.8
million). "We're the last to the party," Chris
Perkins, the chief marketing officer for Brand
USA, says.
The US Travel Association will be working with
Brand USA at the annual International Pow Wow
event in Los Angeles on April 21-25, at which
representatives from 70 countries will come to
buy travel products they then repackage and sell
in their countries. The goal of Brand USA, set
to last until September 2015, is to generate "a
tremendous amount of inbound tourism that turns
into an economic driver", Perkins says.
Religious spots draw millions from abroad
Turkey has more than cultural or historical
attraction spots as religious wealth to offer
all the major faiths of the world as Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, and that’s due to the
fact that most areas in Eastern Turkey, such as
Asia Minor, Pontus, Anatolia and Cappadocia were
provinces of the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire
which was conquered by the Ottomans in the 16th
Century BC. Moreover, a Synagogue with some 1700
years history near Sardes in ancient Lydia is
a point of destination for Jews around the
world, including Israel. Among the top
attractions are Ephesus and Haghia Sophia
Church.
Religious tourism or pilgrim tourism in Turkey
is growing in popularity. These tours are
perfect for people who want to trace back the
history of their religion, visit Biblical places
and hear the legends related to the apostles.
Many luxurious or even cheap holidays in Turkey
include the following hot spots of religious
tourism.
Haghia Sophia Church, Istanbul
Located in Istanbul, it is a legacy made for
both Christian and Muslim culture. It was
originally a church converted into a mosque by
Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. Here, you will see
one of the most beautiful architectural designs.
The magnificent dome will take your breath away
as it is almost 56 meters high and 31 meters in
diameter. It was included in UNESCO's List of
World Heritage.
Ephesus, near Izmir (The former Greek city of
Smyrna)
Located near the shores of the Aegean Sea, it is
one of the greatest cities of antiquity, built
and rebuilt by Hellenes and subsequently by
Romans seven times (though all the writings on
the ancient buildings is in Greek) in Asia
Minor. It is a sacred site for Christians due to
its strong association with biblical figures
such as the Apostle Paul who evaded a crowd in
his pursuit to stone him, descending to the base
of the mountain where Holy Mary lived, and
sailing away on a ship, a feat which cannot be
duplicated today since the sea has receded
thousands of feet eastward. The area is also
associated with John the Baptist as well . It is
also a tourist attraction for travelers on
Mediterranean cruises who come to ogle the two
story library, the twelve thousand seat Odeon
and the sixteen thousand seat stadium. The area
was originally home to the Temple of Artemis,
which is counted as one of the Seven Wonders of
the World.
Church of St. Peter, Antakya
Antakya or Antioch is the place where Apostle
Peter lived. This small church carved out of a
mountain is regarded as the world's first church
where saints named the new religion
Christianity. It is believed to have been carved
by St. Peter himself. The church also includes
pieces of floor mosaics and frescoes.
Chora Church, Kariye Müzesi
J ust
like Haghia Sophia, Chora Church was also a
church that was converted into a mosque. It is
one of the most beautiful examples of a
Byzantine style. It’s beautiful interior is
covered with fine mosaics and frescoes. These
paintings are of religious figures such as Mary,
Joseph and Christ.
Pool of Sacred Fish, Şanlıurfa
Known as the place where King Nimrod attempted
to murder Abraham by throwing him into a
furnace. It was believed that with God's will,
fire turned into water and wood turned to carps.
Here, you can enjoy the scenic beauty and
appreciate the infrastructures surrounding it.
Cool & Creamy Bauhaus buildings in Tel Aviv too!
Israel’s ages-old city,
Jerusalem, is rightly famous for its
warm, honey-colored limestone architecture. But
its
lazily hip rival, Tel Aviv, has
lately begun garnering attention for a
contrasting — and equally abundant — assemblage
of cool and creamy
Bauhaus buildings.
Erected by the hundreds as the city grew
dramatically and welcomed new immigrants in the
1920s and ’30s, the city’s bright white edifices
have become a hallmark, typically portrayed as
glowing entrancingly under brilliant blue skies.
Named for the German architecture school founded
in 1919 by
Walter Gropius to advance the design
principles of what would become known as the
International Style, Bauhaus flourished in Tel
Aviv as Jews began leaving Nazi Germany and
immigrating to the brand-new Israeli city.
Established in 1909 as a Jewish suburban utopia
just outside the old Arab town of Jaffa, Tel
Aviv provided a blank slate upon which
architects could experiment.
Because the style emphasized democracy and
practicality, architects used cheap and common
materials, and by the 1960s, many buildings had
fallen into disrepair. Besieged by more urgent
political matters, the city and still-new nation
didn’t especially pay attention until UNESCO
recognized the wealth of Bauhaus buildings with
a conference in 1994. And with
World Heritage designation in 2003,
things began to change — slowly. Owners and
developers started taking literal stock of the
astounding collection — and today the
renovations continue. There’s even a burgeoning
municipal program — just about six months old —
to help building owners and developers give the
structures the tender loving care they so need
and deserve. About 1,000 of the 4,000 Bauhaus
structures are now protected under historic
preservation guidelines, a recognition that for
too long the buildings have been subject to such
careless updates as the addition of stories and
the enclosure of balconies.
A walk guided by Iddo Katz, an archaeologist
with a clear love of the city confirmed that.
Katz pointed out a few nods to the International
Style that these 1990s buildings offer: the
vertical strip of “thermometer” windows that run
along their sides, the notched corners, the
horizontal ribbons of room windows that band the
buildings.
Katz also indicated a skyscraper a few blocks
away, the Shalom Tower from 1965. A rectangular
slab that echoes such modernist classics as the
Secretariat Building of the United Nations
(designed by Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier)
and the Seagram Building (Ludwig
Mies van der Rohe), the tower
represents the height of the “ideology that was
behind Tel Aviv,” Katz observed. “It says,
‘We’ve moved beyond mud and stone. We want
modernism .’ ”
Cabin crew become masters in martial arts
Hong Kong Airlines passengers have to be very
quiet as the carrier come up with an unusual way
to deal with crazy customers. All of its flight
attendants have been trained in martial arts, so
if passengers misbehave, they could find
themselves in an arm-lock.
Cabin crew have all received three hours'
training in Wing Chun, the only form of martial
arts developed by a woman, which is designed to
promote inner balance and core strength.
Primarily taught as self-defence, the moves are
designed to be accomplished in a confined space,
such as onboard an aircraft.
The airline, which flies between London and Hong
Kong, said the training would enable flight
attendants to "deal with any potential
challenges". Hong Kong Airlines' president Yang
Jian Hong said: "Aside from the obvious
physical, mental and safety benefits, this
demonstrates our commitment to delivering
exception passenger service.
Bob
Carden writes in the Wahington Post :
Sure, the
Mediterranean( note Aegean and Ionian ) isles
that surround the mainland are lovely. But the
real Greece lies at its heart. The Acropolis,
Delphi, Nafplio. Olympus, home of the gods. And
Lidoriki, the writer’s ancestral home, which his
grandfather departed 102 years ago en route to a
new life in America and a new name: the WASP-y
sounding Carden in place of Gardikys-Karandreas. sraeli
Airline stops Stockholm flight
Arkia
has to stop flying to Stockholm because the
Swedish capital’s international airport now
refuses to allow Israeli methods of security
inspections dictated by the Shin Bet security
service, TheMarker learned on Wednesday.
Thus, Stockholm’s airport joined those in Malmo,
Sweden and in Copenhagen in refusing to allow
Israeli security inspections, which involve
ethnic and personal profiling, extensive
questioning and selective inspections based on
the perceived degree of risk to security.
Arkia, the only Israeli airline flying to
Sweden, had to move its operations to Malmo and
Stockholm this year after Denmark refused to
permit Israeli security procedures at its
airports last summer. Arkia elected to fly
passengers to Sweden and take them by land to
Denmark. Now this avenue is closed.
Global hotel inventory reaches 13.4m rooms
As of this past February, 13.5 Million rooms
available worldwide
Total global hotel inventory increased by more
than 2,315,000 daily rooms since 2000 to
13,443,014 rooms as of February, according to
the latest report by STR Global, the global
hotel data provider. The hotel inventory
compound annual growth (CAGR) went up by 1.6 per
cent over the 12-year period, according to STR
Global's Census database.
It was led by the Asia-Pacific region which grew
2.7 per cent through February, followed by the
Middle East and Africa's 2.5 per cent CAGR. The
Middle East and Africa growth took place as the
region's luxury and upper upscale segment grew
3.9 per cent, says the study, to 190,514 daily
rooms, followed by the upscale and upper
mid-scale (up 2.4 per cent) growing to 253,958
daily available rooms.
North America, meanwhile, remained the leading
market for branded hotel rooms (66 per cent of
the region's inventory, representing 41.4 per
cent of the global room stock with 5,565,866
daily rooms available. It is closely followed by
Europe (29.7 per cent) with 3,998,603 daily
rooms and Asia (21.6 per cent) with 2,897,823
daily rooms.
"Across all regions, branded room inventory has
increased compared to those from independent
hotels in the 12-year period to February," said
Elizabeth Randall, Managing Director at STR
Global, adding that the Asia-Pacific and Middle
East and Africa regions led the inventory
growth.
According to STR Global, the Middle East
reported a 6.8 per cent decrease in occupancy in
2011 to 57.1 per cent besides a 5.3 per cent
increase in the average daily rate to $162.81
(Dh597.79) and a 1.8 per cent decrease in
revenue per available room (RevPAR) to $92.99.
Meanwhile, the Dubai hotel market has been
undergoing rapid expansion. According to the TRI
Hospitality database, as recently shared with
Gulf News, 12 new properties (3/4/5 star hotels)
with roughly 3,600 keys (rooms) opened last
year. And the consulting firm estimates 18 new
properties are scheduled to open in 2012 with
around 6,600 keys. As the firm's Managing
Director Peter Goddard pointed out in a recent
Gulf News report: "The boom days are back for
Dubai hotels, a majority of which are running at
occupancy levels comparable to 2008, and this is
likely to continue." Dubai there are 386 hotels
comprising 53,999 rooms at present, according to
the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce
Marketing's (DTCM) latest available data, in
addition to 190 hotel apartments comprising
21,400 flats.
The Central and South America markets had the
lowest number of branded rooms compared to the
other regions through February, according to
STR's analysis, as the region saw its room
supply increase by 1.7 per cent CAGR to 352,330
daily rooms in February.
In Europe, room inventory increased only
marginally, by 1.1 per cent.
Ammouliani isle signs on with Germans
Twelve hotels on the small island of Ammouliani,
the only inhabited isle off verdant Halkidiki
Peninsula in northern Greece, are focusing on
the German tourist market by signing a
cooperation deal with “Smart Apart”, an online
booking agency.
The
islet's hotels are also included in the German
agency's “ABC Griechenland” catalogues, while a
similar deal is likely with tourist enterprises
in Ouranoupolis, Olympiada and Pirgadikia.
The
4.5-square-kilometer island of Ammouliani is
located off the Mount Athos Bay, some 120 km
east of Thessaloniki.
Psychology: Why a beach vacation is so relaxing?
There's no doubt that the luxury of lying on a
beach for a few weeks' holiday can be just the
tonic needed for a busy lifestyle. But,
according to research, there seems to be genuine
psychological benefits to a spell, however
short, spent beside the sea.
A study has found that a walk on the beach has
more impact on emotional wellbeing than a stroll
in the park.. Researchers looked at data on
2,750 participants aged eight to 80 in a
two-year study of people's engagement with the
natural environment.
All outdoor locations were associated with
positive feelings of enjoyment, calmness and
refreshment. But visits to the coast were the
most beneficial, while urban parks had the least
effect. The trend remained after taking account
of factors such as age, distance of travel, the
presence of others, and type of activity.
Mathew White, from the European Centre for
Environment and Human Health in Truro, Cornwall,
said: 'There is a lot of work on the beneficial
effects of visiting natural environments, but
our findings suggest it is time to move beyond a
simple "urban versus rural" debate and start
looking at the effect that different natural
environments have on people's health and
wellbeing.'
Dr White told the British Psychological
Society’s annual meeting in London that the
feelings of positivity people get when at the
seaside may be 'hard-wired' into their brains.
Another possibility is that people consider the
sea a 'good thing' because they are constantly
told that. Dr White added that there was growing
evidence that positive feelings have an impact
on health.
Minister proud of Lebanon record- 3 million
tourists
Lebanon’s tourism minister said Friday he
expected the number of tourists to the country
at the end of 2012 to exceed 3 million. “I
expect a very good season this year,” Fadi
Abboud said, adding that “investments in tourism
are extremely good despite the fall in the
number of tourists entering Lebanon through
Syria.”
He noted that a 22 percent increase in activity
at Rafik Hariri International Airport during the
first quarter of 2012 suggested significant
improvement in tourism. “We have seen the number
of Saudi tourists soaring from just 4,000
[during the first quarter of 2011] to over
30,000 during the same period this year,” Abboud
added
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