Mexico is proving to be a hot destination for tourists, it has been revealed. 

Mexico becomes holiday hotspot

In recent weeks the number of bookings for the country has shot up by 270%, with Latin America enjoying a bump in general interest as well, according to holiday firm Hayes & Jarvis. 

The South American country has benefited from British Airways recently starting a new service to Cancun. Travellers will be able to use the service from a number of airports, including Gatwick and Heathrow. 

Peru, Argentina and Chile have also been boosted by strong booking levels. Meanwhile Brazil is attracting more tourists as it prepares to stage the 2014 football World Cup.

Travelling across the Atlantic on long haul flights can be a stressful for some tourists, so for them the option of taking a bus to the airport could be one less thing to worry about.

Hayes & Jarvis commercial director Niel Alobaidi said: “Prices remain exceptionally competitive now and so we expect the heavy demand for Mexico to continue as holidaymakers book early to get good deals.

“Latin America has been promising to explode onto the holiday scene for years but has only recently begun to ignite – helped by the opening of more beach resorts in Brazil at a price British holidaymakers can afford.

“As the focus sharpens on Brazil in advance of the 2014 World Cup and its tourism infrastructure improves, we expect demand to rise, so now is the time to go before prices rise too.”

 Overall, the Maldives was Hayes & Jarvis’ best-selling long-haul destination in 2010, followed by Thailand, Las Vegas, New York and Mauritius.

Mr Alobaidi said: “The USA has had a great year on the back of a much more stable dollar exchange rate but the real star of the show has been Las Vegas, where there has been much more competitive flight availability to keep prices low.”

Looking at 14 destinations worldwide, the company said the best seven-night all-inclusive package was to be had in Egypt, followed by Mexico, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Cuba.

Meanwhile, holiday company Jetsave also reported increased bookings to Florida for 2010, boosted by the opening in Orlando last June of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction.

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The author of the James Bond novels has been honoured by having an international airport for private jets named after him.

Ian Fleming International Airport, formerly named the Boscobel Aerodrome, in Jamaica

It is located near the coast town of Orcabessa at a wealthy resort owned by the founder of Island Records, Chris Blackwell, and will also be used for some commercial international flights. Many other flights to the Caribbean are available from both Stansted Airport and Luton Airport.

Lucy Fleming, the author’s niece, attended the opening ceremony and said her uncle would have been thrilled at the fact he has an airport named after him.

“He adored Jamaica and found so much inspiration and relaxation here. So I tell you something, to have this accolade of having an airport named after him here I know would have been a great honour for him,” Ms Fleming said.

“Honestly, I don’t think he would have written those books without Jamaica.”

Fleming, himself a British intelligence agent, first visited the island in 1942. He returned and bought a property he dubbed GoldenEye four years later, in the dying days of the British Empire. At the time, Jamaica’s north shore was overrun by rich British families and US celebrities like Errol Flynn.

The author wrote Casino Royale at GoldenEye, the first offering in a series which is still going strong. He named his spy after a US ornithologist who wrote ‘Birds Of The West Indies’. Fleming died in 1964.

Several 007 movies, such as Live And Let Die and Dr No, were filmed near Fleming’s Jamaica estate.

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Airbus has revealed a possible mega-order for its proposed new eco-friendly A320neo jet – a deal the European aircraft manufacturer has dubbed the largest in aviation history.

If it becomes a definite order, the commitment by Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo for 180 A320s – including 150 of the new A320neos – would have a value at list prices of $15.6 billion, according to Airbus.

Airbus said it would be the largest order in terms of number of jets in aviation history – and passengers at  UK airports such as Heathrow may one day find themselves on board the plane.

The potential deal impressed industry analysts, with Barclays Capital aerospace analyst Joseph Campbell describing it as “a great win”.

He added: “It’s just where you’d think it would come from, from one of these emerging, fast-growing markets and a fast-growing airline … It’s perfect.”

IndiGo is the first known customer for the A320neo – a new version of the European aircraft maker’s workhorse jet that Airbus anticipates bringing to market in 2016.

New features include more fuel efficient engines and other technological features as designers aim for fuel savings of 15% compared to its predecessor.

The new aircraft is also being designed with lower carbon emissions and engine noise in mind, Airbus said.

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Holidaymakers looking to book a beach holiday this year have more destinations to choose from after it was announced that a whole host of new routes to summer destinations are to be launched.

As of May 4, Monarch will offer flights to Paphos in Cyprus as it expands its network of routes, which already include popular European holiday destinations like Alicante, Fuerteventura, Ibiza and Majorca, as well as tourist resorts which are a little further afield like Cancun in Mexico, Goa in India, Sharm El Sheik in Egypt and Florida in America.

Departing from London Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester, the newly announced services will give holidaymakers even more choice when planning their spring and summer getaways.

Monarch is already operating scheduled flights to Cyprus as the airline has served Larnaca, another holiday hotspot for Britons, since 2007.

Managing Director of Monarch Airlines, Tim Jeans, said: “The addition of new services to Paphos is in direct response to customer feedback and will increase the number of Monarch seats between the UK and Cyprus by 35 per cent next summer.”

Cyprus is becoming increasingly popular as a beach holiday destination for sun-loving Britons and several thousand travellers visit the island every year.

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Visa Europe has predicted that January 11 will be busiest day of the year for holiday flight bookings. 

The company said that the second week of January is normally a popular time for people to start thinking ahead for their summer breaks that year, however it might be a good idea for travellers to consider airport transfers as part of  any plans.

Those getting connecting flights might need to travel between airports, so it would be wise for them to allow enough time in between flights to make the journey. 

On January 12, 2010, Visa Cards were used to book more than 83,000 holiday flight bookings, while the figure for January 13, 2009, was almost 70,000.

Last year the most popular destination was Malaga in southern Spain, followed by Amsterdam and the Alicante region of Spain.

Tony Gibbons, head of debit at Visa Europe, said: “We expect to see in excess of 87,000 flight bookings taking place on Tuesday January 11 as people take advantage of outstanding deals being offered by many airlines and holiday companies.

“Historically, early January sees a huge surge in bookings as people’s thoughts turn to a sunny weekend away to ease the back-to-work blues. Many consumers are looking to ‘get away from it all’, especially if they are able to do so at a bargain price.”

He added: “City breaks, Valentine’s weekends or just some good, old-fashioned sunshine are exactly what people feel like at this time of year and we expect beach destinations such as Spain as well as European city breaks to feature strongly in the most popular destinations.

“As well as these popular choices, our data shows that an increasing number of British tourists are venturing further afield and we expect to see places such as the Middle East and Africa doing particularly well in 2011.”

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Aer Lingus has announced that it will start a new daily service between Shannon Airport and London Gatwick in March, in a move that will improve air transport links between the west of Ireland and England’s capital. 

New routes to Shannon

Declan Kearney, Aer Lingus director of communications, believes the new service will give air passengers greater choice when flying to and from the town.

He said: “This new daily service will provide Aer Lingus customers with the first early morning flight from London to the Shannon region.

“It will complement the existing London Heathrow service, which operates three times daily, broadening the choice for business and leisure travellers in and out of the Mid-West region.”

Aer Lingus will fly to nine destinations out of Shannon when the service begins on March 29, including Paris, New York and Boston and regional services to Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester.

The daily service could help boost tourist numbers in Shannon, which has plenty of attractions to keep even the most hard-to-please holidaymakers entertained, including river walks, hiking, cycling and horse-riding trails, shops, restaurants and bars.

Furthermore, business owners with trading links in Shannon will find it easier to travel directly to the town for meetings when the new service begins as they will have a greater choice of airlines to fly with.

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More travellers will keep a closer eye on what they spend whilst on holiday in 2011, a travel company has predicted.

Furthermore, travellers will watch the pennies not only in the run-up to trips but also while they are away, according to responsibletravel.

“The pressure on travellers’ finances has not disappeared and 2011 will mark the age of ’selective austerity’, the company added.

Justin Francis, responsibletravel managing director, said: “Travellers will do whatever it takes to save pennies on the mundane stuff – packed lunches, cutting out the daily latte, rethinking their journey to work, switching to a different energy provider.

“These small selective cuts to daily living will allow them to pursue their annual dream holiday.”

He added: “We’ll also see the idea of ’selective austerity’ influencing holiday schedules.

“Travellers will, for example, opt for four nights in a cheap hotel so they can afford a few nights somewhere magical at the end, or dine out at local markets in order to afford to stay in a blow-the-budget guest house.”

The firm also predicts that more people will use trains to get to their holiday destinations as the number of travellers inquiring about rail journeys has risen 20% year on year.

Such trips are popular with what the company calls the “journey junky” who is addicted to slower travel and savours the journey as part of the overall holiday experience.

But travel is still expected from UK airports such as Luton, Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow, with Responsibletravel also predicting a rise in holiday destinations that offer the learning of traditional skills and crafts such as weaving and pottery.

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The number of people planning to book holidays between Christmas and the end of February is 50% higher than during the same period in 2009/10, a survey has revealed.

According to the poll of 1,036 people commissioned by Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance, 35% of Britons intend to book a break over the next nine weeks, but the amount people are planning to spend on winter getaways has fallen.

Those intending to go on holiday in the next couple of months plan to spend an average of £826 – which represents a 1% fall on last year and 6% down on two years ago.

Around 45% of the early bookers intend to travel to Europe, with 29% booking UK breaks and 6% planning trips to the USA. Many of these holidaymakers will fly from airports in the South East, such as  Luton, Gatwick and Stansted.

Meanwhile, the poll also found that 18% of those planning to book holidays over the next few weeks do not intend to buy travel insurance.

Londoners are the keenest to book a holiday in the new year, with 41% planning trips, while 39% of those living in East Anglia and south-east England also intend to make a booking.

Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance manager Scott Gorman said: “A lot of people will be fed up with the winter snow and travel delays or cancellations they have had to endure in 2010, particularly over Christmas.

“This may lead to a significant increase in people intending to book a holiday to give them something to look forward to in the new year.”

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Budget airline easyJet has confirmed it has agreed a multimillion-pound deal to add 15 more aircraft to its ever growing fleet of planes.

easyJet confirms fleet expansion

The low-cost carrier confirmed it was buying 15 more Airbus A320 planes and switching a deal for the delivery of 20 A319 aircraft to larger A320 models to increase passenger capacity. It has also secured new options to purchase a further 33 A320s.

The orders come despite opposition from founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who has previously criticised plans to expand the fleet.

Sir Stelios, who recently resolved a long-running dispute with the firm, gave a cautious welcome to the announcement, but said he wanted greater clarity on where the planes will be deployed.

He said: “As the licensor of the easyJet brand, any move that increases easyJet’s turnover should lead to higher royalties, so today’s announcement sounds like good news at least in the short term from this perspective.”

He added: “We shall see if these 15 incremental aircraft will find deployment on profitable new routes and earn the appropriate return on capital employed.”

“I am still hoping to get greater transparency on which routes these and any other new aircraft are to be deployed.”

The airline, which is based at Luton Airport, and operates out of a host of other British airports, including Gatwick and Stansted, currently has 193 planes.

It aims to increase this to 220 by the end of September 2013, while the 15 new aircraft will be delivered between 2012 and 2014.

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The Moroccan resort of Marrakech has been singled out as a top-tip destination for 2011, according to British Airways. 

Marrakech has been singled out as a top-tip destination for 2011, according to British Airways

The airline, which begins services to the city from Gatwick Airport on March 27, has placed Marrakech at the forefront of its must-visit list.

American and Caribbean destinations also feature in BA’s 10 best travel tips, with San Diego second and New York third.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh said: “The response we’ve had to the launch of routes like the Maldives, Las Vegas and Marrakech has been incredible.

“We’ve seen destinations in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean becoming even more popular with leisure travellers looking for sun and relaxation. Those after 24-hour cities are heading towards New York, Las Vegas and Japan.

“Tourism and leisure travel is a crucial focus for us, so growing our holidays business is a major part of our business plan.”

While Marrakech, San Diego and New York head the list, the Caribbean resort of St Kitts & Nevis, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Japan, Las Vegas, Mauritius and St Lucia are also in the top ten.

Meanwhile, a list of popular destinations for 2011 compiled by holiday deal company Travelzoo also includes Las Vegas.

The American gambling town is one of five destinations picked out by the company. The others include Ireland, Tallinn in Estonia, Greece and the Cape Verde Islands.

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