Travel Guides

The beautiful Caribbean island of St. Lucia has once again achieved the prestigious accolade of the ‘World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’ by the World Travel Awards 2008. St. Lucia’s spectacular rainforests, world famous Pitons, sparkling turquoise waters, friendly Caribbean vibe and soft, sandy beaches as well as their world class resorts, makes it a perfect choice for romantic honeymoons.

Yemen’s delegation to London’s World Travel Market was busy this year. Including the six tour operators already offering trips to Yemen, there are now twenty British companies planning programmes for 2009 and Yemeni operators will be hosting a series of study tours in January and February next year.

A new children’s book has hit the shelves in time for Christmas called P is for Poland. The book, aimed at 6 to 10 year olds, is the work of Prodeepta Das who hopes to educate youngsters about Poland and its rich cultural heritage.

Anti-government protests in Thailand have had a huge impact on the travel industry with 860,000 British travellers having visited last year. Gold Medal Travel Group estimates that it has around 1000 customers travelling to Bangkok every week which has left them busy salvaging travel plans for hundreds of anxious travellers.

English and Welsh wine enthusiasts are in for a treat. A Guide to the Wines of England & Wales has just been published and is now available in all good bookshops and on line retailers. Packed with up to date information and a wealth of illustrations, this new book provides a topical and unique insight in to the English and Welsh wine industry.

Tourism officials in Yorkshire are excited to announce that the 20th Enjoy England Awards for Excellence will be held in Yorkshire in 2009. This is only the second time that the awards will have been held outside of London.

From impressive city skylines with its contrasting architecture to its picturesque rolling countryside, Pennsylvania is the stunning backdrop for many popular and iconic films we know and recognise. The recently filmed Marley & Me and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen are the latest additions to over 150 films made across the state.

Following its great success in 2008, "Kyoto Winter Special" is coming back this winter, with more special deals and events for you to enjoy. From 1st December 2008 until 31st March 2009 you’ll be able to experience traditional culture hands-on, and savour exceptional Kyoto cuisine.

Approximately 60 million people travel alone each year and many of these people are women. Travelling alone can be a daunting prospect for many women and concerns over safety maybe a primary concern. If you are planning on travelling alone, here are some safety tips from Buddies4travel.co.uk.

Globally known and admired for its pristine beaches, relaxing environment and world-class attractions, Jamaica is keen to let the world know sustainable tourism is high on the agenda. The idyllic Caribbean island boasts developed sustainable tourism initiatives that focus on community programmes, eco-friendly attractions and socially responsible accommodation offerings.

The city of São Luís was recently declared Brazilian Capital of Culture for 2009 by the International Bureau of Capitals of Culture (IBOCC). It was selected by a jury composed of representatives from the Brazilian Culture and Tourism Ministries, from previous cultural capitals and from the bureau itself.

Holiday-Rentals has launched a redesigned website, following extensive market research and input by travellers and holiday homeowners. The new layout and improved navigation, combined with the site’s Rental Guarantee and guest reviews provides travellers with the quickest, simplest and most secure way of finding a private holiday home and once again raises the standards in this fast-growing sector of the travel market.

Las Vegas is famous for being the “Entertainment Capital of the World” and each year many travellers are drawn to the bright lights and excitement. Too few, however, are aware of the spectacular desert landscape that surrounds the city in the stunning state of Nevada. Las Vegas is the perfect gateway and after spending time enjoying the sights and sounds of this fun-filled city, why not rent a car and head off to explore the desert?

Leading online hotels reservations site, EasyToBook.com recently conducted a survey amongst its users. When asked, which celebrity would you refuse to sleep with in a hotel for £1 million? The majority of EasyToBook.com users agreed, Ozzie Ozbourne was the most repellent male and Anne Widdecombe was the biggest female turn off.

America’s President-elect Barack Obama and his family have made Chicago their home, and the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau welcomes visitors to experience “Presidential Chicago.”

A TripAdvisor survey of nearly 9,000 worldwide travellers has revealed the British are amongst the most annoying travellers in the world. With American travellers topping the list (18%), followed by those from France (12%) and Germany (10%), British and Chinese travellers (equal 6%) complete the roll call of the five most annoying nationalities.

Bristol is increasingly being acknowledged as one of Europe’s greenest destinations, having been chosen as the only city in the UK to be short-listed for the European Green Capital Award.

A Cornish luxury holiday cottage agency, which started life with just a handful of properties, is looking forward to a very bright future after moving to new offices to keep pace with demand for its holiday homes.

According to a leading website for hotels and travel in Russia, St. Petersburg is the tourist’s first choice of destination in the world’s largest country. destinationRussia.com says apart from being the number one choice on the travel agenda, St. Petersburg can also boast some amazing hidden attractions.

Rapidly expanding ferry company LD Lines plans to introduce a major new travel option for cross channel ferry passengers in 2009, as for the first time it will be linking the Port of Dover, the world’s busiest passenger port, with the Port of Dieppe.

Leading foreign exchange specialist, International Currency Exchange (ICE), is supporting a Help the Aged drive to collect left over foreign currency which is then converted to go towards the Charity’s isolation services. Championed by Noel Edmonds’ Sky TV show, ‘Noel’s HQ’, the Help the Aged drive aims to fund a wide range of services for older people including transport through the SeniorMobility service and the immediate telephone response SeniorLink alarm service.

The best of the South West were celebrating on Monday night (24th November 2008) at the South West Tourism Excellence Awards - and among them were twelve businesses from Cornwall. Having already reigned supreme in the Cornwall Tourism Awards last month the businesses earned a place in the regional awards and raised the flag for Cornwall with honours in no less than 12 of the 15 award categories.

Russ Kidger couldn’t believe his luck when he was told that he had won back the cost of his holiday after booking a romantic break in Yorkshire using the internet. After arranging the surprise weekend away for himself and his girlfriend he was delighted to discover that his city break would cost him nothing!

The Isle of Barra, often referred to as the ‘Jewel of the Hebrides’, is second to none for landscape and breathtaking views but is often overlooked in favour of its more popular cousins, such as the Isle of Skye. Completely remote, Barra - on the southern tip of the Outer Hebrides - is a wonderful escape for anyone looking to really get away from it all.

“The new Paris Ile-de-France” advertising campaign has just been unveiled in London as well as in 12 other European cities. Its goal is to spark the immediate desire to go – or go back – to Paris Ile-de-France to make the most of the region’s events and cultural offering. The campaign places particular emphasis on the destination’s ease of access via high-speed train.

An area the size of France with 11 regions, each one unique, there is much more to New York than the Big Apple.

Alberta has an exceptional array of culinary products, talent, and restaurants throughout the province that constantly please, surprise and delight diners. In October, Ryan Rivard, from Banff, was named Restaurateur of the Year in Western Living Magazine’s Top 40 (Under 40).

The cruise news and review site, CruiseCritic.co.uk has conducted a worldwide survey of more than 2000 cruise travellers on how the economic downturn might be affecting their plans for the coming year. Contrary to some of the dire predictions of rough times ahead for the cruise industry, only 13 percent of respondents said that they won’t be going on a cruise because they can’t afford it, while 23 percent said that their cruise plans were unaffected.

Salmon have been spotted in Miller Creek, Seattle, for the first time in 60 years. The decline of the salmon was due to the creek being so polluted that salmon could not swim up it properly or create a proper breeding ground with tires and concrete blocks in the way.