Thomson Sport has been appointed one of the official tour operators for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, enabling it to sell travel packages including match tickets.The football championships kick off in Johannesburg on June 11 and matches will be played in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Manguang/Bloemfontein, Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Rustenburg and Tshwane/Pretoria.The final will take place on July 11,...more
Tighter controls on cruise ships are being called for after the inexperienced captain of a tourist vessel almost caused a Titanic-like disaster in the Antarctic.A report into the sinking of the MV Explorer found that an 'inexperienced and overconfident' captain drove the ship too fast towards 'a wall of ice', according to The Independent.The fact that no-one died in the incident was put down to good fortune and unusually benign weather by...more
Britain's leading travel companies have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer demanding an end to Air Passenger Duty (APD) and better financial protection for airline passengers.The letter, from ABTA to Alistair Darling, includes a 5-point plan to help British holidaymakers and travel firms survive the recession. According to recent surveys, the economic downturn means 15% fewer Britons will travel abroad this year. Travel companies believe that the planned rise in APD, up from £5 to £10 on short-haul flights and from £10 to £40 on long-haul trips, will prevent even more people from taking a foreign holiday this year.The travel industry fears that Mr Darling will confirm a further increase in APD by between £12 and £85 per person per flight in his Budget on April 22.In the letter, sent last week, ABTA has asked Mr Darling to consider scrapping, or at least cutting, APD.ABTA has also urged the government to provide financial protection for airline customers. At the moment, only those travelling on a package holiday are guaranteed to get their money back if an airline goes bust, while those who book direct with an airline risk losing their money and being stranded abroad....more
Leaving the holiday plans of dozens of Britons in tatters. Though the administrators, Ernst & Young, have promised cruises on Hebridean Princess will continue as planned, an early pledge by the cruise company to refund passengers booked on a larger ship, the Hebridean Spirit, has been withdraw.The 98-passenger Hebridean Spirit was sold in March,...more
More than a third of 1,500 people polled by online travel agency On the Beach planned to downgrade their hotel this year, while half said they would cut back on excursions, water sports and trips to theme parks.Almost a third said they would take just one week away this summer instead of the traditional two-week break. Only one in 10 people said...more
Avis is to become the first car rental firm to charge customers for no shows.Those who don't cancel prior to the allocated pick up time, or don't turn up within 24 hours thereafter, will be charged £40.The charges will start to apply to Avis rental locations across Europe throughout this year. Customers will be asked for a form of payment at the time of booking.Group commercial director Wolfgang Neumann attempted to justify the charges by pointing out that hotel already charge customers for no-shows unless they cancel reservation in advance."We are taking this action to improve vehicle availability for our customers, particularly during peak season, and to use our fleet more cost effectively. "Charges for cancelling a rental booking are 100% avoidable if customers think ahead and that's something we believe this measure will encourage them to do."It is also a fairer system for customers who diligently collect their cars and simply echoes standard practices across the rest of the travel industry."Avis pointed out that customers can still cancel reservations without charge, up until the reserved pick-up time.Of course, some travellers are prevented from collected their hire car...more
Britons have been warned not to travel to Bangkok after the Thailand government declared a state of emergency in the capital city.The UK Foreign Office urged anyone planning a trip to 'urgently review their plans' after gangs of anti-government...more
Dubai Real Estate market has been popular among one of the top real estate investors in the world today. Discovery Gardens, International City and Dubai Sports City has made a global impact on the world real estate market and there by attracting...more
Rome is one of the most historic cities in the world, with museums and monuments that date back for thousands of years. Finding holidays apartments in Rome can be accomplished by using a service that offers apartments around the city. With apartments...more
Going on a vacation is, for most people, something they look forward to and plan for upwards of a year. The thought of anything going wrong is cause for much anxiety. Sometimes in peoples desire to book the "foolproof" vacation they out smart...more
Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of renting a private residence for their vacation, although with a little help they could and should be. Here are a few tips on how to over come some concerns about how and why renting private homes in...more
With the contemporary emphasis on the Middle East, Arabic Translation, transcription and editing have become big business. Unfortunately, a large percentage of the translations produced are at best inaccurate, and in many cases incomprehensible,...more