Holiday & Travel

Costa has returned to service in Asia with Costa Serena. Following two May departures around Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, Costa Serena departed June 1 from Busan, South Korea, heading to Nagasaki and Yatsushiro, Japan. This is the first outbound cruise to resume in South Korea after the end of cruise travel restrictions.

“With the departure of Costa Serena from Busan, we celebrate a historic event for cruises in Asia.

In honour of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month this June, Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts are celebrating the region they call home with the ‘Rhythm and Blues Caribbean’ sale, offering travel advisors a number of incentives – from bonus commission to cash back, while providing consumers with air credits up to $500 and $150 in spa credits at the award-winning Red Lane Spa on eligible bookings.

Love is once again in the air on the beautiful Balearic island of Mallorca, home to the infamous Love Island Villa which is set to hit screens again next week. To celebrate, Villa Select has rounded up its top Mallorca property picks – sure to be any Love Island fan's “type on paper”.

Travellers looking to enjoy the Spanish sunshine can do so from as little as £927 per week (secured with a low 10% deposit and 100% ATOL protected flight-inclusive packages available) and there's a private pool villa to suit everyone: From traditional casa's in Mallorca's stunning countryside – perfect for relaxing with a glass of wine on the terrace; to beautifully appointed modern properties in the heart of some of the island's prettiest towns, ports and tourist hotspots.

Tanzania has approved a construction of a multi-million-dollar five-star lavish contemporary hotel within the Serengeti National Park, as it seeks to enhance leisure travel. The $18 million, stylish and eye-catching, Lake Magadi Serengeti Hotel, stands against the backdrop of two acres in the middle of the Serengeti National Park, with awe-inspiring views.

With its traditional elegant architecture and furnishings reminiscent of the early 1920s, the hotel would have 75 luxurious residential units with capacity to accommodate 150 high-end tourists. The local investor behind the ambitious tourist property, under the Wellworth Hotels and Lodges, says the five-star hotel will be operational in the first quarter of 2024, targeting locals and foreigners that are after exclusive luxury, coupled with unparalleled landscape and wildlife views.

When government officials and professionals from the Caribbean’s Tourism and Travel Industry converge in Manhattan, New York for Caribbean Week 2023, they can look forward to enjoying Lagniappe – A Culinary Cultural Experience of Trinidad, which will be hosted by Tourism Trinidad Limited at Midtown Loft and Terrace in Manhattan, from 7pm to 10pm, on June 6, 2023.

Surging beyond pre-pandemic levels, international visitor arrivals are anticipated to reach their highest levels so far through 2025.

Updated forecasts for 39 Asia Pacific destinations show a very strong increase in aggregate international visitor arrivals (IVAs) under each of three scenarios in 2023, with robust annual growth continuing to the end of 2025.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club have announced the introduction of a new feature, Card Linked Offers, which will integrate Avios in members’ lifestyles. Visa or Mastercard credit cardholders – including cards registered in Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay – can now be linked to their Privilege Club accounts. This enables members to collect and spend Avios on everyday purchases at a wide range of retail and lifestyle partners in Qatar.

The historic Buccaneer Beach & Golf Resort has been honoured with the prestigious Tripadvisor 2023 Travellers’ Choice Award, solidifying its reputation as a remarkable resort destination and reaffirming its commitment to providing exceptional experiences.

Located in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, this iconic resort has been recognized as one of the finest hotels worldwide. It proudly joins the elite group of the top 10 percent of hotels worldwide, as determined by Tripadvisor’s annual award.

The friendly dance Bob Marley style between the Hon. Minister of Tourism for Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett, and His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, continued in Jamaica, and a lime in the coconut was just added.

On tour to Caribbean nations, such as the Bahamas, and Barbados, the Saudi Tourism minister stopped in Jamaica last Sunday.

Customers boarded the inaugural SunExpress flight to Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, from Birmingham Airport (BHX).

In addition to its new twice-weekly Izmir rotations, from Monday SunExpress increases its service to Antalya to daily and Dalman to three times a week.

Anguilla’s stunningly beautiful Meads Bay Beach has earned a coveted spot among the World’s 50 Best Beaches 2023, the definitive listing of the best beaches across the globe. Curated by beach lovers and passionate travel professionals, the list is designed to be a one-stop resource for the most enchanting and exotic shores in the world.

Reverend Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), issues the following statement in response to the NAACP’s "so-called travel advisory” for Florida: “We can only draw one reasonable conclusion from the so-called travel advisory issued by the NAACP for the State of Florida.

Following a momentous grand opening celebration on May 19, the all-new Sandals Dunn’s River opens today as the 17th resort in the award-winning Sandals Resorts portfolio.

Located on a stunning stretch of white sand beach – a site originally handpicked by legendary hotelier and Sandals Resorts International founder the late Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart when the first Sandals Dunn’s River debuted over 30 years ago, today’s Sandals Dunn’s River is a completely new and utterly transformed hotel and experience. Featuring new culinary concepts and elevated suite designs, the 260-room luxury all-inclusive resort offers a deeply personal connection to its alluring setting on Jamaica’s north coast.

Cyber experts at University of Gloucestershire are warning tourists planning summer getaways across the UK to be aware of online hackers trying to imitate and infiltrate free Wi-Fi hotspots. 

As the traditional summer holiday period begins the University has found tourists are a prime-time target for criminals seeking to take advantage of busy travel locations, a particular issue for Gloucestershire which already attracts around 23 million tourists annually. Last year, nearly 5,000 out of every million internet users in the UK were the victims of cybercrime – up 40% on 2020 figures – as criminals increasingly target people’s devices that become easier to break into when users choose to use Wi-Fi over a mobile connection when travelling. 

Carnival Cruise Line have announced that the Carnival Venezia will homeport at Port Canaveral beginning in late 2024.

“Our partnership with Carnival Cruise Line has a long history, and the addition of the Carnival Venezia takes our tradition to another level,” stated Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO.

Qatar Airways announces a codeshare agreement with Air Seychelles, the flag carrier of the Republic of Seychelles, allowing passengers on both networks seamless travel to one of the world’s most exotic and unique destinations.

Qatar Airways serves over 160 destinations worldwide and connects travellers from Africa, America, Asia and Europe easily to and from Seychelles through its hub in Doha, Hamad International Airport (HIA), currently named the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’. Moreover, Qatar Airways Privilege Club members can also earn and spend Avios at almost 200 outlets at Qatar Duty Free (QDF).