While sunning yourself on an overseas beach can often be just the ticket, discerning travellers increasingly want to get away from the tourist trail and sample some real culture.
Phuket is famed for its azure seas and white sands, and the Por Tor Hungry Ghost Festival offers holidaymakers the chance to experience a slice of something completely different.
Also known as the “turtle festival,” Por Tor happens in the seventh lunar month of each year and draws on the island’s Chinese Hokkien history
The turtle is a symbol of long life in Chinese culture, and during the festivities families prepare artfully arranged flower designs, candles, foods and fruits to offer at the altar to the ancestors.
This festival takes place from August 21 to September 6 this year and virtually all of the island’s Oriental shrines will participate in the celebrations.
Intrepid travellers can flight out from Heathrow or Gatwick airport and should make their first port of call the market on Ranong Road.
There they’ll get a chance to see lion dances, magic shows, live concerts, cabaret entertainment and learn to expect the unexpected.
Since Ranong Road is close to the market, visitors can try and wide variety of culinary treats prepared for the Por Tor.
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Whale lovers looking to escape the soggy English summer should put aside their Free Willy DVDs and book themselves a flight from Gatwick or Heathrow airport to sunny Sydney, where there is still time to catch the last of this year’s whale watching expeditions.
Humpback whales, famed for their song, travel thousands of kilometres between their winter breeding ground to their summer feeding ground along the East Coast of Australia.
Late October is the time of the year when the humpback whales migrate back to icy Antarctic waters, meaning that the chance to see this breathtaking spectacle will vanish for another year.
Most tours operators are so confident that tourists will get the chance to see these majestic creatures in their natural environment that they offer 100% money back guarantees if there is no marine action.
As well as the humpbacks, the seas and oceans around Australia are home to the southern right whale, bottlenose dolphins and the awe-inspiring blue whale – the largest animal on the planet, capable of growing to almost 100ft in length.
Tours head out from the iconic Sydney Harbour, where tourists can climb the 134 metre tall construction and look out across the city and seascape, while their whale watching achievement can be commemorated with a certificate and stunning photographs of these great beasts.
Newlyweds are being encouraged to consider Kenya as their romantic honeymoon destination by the country’s tourist board.
Officials claim that the East African nation provides an “unforgettable” experience with its combination of 300 miles of beaches and various safari or adventure options on its wildlife-filled plains.
The regional director of the Kenya Tourist Board for the UK and Ireland, Angie Sloan, also picked hot-air balloon rides, seeing the sun set over the Indian Ocean, boat trips at Lake Nakuru and sea-life spotting at the Watamu Marine Reserve as highlights.
She claims that Kenya can be one of the most romantic locations in the world for that first holiday as a married couple, with luxury lodges in national parks, high-end resorts on the coast and boutique hotels in Nairobi all on offer.
The country is being marketed as ideal for nature and wildlife lovers, adventure enthusiasts, outdoor explorers and safari seekers as well as couples who want the rest and relaxation on white sandy beaches that is usually associated with honeymoons.
And with a host of flights available from airports across the UK, including London Heathrow and Gatwick, and a range of deals at different prices, the tourist board is keen to see as many people as possible exploring Kenya on their honeymoon.
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Experiencing New York is something most people want to do at least once in their lifetime, but research has shown you have to pay a high price for the privilege.
Whether it’s enjoying the Big Apple’s alluring boutiques, savouring the views at the top of the Empire State Building or taking a stroll through Central Park, there is a reason for everyone to head to the airport with great excitement.
But although you would expect the cost of seeing Spiderman: Turn off the Dark on Broadway, or eating out at Planet Hollywood in Times Square to cost a pretty penny, the findings also show that ‘the city that never sleeps’ has the highest hotel room rates among the most fashionable locations.
Hotels.com has revealed that the average room prices in New York rose by 4% to £173 in 2011, while Berlin – which is the most affordable top fashion city – saw rates fall by 3% to just £73.
Following the Big Apple, which has been made famous by much-loved shows such as Friends and Sex in the City, was Singapore, which saw prices rise by 11% to £136.
London, which is easily accessed via Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted airports by overseas tourists, was the fifth most expensive location.
The capital’s average hotel room rate climbed by 1% to £115 in 2011.
Los Angeles (£111), Barcelona (£104) and Tokyo (£102) all had cheaper rates than London last year.
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One of the last rainforests in Europe, epic mountains and idyllic rivers decorate the landscape of Montenegro, an often neglected holiday destination.
Nestled in the south of the Adriatic, the particularly welcoming tourist spot for families looks set to be discovered by more holidaymakers now that direct flights from Gatwick have been launched.
Along the Lustica peninsula there are child-friendly sandy beaches like Blue Horizons, bordered by cypress trees and with shallow water stretching 50ft out making it ideal for paddling.
In the Bay of Kotor, a favourite with those in the know, gentle waters lead into the Adriatic Sea and parents can enjoy the quaint ninth-century town while children play games in one of the many squares.
Kids can also enjoy a wealth of play parks, while the bargain ice creams will please the whole family.
And infrastructure is far from perfect; hiring a car is a must to get around in the region – and some of the some of the coastal roads in particular can feel a little narrow – though the charm of the place more than compensates for the minor flaws.
The warmth of the locals, the majestic natural vistas and the stunning weather mean heading to Montenegro this summer would herald an unforgettable experience.
Gatwick Airport is becoming increasingly popular with business travellers and people jetting away for their holiday, new figures show.
The airport said it saw around three million passengers last month, an increase of 2% compared to the same month last year. The rise comes despite the fact that school holidays were shifted into June this year to fall in line with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Gatwick also reported a rise in average load factors to 79.5% in May, an improvement of 2.1% compared with May 2011.
Nick Dunn, chief financial officer at Gatwick Airport, said: “It is encouraging to report a 2% growth in passenger numbers during May despite the move of a busy school-half term and May Bank holiday to June.
“Despite the continuing economic headwinds, business and leisure passengers are taking advantage of low-cost travel to many destinations in Europe and the new long-haul services operating from Gatwick.
“We have also seen competition amongst airports working with Atlantic Airways switching its London service to the Faroe Islands from Stansted to Gatwick during May.
“We continue to invest around £20 million a month in the airport to create a modern, welcoming airport with minimal queue-times and excellent customer service. This is now paying dividends with airlines and passenger choosing to fly from Gatwick.”
Copyright Press Association 2012
Holidays to Greece have not been affected by the country’s economic crisis, with four million Britons heading to the country this summer.
Foreign exchange company Travelex said the number of Britons travelling to Greece could be double the average number of two million, with travel agents reporting that all-inclusive bookings were up by a third over the last two weeks.
Tour operators have cut prices for Greek trips, and the survey shows that many are setting off on holiday to Greece from airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick due to the strengthening of the pound against the Euro.
A fifth said they were “not concerned at all” about a possible collapse of the euro, with the majority saying they were just “mildly concerned”.
However, almost half of all people polled believe the euro will collapse in Greece, with the majority saying they expect it to happen before the end of the summer.
But this does not seem to put people off travelling, with fewer than 2% cancelling a pre-booked trip to the country, while a further 47% said they would not change their travel plans whatever happens.
Elvin Eldic of Travelex said that Britons are “more concerned about bagging a bargain”, adding: “We’d urge Brits to not only take a mixture of cash and a prepaid card but also to take the time to check the terms and conditions of their travel insurance when booking a holiday or travelling to Greece.”
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New figures reveal that airports run by BAA, such as Heathrow, saw a rise in the number of travellers that passed through its gates in April.
Its six hubs handled nearly 9.09 million people overall last month, which is a 0.1% increase compared to the same month last year, according to the Spanish-owned operator.
Heathrow saw a slight jump in the volume of passengers in contrast with figures recorded in April 2011 – totalling 5.8 million travellers. But data found 2.7% fewer people travelled through Stansted Airport last month when compared with the same month last year, and Southampton also recorded a 3.1% decline.
Findings showed that European charter traffic, including North African charter flights, tumbled 6.5% in April, while the number of passengers who flew towards a North Atlantic destination decreased by 0.9%.
“These are encouraging figures for Heathrow and BAA’s other airports. However, the modest growth in passenger numbers at Heathrow, the UK’s only hub airport, comes from larger and fuller aircraft, not from more routes and frequencies to emerging markets. This lack of connectivity is damaging the UK economy,” said Colin Matthews, BAA chief executive.
Figures also dipped for Gatwick airport, which used to be owned by BAA, as it saw a total of 2.72 million travellers in April. The number is a 1.3% drop in comparison to 2011’s April figure. It is now run by Global Infrastructure Partnerships, which is expected to acquire BAA-owned Edinburgh airport.
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Travel firms selling cruise liner tickets are slashing prices in an effort to bolster plunging sales, according to new reports.
Although UK cruise companies have been particularly badly hit, experts have pointed out that the interlinked nature of the industry has seen firms across Europe suffer from falling sales figures.
The crisis means travellers can head from UK airports such as Stansted and Gatwick to embark on a cruise around some of the most beautiful parts of the world for a fraction of the normal cost.
“The cruise market is weak because it is trans-European,” said Bob Atkinson of TravelSupermarket.
“If bookings are poor in Spain, Italy and France then the cruise lines aren’t getting the numbers they need to fill cruises, that means more go on sale in Britain.
“Book at short notice and you’ll probably get a great price, with cruise lines also chucking in free flights and on-board spending. Royal Caribbean voyages from Southampton start at £699 and can include $100 of onboard credit. It’s effectively a discount of 20-30%.”
Mr Atkinson went on to point out that the trends affecting the cruise industry could also be indicative of the travel sector as a whole, with people “hedging their bets and spending cautiously”.
The cruise industry has hit the headlines in recent months, after two liners from the same company ran into serious problems at sea. Most recently the Costa Allegra caught fire near the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, while the Costa Concordia vessel ran aground and capsized, killing at least 25 people. Both ships were operated by Costa Cruises.
Around six million Britons are set to jet off on holiday around the Queen’s Jubilee Bank Holiday at the beginning of June.
The figure from the Association of British Travel Agents suggests that a host of people are taking advantage of the extra day off, which means that most people only need to take three days off work to have a consecutive nine-day break.
There is reported to have been a 50% year-on-year increase in bookings and searches for the week of the Jubilee, and UK travel website lowcostholidays insists that “unreliable and miserable British weather” is a major contributing factor.
Schools are also on holiday during that week and Greece in particular is providing a huge number of bargains, with managing director of Jewel in the Crown Holidays, Platon Loizou, confirming that many operators have lots of packages left to sell.
“After all the demonstrations, they can’t shift holidays for love nor money; seven nights with accommodation on Zante and Corfu start at £129, flight-onlys from £125,” he said.
There are even “buy one, get one free” offers available and Olympic Holidays are trying to encourage people to travel to the Greek Islands and Cyprus with better than half-price packages from Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow.
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