Holiday & Travel

Birmingham Muslims planning to travel to Saudi Arabia for the annual for the Hajj and Umrah have been urged to check the latest health advice before booking trips. The Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca is expected to fall between September 9-14 while Umrah can be undertaken at any time of the year. In recent years cases of Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have prompted warnings for at-risk groups not to travel to Saudi Arabia but Public Health England (PHE) and National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) do not currently advise any travel restrictions.

With the Olympic Games just weeks away, there's sure to be a surge in popularity for many of the sports featured – and in the glorious setting of Italy's Lake Garda-Veneto, it's possible to enjoy more than 10 of them. And, in September, when the children have returned to school, it's possible to enjoy a three-night, bed-and-breakfast break in Malcesine from just £46.53 per person per night. The charming and scenic Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and is a popular destination for watersports of all kinds.

When it comes to taking the picture-perfect photograph, these truly are high-flyers that can only be experienced in the Canary Islands. Visitors are guaranteed to feel the rush when standing on the edge of an incredible lookout point and enjoy a traveller rite of passage. The archipelago is the perfect environment for travellers' seeking natural beauty at its peak with the added benefit of being able to enjoy the best climate in the world.

With the arrival of a number of new hotels in the past 12 months, Kyoto's hotel scene is set to unfold even further. Whether visitors are looking to stay within an expansive space or experience something a little more boutique, Kyoto's newest hotels are well-equipped to suit all tastes and budgets. Last winter saw the arrival of two hotels in two very different areas of the city. In November 2015, Kyoto welcomed the opening of the new Noku Roxy hotel, located adjacent to Kyoto Imperial Palace in the heart of the ancient Japanese city.

Edinburgh Airport welcomed the first WOW air flight from Iceland yesterday. Travellers arriving from the Nordic nation, as well as North America were greeted at the arrival gate by a bagpipe player, providing an authentic Scottish musical welcome.  Flights will depart Edinburgh Airport for the airline's hub in Reykjavik twice-weekly between July and October on Sundays and Wednesdays, with a total flight time of 2 hours 30 minutes. Passengers travelling through will then have a short stopover before continuing on to one of the airline's North American destinations - Boston, Washington D.C., Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.

Situated near the start of the famous Dempster Highway, Canada's only all-season public road to cross the Arctic Circle, Tombstone Park offers a land like no other with its haunting landscape memorable for its jagged peaks and colour-stained hills. While just a few miles north is a land referred to as Beringia, the only area in much of North America that wasn't under ice during the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago, the granite Tombstones have been scoured by ice and weather into stalagmite-like peaks and pinnacles that rise high from the tundra carpet.

Your TV screen this August is likely to be blanketed with gorgeous helicopter tracking shots of Rio de Janeiro's gorgeous hills, lagoons, bays and beaches, but of course the real Rio has so much more to offer than the standard view from the Christ Statue. Rosie Tobin from South America specialists RealWorld takes a look at some of the ways you could get away from the hype and hustle of the Olympics, and off the beaten track (and field...) in Rio this summer.

Summer 2016 has got off to an exciting start in Macao, as it hit the big screen this month in 'Now You See Me 2', and opened a new waterfront entertainment hub for visitors. It doesn't stop there though, with a number of new luxury hotel openings and a variety of events also scheduled for this summer, including the 'Wushu Masters Challenge' and 28th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest, which will see UK team 'Pyro 2000' compete in one of the world's largest and best shows of its kind.

As summer's latest blockbuster 'The Legend Of Tarzan' hits the big screens, providing plenty of travel inspiration for animal-lovers, adventure honeymooners can follow in the footsteps of Tarzan and Jane, and set off deep into the forests of Africa in search of primates. Venture into an ethereal wonderland, track gorillas on foot, and experience the unique animal magic of this destination first-hand.

As travellers increasingly look to experience authentic local cultures, Adriatic Luxury Hotels is paving the way for visitors wanting to get to the heart of this prolific destination with a plethora of unique activities bound to create an “extra-Croatianary” escape on the beautiful Adriatic coast. Located only a short walk away from the ancient city walls of Dubrovnik's Old Town, 5-star Hotel Bellevue is the perfect base for guests to explore Dubrovnik's distinctive landmarks and venture out to find the region's hidden gems.

While Bali is all things to all people, there's no disputing that for many, it's considered THE place to party. Party people, meet Villa Kalyani. With its dance floor, two bars, formal dining room, gourmet chef, rooftop reception terrace, professional DJ booth and indoor/outdoor movie theatre, you've just hit the jackpot. Cry 'Hallelujah', gather your friends and let the good times begin.

Quark Expeditions®, the world leader in polar expedition travel, is celebrating the recent release of its 2017/18 Antarctic expedition schedule with the launch of its Virtual Reality Antarctic Experience and Antarctic VR app. From 1991's first-ever tourism transit of the Northeast Passage, to the first branded Antarctic VR voyage, Quark continues to blaze new trails in polar adventure travel.

Last week, MTV in partnership with the Malta Tourism Authority returned to the island to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Isle of MTV Malta. Valletta’s Il-Fosos Square was once again ignited by knockout performances from Wiz Khalifa, Jess Glynne and Clean Bandit, in addition to a killer closing set from Electro-House heavyweight Steve Aoki. Kicking off the party was local band Airport Impressions who had the tens of thousands of fans moving to their unique blend of Rock and House music.

The Tenerife Tourism Corporation has today announced the launch of its #bigwarmhug campaign to communicate to all British residents that the people of Tenerife are on their side no matter what happens with regards to the United Kingdom's status in the EU. Reaching out to both consumers and the travel trade, the campaign will be primarily promoted via social media channels and will see the local people of Tenerife offering a “big warm hug” to British tourists already on the island, as well as encouraging British residents to engage in the good feeling campaign.