Holiday & Travel

The PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2018 is a three-day niche event with both conference and travel mart components, bringing together public and private sector tourism professionals involved in adventure travel and responsible tourism. Key elements of this annual event are environmental protection and social sustainability with special focus on empowerment of local communities. This is the first Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) event to be held in the UAE and the only event to be staged in West Asia in the last 14 years.

The PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2018 will take place in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Al Ain is one of the world’s oldest permanently inhabited settlements and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for PATA members and for the adventure travel sector at large. Al Ain is a truly fascinating destination with a wealth of culture, heritage and opportunities for adventure travel,” said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy. “Connectivity is easy via the award-winning Abu Dhabi International Airport. Al Ain, together with the surrounding landscape, has so much to offer travellers of all ages. This event provides an exceptional platform for travel trade professionals to learn much more about this compelling city and region.”

Commenting on the selection of Al Ain to host the event, HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, the government body responsible for the promotion of the emirate said: “Abu Dhabi has experienced significant growth in guest arrivals from countries within the PATA region in recent years, especially from India and China, and since joining the association we have been working with PATA members to place greater emphasis on seeding growth in visitor arrivals from these priority source markets.

Australia's new hotel brand, TRIBE Hotel Group (TRIBE), is focused on giving guests everything they need and nothing they don't, in a space that is intelligent and sophisticated with high-end design.

Instead of being something to everyone, TRIBE has been created for tech savvy design lovers and urban explorers, who are meticulous when it comes to where they stay and prudent about what they pay. The result is a hotel that is as stylish as it smart.

Its first location, TRIBE Perth is a nine-storey 126 room hotel in West Perth - next to Kings Park - that will launch on Tuesday, 16 May 2017, with interiors by award-winning architect and interior designer Travis Walton; architecture by Idle Architecture Studio; and brand campaigns shot by Nicole Bentley.

TRIBE Perth has highly functional rooms and shared spaces that are luxurious and contemporary, with cutting edge technology, entertainment and office facilities as standard. Gone are out-dated and unwanted services, inefficient check-in and checkouts, overpriced mini bars and restaurants and room service.

Its luxurious and contemporary living areas – styled by Walton in collaboration with celebrated art director Marsha Golemac – are part collaborative workspace, part social club featuring break out spaces, lounges, an outdoor courtyard and TRIBE Foods. Design details include: lighting by Tom Dixon, Moroso feature chairs, Jean-Paul Gaultier cushions, Febrik upholstered sofas, and an impressively curated collection of work by Australian contemporary artists.

Walton has cleverly crafted the rooms to complement the unique and innovative living areas, all complete with free Wi-Fi, signature queen beds with a custom designed bed base to allow for 'out of the way storage', floor-to-ceiling windows and blackout blinds, and amenities including Nespresso pods and T2. Bathrooms feature rain showers and Kevin Murphy shower products.

2017 has been declared the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the General Assembly of the United Nations. NAUSICAA, (the French National Sea Experience Centre) is fully supporting the initiative and has made it a key subject in a number of presentations, talks and special events in 2017. Each month, NAUSICAA will focus on a different aspect of the topic and invites visitors to learn more about sustainable tourism through its agenda, events and press trips.

Based in Boulogne-sur-Mer on the Opal Coast, Hauts de France, NAUSICAA is uniquely focused on the exploration of the marine environment. With giant aquariums and using the latest technology, NAUSICAA creates an entertaining, educational and scientific setting for discovery.

Here's what's coming up:

April - Marine mammals. Along the coastline of the Hauts de France region you can see more than 20 species of marine mammals including seals, dolphins and even humpback whales. In April NAUSICAA will put citizen sciences in the spotlight to encourage observation and living in harmony.

 6-23 April: 26th Festival of Sea Imagery. A rare chance to see some of the world's most stunning underwater images, admire the wealth of the ocean and gain insight into the importance of preserving it.

15 April: Grand Easter egg hunt. Gather at Le Noirda beach in the charming fishermen's village of Audresselles and help collect conservation data by searching for “mermaids' purses” in a ray egg hunt.

May: NAUSICAA will highlight sustainable tourism and eco-responsible holidays on the Opal Coast. With coastal nature reserves, a regional country park, a marine park, Cap Gris Nez and Cap Blanc - two areas of environmental interest, plus the Somme Bay, this is a region of exceptional natural beauty.

8 June: World Oceans Day. NAUSICAA, is a founding member of establishing this crucial awareness day, and will in particular highlight the level of plastic pollution in the oceans through a range of events, workshops and meetings.

July-August: The Tropics. An exhibition aiming to present ways in which everyone can make a contribution to sustainable tourism.

Throughout the year sustainability will be a permanent showcase in the tropical Mangrove area of the museum. The areas will also welcome new animals such as land hermit crabs, Atlantic mudskippers and Kaho stick insects.

Lodge Hill Bluebells, at Yoxall, Staffordshire, opens in April and will offer bluebell walking trails through 20 acres of mature woodland, a pop-up café, lawn games and plenty of space for families to enjoy time together. It's the latest business to sign up to The National Forest's 'forestlife' campaign.

'Forestlife' is an expression of all the good things to do and see throughout the 200 square miles of the Forest, and what better evocation of woodlands in springtime than a beautiful bluebell wood with its heady scent and carpet of blue?

Dave Garner, of Lodge Hill Bluebells, said: “My wife and I are really excited and proud to be opening up this piece of ancient woodland that was once part of the Needwood forest. We've worked very hard to create a place where the public can enjoy the stunning beauty of rural East Staffordshire, our carpets of bluebells and a slice of delicious cake. Working with The National Forest and the 'forestlife' campaign has further inspired our journey to deliver an amazing day out in the woods for everyone.”

Richard Drakeley, Tourism Development Manager for the National Forest Company, said: “'Forestlife' is a way of capturing the personality of the Forest, this special woodland place. It's about connecting with the landscape and with each other, to discover great places to walk and enjoy different activities. We're encouraging businesses who share this ethos to sign up with us and be part of our 'forestlife' campaign, marketing the Forest as a destination for people locally and nationally to enjoy. Lodge Hill Bluebells is a perfect example of this and we're delighted to welcome them on board.”

Dave and his wife Charlotte have further plans for this attractive corner of The National Forest. In addition to the bluebell woods that provide a wonderful celebration of spring, the couple have created Field & Forest Weddings. This unique wedding venue provides couples with a beautiful natural setting to design their day around a woodland wedding ceremony and Tipi or vintage-style marquee reception.

A regional workshop on sustainable destination management and marketing has ended in Saint Lucia with a commitment by participants to improve the tourism product and stakeholder engagement.

The 27-31 March workshop, organised by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the United Nations agency, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), brought together 26 stakeholders in the tourism industry from 12 CTO member countries to explore ways to make their destinations and the region more globally competitive.

“The workshop is a very pertinent one.  It gives the stakeholders an opportunity to look at sustainable tourism, which is very important to our territories and Caribbean countries,” said Percival Hanley, the general manager of Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society in St. Kitts.

“Tourism is one of the major industries for our countries and very meaningful to our economies, and is one of the growing industries that will significantly affect our area, not just now but well into the future,” he added.

During the five-day seminar, participants shared best practices, including the successes of destinations outside the Caribbean.

It was an eye opener for Elecia Myers, the senior director for strategic planning and evaluation at the Jamaica ministry of tourism, who said she would now look at sustainable destination management and marketing in a more strategic light.

“I’ve been looking at how I can institute systems at the national level to ensure there is follow through within our agencies, and within our stakeholder practitioners – hoteliers, attractions, transport service providers  - how to infuse strategic planning in a more meaning and measurable way so we can track it over time,” she said.

For the Turks and Caicos Islands the sessions were quite important because the country is at the crossroads as to where it wants to go in terms of tourism development, said Brian Been, the senior product development officer at the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board.

“Whenever we talk about sustainability, we tend to lean on the environmental side, and not realise there must be a balanced approach,” he said.

The workshop came at a time when destinations are paying greater attention to product development, and social media is changing the way tourism marketing is done.

Among the key areas explored were innovation in marketing, destination competitiveness, developing sustainable tourism experiences and successful models in destination management and marketing. The participants were also able to take the learning process out of this room and  into the real world by going on study tours to Fond Latisab Creole Park, Lushan Country Life and Sulphur Springs and Volcano for real-life experiences.

“Sustainable destination management and marketing is an area that most of the countries in our region are looking at seriously – how to we effectively market and manage our destinations so we can be globally competitive,” said Bonita Morgan, the CTO’s director of resource mobilization and development.

The executive training workshop was organized by the CTO and the UNWTO through its Themis Foundation, and was held in collaboration with the Saint Lucia ministry of tourism and the board of tourism.

“This UNWTO/CTO workshop main objective was to constitute a participative platform where we all could share experiences and knowledge as well as instruments that can be applied back in participants’ countries, institutions, businesses and destinations. And I believe we have achieved that objective by bridging theory and practice in a very participative workshop,” said Alba Fernández Alonso, the course coordinator at the Themis Foundation, the entity responsible for implementing the UNWTO’s education and training programme.

Experience Corsica at U Palazzu Serenu, a small, high quality hotel perched on the hillside at the foot of the mountain town of Oletta. Set within the confines of a converted, old Corsican palace, its grandeur is further defined by its laid-back comfort and high level service. With just eight rooms, guests will enjoy an intimate and relaxed atmosphere, which perfectly complements the serenity of the surrounding mountain scenery.

The immaculate presentation throughout the hotel is inspired by the owner's love for all things artistic, making it an intriguing and striking place to stay. Each room is large and airy, designed in a minimalist fashion which helps to amplify the art and artefacts on show, which are enjoyed both in the rooms and around the hotel. Facilities include a first-class restaurant with an outdoor dining terrace to take in the views out across to the Gulf of St Florent. Guests will also enjoy access to a large swimming pool which sits beside the sea-view terrace, further presenting the wonderful countryside and coastal vistas.

For those keen to get active there are some fantastic walking opportunities to be had in the undulating landscapes that surround Oletta, while the chic seaside town of St Florent with its harbour and La Roya beach is just a 15-minute drive.

International tourist arrivals to the European Union increased by 4% in 2016, reaching almost 500 million or 40% of the world’s total. This preliminary result is included in the first release of the ‘European Union Short-Term Tourism Trends’, a regular monitoring of EU tourism by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the framework of the cooperation with the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROWTH) of the European Commission (EC).

Despite many challenges facing Europe in 2016, tourism has once again shown extraordinary strength and resilience, reinforcing its contribution to economic growth, job creation and social wellbeing in the European Union (EU-28).

The 28 countries of the EU boasted a solid growth in international tourist arrivals of above 4% in 2016, exceeding the world’s average growth rate, and increasing by 21 million to 499 million. 2016 was the 7th consecutive year of sustained growth for the EU-28 following the 2009 global economic and financial crisis, with 107 million more tourists than the pre-crisis level of 2008.

“Tourism is today one of the key pillars of the EU strategy for jobs and inclusive growth. UNWTO is very pleased to be working alongside the European Commission in monitoring international tourism trends, advance product development and sustainable tourism in Europe”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

There are many offers for camping and caravan holiday lovers in Cornwall this summer and with places like Crantock Beach and Newquay just a car ride away, plenty of fishing lakes, outdoor pools, activity centres and golden-white beaches provide a perfect setting for families, couples and singletons to enjoy the county’s coast.

Available to you are a wide array of award-winning 5-star holiday park that you can read about as they regularly appear in the press, with reviews from international national and regional newspapers, magazines and mum bloggers.

Many of Cornwall’s best beaches are within easy reach, as are lots of Cornwall’s most popular attractions – like parks with mini golf, cafés serving breakfasts, snacks and evening meals and shop selling locally produce, food, toys and gifts.

Cornwell is blessed with a superb location, with everything you need for that perfect holiday break.

Already famed for being the culinary capital of the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands is now set to boldly go where no Caribbean island has gone before and become a new hub for space tourism.

Nestled in the western Caribbean, south of Cuba and west of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands is home to delicious cuisine, rare flora and fauna and the famous Seven Mile Beach with its powdery white sand and crystal clear waters. With over 365 different scuba diving sites many visitors will have explored the incredible underwater world of the islands, but now they will be given the chance to see them from a whole new perspective whilst up in space.

Plans have been approved to develop four major rocket launch pads along Seven Mile Beach allowing visitors to enjoy the highlights of Grand Cayman before heading off above the earth's atmosphere and into space.

A spokesman from the Cayman Aeronautics and Space Administration (CASA) said: “We are extremely excited to be the first Caribbean island to launch this type of tourism.

It is an ambitious project but one that we hope will really take off as a way to attract more people to experience these beautiful islands, both on and above the earth's surface.”

Don McDougall, Regional manager for the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Europe said: “We are always looking for new attractions to offer the thousands of holiday-makers that visit the Cayman Islands every year. Space tourism is something we have always been interested in and the sands of Seven Mile Beach provide the perfect platform for these launch pads.

The launch pads will also be a tourist draw in themselves as there aren't many places in the world where you can be up close to a rocket taking off.”

The project will take four years to complete with the first Cayman Space Tour taking off on 1 April 2021.

An ancient landscape, a language unchanged since King Arthur and countless examples of local folklore: Wales is positively overflowing with history, mythology, legendary people and places. In celebration of Visit Wales' Year of Legends, HF Holidays has created a list of impressive getaways.

Explore the historic Snowdonia National Park and visit picturesque Beddgelert, roughly translated as 'Gelert's Grave'. Steeped in legend, it was named after Llywelyn the Great's heroic dog who saved his baby son from a wolf, but was slain in an unfortunate case of mistaken identity. Stay at the charming Craflwyn Hall, a National Trust property nestled on the edge of Beddgelert village at the foot of mount Snowdon and enjoy guided walks straight from the doorstep.

With the Brecon Beacons National Park offering dramatic scenery it's no wonder it is home to some of Wales' most haunting legends. Stay at charming Nythfa House and go on a series of guided walks including one to to Llyn y Fan Fach, the lake at the bottom of Black Mountain home to the infamous Lady of the Lake.

Discover Northern Snowdonia's best kept secrets, like the Swallow Falls at Betws-y-Coed. Stay at Craflwyn Hall, just outside Beddgelert village, and explore the region on daily mini-bus tours, stopping off to explore on foot along the way. A highlight is the mighty Caenarfon Castle, a World Heritage Norman fortress famous for its legend of The Dream of Macsen Wledig (Magnus Maximus).

With ambitions to welcome 440,000 visitors a year by 2024, the government of Kuwait is pressing ahead with multiple plans that will see billions of dollars invested in projects and a further $1 billion budget earmarked to promote the Gulf state over the same period.

Plans are in place to establish a Supreme Commission for Tourism to initiate its tourism strategy as the country prepares to showcase at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2017, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre 24-27 April.

A number of mega-projects will share the multi-billion dollar development budget, including: Madinat Al Hareer and Silk City, a proposed mega-development in the country’s north; the expansion of Kuwait International Airport, reaching 25 million passenger per year capacity by 2025; and cultural attractions such as Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Islamic Centre.

Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM, said: “Kuwait is evolving into a multifaceted destination with many things to offer both corporate and leisure visitors. The government is making huge investments at a crucial time for the country’s development and, in channeling significant funds into tourism infrastructure, leisure developments and lifestyle destinations, in the long-term Kuwait is telling the world it’s very much open for business.”

According to figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism investment in Kuwait is set to rise 1.5% per annum over the next ten years to KWD135.6 million in 2027.

The latest Colliers International Kuwait Hospitality Market Snapshot, reports 70% of visitors arrived in Kuwait as corporate travelers in 2016, with the country’s leisure industry comprising only 6% of total arrivals - hotel performance declined 6% overall for the year as a result. Business spending also suffered losses, falling 2.4% over the course of the year.

Key hotel performance indicators showed slight declines in 2016 with ADR down 2.3%, RevPAR down 4.8% and occupancy down 2.6%.

Performance is forecast for strong recovery in 2017 with continued growth to 2026, reaching values of KWD501.3 million. Leisure travel spending is expected rise by 4.5% per annum to KWD1,939.1 million in 2026, following an annual growth rate of 8.7% in 2016.

Press said: “Kuwait is actively working to diversify its guest segmentation and that will be important to securing the projected levels of growth over the coming years. We expect to see a corresponding diversification in hotel stock as more leisure, health and wellness tourists discover the country’s unique offerings.”

This year, ATM will host a number of exhibitors from Kuwait, including the Ministry of Information – Tourism Sector, Holidays Arabia, Kuwait Hotel Owners Association, Kuwait Tourism and Services.

ATM - considered by many industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector – witnessed a year-on-year visitor attendance increase of 9% to over 28,500 in 2016, with 2,785 exhibiting companies, signing business deals worth more than US$ 2.5 billion over four days.

ATM 2017 will build on its success with the announcement of an additional hall as Reed Travel Exhibitions looks to add to its record-breaking achievements of 2016.

With spring in the air and the long Easter weekend just around the corner, and as the days get warmer and the evenings lighter, sleep under the stars in a safari style canvas tent close to Brecon Beacons National Park, on the Welsh/English border.

This two bed tent sleeps four comfortably with room for two dogs; as well as offering a spacious living room and kitchenette with all the necessary amenities.

This fisherman's cottage, in the heart of popular sea-side town Whitstable, is just a moment's walk from the pebbled sea front.  The three bed cottage has a decked garden with a BBQ and Summerhouse which makes an ideal playroom for young children. Vintage shops, cafés and an abundance of art galleries means there's lots to do come rain or shine.

In the pretty English village of Wittersham, inland from the coastal town of Rye, Prospect Cottage is a lovingly converted barn full of character, with exposed beams and two guest rooms nestled in the eaves. Located a stone's throw from Hope Farm, guests of the cottage can attend the annual local Young Farmer's lambing day on Easter Sunday.*

Enjoy a themed spring break in the colorful Czech Republic’s capital city of Prague as the Bohemian city morphs into Easter Central.

At the heart of the activities are the city’s famous Easter markets. Between April 1 and 23, Prague’s annual Easter markets fill three of the city’s main squares: Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square and the Square of the Republic.

In Old Town Square, more than 90 wooden huts offer traditional Czech products, including beautifully decorated Easter eggs, wooden toys and puppets, lace, Easter decorations, glassware and jewelry. Others show how traditional foods are made while large hams are roasted on spits, sausages are barbecued, and cakes and pastries prepared. Plus, of course, there will be huts selling bottles of Pilsner and Budvar Czech beer.

The Easter cultural program that runs alongside includes music and dance performances, demonstrations of arts and crafts and children’s workshops.

After a day browsing the markets, guests can languish in the luxurious accommodation at the five-star Corinthia Hotel Prague, which has made the trip easier by offering a spring package for Easter adventurers.

Corinthia Hotel Prague guests will be welcomed with the traditional chocolate Easter eggs and a bottle of sparkling wine.

Birmingham Airport joins UK Airports Bristol, Edinburgh and Manchester airports by implementing BlipTrack queue management technology from BLIP Systems. The sensor-based solution helps the airport to improve resource planning and to ease travelers minds with accurate line wait times.

With more than 11 million passengers in 2016, the busiest year in the airports history, Birmingham Airport realised that they needed a solution to accurately measure queues and predict wait times. After reviewing several systems, the airport enlisted the expertise of software specialists Gentrack to implement the sensor-agnostic BlipTrack solution.

“Birmingham Airport engaged with BLIP Systems, following a competitive tender process. During the evaluation of technological solutions, we met with a number of existing BLIP Systems´ customers, who had implemented BlipTrack in similar successful projects”, says Chris Wilson, Head of Terminal Operations at Birmingham.

Operationally, the airport uses, among other things, the data to monitor line density in real-time, which allows management to respond promptly and effectively to irregular operations and disruptions, such as opening additional lines. It enables the airport to comply with service-level agreements, and to evaluate and challenge key performance indicators with great accuracy. In addition, the live wait time information is shared with passengers on screens, to improve the travel experience, with hopefully more satisfied and recurring passengers as a result.

“The solution is used at the north immigration hall to measure and predict the wait time at the UK Border. The data really helps to understand the actual wait time for the border, and helps discussion with the UKBF (United Kingdom Border Force) planning team and resourcing plans for the future. By sharing the information on screens, we help reduce passenger frustration by creating realistic wait time expectations. It makes the passengers feel more relaxed and helps them to better plan the final elements of their journey as well as onward travel,” continues Chris Wilson.

“Today, many airports display wait times to their passengers. Typically, this is done by measuring dwell times of people leaving the line. However, these “historic” times may not be accurate for those entering the line, especially if the number of people suddenly changes or more lines open up. BlipTrack combines and analyses both the number of people in line and the average throughput of the area. With these two measurements, accurate wait times can be displayed,” explains Christian Bugislaus Carstens, Marketing Manager at BLIP Systems.

The solution works by placing dedicated Bluetooth/WiFi sensors. The sensors detect mobiles devices, such as smartphones and tablets. By identifying the devices at multiple sensors, specific and accurate statistical information, such as travel times, dwell times and movement patterns become available, without interaction from the travellers.

“It´s been an excellent project with great support from the design, installation and technical team. The BLIP Systems´ team are a credit to the organisation and have helped the airport immensely, with data analysis and reporting. Moving forward, we have plans to continue the project to incorporate other areas, such as the southbound security and immigration,” ends Chris Wilson.

Internationally, more than 25 international airports use the technology, including Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, JFK Airport in New York, Copenhagen, Dublin, Oslo, Geneva, Brussels, Cincinnati and Auckland. BlipTrack is also implemented in optimization efforts in road traffic in Portsmouth, Bangkok, Zürich and Stockholm. In recent years, the solution has been rolled out in train stations, ports, ski resorts, amusement parks, and at events all over the world.