Arkia Israel Airlines will carry Israeli passengers to Turkey and Cyprus after El Al Israel Airlines has stated that from March 1 it will not be operating flights to Turkey and Cyprus. Arkia is the second largest airline in Israel and operates mainly charter flights to Western Europe. El Al said that the flights to Turkey and Cyprus were not in sync with their new business restructuring policy and they intended to focus on high-profit routes.
Archive for February, 2007
Flights from Israel to Ireland and Cyprus
Tuesday, February 27th, 20072007 Travel Fair in Berlin next month
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007The 2007 travel fair in Berlin is going to be the biggest spectacle of its kind. Around 11,000 companies from 180 countries will participate. The effect of global warming on the travel business will be a key issue at the fair. There will also be focus on India as a travel destination for business travelers and tourists.
Destinations in Europe via JAL
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced that it will initiate new flights between Japan and destinations in Europe. There will be three charter flights between Japan and Croatia, from Narita to Zagreb, between August and September.
Other destinations to be covered by JAL include Hungary, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Italy. Japanese cities of Narita, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukoku will be linked by charter flights with the cities of Budapest and Prague from July till October.
Europe on $5 a day
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007Europe on $5 a day is the name of the travel guidebook by Arthur Frommer that is credited with opening up Europe for travelers, particularly from America. When the book was published fifty years ago, the general perception was that only the wealthy could enjoy a vacation to Europe. Frommer wrote his guidebook based on his experience of discovering Europe on weekends while he was posted as an army intelligence lawyer in Berlin.
He discovered deals that did not find mention in the travel guides of the time. He wrote a book for the GIs stationed in Europe and then a 110-page book for US citizens. The first print of 5000 copies sold out in one afternoon. Read more.
Low-cost airlines and Bulgaria
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007An excellent write-up by Mark Thomas on what the invasion by budget airlines will mean for Bulgaria. According to the author, the general perception is that low-cost flyers will open up Europe for the Bulgarians; but he contends that there are many hidden costs such as cost of baggage, credit card fees, and assorted taxes that are being played down by the advertisers.
Mark says that it is not low-cost carriers per se that will lead to cheaper flights but the competition that they engender. He feels that the lines between traditional and budget flyers have blurred and there is no hard and fast rule that only budget carriers offer the lowest rates. A country that is doing very well on the tourism front would want to provide easy access to travelers and to that extent it will not really bother whether the service providers are new comers or established names in the airline industry.
Travel CUTS for budget travel
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007Travel CUTS is one of the top budget travel organizers in Canada and is worth checking out for budget flights to the UK and Europe for students and youth who wish to travel. Currently, it is offering $100 off on Transat holidays and the lowest prices on Zoom flights. Read more.
Athens to host City Break 2007
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007The World Travel Trends Report 2006-07 has stated that one of the major factors to influence the performance of leisure tourism destinations was the emergence of the no-cost/no frill travel and lodging. The continuous growth of low cost airlines will continue to fuel travel between cities in Europe.
Even though 2006 was a difficult year for the airlines because of rising fuel costs and increased security, low cost air travel rose by 14% across the world and there were 57 new routes launched across Europe with 298 new weekly departures. To read more about City Break 2007, go here.
ATS Spring Conference to be held in Croatia
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007The American Tourism Society (ATS) will have its Spring Conference in Croatia by the Croatia National Tourist Board April 15-20, 2007.
The conference will commence at Zagreb at the Hotel Regent Esplanade. Croatia has quickly risen to become one of Europe’s popular travel destinations. The 900-year old city of Zagreb offers a mix of the modern and the traditional to visitors with its many monuments, museums, and art galleries. Read more.
Retiree Brits head to Cyprus
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007Elderly British close to retirement have traditionally favored destinations in Western Europe such as Spain and the southern coasts of France; however the Brits are getting more enterprising and a lot of them have Cyprus in their sights. Since France and Spain are now mature property markets and do not guarantee high capital gains, people are now considering upcoming markets like Cyprus. In the case of retirees, it is not just the money; they have to consider a lot of other factors like the availability of medical benefits, climate, and neighborhood. Cyprus fits the bill for them on all these parameters. Â Read more.
Monaco to cut carbon emissions
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007Amongst the smaller nations, Monaco is doing commendable work to control carbon emissions and a lot of credit goes to Prince Albert who did not hesitate to sign the Kyoto Protocol. Monaco in fact is doing itself a favor by taking a lead in controlling carbon emissions as rising sea levels could have serious consequences for this small principality in the Mediterranean. Learn more about Prince Albert’s efforts at environmental conservation here.