Travel and Tourism Industry News

Boa Vista is not only a haven for sun seekers but also wildlife, from nesting turtles and mating humpback whales to exotic sea birds, lizards and monkeys. A stay at the beach retreat of Parque das Dunas Hotel (www.parquedasdunas.com) provides the perfect base to explore the wildlife wonders of this relatively untouched, sand-dune isle.

Discovered only a few years ago, Ervatao beach on Boa Vista is now the third largest breeding site in the world for loggerhead turtles. With the nesting season taking place between June and September, conservationists, locals and tourists alike are invited to help with the protection and preservation of these ancient creatures.

In fact, day tours are available from Parque das Dunas Hotel over to the south of the island.

Parque das Dunas hotel in Cape Verde

In addition to turtles, guests may also be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of whales in the islet of nearby Sal Rei, a feeding ground for humpback whales. Whale sightings usually take place from February through to May and boat trips are available from the hotel through The Cape Verde Experience’s excursion programme. Read the rest of this entry »

Traveling through Asia can be one of the most memorable and enriching experiences of a lifetime. Travelers seeking unique opportunities can swim with elephants in Thailand, relax in spectacular hot springs and enjoy centuries old wellness treatments in China, dive the coral reefs that surround the islands of the Philippines, master the art of meditation and tea ceremony during a temple stay in Korea, learn traditional Asian cooking styles with top chefs in Japan and Hong Kong, revel in Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage sites or enjoy a romantic dinner while cruising across Singapore’s sky in a cable car.

With an infrastructure that allows easy travel across destinations by plane, ship, car or train, a trip to Asia can cover many destinations and experiences making for a highly rewarding trip. This is the idea behind Discover Asia Now.

Coron in Palawan Philippines

Started in 2008, Discover Asia Now promotes fantastic travel deals and programs to Asia and offers in-depth information on travel to the region under one interactive website: www.discoverasianow.com. Discover Asia Now was developed by nine Asian tourism organizations seeking to promote travel to Asia as a region and helping travelers plan their dream trips; including China National Tourism Office, Hong Kong Tourism Board, India Tourism, Japan National Tourism Organization, Korea Tourism Organization, Macau Government Tourist Office, Philippine Department of Tourism, Singapore Tourism Board, and Tourism Authority of Thailand. Read the rest of this entry »

With plenty of summer holiday bargains still available, long-haul tour operator Tropical Sky (www.tropicalsky.co.uk) has some excellent last minute packages with savings for those still seeking an affordable holiday this July and August. From Barbados to Bali and Mauritius to Malaysia, options include:

EGYPT: Splash Out In Sharm
Depart Gatwick on 24 July for seven nights on a full-board basis at the Ritz Carlton Sharm-El Sheikh from £649 per adult (saving £300) and £299 per child (saving £200). Facilities at this five-star resort include restaurants, four swimming pools, a fitness centre, spa, dive centre and kids’ club.

MAURITIUS: Indulge In An Island Paradise
Depart Heathrow late August and enjoy seven nights on an all-inclusive basis at the Maritim Hotel in Mauritius from £1,095 per adult (saving £304) and £810 per child (saving £100). There’s plenty to keep all entertained, with stunning beaches, watersports and a nine-hole golf course.

CARIBBEAN: Children Stay Free!

With children up to 16 staying for free and one of the best kids’ clubs in the Caribbean, the four-star Almond Resorts in St Lucia and Barbados are great options for families. Both resorts offer excellent facilities including a choice of restaurants, swimming pools and extensive land and watersports. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for the best way to see all of the Big Apple on your next trip?

CitySights NY, the city’s premiere double-decker bus tour company, offers the perfect way to visit all the highlights and iconic attractions New York City has to offer with its All Around Town Tour, which includes an NYC harbor cruise.

CitySights NY’s All Around Town Tour offers guests the best touring value with 48 hours of hop-on, hop-off sightseeing capabilities on its Downtown, Uptown & Harlem, Brooklyn and Night loops.

Guests will see all the amazing attractions of NYC, including Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, Fifth Avenue, Lincoln Center, Central Park, Times Square, Chinatown, the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, and so much more!

Guests can also hop on an exciting harbor cruise on the world famous Circle Line, for 75 minutes of water sightseeing. On this cruise, guests will get to take in spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the stunning Manhattan skyline.

All of CitySights NY’s tours are lead by well trained guides that provide interesting and intriguing narration on all the sights visited. Departure times and locations vary depending on each particular tour.

Tickets for CitySights NY’s All Around Town Tour can be purchased online for a special web price of $49 for adults and $39 for children. Visit www.citysightsny.com for more information and to book tickets.

Winner receives Trip to World’s Largest Book Fair in Frankfurt
and Jump-Start into Professional Writing Career

GuideGecko.com, the innovative publishing platform for travel and lifestyle guides today launches its 2010 International Guidebook Writing Contest. Three winning titles will be showcased at the prestigious Insight Guides booth on the world’s largest book fair in Frankfurt, Germany, and the winner will be flown to the fair to meet and mingle with publishers from all over the world.

From now to September 15, writers worldwide can submit their own guidebooks on www.GuideGecko.com/writing-contest and stand a chance to jump-start into a professional writing career.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to meet international publishers and gain exposure to 299,000 visitors and 10,000 journalists”, says Dr. Daniel Quadt, Founder and Managing Director of GuideGecko. “We are happy to partner with world-famous Insight Guides; showcasing one’s title on their booth is a big boost for any writer.”

The contest is open to casual writers, bloggers and established authors. All travel, food, lifestyle and entertainment guidebooks with a minimum of 32 pages are welcome. Submissions can be new titles as well as existing titles previously published on GuideGecko or elsewhere.

The winning titles will be selected by a jury of guidebook industry veterans. “We have assembled a jury of renowned travel writers and editors with Tom Le Bas, Nicholas Gill, Maralyn Hill and Tim Leffel. Their feedback alone makes it worth to participate”, adds Quadt (jury profiles are included in the appendix).

The jury’s decision is augmented by popular online votes, starting with immediate effect. The submitted guidebooks will be published instantly and listed on GuideGecko’s front page to receive maximum visibility. Viewers can choose to vote for and even order these guidebooks immediately. Participation in the contest is free and the authors receive full royalties and retain their copyrights.

The Frankfurt book fair takes place from October 6-10, 2010. The winner will fly with Lufthansa German Airlines and stay at contest sponsor Maritim Konferenzhotel Darmstadt while in Frankfurt.

Closing date for submission is September 15, and prize winners will be announced on October 1st. For more information, to enter the contest and to place votes, please visit www.guidegecko.com/writing-contest.

From Quidditch matches to the halls of Hogwarts, Universal Orlando Resort’s new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction is the perfect place to celebrate all the magic and kwikspells of the iconic Harry Potter series.

In celebration of Universal’s newest attraction, CheapOair and CheapOstay are offering travel deals to Orlando for all those wizards and muggles looking to get a taste of the Harry Potter World.

With these deals, you can fly roundtrip from Chicago to Orlando for $256* and stay at the Radisson Worldgate Resort for $45** per night.

This airfare deal must be booked by July 31, 2010.

*Airfares include all fuel surcharges, ad valorem tax and CheapOair service fees. Fares exclude government taxes. Sample airfare listed from Chicago to Orlando; additional cities spanning the U.S. are available. Fares and rates are subject to change based on availability. For reservations, please call 866-636-9088 or visit www.CheapOair.com.

**Sample hotel rate listed for travel from July 5, 2010 through July 8, 2010 and is based on availability; additional dates and locations available.

Taxes and service fees not included. For reservations, please call 866-466-8827 or visit www.CheapOStay.com.

On 9th, of July 2010 in Lithuania will start the first shopping festival “Akropolis Kaunas Grand Shopping Festival 2010″. Duration of the first shopping festival “Akropolis Kaunas Grand Shopping Festival 2010″ will be 3 days.

The shopping festival in the Baltic countries will be the first time. It organizes the largest in the Baltic states shopping and entertainment center “Akropolis Kaunas”.

“All over the world have traditionally held festivals shopping. As the largest shopping and entertainment center in the region, we decided to establish a tradition – every year in Kaunas create a real shopping festival for Baltic States, Poland, Kaliningrad and Belarus. Geography Kaunas simply beautiful – from many cities in Latvia, Byelorussia, Russia (Kaliningrad and Pskov regions), Poland separate us no more than 300 kilometers.

Akropolis Mall in Lithuania

The main purpose of the festival to attract shopping shopping fans from all over Eastern Europe, Kaunas present as a viable alternative to the European capitals of fashion and “revive” domestic tourism “, – says the manager of shopping and entertainment center “Akropolis Kaunas”, Vladimir Kononenko. Read the rest of this entry »