DESTINATIONSJanuary 26, 2015
• Holiday World Show Dublin 2015 “Spain will lead the way in 2015”
• IrelandWays.com launched at Holiday World
• Washington DC’s Cherry Blossom Festival
• Travel Health Tips and Checks
• Armchair Travel: Great British Railway Journeys
• Armchair Travel: Getaways, Krakow and Northern Ireland
• Auschwitz: 70th anniversary of the liberation
• Stena Line’s Biggest Ever Hotel Breaks Sale
Holiday World Show Dublin 2015 “Spain will lead the way in 2015”
At the Holiday World Show Dublin at the RDS Simmonscourt last week, no less than fourteen Spanish regions were represented. Every year that number grows in response to a seemingly insatiable Irish appetite for holidays “en España”. Two new Spanish regions were Valencia and Costa Calida.
The Irish Travel Agents Association members survey showed the overwhelming popularity of Spain in 2014, but also suggest no end to the love affair between Irish consumers and the many Spanish regions in 2015. In 2014 the Spanish Tourist Board announced that Spain welcomed almost 1.3 million visitors from Ireland.
ITAA Survey showed
• 66% of Irish travel agents reported that Spain was their most popular travel destination in 2014.
• Spain was also voted the ‘best value’ destination of 2014, receiving 41% of votes, followed by Portugal and Turkey, each receiving 18% of the votes.
• Looking to 2015, 55% of ITAA members expect Spain to be their most popular destination of the year, agents also anticipate that Portugal will remain popular.
• 2015 looks to be a good year for travel agents with none expecting their annual turnover to decrease, 35% are expecting turnover to remain the same and the remaining 65% expect an increase.
• The average anticipated increase in turnover is 8%.
IrelandWays.com launched at Holiday World
CaminoWays.com, the Camino de Santiago tour specialists, launched their new website, IrelandWays.com, at the Holiday World Show offering a selection of cycling and walking holidays in Ireland including walks on the Wild Atlantic Way and beautiful Wicklow Way.
For more about CaminoWays.com holidays visit www.caminoways.com, www.francigenaways.com and www.irelandways.com
You can download their special 2 for 1 voucher - get your tickets for only €7 for 2 people.
Washington DC’s Cherry Blossom Festival
Washington DC., USA comes into full bloom this spring with the 103rd National Cherry Blossom Festival, they call it the ‘USA’s Greatest Springtime Celebration’. The festival, held from March 20 - April 12, 2015, will welcome more than one million visitors from around the world to witness the beautiful blossoming of the cherry blossom trees that surround the Tidal Basin. The cherry blossom tree is a symbol of the enduring friendship between the citizens of the United States and Japan, who presented the trees to the USA in 1912.
Aside from enjoying DC and taking in the breathtaking views of the Tidal Basin, highlights of the flowering festival include spectacular opening and closing ceremonies, a lavish parade (which has been a long standing Washington, DC tradition for many years), extravagant fireworks displays, free exercise classes held in front of the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorials, and the Blossom Kite Festival.
From Ireland:
www.clickandgo.com/destinations/city-breaks/washington
www.americanholidays.com/holidays-to-united-states-of-america/washington-dc/washington-dc
www.ebookers.ie/travel-guide/United_States--DC/Washington_DC.tg5091/
From Britain:
Virgin Holidays is offering a three night break to Washington, DC to experience the Cherry Blossom Festival from £899 per person. Price includes return flights from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles International Airport and three nights at the modern Renaissance Dupoint Circle hotel in a standard room. Price based on two people sharing a standard room and departing 9 April 2015.
Visit: www.virginholidays.co.uk/
More Information
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The National Cherry Blossom Festival: www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org
Washington DC and the Capital Region USA: www.CapitalRegionUSA.co.uk
Travel Health Tips and Checks
Whether traveling for fun, culture, adventure, to study or to help those in need, there are certain health issues to be aware of before you set off on your adventure! The Tropical Medical Bureau have given us some of their top travel health tips and checks to help make your 2015 travels trouble free.
Backpacking
As backpackers tend to travel to multiple destinations, they generally require a more extensive vaccine programme. If you are backpacking you need to make sure you leave enough time prior to your departure to complete these vaccinations courses.
Older Travellers
With the right precautions, older people can still fulfill those travel resolutions! Determine your level of health and prepare for what issues may affect you on your trip.
Visit a Tropical Medical Bureau clinic or your local GP before you leave. You should also find out if your insurance policy will cover local medical care and take the time to properly label any medication you may need.
Volunteering
Helping those in need is an amazing way to spend 2015 but make sure you're prepared for the health risks that you may face. Confirm you are in good health and make sure all of your vaccines are up-to-date. Should you fall ill while volunteering, Tropical Medical Bureau have a 24/7 emergency phone line as well as an international network of clinics.
Studying abroad
Research the country you are visiting and make sure you have all recommended vaccinations. Although many students are on a budget, it's crucial to spend money on decent insect repellent and sun cream as insect bites and sunburn have the potential to ruin the experience.
Siobhan Grehan, Director of Nursing at Tropical Medical Bureau said, "Being correctly vaccinated and more aware of the main health risk factors at your destination can go a long way towards helping you stay healthy and well on your travels." She continued, "Having the back-up of a 24/7 urgent medical support service can also be life saving or at least lessen some of the more common causes of anxiety associated with illness overseas."
Tropical Medical Bureau have 20 clinics in Ireland.
Further information
for vaccinations or to book an appointment: Phone 1850 487674
or visit www.tmb.ie.
Armchair Travel: Great British Railway Journeys
Great British Railway Journeys BBC2 N Ireland 6.30pm Monday January 26
Following his Bradshaw's handbook Michael Portillo travels from south-west Wales to Cambridge, beginning at Pembroke Dock, where Queen Victoria's royal yachts were built. In the small market town of Naberth he investigates why rebels dressed as women. He over-nights where Horatio Nelson once met Emma Hamilton at an inn in Carmarthen. The following day, he's on the Gwili Heritage line and in Swansea he learns he poses for a Victorian style photograph.
 |
| Tuesday January 27, Touched by Auschwitz at 9.00, BBC2 N Ireland: 'Wall of Death': outside block 11, Photo: BBC/LR History TV Ltd/Martin Patmore |
• IrelandWays.com launched at Holiday World
• Washington DC’s Cherry Blossom Festival
• Travel Health Tips and Checks
• Armchair Travel: Great British Railway Journeys
• Armchair Travel: Getaways, Krakow and Northern Ireland
• Auschwitz: 70th anniversary of the liberation
• Stena Line’s Biggest Ever Hotel Breaks Sale
Holiday World Show Dublin 2015 “Spain will lead the way in 2015”
At the Holiday World Show Dublin at the RDS Simmonscourt last week, no less than fourteen Spanish regions were represented. Every year that number grows in response to a seemingly insatiable Irish appetite for holidays “en España”. Two new Spanish regions were Valencia and Costa Calida.
The Irish Travel Agents Association members survey showed the overwhelming popularity of Spain in 2014, but also suggest no end to the love affair between Irish consumers and the many Spanish regions in 2015. In 2014 the Spanish Tourist Board announced that Spain welcomed almost 1.3 million visitors from Ireland.
ITAA Survey showed
• 66% of Irish travel agents reported that Spain was their most popular travel destination in 2014.
• Spain was also voted the ‘best value’ destination of 2014, receiving 41% of votes, followed by Portugal and Turkey, each receiving 18% of the votes.
• Looking to 2015, 55% of ITAA members expect Spain to be their most popular destination of the year, agents also anticipate that Portugal will remain popular.
• 2015 looks to be a good year for travel agents with none expecting their annual turnover to decrease, 35% are expecting turnover to remain the same and the remaining 65% expect an increase.
 |
| Roland Monsegu, CaminoWays.com, with Anu from Santiago Turismo at Holiday World Show 2014 |
IrelandWays.com launched at Holiday World
CaminoWays.com, the Camino de Santiago tour specialists, launched their new website, IrelandWays.com, at the Holiday World Show offering a selection of cycling and walking holidays in Ireland including walks on the Wild Atlantic Way and beautiful Wicklow Way.
For more about CaminoWays.com holidays visit www.caminoways.com, www.francigenaways.com and www.irelandways.com
You can download their special 2 for 1 voucher - get your tickets for only €7 for 2 people.
Washington DC’s Cherry Blossom Festival
Washington DC., USA comes into full bloom this spring with the 103rd National Cherry Blossom Festival, they call it the ‘USA’s Greatest Springtime Celebration’. The festival, held from March 20 - April 12, 2015, will welcome more than one million visitors from around the world to witness the beautiful blossoming of the cherry blossom trees that surround the Tidal Basin. The cherry blossom tree is a symbol of the enduring friendship between the citizens of the United States and Japan, who presented the trees to the USA in 1912.
Aside from enjoying DC and taking in the breathtaking views of the Tidal Basin, highlights of the flowering festival include spectacular opening and closing ceremonies, a lavish parade (which has been a long standing Washington, DC tradition for many years), extravagant fireworks displays, free exercise classes held in front of the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorials, and the Blossom Kite Festival.
From Ireland:
www.clickandgo.com/destinations/city-breaks/washington
www.americanholidays.com/holidays-to-united-states-of-america/washington-dc/washington-dc
www.ebookers.ie/travel-guide/United_States--DC/Washington_DC.tg5091/
From Britain:
Virgin Holidays is offering a three night break to Washington, DC to experience the Cherry Blossom Festival from £899 per person. Price includes return flights from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles International Airport and three nights at the modern Renaissance Dupoint Circle hotel in a standard room. Price based on two people sharing a standard room and departing 9 April 2015.
Visit: www.virginholidays.co.uk/
More Information
The National Cherry Blossom Festival: www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org
Washington DC and the Capital Region USA: www.CapitalRegionUSA.co.uk
Travel Health Tips and Checks
Whether traveling for fun, culture, adventure, to study or to help those in need, there are certain health issues to be aware of before you set off on your adventure! The Tropical Medical Bureau have given us some of their top travel health tips and checks to help make your 2015 travels trouble free.
Backpacking
As backpackers tend to travel to multiple destinations, they generally require a more extensive vaccine programme. If you are backpacking you need to make sure you leave enough time prior to your departure to complete these vaccinations courses.
Older Travellers
With the right precautions, older people can still fulfill those travel resolutions! Determine your level of health and prepare for what issues may affect you on your trip.
Visit a Tropical Medical Bureau clinic or your local GP before you leave. You should also find out if your insurance policy will cover local medical care and take the time to properly label any medication you may need.
Volunteering
Helping those in need is an amazing way to spend 2015 but make sure you're prepared for the health risks that you may face. Confirm you are in good health and make sure all of your vaccines are up-to-date. Should you fall ill while volunteering, Tropical Medical Bureau have a 24/7 emergency phone line as well as an international network of clinics.
Studying abroad
Research the country you are visiting and make sure you have all recommended vaccinations. Although many students are on a budget, it's crucial to spend money on decent insect repellent and sun cream as insect bites and sunburn have the potential to ruin the experience.
Siobhan Grehan, Director of Nursing at Tropical Medical Bureau said, "Being correctly vaccinated and more aware of the main health risk factors at your destination can go a long way towards helping you stay healthy and well on your travels." She continued, "Having the back-up of a 24/7 urgent medical support service can also be life saving or at least lessen some of the more common causes of anxiety associated with illness overseas."
Tropical Medical Bureau have 20 clinics in Ireland.
Further information
for vaccinations or to book an appointment: Phone 1850 487674
or visit www.tmb.ie.
Armchair Travel: Great British Railway Journeys
Great British Railway Journeys BBC2 N Ireland 6.30pm Monday January 26
Following his Bradshaw's handbook Michael Portillo travels from south-west Wales to Cambridge, beginning at Pembroke Dock, where Queen Victoria's royal yachts were built. In the small market town of Naberth he investigates why rebels dressed as women. He over-nights where Horatio Nelson once met Emma Hamilton at an inn in Carmarthen. The following day, he's on the Gwili Heritage line and in Swansea he learns he poses for a Victorian style photograph.
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| Michael Portillo, Tony Richards taking Victorian photo Photo:BBC/Boundless/Jon Hall |
Great British Railway Journeys, BBC2 N Ireland, 6.30pm Tuesday January 27, 2015: Michael begins in the a unique garden created within the ruinous central rooms and courtyard of Aberglasney House near Llandeilo. then travels in the the driver's cab on one of the most scenic routes in Great Britain. In Leominster, Herefordshire, we see him on the dance floor at the Lion Hotel Ballroom, where a grand ball was held to celebrate the opening of the Ludlow to Hereford railway. He ends this journey with some traditional cider in Hereford.
Great British Railway Journeys, Wednesday January 28 BBC2 N Ireland 6.30pm
Michael Portillo starts at Big Pit coal mine in Blaenavon. On the River Usk, he finds out about 19th-century angling before travelling on to Ascott-under-Wychwood in Oxfordshire, where in the past a farm labourers' dispute ended with a riot. Michael ends this leg of his trip at Blenheim Palace.
Great British Railway Journeys, BBC2 N Ireland 6.30pm., Thursday January 29. Beginning in Oxford, Michael Portillo visits the Bodleian library where he gets to see Mary Shelley's Frankenstein manuscript and Bradshaw's Companion -a pocket-sized edition of his favorite travel book. Visits two new rail projects at Bicester and in Bedford he tells us about Victorian philanthropy and ends this leg in Luton, where he discovers the dark arts of the hat-maker
Great British Railway Journeys, Friday January 30 BBC2 N Ireland 6.30pm
In the last of this series Michael Portillo starts from Oakham and arrives in Rutland, where he takes part in a noble tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. Then goes east to Stamford, Lincolnshire, - a town often used as a location for period dramas. In Peterborough when he visits a Victorian operating theatre for railwaymen. Michael ends his journey at Christ's College at Cambridge University, where Charles Darwin spent his student days.
Armchair Travel: Getaways, Krakow, Antrim Coast, Majorca, Athlone.
Great British Railway Journeys, Wednesday January 28 BBC2 N Ireland 6.30pm
Michael Portillo starts at Big Pit coal mine in Blaenavon. On the River Usk, he finds out about 19th-century angling before travelling on to Ascott-under-Wychwood in Oxfordshire, where in the past a farm labourers' dispute ended with a riot. Michael ends this leg of his trip at Blenheim Palace.
Great British Railway Journeys, BBC2 N Ireland 6.30pm., Thursday January 29. Beginning in Oxford, Michael Portillo visits the Bodleian library where he gets to see Mary Shelley's Frankenstein manuscript and Bradshaw's Companion -a pocket-sized edition of his favorite travel book. Visits two new rail projects at Bicester and in Bedford he tells us about Victorian philanthropy and ends this leg in Luton, where he discovers the dark arts of the hat-maker
Great British Railway Journeys, Friday January 30 BBC2 N Ireland 6.30pm
In the last of this series Michael Portillo starts from Oakham and arrives in Rutland, where he takes part in a noble tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. Then goes east to Stamford, Lincolnshire, - a town often used as a location for period dramas. In Peterborough when he visits a Victorian operating theatre for railwaymen. Michael ends his journey at Christ's College at Cambridge University, where Charles Darwin spent his student days.
Armchair Travel: Getaways, Krakow, Antrim Coast, Majorca, Athlone.
In Getaways, (BBC1 N Ireland 7.30pm Monday January 26) Joe Lindsay and Angela Scanlon are in Krakow, Poland, visiting the markets and churches of the old town, meet up with a fire-breathing dragon and get a taste of the salt mines. They visit Auschwitz and the Schindler factory - always a moving and tragic experience. Back in Ireland, Angela behind the wheel of a hired VW campervan to visit Portstewart Strand, the famous Dark Hedges road and Dunluce Castle.
Getaways, RTÉ One, 7.00pm., Thursday January 29 Angela and Joe are visiting Spain's Balaeric island of Majorca. They start at the beach in Santa Ponsa, take a helicopter ride over the coast, a train trip to Soller. They visit an orange grove, and the cathedral in the capital, Palma. Joe reports on a short getaway to Athlone and the new sculpture park at Lough Boora Parklands and goes sailing on Lough Ree.
Auschwitz: 70th anniversary of the liberation
On Tuesday January 27, Touched by Auschwitz, 9.00, BBC2 N Ireland, marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp near Krakow in Poland by Russian Army troops. In this a feature-length documentary, Laurence Rees travels to Jerusalem, Chicago, London, Bavaria, Krakow and Tel Aviv to talk to six survivors, their friends and families, about the difficulties and triumphs they have surmounted since the end of the Second World War. There is Tadeusz, who became a doctor and who then had to endure yet more persecution by the communists in Poland, and Hermann, who went on to become a successful antiques dealer in Bavaria, Germany, but still suffers has nightmares.
Stena Line’s Biggest Ever Hotel Breaks Sale
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EUROPE’S tallest man sailed into Ireland for the launch of Stena Line’s January sale, which runs from now until January 28 for travel until June 15, offering a choice of cut-price deals with savings of up to 40% when you buy your ferry and hotel together, with a choice of more than 2,500 hotels across Britain.
So to give the company’s sale some ‘stand up’, appeal, Stena enlisted the help of Neil Fingleton from Newcastle, Co Durham in England who is seven foot seven and three-quarter inches tall.
For a €50 deposit you can secure a get-away at the time you want to go. Prices start from €119 per person sharing for a two night hotel break including return ferry travel by car and you can choose from some of Britain’s most popular hotels including Travelodge, Hilton, Radisson Blu and Park Inn.
For more details visit www.stenaline.ie
Getaways, RTÉ One, 7.00pm., Thursday January 29 Angela and Joe are visiting Spain's Balaeric island of Majorca. They start at the beach in Santa Ponsa, take a helicopter ride over the coast, a train trip to Soller. They visit an orange grove, and the cathedral in the capital, Palma. Joe reports on a short getaway to Athlone and the new sculpture park at Lough Boora Parklands and goes sailing on Lough Ree.
Auschwitz: 70th anniversary of the liberation
 |
| Dr Tadeusz Smreczynski: sent to Auschwitz in 1944. Photo: BBC/LR History TV Ltd/Martin Patmore |
On Tuesday January 27, Touched by Auschwitz, 9.00, BBC2 N Ireland, marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp near Krakow in Poland by Russian Army troops. In this a feature-length documentary, Laurence Rees travels to Jerusalem, Chicago, London, Bavaria, Krakow and Tel Aviv to talk to six survivors, their friends and families, about the difficulties and triumphs they have surmounted since the end of the Second World War. There is Tadeusz, who became a doctor and who then had to endure yet more persecution by the communists in Poland, and Hermann, who went on to become a successful antiques dealer in Bavaria, Germany, but still suffers has nightmares.
Stena Line’s Biggest Ever Hotel Breaks Sale
EUROPE’S tallest man sailed into Ireland for the launch of Stena Line’s January sale, which runs from now until January 28 for travel until June 15, offering a choice of cut-price deals with savings of up to 40% when you buy your ferry and hotel together, with a choice of more than 2,500 hotels across Britain.
So to give the company’s sale some ‘stand up’, appeal, Stena enlisted the help of Neil Fingleton from Newcastle, Co Durham in England who is seven foot seven and three-quarter inches tall.
For a €50 deposit you can secure a get-away at the time you want to go. Prices start from €119 per person sharing for a two night hotel break including return ferry travel by car and you can choose from some of Britain’s most popular hotels including Travelodge, Hilton, Radisson Blu and Park Inn.
For more details visit www.stenaline.ie