Lufthansa Italia, the new Italian offshoot of the German carrier, is offering two-for-one tickets to mark the launch of its service between London and Milan.

Four daily flights from London Heathrow will be offered beginning at the end of March.

Airfares start from £99, and the two-for-one deal is being offered on bookings made on line at Lufthansa.com by 10 February.

From next month, service will commence linking Milan-Malpensa with Barcelona and Paris, which will be followed by service with Brussels, Budapest, Bucharest and Madrid by early March. Lisbon and Heathrow routes will be launched at the end of March.

Lufthansa Italia’s first two Airbus A319s are being configured in business and economy classes, seating 138 passengers.

Flight attendants will be Italian speakers and offer passengers Italian food and drink – including averna, grappa and spumante.

Marianne Sammann, the UK and Ireland general manager for Lufthansa, commented: “The introduction of Lufthansa Italia’s new four times daily non-stop service from London-Heathrow to Milan will allow us to offer both business and leisure travellers alike a convenient and frequent service to northern Italy with the high Lufthansa quality which our customers expect.”

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/lufthansa-prepares-to-launch-italian-offshoot-5634144.html

The reasons why growing numbers of parents are fined for letting their children miss school is being investigated by the government.

Since 2004 education authorities across England have issued tens of thousands of fixed penalties to parents.

Some families claim the higher cost of holidays during school breaks is largely to blame for the growing number of absences.

A study into the issue is set to be completed by the summer.

'Fine cheaper'

In the 2004/05 school year just 3,483 fixed penalties were issued by local education authorities (LEAs) across England.

But by 2006/07 it had risen sharply to 14,625.

The latest available figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) from September 2007 to April 2008, show 10,498 notices were posted to parents in the first two terms of that academic year.

Some parents in Devon have said the fines are a risk worth taking because of the expense of holidays.

"One hundred pounds is probably a lot cheaper than the difference in the cost of a holiday," one mother told BBC News.

While Richard Newton-Chance, principal of Queen Elizabeth Community College in Crediton, Devon, said the premium on holidays taken in August encouraged parents to take their children out of school so they could holiday earlier or later.

ABSENCE FINES ISSUED
2004/05 - 3,483
2005/06 - 12,150
2006/07 - 14,625
2007/08 (excluding final term) - 10,498

Schools can grant up to 10 days term-time holiday per year, but it is at head teachers' discretion.

There are two levels of penalty notices - £50 if the fine is settled within 28 days and £100 if it is later than 28 days but within 42 days.

Parents who refuse to pay are committing an offence under the 1996 Education Act.

The choice whether to issue fines rests with individual schools and LEAs. And there are vastly different approaches.

Kent, for example, issued 330 notices between September 07 and April 08.

But many London boroughs, including Haringey, Hounslow and Lambeth, did not send out any.

Reasons for absence have been recorded by schools since 2006, but it is not compulsory and many unauthorised days off are unexplained.

Some local authorities did not issue any fines last year

A DCSF spokesman said the practice of issuing fines was rolled-out across England in 2006.

"More local authorities are aware of them now. And from September 2007 we expanded the number of things they could be issued for.

"Over the last five years it's gone up. We're currently doing a piece of research talking to LEAs asking why exactly [the fines] were given.

"It will also look into the effectiveness of them."

A spokeswoman from First Choice, in Canterbury, Kent, said more families were booking breaks in term time.

"People are more open to that now, when they see the difference in price," she said.
She added the economic downturn had not made a difference to sales.

The Association of British Travel Agents said it was hard to monitor how many parents took their children out of school for holidays.

A spokesman said travel agents tended not to ask people booking holidays in term time if they had gained permission from their child's school.

But he added sales of family breaks had been buoyant throughout January as many took advantage of children-go-free offers.

"It's been a very pleasant surprise because in the current economic climate no one knew what would happen," a spokesman said.

"Business has been very brisk because of the deals."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7856092.stm

Tracy: I met Kevin on a group holiday in Costa Adeje on the west coast of Tenerife in May 2008. Before then, I had been single for three years. I was comfortable being on my own and was beyond looking for romance, I just wanted to get away for a relaxed holiday and a bit of early summer sun. I had been away with Spiceuk before; I went to Brazil for the carnival in January 2008, and the holiday was fantastic. Spiceuk holidays suit me because many of my friends are married or in long-term relationships.

Kevin and I were introduced at the airport, along with the rest of the group, and instantly developed a good rapport. He says he liked the look of me right from the start, even though we had just been introduced.

Throughout the week, Kevin and I mixed easily within the group and either sat around the pool chatting or did various watersports activities such as jetskiing or parascending. In the evening, the whole group got together for dinner. On the second day we sat together at dinner and really got to know each other. We realised we had a lot in common, and there was a spark, which was strange for me because I hadn't felt those feelings in a while.

At the end of the holiday we knew we fancied each other, but we didn't get together until a month later. I think we were both so resigned to the fact that we wouldn't meet anyone. It was a pleasant surprise that we had, but we also didn't quite know how to take it forward.

After arranging to meet at the monthly Spice social event in London, Kevin asked if I would like to come over to his house for dinner at the weekend. He made me a roast; I was very impressed with his cooking and the conversation flowed really easily. It was clear that we liked each other and we have been dating since that day. We feel so lucky. We keep pinching ourselves. I didn't expect to meet my partner on a singles' holiday, but I'm so happy that I did.

Kevin: In May last year I had a week's leave and wanted some sun. Over the years my friends have settled down and some have children so they can't go away at the drop of a hat. I saw a Tenerife holiday in the Spiceuk brochure; the hotel was near a surf beach, which was great because I had recently done a surfing weekend in Devon and needed more practice, so I signed up. A relationship was the last thing on my mind - I simply wanted to go on holiday and do something I enjoyed.

Having been a member of my local Spice group for many years (in the past I've been white-water rafting, mountain biking and horse riding) I knew that the holiday would be great fun. In my experience the holidays are a brilliant way to meet people and boost your social life.

While I was at the airport I met Tracy, who was one of the first Spice group members to arrive. I was attracted to her immediately; she was bright, funny and good-looking. Throughout the holiday we sat together at dinner, chatted, laughed and danced. Most evenings there were group activities and it was a very natural, relaxed environment. The whole group mixed well and we all had such a good time. This allowed Tracy and I to get to know each other without any pressure.

After Tenerife most people swapped emails and many are still friends. I arranged to meet Tracy at the monthly Spice social event and we've been together ever since.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/24/singles-holiday-dating-experience

Sign of the times: An e-mail alert from Interval International, one of the world's two major timeshare exchange companies (RCI being the other), is advertising high-season "getaway" deals for Hawaiian units -- yet another sign how soft the current lodging market is in the islands.

Hawaii timeshares are at the top of exchangers' wishlists, in part because every seven-day interval in the year is a "red week" -- a desirable time to go. Some exchange companies offer owners of Hawaii timeshares two weeks of vacation for every week in the islands that they're willing to part with. Those units that do go into the exchange system -- occasionally because the developer has yet to sell all the intervals -- tend to be snapped up quickly.

But this year is quite different. Normally sought-after late winter and spring break weeks are being offered to Interval International (II) members for cash rentals ("getaways"), meaning no one has exchanged for them; that means you're also likely to find these condo-style units being rented out by the property management directly, and also by timeshare owners on EBay, www.redweek.com and other online outlets, possibly for less than II's deals.

In the case of II members, they can purchase weeklong getaways at a number of ResortQuest Hawaii vacation condos and condotels as well as at traditional timeshare developments. On Kauai, for example, a unit at the ResortQuest Islander on the Beach (a recently renovated condotel) is being offered for as little as $101 a night ($108 over Easter Week) for a room that sleeps four. The larger, two-bedroom apartment-style units at the ResortQuest at Poipu Kai are going for as little as $170 a night.

But there are deals on all the islands. On Maui, empty ResortQuest units are turning up at the Papakea Resort near Lahaina and Maui Banyan in Kihei, for as little as $161 a night; on the Big Island, ResortQuest Shores at Waikoloa and Waikoloa Colony Villas have similar offers, while the separately managed Kona Coast Resort in Kailua-Kona has one-bedrooms from $128 a night. ResortQuest Waikiki Sunset has one bedrooms for as low as $121 a night.

If those prices don't seem very low, keep in mind that in most cases these properties have full kitchens and residential proportions rather than hotel sizes and amenities, while still having resort facilities and service, making them a good value for families or couples traveling together.

The reason for the extra rooms is clear. Even though airfares and prices are dropping, consumer confidence is right there with them. As the Maui News and other outlets reported recently, hotel occupancy rates for November 2008 (the latest figures available) continued the slide of October 2008 and are dramatic drops from November 2007. Maui and Kauai, for example, only filled roughly 61 percent of their rooms this November, while the Big Island barely managed to fill half of its rooms; Oahu had the "high" of 68.5 percent.

The one thing of which you can be confident: If you can afford a Hawaiian getaway in the next few months, you won't complain of crowds when you get there.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/hawaii/detail?&entry_id=35090

Global Vacations - linked to the {banned word/phrase} timeshare re-sale scam - has been raided by Spanish police.

Sixteen British employees have been arrested on suspicion of fraud, including the company administrator Sandra Maynard.

One client - Janine Greaves, from Marlow, Bucks - paid {banned word/phrase} nearly £2,000 last year to sell her timeshare.

They told her they had a "corporate buyer" offering £19,000 and urged her to fly to Malaga to close the deal.

Janine, who has twice beaten cancer, was reluctant to travel but {banned word/phrase} insisted. There, a Global Vacations rep persuaded her - after a gruelling five-hour sales pitch - to spend another £2,000 on a deposit to join holiday network {banned word/phrase} Concierge.

She was offered £9,500 for her timeshare but only after three years on a "cashback" deal. As soon as she got back to the UK, Janine had second thoughts but Global Vacations then demanded the remaining £9,000.

Eventually, after providing her medical history, she was told she could pay £3,000 for a cheaper membership.

Since the raid, Janine has been told the company has "no objection" to her credit card firm giving her the refund.

A spokeswoman insists the firm, which trades in Spain as Vacation Services SL, was separate from {banned word/phrase} and {banned word/phrase} Concierge, despite sharing the same Gibraltar address.

If you have a complaint about these firms, write to the European Consumer Centre, 54 Principe de Vergara, 28006, Madrid or email cec@consumo-inc.es.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/01/29/investigate-timeshare-raid-in-spain-115875-21079354/

Forward holiday bookings for long-haul destinations have decreased by around 20 per cent so far this year, according to travel operator Kuoni.

The company’s managing director for the UK, Nick Hughes, suggested that a major loss of consumer confidence during the latter part of 2008 has affected forward holiday bookings.

“According to a report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, there has been a 20% decline in forward bookings for 2009 for long-haul travel. That would seem about right,” Hughes said.

In responding to the decline in bookings, Kuoni has initiated its largest sale in 100 years, on bookings that are made before 20 February. In addition, the travel company has extended the Kuoni Worldwide 2009 brochure through March of 2010 to help generate early bookings for 2010.

The upmarket travel company released its long-haul report for 2009 this week, noting: “These are challenging times, but all the research shows that holidays are still a priority and, more than ever, people are looking for good value. They may be downgrading, for example, from a five-star to a four-star property, or taking a shorter trip, but customers are still travelling.”

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/long-haul-holiday-bookings-down-20-per-cent-5634136.html

The news just broke that Orlando-based Westgate Resorts, one of the largest, oldest and last remaining independent timeshare developers, has just agreed to pay a fine of $900,000 to the Federal Trade Commission for violations of the Do Not Call list.

Westgate, which has already cut about 4,000 employees, mostly in sales and marketing due to the economic crisis has been said to be struggling.

I’m waiting to speak to David Siegel, founder and CEO of the company, and expect a return call from him shortly.

An old time traditional timeshare company, Westgate has beautiful resorts in Florida, most in the Orlando area. In recent years they have expanded to Las Vegas and Park City.

Where the “flags” (the branded resort companies like Hyatt and Hilton), have softened their sales presentation, Seigel at a meeting a few years ago defended the old school hard sell that used to be common in the timeshare industry.

I’m paraphrasing a bit, but Siegel pointed out that the traditional hospitality companies had a business relationship with the sales prospect even if they did not buy timeshare. His company did not. “They’re buying or they’re crying” was his philosophy for the sales table.
I'm just speculatiing, but It's entirely possible that the fine to the FTC is a cost of doing business, like Fedex expects a certain amount of parking tickets on its vans.

My most recent personal visit was a couple of years ago, and I don’t think the philosophy has changed much. It must be said, Westgate has many happy loyal owners, and deservedly so. They have nice resorts with a lot of desirable features.

In my experience, Westgate typifies what I have often said about timeshare, it is a terrific product, sold through a distasteful process.

http://www.examiner.com/x-773-Timeshare-Examiner~y2009m1d27-Westgate-Resorts-pays-almost-a-million-dollars-for-Do-Not-Call-violation

After conducting mass lay-offs, Bluegreen timeshare is going back to business with a host of new and innovative methods to attract clients. The timeshare has recently partnered with Maverick Network Solutions Inc., a company which provides merchant-issued debit cards and prepaid cards.

Bluegreen timeshares is planning to issue Visa-branded cards as an incentive for potential timeshare buyers. Peter J. Quadagno, the president of Maverick, announced that Bluegreen will be launching the card sometime in the upcoming weeks.

The move speaks highly of the company. Despite the looming recession, the company is still investing in new ways to attract clients. This move is also reflects how a serious economic downturn can redefine the industry.

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20090127275/Latest/Bluegreen-Timeshare-develops-innovative-ways-to-combat-recession.html

British Airways announced that a loss of approximately £150 million was now expected for 2008, after operating costs rose more steeply than had been expected.

The airline cited currency movements for the eight per cent increase in costs other than fuel, as compared with the five per cent estimated earlier.

Results for the carrier’s third quarter, ending 31 December, showed an operating loss amounting to £50 million, making it likely that the deficit for the year ending on 31 March will reach £150 million.

The drop in the value of the pound has impacted the airline in aircraft leasing, in particular, which is paid for in US dollars.

The airline added: “Further economic weakness in January and the outlook for February and March combined with the fall in sterling, are impacting our outlook for the year ended March 31 2009.”

Revenue guidance for the year remains unchanged, the carrier noted, with a four per cent year-on-year increase expected. It is also anticipated that fuel cost estimates will remain unchanged, at approximately £3 billion, as lower fuel prices are offset by a reduction in hedging benefits and currency exchange impacts.

In November, BA said that it was hoping to make a small profit in its 2008-2009 financial year.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/ba-warning-of-150-million-pound-loss-for-year-5634134.html

Last week, a timeshare sales presentation was scheduled to take place at the Holiday Presentation Centre at Matford Park, England. The presentation was addressed to potential timeshare buyers. However, customers were greeted with shut doors instead of friendly salesmen.

The Holiday Presentation Centre had been raided by the police as a part of a trading standards investigation of holiday selling schemes. According to reports, the Devon Trading Standards team set out to issue entry warrants in seven locations, including the Holiday Presentation Centre. The warrants were backed by allegations of breaches in Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and sale of holiday ownership schemes. Sources say that inquiries about the investigation are ongoing.

This is not the first time this has happened. Over the past years, there have been numerous timeshare sales presentations in this location. Research suggests that it is the same company—it just operates in different names.

If you are buying a timeshare in England, you can double check your dealer at UK’s Consumer Direct (Tel. No. 08454-04-05-06).

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20090115269/Latest/Police-investigate-timeshare-scandal-in-England.html

The financial crisis is hitting the timeshare industry hard. This affects states, especially Florida—the state that houses the most timeshare units in the US.

Developers and brokers say that they can no longer sell timeshare units with the convenient loan plans they used to have. Plus, timeshare companies across the US are slashing the personnel. This makes selling and service all the more harder.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports, “Bluegreen Corp. of Boca Raton…just laid off 2,300 people nationwide from a workforce that reached 6,800 at its peak. And it expects to reduce timeshare sales by roughly 60 percent this year.”

While developers continue to pull their hair out, timeshare owners are less affected. Speculators say that the re-sale values of timeshares are stable.

The downturn of the industry comes as a great surprise to many. Timeshares have grown tremendously in the past two years. It even weathered the 9-11 attacks with robust numbers. But the 2009 recession is simply clobbering the once blooming industry.

“Timeshares have always been the little engine that could — until the credit markets froze,” claims Howard Nusbaum, president of the American Resort Development Association. “We feel kind of like victims,” he says.

Nusbaum predicts that US timeshares will decline 20-25 percent by the end of this year.

To minimize the effects, industry representatives are now requesting assistance from Washington’s Troubled Asset Relief Program. If they are approved, the industry will have enough backing to—hopefully—reverse their misfortune.

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20090123274/Latest/Credit-Crisis-slows-down-timeshare-industry.html

A new £20 million hotel could help drive further growth at Butlins on top of the 15% it has already seen for the 2009 school summer holidays.

The new Ocean Hotel will open at the operator’s Bognor Regis resort in August and is part of a £100 million investment being made over six years.

Managing director Richard Bates said the 15% sales increase had been driven by regular customers taking advantage of early booking offers. He also said Butlins could further benefit from the economic downturn.

Bates added: “The hotel’s launch is coming at the right time as we see people changing their holiday habits and they might just want to book into the high end at Butlins and that is the Ocean Hotel.”

The new hotel features 200 rooms including 110 family rooms while 75% will have a balcony.

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2009/01/23/30061/butlins-announces-plans-for-20m-hotel.html

Low fares airline easyJet’s trading figures for the first quarter show strong growth at Gatwick airport and in Europe.

The airline’s growth in the first quarter was focused on Gatwick and bases in Italy, France and Spain. Capacity in terms of seats flown increased by 37% at Gatwick, 75% at Milan, 33% at Paris and 23% at Madrid.

Overall, easyJet passenger numbers grew by 10.1% in the first quarter to 10.1 million. The airline now has 51% of its customers originating from outside the UK, compared to 43% in the first quarter of financial year 2007.

easyJet decided to reduce capacity at some weaker performing bases, for example Stansted airport where capacity was cut by 17% in the past quarter. The airline’s base at Dortmund was closed in October 2008.

Revenue grew by 32% to £550 million and total revenue per seat was up by 23% to £45.57. Ancillary revenues increased by a whopping 71% per seat to £8.68. Increases in checked bag charges plus better performance by in-flight products including food and beverages were largely responsible.

easyJet says that revenue growth in the first quarter was ahead of expectations and that forward bookings over the second and third quarters are in line with last year.

During the summer the number of seats available on short haul routes in Europe overall is expected to contract by 4 to 5%, but easyJet says it expects to increase capacity in the second half “by low single digit percent”. The airline says it will continue to focus growth on market opportunities at Gatwick airport and in mainland Europe.

“easyJet revenues for the first half will be ahead of previous guidance, although the unit revenue outlook for the summer remains uncertain due to the difficult macro-economic environment and any potential impact from the strengthening of the euro against sterling,” comments easyJet chief executive, Andy Harrison.

“Consequently, easyJet reiterates guidance that for the full year at current fuel and exchange rates easyJet expects to be profitable,“ Harrison concludes.

http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/news/airport/easyjet-grows-at-gatwick-4805.html

Egypt is set to be one of this year’s holiday hotspots thanks to its year round sun and good value all-inclusive resorts.

Figures from the recent Travel Trends report from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) show that the number of Brits visiting Egypt has risen by 38% in the last year.

The popularity of holidays in Egypt is set to continue this year as holidaymakers look for good value destinations outside the eurozone and guaranteed good weather.

One of the tour operators expecting a boom in Egyptian holidays is First Choice. This summer the company will offer daily flights to Egypt and holidays at a choice of seven Red Sea resorts. Holidays are also offered exploring the timeless beauty of the River Nile.

For the first time this year First Choice is offering holidays at the up-and-coming Red Sea resort of Marsa Alam. The resort offers powdery white sands and diving holidays discovering the exquisite coral reefs.

First Choice currently has a 7 night holiday staying at the 4 Sun Dreams Beach in Marsa Alam from just £689 per adult, £339 for first child and £489 for second child based on two adults and two children sharing departing from Gatwick airport on July 29th. The hotel boasts nine swimming pools and five restaurants and is suitable for families.

For anyone planning to get married abroad who is looking for a flight time of less than six hours, First Choice recommends you follow in the foot steps of Spice Girl Mel B who got hitched to Stephen Belafonte in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada last November in a four-day wedding extravaganza.

If you enjoy history and culture rather than diving or lazing on a beach, First Choice also has holidays based in Luxor which provides a suitable base for exploring some of the treasures of this fascinating country. From Luxor you can visit the Tomb of Tutankhamun, the Temple of Karnak, the Avenue of the Sphinxes, and the Valley of the Kings.

Flights with First Choice are available from various UK airports including Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Birmingham, Manchester, East Midlands, Bristol, Cardiff, and Newcastle.

http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/news/destination/holidays-to-egypt-are-booming-3386.html

A combination of environmental and legal objections and the likely defeat of Labour in the next election will mean that the building of a third runway at Heathrow will “never happen,” Boris Johnson asserted on Thursday evening.

London’s mayor delivered his comments at a public debate that was organised by City Hall. Featured at the venue was a platform on which an empty chair was place, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s name on it.

Last week Johnson challenged the prime minister to defend his government’s decision to allow for the expansion at Heathrow.

Johnson has pledged £15,000 to a fund established to mount a legal challenge against the decision. He said at the debate held in west London that the third runway would not be built “because we are working flat out to oppose it.”

When the mayor was asked by a member of the audience about making such a promise, he added: “I have absolutely no doubt that the legal, planning, environmental objections will prove that it will be extremely difficult for it to happen in the next 10, 12, 15 years, but even if there were no legal challenge and even if the Labour government were going ahead with this plan, I am afraid that they would find another obstacle at some stage over the next 18 months.”

He added: “They face one obstacle over which Gordon Brown will not be able to jump and that is the electorate and … that is why I believe it will not happen.”

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/boris-johnson-says-heathrow-runway-will-not-be-built-5634123.html

Prestwick Airport management is saying that job cuts cannot be ruled out in its efforts to boost revenue and reduce operating expenses.

Officials are denying the validity of newspaper reports saying that 500 airport staff have been put a 90-day consultation period, however, and that as many as 240 jobs are threatened.

Workers at the Scottish airport were informed about the review, which management has just begun. Officials are saying that they remain “optimistic” about Prestwick airport’s long-term prospects and that job cuts are not “a foregone conclusion.”

Prestwick Airport’s chief executive, Mark Rodwell, commented: “As economic conditions worsen, like most other businesses, we are reviewing our operation in an effort to maximise profitability and respond to changing business needs. We have entered into a review process to look for ways to deliver efficiencies, cost savings and revenue improvements.”

He went on to say: “Our business development team is working hard to offset the recent loss of freight and charter traffic by exploring a number of opportunities with potential new airlines. While these are difficult times we are optimistic about the long-term future of the airport and the aviation industry as a whole, which has always recovered well in the past.”

Rodwell noted that passenger services were “strong” in 2008 but that a “difficult year with many challenges” was expected in 2009.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/prestwick-airport-not-ruling-out-job-cuts-5634118.html

The Hilton Grand Vacations (a Hilton timeshare) has decided to layoff employees despite confirmed expansion plans.

Hilton timeshare has laid off 187 employees over the course of the last six months. Yet, reports confirm that the company is actually expanding. Its resort in Orlando is actually launching the first phase of its newest project: Club Parc Soleil (a 7-phase project in the busiest tourist area of Orlando).

The company, as reports claimed, is currently building a new Hilton hotel in Orlando’s renowned International Drive. Hilton is also continuing the construction of the 1400 Orlando Hilton—a vacation place that is scheduled to open this year.

As of press time, the Hilton timeshare company did not release any statements regarding the issue.

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20090122272/Latest/Hilton-timeshare-lays-off-personnel-amidst-expansion-plans.html

After retrenching more than 2,000 employees, Bluegreen timeshare is still considering further cutbacks in personnel.

John Maloney—chief executive of Bluegreen—said that they will reduce approximately 60 percent of the company’s timeshare sales and development team sometime this year.

If you look back at Bluegreen timeshare’s past performance, you’d be surprised how quickly things turned for the company.

In July 2008, Bluegreen timeshare stocks were pegged at more than $12 per share. In fact, the developer of the resort—Diamond Resorts—was aiming to acquire Bluegreen at $15 per share plus all outstanding debt.

Many reports confirmed that the timeshare industry was doing well despite the economic credit crunch. Timeshare resale values had double-digit interest rates that sometimes exceeded 20 percent. However, as John Maloney aptly put it, “the music stopped.”

With a tighter credit market, timeshare companies are being forced to cut back personnel and delay or cancel expansion/growth plans. Now, Bluegreen is aiming to reduce its growth and acquisition budget to $150,000 million.

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20090122271/Latest/More-layoffs-at-Bluegreen-Timeshare.html

The weak pound "may yet wreak havoc" on Britons' plans for short breaks abroad and ski trips, a new report has warned.

A study by Post Office travel services concluded "exchange rates are still unpredictable" due to the downturn.

It says all-inclusive package deals may become more popular while many tourists may opt to travel off-season.

The pound's value against the euro has slumped over the last year and sterling fell to its weakest level since 1985 against the dollar on Wednesday.

A year ago, a euro cost about 74 pence. It is now about 94 pence and tourist rates can often be worse.

Easter test

The Post Office report said: "If predictions prove accurate, the short breaks sector could come under serious pressure in the coming year as consumers limit themselves to one major holiday.

"The first test of this is likely to come at Easter, traditionally the start of the holiday season when UK tourists head to European cities."

It says foreign shopping trips and luxury holidays are also under threat, while ferry-based holidays may benefit from the economic downturn.

The report suggests other beneficiaries could be all-inclusive package deals, coach tours and camping trips - holidays "where tourists know in advance what their outlay will be".

It says there has been growing interest from holidaymakers in countries such as Turkey, which is not in the eurozone.

Holidaymakers may also try to avoid the traditional peak holiday months of July and August, the study added.

But travel agents remain hopeful the fall in the price of oil, which has an effect on airfares, will encourage more flight bookings.

Sterling fell to its weakest level against the dollar since September 1985 on Wednesday, with the pound touching $1.3622 before rising to $1.4015.

The pound remains weak against the euro, with the single currency worth more than 93.3 pence on Wednesday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7843886.stm

More than 200 people have been convicted under the airline anti-terrorism provisions of the US Patriot Act of 2001, but most have been found guilty only of profanity or drunkenness, and not for attempts to commit violence or hijack an airliner, according to a new report.

Passengers convicted under the anti-terror regulations include a man who was accused of arguing with a cabin attendant that thought he was engaging in sexual activity and a woman who spanked her children and then threw a can on the floor when a flight attendant confronted her, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

“We have gone completely berserk on this issue,” noted New York-based security consultant Charles Slepian. “These are not threats to national security or threats to aircraft, but we use that as an excuse.”

A spokesman for the Justice Department, Dean Boyd, said that convictions are only pursued when circumstances and facts warrant such action. He added that the restraint of such behavior has improved security on board aircraft.

According to federal regulations, flight crews have long had discretion in controlling unruly passengers. The Patriot Act, passed shortly after the September 11 attacks, empowered law enforcement with significant new powers.

One provision classifies any disruptive behavior on board a flight as a terrorist act; and another stipulates than any attempt to interfere with a member of the flight’s crew is a felony.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/aircraft-anti-terror-provisions-invoked-for-disruptive-behavior-5634111.html

The travel agent is offering the deal on certain self catering apartments or studios in Corfu, Turkey and the Canary Islands, while there are also offers for £8-a-night in Menorca and Majorca, and £12 for a B&B in Goa in India.

The £5-a-night deals apply to three resorts - the Oasis Papagayo in Fuerteventura, the Babadan apartments in Dalaman, Turkey and the Doa Studios and Apartments in Corfu.
It follows a similar deal in October, although the new promotion covers the busier period of May when the weather is better and Brits have two Bank Holidays.

The Oasis complex is rated 4T on Thomson's own ranking system, making it a more luxurious self catering resort with two large swimming pools, a restaurant and whirlpool bath on site.

All the sites have communal pools and most are near beaches.

It is thought the new promotion could spark a fierce price war leading up to the summer peak to attract Brits planning a "staycation" during the recession.

"January is the time of year when the travel companies put their best offers on sale," a Thomson spokesman said.

"While this is a genuine offer, it is an ad-hoc promotion for a few selected hotels and has limited availability.

"It is in no way indicative of current trading for the business or overall market; however it does represent excellent value for money.

"The travel industry has put less holidays on sale this year so we would advise those looking to go away to book early for the best deals or to travel in low season when some of the best offers are available."

Thomson's discounts follow the announcement earlier this month that Ryanair, the low-cost carrier, would be offering free flights to Italian ski resorts.

They were followed by easyJet, which announced its "biggest ever" sale, offering 25 per cent reductions on 16 million seats over the next four months.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4301507/Thomson-offers-5-a-night-holidays.html

TATOC, a timeshare association, is the only elected consumers association that represents timeshare owners in Europe.

Last month, the association froze membership fees at the 2008 rate, despite the expected credit crunch for 2009. “During our recent strategy meeting and despite the fact that the Association needs funds to be able to continue its work, it was felt by the Board that in these difficult times we needed to assist our member resorts as much as possible and so there has yet again been no increase in fees” claimed TATOC CEO Taylor.

This is a surprising decision, because the association would greatly benefit from raising membership fees.

TATOC has over 70 member resorts across Europe. These resorts give TATOC access to over 250,000 families in the continent.

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20090119270/Latest/TATOC-trail-blazes-timeshare-industry-in-Europe.html

The Falkland Islands Tourist Board is reporting a “significant increase” in visits from cruise passengers this season.

Approximately 22,000 people from 79 countries visited the islands in the South Atlantic Ocean since the southern hemisphere cruise season began on October 20.

The tourist board’s general manager, Jake Downing, said he expects an additional 68,000 visitors on cruises to visit the Falklands before the season ends on April 7.

“We are extremely pleased with the season to date. It’s very encouraging that the cruise market is so buoyant particularly in the current economic climate,” Downing said.

Typically the islands are visited on cruise itineraries that include a number of other ports in South America or Antarctica.

Thus far, over 95 per cent of cruise passengers surveyed rated their stopover in the Falklands as “good to excellent.”

During a Falkland Islands stopover, cruise passengers can enjoy battlefield tours, fishing, walking and wildlife viewing.

Nearly 33 per cent of all cruise visitors to the islands come from the US, with other prominent markets including Brazil, Canada, Germany and the UK.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/falkland-islands-report-rise-in-cruise-visitors-5634106.html

Just two days before the crash of US Airways flight 1549 into the Hudson River in New York City, passengers on the same plane and same numbered flight are reporting that they heard a number of loud bangs and were informed that they might have to make an emergency landing, according to CNN.

Passenger Steve Jeffrey told CNN that he was on board the flight on Tuesday when “it sounded like the wing was just snapping off,” approximately 20 minutes into the flight.

“The red lights started going on. A little pandemonium was going on,” Jeffrey noted.

The passenger said that the incident occurred as the plane was flying over Newark, New Jersey, not long after its take-off from New York’s LaGuardia airport.

“It seemed so loud, like luggage was hitting the side but times a thousand. It startled everyone on the plane,” he added. “We started looking at each other. The stewardesses started running around. They made an announcement that ‘everyone heard the noise, we’re going to turn around and head back to LaGuardia and check out what happened.’”

A spokesperson for US Airways, Valerie Wunder, said: “US Air is working with the National Transportation Safety Board in this investigation.” Although she was not willing to comment further, she did confirm that the airline was looking into the report.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/passengers-report-scare-on-earlier-us-airways-flight-1549-5634108.html

A flight attendant is suing JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines, saying a male employee denied her a work-related flight because she wasn't dressed provocatively enough.
The flight attendant, 37-year-old Karin Keegan of Pittsburgh, works for Delta. The airline has an agreement for JetBlue to ferry Delta flight attendants to job assignments on a standby basis.

Keegan's lawsuit said a male JetBlue worker wouldn't let her on a flight in October 2007 because she wasn't dressed provocatively enough, then allowed other flight attendants with less seniority to board the plane.

"Keegan changed into more provocative clothes, but (the employee) told her she was too late to board the plane and should have dressed like that before," said the lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Pittsburgh federal court.

"He wanted her to change to a lower-cut shirt and tighter pants, and wear more makeup before letting her on the plane," Keegan's attorney, Samuel Cordes, said Monday. Delta and JetBlue officials refused to intercede when she complained, the lawsuit said.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-01-19-flight-attendant-sexy-dress_N.htm

TIMESHARE operator Diamond Resort International has stepped in to defend its record as opposition mounts to increases in management fees due to be paid this month.
President Simon Crawford-Welch has assured members of his timeshare points club that their concerns will be taken seriously.

He said: "Listening to and communicating with our owner and member base is always a primary component of our strategic direction and consumer-centric operational approach, be it through one-on-one discussions, various forums, e-mails or through third party mechanisms such as newspapers like Scotland on Sunday."

As a points-based timeshare club, owners can use their points to buy holidays at any of the 133 worldwide resorts, which even disgruntled points-owners admit are of a very high standard. Members are also protected by timeshare legislation.

Facilities have expanded considerably since the original owner Grand Vacation Club, from which many Scottish consumers bought their points, started with only four resorts. Diamond Resorts International acquired the company in April 2007.

Points owners are obliged to pay an annual management charge and it is recent increases in these fees which has caused concern. Open meetings between the company and members in Lancashire on February 2 and Staffordshire on February 3 look set to be stormy.

Members claim they have risen by around 37% compared with last year, although DRI maintains that on average the increases are closer to 19%. The discrepancy may be due to an interim levy last May. As such, compared with the levy in January 2008, the increase may be nearer to 37% for some members but only 19% when the fees for the whole of 2008 are compared with those being demanded this month.

The company points out that the fees are discussed and agreed by members of the owner committees at every resort. DRI is effectively a management company.

The points club, which in Europe is called the Diamond Resorts European Collection, is owned by the points owners in that investments and assets are held in a trust controlled by an independent trustee and operated for their benefit. In Europe, DRI owns 10% of the points, with private owners controlling the remaining 90%.

DRI's European director of legal services, Susan Crook said: "The setting of the budgets is a transparent procedure. Every report committee is provided with a detailed draft budget at a dedicated budget meeting and committee members are able to discuss, dissect and amend them as appropriate. There are a minimum of two timeshare owners on each committee with fixed property or fixed week timeshare and one points owner. The maximum company representation is two. The majority of the members that make up the committees are British."

She said that fees had increased to fund a refurbishment programme, bills had climbed in general, particularly utilities, and labour costs in Spanish resorts had soared following new agreements with the unions.

But she confirmed, as Scotland on Sunday reported last week, that the annual charges had been subsidised by the previous management company and this subsidy had now ceased.

She said: "The new owner, Stephen Cloobeck, did not feel it was appropriate to subsidise the management charges. If expenses are legitimately incurred for the benefit of the resorts then he believed that the members should pay them."

An action group of more than 40 members has now formed in Scotland and plans to join forces with another larger group operating south of the border.

They remain unhappy with the fee increases, and many would like to rescind their points, but the company says this is against the terms and conditions which they signed when they joined.

According to the company, they can dispose of their points, by selling them, giving them away or converting them to a fixed week and trying to sell this via a resale agent.

Crook said: "We note that some members say they are unable to sell their points. However, we continue to sell our product successfully to new members and have some difficulty in accepting that they are unable to do so."

Members are only able to rescind their points if someone dies, becomes bankrupt, is over 75 or has health problems.

Crook added: "DRI is prepared to listen and consider every member's request to relinquish his or her membership. Indeed, we believe we are more considerate in taking into account the personal circumstances of our members than most other businesses who have entered long-term contractual and financial commitments."

Nevertheless, many members are very unhappy at being tied into what they see as an open-ended arrangement, which locks them into rising management fees until 2054. They are adamant this risk was never pointed out to them when they bought their points. Particularly badly hit are any owners who took out loans to buy into the club.

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/business/Diamond-Resort-defends-decision-to.4887477.jp

A new website has launched this month which gives consumers and holiday makers access to a raft of useful and interesting information about timeshare and other forms of shared holiday ownership. The new site www.gotimeshare.org is a ‘one stop shop’ for destination news, regional reviews, information and advice on timeshare as well as feature stories from timeshare owners.

A series of microsites will be also be launched, one of which, www.timeshareactive.com is now live. This site provides ideas about exciting destinations throughout the world that timeshare owners can visit.

Gotimeshare.org has been set up by the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe (OTE) the pan European trade body, to promote the best that the industry has to offer. The site is aimed at a Europe wide audience and a number of key articles will be translated into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Hungarian and Greek.

Commenting on the launch of the site, OTE chief executive Paul Gardner-Bougaard said: “gotimeshare.org is a great resource for holiday makers who want to try out new ways of taking holidays. It gives consumers a step-by-step guide to how timeshare works and gives advice for people interested in this popular form of taking holidays.

“It is also full of useful information for people looking to find out more about the range and quality of timeshare resorts now available throughout Europe. With new and exciting forms of holiday ownership, such as fractional ownership, increasingly available, now is an exciting time for someone to be looking at shared holiday ownership options.”

Ends

More about OTE

OTE is the pan-European trade association representing the timeshare industry throughout Europe. It promotes best practice in the industry for the benefit of both consumers and the industry. All members are bound by a code of ethics that ensures the protection of consumers' rights. OTE provides information and advice to consumers and offers a free conciliation service to consumers dealing with its members.

OTE represents the majority of timeshare companies in Europe which are responsible for some 65-70% of all timeshare sales. These include major hospitality groups such as De Vere, Hilton, Sol Melia, and large independent timeshare developers, namely the Petchey Leisure Group, Club La Costa and Seasons Holidays.

http://www.bignews.biz/?id=792556&keys=timeshare-holiday-vacation-fractional

The Hyatt Vacation Club in Key West implemented a round of corporate-mandated layoffs last week in the sales and marketing departments. Corporate says it's a sign of the times: Those who were fired say it's a raw deal.

"I have three boys in college. What am I going to do? I've got to go to work," said Bob Waulters, a Hyatt Vacation Club sales rep who lost his job last week.

Waulters, age 60, left his wife and kids to work for the Hyatt, moving from St. Augustine to Key West about six weeks ago.

"I thought I had a future here," Waulters said. "I have nothing. I'm going to go to work at Winn Dixie stocking shelves. It's hard to be happy. I wanted to make this a career."

Waulters worked a booth at the corner of Caroline and Duval streets in Old Town Key West. His job was to entice passersby, with promises of cash or coupons, to take a tour of the Hyatt's timeshare property, Windward Pointe, located near Key West International Airport on S. Roosevelt Blvd.

Windward Pointe is operated by Hyatt and owned by Key West-based Spottswood Companies, Inc., which also owns the Marriot Beachside Hotel, the Coconut Beach Resort, the Holiday Inn and the Comfort Inn, all in Key West.

The Windward Pointe property, built in 2001, has 104 two-bedroom, two-bath units that are priced according to the season. Hyatt divides the year into five seasons: The cheapest buy-in for one week of unit ownership is just under $10,000; the highest, around Christmas and Fantasy Fest, is about $30,000.

"We don't typically comment a lot on these types of things," said Larry Shulman, a senior vice president at Hyatt's Beverly Hills office, when asked about the layoffs. The Hyatt Vacation Club, he said, is "No different than any business across the country...we've had to revisit our business model and downsize."

Data from the Monroe County Property Appraiser's office shows sales of timeshares at Windward Pointe in 2008 were half what they were in 2007.

Just 263 timeshares sold in 2008, compared to 583 in 2007, though the average sale price actually increased slightly in 2008 to $21,551.

Waulters says he was shocked to be out of a job, but had noticed that street-level interest in touring a timeshare property was on the decline. He says people seemed to be spending less time on vacation and packing more in, with no time to get over to see Windward Pointe, next to the airport in Key West.

Waulters said the Hyatt paid him $6.79 per hour plus $50 for every time-share tour he booked.

"I'm done. I'm going to have to go to unemployment. It's sad," he said, noting that he's especially sorry to leave Key West. "I loved every minute of it," he said last week.

"They're in a hurry to get as much out of their time as possible and they're stressed," Waulters said of the tourists he encountered on Duval Street. "The economy is hitting their vacations. You don't see many smiles going by."

The story was the same at another Hyatt booth, also on Duval Street. Phadra Pryce said she spent $5,000, which she doesn't plan on recouping, moving to Key West from Cocoa Beach.

"I uprooted my whole life to move to Key West to work for the Hyatt," Pryce said. She moved with her young daughter and dependent mother. Pryce placed her mother in the Key West Convalescent Center and she was subsequently relocated to the Plantation Key Convalescent Center when the Key West location closed in early December.

"That's it. We're done." And the timing couldn't have been worse, Pryce said, "Two weeks before our season is getting ready to hit. I don't know."

Schulman said job cuts are happening across the board at many of Hyatt's properties, not just in Key West, and were primarily focused on sales and marketing personnel. About six people lost their jobs in Key West last week. There are about 15 timeshare properties Keys-wide, with seven of those in Key West.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/01/17/3922145.htm

Management at British Airways has informed staff that the airline will be significantly restructured in a manner that is “far-reaching, reshaping our company from top to bottom.”

Keith Williams, the carrier’s chief financial officer, released the announcement to employees in the BA staff newspaper.

“Only through delivering fundamental change can we achieve the small profit we are targeting this year and emerge from the crisis as a strong global player,” Williams said.

In the recent past, British Airways has cut its management ranks by 480 as a result of making voluntary redundancy available to 1,400 staff. Most of the managers taking advantage of this option left BA at the end of December.

A spokesman for the airline said that other measures were being considered to reduce costs and improve efficiency, in order to meet the economic challenges that are expected to continue through 2009.

“The previous year has been tough and the year ahead could be even tougher,” the CFO said.

At a London financial press briefing on Wednesday, BA’s CEO, Willie Walsh, said that he remained confident that the airline’s alliance with American Airlines would be approved by regulators, adding that the tie-up may occur by the time next winter’s timetable is set.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/ba-management-announces-major-company-restructuring-5634067.html

The new runway at Heathrow could be built by 2015 as the government seeks to sidestep protesters who are already stepping up their campaign.

The original plans had suggested the £9 billion expansion which includes a sixth terminal as well as the third runway would not be completed until 2019 or 2020.

However, The Times is reporting the government has asked Heathrow owners BAA to submit a planning application as soon as possible with the intention of opening it by 2015. The earlier date would help avoid much of the action by protesters who have vowed to step up their campaign.

The plans have a wide range of critics from the Conservative party and environmentalists to local residents and as many as 50 Labour backbenchers.

Protests continued when last night three women from pressure group The Climate Suffragettes broke glass doors at the Department for Transport. At 4.50am this morning, the women threw bricks at the doors of the Department of Transport in Westminster.

Wrapped around the bricks was a note reading ‘No third runway, the Suffra-jets are back’ and the action left a window broken.

A spokeswoman for the group claimed the action was necessary after the government had refused to allow MPs a vote on the scheme.

Police are now investigating the inciden

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2009/01/16/29994/heathrow-runway-could-be-built-by-2015.html

he recession is keeping Britons at home, according to official tourism figures that show a sharp drop in foreign trips in recent months.

Far fewer holidaymakers and businessmen are also visiting the UK from abroad, particularly those from the USA, as the slowdown forces families and businesses to cut travel costs.

It comes as the Government insists that a third runway must be built at Heathrow airport in order to boost the country's economy.

The data from the Office for National Statistics show that UK residents made 16.4 million visits overseas in the three months ending November 2008, a drop of 7 per cent on the figure for the previous year.

Most Britons who ventured abroad travelled to Europe and the largest drop, of 12 per cent, was in visits to North America as the value of the pound plummeted against the dollar.

However spending by Britons abroad remained constant at £8.7 billion in that quarter.

The global financial crisis also led to a fall in the number of foreign visitors to Britain, with a 10 per cent drop in trips by overseas residents to 7.6m in the three months ending November last year compared with the same period in 2007.

Despite the exchange rate now benefiting American tourists, visitors from North America fell by 26 per cent over this period.

Spending by foreigners in the UK rose slightly between the three months ending November 2007 and the same period last year, to £4.2 billion.

The figures are obtained from the International Passenger Survey, which questions a random number of passengers entering and leaving the UK by air and sea.

Christopher Rodrigues, executive chairman of the national tourism agency, VisitBritain, said: "We need investment from Government – that will be willingly matched by the private-sector – for a campaign to remind potential travellers in the eurozone and America of Britain's new affordability and persuade them to come here now.

"Whatever December's figures bring, 2008 will have been a challenging year for British tourism and 2009 could see job losses as travellers tighten their belts. Additional political and financial investment now could create jobs quickly, regenerate regional communities, increase overseas investment in the UK and generate foreign exchange."

A separate report published by the ONS, Travel Trends 2007, shows that during that year 79 per cent of visits abroad by Britons were to Europe.

More people went to France and fewer holidayed in Spain. Tunisia, Poland and Latvia saw sharp rises in the number of British tourists, while Sri Lanka and Egypt saw the largest falls in British custom during 2007.

The average length of holidays also fell, from 10.1 nights on average in 2006 to 9.9 the following year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/4246892/Britons-fewer-taking-foreign-holidays.html

The half term holiday is a great time to witness the majestic Northern Lights in Norway.

The fantastic spectacle of the Northern Lights has been attracting holidaymakers for many years, but now is a particularly good time to visit Norway because the value of the Norwegian Krone has fallen by approximately 25% since the summer. With the pound keeping its value against the Krone, holidays in Norway haven’t been cheaper for decades.

In February the length of the day in Norway is similar to the UK, but the evenings are dark and perfect for viewing the ethereal beauty of the Northern Lights. Good conditions for viewing the Northern Lights last well into March, but after March 21st the aurora starts to fade away.

Tromso in Norway is a good spot to witness the spectacular Northern Lights, and the city also has a range of other attractions to appeal to anyone looking for a winter break. During the day activities such as reindeer sledding, dog sledding, snowmobiling and ice fishing can keep the whole family busy.

There are also some major events coming up in Tromso in the next few months. From February 2nd-8th is the Sami week (the Sami were previously known as Laps). Highlight of the week long festival is the National Reindeer Sledding Championships on February 8th when the main street of Tromso is turned into an icy race track.

In the first week of March Tromso plays host to the Latin Music Festival, featuring Latin-American music, and you can witness the somewhat bizarre spectacle of a samba parade in the snow. Airline Norwegian offers direct flights to Tromso twice a week from Stansted airport.

Tour operator Specialised Tours has a three night Tromso break including flights from Heathrow airport and bed and breakfast at either the 4 star Radisson SAS or the Rica Ishavshotel for £735 per person.

Specialised Tours is also offering an evening Northern Lights Husky Safari or a full-day Husky Safari. The Safari heads into the inland area near Tromso which provides the best place to witness the unforgettable sight of the Northern Lights.

http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/news/destination/northern-lights-beckon-for-half-term-holidays-3384.html

The new 2009/10 Thomson Ski & Snowboarding preview brochure, featuring over 80 resorts in 13 countries across Europe, USA and Canada has been published, as has Crystal’s first 2009/10 brochure which features over 140 resorts in 16 countries and the market’s widest choice of hotels, club hotels, ski chalets and self-catering properties.

Thomson offers holidays from only £118 for a self drive ski holiday to the French Alps, has hundreds of free child places and group discounts with up to one place in five free. There are also free six-day lift passes saving up to £156 per person in Söll, Austria and Chamrousse, France.

New for 2009/10 is the extended ‘Special Selection’, a pre-selection of accommodation to help to make the holiday choice easier and to enable travel agents to assist with the holiday selection.

New to the Crystal brochure is a selection of the best properties in the programme for either location, service, facilities or childcare to help skiers to find the best accommodation to suit all holiday needs.

Crystal Ski features thousands of free children places on every departure date; childcare operating 6 days a week in 23 European resorts; group discounts with up to 1 in 5 free and a free ski-mojo worth £295 for all group leaders.

In November 2008, Crystal Ski won the prestigious award voted for by British travellers, the Best Activity and Sport Holiday Operator at The British Travel Awards 2008 (as voted for by industry professionals and consumers).

Crystal’s Product Director Ian Davis said “Crystal’s new preview brochure will enable all skiers, especially families and larger groups returning from this season’s ski holiday to secure their choice for next season, at the time of their choosing, safe in the knowledge that they are getting the best price”.

Benefits for early bookers in both brochures include a free six half-day crèche or kids club place worth £100 on selected departures in January and March and must be booked before end of April 2009.

0871 971 0578 / www.thomson-ski.co.uk
0871 231 2256 / www.crystalski.co.uk

http://www.skirebel.com/magazine/archives/2099

One million Britons have abandoned Spain's bars and beaches in the last year after the pound dived against the euro and the financial crisis took hold, Spain's main tourism trade body said on Wednesday. Spain, the world's second biggest tourist destination after France, relies on tourism for around 10 percent of its GDP or some 100 billion euros a year. It welcomed 16 million Britons, or 28 percent of all foreign arrivals in 2007. But, in 2008 the pound weakened to near-parity with the euro - a 22.4 percent fall - and cost-conscious Brits looked to holiday in non-single currency destinations to the east.

"Spain has lost 1 million British tourists in 2008. The British are being turned more towards Turkey or Egypt," said Sebastian Escarrer, the chairman of trade body Exceltur and also chief executive of Spain's biggest hotel group, Sol Melia. He said for the first time he could remember, no British tour operator was operating flights to Spain's Balearic islands of Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza this winter. Exceltur said Spain's tourism income would fall 5.7 percent this year as the global economic crisis deepened. Spain will earn 40.5 billion euros (36.5 billion pounds) from foreign tourists this year, Escarrer told reporters, down from 42.2 billion two years earlier, according to balance of payments data.

Earnings for the first 10 months of 2008 dropped by 4.1 percent. "Bad figures registered in November and the expected figures for December look like producing a bigger fall up to the end of the year," Exceltur said. Exceltur, whose members include Spain's main airlines, hoteliers, travel agents and car hire companies said not only was demand falling among foreigners, but also from Spaniards.

It said the number of nights spent by Spaniards in Spanish hotels will fall 5 percent this year. It added that even among the best performers, hotels' key revenue per available room (RevPar) indicator had fallen between 5 and 7 percent over 2008.

http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/28954

Twice as many Britons are planning to spend their holidays in the UK this year compared with last, according to research that shows the downturn is putting people off going abroad.

A report from the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), which surveyed 3,000 British adults, shows 60% were unwilling to give up holidays. Half of those surveyed, however, said they needed to cut costs and were planning a holiday of under £500, compared with 30% who cut back the previous year.

Campsites, seaside hotels, B&Bs and coach and caravan companies are all expected to benefit.

Geoff Cowley, managing director of the Holiday Cottage Group, has already seen the highest number of internet bookings in one day this year. "Easter bookings for our cottages are up 30% on last year and half-term bookings are up 5%," he said.

Advance bookings for 2009 caravan breaks are up by 40% on 2008, according to the Caravan Club. "We confidently predict that this year will be the year that welcomes the return of the great British holiday," said spokesman Nick Lomas.

Twice as many holidaymakers plan to prioritise cost over convenience when deciding how to travel to their holiday destination, according to the CPT report, meaning that UK coach operators are also gearing up for a boom year. For many operators this will go some way towards offsetting a loss of passengers travelling by coach to Europe as the high cost of the euro puts many people off.

Paul Johnson, operations director at West Midlands based company Johnsons Coach and Bus Travel, said he had been surprised by the "upbeat message" from passengers in the last month. "People are worried about their fuel bills and other costs but they are not prepared to give up their holiday," he said. "We were expecting a real downturn in our bookings this year but since Christmas things have been much better than we expected." The most popular destinations being booked for this summer were proving to be the traditional seaside resorts, such as Scarborough and Eastbourne, he added.

Evidence emerged yesterday that passengers have cut back on plane travel. Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted collectively saw a drop of 2.8% last year compared with 2007, with Stansted seeing the biggest fall, 6%.

An Abta spokesman said: "People are still booking holidays abroad but in the last few weeks our members have reported that holidaymakers are cutting back and opting for self-catering and all-inclusive holidays."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/15/recession-boom-uk-holidays

DOVER, NH - The story of Sell My Timeshare NOW, LLC sparkles brightly on an economic horizon that is frequently bleak with accounts of employee layoffs and corporate cutbacks.

While many hoteliers and timeshare development companies are struggling in the face of tightening credit markets and slowed consumer spending, Sell My Timeshare NOW continues to report remarkable growth trends. The company's 4th quarter business synopsis reveals gains in both the number and the dollar amount of offers made to buy or rent timeshares advertised on the company's website: www.sellmytimesharenow.com.

Sell My Timeshare NOW is an online timeshare resale and timeshare rental advertising and marketing company created in 2003 to fill what the company's founders saw as a deficiency in the timeshare sales market. CEO Jason Tremblay explains, "Timeshare owners needed a simple, effective way to resell or rent their timeshares. Consumers wanted to be able to purchase resale timeshares. We saw the internet as the perfect vehicle to serve both needs."

In their 2008 business synopsis (available on their website) Sell My Timeshare NOW reports strong growth numbers. From 2007 to 2008, the overall number of offers to buy or rent timeshares advertised and marketed by the company increased by 85 percent. Totaling $461,470,158, this represents an average of over $1 million per day in offers. Even during the fourth quarter of 2008, dismal for many companies, Sell My Timeshare NOW saw the number of offers to buy or rent timeshare increase by 73 percent quarter-over-quarter from 2007 to 2008, and increase by 43 percent in the dollar amount during this period.

Traffic to the company's website rose by 18 percent in 2008 over 2007, with total visitors of 25,256,677, and an increase of 16 percent in unique visitors over this same period -- information that is particularly important to Sell My Timeshare NOW. Although the company has offices in New Hampshire and Florida, Tremblay says that more important than their bricks and mortar buildings is the fact that the company dominates online advertising for the vacation ownership market. Sell My Timeshare NOW continues to rank at or near the top of search engines such as Google and Yahoo for timeshare-specific search terms, which is vital considering that 68 percent of searchers never make it beyond page one for a given search term.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28654289/

A US Airways Airbus A320 passenger plane carrying at least 150 people has crashed into the Hudson River in New York City.

The plane, which the FAA said was flight 1549 from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, is partially submerged.

Rescue boats at the scene have been picking up passengers standing on the plane's wings and first reports suggest that everyone aboard survived.

Bird strikes disabled two of the plane's engines, officials said.

"There is no indication that the incident is security-related," a homeland security official told the BBC.

Three minutes

A passenger who escaped from the aircraft told CNN: "A couple of minutes after taking off we heard a loud bang, the plane shook a bit and immediately we could smell smoke and fire," the passenger said.

Fox News also quoted passengers as saying that everyone from the plane had escaped alive.

A spokeswoman for the US Federal Aviation Authority, Laura Brown, said it was believed the plane had been in the air for three minutes after take-off when it crashed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7832191.stm

Two British Airways (BA) ground staff were arrested after an aeroplane was damaged at Heathrow Airport in west London, police have said.

The pair, 54 and 49, were questioned over an allegation that a baggage truck was driven into a BA jet on 9 January, BBC crime correspondent Ben Ando said.

He said police did not believe the incident was terrorism-related.

The pair have been released on bail. A BA spokeswoman said they had been suspended while the inquiry continues.

The Airbus A321 jet is currently being examined by BA engineers.

The 80 passengers due to fly on the plane had to be put on another flight.
'Catastrophic decompression'

Mr Ando said a police source had described the damage as a gash to the fuselage.
"The damage was spotted by other members of ground crew before the plane took off," he said.

"Had it got into the air with this damage it is difficult to know what could have happened - the worst case could have been a catastrophic decompression of the plane causing it to crash.

"On the other hand something more controlled could have taken place - perhaps there was no real damage at all.

'Without prejudice'

"Until the engineers complete their checks it is difficult to know what could have happened."

The BA spokeswoman said: "Two members of our ground staff based at Heathrow were arrested following an incident where one of our aircraft was damaged.

"They were both questioned by the police and released on bail pending further inquiries.
"It would therefore be inappropriate to give further details.

"The two staff members have been given a precautionary suspension, without prejudice, while the police carry out their investigation."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7828771.stm

The new website, thetimesharevoice.com hits 10,000 unique visits in it's first month of operation

With the new year, many timeshare professionals are finding themselves in a different sales environment than they have ever experienced before. In the past few months industry giants like Westgate, Bluegreen and Wyndham have seen massive layoffs in the turbulent credit crisis. In years past the sales professional had a place to go to talk about what was going on in the timeshare industry, streettalkblog.com.

The website which supported the vacation ownership community for a decade closed down on Thanksgiving, leaving a void in the timeshare world. On December 15th a new website was launched to help fill that void, thetimesharevoice.com

Since it's launch, the website has now received over 10,000 unique visits. This was done with little more than word of mouth and a few articles written by industry professionals.

The site will focus on the timeshare industry through the eyes of the timeshare salesperson. This website currently provides a daily news blog with articles from all aspects of the vacation industry. We have a forum called the Voice Box where you can talk to your peers from around the world and get their perspectives. We even have a game room with a timeshare twist to it.

We at The Timeshare Voice want to thank you for making our first month amazing, and can't wait to see where we will be this time next year.

About The Timeshare Voice:

The Timeshare Voice is an independent web publication created solely for the timeshare profession. The website intends to keep the timeshare community informed of every day developments. The site has no affiliation with any developers and prides itself on providing a private place where people can get together and share their voice.

http://www.bignews.biz/?id=792343&keys=Timeshare-Vacation-Travel-Streettalk

Don't let the puny pound and faltering economy ruin your plans. Whether it's a bargain-priced sunshine break in the Med or the luxury of a flat-bed flight to Sydney, there's never been a better time to book, says Simon Calder.

Croatia: A combination of islands, pretty coastal towns and a fascinating interior; prices have risen, but from a lower base than destinations in the euro area.

Are these the best of times or the worst of times? In travel, it depends whether you are a buyer or a seller. Much of the tourist industry is facing a toxic combination of collapsing consumer confidence, slumping sterling and global turmoil. A perfect storm? No, a perfect holiday, at least for travellers with a bit of cash to spend and a backpack of aspirations to fulfil.

Never have conditions coalesced to produce such an ideal time for days and nights to remember, whether on the Sussex coast, under canvas in Africa or in dreaming your way in flat-bed luxury to Sydney. This year is likely to be the most rewarding ever in terms of choice, price and experiences; from next year, things can only get worse.

For evidence of the opportunities, look no further than last Saturday's edition of The Independent Traveller. Not the editorial (you will judge whether or not we made it informative and inspiring), but the ads.

"See the real Seychelles from just £899." Don't mind if I do; return flights, private transfers and five nights in this seductive tropical archipelago are yours for the price of a new sofa or plasma TV. And we're only at page five. By the time you have scoured the remaining few dozen pages, you will feel spoilt for choice between crossing the Channel to Dunkirk for under £10 per person return for a car and four occupants, and flying to the far side of the world in a Jumbo with 400 other occupants for £600 return.

You would be forgiven, if you read the travel news story in one story in a Sunday newspaper, for thinking that our addiction with adventure abroad is at an end: "Last-minute holiday deals will disappear over the next two years as travel companies cut almost one in every five of the flights and holidays they sell."

Happily, predictions of the imminent demise of holiday bargains are premature. Certainly, the price of a traditional Mediterranean holiday is likely to rise significantly this summer because the big tour operators are offering a couple of million fewer packages than last year. But Thomson and Thomas Cook cannot control the activities of the no-frills airlines: easyJet and Ryanair continue to receive a couple of new aircraft from Airbus and Boeing respectively every month, and the planes are likely to be deployed on sunshine routes. And the Irish national carrier, Aer Lingus, is branching out from its home turf this summer by setting up a new base at Gatwick serving the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, the Pigs (the main southern European holiday destinations of Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain gather in a convenient porcine acronym) are squealing. They have all seen a decline in the traditional package market from the UK, with many Brits heading east towards the cheaper destinations of Egypt and Turkey. And that was before events of recent months turned sterling into the world's new comedy currency.

A good way to avoid exposure to the ridiculously weak state of the pound, and the ridicule of traders across Europe and America, is to holiday at home. Last week, Christopher Rodrigues, chairman of Visit Britain, told The Independent he feared up to 50,000 job losses as domestic tourism slides into recession. Yet everything is pointing towards the best year in a decade or two for UK tourism. The unstoppable rise of budget hotel chains will provide many more low-cost options for exploring Britain's cities, countryside and coastline, and put pressure on other accommodation providers to provide better value.

Faced with losing business to UK B&Bs – not to mention Egyptian hotels on the Sinai peninsula – the average Mediterranean hotelier is unlikely to sit back and say "Oh well, the Brits aren't here but they'll be back in a few years." They will slash rates, even in school summer holidays, to fill their beds. Collectively, the British comprise the second-biggest holiday market in Europe (after Germany), and purveyors of everything from sangria to self-drive cars will have to work hard to win our currency, however puny the pound. Right now, your passport may look about as much use as a 2008 diary, but this will be the year for travelling cheerfully. Here are 10 good reasons why.

1. The best of British

However badly the travel industry suffers in the year ahead, the UK will continue to possess the most dynamic and competitive air travel market in the world. Wherever you're going, Britain is usually the best place to start for maximum value. Even in the downturn, opportunities continue to expand – with Aer Lingus moving in to offer flights from Gatwick to holiday hotspots such as Malaga and Faro.

Long haul, the drastically reduced cost of aviation fuel will work through to provide bargains that we thought had disappeared for ever; we may even see the return of the sub-£500 return flight to Australia, and New York fares for under £200. Even now, if you earn the national minimum wage of £5.73, over a 41-hour working week you will accrue £235 – just what you need for a flight from London to New York and back on KLM, departing next Monday. (And, if you practise austerity tourism, you will also be able to afford to stay there: start by using the subway from the airport into Manhattan, not the JFK bus, and certainly not a taxi.)

2. Go east for snow

Ski resorts across Europe are reporting the best early-season snowfalls for decades; even if it doesn't snow again this winter, the Alps have plenty to see skiers through till Easter. And the Russians are staying away, reducing demand and therefore prices. Go east, and you can benefit from low costs in all senses. Example: any week between now and Valentine's Day, Inghams has a half-board deal to Borovets from Gatwick for £244 – accommodation is allocated on arrival, but will be reasonable quality. The price includes flights, breakfast and dinner; lift passes and so forth will cost more – but with the Bulgarian lev about the most benevolent currency in Europe, a week all in for under £500 looks a reasonable prospect.

3. Cheap rail – by text

Britain's rail network is in better shape than ever – and from March, the full Eurostar service will be restored through the repaired Channel Tunnel to Paris, Brussels and Disneyland. It used to be that the French and Belgians got the very best fares; expect that situation to reverse this year.

Domestically, the UK used to have the most expensive rail services of any country in Europe (and we still hold the prize for the priciest of all – the Heathrow Express). But the slump in sterling means that we are merely mid-table now, in terms of walk-up fares. And for canny advance bookers, Britain offers cheaper rail travel than anywhere west of India.

Riffling through my wallet reveals distressingly few euros or dollars, but plenty of cheap train tickets: London to Lincoln for £10, for example, or the capital to Bath for £9.50.

Investigate my mobile phone, and the deals get even better. Increasingly, train operators are cutting out the high cost of issuing tickets – and doing everything online or by SMS. First ScotRail has sold me a one-way ticket from Inverness to London in March for £19, and almost unbelievably will throw in a bed for the night on the Caledonian Sleeper, plus a nice hot cup of tea in the morning when I wake up at Watford. National Express East Coast has texted me a barcode in return for £9 for a trip from Leeds to London, while that nice Sir Richard Branson is offering one-way London-Manchester tickets for as much as £123.50 or as little as £1 – the latter only if you accept your ticket by SMS to your phone.

On Virgin Trains, and increasingly other train operators, a combination of planning, commitment and everyday technology are the keys to bargains that will amaze the world.

4. Ferry good deals

Last week a ferry company, SpeedFerries, went bust. Yet even though the feeble pound has put paid to "booze-cruising" – because prices in hypermarkets in Calais are now about the same as Tesco in Dover – the surviving ferry operators are offering new routes and new ships. So, will they have to slash fares to fill them? Probably. It's going to be a splendid year on the high seas. Ferry operators are bringing in new ships and new routes – and, with the feeble pound putting paid to "booze-cruising", they will have to offer great fares to entice drivers to get on board.

5. Spend less for more fun

The pound's fall will prove beneficial to practically everyone: the time has come to celebrate austerity tourism. If you choose not to change your holiday spending behaviour, you are likely to have a dismal time – by the time you have made your third visit to the ATM to replenish your dwindling supply of foreign currency, it will not feel like so much of a dream trip.

Luckily, as anyone who went to Europe or the US in the Seventies and Eighties will confirm, it is perfectly possible to enjoy a holiday abroad even when in possession of pounds. Trimming holiday spending abroad has the potential to bestow on you a more enjoyable trip. You will be obliged to seek out the local places to eat and drink, and probably have a lot more fun as a result; travelling on public transport is a better way to meet local people than renting a car or hiring a taxi; and exploring the market for fresh produce is a more enriching experience than going for the tourist menu.

6. Drop the shopping

The slump in sterling should see the end of the holiday as retail frenzy: shopping in chain stores is the opposite of what travel should be about. If you are priced out of Zara in Zaragoza, so much the better: spend your time, not your money, falling in love with the destination, not what it sells.

7. Let your feet do the walking

Humdrum, perhaps, but true: more Brits will choose to walk or cycle rather than drive while on holiday – saving cash, getting fit and benefitting the planet.

8. Flights with frills

If you could not care two euro cents for your carbon footprint, this is also the year for living luxuriously at 37,000 feet. With business travel slumping, airlines and top hotels are having to cut prices to lure leisure travellers. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will charge you under £1,100 return from London to New York for flat-bed, business-class comfort. And on BA's longest route, to Sydney, you can sleep your way from Heathrow to the harbour bridge for under £3,000 return. Incidentally, anything that enhances diversity amid the Blackberry-clutching travelling executives has to be a good thing.

9. Be bold

If you think things are tough here, try making a living abroad – especially in the tourism industry in one of the countries where political strife made headlines last year. Twelve months ago, Kenya was in disarray following disputed elections. Thousands of holidays were cancelled, even though not a single tourist was harmed in the conflict. This year, the tourist industry is going all out to tempt travellers back in. You can have a week's safari in the Masai Mara, followed by a week of half-board luxury on an Indian Ocean beach, for £1,642 per person with Somak, including scheduled flights. The company says it can offer the best prices in the market because it has contracted in sterling, rather than the more usual (for East Africa) US dollars.

Across in Thailand, the travel industry is desperately seeking to rebuild confidence after a disastrous end to 2008: the closure of the airport by demonstrators. With the upmarket operator Kuoni, prices for a luxury Easter holiday on the lovely island of Phuket are surprisingly low: £813 per person, including scheduled flights from London via Bangkok, private transfers and a "superior family room", including breakfast. All this for barely more than the standard air fare.

To India, competition is up, while demand is down due to the appalling terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November. Don't feel mercenary about planning a trip to a place so recently visited by tragedy; people working in tourism need you more than ever.

10. Be a culture vulture

Try "tactical tourism", making the most of the world with a little creative thinking. For example, don't go to this year's European capitals of culture, Linz in Austria and Vilnius in Lithuania – make your trips, instead, to last year's cultural cities – Liverpool or Stavanger in Norway. You will find the dramatic improvements in those cities' infrastructure along with permanent artistic enhancements – but without the crowds and the inevitable high prices. So, get smart and get packing.

Alexis Ashman hits the streets to find out who's going where this year

"I have actually booked two holidays so far. I'm going to Istanbul to see my family and New York to see some friends and because I love it there. Money is generally a bit tighter, but I'm still going to go on holiday." Melissa Isaac

"I'm going to South Africa for the Lions tour. I haven't been massively affected by the economic downturn, but there are some very good bargain holiday deals on at the moment that I am taking advantage of." Oliver Gregson

"We're going to Italy and we're not hugely worried as it's not going to cost a lot. That said, I'm from Italy and I've lost lots of money through the credit crunch as you can't get as many euros for your sterling as I used to. So my savings are now worth less." Micol Benassi and Yu Su Michi

"I haven't booked my summer holiday, but that's not because of the credit crunch. I just haven't got round to it yet." Vomic Nupshah

"I'm from Scotland, but I have a property in Spain, so I'm not going on a holiday apart from to go out there. On the whole I tend to take lots of long weekends as opposed to one big holiday, but things have become a bit tight." Joyce Stevenson

"Although money is a bit tight at the moment, I do aim to take a holiday, I just haven't got round to booking it yet." Sarah Palmer

"I have actually just booked one to Senegal. I suppose I am personally being a bit cautious, but there are some good deals to be had and I managed to negotiate for a fairly good price." Tony Hanley

"I haven't booked anywhere yet, although I am off to a wedding next year. I just feel that in the current recession, money that may be used for holidays is used with a different priority, for example, saving up for a house." Marie Sripah

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/our-guide-to-a-year-of-great-holidays-1334102.html

In order to encourage UK customers to book early, Crystal Cruises has announced that it will keep prices based on more favourable exchange rates.

The line’s current brochure prices are based on an exchange rate of £1 to $1.90, but the pound has weakened considerably with its value now at $1.46.

In order to boost bookings, the cruise line is offering customers a number of protections against currency fluctuations.

Customers in the UK who have booked cruises for 2009, but have not yet paid in full will be able to pay the price currently published in the brochure as long as payment is made before 27 February.

In addition, the brochure prices are guaranteed for UK customers on all new bookings that are made and fully paid before 27 February.

Customers in the UK who book any 2009 Crystal Symphony Asia, Europe or transatlantic cruise before 27 February will be entitled to a 20 per cent on any of the cruise line’s 2010 voyages, with the exception of the World Cruise.

As a result of the decrease in fuel prices, Crystal is also scrapping fuel surcharges on its 2009 cruises.

Surcharges will not appear on new bookings, and those on reserve by deposit will be adjusted to eliminate the amount of the fuel surcharge.

Passengers who have already paid in full will be entitled to an onboard credit equal to the amount of the fuel surcharge that had been assessed.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/crystal-cruises-offers-currency-fluctuation-protection-5634068.html

An Alaska Airlines passenger is suing the airline over injuries she says she suffered when deicer fumes entered an aircraft at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Christmas Eve.

Paramedics treated 25 people who were on an Alaska Airlines plane. Deicer fumes made their way onto the plane and irritated the eyes of passengers and the crew.

An attorney for passenger Arianna Morgan says she still feels the effects of that exposure and suffers numbness in her hands and fatigue.

The lawyer says the airline had a duty to ensure ventilation systems were closed during deicing.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in Seattle.

Airline spokeswoman Caroline Boren says the company is concerned about passenger welfare and is reviewing the complaint.

All 143 passengers boarded another plane and continued to Burbank, Calif.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_alaska_airlines_lawsuit.html

Until the recently, the timeshare industry was growing at an unprecedented rate. While timeshares in the US are experiencing cutbacks, there are some locations where timeshares have continued to grow. Case and point: India timeshares.


“Transactions into India from our international members witnessed 39 per cent growth in November 2008 over the same month last year,” said Ms. Radhika Shastry—Managing Director of RCI (Resort Condominium International) India—in a recent interview with the Hindu Business Line. “For January, we are seeing 51 per cent growth over the same period last year. Timeshare is a family product, offers many holidaying options, gives its patrons flexibility in terms of exchanging destinations for a certain amount, and people are committed to holidays; all these features prevent the industry from getting hit during hard times, which may impact tourism in general.”


RCI reports confirm that the region has experienced a 40 percent membership growth from November 2008 to January 2009. Shastry claims that more than 1400 member families from South Africa, US, Australia, and United Kingdom have visited RCI India timeshares since November last year.

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20090112267/Latest/India-Timeshares-avoid-the-financial-crisis.html

Hotel companies' shares fell Monday as an analyst said it is still too early to say whether the stocks have bottomed out following a brutal downturn in 2008.

In a note to investors on Monday, Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst C. Patrick Scholes said he expects that hotel demand will continue to deteriorate for at least the next several quarters.

He does not expect, however, that share prices will drop as steeply in 2009 as they did in 2008. He noted that hotel stocks fell 30 percent to 80 percent in 2008, compared with a 38 percent decline in the S&P 500.

Scholes named Marriott International Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group PLC and Interval Leisure Group Inc. as the companies best positioned to weather the downturn. He cited their fee-based cash flows and comparatively lower debt levels.

Share of hotel operator Marriott lost 84 cents, or 4.3 percent, to $18.79 in afternoon trading. InterContinental shares fell 41 cents, or 4.4 percent, to $8.83.

Shares of Interval Leisure Group, a provider of timeshare exchange services, slid 16 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $5.83.

Scholes said falling demand and debt difficulties will continue to hit hotel real estate investment trusts particularly hard. He said the strengthening U.S. dollar will also hurt hotel companies with foreign exchange exposure. He named Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Corp. as the most exposed.

Starwood shares fell $2.51, or 11.7 percent, to $18.91.

The analyst predicted that hotel occupancies will continue to deteriorate through the first half of the year, although he said comparisons should improve in September and October, which could be a catalyst for the stocks. "This, of course, presupposes that the economy does not see 'another leg down' during (the second half of 2009)," he added.

Scholes said a rapid improvement in consumer confidence could give hotel stocks a rapid boost. He said sentiment could recover if consumers expect the economic stimulus package to successfully turn around the economy.

Monday's decline in hotel shares came as the broader market traded lower. In afternoon trading, most of the major indexes were down more than 2 percent. The exception was the Dow Jones industrial average, which sank about 1.5 percent.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/01/12/ap5909420.html

BMI claims the future of the aviation industry depends on the expansion of Heathrow airport.

The airline, which is the second biggest at Heathrow, believes that a failure to develop a third runway and improved transport links at the airport will result in a decline in the travel industry and, in the current climate, the loss of thousands of jobs.

It also believes that customers will turn away in favour of alternative and more modern European hubs.

Residents are concerned about the noise and pollution associated with Heathrow expansion plans but BMI remains confident that there is no environmental threat.

Speaking at a Future Heathrow press conference, BMI deputy chief executive Tim Bye said: "If we want Heathrow to maintain its pre-eminent position and international status as well as its competitive edge, it needs improvement, expansion and better transport links.

"The future of the aviation industry, with all of the jobs and commercial benefits that go with it, is hugely dependent on the existence of a world-class international hub airport in London."

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2009/01/12/29930/future-of-aviation-depends-on-heathrow-expansion-says.html

Tourism authorities across South East Asia complain of Foreign Office travel advice that deters visitors from destinations that are safe.

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly issues travel advisories warning travellers to avoid particular areas or even entire countries following a terror attack or widespead protests.

Now the Pacific Asia Tourism Association plans talks with major insurers to persuade companies to provide insurance cover in spite of Foreign Office advice against travel.

Speaking at the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Hanoi, PATA chief executive Gregory Duffell said: "Governments do not consider the impact of advisories when they issue them.

"But the risks are covered by the insurance industry and PATA will work with the industry so it sees our side and can insure travellers."

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2009/01/12/29929/se-asia-tourism-authorities-complain-about-foreign-office.html

The Foreign Office is warning that thousands of tourists could be turned away at US airports and ports, as a new online entry system comes into effect.

From 12 January, visitors from countries which do not need visas will need to fill in an electronic form at least 72 hours before they travel.

Those who have not registered risk being detained and sent back home.

The Foreign Office fears some people do not know about it and critics say it might put people off visiting the US.

The new online registration scheme replaces the green I-94 forms that people on short term visits to the US had to fill in on the flight and hand to customs on arrival.

Security approval

America welcomes nearly 60 million tourists a year and about 50 million of those travel without the formality of a visa.

Britain is one of the countries that signed up to the visa waiver programme, but from Monday, new rules apply.

Electronic applications - known as Esta (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) - have to be approved by the US Department of Homeland Security.

The Foreign Office is concerned that people who may not have heard of Esta and booked their trip before enforcement of the new rule may be caught out

FO spokesperson

Once an application is approved, it will be valid for all visits to the US for a two-year period.

The US Embassy in London said so far 99.6% of the applications have been approved - most within four seconds.

Michael Restovich, from the US Department of Homeland Security, said: "We want to keep the bad people out. We don't want to restrict commerce, we don't want to restrict tourism.
"We want to make sure the people getting on that aircraft or that sea vessel are clear to come to the United States and are risk-free."

The Foreign Office said it was "particularly concerned that people who may not have heard of Esta and booked their trip before enforcement of the new rule may be caught out".

Andrew Spice, of Post Office Travel Services, said: "Problems may also occur if UK tourists travel to the US via another country - like Canada or the Caribbean Islands - and don't realise they will need the Esta to gain entry."

British business leaders say they have been reassured over the measures

Neal Weston from the British Air Transport Association, which represents UK-registered airlines, such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, said its members who fly to the US were fully prepared for the new system.

No charge

Abta - the Travel Association - believes it will help speed up the immigration process.
Frances Tuke, from Abta, said it had been reminding members about the Esta deadline for several months.

"We would advise people thinking about going to the US to fill in Esta before booking or as soon as they book because if it is rejected, it can take up to six weeks to get an appointment at the US embassy for a visa," she said.

She recalled British singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, who was sent back to London from the US after his name was found on a "watchlist" in 2004, and said the new system should help prevent such incidents.

With an extra layer of very intrusive bureaucracy, I think a lot of people will be deterred, if not simply confused

Travel expert Simon Calder

Esta is free but she warned that searches for Esta online brought up numerous websites offering to process the application in return for personal details and a fee.

Critics say it will be an inconvenience for business travellers and could prove a disincentive to people who like to travel spontaneously and book last-minute weekend breaks to US cities.

Simon Calder, travel editor of the Independent, said: "There are many, many draws the United States has but with an extra layer of very intrusive bureaucracy, I think a lot of people will be deterred, if not simply confused."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7822794.stm

UNDER £250
Canary islands 7 nights £209

Thomson (0871 231 5595 ; www.thomson.co.uk) offers seven nights’ self-catering at Fiesta Corralejo in Fuerteventura. Departs Manchester on January 20.

Italy 3 nights £222

Three nights’ b&b at the four-star Grand Puccini, Milan, with BA Holidays (0844 493 0758 ; www.ba.com). Price includes return BA flight from Heathrow. Book by January 27.

US flight £229

Flight Centre (0870 499 0042; www.flightcentre.co.uk) offers flights to New York with Delta from Heathrow until June 30. Book by January 27 and quote NYCLONDL2.

UNDER £500

Morocco 7 nights £299

Portland Holidays Direct (0871 2313237; www.portlanddirect.co.uk) offers half board in Agadir at the three-star Ramada Les Almohades. Price includes return flight from Manchester on February 25.

North Cyprus 7 nights £395

Direct Traveller (0845 123 5383; www.directtraveller.com) has b&b at the Pia Bella Hotel near Kyrenia. The price includes transfer and return flight from Gatwick on March 10.

Jordan 7 nights £484

Seven nights’ b&b at a choice of three-star hotels in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba with Voyages Jules Verne (0845 166 7035; www.vjv.com). Price includes return flight from Gatwick, transfers, visa and the services of local guides. Available for weekly departures in January and February.

SKI DEALS

Les Trois Vallees 5 nights £169

Six days’ skiing in France’s Trois Vallées with five nights’ half board at the three-star Club Hôtel Verseau in Brides les Bains with Skiweekends.com (telephone bookings only on 0870 442 3400 or visit www.skiweekends.com for other offers). Price includes overnight coach travel from London, Thurrock, Maidstone and Folkestone.

Courchevel 1550 7 nights £399

Seven nights’ chalet board is available at the four-star Chalet Barragiste, in Courchevel 1550, with Ifyouski.com (0844 371 7733; www.ifyouski.com), a saving of £351. Offer excludes flights and is for the week of January 17.

Serre Chevalier 7 nights £599

Seven nights’ half board at the two-star ClubHotel Grand Aigle in Serre Chevalier, France, with (Equity Ski 01273 622111; www.equityski.co.uk). Price includes ski and boot hire and lift passes. Departs from Gatwick, Stansted or Manchester on February 1.

All offers are subject to availability. Price is per person and based on two sharing, unless otherwise stated.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/4208735/Holiday-deals-of-the-week.html

A direct flight to Ireland could be as close as the Niagara Falls International Airport by the end of year.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority has begun discussions with Dublin, Ireland-based Ryanair Holdings regarding direct charter flights between the Falls airport and Dublin Airport.

The NFTA’s Director of Aviation William Vanacek met with Ryanair representatives in Dublin on Friday to talk about the international air link.

“The really encouraging thing is that they sought us out and wanted to talk,” said NFTA Chairman Gregory Stamm. “We’ve got our fingers crossed because they are a big player over there and landing them would open a lot of doors for us.”

This marks the second time NFTA has pursued charter service between the Niagara Falls airport and Ireland. In 2007, the NFTA began discussions with Kenny Tours, a Maryland-based travel company about charter flights between Niagara Falls and Shannon, Ireland.

Those flights, priced as low as $799 round-trip, were to start last summer, but hit a snag with Kenny was unable to secure aircraft to make the trips.

Kenny had predicted the Niagara Falls/Ireland connection would be a big hit due to high interest from Western New York and Southern Ontario residents for charter travel to Ireland. The tour company also anticipated strong demand on the part of Irish tourists to visit Niagara Falls.

“There’s no question there’s a market on both ends for these charters. It’s more a matter of how this would fit into Ryanair’s expansion plans,” Stamm said.

Ryanair is a low-cost flier whose current route map is built on more than 700 short-haul and point-to-point routes linking Ireland, the United Kingdom and Europe.

Late last year, the airline confirmed it is considering the addition of transatlantic flights to its budget arsenal by the end of 2009. Flights to Boston, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and multiple Florida destinations were listed as among the routes under discussion.

The no-frills airline said it would tap secondary airports in Baltimore; Providence, R. I.; and Islip on Long Island to deliver passengers, while keeping costs down. The NFTA has marketed the Niagara Falls airport as a prime secondary landing target with easy access to all of Western New York and Southern Ontario.

The NFTA has been actively pursuing both domestic and international air carriers to build business at the Niagara Falls airport. A new $30 million passenger terminal at the airport is slated to debut in July.

Currently, the Niagara County airfield has only one regularly-scheduled air carrier. South Carolina-based Direct Air offers three flights per week to Myrtle Beach, S. C. and recently began twice-weekly service to Punta Gorda, Fla.

http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/545212.html

A reader emailed me with a question about timeshare and all-inclusive vacation resorts. She wants to know if they are a good deal.

Trying to capture the "cruise experience" and compete with the Club Med type resorts, many timeshare resorts have incorporated the "all-inclusive" concept.

Do I think it’s a good deal? That depends. Are you the owner or do you own somewhere else and you are exchanging in?

For the person owning timeshare at an all inclusive resort, in my opinion, it's not such a good deal.

However, for the person owning timeshare somewhere else and trading to an all inclusive resort, it's not such a good deal.

Huh?

Let's take a closer look at the all inclusive resort from the stand point of the person trading in first.

Most of the all-you-can eats are outside the U.S., locations in the Caribbean (or the Caribbean if you prefer that pronunciation) or Mexico.

In addition to the exchange fee of almost $200 you paid to Interval International or RCI, most of those resorts are going to charge a per person premium, often around $250, to pay for the "free" food. And, like a cruise line, sometimes the booze is extra. Or not top shelf when included.

Finally, there are the figurative handcuffs the "all-inclusive" program places on you. In many of these locales, part of the charm is getting off the resort and sampling the local flavor. Hard to do if you've already paid for 8 meals a day. And many of the local eating spots are very reasonable by our standards. So that's why it’s a bad deal if you are exchanging in.

Why is it a bad deal for the owner? For one, the handcuffs are the same. The menus, many complain, get monotonous and the quality is not usually 5-star.

And, even tough most do not impose a surcharge on owners, it's still not free. The costs are built into the owner’s annual maintenance fee. A fee that is paid whether you visit the property this year or not. So if you trade to go somewhere else - you're paying for a weeks worth of food that you're not going to eat.

http://www.examiner.com/x-773-Timeshare-Examiner~y2009m1d9-All-inclusive-resorts-and-timeshare--getting-it-all-and-less

Wyndham Berkshire Bentley Brook, a condominium complex on Corey Road, has closed its sales office, resulting in the layoff of 40 employees, a company spokesman said Friday.

The laidoff employees will be given comprehensive severance packages, said Wyndham spokesperson Liz Hutchison. Bentley Brook, which opened in 1998, is owned by Wyndham Vacation Ownership of Orlando, Fla., a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide.

The resort has 80 total employees, but no additional layoffs will take place.

"It's done," Hutchison said.

Located at the Jiminy Peak ski resort, Wyndham Berkshire Bentley Brook has 155 condominium timeshares.

Former Bentley Brook employee Natasha Broadwell of Pittsfield said the workers were informed that the sales office would be closing on Wednesday.

"Everyone was completely shocked," said Broadwell, who began work at Bentley Brook on Dec. 1. "People were crying. It was crazy."

Hutchison said Wyndham has been closing sales offices across the country because the credit crisis combined with the turbulent economy has slowed resort development growth.

"This is not an isolated incident," she said.

According to its Web site, Wyndam Worldwide maintains 7,000 hotels, 200,000 hotel units, and 145 vacation ownership sites.

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_11422389?source=most_emailed

Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service and an Experian company, reveals that UK Internet searches for flights have fallen by 42% over the last 12 months. January is a key month for the travel industry, as UK consumers' thoughts turn from Christmas shopping to booking their summer holidays, but the economic downturn means that consumers are being more cautious when booking flights abroad this year. As a result of the weak pound, people are switching from holidays in the Eurozone or USA and considering cheaper destinations such as Turkey and North Africa, or considering taking their holidays at home.

UK Internet searches for flights increased by 58% between the weeks ending 27/12/08 and 03/01/09, but they were down by 42.4% when compared with the equivalent post-Christmas week last year (i.e. the week ending 05/01/08). Flights to the USA experienced the biggest annual fall in searches of 52.2%. Searches for flights to countries that use the Euro fell by 44.8%, while searches for flights to the UK and the Rest of the World also fell, but at a smaller rate.

Change in searches for flights to different geographical areas between 05/01/08 and 03/01/09:
USA: -52.2%
Eurozone:-44.8%
Global average: -42.4%
Rest of the world: -34.4%
UK Domestic: -32.7%

"It looks like the weak pound is putting people off flying to the Eurozone and the USA, and they are looking at destinations with more favourable exchange rates instead," commented Robin Goad, Hitwise's Director of Research. There have been big falls in searches for flights to all of the most popular European holiday destinations over the last 12 months: France is down 45.4%, Spain 42.8%, Portugal 41.7% and Italy 41.2%.

Change in UK Internet searches for flights to popular destinations between 05/01/08 and 03/01/09:
Turkey: -24.6%
Dubai: -27.1%
Thailand: -32.2%
Australia: -32.8%
South Africa: -32.9%
Caribbean: -34.6%
Italy: -41.2%
Portugal: -41.7%
Spain: -42.8%
France: -45.4%

Of all the major holiday locations favoured by Britons, Turkey experienced the smallest decline in flight searches over the last 12 months - a fall of 24.6% compared with an average of 42.4% for all destinations. At the same time, Turkey overtook Canada and Thailand to become the second most popular non-Euro/Dollar destination for British tourists.

Robin Goad commented: "UK Internet users are becoming more sophisticated in the way they search for Turkish holidays. Increasingly they are searching for particular towns and resorts, such as Dalaman, Bodrum and Antalya, rather than generic terms like 'flights to Turkey' or 'Turkish holidays'. This is similar to the way people search for Spanish or Portuguese holidays, and illustrates how Turkey has become a mainstream destination for British holiday makers".

Australia remains the most popular non-Euro/Dollar destination for British tourists, accounting for almost a quarter of all searches for flights to destinations outside of the UK, USA and Eurozone. Searches for flights to Australia have fallen by 32.85% over the last 12 months, but this is at a lower rate than for many other destinations. The recent release of the Nicole Kidman film "Australia" has had an impact on this behaviour. For the week ending 05/01/08 the Dubai based airline Emirates, which is currently running a joint marketing campaign with Tourism Australia, ranked 11th in Hitwise's Commercial Airlines category, up from 17th during the equivalent week in 2008.

Only five destinations have experienced an increase in flight searches over the last 12 months: Norway, Denmark, Brazil, Morocco and Cuba. Robin Goad commented: "The two areas that have benefitted most from the Pound falling against the Euro are Scandinavia and the cheaper sunshine destinations. The Scandinavian countries may still be expensive by global standards, but in relative terms their cost for UK consumers has fallen compared with other European countries. In terms of warmer destinations, the weak pound is encouraging people to look further afield for bargains, with places such as Brazil, Morocco, Cuba, Kenya and India all moving up the rankings over the last 12 months.

Destinations with the biggest increase (or smallest decrease) in flight searches between 05/01/08 and 03/01/09:

1. Norway +30.9%
2. Denmark +20.3%
3. Brazil +19.5%
4. Morocco +2.1%
5. Cuba +1.2%
6. Kenya -7.8%
7. India -12.7%
8. China -12.8%
9. Hungary -13.7%
10. Singapore -14.6%

http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/28820

Online retailer TravelRepublic has unveiled a consumer financial protection scheme for customers who book after January 1.

According to the TravelRepublic, website The Total Financial Protection initiative provides customers with 100% refund in the event of the corporate failure of their travel provider.

The website reminds customers that each element of their holiday is separate and as such is covered by separate financial protection.

The wording of the scheme also stresses that Travel Republic does not provide package holidays.

The site also claims the financial protection is '100% free of charge'.

Travel Republic was unable to comment but the launch of the scheme comes just weeks after the Civil Aviation Authority issued legal proceedings against the retailer and director Kane Pirie.

The legal proceedings are over breaches of CAA guidelines. Pirie is scheduled to appear in court in February.

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2009/01/09/29919/under-fire-travelrepublic-launches-travel-protection-scheme.html

The accident report makes safety recommendations

Passenger planes were involved in "serious" incidents on an unsafe temporary runway surface at Bristol Airport, an accident report has said.

In one case a plane went off the runway and ended on a grass verge after braking problems, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.

The incidents happened in wet weather between November 2006 and January 2007.

The AAIB calls for improved safety in recommendations to the Civil Aviation Authority and European safety experts.

Surface treated

Following the incidents, a number of airlines cancelled or diverted flights away from Bristol, affecting travel plans for 25,000 passengers.

The airport was eventually closed so that the runway surface could be treated and there were no further incidents after it reopened.

The AAIB said before the closure there had been several separate areas of the runway which had a temporary ungrooved base course asphalt surface while resurfacing work went on.

It said Bristol's risk assessment plan "had not adequately addressed the hazards presented to aircraft operating on the temporary surfaces in wet and windy weather".

The AAIB said there were three incidents on 29 December 2006 and a fourth on 3 January 2007.

In one case an ATR 72 aircraft operated by Channel Island carrier Aurigny left the runway on landing and came to rest on a grass verge.

In another serious incident, a British Airways CitiExpress Embraer 145 aircraft partially left, and then came back on to, the runway.

The AAIB said advice published by the Civil Aviation Authority about wet runways was not communicated by the airlines to their flight crews.

Also, information from air traffic control about braking gave flight crews "false confidence in the braking action available on the wet runway", the report said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7819334.stm

OFFICES in Exeter and Exmouth were among those raided as part of a Trading standards investigation into the selling of holiday schemes.

Officers yesterday searched seven addresses in Devon and Somerset, including the Holiday Presentation Centre, in Matford Court, Exeter.

When potential clients arrived at the building in Sigford Road, on Marsh Barton, expecting to attend talks about overseas holiday offers, they found a hand-written notice on the doors telling them that all yesterday's presentations were cancelled.

Some of those turned away are understood to have travelled lengthy distances to get there.

Police were sent to guard against any potential disorder, while curious workers in neighbouring offices wondered what was going on.


No one from any company operating from the Holiday Presentation Centre was on site when the Echo visited.

Inside the building, trading standards officers were bagging up and tagging holiday brochures and other documents to be taken away.

Officials were tight-lipped about the nature of the probe because their inquiries are ongoing, and refused to identify the company or companies being investigated.

Peter Greene, fair trading manager for Devon County Council, said: "Devon Trading Standards officers have today exercised entry warrants at seven addresses in Exeter, Exmouth and Somerset and seized an amount of material.

"The investigation is into alleged breaches of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and the sale of holiday ownership schemes. Inquiries are ongoing."

A police spokesman said: "In situations where there is likely to be a breach of the peace, we would accompany Trading Standards officers due to the fact that people might get angry.

"We are trained to deal with angry people, so we attend to prevent a breach of the peace."

Mr Greene advised any consumers with a problem concerning a holiday ownership scheme to contact Consumer Direct for advice in the first instance on 08454 040506.

He added: "If it is a matter Trading Standards needs to be aware of, they will refer the matter to us for investigation."

Have you bought a timeshare at the Holiday Presentation Centre? If so, please contact the Echo on 01392 442228.

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/Holiday-company-offices-raided-trading-standards/article-599306-detail/article.html

The Timeshare Beat became the streetblog.
Recently this notice appeared on their site



Hasta la Vista, Gang…

Sorry, we're closed Today marks the end of an era as Andrea and I have decided that it is time for us to say good-by to the timeshare world and we are closing down this forum.

As most of you know, beginning with “The Timeshare Beat” in July of 1999 and then continuing on with ‘Street’ in 2005 we have done our best to keep this industry abreast of breaking news stories, developer PRs, columns, articles, gossip, etc.

Plus, over those years we also provided a free and open format for everyone associated with the timeshare industry to express their views, suggestions and opinions, etc. without fear or worry of repercussions from an industry known for being less than tolerant of those expressing themselves.

But to everything there is a season and now, 9 years and a handful of months later (on top of 20+ years of sales and marketing in the industry), we are calling it quits and heading off to new adventures in a world full of opportunities. We leave you with one final Video of the Week as a special farewell gift.

For all of you, and especially those of you who have been with us since day one, we wish you nothing but continued health, security and a good dash of wealth in the years to come. May you live long, and prosper!

Best wishes to all, and thanks for your support all these years! It’s been quite a ride! Bye bye!

Rod and Andrea Hackman




The Hackman's have provided a place for information, assistance, advice and gossip for almost a decade. The timeshare world is that much less without their voice.

http://www.examiner.com/x-773-Timeshare-Examiner~y2009m1d7-A-void-in-the-world-of-timeshare

Expectations are for as many as six million holidays to be booked in January as holidaymakers take advantage of the many special deals on offer by the airlines and travel operators.

So far this month, approximately 200,000 bookings a day are being seen, in defiance of the gloomy economic outlook, as Britons scoop up bargains by booking summer holidays early.

Tour operators are featuring ‘two-for-one’ and ‘free child’ offers, while a number of airlines are offering substantially-discounted airfares.

What this means for families is savings of hundreds of pounds on their annual holiday.

A spokesperson for the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said: “Our research has shown that the last thing people give up is their holiday and there are some extraordinary deals out there at the moment. January is a big month and with all these offers it looks like being a busy month.”

Thomas Cook is offering a 10 per cent discount on holidays booked by 16 February. At First Choice, savings of as much as £200 on summer 2009 bookings are possible, as are thousands of free child places and low booking deposits. Flight supplements are also being waived.

Direct Holidays is discounting holidays to Fuerteventura by nearly £100 per person on flight and hotel packages.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/bargains-boost-anticipated-january-holiday-bookings-to-six-million-5634065.html

More than 200 natural wonders, including Loch Ness, Mount Everest and the Grand Canyon are to compete in a global competition that will name the New 7 Wonders of Nature, organizers of the competition have announced.

In all, 261 nominated natural wonders, in 222 countries, have been nominated, including well-known mountain peaks, lakes and other natural attractions such as Niagara Falls and the Great Barrier Reef.

Early on Wednesday organizers released the list of nominees in Geneva.

It is anticipated that as many as a billion voters will take part in the Internet poll in choosing 77 semi-finalists in the top natural wonders competition. The seven finally selected will enjoy the recognition received by the seven man-made wonders chosen in 2007.

“We are calling on people all over the world to actively show their appreciation for our … natural world by joining together to celebrate the most extraordinary sites on our planet,” said a spokeswoman for the campaign, Tia Viering.

The non-profit foundation behind the campaign, based in Switzerland, has received 441 nominations over the Internet since the selection process was opened in 2007.

The process involved choosing the top vote-getter from each country, which led to 222 sites. When natural wonders bordering two or more countries were added, the list grew to 261. Sites sharing borders include Niagara Falls and Lake Superior, which border the US and Canada and the Matterhorn, bordering Switzerland and Italy.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/loch-ness-in-natural-wonder-competition-5634066.html

Musician Chris Llewellyn was among those who sprang into action after a man shoved a flight attendant and tried to open an exit door.

Chris Llewellyn was staring out the window of Delta Airlines Flight 110, watching the landscape of Los Angeles rise up toward the plane, when he heard the screams of a male flight attendant: "Help me! Help me!"

Turning quickly, he saw that a passenger had pushed the attendant to the floor and was trying to open the rear emergency exit.

"Don't come near me," the man warned. "I have a bomb. I have a bomb."

"I thought this guy was going to open the door. I was thinking, 'I'm not going to go down with the plane,' " said Llewellyn, 26, a 6-foot guitarist, who was flying into Los Angeles from Atlanta on Wednesday morning for a TV appearance with hip-hop artist Asher Roth.

Along with half a dozen other passengers, Llewellyn ran down the aisle into the galley area and jumped on the man, pulling him away from the door.

"He was struggling hard-core," Llewellyn said. "I was holding down his arm. Somebody had a foot on his head. Everyone was holding down a different body part. He was going nuts. I was telling him to chill because he's not going any place."

The jet landed safely and no bomb was found. Still, local and federal authorities credited Llewellyn and the other good Samaritans with helping save the day.

The incident was the latest example of passengers joining to prevent someone from doing harm during a flight. Perhaps the most famous example was on 9/11 when passengers on United Flight 93 fought terrorists, forcing the jet down in Pennsylvania and foiling a plot to crash the plane into the U.S. Capitol.

There have been other cases in recent years. In 2005, passengers aboard a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Florida helped wrestle a fellow passenger to the floor after he tried to force his way into the cockpit. The next year, a passenger who claimed to have a bomb aboard a Sacramento-bound United flight was subdued by passengers. Months later, an unruly passenger on an American Airlines flight from Seattle to St. Louis had to be handcuffed and strapped to his seat with the help of several passengers.

On Wednesday, many of the other 230 people on the Boeing 757 were grateful that fellow passengers stepped in.

Mary Hughes, 48, a state correctional records official from Panama City, Fla., said she first became aware of a problem when she saw other passengers running by her seat screaming, "No! No! Don't! Stop him!"

"What concerned me was that we were getting ready to land, and I was thinking, 'Oh, my God, we are still in the air. What if he opens the door?' " she said. "It was pretty creepy there."

Hughes said passengers were relieved when the plane landed and authorities boarded to take the suspect away.

"I was glad I was on a plane where passengers fought," she said. "It was great the passengers got involved."

It's highly unlikely that the suspect could have opened the emergency exit door. Because of cabin pressure, aviation experts have said it's impossible for someone to open an emergency exit when a plane is at high altitudes. But the Delta flight was almost on the ground, and one aviation expert said it may have been possible -- though unlikely -- for someone to have gotten the door open. At a low altitude, though, opening the door would not necessarily imperil passengers, the expert said.

The Los Angeles Police Department identified the man as Lawrence Johnson, 45, of Kentucky. He was booked by airport police on suspicion of making a false bomb threat.

A law enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity because the case was ongoing, said there was no air marshal on board. There has been much debate in recent years about how many air marshals actually fly on commercial flights, with some former employees claiming the number is declining. But the Transportation Security Administration denied any problems. Officials refuse to provide numbers but have said "the number of air marshals TSA employs is in the thousands."

In the case of Wednesday's Delta flight, passengers were able to secure the suspect on their own. When the plane landed, a flight attendant retrieved a restraining kit and the group was able to put restraints on the suspect's arms, Llewellyn said.

He said the suspect then asked, "What am I being charged with?" and someone answered, "Assaulting a flight attendant."

"He flipped out over that," Llewellyn said.

Despite the incident, he and other members of his band were able to get to NBC's Burbank studios in time for sound check. They were scheduled to appear on NBC's "Last Call With Carson Daly."

Asher Roth is an up-and-coming rapper who has been named one of MTV's "MCs to Watch in 2009."

By Wednesday night, Llewellyn was ready to move on. "The whole thing happened in about two to three minutes," he said. "It's all kind of a blur now."

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-rapper-airline-bomb8-2009jan08,0,7307915.story

An Iraqi-born resident of the United States who was ordered to cover a T-shirt with Arabic script before boarding a plane in New York has received $240,000 in a settlement with two officials of the Transportation Safety Administration and JetBlue Airways.

The Iraqi, Raed Jarrar, was headed for a JetBlue flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Oakland, Calif., in August 2006 when, according to court papers, he was told at a security checkpoint that his T-shirt, which said “We will not be silent” in Arabic and English, would have to go.

One federal employee, according to Mr. Jarrar’s account, told him that wearing a shirt with Arabic script to an airport was like going to the bank in a shirt that said “I am a robber.”

Ultimately, the JetBlue workers gave Mr. Jarrar another T-shirt to wear over the first one, and led him to a seat at the back of the plane, even though his original ticket had been issued for a seat at the front.

In an interview, Mr. Jarrar, 30, a legal resident, called the experience “very painful.” At the time, he said, he was a new immigrant to the United States and had been reading histories of discrimination and the civil rights movement, which he thought of as “things that happened in the past, and in this other place and time.”

“When it happened to me,” he said, “it was very much of a shock.”

The settlement, made public Monday, was reached last month, said Aden Fine, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, who represented Mr. Jarrar. The size of the settlement “should send a clear and strong message to all T.S.A. officials and airlines that they can’t discriminate against people for how they look or for the ethnic content of their speech,” Mr. Fine said.

Neither the Transportation Safety Administration officials or JetBlue admitted having done anything wrong, and the settlement agreement states that it “is not an admission of liability or fault or wrongdoing or responsibility.”

The agreement says that the government employees, Garfield Harris and Franco Trotta, “disavow any allegation” that they had violated Mr. Jarrar’s rights, and said that “their actions were at all times reasonable and within their discretion and authority.”

Bryan Baldwin, a spokesman for the airline, said the company was “pleased” with the settlement, although it denied Mr. Jarrar’s version of events. The company settled, Mr. Baldwin said, “to stop incurring future legal cost.”

The incident occurred at a time of heightened tension for air travel, just after the arrests of two dozen people in England who were accused of plotting to detonate liquid explosives on several airliners on flights from London to the United States and Canada.

Mr. Jarrar said he was “disappointed” that the agency and airline did not admit fault or apologize. But, he said, “the point was proven.”

If they had done nothing wrong, he asked, “why did they pay $240,000?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/us/08arabic.html?_r=1

When you're on vacation, every penny counts...especially in these rough economic times. In Orlando, there are discounts for many of the most popular attractions and restaurants if you know where to look. Although discounts for the Disney theme parks are rare to non-existent unless you are willing to submit to a multi-hour timeshare pitch, you'll find coupons for popular dinner shows, restaurant chains, and activities ranging from airboat rides to water parks to helicopter rides to the Old Town and Fun Spot amusement centers.
Online Discounts

You can use online discount and coupon sites to help you prepare before your vacation. Here are some links to get you started:

Attractions

http://www.orlandocouponsfree.com/attraction_coupons.html

http://www.couponsalacarte.com/Flattractions/attractions.htm

Restaurants

http://www.couponsalacarte.com/orlando/restaurant.htm

http://www.orlandocouponsfree.com/restaurant_coupons.html

Misc.

http://www.orlandocoupons.com/

http://www.orlandosaving.com/

http://www.orlandocheapster.com/Coupons.htm

http://www.see-orlandoflorida.com/coupons.php3

Other Ways to Save

Once you get to Orlando, if you're not staying on Disney property, your hotel is likely to have a big display of pamphlets, brochures and coupons. You'll find coupons for individual attractions and a variety of discount books loaded with information and special offers on a variety of restaurtants and activities. If your hotel doesn't have a good selection, check at other hotels and restaurants.

Beware of information booths, as these are often a way to draw you into signing up for a timeshare tour. These booths may be freestanding, or they may be located inside of stores and restaurants. You'll be enticed by a rack full of information, as as you're thumbing through it, the friendly representative will chat you up and offer you a free dinner show, deeply discounted tickets, or even money. Say a polite but firm "no" unless you want to give up several hours and be subjected to a high-pressure sales pitch.

You can find plenty of free-standing coupon book racks at restaurants and in hotel lobbies where you won't have to brace the timeshare pitch.

When you pick up coupon books, check the expiration dates to make sure they are current. Although they are usually restocked frequently, you won't want to grab an old book and discover that your coupon expired last month when you present it at a business.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2200-Orlando-Getaways-Examiner~y2009m1d4-Dont-pay-full-price-for-Orlando-food-and-attractions

The results of a new investigation have revealed that rooms in budget accommodations were found to contain blood, faeces, mould and urine.

One of the “most disturbing” of the findings in the investigation was a soiled and mouldy mattress in a room at an Ibis Hotel. Among other revelations in a range of hotels were food debris, duvets with stains that were probably blood and stray fingernails lying on the floor.

These unseemly discoveries came to light during an undercover investigation conducted by the consumer group Which? The five most popular budget hotel chains in the UK were visited – including Comfort Inn, Ibis, Jurys Inn, Premier Inn and Travelodge.

In the report it was said: “The rooms we inspected varied quite significantly when it came to standards of cleanliness, adding a whole new meaning to the concept of a dirty weekend.”

Carpets were found containing high dust levels, one mattress was torn and covered with mould and some of the bathrooms had toilets with urine streaks on the outside and faeces on the seat.

According to recent reports, budget lodgings have recently seen an increase in business as travellers seek to save on travel costs.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/soiled-and-contaminated-conditions-in-budget-accommodations-5634061.html

Following the success of the popular TV show, Strictly Come Dancing, there has been a recent spike in interest in dance-themed holidays, where learning to jive and tango is the focus of the trip, according to the online group Which?

The TV series has inspired thousands of Britons, rekindling a love of dancing that hasn’t been seen since the wartime dancehalls of the last century. More than eight million viewers tune in to the dancing series.

HF Holidays, a firm that offers breaks in the UK, reported a sharp increase in interest in holiday breaks that include dance classes.

Holidaymaker Louise chose a dancing weekend break in Wales, saying: “Having enjoyed a few evening classes, I felt the urge to try something a bit more substantial, and decided upon a beginners’ ballroom weekend.”

She added: “Day two kicked off with a recap of the previous day’s steps before moving on to the cha-cha. Along with most of the class, I instantly loved this dance and my confidence grew. At the end of the two-hour session, though, I breathed a sigh of relief – my feet were throbbing. Others also complained of numerous aches and pains.”

Dance classes are offered also by Center Parcs holiday villages and by Saga, a specialist in holidays for those over 50. Saga has recently introduced a dance-themed holiday in Malta.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/strictly-come-dancing-sparks-interest-in-dance-themed-holidays-5634064.html

Following the general trend of timeshares, the Marriott Vacation Club has recently laid off more than 170 employees.

The lay-offs began during early December at the Orlando timeshare call center where the second round of recent pink slips were issued. Last November, approximately 80 timeshare employees were laid off in lieu of the credit crunch. However, Marriott claims that it will be posting as many as 31 job vacancies as soon as the Horizons project closes and moves to a new location.

According to a Marriott official, the timeshare finances were not being squeezed “tightly” by the international credit market and this slowed down consumer spending.

Marriott VP Ed Kinney says that the layoffs will be completed by January 2009. Other timeshares that are cutting back include Wyndham Vacation Club, Westgate Resorts, and Bluegreen Resorts.

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20090105264/Latest/Marriott-timeshares-in-cut-back-mode.html

Interval International—a US-based vacation service provider—has announced its partnership with Thailand’s Stoney Monday Oasis Golf Resort, a new vacation club developed by the Stoney Monday Company and an Australian affiliate.

The resort is situated in the renowned vacation spot of Phuket, Thailand. It is nested between Phuket City and Patong—home to some of the world’s best beaches.

“Stoney Monday is a high quality development that we are delighted to add to our network of resorts,” comments Joe Hickman, Executive Director of Interval International, Asia Pacific. “There is something here for everyone's interest, including access to excellent leisure facilities.”

The Stoney Monday Oasis Golf Resort has over 61 units, 44 of which are now available for the timeshare program. The units include studios and 1-2 bedroom apartments. Onsite amenities include a swimming pool, a large outdoor Jacuzzi, a health club, two tennis courts, and two restaurants.

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20090107265/Latest/Interval-International-launches-timeshare-program-with-Stoney-Monday-Oasis-Golf-Resort.html

A type of timeshare accommodation at Lowburn will result from a decision of the Environment Court.

Judge Jon Jackson has granted Waterline Lowburn Ltd consent to operate its travellers' accommodation as residential units to owners for 10 weeks of every year.

Waterline's application last year to the Central Otago District Council, for consent to change all titles into residential units, was refused because the land was originally allocated for travellers' accommodation, not a residential subdivision.

Waterline's property, which fronts State Highway 6 and Lowburn Valley Rd, had previously been set aside to rebuild the old Lowburn Ferry Hotel, which disappeared when Lake Dunstan was filled in the 1980s.

Waterline's appeal to the Environment Court has won it a compromise of sorts.

In his written decision to allow consent, Judge Jackson stated the units should be used only for the purpose of travellers' accommodation and, subject to provisions, should not be used for residential activity.

However, unit owners could occupy their accommodation facilities for a cumulative maximum of 70 days (10 weeks) of each year, and a maximum continuous period of 42 days (six weeks).

During all other times, units must be used for travellers' accommodation, on a daily tariff, with the exception of one unit which could be used continuously as a manager's flat.

The manager of the travellers' accommodation will be required to maintain a written record of dates of occupancy both by unit owners and travellers.

Waterline's initial application, which was granted consent in October 2007, proposed a travellers' accommodation complex, as well as a manager's office and flat.

Units were to be built beside a consented restaurant and bar to form a commercial unit.

Judge Jackson's decision also requires Waterline to upgrade the intersection of State Highway 6 and Lowburn Valley Rd, incorporating a right turning bay, flag light, and extended slip lanes, in accordance with the New Zealand Transport Agency, by December 2010.

He also ordered Waterline to develop a footpath from its property to the state highway, and to pay all the council's administration costs relating administration, inspection, and supervision of consent conditions.

Waterline was also ordered to pay a total of $255,440 in development contributions for water supply, wastewater, and roading and community facilities.

There was no order for costs.

http://www.odt.co.nz/the-regions/central-otago/38589/court-gives-consent-timeshare

Etihad Airways has been voted “Airline of the Year” at this year’s British Travel Awards, in recognition of its tremendous growth, product and service innovation and world leading customer service.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline picked up the award at a glittering ceremony attended by 900 travel industry professionals on Friday 7 November at Battersea Evolution in London.

James Hogan, chief executive of Etihad Airways, said: “It is a tremendous honor for Etihad Airways to win the prestigious title of ‘airline of the year’ at the British Travel Awards, particularly as 2008 sees us celebrate our fifth birthday.

“It is particularly pleasing to receive this accolade from industry professionals, who recognize the many achievements we have made in the last five years and the significant growth which has made Etihad the fastest growing airline in commercial aviation history.”

The British Travel Award is the latest in a series of top accolades that the national airline of the United Arab Emirates has won this year, including the Middle East’s ‘Leading Airline’, ‘Leading First Class’ and ‘Leading Travel Website’ at the 2008 World Travel Awards; ‘Best Cabin Staff’ and ‘Best Economy Class’ at the Business Traveler Middle East awards and ‘Best Website’ at the 2008 Pan Arab Web awards.

Etihad was also named by Skytrax as one of the top ten airlines in the world’s largest independent survey of air travelers, a huge achievement for an airline which has been flying for just five years.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=186349

Eurostar is holding its lead-in fare of £59 return for the sixth year running - a 20% price fall in real terms since 2003.

The high-speed passenger rail service from the UK to the Continent said its starting price of £59 return will be available up to four months in advance of travel. There are no surcharges or taxes. It is valid to Paris, Disneyland Resort Paris, Brussels and any station in Belgium.

Eurostar commercial director Nick Mercer said: "We know travellers want good value, so we're offering them the chance to plan an affordable spring break or summer holiday."

Eurostar offers tickets from 150 towns and cities in the UK in conjunction with domestic train operators and children under the age of four travel for free.

Eurostar's lead-in return fare has reduced from £95 in 1994 when services began and dropped to £59 in 2003, which is less than half the price in real terms compared with 14 years ago.

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2009/01/02/29855/eurostar-lead-in-fares-frozen-for-sixth-year.html

The timeshare resale industry has quickly become the latest in vacation technology. Never before has a person been able to search an array of properties from hundreds of travel-oriented sites to choose from. Enter the internet. More media is being published everyday on this relatively new marketplace. More and more consumers are proclaiming the timeshare resale market as the only way to capitalize on the timesharing concept.

Everywhere you click, timeshare resale is not just the next trend in timeshare; it is a growing trend in travel! Business, holidays, traveling the world, and good old family vacationing is just the prologue. The idea of reselling timeshares is pretty new, with a thriving market that spans around the globe. It is not something your resort developer will tell you about. As the internet expands however, the demand for cheaper and cheaper timeshares is growing exponentially.

Nowadays developers cannot get away with their over-bloated prices, because now Joe Consumer can find a comparable package on Craigslist or Google for thousands of dollars less. Timeshare companies like BuyATimeshare.com are making things easier with numerous innovations for the timeshare buying experience. Offering assistance through Live Chat, they are conveniently found at the top of all major search engines. The newfangled internet allows you to skip the high-pressure sales presentations, shop from home, and tailor your ideal vacation property.

Find all the brands for about 70% off what the developer will market them for—and you choose when and where to go! Some websites will confront you with a registration form, but a few will let you roam their inventory of vacation properties. Chat with a specialist and have all of your timeshare questions answered from home. With buyers shopping the World Wide Web, find all of the benefits, without the salesmen trying to pressure a signature or sale out of you.

Timeshares are not a horrible experience. There has been a lot of bad publicity over the years of unscrupulous sales practices. Oftentimes the vacation works out fine. And while the concept continues to save people a lot of money, they provide a superior vacation experience as well. Unfortunately, run-ins with these unethical companies that get remembered about timeshares, and are typically what people were writing about.

Satisfied owners, however, are on a beach somewhere too busy to defend this valuable concept. It is nice to see the timeshare resale market giving credibility back to the timeshare experience. For-sale-by-owner timeshare resale is fast becoming the latest trend in timesharing. More and more travel enthusiasts are citing the resale market as the only way to buy. Timeshare resale websites are making it easier for consumers to shop, buy, and learn about timeshares. There is no reason to endure another high-pressure sales presentation again.

http://www.timesharesdaily.com/index.php/20081209259/Latest/Buying-Timeshares-Made-Quick-Cheap-and-Easy.html

Hate to let the real world intrude on timeshare, which should be about getting away from it all.
But the economic crisis intrudes in nany ways, both obvious and not.

Recent reports have stalwarts such has Marriott, Starwood and Wyndham feeling the effects of the bad economy and, especially, the tight credit market.

The luxurious Ritz-Carlton Club, with locations ranging from San Francisco to the Virgin Islands, was recently reported to have pulled the plug on a new mixed-use property in Miami. The Ritz is a Marriott brand.

Wyndham is very much invested in the timeshare industry. They own the companies formerly known as Fairfield and TrendWest, as well as exchange giant, RCI. Recently, they announced layoffs affecting approximately 25% of their 4,000 employees.

As has been reported before, this in not so much as a result of flagging sales, though the numbers are expected to be “flat to down”, according to industry insiders.

Many of the companies laying off are responding to the paralysis that has impacted the credit market driving the funds for new developments. No new developments ultimately lead to less inventory to market and sell.

The impact on timeshare owners? Should be relatively minimal. If you already own, it is unlikely to impact your individual resort. There have not been any significant reports of distressed existing properties.

And travelers will look at their personal budgets when deciding when and where to go.
The last major event to impact the travel industry would be the post-9-11 reaction, which severely damaged the hotel industry.

Timeshare took a momentary pause, then owners adjusted their travel habits, exchanging for resorts closer to home, where they could drive rather than fly.

Usage and occupancy rates did not vary much from the traditional 90% or so.

As a matter of fact, for existing owners, owning timeshare often proves to be a boon in tough economic times; it's easier to take a family vacation when your immediate out of pocket expenses are minimal.

http://www.examiner.com/x-773-Timeshare-Examiner~y2009m1d3-The-real-world-intrudes-on-timeshare

Consumer Minister Gareth Thomas has welcomed yesterday's EU decision to toughen up rules around timeshare and to regulate other long term holiday products across the EU for the first time, boosting holidaymakers' rights when things go wrong.

The EU Council of Ministers yesterday adopted the new Timeshare Directive, following a review of the existing version. The UK Government had strongly lobbied to extend its provisions to cover holiday clubs, and to provide better protection for timeshare owners, particularly those who fall prey to bogus timeshare resale agents.

Gareth Thomas said: "This is good news for British holidaymakers because it will ensure equal protection across Europe against bogus and rogue sellers of holiday clubs who in recent years have given the whole industry a bad name.

"The new Directive addresses the UK's concerns with the long-term holiday product sector and sets rules within which genuine, honest traders can operate without facing unfair competition from the rogues."

The Office of Fair Trading estimated that in 2006 detriment for UK based consumers alone, deceived into buying long-term holiday club membership, amounted to over £1 billion.

The new Directive will:

* Regulate holiday club sales for the first time by preventing large payments up front for long contracts and allowing consumers who are dissatisfied with the service they receive the option of ending the contract each year when annual payments become due.

* Provide a cooling off period for buyers and require the provision of fuller and clearer information in respect of all of the products covered

* Ban up-front payments before the end of the cooling off period.

* Ban accepting payment for timeshare resale services before a sale has taken place.

BERR will be consulting in 2009 on regulations to implement the Directive

Notes to Editors

The EU review of Directive 94/47/EC followed lobbying by the UK government to extend its provisions to cover long-term holiday products ( holiday clubs ), and to provide better protection for timeshare owners, particularly those who fall prey to bogus timeshare resale agents.

The agreed text builds on and extends the current Directive by covering a wider range of timeshare agreements, timeshare-related services and other long-term holiday product contracts.

Member States have two years following publication in the Official Journal to implement in national law. Publication is expected in January 2009 following adoption by the Council of Ministers yesterday.

http://media-newswire.com/release_1082712.html

A Ugandan woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl on a plane from Amsterdam to Boston while flying over Canadian airspace, making the child eligible for Canadian citizenship, US media reported Thursday.

Little Sasha was born Wednesday at 1400 GMT to the applause of other amazed Northwest Airlines passengers, as flight 59 flew over Halifax, Canada.

The mother, whose name was withheld by the airline, was assisted in giving birth by two doctors who were returning from vacation, The Boston Globe said.

"She (Sasha) looked perfect. She opened her eyes and she was very happy," Dr. Natarajan Raman told the daily. "Even though we didn't have a labor room delivery set up, everything went perfect."

At 2.7 kilograms (6.7 pounds), Sasha was born five minutes after her mother went into labor and about 90 minutes before the Boeing 757 landed in Boston, where child and mother were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital as a precaution.

US officials said that since Sasha was born over Canadian airspace, she should be a Canadian citizen.

Calls at Canada's immigration ministry were not returned.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hTGMTzzGNAJu0BL2r503s_O_Ob5A

Criminal police in Austria are finding that cocaine is fast taking over the place of traditional mulled wine at après-ski chalet parties.

According to police, this Christmas has seen more cocaine available than usual. Even at après-ski bars, the consumption of cocaine and Ecstacy has risen sharply, with drug offences up by 60 per cent in some of the resorts that attract UK tourists.

Police are claiming that some bartenders and ski instructors at the resorts sell drugs during the peak season.

“It has become normal to get not only drinks but also cocaine right there at the bars of the establishments,” said Salzburg criminal police spokesman, Major Christian Voggenberger. He indicated that the resorts most impacted by the trend are Obertauern and others in the Salzburg area.

Obertauern, one of the top ski resorts on the continents, has a reputation for glitz and glamour going back to the time of the Beatles – when they used the resort as a setting for their film Help! in 1965.

Although it is billed as a family resort, its well-known slogan “It’s Snowtime”, could take on a new meaning as cocaine replaces alcohol in après-ski popularity.

Other regions are also experiencing similar trends.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/drugs-replacing-hot-spiced-wine-at-austrian-ski-resorts-5634042.html

Bristol has the distinction of being Britain’s only city to be included on an international travel guide’s list of top places to see in the coming year.

The city in England’s West Country was chosen over other cities that may have seemed more likely choices, including Bath, Edinburgh and Oxford, for example, to make its way on the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides ‘Top 10 Cities for 2009#8242;.

Others on the list include South Africa’s Cape Town and Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Some lesser-known cities were also featured on the list, such as Gdansk, Poland and Vilnius, Lithuania.

While Bristol, with a population of 416,000, lacks a trademark attraction such as Edinburgh Castle or the Royal Crescent in Bath, but Anna Paynton of DK Eyewitness Travel Guides commented that the city had been selected due to its variety in character.

Paynton said: “Bristol is often overlooked in favour of its more picturesque neighbour Bath, which tends to get a lot more attention. The book says that if you haven’t been to Bristol, though, you really should. The different pockets of the city have their individual charms and that’s why we included it in DK’s 2009 list. It’s a great city and one which has undergone quite a few changes over the last few years.”

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/top-ten-places-to-visit-in-2009-includes-bristol-5634045.html