TravelandTourismNews.com

The luxurious Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg, Russia – owned and operated by the legendary Orient-Express, has re-opened ten historic suites after a painstaking restoration project.

Located on the hotel’s Historic Floor, each suite has its own Russian historic name, with an interior to match, and reflects the rich history of both the hotel and St. Petersburg. Themes include Pavarotti, Stravinsky, Faberge and Romanov.

All of the suites are spacious, with an area of 55 to 97 square metres and 4.3 metre-high ceilings.

Each has a vestibule, a living room, a bedroom and a large bathroom. Their windows look out onto the most picturesque spot in the historic centre of St. Petersburg – Arts Square, with its monument dedicated to the great poet, Alexander Pushkin, and the building of the Noble Assembly.

The historic suites have retained their original 19th century features and style, thanks to restoration work carried out by French designer Michel Jouannet, who is renowned for his work at Hotel Cipriani in Venice and the Copacabana Palace in Rio-de-Janeiro.

The Grand Hotel Europe is classified as a national and cultural landmark and is under a preservation order as a historical monument. Read the rest of this entry »

The political instability and street demonstrations early this year have adversely affected Thailand’s lucrative tourism industry as visitor arrivals in the first four months totalled 4.7 million, down 14.7 percent compared to the same period last year.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said that while most markets showed varying rates of decline, arrivals from the Middle East grew by almost 11.5 percent and arrivals from South Asia were up 3.6 percent.

In 2008, Thailand welcomed about 14.59 million international visitors, a growth of only 0.88 per cent, and for 2009, it has scaled down its target to 13.3 million and 14 million in 2010.

In a statement today, TAT said as part of efforts to expedite the revival of the Thai travel and tourism industry, the Thai government had agreed to extend the exemption of the fee for tourist visa applications until March 4, 2010.

Thailand presently gives a visa on arrival for citizens of 20 countries for a stay not exceeding 15 days, while citizens of another 42 countries are allowed visa-free stay of not more than 30 days.

TAT chairman Weerasak Kowsurat said as a result of the global economic downturn, the worldwide travel and tourism sector had declined as people became more cautious about spending on leisure and business travel. Read the rest of this entry »

The Davao Region Tourism Council and the Department of Tourism in Region (DOT) here are now on their all out efforts for hosting the biggest Mindanao Travel and Tour Expo (MTTE 2009) on August 20-22 at Davao Convention and Trade Center.

Araceli Ayuste, president of the Davao del Norte Provincial Tourism Council and secretary of the Davao Region Tourism Council, said the three-day expo is the biggest tourism event in Mindanao that is timed during the holding of Davao City’s Kadayawan Festival.

Ayuste said the event will also highlight the launching of the tourism road map indicating connectivity of destinations in Mindanao.

She said it is multi-faceted, multi-event exposition of Mindanao’s tourism and related industries as it promotes travel to Mindanao’s best tourist destinations. It is also designed to generate tourism related jobs and employment opportunities and tourism investments.

The expo, she said, will be backed with a job fair in coordination with the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), Regional Ecotourism Committee, Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Board of Investment (BOI) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (PCCCII).

She said the Mindanao Tourism and Transport Highway Map will be mounted right at the center of the venue where the scale model of the relief map will show destinations around Mindanao and its connectivity from island to highland destinations. The road map will also be uploaded in a designated website that is still being worked out. Read the rest of this entry »

WAC Travel, specialists in luxury tailor-made adventure vacations have launched a new website, solely dedicated to special offers.

Tortribe, or http://www.tortribe.com offers clients the same tailor-made service, private touring, and luxury boutique hotels they have become accustomed to, but at substantial savings, ranging from 10% to 40%.

Tortribe makes it quick and easy for the discerning vacationer to go online and with a single click acquire a tailor-made itinerary with a new adventure every day, all the while in the lap of luxury.

With prices starting at $1,250 for an adventure weekend in Telluride for a single traveler (down by 25%); to $14,205 for a family of 4 taking a malaria-free safari in Africa (down by 20%). Prices include everything from flights, to activities and transfers – all details arranged by the experts, for a hassle-free vacation.

Included in the offering is a 20% discount at Anedodi, WAC Travel’s new luxury eco-lodge in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Prices for 10 people booking the lodge exclusively start at $319 per person per week during Fall.

‘This is my favorite time to visit the Ozark Mountains’ says founder Michael Altman, ‘the weather is warm and sunny, the water smooth – and the fall foliage colors are magnificent!’.

for more, see: http://www.tortribe.com

WAC Travel, specialists in luxury tailor-made adventure vacations are launching a luxury eco-lodge in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.

The first of its kind in the Ozarks, the lodge will combine high-end features, such as double rainfall showers, egg baths, and woven circular daybeds with eco-features like dual flush toilets, recycled tiles, reclaimed wood furniture, bamboo bedding, and organic towels.

Named ‘Anedodi’ (meaning ‘adventure’ in Cherokee), the lodge offers numerous adventure activities: From water skiing, wake boarding, and knee boarding on Lake Norfork, to fishing some of the best trout rivers in the country.

Nearby, the Buffalo River National Park offers opportunities for hiking along riverbeds to find waterfalls and floating the river by canoe or kayak. Rock climbing is another big attraction, with over 1,000 established routes through the Ozark sandstone.

For more, see: http://www.anedodi.com

Since the beginning of time, people have flocked to the water for medicinal and spiritual reasons. What’s in your memory of summers gone by?

It seems for all of us there is that memory of a sapphire-blue swimming pool or the teasing ocean rush. We laid in the sun working on our tan, sat in the shade reading a wonderful book, walked the water’s edge searching for seashells or simply played like a fish.

There is still time to visit one of these fabulous all-inclusive resorts where you will be WOWED by their beach or pool.

Take a trip to ResortCompete – they have the largest collection of all-inclusive resorts on the web, over 700+- where you will find these top resorts to sooth your soul this summer.

Here are ResortCompete Specialists top recommendations:

Grand Velas All Suites and Spa Resort
Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico – The impression of an unending horizon is yours as you soak in the impressive 23,000 square foot infinity pool at the Grand Velas Resort. Or perhaps you’d prefer the warmth of the infinity Jacuzzi, available to guests aged 18 and up; a plunge in either provides a view that seems to reach right out into beautiful Banderas Bay, and beyond. Have a bite to eat in the poolside restaurant, or let teams of waiters bring you tropical drink concoctions as you bask in the sun.

Read the rest of this entry »

Canada Tourism News – Total spending on tourism in Canada declined by 1.3 percent in the first quarter of 2009, constituting the third consecutive quarterly fall of this industry, government agency Statistics reported Monday.

Tourism spending measures the cumulative expenditures by both travelers from abroad and Canadians. Three consecutive quarterly drops last occurred in Canada in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, when the tourism industry experienced a major decline.

Tourism spending has declined a cumulative 2.4 percent so far in the current downturn, the report said.

Spending by visitors from abroad fell by 5.7 percent in the first quarter of 2009, the sharpest decline since just after the SARS outbreak in the second quarter of 2003.

These travelers spent less on all tourism commodities, Statistics Canada reported.

Among this group, consumption of vehicle fuel was down 10.3 percent, and spending on food and beverages fell 8.0 percent.

These drops could be driven in part by declining numbers of U.S. visitors.

Meanwhile, tourism spending by Canadians fell slightly by 0.1 percent in the quarter. Canadians flew less, as spending on air transportation fell 2.3 percent. Read the rest of this entry »