Travel Weekly Blog

Spotted on Gothamist: a New York resident has snapped work underway on the new widened sidewalk - I mean pavement - on Broadway:

Says Gothamist:

Between 42nd Street and Herald Square, four lanes of Broadway will go down to two lanes--and a bicycle lane and pedestrian walkway, complete with seating, tables, umbrellas and flower-filled planters, will emerge by August 15

Sounds pretty good. New Yorkers will have adopted a relaxed, continental attitude to life before you can say 'bof'...

Pic by flickr user carolitajohnson

Having read this latest piece of research from Travelodge on the geographical skills of the UK's youngsters I was remided of a discussion I had recently with some travel agents.

We were talking about the USP for travel agents in the future and one of them half joked that a sound knowledge of geography would be more essential than ever as today's children have a poor understanding of countries, destinations etc.

Cue this research from Travelodge, which demonstrates how ignorant UK yoof is of UK destinations.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

TW editor-in-chief Penny Wilson sent over this comment on Antigua's response to the murder of Catherine Mullany...

"Resorts and hotels in Antigua clammed up when Travel Weekly reporters asked them what their security arrangements were, following the shooting of a British honeymoon couple there this week.

I don't blame them, really. No doubt hospitality chiefs thought we were trying to pin the blame on them. Not true.

But I think what would really calm holidaymakers in Antigua right now is large and visible security presence surrounding them.

People feel reassured by a show of strength, even if they know a determined gangster will break through it if they really want to.

Witness airports such as Heathrow, for example, where visible security has increased tenfold and more since 9/11."

A 2,500 year old Greek ship - the largest and best-preserved of its kind - was raised off the coast of Gela, Sicily today. Here's a look at where it fits on the tourism map.

Gela itself is an oil refinery centre with little to attract tourists, but there's plenty in the wider region, notably Agrigento's celebrated Greek temples, about 40 miles west. (NB: Gela's the red pin).

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• Palermo, Sicily's capital: 85 miles northwest
• Catania, a lively university town: 55 miles northeast
• Syracuse, a World Heritage site: 55 miles east
• Taormina, a popular tourist resort: 80 miles northeast
• Cefalu, one of Sicily's best beaches: 70 miles north
• Agrigento, celebrated for its Greek temples: 40 miles west

We're are always writing about destinations in the travel blogosphere, and rightly so. But what would a tourist map of your own area look like?

Travel Weekly lives where London blurs into Surrey, so we have city attractions to the north and stately homes, parks and such to the south (and the same in Kent, off to the east).

I've picked out a few of the sights and attractions near TW Towers on a map (we're the red pin)...

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• Richmond Park (7 miles northwest) - the biggest Royal Park in London, at 2,500 acres
• London Wetlands Centre (8 miles north) - oystercatchers, egrets and plovers... in London?
• Chessington World of Adventures (6 miles west) - a family theme park and zoo
• Hampton Court Palace (7 miles northwest) - former royal palace and gardens
• Box Hill (9 miles southwest) - beauty spot with panoramic views, near Dorking

It'd be great to see some other travel bloggers pick this up - so tagging Darren at Travel Rants, Kevin at Travolution, Guillaime at Hotel Blogs and the guys at Tracking Tourism.

With all the news of a resurgent UK holiday market, TW thought it time to look up some vintage UK holiday footage. Here we have a short film capturing 1950s Blackpool.

It was made by British Transport Films.

Check out the rides . . .

Martin Couzins, managing editor

The resorts of Laredo and Noja, in Spain's Cantabria region, are on the news agenda after ETA bombs exploded on beaches and golf courses - thankfully causing no serious injuries.

Here's where the towns lie in relation to Bilbao and Cantabria capital Santander (distances given as-the-crow-flies):

• Laredo is 26m northwest of Bilbao, 20m east of Santander
• Noja is 36m northwest of Bilbao, Noja 15m east of Santander

Broadly, they're family-friendly coastal resorts that offer something less hectic than the east coast, with lower temperatures. The big beaches are Noja's Ris and Laredo's La Salve.

The map includes the towns and some of the attractions that draw tourists to the wider region:

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• Altamira Museum: Altamira caves are famous for their prehistoric paintings
• Parque de Cabo Mayor: park in Santander, with a lighthouse on a dramatic cliff face
• Guggenheim Museum: a bit of a drive, but justly celebrated - an astonishing modern art museum
• Playa Joyel: a popular camping park close to Noja (see Keycamp, Eurocamp etc)

Laredo is also famous for Batalla de Flores (Spanish language site), a festival which sees flower-covered floats fill the streets on the last Friday in August.

Tripadvisor forum member Wellerman says of the area arund Noja:

Admittedly the weather is not as reliable as the south or the islands but if you want somewhere with fantastic beaches, and wonderful scenery away from the boring over populated costas then it's a great place... You would probably be best to hire a car as there are some brilliant places within driving distance

Every year, groups of New Yorkers take to the streets to capture the sunset aligning perfectly with the east-west lines on the city's grid.

This year Manhattanhenge hit on May 29/30 and again on July 11/12 - I've dug up some embeddable photos from flickr.

by JSchumacher

by effingboring

by marf2010

The American Museum of Natural History explains:

Had Manhattan's grid been perfectly aligned with the geographic north-south line, then the days of Manhattanhenge would be the spring and autumn equinoxes. But its street grid is rotated 30 degrees east from geographic north, shifting the days of alignment elsewhere.

Any city crossed by a rectangular grid can identify days where the setting sun aligns with their streets. But beyond the grid you need a clear view to the horizon, as we have over New Jersey. So Manhattanhenge may just be a unique urban phenomenon.

Update: there's a Wikipedia page about Stonehenge replicas and derivatives around the world. Hat-tip to Triphow.

When business traveller Dubai resident Michelle Palmer isn't catapaulting Jumeirah Beach Park into the news by having sex on it, what can holidaymakers expect from it?

Opened in 1989, it's a 12-hectare area of park with a (usually) family-friendly beach attached.

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You'll find it:

• 8 miles north of The Palm
• 9 miles southwest of Dubai International Airport

According to Virtual Tourist user Escadora7:

Somewhat outside the buzzing city-streets, Jumeirah seems to be moving at a slower pace. People are sunbathing, barbequing, or playing Volleyball and other beach-games; a little food-shack sells soft-drinks and snacks (hot-dogs, keebabs, etc.)

And that's seconded by Tripadvisor user shax:

My wife enjoyed our visit to the beach. it was not 'untidy and dirty' like some told us but very enjoyable. You are not disturbed in any way and can really get on with your holiday. There are open showers for those who wish to wash of and places to eat very nearby,

According to Dubai City guide you can expect to pay 5 dhs for access to the beach, and 20 dhs for parking.

Ladies' day is Saturday, but don't expect to see Palmer sunning herself there - she faces a jail sentence of between three months and six years...

The US National Hurricane Center's latest report has Hurricane Bertha about 350 miles off Bermuda.

Image: NASA Earth Observatory

Bermuda should see the worst of the storm on Saturday and Sunday - predictions say it will be closest in the early hours of Sunday morning, passing 153 nautical miles east-south-east of the island.

This doesn't mean Bermuda is safe - it is already being affected by 'large swells and high surf'. FCO advice is to 'monitor Bertha's progress closely and listen to advice from the local authorities'. Check weather.bm for updates.

Bertha is a category one hurricane, so it doesn't have the ferocity of Dean or Felix last season. But it has broken a record of its own: according to NASA's Earth Observatory, "no hurricane has ever formed so far east before August 1."

According to the Guardian, yesterday Spanish tourist board Turespaña predicted that the weak pound and economic downturn would hit classic packages and 14-day holidays, leaving Spain in a bit of a pickle.

Instead, destinations such as Egypt and Turkey which can offer more competitive holidays will draw the tourists away from Spain.

Well, guess what? Spain has just been knocked off the top of Co-operative Travel's lates market sales charts by none other than... Turkey.

Director of retail distribution Trevor Davis said the strength of the euro against the pound and capacity cuts to Spain following consolidation of the big four, which has led to a lack of available low-price late Spanish breaks, were the key reasons for the change

With a British Chambers of Commerce report indicating we could be headed for full-blown recession, one wonders what the UK's summer holiday league tables will look like in a few years' time...

There's a feature on fam trip etiquette going in Travel Weekly this week, to which I can add my own tip: when a hotel rep at Cliff Bay in Funchal shows you the sea view from a new top-floor room class, don't comment on the great view of iconic rival Reid's Palace. And definitely don't take a photo.

Oops. My bad.

The rep didn't really mind, of course, and Cliff Bay is a fine property in its own right.

It's a spa and sun-deck kind of place, so doesn't have the character you'd get in a quinta, but spa and sun-deck properties are great for the wealthy, often slightly older couples that come back to Madeira year after year.

Cliff Bay's two sun decks are particularly impressive: the upper has an indoor-outdoor pool that runs into the spa area, while the lower (a long way down, and reached by lift) has a saltwater pool, a restaurant-bar and access to the ocean.

There are 40 of the new rooms we were shown - their configuration is much the same as standard rooms, but they include superior decor, in-room interweb access, a pillow menu and breakfast in the a la carte restaurant.

It's a good seller for Inghams, apparently, but I was interested to hear that their most popular property is Quinta Bela Sao Tiago, where the focus is on character - it's in Funchal's old town, so there's no ocean access, and the pool/spa facilities are less extensive than at Cliff Bay.

But in the words of Pierre from Inghams, it's a property that 'presents well'. The terrace and gardens in particular are beautiful - there's actually a small banana plantation guests can wander through. Put next to Cliff Bay, it gives you a good sense of the range of hotel product available here.

The lack of activity round here is down to me being on a press trip to Madeira, and the interweb being less accessible than I foresaw.

I'm writing from the lobby of the Classic Savoy in Funchal, which I'll have some video from when I'm home - believe me, there is no hope of extracting it on the old wind-up Compaq I'm using.

As far as looking for 'angles' goes, our host Inghams has done a good job of dispelling the rather slow, staid image that Madeira has in northern Europe (visitors from Spain and Portugal have a younger average age than those from the UK - anecdotally, all the UK visitors I know are of my parents' generation).

We've gone whale-watching in a small dinghy, spotting two sperm whales just 10 minutes from the marina; been on a 4x4 jeep tour up into the mountainous centre; and 'tobogganed' down roads (yes, roads) in wicker baskets with greased runners underneath, and two locals with ropes to do the steering.

I've also seen some great hotels, drunk 'poncha' in a surprisingly trendy bar, and eaten superbly. I'll post photos and whatever else I have from tomorrow...

Grande Hotel Gardone Riviera hit the news this week after a British holidaymaker died following an outbreak of salmonella (though it isn't yet clear whether the bug caused his death).

The property is set right on the west bank of Lake Garda, roughly:

• 60km north-west of Verona
• 60km north of Mantua
• 139km east of Milan
• 175km west of Venice

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It has a fair amount of history: dating from 1884, it has hosted Sir Winston Churchill, Vladimir Nabokov and Somerset Maugham (among TW Blog's favourite authors, incidentally).

TripAdvisor reviewers are largely complimentary about the property, with only 8 out of 60 dropping below 4/5 - though one family complains that they were hit by a surprise €350 charge for what their 10 month old baby had eaten over 14 meals.

It is featured by a number of British tour operators - Kuoni, Inghams, Prestige Holidays and TUI Travel (Thomson) had guests there during the salmonella outbreak, and are all investigating the hotel's safety standards through hygeine consultant IGI.

From deputy features ed Joanna Booth

I've returned from the Hayes & Jarvis fam to Mauritius overwhelmed by the hospitality on the island.

And not just from the beautiful top-end hotels we visited ­ though each one pulled out all the stops to impress us, from Thai cuisine at the Hilton to a pirate-themed quiz night at the Maritim ­ but also from the Mauritian people themselves.

Our group was divided up and sent off in cars on a treasure hunt round the island. We accosted people in the street, asking them countless questions, and the responses were polite and helpful without exception.

Few went as far as one man, though. We were asked to bring back what translated from the Creole as 'an old Mauritian'. Most teams discovered that our intended target was a day-old edition of the island¹s local paper.

However, Brad Smith, team manager at First Choice Peterborough, took a more literal approach, and arrived at the finish line cheerfully accompanied by a local man of advanced years...

Joanna Booth, deputy features editor

Tracking Tourism has a good post based on an interview with Ian Yeoman, a tourism futurologist formerly employed by Visit Scotland.

One point about city breaks jumped out at me, mainly because this Friday's Destinations section is heavy on city break content.

The rough version is that new constraints (less time, less disposable income, more concern about the ethical/environmental impact of travel) will leave UK travellers 'wanting more from what they can get' - and that this will be to the benefit of cities which:

• ...are within three hours of the UK
• ...have lots to offer tourists
• ...have good transport links

What does this mean for the range of city breaks taken in Europe? One reading is that it will lead to conservatism.

I tried applying the criteria to Kaliningrad, which we feature as an up-and-coming destination this week.

The city is beginning to develop following the introduction of a KD Avia route from Gatwick and a relaxation of visa rules for UK visitors. In some ways, it ticks the right boxes: it's only a two-hour flight from London, and like much of Eastern Europe it is very cheap.

But it also has comparatively limited tourist infrastructure. Public transport from the airport barely exists (though transfer by car doesn't take long). It is also on a route that may struggle as the pressure on airlines increases.

Can we see the kind of consumer Yeoman describes - one who has scarce, valuable time and is determined to make the most of it - taking a punt on Kaliningrad over, say, a low-risk dependable such as Prague?

Are the barriers to becoming a 'Destination City' about to get much higher?

Perhaps it comes down to what consumers consider 'making the most of your time' - another reading is that the desire to do so will encourage people to strike out and look for something new.

Even then, it may be the fortunes of airlines that ultimately decide how broad a palette the next generation of city breakers can paint with...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Met Richard Edwards, tourism manager at Arun Districy Council, at the Brit 2008 Awards earlier this week. He mentioned that he was vice president of the British Resorts and Destinations Association, a group I had not heard of.

The group represents destinations in the UK - mostly coastal resorts - and boasts 20 MPs as vice-presidents.

Its president is Gordon Marsden, Labour MP for Blackpool South.

What a line-up - something the outbound travel industry can only dream of.

Let's hope ABTA's David Marshall gets to influence more people in government in his new role dedicated to policy.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Speaks for itself, really. I think beerbike tours are available in several places and from several operators, but Amsterdam seems to be a hotspot. Hello stag and hen market...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

German magazine Spiegel has kicked off a new content strand called Europe's Weird Ways, which is exactly what it sounds like - an effort to cover all the odd behaviours and certifiable festivals that pepper our continent.

It is inviting suggestions from readers, but who's going to top a Greek phallus festival?

If you want to eat phallus-shaped bread, drink through phallus-shaped straws from phallus-shaped cups, kiss ceramic phalluses, sit on a phallus-shaped throne and sing dirty Greek songs about the phallus, then you should visit the little Greek town of Tyrnavos each year on 'Clean Monday' [the first Monday of Lent]

Count yourself lucky there isn't a Dirty Monday (via Metafilter).

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Enjoyed Jo Booth's encounter with a great white and humpback whale whilst on the current South Africa tourism fam.

I know where I would rather be right now . . .

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Are the Brits really this bad abroad?

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Craig Daniels and Mads Kristensen are due to start an epic tuk-tuk journey this weekend. Here is how they describe it on their site 2crazynuts.com.

Through 4500km of the roughest terrain from Kathmandu, Nepal to Pondicherry, Southeast India....A path through the ancient, and at times vertical, donkey dirt-tracks across the Himalayas....Then down south through India's unpaved roads, jungle tracks and complete lack of roads, towards the end destination.

I cannot quite believe a tuk-tuk will make it up and down mountainous tracks, especially in monsoon. The aim is to raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Can't arguw with the cause, but can't help there is something of the Max Gogarty/Mark Boyle about this.

Just had this press release in from Aeroflot.

Aeroflot on top of its game as English football fans flock to Moscow

Aeroflot has made preparations to ensure a safe and timely arrival for some of the 50,000 English football supporters attending the UEFA Champion's League Final in Moscow tonight.

The Russian airline has announced that the influx of English visitors to Moscow, spurred by what is set to be a historic match between archrivals Manchester United and Chelsea, *will not lead to any delays* or congestion at its base airport Sheremetievo.

* This is the bit I liked.

We have been told!

I am trying to imagine BA taking the same tone . . .

Martin Couzins, managing editor

More from news editor Michelle Perrett's trip to Kenya with Virgin...

Esther Ranson was basically the best dressed woman on the whole trip. At every event she had a new gorgeous outfit and looked stunning, putting the rest of us messy lot to shame.

We left the Maasi Mara on Saturday, having eaten some of the best food, had some of the most amazing service, seen prides of lions literally metres away and been treated like royalty by the Kenyan people and the Sarova Mara Lodge.

We all tried to get our photo taken with Esther, who showed us a pose which her Strictly Come Dancing partner Anton du Beke had taught her. Apparently it takes 10 years and 10 pounds off you. All the female journalists agreed to use it in future...

Michelle Perrett, news editor

More from news editor Michelle Perrett in the Masai Mara...

The big news on Saturday was that Richard Branson had arrived in the Masai Mara - naturally, everyone was excited to meet him.

Branson has been very supportive of Kenya during its troubles, and had come to open a new school which has been partly funded by Virgin Atlantic frequent flyers.

Sir Richard approached me with a kiss on the cheek. I managed to get one of the guys to take a photo of us (above), telling Branson it's for my mum. He said it was typical: women's mums now fancy him!

Later hundreds of locals gathered at the official opening ceremony of the Sekenani Primary School. I sat in the press area, only to find I was sitting directly behind the man himself and thus had a good chance of making it onto Kenyan TV.

The children celebrated by singing about how important education is to them. They were so happy and so excited to have a school. Many of us got a little teary as we realised what a big event this was for the community

Michelle Perrett, news editor

I won't name the company. From the press release:

As TV's favourite series, Benidorm, comes to a close this Friday, viewers are clearly yearning for more as Benidorm is experiencing a revival both on and off screen. The number of nights booked in Benidorm has almost doubled since ITV1 launched the sitcom...

From the Wikipedia entry for post hoc ergo propter hoc (Latin for "after this, therefore because of this"):

The fallacy lies in coming to a conclusion based solely on the order of events, rather than taking into account other factors. Many superstitious beliefs and magical thinking arise from this fallacy.

Other factors... perhaps something about cheap, known-quantity holidays having strong appeal in a floundering economy. But I'm speculating.

Also, TV's favourite series? Benidorm? Did I miss a meeting?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

News editor Michelle Perrett has joined tour operators and journalists on a trip to the Masai Mara, hosted by Virgin Atlantic and Kenya Tourist Board...

To get to the Maasai Mara takes another 35 minutes by plane to Keekorok airstrip after landing at Nairobi. Then there is another 30 minute jeep ride to Sarova Mara Lodge.

The view is unbelievable as the convoy of jeeps make it through to long grass on tracks and dirt roads to the safari resort.

Our driver points out the wildlife in the distance telling us the long grass is rife with both black mambo and green mambo snakes.

He stops to point out the Sausage Tree - it has a strange array of sausage shaped fruit - which the locals ferment and make into a potent alcoholic drink.

The Sarova Mara Lodge greets us with a row of Maasi warriors who sing and dance to welcome us.

The luxury tents we are staying in are amazing allowing you to see the bush and national park through your mosquito netted windows.

My tent is on the edge of the resort backing onto the park - where some of the staff tell me excitedly I could spot and elephant or a lion. I'm thinking it could be a long night...

Michelle Perrett, news editor

News editor Michelle Perrett has joined tour operators and journalists on a trip to the Masai Mara...

Arriving by limo and being checked in at the special Virgin entrance at Heathrow is a spectacular way to start a trip to Kenya.

Through the genius of technology the driver contacts Virgin detailing the expected time of arrival and amount of luggage I need to check in making the arrival smooth and stress-free.

One of the most awful things about getting a flight is the queuing to get food and rush around duty free. But the Virgin Clubhouse is a treat in itself, designed like a trendy London bar or restaurant.

You can have a spa treatment, get a haircut, eat from the menu and have a glass of champagne while waiting to board.

I have a glass of champagne while waiting to interview the Minister for Tourism for Kenya, who has been on a 10-day trip in Europe promoting the country.

He wants to tell tourists that Kenya is now safe after the recent troubles, but is running late as he has been called to No. 10 for a meeting with foreign ministers.

On the eight-hour flight I managed a few hours sleep in the Upper Class beds, which are heaven.

In typical British style, everyone queues for the toilets to change and freshen before landing. That's Life TV presenter Esther Rantzen, who I'd spotted in the Clubhouse earlier, is now in the queue behind me. In typical non-British fashion she decides queuing to change is not the way forward - and decides to strip off her top.

I wasn't expecting to see so much of her on this trip. It turns out she is a travel writer and is going to be on the trip for four days with the other 35 journalists and operators.

More soon...

Michelle Perrett, news editor

A while ago I posted something speculative about the the destination marketing potential of big-ticket video games.

To recap, I reckon that the increase in video game penetration, combined with the bigger and better-looking game worlds made possible by modern hardware, mean that titles which represent or mimic real-world locations could boost visitor numbers in the same way blockbuster films traditionally have (Miss Potter for Cumbria, Moulin Rouge for Paris: you know the drill).

So I was interested when a friend forwarded me a flickr gallery making explicit the similarities between Liberty City, the setting for open-world masterpiece Grand Theft Auto IV, and New York. Here's a sample (original spot by Kotaku):

GTA IV is not the only one: forthcoming title Alone in the Dark is set in a meticulously recreated Central Park (albeit one full of zombies), and the climax of Legendary will apparently take place at our own Durham Cathedral (though that kind of thing can land you in trouble, as Sony recently found...).

Nathan Midgley, web producer

A second dispatch from chief reporter Juliet Dennis, who has joined a Bahamas Flavours fam trip in Nassau...

It's not every day you get to hug and snog a dolphin. But that's exactly what we got to do yesterday as part of Bahamas Flavours' educational.

Dolphin Encounters is a centre that is accessed from Nassau on a short boat ride and intends to look after dolphins and sea lions as well as allow them to show off their party tricks - and some close encounters with their human friends. It's a great day trip for agents to recommend to customers planning on visiting the Bahamas.

For our part, we got to go into the water to meet one of the dolphins, who was so tame he gave us all a hug, several kisses (okay I got four!) and provided he was given plenty of fish, let us stroke him too, bless him.

One of the sea lions we met had been rescued from an aquarium after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. The poor creature has been so traumatised by the hurricane that he's lost the sight of his eyes and is deaf in one ear.

But clearly he's improving fast - he wasted no time in showing us a few choice spins and loud coughing noises. And word has it he has been intimate with at least two pregnant sea lions at the centre, so clearly he's got his mojo back too.

Meanwhile, we also visited a few properties in the Nassau area, the funkiest of which was Compass Point. It has huts of every colour - so a real Caribbean feel to it - some of which are on stilts.

The huts, which have a lovely rustic feel, sit right next to the beach and there's also all the usual facilities (pool, restaurant, Internet).

Definitely worth booking for clients who want a smaller property that offers an alternative to a hotel. There's even self-catering facilities there too, not to mention a view to die for.

Juliet Dennis, chief reporter

The Guardian reports that Prague's intellectuals are hitting back at the commercialisation of the city. They are two main (but related) complaints: first, the arrival of McDonalds, Starbucks and the rest; second, cuts to funding for the arts.

Here are the two sides of the argument in quotes:

'One of Prague's few legitimate claims to world-class status is its vibrant cultural scene, which in turn attracts a steady stream of international performers,' [said Prague Post editor Frank Kuznik]. 'That city officials are so willing to gut Prague's cultural life, while encouraging mindless commercial development, suggests at the very least a warped set of priorities.'

Officials and owners of Prague's popular music hall theatres have struck back at the intellectuals. One impresario said: 'We attract the tourists, we get the biggest local crowds, why should the difficult arty stuff get all the help?'

One answer? Because without a healthy fringe, the mainstream stagnates. The arrival of McDonalds, Starbucks and stage show franchises such as Mama Mia is inevitable - all the more reason to counterbalance them by protecting what is idiosyncratic and distinct.

For good or ill, that synthesis of global and local seems to be the only option available to major cities. And I'm playing devil's advocate here, but less confident travellers may even find it rather appealing...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Could French coastal resorts be hit by mosquitoes this summer? Apparently so . . .

Martin Couzins, online editor