generalnews the travel news that's turning heads Brits asked to engage with 'real' Poland


By Steve Hartridge The Polish Tourist Organisation is on a mission to change deep-rooted stereotypes about the country and to broaden awareness of its diverse tourism products. A year-long ‘Move Your Imagination’ campaign is designed to trigger UK interest in Poland ahead of football’s European Championship, which Poland will jointly host with Ukraine. The tournament kicks off on June 8 2012. Four Polish cities – Warsaw, Gdansk,


Wroclaw and Poznam – will stage matches in a competition that is expected to attract one million visitors and generate up to £170 million. Also aimed at the French and German markets, the new campaign promotes the idea that a journey to Poland is a personal tale in which every tourist will experience something memorable and come away with positive feelings. Ads, in the national media and on


the London Underground, target 25 to 55-year-olds and feature tourists seeing


theround-up ETravelsphere has launched a


programme of 'Extraordinary Experiences. From the chance to stay at the Ice hotel in Sweden, to an exclusive tour of the Vatican enclave and a visit through the Knesset led by an Israeli Member of Parliament, the tours have been designed to help customers fulfi l a lifetime’s ambition. Packages start from £499pp. www.travelsphere.co.uk.


Polska by a londoner – i found that never- never land is only two hours away after all!


all you want to know at www.poland.travel/culture


EFlybe has reintroduced its Manchester to Derry route after an absence of 13 years.


the sites, engaging in activities and meeting Poles. The campaign focuses on four key themes: city breaks and culture tourism, active and specialised tourism, natural attractions focusing on the country’s birdlife, and the MICE sector. “Many Britons know Poles and, when


asked, would most likely mention words like ‘brave’, ‘creative’, ‘traditional’, ‘open’ and ‘religious’, but few really know anything about Poland. They don’t


Long live the package holiday market


know it is a country that is bursting with life, a country that is original, modern and interesting,” said Elzbieta Wasowicz- Zaborek, the PTO’s deputy president. She added: “By arousing positive


feelings and associations about Poland we want to encourage more interest, change stereotypes, increase expenditure and arrivals and direct more visits.” (See 48 Hours in Warsaw, page 11) www.poland.travel


BA returns to Gatwick


British Airways has rescheduled its fl ights to the popular Spanish city of Malaga to operate out of Gatwick Airport once more, rather than Heathrow. The fl ights have also doubled in frequency, with up to four daily fl ights on selected days and a total of 27 fl ights a week in the summer. Malaga is the gateway to the southern


The package holiday is alive and kicking, according to research from HolidayExtras.com. The company found that 62 per cent of Brits surveyed continue to pledge allegiance to a sun, sea and sand family holiday overseas. Despite the growth of independent


travel and staycations, 45 per cent of families said they will continue to plump for a package, attracted by the


easy and stress-free way to organise a break. A further 17 per cent will stay loyal to package holidays as they fi nd them the cheapest option. HolidayExtras.com's Anthony Clarke Cowell said: "As package prices continue to fall and the British summer looks like being another wash-out, the traditional overseas family break is experiencing a revival." www.HolidayExtras.com


Spanish resorts and the daily fl ights are timed to give customers maximum fl exibility when making their travel plans. As well as its title of golf capital of Spain the region is also renowned for its beaches, luxury resorts, nature reserves and museums. The Malaga fl ights last operated from Gatwick in summer 2009. www.ba.com


The service operates fi ve times a week throughout the summer with fares from £24.99 one-way, including taxes and charges. www.fl ybe.com


E Lufthansa is boosting services from London with the launch of new fl ights from


Gatwick to Frankfurt. The twice-daily service to Frankfurt will start on October 30 2011 to coincide with the start of the winter 2011/12 timetable. Fares will start from £49 one-way. www.lufthansa.com


E The Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome has been named one of eight offi cial palace hotels


in France. The offi cial government designation for fi ve-star properties is said to now be the 'tourism version of the Pulitzer Prize’ and is awarded by a prestigious jury of 10 respected personalities from the worlds of hospitality, architecture and design, literature, fi lm and television, science and business. www.hyatt.com


EKitzbuhel has this summer become


part of the world’s largest electric cycling area with 275 e-bikes to rent and 75 bike stations for recharging. E-bikes enable cyclists of differing abilities to cycle together as the small electric batteries give an extra push every time the cyclist pedals. There are more than 5000km of mountain paths now accessible to e-bikes in the Tirol region of Austria. www.tirol.at


selected shot breaks to Flanders this summer with Great Escapes. Guests booking a two- night stay get the third night comp at hotels in Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and Leuven. Prices start from £105pp, including B&B and return channel crossing with P&O (Dover-Calais). www.greatescapes.co.uk


EFree third nights are available on


04 July/August 2011 • www.shortbreaksholidays.com


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