48 what’s hot in 2015
Poland British Airways will offer a more luxury alternative to easyJet and Ryanair when it starts to fl y direct to Krakow from May 2015. The new fl ights will operate four times a week from Heathrow, with one-way fares from £37pp. British Airways already offers two fl ights a day to the Polish capital, Warsaw, the country’s political and economic hub. However, as the country’s former capital and the resting place of its kings, Krakow has much to recommend it.
Sell what? Krakow’s cultural attractions include the castle and cathedral on Wawel Hill. There are historical tours of the Jewish Quarter taking in The Schindler Factory of Schindler’
s List fame; the architecture and artists of Main
Square; and the famously lively nightlife. Krakow is also the starting out point for excursions to the former Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz and to the salt mine of Wieliczka, famed for its subterranean salt statues.
What’s new? For those who want a truly authentic experience, a new homestay programme, which gives visitors the opportunity to stay and dine with a local family, is being fl agged up by Tourism Malyasia . British Airways will resume direct fl ights between Heathrow and Kuala Lumpur from May 27 2015, operating daily services.
Montenegro Often overshadowed by its neighbour Croatia, Montenegro has nevertheless been pegged by the World Tourism Council as the world’s fastest growing tourism destination as well as a top ten holiday destination by Lonely Planet. Montenegro (meaning ‘Black Mountain), has breathtaking rugged landscape that includes Durmitor National Park and the Tara River Canyon, the deepest gorge in Europe, as well as a location for whitewater rafting and hiking. But its coastline is what is most attracting
growing numbers of European visitors. Venetian fortress city Kotor nestles at the hilt
of a bay which looks like a Norwegian fjord and rivals Dubrovnik for its smooth-stone plazas and medieval alleys.
Sell what? Montenegro’s constitution stipulates ‘sustainable development’, but growth is happening. One & Only’s fi rst European resort will open in Herceg Novi in the next few years; a 100-bungalow villa property by Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts is due to be built on Sveti Marko – an island in Kotor Bay – and Orascom is to develop an eight-hotel complex on the Lustica Peninsula.
Philippines WTM this year saw the Philippines Department of Tourism showcase a smorgasbord of entertainment ranging from traditional drummers to beatboxers, to launch its Visit the Philippines campaign for 2015 and the country’s year-long calendar of events which the Visit campaign is based around. The department aims to attract 10 million visitors in 2015, helped by events ranging from annual cultural festivals to the MTV Music Evolution series, the fi rst of which will be based in Manila next May and will be the biggest ever hip hop concert in the region. Another focus for next year is the youth market, with the Philippines DOT signing a year-long partnership with STA Travel to boost the 19-35 year sector.
Tourism talk: “Visit the Philippines 2015 consists of traditional festivities, commercial events, rural activities and special tourism projects. We’re also hoping to draw attention to lesser-known destinations, like Camiguin, with its seven volcanoes and hot springs and Siargao – our surfi ng capital.” Domingo Ramon Enerio III, COO, Tourism Promotions Board
Tobago Virgin Atlantic is to resume fl ights to Tobago from Gatwick in 2015, with weekly departures between March and October and twice-weekly service between October and March. The fl ight will operate as an extra stop on the Saint Lucia route. British Airways has also announced that it will add an additional fl ight to Tobago from the spring. The sister island of Trinidad reports a fi ve per cent increase in international visitor numbers this year, crediting the successful implementation of its awareness campaign ‘Live the Culture Tobago Style.’
Tourism talk: “In Tobago you can stay in a luxury villa with butler service as well as learn to bake bread in a dirt oven. The island has the oldest protected rainforest in the western hemisphere, making it a haven for eco-tourists. It is a melting pot culture where heritage is celebrated. We have an exciting calendar of international sporting events, including the British Airways Tobago Football Legends Challenge, which kicks off in June and will see 64 of the best Premier League past players lock horns.” Tracey Davidson Celestine, Secretary, Tourism & Transportation, Tobago House of Assembly
Previous page: A colourful fruit seller in Cartagena, Colombia. This page, clockwise from top: a quayside on Kotor Bay Montenegro; kids enjoy one of the Philippines’ many, vibrant festivals; enjoying Tobago’s eco-friendly interior
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