Holiday & Travel

Blenheim Palace is inviting visitors to take a privileged peek into the Private Apartments which have been lived in by the Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough for 300 years.

The behind the scenes guided tours of some of the Palace's most opulent and luxurious rooms provide an exclusive 'behind the scenes' look at life in the Oxfordshire UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The rooms, which are normally off-limits to visitors, provide a fascinating insight into family life at the Palace with their mix of precious antiques, tapestries and artworks amongst modern living items and family photos.

The intimate tour begins with climbing the Main Stairs and peeking into the Dressing Room and through the Duke's Corridor taking visitors on a tour of family life, with views into the Master Bedroom and Dining Room. The tour also takes in the Sitting Room where His Grace and family relax and mixes priceless heirlooms with modern technology.

Walking through the ornate corridors, visitors will be led to the Smoking Room which contains full size tapestries from the Alexandra the Great series which were commissioned by the 1st Duke.

The Smoking Room is also home to the famous Stubbs Tiger painting, which is based on a real tiger which lived at Blenheim Palace from 1763 and was gifted to the 4th Duke by Lord Clive, Governor of Bengal.

Visitors will also be taken around the Grand Cabinet*, a room full of unique historical artefacts and family heirlooms. The Visitor's Book will also be on display, and visitors can see the list of illustrious guests who have stayed at the Palace, from royalty to celebrities.

Amongst many rare and incredible historical artefacts, visitors will be able to see His Grace's Dining Room laid with Winston Churchill's own private china set. Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace in the West Wing, regularly used the Spode Copeland and Spode Maritime Rose, set which dates from 1891 to 1900.

Guests must book in advance online or at the Welcome Desk or Great Hall on the day; Palace, Park and Gardens ticket is also required.

Heathrow, the UK’s only hub airport, unveils a collaboration with critically-acclaimed spoken word artist Caleb Femi to launch his new poem A Tale of Modern Britain. Caleb’s piece, a beautiful and modern description of travel, celebrates Heathrow’s role as the gateway to the UK, welcoming and waving off international visitors and returning Brits.

With 78 million passengers travelling through Heathrow each year, this powerful new piece of poetry - written and narrated by Femi - uses his experiences travelling, as well as capturing people and journeys which have taken or taking place at the airport, as his inspiration for the film. Looking to the growing trend for spoken word, the poem explores what it means to be British through the lens of arrivals and departures at the country’s busiest airport.

The short film brings Femi’s words to life with his narration framing moments at the airport – from emotional reunions, excitement as people head off for new adventures at Departures and behind the scenes from the airfield – alongside snapshots of life in and around Britain. The video can be viewed on Heathrow.com, on terminal screens across the airport and on the Heathrow Express.

To find out what ‘home’ means to British people today, Heathrow commissioned research asking 2,000 Brits about their views on Britain in the context of travelling.

DEPARTURES: GOODBYE BLIGHTY

Brummies are thrill seekers at heart with almost one in five (19%) saying one of their top reasons for jetting off is to seek out an adventure, whilst 23% crave exploration of unusual places. Highlighting what a global community we truly are, a further 21% say their main purposes for travel is to visit their extended family, with one in twenty (5%) making journeys inspired by their family history.

TALLY HO-LIDAYS

London, the Queen and the Beautiful Game are what people most want to discuss with Brummies when they travel overseas; one in three (31%) stated they are likely to be asked whether they are from London, whilst the same number (31%) are quizzed on which football team they support and a quarter (25%) of us are asked if we have ever met the Queen when on our travels.

With a Royal engagement, a third royal baby on the way and a global obsession with TV show The Crown, the royal family are firmly front and centre of mind for the nation, with The Queen, Harry, William and Kate all identified as our most recognisable representatives. Beyond the royals, David and Victoria Beckham, Mo Farah and James Cordon all feature on the list of ‘18 for 2018’; the British stars voted as the best representatives of modern Britain*.

The spontaneous singing of ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ in Manchester following the tragic attacks is the moment that summed up the last year for most (31%) Brummies. Over one in four (28%) felt it was Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal engagement, whilst more than one in five (22%) thought that Mo Farah winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year was the moment that best summed up the nation last year.

ARRIVALS: WELCOME HOME

The welcoming view of our local pub on the journey back from the airport is the moment at which one in five (19%) of us feel truly back in Britain, whilst buying a British newspaper (16%) and hearing different regional accents (19%) also feature high on the list of what makes us feel like we’ve arrived back home.

Caleb Femi explains why he was attracted to the project: “For many of life’s biggest milestones – from exciting departures to emotional reunions – Heathrow is the backdrop. The airport is a fascinating place to keep your finger on the pulse of modern Britain, as the people who travel through it says so much about the country and what we stand for.  I’ve loved immersing myself in the stories of different travellers to piece together a portrait of the country in 2018.”

“I hope people enjoy watching the video, which celebrates what it means to be British and the emotions that unite us all when we travel.”

John Holland-Kaye, Chief Executive at Heathrow, commented: “The UK is a culture that thrives on its connections with the rest of the world – for those leaving or returning home, as well as international visitors exploring the country for the first time.  As the UK’s only hub airport, and after more passengers than ever in 2017, we’re proud to help make these connections with the world possible. We hope that people really enjoy this ode to the UK as a celebration of Britain as a nation.”

A record 4.875 million people stayed in Abu Dhabi’s 162 hotels and hotel apartments during 2017, meaning the emirate recorded an impressive 9.8% year-on-year rise.

Figures released by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) for its hospitality sector reveal that the number of guests staying in Abu Dhabi city during the year rose by 10.3% to reach 4,295,030 across its 131 hotels and hotel apartments, which provide 26,821 rooms.

The Al Ain Region recorded a 5.5% increase to 450,328 guests across its 20 hotels and the Al Dhafra Region rose 8.2% to number 130,180 guests at its 11 hotels and hotel apartments.

HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General, DCT, said: “Record numbers of people are visiting Abu Dhabi year after year and we continue to go from strength to strength in positioning ourselves as a distinctive global tourist destination steeped in culture and heritage. A near double digit year-on-year growth in the number of guests staying in all three regions of the emirate is testament to our drive and determination in helping the emirate evolve into a ‘must-visit’ place on any traveller’s itinerary.

“Abu Dhabi’s unique cultural archetypes, combined with diverse natural landscapes, cultural and historic sites, dynamic family-leisure entertainment and ambitious business opportunities, will continue to stimulate visitation and help us grow by 11 per cent per annum to achieve 8.5 million visitors by 2021. However, we more than ever aware of the challenges we face in supporting key metrics such as length-of-stay and occupancy rates for the emirate’s hotels and are working hard to continue the focus on these measures.”

Throughout 2017, key overseas markets continued to perform well with guests from China surging year-on-year by 60% to number more than 372,000 to be Abu Dhabi’s largest overseas source market, with the numbers swelled by the easing of visa restrictions and Chinese visitors now receiving visas on entry in the UAE.

India is the second largest international source market with more than 360,000 guests recorded during the 12 months, an increase of 11%. The United Kingdom remains the largest European source market, registering a 13% rise to more than 270,000 while the United States’ market also showed a considerable rise of more than 23%.

The emirate benefited throughout the year from a packed calendar of events, with the opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi on November 11 being the highlight and garnering worldwide headlines. The museum, built in collaboration with the French government, instantly became an iconic landmark on the city’s geographical, cultural and tourist landscape and is expected to attract huge numbers of cultural tourists.

Other notable events included the hosting in October of WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, the world’s largest vocational skills competition at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), which attracted 100,000 participants and spectators during the three days of competition. The Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was again a resounding success with 195,000 spectators watching proceedings over the four days, while annual events such as the Mother of the Nation Festival, Abu Dhabi Summer Season and Chinese New Year celebrations also swelled domestic and international visitor numbers.

A particularly strong December saw 480,845 guests staying in the emirate, a 17.6% rise compared to the corresponding month in 2016, with numbers boosted by the holding of three prestigious events, the Abu Dhabi Food Festival, Dar Al Zain Festival and the New Year’s Countdown Village.

Guests from France increased by 61%, the numbers supplemented by the opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi, while other key source markets also performed well with the numbers of American guests rising by 54%, China 39%, India 29%, the UK 22% and Germany 12%.

Domestic tourism in December also showed a noticeable increase of 4.4%. An expanded portfolio of events across the emirate throughout this year is expected to further boost guests visiting Abu Dhabi from other emirates.

HE Ghobash added: “Combined with our ongoing international marketing and promotional activities and our excellent collaboration with strategic partners, including our national airline Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Ports, we will continue to evolve and lead Abu Dhabi’s tourism proposition to achieve new levels of excellence; implementing new initiatives and working closely with the private sector, while striving to achieve new record numbers of hotel guests.”

In a press conference held today at its Burn’s Point headquarters, the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) announced the official tourist arrivals data for 2017 from target source markets U.S.A., Canada, the Caribbean, Germany and the U.K.

In the report, overall stayover arrivals for 2017 (146,359) were up more than 8% when compared to 2016 (135,372). These numbers are important for the country as stayover arrivals spend in the destination is the highest of all the visitors to our shores.

With the U.S. being Pure Grenada’s largest source market, the GTA developed and implemented strategic initiatives, which included increased trade show attendance and press trips. As a result, the U.S. market recorded the highest increase of 16% with 67,250 tourist arrivals to the destination positioning Pure Grenada at the top of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) list of destinations with registered growth in 2017.

Other source markets that reported an increase in arrivals included Canada with a six percent increase (14,580), Germany, 21 percent increase (2,499) and the Caribbean, eight percent increase (27,113) with Trinidad & Tobago registering a 14 percent increase (15,692).

The GTA had implemented a year round focus on Trinidad & Tobago with new travel agent familiarization trips, increased advertising and a destination focused presentation to the media and travel trade. The UK arrivals (25,531) decreased by 7% and all efforts were engaged to address this decline culminating with the GTA hosting a Grenada stand at the World Travel Market in London in November, 2017.

The rest of Europe arrivals (5,187) increased by 7%. Year on year, Yachting arrivals (21,993) increased by 8% and cruise passengers (299,449) decreased slightly by 5% while cruise ship calls (291) increased by 13%.

“December 2017 saw growth in cruise visitor arrivals by 25% over December 2016 and we are continuing to see positive movement in these numbers” said Nautical Development Manager, Nikoyan Roberts, who is working well with the key stakeholders to maximize the destination’s strengths in this sector.

CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority, Patricia Maher, is very pleased with the overall statistical performance. “We are even more excited about the fact that Grenada is trending as a destination in the global Tourism Industry. The future for Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique looks bright with new hotels and new attractions opening in the next two years.”

Chairman of the Grenada Tourism Authority, Rodney George said: “The decision of the Board of the GTA to employ the USA based Public Relations firm, Cheryl Andrews Marketing Communications Inc., is really paying dividends as exemplified by the wide exposure that Grenada is receiving in regional and international print and digital media, and the increased tourist arrivals from the USA and Canada.”

Team Grenada is working hard to ensure that visitors get to experience our island life in a real, authentic, memorable way and they will share Pure Grenada, the Spice of the Caribbean with the world. 2018 is projected to be a busy year for all of our stakeholders as everyone continues to work together to keep Grenada trending in the global Tourism industry.

More international tourists are visiting the English regions than ever before.

Official statistics released today show that in the first nine months of 2017 there were a record 12.7 million visits to English regions outside London, up 4% compared to the same period in 2016.

International visitors spent £6.1 billion across England’s regions during this period.

There were 909,000 overseas visits to Wales from January to September last year, up 6% compared to the same time in 2016, and visitors spent £337 million.

In Scotland, overseas visits increased 14% to 2.6 million in the first nine months of 2017 compared to the same time in 2016, with overseas visitors spending £1.8 billion.

In Madrid at the international travel trade event FITUR last night was the day many had anxiously waiting for. The 14th UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism was announced.

Starting at 18.00h with a welcome cocktail the event was opened at 19.15 by the UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, followed by a short remark by the president of FITUR/ FEMA

Sanjib Sarangi of the Indian Grameen Services (IGS) and Reena from the Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust attended the award ceremony and were overjoyed with the announcement of the award. They accepted the award and unfurled the Indian Tricolour at the stage. Indian Grameen Services overlooks the Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust project. Mangalajodi Trust was the only Indian nomination in this year’s UNWTO awards.

The winning projects, divided into four categories – Public Policy and Governance, Research and Technology, Enterprises, and Non-governmental Organizations –, have been announced at the UNWTO Awards Ceremony held Wednesday, 17th January evening in Madrid at the International Tourism Trade Fair in Spain (FITUR)

Today we honour the vision and commitment of individuals, administrations, companies and organizations that every day build a better future by harnessing the potential of tourism. The work of all the finalists of the 14 UNWTO Awards on Innovation is an inspiration to all of us”, underlined UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, in his opening remarks.

Attended by nearly 500 participants from different countries, the UNWTO Awards Ceremony, co-organized by IFEMA|FITUR, emphasized how the tourism community has embraced sustainable and innovative approaches.

The UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism are held annually to highlight and promote the work of organizations and individuals around the world that have impacted the tourism sector. Their achievements have served as an inspiration for competitive and sustainable tourism development and the promotion of the values of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the Innovation in Enterprises category Conservation and Livelihoods: Community managed Ecotourism at Mangalajodi,  Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust was shortlisted. Other nominated enterprises in this category were from Kenya, Italy and Philippines. Mangalajodi is one of the oldest village coming under Tangi block of Khurda district in Odisha, 75 km from Bhubaneswar towards Berhampur with a huge marshland along the northern edge of Chilika Lake. The area (about 10 sq.km) is primarily a fresh water zone connected by channels cut through the reed beds with the brakish water of Chilika lagoon. The numerous channels that crisscross through the greenery, harbour thousands of water birds, migratory and resident. Part of Chilika, 1165 sq.kms.brakish water estuarine lagoon of international importance. The wetland hosts more than 3,00,000 of birds in the peak season. October to March is the best time to visit this place. This region has is a significant global waterfowl habitat and is declared as an “Important Bird Area (IBA)”.

Last year, Lufthansa and Munich Airport welcomed over 30 million passengers to Terminal 2. To be more precise, 30.6 million passengers used the terminal for their travel needs in 2017, an increase of 10.6 percent compared to the previous year.

Wilken Bormann, CEO Hub Munich, and Munich Airport CEO Dr. Michael Kerkloh both agree: “The numbers show how popular Terminal 2 is with our passengers: a five-star airline and a five-star airport. Together, we offer our customers a 10-star product, translating to outstanding quality on the ground and on board. Munich is the only airport in all of Europe with this rare combination.”

Borman and Kerkloh are certain that this positive trend will also continue in 2018. As of March 25, Lufthansa will will have five A380 aircraft based in Munich and will be serving the destinations Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Beijing in its summer flight schedule. Two days later, a Lufthansa A350 will take off for its first flight from Munich to Singapore. Eurowings also has plans for additional growth in Munich.

Munich’s airport was already named Europe’s first “5-Star Airport” by London-based ratings agency Skytrax in 2015. In December 2017, Lufthansa joined them as the only European 5-star airline when they received the highest level of quality certification in international aviation from Skytrax. Another world best: Terminal 2, along with the Terminal 2 Satellite, which are operated jointly by the two companies, received a special award in March 2017: They were voted World’s Best Airport Terminal at the Skytrax World Airport Awards.

As the January blues settle in and the weather gets wetter our minds turn to travel. Maybe one of your resolutions is to travel more this year, and who better to join you on your adventures than your canine companion.

Taking your dog travelling with you is a great idea but there are a few important things to remember when taking your pet pooch somewhere new.

As part of their ongoing “Happy Dogs, Happy Days” campaign, Lintbells, manufacturers of premium pet supplement YuCALM Dog, works with dog behavioural expert Dr. Emily Blackwell to offer owners some helpful tips and advice on how to keep their dogs happy and calm when visiting new places this year.

Dr Blackwell said: “The new year is a time for planning for lots of people. Whether your plans for 2018 involve moving house, going on a holiday or a day trip, or visiting friends and family a change in environment or routine can be stressful for some dogs. However there are a number of helpful tips you can do to help your dog settle in to somewhere new.

Smell

“Wherever you and your pooch are heading to in 2018 take their own bed, blanket and toys and anything else that may contain a familiar scent, this will help to create a consistent environment and will be reassuring to your dog.

Doggie Supplies

“It is also important to pack enough of your dog’s routine medication or supplements to last the whole trip, along with their usual food. And try to stick to their usual feeding times.

Plan ahead

“Before setting off to explore somewhere new make sure you check out potential dog walking places on the way and in the area of your destination -  it is important your dog still gets regular exercise while you are away. Also ensure your dog is wearing a tag with up-to-date contact details, in case they run off and are in an unfamiliar place.

Time

“Try to always allow your dog time to settle in and start with very brief separations, as they may find it distressing being left alone somewhere new. Also remember that your dog may encounter lots of things they may have not seen before, such as babies, livestock, traffic noises and this could cause stress. Try and gradually introduce them to these things, from a distance and associate them with something nice by rewarding them.

Supplement

“If your dog tends to be unsettled in new places you could consider using a natural calming supplement to help them relax more quickly in their new surroundings.”

• Valentine's Day Flights Love is in the air this Valentine's Day, so share a magical moment with the one you love at 450ft, looking out at the twinkling lights of Brighton and the south coast below. Price includes a glass of rosé Nyetimber sparkling wine per person from the Sky Bar on board the pod and a box of chocolates per couple.
• Drag me up! Valentine's Day Drag Queen Flight Enjoy a fun and raucous alternative Valentine's celebration with a hilarious drag act on the pod from renowned cabaret artist Dave Lynn, during an extended 45-minute pod flight. Includes a glass of award-winning Nyetimber sparkling wine per person.
• “Marry Me” Proposal Package Start your future together looking out at the distant horizon from 450ft, across the sea, the South Downs National Park and the beautiful Sussex coastline. The “Marry Me” proposal package includes two flights on the British Airways i360 pod at a time of your choosing, a bottle of local award-winning Nyetimber sparkling wine, half a dozen red roses and some chocolates.

Merlin Annual Pass is offering families the chance to bag the ultimate bargain - 52 weeks of family fun from just £109 per person! This is the BEST price for 2018 and an amazing offer that nobody should miss out on.

At an average cost of £13 per visit, the Merlin Annual Pass is one of the best value leisure tickets on the market. It opens the door to 32 magical worlds across the UK, so wherever you live, you’re guaranteed to have the ultimate passport to fun!

And there’s more! This is the year to make the magic happen as Merlin welcomes some exciting new additions for 2018. Alton Towers Resort will launch its brand new attraction, Wicker Man, the world’s first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire, and Chessington World of Adventures Resort will welcome a family of four endangered Amur Tigers, as part of its much anticipated log flume, Land of the Tiger!

A new initiative promoting car-free travel to visitor attractions and venues in the UK, has been launched with an easy-to-use website aimed at helping travellers plan days-out without needing a car.

Good Journey shows visitors how to get to the UK's best attractions including arts centres, historic houses, museums and zoos - by train, bus, bike and by foot from anywhere in the UK. The new website offers step-by-step travel directions to the attractions and discounts of up to 50% for visitors who arrive via public transport, pedal power or on their own two feet. The website also features inviting itineraries to help visitors get the most from their day - ranging from the cultural capital of Edinburgh to Suffolk's secret Shotley Peninsular.

Good Journey's mission is to encourage both tourists and UK residents to enjoy the UK's best-loved attractions and landscapes, and enjoy the journey getting there. The initiative is supported by leading UK transport and conservation groups including the Campaign for Better Transport, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Cycling UK and Living Streets.

Nat Taplin, founder and director of Good Journey said, “One in four UK households don't own a car. Good Journey is all about opening up access to leisure, culture and the countryside for everyone. We also believe that you see more when you travel car-free and get a real flavour of the places you're visiting. The journey is time to relax – take in the view, sip a coffee, read a book, have a snooze – you can't do that while driving!”

Participating attractions are awarded the Good Journey Mark for welcoming car-free visitors.

VisitEngland has launched a digital campaign to promote round-the-clock activities and experiences across the UK, encouraging Brits to beat the January blues by taking a holiday at home.

The ‘24 Hours in the UK’ series of films, launched by VisitEngland and the tourism organisations of London, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, showcase activities across the UK throughout a 24-hour period.

As well as inspiring Brits to take a holiday at home, the campaign is asking people to vote for their favourite moment from the trips with the top five to be announced in the coming weeks.

Part of VisitEngland’s 2018 campaign ‘Join the World - Discover the UK’, the 24 short films by UK and international Instagrammers and bloggers, being released hourly throughout the day.

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said:

“From a street art tour in Bristol to early morning surfing at Scarborough in Yorkshire, from a torch-lit tour of the Roman Baths to exploring the wilds of Hampstead Heath in London, this campaign shows that England is bursting with activity not only round-the-clock but year-round, with experiences to suit all interests and ages.

“With many of us looking for travel inspiration to beat the winter blues, these snapshots of destinations across the country will get Brits booking mood-boosting experiences, and exploring more of the country, boosting growth from tourism.”

Latest official statistics show that more people are taking holidays at home and they are spending more too. From January to September 2017 Brits took 47 million domestic holidays in Great Britain, spending £11 billion, an increase of 5% and 6% respectively on the first nine months of the previous year.

Corinthia Hotel Budapest has been showered with four prestigious awards. In December the hotel was awarded the top prize in three categories at the 11th World Luxury Hotel Awards, held in Switzerland.

The World Luxury Hotel Awards provides true recognition to luxury hotels and resorts and has been setting the benchmark for service industry standards around the globe since 2006. Votes are cast from both travelers and guests from the world of luxury hospitality.

“It is truly an honor to be among the selected nominees and winners,” said Jean Pierre Mifsud, General Manager of Corinthia Hotel Budapest. “It is a credit to the hotel team, who are constantly striving to provide the most delightful stay to their guests.”

Corinthia Hotel Budapest scooped the following three awards:

• Luxury Historical Hotel 2017 in Eastern Europe • Luxury Hotel 2017 in Hungary • Luxury Spa Hotel 2017 in Hungary

In addition, the hotel has been bestowed the award, Hotel of the Year 2018 for Hungary, in the annual Travel and Hospitality Awards. They will be officially announced next month (February). A panel of judges agreed that Corinthia Hotel Budapest excelled in all the criteria for this category, spanning location, style and design, facilities, marketing and excellence in service.

TUI (formerly Thomson) the UK’s largest holiday brand, has today announced it has added an additional weekly flight to the popular Egyptian destination of Hurghada for summer 2018 operating out of Birmingham Airport.

Holidaymakers from the Midlands will now have even more choice when it comes to booking a holiday to Hurghada with TUI adding a Friday flight to the summer flying programme. Flights start in May 2018 and will now operate twice a week on a Monday and Friday.

The decision to add more flights is part of the holiday company’s plans to offer as much choice as possible, ensuring customers across the UK can fly from their local airport and stay at the best hotels such as the 5T TUI Magic Life Kalawy. As well as additional flights to Hurghada residents from in and around the Midlands now have a wide choice of destinations to choose from when booking their holidays this summer with the new route to Podgorica in Montenegro already on sale. Karen Switzer, Director of Aviation Planning for TUI UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our programme from Birmingham Airport for summer 2018. We have added a Friday flight to Hurghada meaning we now fly twice a week to the Red Sea destination and with this additional flight customers can now book 10 or 11 night holidays. In total we have over 62 routes for customers to choose from when booking their holidays from Birmingham Airport. Holidaymakers in the Midlands will now have wider access than ever before to our diverse collection of destinations and hotel concepts.”

William Pearson, Aviation Director of Birmingham Airport said: “It is great news that TUI is adding additional capacity to Hurghada for Summer 2018. This complements the 62 routes that TUI has to over 27 countries, offering even more exciting destinations to passengers flying from Birmingham Airport.”

Building on a landmark year in 2016, Cologne Bonn Airport delivered its best-ever year in terms of throughput in the airport’s history, concluding 2017 with new all-time records for both passenger traffic and cargo. As a result, 2017 becomes the fourth consecutive year that both passenger and cargo traffic has grown.

Handling 500,000 extra passengers in 2017 than in the previous year, Cologne Bonn produced a solid 4% passenger traffic growth, resulting in a total of 12.4 million passengers using the airport in 2017. Over one million passengers per month used the facility during April to October last year – the first time the airport has ever achieved this feat. Air freight also developed positively in 2017 ‒ processing 840,000 tons and representing a 7% increase ‒ another highpoint for Germany’s third-largest cargo airport.

With A319s being the most frequently-used passenger aircraft to be operated at the German airport (28,700 movements), and the 767-300 being the most-popular cargo aircraft (5,700 movements), Terminal 1’s boarding gate C20 saw the highest passenger use throughout 2017. Last year the airport was linked to 142 destinations in 48 countries, with Cape Town (9,465km) being the furthest network point with regular operations, while Leipzig-Halle (359km) was the closest destination served. Berlin Tegel ended the year as the most popular destination, with over 1.2 million passengers flying the busy domestic sector over the past 12 months.

The growth driver in passenger traffic in 2017 was above all Eurowings. Lufthansa’s in-house low-cost long-haul airline has added new destinations such as Cape Town and Windhoek, southern African cities which are only served out of Cologne Bonn in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. Eurowings has also expanded its range of domestic routes from the airport with extra services to Berlin and Hamburg, as well as a new route to Munich being added. Despite the bankruptcy of airberlin in October, which operated to Berlin Tegel and Munich from Cologne Bonn, the airport still managed to produce a passenger increase of 3% in Q4 of 2017.

Qatar Airways Group published its Sustainability Report 2016-17, providing a comprehensive review of the Group’s extensive commitment to environmental sustainability.

The airline demonstrated constant and rapid growth during 2016-17, with 14 per cent more passenger and cargo flights carrying significantly more passengers, adding 10 new routes to its global network, and growing its fleet from 182 to 196 aircraft in the 12 month period ending 31 March 2017. Hamad International Airport exhibited similar growth in 2016-17, serving 38.2 million passengers, managing 250,419 aircraft movements and handling 1.8 million tonnes of cargo.

Alongside this tremendous growth, through commitment to its environmental policy and objectives, Qatar Airways Group has demonstrated improvement in environmental performance across its business interests, including airline and airport operations, catering services, retail outlets and hotels.

Notably, Qatar Airways has continued to improve how efficiently it uses aviation fuel, making airline operations 2.5 per cent more carbon efficient than the previous year, building on the considerable efficiency gains reported in 2015-16. The airline’s ongoing fuel optimisation programme focuses on reducing weight, route optimisation, aircraft operations on the ground and technical performance.

During this period the airport achieved an 11.9 per cent improvement in carbon efficiency per passenger when compared to the previous year. It also became the first airport in the Gulf Co-operation Council to achieve Level 3 of Airports Council International’s carbon accreditation programme and set a new target to improve its carbon efficiency per passenger by 30 per cent before 2030.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Our environmental performance demonstrates that Qatar Airways takes its leadership role in the international aviation community very seriously. We lead by example in environmental matters, particularly the management of our carbon emissions and the protection of wildlife and endangered species. As a global airline serving more than 150 destinations on six continents, every corner of the globe is important to us. We are committed to our own sustainability journey as well as to contributing to the aviation industry’s target of carbon-neutral growth from 2020.”

The Sustainability Report provides many other examples of Qatar Airways Group’s environmental commitments in managing network growth, airport operations, waste management, water conservation, and protecting endangered wildlife. For example, Qatar Airways Group continues its dedication to the global fight against the illegal trade in endangered wildlife, and this year it developed plans to improve detection within its cargo and passenger network. Qatar Airways Group continues to collaborate with its peers, international bodies and regulatory authorities to tackle this important issue at the industry level.

The report outlines Qatar Airways Group‘s plans for environmental improvement to ensure sustainable growth across its operations. It reveals how the careful implementation of the principles and the processes of its environmental management systems throughout the Group is embedding a culture of environmental responsibility amongst its workforce. This is paramount as the airline continues its robust growth trajectory.