Holiday & Travel

Love is in the air as the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba stages its third annual festival celebrating that emotion in all its forms. Now expanded and moved to a new, larger venue, The Love Festival will be staged on July 29-31, offering entertainment across three days instead of two as in previous years. Organisers says this is a festival where it is all about love – love for each other, love for the universe and love of dance music.

The leader of one of the world’s leading resort companies will outline a vision for Caribbean tourism as he sets the tone for the region’s most important tourism gatherings, the State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC). The chief executive officer of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart, will deliver the keynote address at the 14-16 September event in Barbados, chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Barbados’ minister of tourism and international transport Richard Sealy announced.

The new home of luxury travel in Martinique, French Coco, opened July 1, 2016, beginning a new era of upscale hospitality in The Isle of Flowers. Expressly designed to blend elegance and comfort with nature and the colorful Creole spirit of Tartane, the small fishing village where the hotel is located, French Coco debuts with a four-star rating and membership in the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels Of The World.

Exclusive five-star Phuket hideaway Paresa is embracing the spirit of one of the Asia's most exciting and colourful events, with a package combining the island's annual Vegetarian Festival with a gourmet Vegetarian tasting menu and classes in Thai vegetarian street cooking. Paresa will also offer a guided tour of the festival in Phuket's 'Old Town' and a visit to a colourful local market accompanied by Paresa's chef to select ingredients for the cookery masterclass.

The wilds of Sri Lanka's deep South are not for the faint-hearted. With its rough patchwork of terrain and the animals that roam the depths of its many national parks, it makes for a thrilling getaway that caters to every kind of traveller. In keeping with its trend of innovation in tourism, Jetwing now provides a luxurious collection of tents situated within the bounds of the renowned Jetwing Yala that acts as a perfect base to explore this captivating region.

POP, the new low-cost, long-haul airline, is aiming to be the only current operator of non-stop flights between the UK and two of India’s key secondary cities - Amritsar (Punjab) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat). The Punjabi and Gujarati communities in both the UK and India have a long history of maintaining strong family connections, and weddings in particular are occasions when special efforts are made by families to come together. By offering low-cost, non-stop flights between the UK and Indian-based branches of these families, POP will be making it much easier for guests to attend such occasions in whichever country they are held.

To most, Wellawaya is a central town that is passed through en route to other popular traveler destinations along the East Coast or in the deep South. Jetwing Kaduruketha, one of the family's newest hotels and their first agro-tourism property, is looking to change that. Located 208 km away from Colombo and 30 km from Ella, Wellawaya is rife with natural wonders and a rich history with its landscape dotted by religious and cultural landmarks.

Expanding Chinese carrier Tianjin Airlines is celebrating its first flight from the UK to China which departed from Gatwick on Saturday 25 June 2016. Tianjin Airlines' first ever UK route flies from London Gatwick to Chongqing and Tianjin in China. The new service will operate every Wednesday and Saturday on an Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 18 business class and 242 economy class seats. The total flight time will be 11.5 hours to Chongqing and 17 hours to Tianjin.

Located in the heart of the South Pacific between New Zealand and Hawaii, Samoa is the first country on earth to see the rising sun. With an average temperature of 27 degrees, turquoise blue waters, coral reefs, palms, lush rainforests, fertile grounds as well as beaches straight out of a picture book, Samoa is a discoverers paradise which seduces visitors to a longtime stay.  For example, the author of “Treasure Island” could not wait for the next streamer to arrive but ended up staying for the rest of his life and is buried there, too.

In Shakespeare's 400th anniversary year, what better location to enjoy Hamlet than against the dramatic backdrop of Kronborg Castle in Helsingor (also known as Elsinore) in Denmark, which is where this most popular of Shakespeare's plays was set.  This year, from 1st – 21st August, the castle, which is now a UNESCO heritage site, is hosting its famous Shakespeare Festival with some of the world's leading theatre companies staging a number of Shakespearean productions.  

One of the wonders of living in a tiny island nation is that the perfect getaway is not too far away.  Sri Lanka caters to your every holiday mood and what better way to spend your vacation than to entail in the pristine blue waters and golden sandy beaches in the South. Passing the most popular traveler destination of Galle is Matara, home to the famous Polhena Beach. Situated not too far away from the town is Amaloh by Jetwing, which is the perfect blend of comfort and extravagance, coupled with a sense of escapism in view of the breathtaking Indian Ocean.

The changing seasons in Kyoto bring boundless joy for the city's visitors each year.  As the calendar pages turn from September through to December, koyo (meaning 'colourful leaves') transform the region's autumnal vistas, just as the cherry blossoms light up the area in spring. For centuries, large numbers of travellers have visited Kyoto to take in this spectacular array of russet tones scattered across the mountains, parks and streets.

Mauritius is in the top ten best photos taken by the famous French photographer and environmentalist, Yann Arthus Bertrand. The lagoon of Le Morne in the southwest of the island, is quoted in this list present on the website “Journée mondiale de l'océan.”

Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort & Spa in Malaysian Borneo invites guests to enjoy the most important meal of the day with the ultimate breath-taking view, overlooking the majestic Mount Kinabalu and lush Bornean coastline. The 'Breakfast with a View' package invites guests to trek through the Bornean jungle, 90 metres above sea-level, to enjoy a Champagne breakfast overlooking Malaysian Borneo.  A professional ranger will lead the hike, carrying a handwoven wakid (traditional Sabahan carrying basket) filled with fresh breakfast produce.

With one of the largest biological diversities in the world, rich native cultures, and 6 World Heritages declared by the UNESCO, Bolivia distinguishes as a diverse unspoiled country with extraordinary places to visit (you probably heard that among them is the amazing salt flats or “Salar de Uyuni").

Join the peer-to-peer trend and live like a local in Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Italy and Turkey. In need of some summer holiday inspiration? Giving us the chance to see yet more cities like a local, experiential travel site trip4real has launched in eight more fantastic cities including Budapest, Venice, Prague, Naples, Brussels, Istanbul, Porto and Athens. Essentially the Airbnb of travel experiences, trip4real is a unique peer-to-peer platform that allows locals to make money as neighbourhood guides and travellers to see a city through the eyes of a local.