Friendship Travel Blog

Annual Tourism Human Resources Conference to return next week

Friendship Travel — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:57:17 +0000

Principle of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies Professor Sir Hilary Beckles is to lead the speakers at the sixth annual Tourism Human Resources Conference next week. The Barbados born speaker will address the conference theme, which has been labelled ‘Enhancing Caribbean Tourism Human Resources’ at the opening ceremony of …

New tourism minister for Grenada

Friendship Travel — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:56:58 +0000

A new Minister of Tourism in Grenada has been introduced by the country’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, ahead of the impending holiday season. Dr George Vincent was sworn in last week, with his official title reading Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture and will be looking to ensure all is in place for Grenada …

Marrakech in top 10 of world tourist destinations

Friendship Travel — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:52:52 +0000

Moroccan city Marrakech has been included in the top 10 of a list to find the best travel spots, compiled by leading travel website TripAdvisor. Voted for by millions of travellers who use the site to post reviews and rate their experiences, Marrakech finished sixth behind the likes of London, Rome and Paris, but beat …

Rise in spending from tourists in Spain

Friendship Travel — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:00:08 +0000

Tourism continues to be a vital cog for the troubled Spanish economy, after it was revealed Spain saw a rise in spending by inbound tourists of 7.4 per cent to €9.01 billion during the first quarter of 2012 compared with the same period last year, according to figures from the Ministry of Industry, Energy and …

Three Algarve beaches make coveted award shortlist

Friendship Travel — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:16:39 +0000

Three Algarve beaches have made the ‘7 Wonders – Beaches of Portugal’ shortlist, in a final selection of 21, it has been revealed. The beaches of Arrifana, Odeceixe and Tavira Island made the cut in a battle to win the coveted title of Portugal’s most spectacular stretch of sand. Voted for through a public vote, …

The Caribbean fares well in Sunday Mirror poll

Friendship Travel — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:14:37 +0000

A poll conducted by the Sunday Mirror has returned some pleasing results for tourism officials in the Caribbean. Readers were asked to vote for one option in various categories, which included their favourite tourist attraction, city break and airline. In the readers’ favourite long haul destination category, the Caribbean came in second behind the USA, …

Pound reaches three and a half year high against euro

Friendship Travel — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:59:45 +0000

British tourists have received a bit of good news ahead of holiday season after it was revealed that leading bureaux de change are selling Euros at a rate of 1.20 to the pound for the first time in three and a half years. It means Britons are getting 10 % more for their money than …

International tourism event underway in Croatia

Friendship Travel — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:23:16 +0000

An international tourism fair is currently taking place in Zagreb, Croatia in an event that marks the beginning of summer. The Crotour, which began yesterday and will run until 12 May, aims at helping tourism organisations from around the world, offering fresh suggestions in purchasing and developing new ideas. Crotour will also showcase a promotion …

Kenya predicted improved tourism income for 2012

Friendship Travel — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:48:32 +0000

An international travel organisation has predicted Kenya is to reap more from its tourism sector in 2012. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the total contribution of travel and tourism to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is predicted to rise by 4.3 percent this year. Recently appointed tourism minister Dan Mwazo …

Greek tourism set for improved figures through 2012

Friendship Travel — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:56:26 +0000

Greek tourism looks set to make a gradual recovery in 2012 according to a leading online travel retailer. A spokesman from Holiday Hypermarket tipped the country’s tourism sector, which is a vital part of the troubled Greek economy, to see moderate growth in 2012, citing lower airfares and attractive rates at island destinations such as …

Greek officials look to tourism for economic benefits

Friendship Travel — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:56:29 +0000

Officials in Greece are looking to tourism in helping their battle against their current financial problems, as the holiday season fast approaches. Stunning scenery and vibrant night are some of the things keeping holiday makers coming back to the country year after year, good news for the 15% of the Greek population that work in …

Egypt predicts rise in visitor numbers

Friendship Travel — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:54:17 +0000

Egypt’s Tourism Minister, Mounir Abel-Nour, has said the outlook is bright for visitor numbers in 2012 and that the country is now recovering from the slump it suffered during the Arab Spring. The minister, who was speaking in Dubai at a conference on the hotel industry, outlined his hopes for attracting no less than 14.5 …