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Fabulous Trekking Ops – the Ladajh Himalayas

2011-01-20 by Phil Butler

Sheltered from the monsoons, the high desert's solitude beckons

For the adventurous of the world, trekking the Indian Himalayas is certainly a dream come true. Himalayan Frontiers Cultural and Adventure Tours announces their offerings for 2011, for the stout hearted who have what it takes to visit the legendary land of Kashmir and Ladakh. From high desert plateau to river valley village, this trekking series is a cultural adventure as much as a physical one. Experience life as it has been for a dozen or more centuries.

Tags: Buddhist, Hemis, hiking, Himalaya tour, Himalaya trek, India plateau, India tourism, India travel, Kashmir tours, Ladajh, Lamayuru, Leh Ladakh, mountain tours, Nubra River Valley, Sani, Snow Leapard, Strongdey, Tiksey, tours, trekking, Visit Kashmir, Visit Ladajh

Happy Birthday to Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park

2011-01-20 by Phil Butler

Jurong Bird Park inmate

Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year with special prices and gifts for guests. The largest bird park in the world, Jurong is home to thousands of rare birds, and some of the world’s most fascinating exhibitions. Visitors this year are in for a rare treat indeed.

Tags: Asia attractions, Asia travel, bird attractions, bird habitat, bird park, bird santuary, Jurong, Jurong Anniversary, Jurong Bird Park, Singapore attraction, Singapore tourism, Singapore zoos, travel, wildlife

E-Tourism for Southern Europe on Tap in Athens

2011-01-19 by Phil Butler

Panorama of Technopolis Gazi

At the end of this month Eyefor Travel and TMA will host the E-Tourism and Travel Distribution for Southern Europe and Mediterranean in Athens, Greece. Industry experts, travel companies, and key investors are scheduled to attend this show focused on emerging technologies and strategies for the industry for 2011 and the years to come.

Tags: Ahtens travel, Athens Carnival, Chris Amenichi, Continental Airlines, Digital Week, Eastern Europe, EyeforTravel, Greece summit, Greece travel, Helena Paparizou, lastminute.com, Nick Hall, Slovenia tourism site, Slovenia travel, Southern Europe, Technopolis, Tinkara Pavlovcic Kapitanovic, TMA, tourism strategies, travel 2011, travel condference, Travel Daily News, travel summit

Ticket Prices Skyrocket – Google Shrugs

2011-01-18 by Phil Butler

Airport this Easter, deserted because travelers got fed up

The online travel war between OTA’s, airlines, and other interested parties has grown into an industry damaging PR nightmare. American Airlines, Google, Expedia, all the major players may not realize how frustrating their power moves are for the little people. These companies are jeopardizing their own future, and that of developers all over the world.

Tags: Airfare, Airfare.com, AirGorilla.com, CheapAir.com, court ruling, Delta Airlines, Expedia, Facebook, FairSearch, Globester.com, Google, Google Adwords, Internet, Internet futures, ITA software, Orbitz, ruling, Sabre, Travelocity, Vegas.com, Web 3.0

Portugal’s Travel Agents Sinking Fast

2011-01-18 by Phil Butler

Apulia windmill

Portugal’s travel sector is in grave trouble, perhaps far more serious than previous reports have suggested. The industry that represents 11 percent of the country’s GDP has lost fully one third of its travel agents to insolvency. The economic times and pressure from online travel agents have made the situation there untenable. But a double sided government effort has not helped either.

Tags: agent decline, EU economies, FDI, insustry news, Ministry of Finances, Portugal government, Portugal images, Portugal jobs, Portugal tourism, Portugal travel, Qatar, travel agents, travel investment

A Savory Set of Travel Startups: Book One

2011-01-18 by Phil Butler

VoyagePriv

Some really great online travel sites never even get mentioned. What with all the stories about American Airlines, Google, Expedia, Orbitz, Microsoft, even Bing, how is the consumer ever to know who the best is. What we often see is not innovation or anything approaching the best, it’s marketing and big business.

Tags: Aeroplan, Amargo, American Airlines, Central America, ColorLine, Europe deals, Europe travel, Globogo, Google, GreatNextPlace, Groupon, ITA, OpenJaw, OTA's, Sabre Expedia, South America, travel deals, travel portals, travel startups, VoyavePrive, Wokita

Availpro Expands Adding Horsepower for Hotels

2011-01-17 by Phil Butler

Availpro logo

France’s Availpro promises to add horsepower for small and medium sized hotel bookings. A recent expansion into the online travel market in Spain signals the company’s popularity with hoteliers in Europe. Just how many horses the company can provide depends a great deal on the end user as usual.

Tags: Availpro, Birmingham Hostec, booking engine, Bookings, Bookings.com, Europe hotels, Feria de Madrid, France guide, France hotels, hotel bookings, Keytel Hotel, Ray Mason, Sebastian Boher, Smart Channel Manager, Spain hotels, Spain travel, Travel.co.uk

Treat Yourself to Prague’s Bohemian Carnival

2011-01-16 by Phil Butler

The Crystal Ball dining table

Visitors to Prague next month will be treated to a special treat. Europe’s most beautiful city puts on its mask and relives the customs of medieval times during the Bohemian Carnival. Experience the pageantry and excitement of taking part in one of Europe’s oldest festivals.

Tags: Bohemia, Bohemian Carnival, Carnival Prague, Clam-Gallas Palace, Czech Republic, Franzis Wussin, Kempinski Hybernska Prague Hotel, Mamaison Suite Hotel Pachtuv Palace, Prague Stay, Prague tourism, Prague travel, Spring in Prague, Visit Prague, Vltava River

Vietnam’s Tet Holiday Bonanza Causes Chaos

2011-01-16 by Phil Butler

Aborigine children play at a village in Sapa, Northern Vietnam

Travel agents and tour companies inside Vietnam are overwhelmed with clients who want to take advantage of the new Tet holiday. The government’s late announcement took the industry by surprise as government employees learned of additional time off for the New Year. A bookings bonanza there is turning into a booking nightmare.

Tags: Asia, government holiday, Hanoi, Ho Chi Mihn City, Ministry of Sports and Tourism, National Administration of Tourism, New Year, reservations, Saigon, Tet, Tet holiday, Vietnam, Vietnam Government, Vietnam travel

Google’s Probability of Online Travel Success

2011-01-15 by Phil Butler

Eric Schmidt of Google

American Airlines and ITA penned a deal the other day which AA claims had nothing to do with Google’s acquisition of ITA technology. But the suggestion still remains as to what exactly Google is doing to fend off its opponents in the so called “Online Travel War.” Is Google silently orchestrating the downfall of Expedia and the others of FairSearch? Well, probably not anything so diabolical, but winning the ITA acquisition with underlying business relationships? This is not only possible, but probable.

Tags: American Airlines, AMR Corp, AMR holdings, antitrust, Dara Khosrowshahi, Direct Connect, Doug Cameron, Editorial, Eric Schmidt, Expedia, FairSearch, Gerard Arpey, Google Travel, ITA, Japan Airlines, Justice Department, Microsoft, Monte Ford, Orbitz, OTA, Sabre, Tnooz, Tom Horton

Russia & EU Closer to Free Visa Agreement

2011-01-13 by Phil Butler

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov offers a ray of sunshine for those who want a free-visa zone between the EU and Russia. At a press conference the Minister told reporters Russia and the EU are much closer to an agreement. So far the EU has stonewalled every attempt by the Kremlin to free up travel and tourism between Russia and the rest of Europe.

Tags: athletics, Eastern Europe tourism, EU Travel, free visa, President Medvedev, Russian travel, Sergei Lavrov, Sochi Olympics, tourism, travel to Russia, travel zones, visa, visa-regime, visit Russia, Vladimir Putin

Swiss Franc Got You Down? Ski Eastern Europe

2011-01-12 by Phil Butler

The deep powder of Sinaia

Exchange rates can sometimes turn the best vacation deal into a nightmare. The recent Swiss Franc valuation caught ski vacationers by surprise. When expensive Alps ski resorts get even more expensive, many European skiers just stay home. Fortunately there is another solution. Skiing the Carpathians, Slovenian Alps, Caucasus, and other Eastern European resorts almost always costs half as much.

Tags: Bansko, Bear Mountain, Brasov, Carpathian resorts, Carpathian skiing, Daniel Cojanu, Gordon Ramsey, Holiday, Igluski, Kranjska, London ski flights, Mark Butler, Romania hotels, ski, Ski Bulgaria, Ski Caucasus, ski Europe, ski holidays, ski hotels, ski Romania, Ski Slovenia, Ski Switzerland, Transylvania Tours, Wall Street Journal

Online Travel Aerial Warfare Update: American Sues Sabre

2011-01-11 by Phil Butler

American Airlines ticket sales

The online airfare wars escalate as American files suit against Sabre in an attempt to force American’s “direct connect” initiative. With battle lines clearly drawn, can American Airlines win the real or PR war where going back to a closed system is concerned? Not likely, but the story is never the less interesting. Who will take American’s side is the burning question of the day?

Tags: airfares, American Airlines, Delta, Expedia, online tickets, online travel, Orbitz, price, Sabre, ticket wars, travel prices, travel wars

Amadeus Enters the American Airlines Ticket Wars

2011-01-10 by Phil Butler

Aerial dogfight for tickets

American Airlines started an online ticket war late last year they may not be able to finish. Now Amadeus is firing warning shots across the cockpits of airlines poised to go it via “direct connect” rather than relying on OTA’s to sell seats. In a bold but quiet move, one of the world’s biggest travel players takes sides with Expedia and Orbitz.

Tags: airline carriers, airlines, Alitalia, Amadeus, American Airlines, budget carriers, Estonio, Europe airfares, Expedia, flight wars, flights, fly American, Orbitz, OTA's, Ryanair, Sabre, Wall Street Journal

Cruising Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast In High Style

2011-01-07 by Phil Butler

High speed luxury cruising

The Black Sea from the deck of a luxury yacht is the prefect seagoing fantasy vacation for those headed to Bulgaria. Yacht adventures, whether charter or tour driven, are some of the most romantic and interesting vacation ideas you can imagine. Seeing Bulgaria’s coast from your own hotel room afloat, that is the way to travel in style.

Tags: Black Sea travel, Black Sea vacatons, boat charters, Bulgaria travel, Eastern Europe cruises, romantic getaways, Varna, Varna travel, yacht charters, yacht cruises

Slovakia’s Premier Travel Expo To Kick Off

2011-01-07 by Phil Butler

Incheba Expo complex

ITF SlovakiaTour 2011 kicks off in Bratislava, Slovakia this month. From the 20th to the 23rd of January, Slovakia hosts one of Europe’s largest travel expos. Thousands of visitors are slated to attend this year’s event to see the latest travel exhibitions from industry leaders.

Tags: Bratislava, Danubius Gastro, Europe travel, International Travel, ITF, ITF SlovakiaTour, ITTF, Slovakia, Slovakia travel, Travel & Tourism, travel expo, travel industry

The Jewel of Ukraine’s Chatyr-Dag: Marble Cave

2011-01-07 by Phil Butler

Marble cave

Ukraine’s Chatyr – Dag holds untold wonders for the outdoors adventurer, but none more fascinating than Marble Cave. Only very recently discovered, this subterranean marvel is already Europe’s second most visited spelunker site. The three main chambers of Marble Cave are available for visitors to explore via guided tour. For the really adventurous professional explorer, only half the cave has been explored so far.

Tags: cacves, care exploration, Chatyr-Dag, climbing, Crimea, Crimean, famous caces, hike Ukraine, hiking, karst, Marble Cave, mountain climbing, Outdoor Ukraine, spelunking, Tiger Passage, Ukraine tourism

Russia Celebrates Christmas Eve on Three Kings’ Day

2011-01-06 by Phil Butler

Eastern Orthodox Europe celebrates Christmas

Thursday Russian Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas Eve with the traditional Holy Supper. All over Eastern Europe January 6th and 7th are a time to praise Christ and share with friends and family. From Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, and the children playing in the snow, all Russia gives and received holiday wishes.

Tags: adoration, Christmas Eve, Eastern Orthodox, Gregorian calendar, Holy Supper, Januar 6th, Julian calendar, Moscow Christmas, Russian Christmas, St. Nicolas

Wintertime Is Spa Time in Hungary

2011-01-06 by Phil Butler

Gellert bath - Budapest

Hungary has many wonderful cultural and natural wonders to entice visitors, but none more impactful than her warm spas and springs. For a Winter getaway, surely no place can be more appealing than a spa experience that is literally out of another world. Budapest’s warm spas will heal what ails you.

Tags: Budapest baths, Budapest spas, Erzsébet híd, Gellért Baths, health spa, Hungarian spa, Hungary Travel, Rudas Baths, spa baths, spas, springs, Széchenyi Baths, Welcome to Hungary, Wellness Weekend

Grisha Ganchev and the Great Wall of Bulgaria

2011-01-05 by Phil Butler

Grisha Ganchev

Bulgaria’s Grisha Ganchev is a controversial figure to say the least. One thing is certain however, the industrialist believes in helping the people of his country climb out of the current economic crevass. A €100 million auto plant in the remote village of Bahovitsa will produce 120o jobs and 50,000 inexpensive autos for people in the Balkans.

Tags: auto industry, Bahovitsa, Balkans, Bulgaria, Bulgaria commerce, Bulgaria labor, Bulgarian Minister, Great Wall Motors, Grisha Ganchev, Litex, Ministry of Economy, Sergey Stanishev, tourism, Visit Bulgaria

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