Travel Guides

Ionian Weddings, the UK’s only Greek islands wedding specialists made an exciting exclusive addition to its Crete wedding locations portfolio today. Couples now have the unique opportunity to get married on the fascinating island of Spinalonga in Elounda, Crete.

East of England Tourism invites you to participate in a shopping themed and romance/luxury themed trip this December. Escape the crowds of London and visit the vibrant cities of Norwich, Cambridge and Bury St Edmonds and discover what hidden gems they have to offer.

Japan is pleased to announce that the Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau will be exhibiting on the Japan stand at the World Travel Market for the first time in 2008.

Low cost airline, Ryanair has launched new routes this winter into Faro from Glasgow, East Midlands and Liverpool. These services add to the existing routes from London Stanstead, Dublin and Shannon. The winter launch of these new routes is a direct attribution to the attractiveness of the Algarve as a year-round holiday destination.

Malaysia has always been head and shoulders above the rest. From sun-drenched islands with swaying palms, glistening white beaches and azure seas to steamy fragile jungles humming with cicadas and criss-crossed with tinkling streams, this is a land of dreamy contrasts. Long been considered a destination for pleasure seekers, the country has a wide variety of luxurious products on offer, including, golf, spa, weddings and honeymoons and gastronomy.

Visitors from around the world are drawn to the Florida Keys to experience the island chain’s priceless natural resources. Protection of these resources began a century ago — demonstrating the region’s commitment to environmental stewardship — and an anniversary celebration is scheduled on November 15 2008 to commemorate these 100 years of conservation.

PromPeru, The Commission for the Promotion of Peruvian exports and tourism, is showcasing the uniqueness of the Peruvian Amazon at World Travel Market (WTM) 2008 on stand LA3000.

Stunning mountains, atmospheric villages, unique cultural settings – international film crews are always impressed by Vorarlberg’s landscape and on-camera potential. In the new James Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace’, the famous floating stage of the Bregenz Festival on Lake Constance forms the setting for a key scene as Bond runs into his first encounter with his antagonists in seven minutes of thrilling action in the Bregenz Festival Hall and on stage during a performance of the opera Tosca.

Travolaa.com is all about happy travelling and this exciting new one-stop travel website is about to take the pain out of planning holidays. We’re all tired of trawling through countless travel websites – this one for hotel reviews, that one for visa information, another for flights. And that’s all before we’ve booked, what about all the information we need on arrival? Wouldn’t life be so much easier if all that information could be found in one single place? Well now it is…

‘Stars of South Australia’ is a competition created by South Australia, STA Travel and Qantas, offering would be presenters, actors and film makers the chance to win a trip to South Australia which will be filmed by a professional film crew. Their video and web blogs will then be posted on statravel.co.uk during their stay in South Australia, in January 2009.

The East African Countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have agreed among themselves to market the East African Region as a Single Tourist Destination. This has been agreed in order to achieve the objectives of the Community to maximise the benefits of tourism and wildlife in the East African Region as set in the Treaty for the establishment of the East African Community.

Now there is a chance to stay local, save money and feel good about your travelling habits. East London has a host of activities that you can enjoy with family and friends whilst supporting businesses with credible green policies. We are one of the most accessible places to visit; with walking, cycling, busses, boats and trains offering you viable leisure ideas. Here are just a few ideas to get you started.

The Tourism Society’s annual dinner was held at the House of Commons on Thursday 23rd October 2008 and included the presentation of the Society’s annual award by Society President Lord Thurso MP to former mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. The award was given in recognition for his exceptional contribution to the tourism industry.

Shakespeare Country has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards under the ‘Destination Tourism Website of the Year’ category.

The Pocono Mountains – conveniently located within close proximity to New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. – pair championship golf with myriad meetings facilities which offer a wide spectrum of services, settings and amenities. From an afternoon meeting to a weeklong convention, the venerable Pocono Mountains is the ideal location in which to host a successful event.

The recent unveiling of a plethora of exciting new developments means that Dubai is well on track to achieve tourism targets of 15 million tourists per year by 2015.

National tourism quality inspectors have finally unveiled one of the best kept secrets on the UK food map. Food and drink in Durham is among the best in Britain, according to inspectors from Visit Britain, the national tourist board, who tested more than 30 restaurants, café’s, pubs, farm shops and hotels for the launch of a new food quality mark called TasteDurham.

The Sultanate of Oman has launched the world's fastest diesel-powered passenger ferry, directly linking the country's capital Muscat with the northern most peninsula, Musandam. The £16 million ferry named Shinas, after a coastal town in northern Oman, is the first of a fleet of five high-speed vessels that will improve access to the more remote areas of Oman for residents and tourist alike.

If it’s good enough for Her Majesty – it’s good enough for us. The Queen, along with the Duke of Edinburgh, has just embarked on a tour of Slovakia and Slovenia, a duo of Republics that frequently cause confusion amongst the untraveled (George Bush famously got the two mixed up), but are becoming increasingly popular destinations with British tourists.

Former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, was awarded the 2008 Tourism Society Award to mark his recognition of the importance of Tourism to London and his support for the Tourism industry, throughout his term of office as London's first Mayor.

As World Travel Market 2008 fast approaches, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is planning for its biggest and best year yet.

In the heart of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, is the country’s main Wildlife Centre for the care of injured, orphaned and rescued wild animals. Set in the Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary - the city’s only remaining wilderness area - the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre is an animal rescue and rehabilitation facility which also serves as an education centre aiming to teach the city’s children something of the rich variety of Malawi’s fauna.

Geopark Naturtejo has received Portugal’s first Skal International Ecotourism Award, presented at the 69th Skal Global Congress, in Taiwan. The Skal Ecotourism Award recognises the best sustainable tourist programmes in the world. Geopark Naturtejo has been recognised for its consistent work in the areas of nature tourism and sustainable tourism, in line with Centro Region’s Tourism Strategy and the Portuguese National Strategic Plan for Tourism.

A new mini-guide invites everyone to come and enjoy ‘unmissable’ days and nights out in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site and London Docklands this autumn and early next year. Packed full of great ideas for day visits and short breaks, it will ensure you make the most of your time at these historic, yet vibrant locations. This essential guide will help you find the best unmissable things to see and do as well as places to eat, evening entertainment and where to stay.

Following the announcement that more than 108 tonnes of stockpiled elephant ivory in Southern Africa will be auctioned between 28th October and 6th November 2008, fear is mounting that the most vulnerable elephant populations across Africa and Asia will be unable to withstand the increased levels of poaching that are predicted to occur as a result of these sales.

It’s long been a belief of those who live and visit the county but hard facts are now available to prove it - Cornwall is Britain’s favourite holiday destination. TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel community, conducted a poll of over 500 British travellers to find out what they think are the best and worst of Britain’s coastal resorts, lakes, mountains and cities, and Cornwall come out as the clear winner.

John Denver’s “Country Roads Take Me Home” ballad sets the scene for travellers to the American state of West Virginia as a new representation office opens in the UK. Highlighting outdoor adventure, ranging from white water rafting, hiking and mountain biking as well as fishing, golf and driving tours, this relatively unknown state offers stunning and dramatic scenery, particularly in the autumn.

The Polish city of Krakow has been voted as one of the world’s favourite overseas cities by readers of The Guardian, The Observer and guardian.co.uk in the 2008 Travel Awards.

As a beach hut in Southwold goes on sale for £45,000, many are asking 'What's so special about Suffolk?' Despite all the bad news in the property market and fears about the economy plunging into recession, it appears that some things remain priceless. Southwold is a pretty town on the Suffolk coast, chosen this year by Gordon Brown and his family as their holiday destination.