Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Vayant Travel Tech and 2e Systems Enhance airBaltic

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In news from Frankfurt today, Vayant Travel Technologies announced a partnership with 2e Systems for providing solutions for airBaltic. According to the news, 2e’s booking engine, along with Vayant’s Microproducts – FareList, TaxQuote, and IntelliPricer, will provide a “new breed” of tech solutions for airlines.

Tough Love for Mother Russia: Stop the Touristic Horror

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In news from the Moscow Times, tourism to the Russian Federation has taken a hit this year so far as excessive costs and red tape have stifled European inbound travel there. According to the newspaper, the first quarter of 2011 saw a 24% decline in tourists from Europe. With the Sochi Olympic just around the corner, it may be time for half measures to cease.

Scandinavia’s Stena Line – First Wind Powered Ferry

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Stena Line, one of the world’s largest ferry lines, has just initiated what may be game changing innovation. The Scandinavian transport and travel service announced their equipping the world’s first passenger ferry equipped with wind turbine technology.

International Bachata Festival Lithuania 2011

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For those travelers out there who love to dance, shake it even, Lithuania is the place to be this week. The Annual AfroLatin Dance Festival begins in Vilnius on Friday and ends on the following Monday. Organized by the Afrolatin dance studio “Bachata Souls” – this year’s Bachata extravaganza promises to be the hottest Latin dance event of the Summer.

New Travel Portal Is Indeed ideeli

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ideeli, Inc. announces an all new flash sale shopping site with a very cool travel component. Powered by Voyage Prive, the first and largest global private flash sale travel group, ideeli travel goes a long way toward connecting travelers with curated travel offers and booking simplicity. With a maze of online travel sites springing up everywhere, maybe it’s time for an old fashioned travel store?

RateGain Unveils Travel Branding Tool at HITEC 2011

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In cutting edge travel technology bits, RateGain has launched their BrandGain guest satisfaction technology at HITEC 2011 in Austin, Texas. According to their news, the BrainGain technology extracts, scans, analyzes, and scores across the social spectrum providing crucial analytics for users. As anyone involved in “the digital revolution” should know by now, the sphere of engagement […]

EuroCheapo Celebrates Deals and More Deals

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EuroCheapo, one of the online world’s most popular travel sites, celebrates their 10th anniversary this week. According to the news the European budget hotel finders will also launch new guides for Zurich and San Francisco.

CommunicAsia 2011 Singapore Kicks Off Tomorrow

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CommunicAsia 2011, one of the world’s biggest technology conferences, is scheduled to begin tomorrow at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. This year’s conference promises to be a comprehensive knowledge building platform and showcase for a vast array of emerging technologies.

Black Sea Resorts – Varna Seaside Spotlight

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For many of our readers the Black Sea port of Varna may be more memorable as the place Dracula embarked from in the 1992 film version of Bram Stoker’s classic. While Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins did a nice job entertaining us, the reality of Varna, Bulgaria is far more entertaining. Argo Travel decided to take a look at one of Varna’s oldest and most famous seaside resorts, Riviera Holiday Club.

Bulgaria’s Varna International Music Festival 2011

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For travelers with plans to visit Bulgaria, the Varna Summer International Music Festival kicks off today. This is the 85th anniversary of this, Bulgaria’s and one of Europe’s biggest music events. The internationally acclaimed event is a world performing arts and classical music extravaganza no visitor to the area should miss.

The Best of Norway: Real Places, People, and Things

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Are recent trip to Milan proved more fruitful than we could have imagined when to our surprise Italy was made much cooler by a Nordic blast. I am not referring to the arctic winds from crisp Scandinavia either, but of great people from a place not many will have heard of. What you are about to read will hopefully be as pleasant a surprise for you as Norwegians Frode and Yvonne Aass (image below) were for us.

The Czech Tourist Authority: Template for European Outreach

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In news from the Czech Republic, Tourist Authority Director Radka Neumannova is one Eastern European bureaucrat who knows how to engage and inform potential industry and tourists. Like many countries in the region, the Czech Republic is largely thought of as a travel destination for one city only. But there is a lot more to this vibrant destination than Prague.

Sabre’s Hospitable Solution for Facebook

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Dennis Schaal, over at Tnooz, offered a report yesterday on Sabre Hospitality Solutions’ latest incursion for the Arizona Grand Resort, and their so called SocialConversion suite. If the innovation is important enough for Tnooz to cover it, then certainly Argo Travel should look into Sabre’s most prized social platform. Is this suite as good as it looks?

MyHotelGuy.com Engages Twenty Somethings

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In travel startup news today, MyHotelGuy.com has just launched what they term a “one-of-kind” lifestyle travel website. Designed to target the so called generation Y demographic, the site gets a lot of traction our of the term “jet set” – but for the real skinny, we thought Argo should check the site out.

Carpathian Nations Reach Accord on Sustainability

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In news from the Eastern European nations conjoining the Carpathians, the seven countries sharing one of the world’s great mountain ranges have agreed to joint sustainable management of the region. The Protocol on Sustainable Tourism was adopted at the Third Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention (COP3).

Sofitel So Bangkok to Offer Full Apple Connectivity

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In hotel news from Thailand, the new Sofitel scheduled to open in Bangkok in 2012 will boast maybe the world’s coolest digital features. According to a press release by the chain this weekend, Sofitel has partnered with DirectStreams to afford hotel guests incredibly rich Apple-based connectivity amenities.

On the Beach in Cyprus and Turkey – UK Travel Deals

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News from one of Britain’s leading seaside getaway OTA’s, On the Beach, reveals Cyprus beaches as one of this Spring’s most popular attractions for UK travelers. According to figures from Cyprus, some 200,000 people bathed in the azure waters off Cyprus in April alone.

Universal Studios – Symbol of Emerging Singapore

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The grand opening of one of the world’s biggest theme parks, Universal Studios Singapore, took place last week. And despite a few hickups, no-show stars, and other minor irritations, Singapore now has another world class touristic attraction. This opening is not only big tourism news, but a sign of Singapore’s every increasing popularity and growth.

Albania Dance Meeting 2011 Coming to Durres

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For travelers to Eastern Europe this month, and particularly those with a passion for dance, the 6th annual Albania Dance Meeting may be your cup of tea. This International Festival of Modern & Contemporary Dance starts September 10th thru 18th when Durres, the oldest city in Albania, invites the world to dance.