Tourism Review On-line Magazine – VI/2009

Dear readers

Hurray! The summer is coming. This is the perfect time to think about your next holiday destination. Let us inspire you! For example, beautiful, European-like Québec with its fabulous landscape, thrilling history as well as intriguing modern attractions awaits you. Read more in the Destination part. Perhaps you and your family are fans of theme parks so get updated on the latest trends in the industry and see where the parks are heading in the Active supplement.

If you had enough of everything and seek some time on your own or only with your friends, read the Professional part this time focusing on women- and men-only holidays and services. You think this field has no future? You better read on. The trends of the spa & wellness industry are the topic of the Spa part. Get the latest numbers and find out what the customers want. First of all, however, take your Dickens or Hemingway and set out for a literary journey around the world. Literary tourism is in and is here. Go for the Heritage supplement.

Milada Sovadinova
Editor

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Russian Travel Market to Decline By 40 Per Cent

Russian travel trade is hit by the recession. Head of Intourist travel agency however notices the positive side of the economic problems – survival of the fittest.

The president of the oldest and largest Russian travel agency Intourist (1929) Alexandr Arutyunov forecasts that the drop of Russian travel market will make approximately 40 per cent this year. At the same time he sees the positive side of the drop in the possibility of recovery of the sector. Despite several popular surveys stating the opposite, Arutyunov also admitted that traveling (especially vacations at sea side resorts) was the first thing that Russians gave up in the crisis.

Read the whole story here:  www.tourism-review.com

Useful Tips For Cruising Beginners

As there are still many people totally new to cruising, this article should give a broad overview on what to take care of when going on a cruise for the first time.

Deciding for a cruise vacation

When deciding to go on a cruise vacation a world of options lies before you. There are many different cruise lines operating many different ships each under different concepts on different itineraries. So first you should try to find out which cruise line or which particular ship/itinerary fits your interests. Lots of information is available from travel agencies as well as from websites like CruiseMates or CruiseReviews. CruiseMates offers a range of staff-written cruise reviews whereas CruiseReviews provides personal experiences from other cruisers. Another source of information might be Cruise Critic.

When you finally decide on an itinerary and/or cruise ship you should try to get the best price. A high possibility to get a cheap price is to be a bit time flexible when deciding on a possible time frame for your journey. Prices will also vary depending on the cabin type you choose. You can then either book a cruise online or visit a travel agent to get some more information and have the booking done for you.

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BULGARIAN CONSTRUCTION CHAMBER SEEKS TO STIMULATE RURAL TOURISM

The Chamber of Construction in Bulgaria (CCB) has said it planned to invest in projects in “beautiful and less known places around the country” and build them up to their former beauty and prominence.

Check the whole story on www.tourism-review.com

Air Travel: More Accidents & Fewer Fatalities

Air accidents are now more common but fatality levels have dropped. Flights have become more survivable when in trouble. Fatality down by 56% a year ago.

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Boosting Responsible Tourism – Belize In The Focus

Belize committed to a f$13.5 million dollar plan to promote and develop responsible tourism in the country.

Central America’s tourist fame is wide spread. Thousands of tourists, most of which come here from the U.S., visit the pristine beaches, admire the preserved marine life, and yearn to discover the heritage of ancient civilizations that are long gone. One of the smaller countries which constantly strive to improve its tourist appeal is Belize.This charming country which borders with Mexico and Guatemala depends on tourism to a considerable extend and thus it is crucial to further develop its potential. Recently, local government has officially introduced a $13.5 million four-year plan for sustainable tourism development. While improving the infrastructure and building a tourist-friendly setting within the tourist hubs is essential, protecting the environment remains the major objective. Being responsible and nature friendly is the credo.The new initiative outlines projects that focus on the long-term preservation of Belize’s natural resources. As cruise ships are often entering Belizean coastal line, the initiatives plan to bring the tourists on the shore. Pedestrian links are to be built, enabling the visitors to reach downtown areas in no time. Wider sidewalks, a more efficient lighting structure as well as overall improvement of the ‘image’ of the area will strengthen the tourist potential of Belize.This amazing country has a lot to offer already. It is near San Ignacio, one of the major tourist centres, where the ancient Maya ruins of Caracol, Cahal Pech and Cave Actun Tunichil Muknal were discovered. Placencia Peninsula bewitches all with pristine white beaches.Belize embodies the ideal combination of leisure potential one can imagine – scuba diving on one of the best preserved barrier reefs,  great fishing, wild river rafting and kayaking, hiking, bird watching – the possibilities are endless. How to fully turn its riches into tourist magnets is what Belize focuses on right now. And hopefully, the world will get to see it soon.

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10 Places to See Before They Disappear

The environmentalists have been warning us for years. Only recently though people started to listen carefully. Several natural as well as cultural and architectonic treasures might disappear unless we start taking proper care of the environs that surround us. Now Frommers, a professional travel portal, made a collection of destinations you should see rather quickly before they vanish. These ten sites, presented to you by Tourism-review.com, make up a carefully chosen list of destinations for eco-conscious travelers to enjoy. That verb “enjoy” is crucial for in the process of cherishing these natural and cultural wonders we renew our commitment to preserving them.

Check 10 Places to See Before They Disappear on www.tourism-review.com

Seven Wonders of the Czech Republic

Besides the original 7 Wonders of the world or even the New 7 Wonders of the world, almost every country wants to have its own Seven Wonders. In the Czech Republic there is no such list however, at least not an official one. Few years ago a local newspaper MfDNES organized an opinion poll. Over 1,2 million readers voted for the top seven architectural marvels in the country. Tourism-Review.com presents the results.

The Charles Bridge was an expected winner with 106,601 votes yet the silver medal holder was a surprise for the newspaper as well as renowned architects. The Dlouhe Strane power plant received 105,603 votes which was very close to the gold medal. The bronze goes to another famous site, the Prague Castle with 99,509 votes. Below the winners’ podium, the order is as follows: the Karlstejn castle (98 065 votes), Jested tower (85 764), Hluboka nad Vltavou chateau (81 444) and the historical city centre of Cesky Krumlov (80 796 votes).

“The final selection could more or less be foreseen. I am very pleased about the ranking of the Jested tower. It suggests that people took the modern architecture into account too,” said Zdenek Lukes, a Czech expert in history of architecture.

“The respondents favored the famous tourist attractions, although these bear no extraordinary architectonic quality,” commented one of the best-know Czech architects David Vavra. “I myself would definitely not include the Hluboka nad Vltavou chateau. The Santini’s church of St. John of Nepomuk on Green Hill on the other hand should in my opinion have had made it to the top five.”

The second place was the biggest surprise of the whole poll. The Dlouhe Strane power plant does not belong to generally known and admired works of architecture. The construction belongs without a doubt to the most interesting enterprises of modern technical architecture in the Czech Republic but on the other hand also to the most controversial ones. “There were protests against the project before and during the construction, yet people got to like it,” said Lukes and David Vavra added: “The construction is very questionable. It gets me a bit excited…in a decadent way. It’s kind of brutal. It somehow presents disrespect for nature.”

Check all 7 wonders of the Czech Republic on www.tourism-review.com

UKRAINE INTRODUCES EURO 2012 TOURISM PROGRAMS

Ukrainian state tourism committee is developing special tourism programs for the UEFA EURO 2012 according to the head of the department, Anatoly Pakhlya. He specified that 60 new tourists routes in 6 cities (4 of them will host the football matches) are already finished. These new routes include sites of national, cultural and natural heritage. The officials also plan to recommence a train service connecting Lviv and Krakow and possibly to simplify the border control for the visiting football fans.

Ukraine wants to attract as many football fans as possible. The goal is to persuade the visitors to stay 9-10 days in the same city and watch all the matches of their favorite teams. This strategy was successfully implemented during the last EURO in Austria and Switzerland as well as in 2006 in Germany. The reason why the Ukrainian government struggles so hard to make the fans stay is quite understandable – the estimated amount spent by tourists could make €500-600 a day! However, if the fans simply come for the match and then leave the city they would spend only around €100 a day. The extra money is quite important for the country currently experiencing serious economic problems.It is still doubtful that Ukrainian government will be able to achieve all its plans. The main profit should be from tourism. However the amount of money designated by the government for the development of tourism in Ukraine is in 2009 reduced 10 times! The tourism department plans to compensate for the lack of money in the budgets for 2010-2011. Who can guarantee though that in two years the financial situation in Ukraine will be better?

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SPACE TRAVEL TO TAKE A REST IN 2009

It may not be the average person’s idea of a typical holiday, yet space travel certainly has a tendency to grab headlines. It is possible to label it the most expensive brand of tourism anywhere. It attracts attention for two reasons, firstly the fact that the world’s financial elite enjoys space travel and, secondly, it is so original. However, now it seems the space voyages will have to stop for a while.

Since 2001, Russia has been responsible for 6 private flights into the cosmos, with the lucky customers paying an average of $20 million for the privilege. Indeed, most of the people involved in the trips had their fingers in private companies, which helped the Russians make the most of this industry. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, funds were notably lacking in this area, so private entrepreneurs were invited gleefully to make their own contributions towards the industry. However, March this year will see the final space voyage for a while, as the industry in Russia is due for a break. The reason for this break is that Russia plans to double the size of its crew, which will take some time. The eagerness to invest in the area is hardly surprising considering the amount of money that is involved. Charles Simonyi, a US software designer and the next space tourist, shall be making the voyage in March, a snip at $35 million. This will actually be his second trip. The break has been viewed as a lull before a storm as Virgin Galactic will begin commercial flights around 2011. Apparently, around 300 passengers have already booked their flights, for what could be described as the trend of the future.

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