Travel Site Partners

Dec

SCOTLAND RETAINS HUGE AMBITIONS DESPITE DECREASES

Despite the signs not looking good and visitor figures being down, Scotland aims to increase its revenue from tourism by 50% by 2015.

The first half of 2011 has made for miserable reading for the Scottish tourism board. Indeed, the whole industry is 17% down on the previous year despite a 5% general rise in the UK as a whole.

These depressing figures and comparisons have led to an ultimatum by the head of national tourism. Scotland has 3 years to change the face of its tourism sector before it ends up lagging behind even further.

Full article here…

No
Comments

Tags:
Scotland, Scotland Retains

Posted in Trip Planner

Dec

Auckland kicking goals

The Mercer 2011 Quality of Living Survey has ranked Auckland the third most liveable city in the world, following European cities of Vienna and Zurich.

Last year placed fourth, New Zealands harbour side city was credited for a good surrounding environment of parks and beaches and a wide selection of restaurants.

This is an outstanding result for the destination. Auckland has performed consistently well in this survey, but to jump to third spot and be the only Southern Hemisphere city ranked in the worlds top 10 is an excellent achievement, Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED) manager Jason Hill said.

Auckland was on show with the recent Rugby World Cup 2011, which saw the region enjoy a strong growth in visitor numbers of 28 per cent in September and October compared to last year.

Full article here…

No
Comments

Tags:
Auckland, Auckland Kicking

Posted in Travel Advisory

Dec

Report: Hotel Guests in Europe Want Free Internet; More Security

Freud probably didn’t ask it, but people in the industry are always wondering: What do travelers want in their hotels?

We finally have some answers: According to a recent pan-European survey from Choice Hotels, hoteliers in the region say what their business travelers want most are free wireless or Internet services (90 percent) and 24-hour security and desk support (60 percent).

After Wi-Fi and security, just under half (49 percent) of hoteliers polled believed business travelers highly valued a late check-in or early check-out and 37 percent said an on-site restaurant was another crucial amenity.

Full article here…

No
Comments

Tags:
Want, Want Free

Posted in Travel Quotes

Dec

American Express Meetings & Events Announces Its Forecast Showing an Expected Increase in Number of Meetings Planned in 2012

Meetings demand globally in 2012 appears to be on the rise, according to a recent survey and in-depth interviews of meeting experts, including planners, buyers and hotel suppliers based around the world conducted by American Express Meetings & Events. Of the meeting planners surveyed, 42% of North American, 50% of Latin American, 51% of European and 57% of Asian respondents see signs of increased activity from their clients.

Full article here…

No
Comments

Tags:
2012

Posted in Trip Planner

Dec

Tallinn, Estonia – Why You Should Go Now!

Its amazing how many assumptions we have about places weve never been to before, all thanks to TV, media and where we were raised.

Tallinn in Estonia was for me one of those places

One of my favorite Swedish comedy movies is about a bunch of old single men going to Tallinn to bring home a girlfriend/wife.

Because of this silly movie I used to think that was what Tallinn was about, but I realized very quickly how wrong I was, and actually felt a little embarrassed by my judgments.

Although Tallinn indeed had many gentlemen cafes and bars tucked into the backstreets, the UNESCO world heritage city had so much more to offer.

The Medieval Town

The Old Town was one of the most beautiful and well preserved medieval towns Ive seen – and believe me, during the Europe Train Challenge weve seen A LOT of old towns..!

Founded in the 12th century, the city with its ancient city walls, high church spires and red roof tops was an irresistible sight.

Walking around on the cobble stoned streets and alleyways lined with medieval houses in mixes of German, Russian, Swedish and Danish architecture, you felt as though you had taken a step back in time.

To add to the experience, shop keepers and restaurant waiters were all dressed up in medieval outfits. Some pe

Full article here…

No
Comments

Tags:
Estonia, Estonia Why

Posted in Travel Advisory