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ANALYSIS Hotspots for 2015
Abu Dhabi: With national carrier Etihad beginning direct flights between Edinburgh and Abu Dhabi in June, Scottish travellers will be given greater opportunity to explore the capital of the UAE — as well as using it as a hub for flying on elsewhere (Etihad is also due to launch a direct Abu Dhabi-Brisbane route in the middle of this year). The emirate’s 156 hotels recently reported the January-September 2014 period as their most successful to date, with guest arrivals up 26% year on year. New events for Abu Dhabi in 2015 include a 16-day food festival this month and an ITU World Triathlon in March.
visitabudhabi.ae/en
Colombia: In the summer of 2014, South American carrier Avianca Airlines introduced the first direct flights between Colombia and the UK for nine years. At the same time, TAP Portugal began flying to the destination via Lisbon. Travel options for UK visitors will further increase in late March, when KLM starts a sched- uled service from Amsterdam to the Colombian capital Bogota, as well as the western city of Cali. A raft of new hotels will also add to the destina- tion’s appeal — among them is the W Bogota, which opened in December 2014.
colombia.travel/en
Netherlands: Three new direct air routes between the UK and the Neth- erlands were inaugurated in 2014, link- ing Cambridge with Amsterdam and London Southend with Groningen and Maastricht. On the ground, 2015 marks the 125th anniversary of Vincent van Gogh’s death and will see related activities at various towns across the country, while cycling fans can head to Utrecht in July to witness the start of the Tour de France. In other news, NBTC Holland announced in Decem- ber that it was becoming the first national tourist organisation to run a collaborative campaign with Airbnb.
holland.com
mark the year as a special one: the Battle of Waterloo took place here in 1815, and the bicentenary of the conflict in June will see a large-scale re-enactment involving thousands of costumed par- ticipants.
wallonia.be
Lyon & Marseille: As two of France’s largest and most absorbing cities, Lyon and Marseille need little introduction. They are both due to figure more prominently in British travel plans, however, thanks to a year-round train being introduced by Eurostar in May 2015. The service will operate direct from London St Pancras to gastronomic hotspot Lyon in 4h 41min, before stopping at pretty Avignon and arriving at the thrusting port city of Marseille just 6h 27min after setting off. The cutting-edge Musee des Conflu- ences, a science centre and anthro- pology museum, opened in Lyon in December 2014.
en.lyon-france.com marseille-tourisme.com
Milan: Following on from Expo 2010 in Shanghai five years ago — an event that reportedly drew more than 70 million visitors — the Italian city of Milan steps forward in 2015, hosting its own universal exposition between 1 May and 31 October. More than 140 countries are due to play a part in the event, which will focus largely on food. The city itself is well established as a tourist destination, famed for everything from fashion to football, and its hotel stock has just been bol- stered by the December 2014 reopen- ing of the 80-year-old Excelsior Hotel Gallia.
tourism.milan.it
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi
Costa Rica: When Thomson Airways begins flying direct to Costa Rica in November 2015, fresh attention will fall on one of Cen- tral America’s most spectacular destinations. The 11.5-hour flight, departing from Gatwick, will shorten a journey that has tradition- ally had to be taken via Miami or other US hubs. On arrival, holi- daymakers can expect the full tropical experience — Costa Rica’s landscapes are famously colourful, incorporating everything from volcanoes and dense green jungle to wildlife-filled cloud forest, plus there are excellent beach resorts, particularly along the Pacific coast.
visitcostarica.com
Belgium: The Belgian city of Mons is spending 2015 as European Capital of Culture — an accolade being shared with Pilsen in the Czech Republic — and it has announced an inviting looking pro- gramme of exhibitions, festivals and other events. Less than 30 miles away, meanwhile, another part of Wallonia has reason to
28 ABTA Magazine February 2015
Tobago: Virgin is restarting its service to Tobago (via St Lucia) in early spring, with flights from Gatwick operating weekly between March and October and twice-weekly from October to March. The Caribbean island, which is also served by British Airways (via Antigua), has a number of develop- ments to report, including various new
and refurbished luxury accommodation units and a 5,000-capac- ity cultural centre being unveiled in March. For a week in June, the British Airways Tobago Football Legends Challenge will welcome 64 former pros from clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal to the Caribbean island.
visittobago.gov.tt
Krakow: It will become easier to visit Poland’s second city from May, when British Airways launches a four times weekly direct ser- vice from Heathrow. November 2014 also saw the inauguration of a new EasyJet route to the city from Hamburg. Looking further ahead, it’s been announced that Krakow will host World Youth Day in July 2016 — a week’s worth of events open to all. The city, renowned for its magnificent historic centre with Europe’s larg- est market square and numerous historical houses, palaces and churches, was one of the first on the planet to be World Heritage- listed by UNESCO.
poland.travel/en
countrybycountry.com
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