A new working group has been created by the city council in Cape Town.  The main goal of this new organisation will be to establish inroads into the international cruise market.  The council is aiming to propel Cape Town to the position of a top cruise destination.

The reasons behind this move are that the city council has identified the cruise industry as a rapidly growing world sectors within the tourist industry and believes the position of Cape Town located on the southern end of Africa makes it ideally positioned to make the most of this increasing market.

The council is planning several initiatives to increase Cape Town’s exposure to the market including the development of a brand new liner terminal and the development of several marketing programmes to drive interest in Cape Town as a destination.

The development of the new focus group is also likely to run alongside the development of working partnerships with other cruise destinations.

A tourism mayoral committee member, Simon Grindod commented:

“Globally, the number of cruise liner passengers has grown from about 4m in 1990 to 13.6m in 2005.  This high-level service industry has enormous job creation potential, sustaining over half a million jobs each year.”

South Africa will be a high profile nation in 2010 when it hosts the Fifa World Cup.

The Famous Grouse whisky company and VisitScotland, Scotland’s tourist organisation have announced a new partnership.  The two organisations will be inviting travelers from across the globe to host Burns Night which takes place 25th January 2009.

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The Post Office has recently revealed that prices for skiing holidays in the States have risen so much that tourists are flocking to skiing locations in Europe as a cheaper alternative.

If you’re looking for a bargain skiing holiday then Eastern Europe seems to offer the most value for money according to the report released by the Post Office although other resorts such as Switzerland, France and Austria are also set to experience an increase in bookings.

Of all the destinations Romania is the cheapest, followed by Slovakia. However Slovakia is due to become part of the eurozone this January so costs are likely to change.

Next was Bulgaria and others to be found in the top ten cheapest destinations were Finland, Germany, Austria and Italy. The head of travel for the Post Office, Helen Warburton commented:

‘Although the pound will not stretch as far for UK skiers as in previous years, there is still good value to be had. Resort prices in France, Austria, Switzerland and particularly Italy look good value when compared with the US, while the emerging ski resorts outside the eurozone – especially Romania and Slovakia – will be excellent choices for beginners and for families on a tight budget.’

It seems like now is a good time to invest in some property if you are a fan of skiing. Especially with Bulgarian real estate and Austrian skiing prices being so cheap.

Sydney has been awarded as the British favourite overseas destination when choosing a luxury holiday by the Observer and Guardian Travel Awards 2008.  Sydney has also recently received a top award at the 2008 Conde Nast Reader’s Choice Award.

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It has been announced by the Dubai airline, Emirates, that they are due to launch the opening of their latest executive lounge for travelers flying from Zurich, Switzerland. 

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Pele, also known as ‘O Rey’, the world famous footballer, is to be honoured in June by Costa Cruises who will dedicate a new cruise to his name.  To make the event even more special Costa Cruises will be using Costa Serena, the Costa flagship cruise liner.

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The Travel Weekly magazine have published a guide to Italy recently targeting those tourists that are especially interested in holidaying in Italy.

Italy is often ranked high amongst luxury holiday destinations and is a constant popular choice with holiday makers.  With the attraction of the cuisine and culture that Italy has to offer its not surprising that it has become one of the top special interest destinations.  For those especially interested in food then the Travel Weekly magazine recommends food lovers head for Tuscany.

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VisitBritain, the UK tourism agency, has just released details of the UK’s top tourist attractions.
It was the Tower of London that came out on top of all the attractions rated as number one due to the staggering 2 million tourist visits made last year alone.  Coming in at second place of all those free and fee based attractions was St Paul’s Cathedral at 1.6 million visits and followed by Great Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach with 1.4 million visitors at third place.

The research revealed that in 2007 the level of visits to attraction increased by three per cent on the whole.   

The chief executive of VisitBritain, Tom Wright commented:

‘This research demonstrates the demand for all types of attractions in England, and that consumers are getting less likely to be swayed by the influence of the weather.  Come rain or shine our world-renowned attractions offer something for all our visitors, whatever the season. Current campaigns are encouraging even more visitors to enjoy our attractions in these challenging times.’

The largest increase was seen in the visitor and heritage centre sector with a whopping twelve per cent increase.  This was followed by the theme and leisure park sector and also the art galleries and museums sector showed each an increase of three per cent.

Regardless of the Boeing strike that recently hit all aircraft deliveries, Qatar Airways are resolute the they will be ready to launch their new daily flights direct to New York JFK airport from Doha.  As planned the flights are due to commence on 26th October 2008.

The Boeing 777-399ER plane that has been ordered by Qatar for the new route has been promised to arrive on schedule so that the New York flights can start as planned.

The new Boeing is due to run alongside their existing Boeing 777 and both will be utiling for these non stop daily flights.

The chief executive officer of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, said:

 “Qatar Airways’ existing New York operation has proved very successful since its launch in summer 2007 and we look forward to offering our customers an enhanced service to and from one of the world’s most important cities by switching the flights from Newark to JFK.  We already serve Washington non-stop from Doha so the additional capacity into New York will give us double daily flights between Qatar and the United States.”

The Boeing strike is likely to have repercussions for Qatar’s other route to Houston in the US.  The launch date of this new flight route has been postponed until 30th March 2009.

The deputy editor of Wanderlust, a travel magazine, has recommended that families looking for holidays abroad should check out what’s been offered in the Far East.

Sarah Baxter, the deputy editor, highlighted that Far East holiday hotspots are often overlooked for family holidays but should be considered.  Although flying out to some of these destinations can be expensive to cover flights for the whole family, the experience of luxury holidays to destinations such as China or Thailand will make the cost worthwhile.

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