generalnews the travel news that's turning heads Israel puts faith in its Hidden Gems


by Steve Hartridge Israel hopes its Hidden Gems campaign will help build on a record year for tourism in 2010 that saw arrivals soar close to 3.5 million visitors, up from three million just two years ago. UK visitors from January to August for


2010, totalled 118,390, a 5% increase from the same period in 2009. Hidden Gems highlights a range of ‘concept reasons’ to visit, from winter sun to wine and cuisine to Tel Aviv’s 24-hour restaurant and bar scene. Around £600,000 has been earmarked for trade activities in 2011, for a range of initiatives that include co-op partnerships with tour operators, agent training and fam trips, an ‘extranet’ site for operators and agents, dedicated trade publications and a major partnership with Travel Counsellors, said Rafi Shalev, director of the Israel Government Tourist Office. Another £1 million will be set aside for consumer promotion.


“The Hidden Gems campaign invites


travellers to choose from experiences which provoke their senses and expand their horizons,” said Shalev. Israel is also looking to increase air capacity by up to 20 per cent, added Shalev, who admitted the relatively high


BA's Marrakech break


British Airways is to launch a new London Gatwick-Marrakech service this March.


A mix of Boeing 737s and Airbus A319s will operate the thrice-weekly service, which begins on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Fights – on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays – will leave the UK at 13.05 and arrive in Marrakech at 15.35. The return flight will leave Marrakech at 16.20, arriving into Gatwick at 20.55. British Airways last flew to Marrakech


under the GB Airways banner. The route was discontinued following GB’s takeover by easyJet. www.ba.com


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theround-up E Sunvil Holidays' 2011 Cyprus


brochure includes the newly-restored adults- only boutique Library Hotel in the village of Kalavasos. The 19th century property, with just eight rooms and three suites, is sandwiched between the foothills of the Troodos Mountains and the beaches of the south coast. Prices start at £907pp (two sharing) and includes seven nights’ B&B, flights (from Gatwick) and car hire. The lead- in price is £594pp for a seven-night stay at Redfield Cottage in Peyia on a self-catering basis, including return Gatwick/Paphos flights and car hire (four sharing). www.sunvil.co.uk


cost of flights was acting as a deterrent to travel. “The key to increasing competition


on the route is lowering air fares, but to do this we have to generate greater demand for the country.” Airlines flying the UK-Israel route are El Al, British Airways, easyJet and Jet2. New hotels are planned for several


regions, including Tel Aviv, Eilat, the Dead Sea and Galilee areas and the Negev Desert, and a new international airport, being built 15 miles from Eilat, should be open within two years. The government is currently working


Prestige tries a brand new Channel


Prestige Holidays is offering breaks to the Channel Islands of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm for the first time in 2011. The islands feature alongside the Isles of Scilly programme in the new 'Closer to Home' brochure.


Holidays in Guernsey start from £347per person, for a three-night break at the Hotel Fleur du Jardin in April, May and October, including return flights from Southampton on Flybe with island transfers and bed and breakfast accommodation. On Herm, four nights at the White House Hotel is priced from £778per person, including return flights between Southampton and Guernsey and return ferry transfers from


on several tourism projects with Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, claimed minister of tourism, Stas Misezhnikov. “The Holy Land is about a region, not just Israel,” he said.


Israel spent much of 2010 picking up plaudits. Trip Advisor named the country one of the Top 10 culture and sightseeing destinations in the world, National Geographic ranked Tel Aviv as one of the top 10 beach cities, F


orbes


magazine named Tel Aviv one of the world’s top party cities and Lonely Planet placed Tel Aviv as the third best city in the world. www.goisrael.com


E Germany set a new record in 2010,


generating more than 60 million overnight stays from foreign visitors for the first time – the best year on record and around five million more than in 2009.


“Germany is a great place to visit at any time and for many reasons,” said Klaus Lohmann, director UK & Ireland for the German Tourist Office. “This past year has shown that we are competitive on a world stage. Big draws were the Passion Play in Oberammergau, 200 years of Oktoberfest and RUHR.2010 (European Capital of Culture) which saw more than 2500 events and exhibitions taking place.” www.germany-tourism.de


E A new UK-based travel association


has been launched to promote tourism to the Arab world. The Middle East & North Africa Travel Association (MENATA) hopes to perform a similar role to other regional tourism bodies such as PATA, CTO and LATA. The MENATA region covers 18 Arab countries plus Turkey, Cyprus and Iran. The new association brings together high-profile destinations including Dubai, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. www.menata.org


Guernsey to Herm. On Sark four nights at country property Stocks Hotel or La Sablonnerie hotel costs £1,498pp, while a three-night stay on Alderney at the Braye Beach Hotel and Harbour Lights Hotel both start from £348pp. 01425 480600


www.prestigegrouptravel.com E Kuoni’s new dedicated Italy brochure


includes ‘quintessential experiences' such as cookery lessons in Tuscany, driving around the countryside in a Maserati, climbing up Mount Etna, drinking coffee next to Lake Como and an afternoon at the twice-yearly bareback horserace, Palio. Also included is a full-day tour of Rome. 01306 744 173; www.kuoni.co.uk.


06 Spring 2011 • www.shortbreaksholidays.com


BMI/MATT BONNER


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