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Archive for August, 2009

Russians advised not to travel to UK

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Russia has issued a travel advisory to its citizens not to travel to the UK following the outbreak of H1N1 virus across the country.

Russian football fans, estimated in the thousands, are expected to attend the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday for a FIFA World Cup European Qualifying match.  Russian health authorities have branded the circumstance as “completely inappropriate”.

Gennadi Onishchenko, Russia’s chief public health official said: “We will be dissuading our countrymen who express a willingness to travel there. This is absolutely unnecessary and inappropriate at the time of a flu epidemic.

“The liberalism that Britain and other European countries are demonstrating is absolutely inappropriate in the circumstances.”

Britain has been viewed as highly irresponsible for continuing to allow major sporting events in spite of the outbreak.

The UK has become the centre of the world for the outbreak of swine flu in the past few weeks, with almost 12,000 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus, and 31 deaths.

It is believed that the actual number of cases may be much higher, closer to 100,000 a week suspected cross the nation.

Britain is one of the worst countries affected by the virus, which has spread to over 160 countries.

Thanks to Travelbite for the above quotes.  For more information visit their website www.travelbite.co.uk

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‘Staycationers’ opt for no travel insurance

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

82% of Britons holidaying locally this year could end up with massive bills because they have not purchased travel insurance.

Many holidaymakers, holidaying within Britain this year may have thought they have beaten the recession but don’t realize that they still need travel insurance to cover circumstances such as cancellations or lost luggage.

It is believed that many ‘Staycationers’ will not purchase travel insurance as medical expenses will be covered by the NHS, but costs related to travel cancellations in case a family member falls ill.

‘People we spoke to simply didn’t think travel insurance for the UK was important,’ says Simon Purnell, a director at EssentialTravel.co.uk. ‘

Whether you’re jetting across the globe or holidaying in the UK this year, the right insurance is essential.’

‘Luggage can still be lost on a domestic flight and trips may still have to be unexpectedly cancelled, it really doesn’t matter where you are travelling to.’

But holidaymakers shouldn’t worry of the price of insurance adding greatly to the holiday.

Stuart Bensusan, also a director at EssentialTravel.co.uk said: ’60 to 70 per cent of the cost of travel insurance when you are abroad is for medical problems so to insure yourself for travel in the UK is actually very affordable as you won’t need the medical cover.’

Mr Bensusan adds: ‘Cancellation is the second most popular claim on travel insurance after medical fees so it is wise to make sure you have insured yourself for your UK break.

Quotes from the Daily Mail.  For more information on this article visit their website at www.dailymail.co.uk

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British backpackers bailed after fraud accusations

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Two British tourists were arrested earlier this week after accused of lying about robbery in a travel insurance scam have been bailed, legal officers in Rio De Janeiro said last week.

The two 23-year-old British women, Shanti Simone Andrews and Rebecca Claire Turner were freed from a Brazilian jail last week pending a court hearing this Wednesday, the Rio court said in a statement.

They were initially denied bail because of the prosecutions fears they might be a travel risk.

The two, both recent law graduates, were on a nine-month around-the-world holiday, had gone to the place to declare £1200 worth of possessions  had been stolen earlier on a bus trip.

It was discovered by police that some of the items listed as stolen, including a mobile, camera and iPod, were still in their possession.

Police has been suspicious because of the delay in reporting the robbery and the fact that the women’s passports weren’t stolen.  There has also been a rise in the number of cases of fraudulent insurance claims made by tourists.

Fraud carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in Prison in Brazil, but officials believe that there is only a remote possibility that the two would be convicted.

Thanks to the Age.  For more information visit their website.

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Corporate travel to decline by 15%

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Business travel in the US is likely to drop by 15% this year amid declines in demand and revenue, a report from PhoCusWrite has shown.

The report has found what it calls “fundamental shifts that will change the business travel landscape over the next three years.”

“Recessionary trends are driving a steep contraction in business travel in 2009, resulting in a 15% decline in the US corporate travel market to US$85bn,” the company said.

“While corporate travel has historically comprised approximately 40% of the total travel market, this share will decrease as the fall-off in corporate travel demand far outpaces the decline in leisure/unmanaged business travel.”

The share of corporate travel in the US will also drop markedly, from 39% in 2007 to 35% in 2010.

With the current economic situation, companies are tightening their belts on business travel, with many opting to not fly premium class, and to fly economy instead.

“Sharply curtailed corporate travel budgets will mean not only less travel in 2009, but stricter policies and tougher policing when spending does occur.”

But Ms Steinbrink said the recession would drive innovation as corporate and travel management companies (TMCs) improve travel programs.

More spend management, better travel value integration and new technologies “would bolster the bottom line,” she said.

Thanks to abtn.co.uk for the above quotes.  For more information visit their website.

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Aircraft missing in Papua, Indonesia

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

An aircraft with 16 people on board has gone missing and presumed to have crashed over the remote Papua province of Indonesia.

The flight from Jayapura to Oksibil usually takes 50 minutes.  Much of the region is thickly forested and some planes that have crashed there have never been found.

There were three crew and 13 passengers including two babies.  A search and rescue operation has begun but has been hampered by bad weather.

Safety records for Indonesian airlines have been widely criticised.

The aircraft, a twin otter, owned by part-government airline Merpati Nusantara airlines lost contact with air traffic control approximately 40 minutes into the flight.

Two weeks ago, four Indonesian airlines – Garuda, Mandala Airlines, Airfast and Premiair were removed from an EU aviation blacklist which banned all Indonesian registered aircraft from entering its airspace, citing “considerable improvements” needed.

All other Indonesian airlines remain on the list.

Indonesia is highly reliant on air transport to connect the 18,000 islands that make up the archipelago.

Thanks to the Jakarta Post for the above quotes.  For more information visit thejakartapost.com

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Woman dies in canal boat holiday accident

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Mother-of-two, Amanda Chappell, did after falling from a canal boat whilst on holidays with her family.

The woman fell in to the water whilst trying to negotiate a lock on the Oxford Canal, and is believed to have struck her head.

The woman, a teaching assistant from Totnes, Devon, was pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance officers.

The family hired a boat from a firm in Rugby, Warwickshire, and are believed to have been heading towards Stockton, when the accident happened at roughly 5:30pm on Thursday.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious and the canal has been closed while investigations were undertaken.

“The woman was steering the boat while two of the family – the husband and one of the children – were working the lock gates,” said Inspector Helen Robertson.

“For some reason the boat bumped or nudged the side wall or gates of the lock and the lady has lost her balance and fallen into the water.” Inspector Robinson added.

Thanks to the Telegraph for the above quotes.  For more information on this article visit telegraph.co.uk

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Growing competition for China’s car rental market

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Chinese car rental company, eHi Car Rental Co.Ltd has received financial backing from two investors in a bid to increase the car hire market for the country.  The company has already raised funds of about $20 million and is expecting to receive further financial backing in late 2010.

“Car rentals in the US are a sunset business, but in China, it’s a sunrise one. China has the potential to become the world’s biggest car rental market, where the world’s biggest car rental company could be born,” said Ray Zhang, chairman of eHi.

Zhang said that about two thirds of the US population owned cars but in China ownership is much less.  There are approximately 200 million Chinese who hold a drivers license and it is growing by 20% per year.  But with less space in the cities and with China’s effort to reduce carbon emissions, Zhang believes that the car rental will boom in the county.

eHi hopes to raise increase their fleet from 1,000 vehicles to over 10,000 over the next three years, adding further competition to multinational car hire companies such as Hertz and Avis.  Zhang hopes company profits will increase to more than $14 million, compared with $4.3 million last year.

Thanks to www.reuters.com for the above quote, for more details on this story please visit their website.

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Victims of terror abroad to receive compensation

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Tourist tourists who are injured in attacks of terrorism will qualify for payouts of up to £500,000, under plans to be revealed this month.

At the moment, those wounded or killed in attacks overseas are do not receive any compensation.

But foreigners who are injured in attacks like the 7/7 bombings are entitled to compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Moves will change the law will begin this month.

It comes following the fear of further attacks by Basque terrorists in holiday areas across Spain, common with British holidaymakers.

Whitehall sources say the law will not be retrospective, meaning that victims who were injured in prior terrorist attacks such as the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel bombing in Mumbai last year won’t get a penny for their injuries.

The Foreign Office will decide if an incident comes under the Terrorism Act.

The changes to change the legislation has come about following last years Delhi bombings.

Thanks to the Mirror for the quotes.  For more information on this article visit mirror.co.uk

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Washout Summer Brings Last Minute Travel Surge

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Travel companies across Britain are reporting a recent surge in foreign holidays following predictions of more rain.

Britain has already received a fortnight of rain, while the Met office has revised a forecast of wet weather until September, with travel firms inundated with requests for late deals.

Online travel company Expedia said that in the last few days there has been a significant increase in queries for long haul destinations, with Thailand up 165% and Hong Kong up by 122%.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) was reporting that its members were experiencing increases of business of over 40% as many people had put off booking in advance.

Holidaymakers were either planning on staying at home or postponing their holidays until next year, but the bad weather has forced many to reconsider.

Spokesman for the ABTA, Sean Tipton, said “We were expecting a late booking market because of the recession and people worried about their jobs were leaving it as late as possible to make a decision, but the bad weather has created a real surge.

“We sold 45 million holidays last year and were running well down on that. The good news for consumers is that means there are more late deals than usual as tour operators struggle to fill capacity.”

Travel companies say that perceptions of the price of European holidays were usually wrong, with many operators is Greece and Spain forced to drop the prices to fill hotels.

A survey released in July showed that a cup of coffee and a bottle of beer were all cheaper in Spain and France than in the UK.

Britain’s favourite destinations to travel abroad this summer are Turkey, Greece and Spain, and prices to Mexico have slumped following the outbreak of swine flu.

Thanks to the Telegraph for the above quotes.  For more information visit telegraph.co.uk

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Tourism Downunder On Life Support

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Australia is experiencing the worst year for tourism since the 1989 pilots’ strike; with the $90 billion-a-year industry has crashed.

That is the sentiment of almost half of Australia’s tourism leaders according to a survey which reveals their despair amidst the worsening crisis.

Three months ago, according to the Tourism and Transport Forum/Mastercard survey, Australian operators believed that a sustained recovery would occur in the first quarter of 2010.

Latest tourism forecasts now predict inbound visits and domestic tourism will drop by a further 4 percent for 2009 and only 45 percent of tourism operators believe that a recover is at least a year away.

The collapse in business confidence and predictions of a $2 billion-plus drop in tourism spending as prompted calls for a $40 million government bailout.

The results showed the job outlook for staff had stabilised.

Fewer businesses in the latest survey indicated they would cut staff, down from 56 per cent to 32 per cent.

And while almost 60 per cent said they would make job cuts at some point during the economic downturn, the figure was down from 72 per cent in the previous quarter.

However, the survey showed small increases in confidence across domestic, international and total tourism.

Thanks to The Age.  For more information visit theage.com.au

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