Pick up a bargain and book cheap hotels with confidence at hotels4u.com

Summer is upon us and if you’ve been waiting for the right time to decide on your holiday, then that time is now! There’ll never a be a better time to grab a great deal on a hotel in your dream destination. So welcome to hotels4u.com where we can help you choose and securely book from a fantastic range of hotels, all fully protected by ABTA. Check out our Top Hotels in Turkey to get a feel for the bargains we can offer or for something a bit closer to home our Top Mallorca Hotels are definitely worth a look. And if you’re open to a one off suggestion then the Norida Beach Hotel in Kos offers the best value in the best location that you’ll find on the web.

from www.hotels4u.com.

Summer Holiday deals from Thomas Cook

Date Destination Accommodation Board From Nights

05-Jun Turkey Kocer Club Apts Self Catering £160pp 7

14-Jun Gran Canaria Guanabara Park Self Catering £225pp 7

05-Jun Mallorca Cristina Self Catering £213pp 7

04-Jun Tenerife Parque la Paz Self Catering £256pp 7

04-Jun Egypt Sharm Inn Amarein Bed & Breakfast £220pp 7

12-Jun Ibiza Hotel Llevant Bed & Breakfast £99pp 7

05-Jun Greece Trabukos Studios Self Catering £175pp 7

03-Jul Tunisia Bel Air Hotel Half Board £265pp 7

17-Jun Cyprus River Reggae Self Catering £197pp 7

02-Jun Mexico Occidental Allegro All Inclusive £476pp 14

From www.thomascook.com

Eurostar launches connecting fares to Switzerland

Eurostar has introduced connecting fares to 18 key Swiss stations in conjunction with high-speed train operator Lyria.

Tickets start from just under £100 return to Geneva

The fastest journey times from London’s St Pancras International to the main Swiss cities are 06h 28m to Geneva, 06h 50m to Lausanne, 07h 28m to Zurich, 06h 19m to Basel and 07h 40m to Bern.

“We are always looking at ways to facilitate greener travel throughout Europe on high-speed trains,” said Simon Montague, Eurostar director of communications.

“It is great news that our passengers can now book their tickets to Switzerland with the convenience and good value of connecting fares. We will continue to explore the various opportunities that will allow us to extend our range of destinations in the future.”

Sterling making tentative signs of recovery

Good news for the programme this winter as sterling starts to make a tentative recovery, hitting peaks of 1.15 to the euro, levels it hadn't reached for over 7 months. If this continues, then it could give holiday operators a breath of fresh air after a difficult 12 month trading period. Average cost of a ski holiday is between £800-1000 when you include lift pass, ski hire and tuition, so any significant rise to around 1.25 means an extra £100 to spend or save per person.
skihotels4u.com is following these developments carefully and will always ensure that the customer gets the best available deal; selling only on-line gives us a huge amount of flexibility and reactivity, meaning that what the client pays takes into account the latest exchange rates, unlike traditional brochure based tour operators who fix their prices against an exchange rate which is set sometimes up to 14 months before travel. When the market is recovering the customer will be paying more than they need to. On a booking for an average family of 4 the difference can add up to several hundred pounds. That's why it makes sense to book with somebody like skihotels4u.com as they are at the forefront of technology and always pass special offers on to the customer.

All is not morose in the leisure industry

Virgin Atlantic has managed to nearly double its pre-tax profits in the toughest trading environment of its 25-year history.

The airline grew profits from £34.8 million last year to £68.4 million for the year from March 2008 to February 2009.

It said the growth was down to a rise in premium travellers and “prudent management decisions”.

Group sales, including its tour operator business Virgin Holidays, rose 8.4% from £2.380 billion to £2.579 billion.

The total number of passengers carried during 2008 increased to 5.77 million.

Virgin employees will benefit from a bonus payout, as 10% of the group’s profits is shared among staff.

President Sir Richard Branson said: “The last financial year has proven to be the most volatile yet in our 25-year history. To increase profits against a backdrop of such a severe recession is an excellent achievement by all of our staff.”

The results are in stark contrast to other airlines, including rival British Airways which reported an annual loss before tax of £401m last week (see separate story today).

BA said premium traffic had fallen by 13% in the second half of its financial year.

Virgin chief executive Steve Ridgway added: “We are winning market share from our competitors during the toughest trading environment ever.”

Bode Miller from Mayrhofen

Mayrhofen Im Zillertal, Austria - Bode Miller has said that he will race on the World Cup again next year, but has not stated whether he will ski at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The Associated Press reports that Miller met Thursday with the team at Head Skis, the company that sponsors Miller, and told them that he will return to ski competitively next season.
"He's planning to continue," Head's racing director Rainer Salzgeber told The Associated Press. "I wouldn't have been surprised if he had told us he was taking the year off. But he said, 'No, I don't want to do that."'

After winning the overall World Cup title two seasons ago, Miller left the circuit early last season. There were still four stops to go when he announced that he was leaving in order to spend time with his 1-year-old daughter.
Miller apparently plans to race without coaches and will skip summer training. He also skipped talking about his return when contacted by the AP.

"I'm not going to talk about it. I don't have much faith in the media," he said. "Why don't you just skip that part of the story and write whatever you want to write because that's what you guys do anyway."

Ski holidays - New Freedom

Ski holidays used to be fixed stay 7 day holiday packages organised by Tour Operators, with flight, transfer and hotel or chalet accommodation included, and a rep in resort to help you sort out your ski packs and any problems. As more and more people become experienced travellers, this this of packaging becomes less necessary, and with the advent of low cost carriers providing literally millions of low cost seats to all the ski destinations, arriving all days of the week, most people are more than happy to do it by themselves!
Nowadays more and more hotels are opening up to flexible arrival days, meaning that savvy skiers can still get their 6 days on the ski slopes, but can fly in on a Tuesday morning, book 5 nights accommodation, ski on the last day and fly back out late on Saturday night, saving them 2 nights accommodation and benefiting from cheap flight prices on the Tuesday. This entails a radical change from traditional booking patterns where late booking was guarantee of a good deal... Now, you can book early, make the most of cheap airfares, and Early Booking Discounts on accommodation, sometimes up to 20% if you book before the end of August. You are able then to plan your holiday to make the most of the weekends, take less time off work and save yourself money getting exactly the ski holiday you want.

British Airways suffer record loss

British Airways has reported a pre-tax loss of £401 million for its financial year ending March 31, compared with a £922 million profit in 2007-08.

In accounts published this morning, the airline also revealed an operating loss of £220 million, down from an £878 million profit.

Airline bosses expect the downturn to continue, saying there is “no recovery in sight”.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh revealed several measures being taken to alleviate the company’s plight.

Up to 16 aircraft are to be grounded, 4% overall capacity will be cut in winter, and no dividend will be paid to shareholders.

“Reduced passenger and cargo demand and high fuel prices last summer contributed to our £220 million operating loss as our total fuel bill reached almost £3 billion," he added.

“The prolonged nature of the global downturn makes this the harshest trading environment we have ever faced and, with no immediate improvement visible, market conditions remain challenging.”

Walsh said the airline shifted its focus in the fourth quarter of 2008 from driving yields to securing volume as travellers became more price sensitive.

“Despite the fall in premium travel, our market share is growing currently and we must maintain this momentum.

Saas Fee Valley

The Saas-Fee/Saastal Tourist Office is offering a seven-night adventure holiday in the Saas Valley from CHF 343 (€226) per person. The package includes seven nights in a two-star self-catering holiday apartment and a seven-day Saas-Valley Adventure Pass.

The week-long package is also offered in a range of accommodation: A three-star holiday apartment is CHF 413 (€272); a four-star apartment is CHF 448 (€295); and a five-star apartment is CHF 483 (€318). Alternatively, the package is available in a hotel with half-board. The offer is valid between July 4 and Oct. 3, 2009.

The Saas-Valley Adventure Pass is valid for seven consecutive days in summer 2009 (June 13 to Oct. 11, 2009) and it includes all cableways in the Saas Valley and the Metro Alpin; the postbus from Stalden-Saas to Saas-Fee and Mattmark; admission to the swimming pool at the Bielen leisure centre; use of the mini golf courses in Saas-Fee and Saas-Almagell; the Feeblitz toboggan run (one ride); transport by postbus and aerial cableway to the Gspon mountain path; and use of the cableway Monte-Moro in Macugnaga in Italy.

The Saas Valley offers much to explore with 18 peaks reaching more than 4,000 metres high, striking glaciers, and mountainside villages. Apart from its 350-kilometre-long network of hiking paths, the Saas Valley also has a wide variety of summer activities, with summer skiing and snowboarding, an adventure forest, mountain-biking, mini-golf, petanque, pit pat, trekking on horseback, scooters, climbing sessions for children and sunrise excursions.

More information. Or call +41 2795 81858.

Kitzbühel summer hiking

Kitzbuehel Tourismus is offering the KitzAlps Summercard Package from €164 per person for seven nights. This package includes seven nights' accommodation in Kitzbuehel or one of the surrounding villages and a six-day Kitzbueheler Alpen Summer Card.

The Kitzbueheler Alpen Summer Card offers access to 31 cable cars and lifts across 13 cable car companies using just one ticket. This seven-day card saves approximately 32 percent compared to buying single lift tickets. The card allows visitors to use the listed cable cars as often as they like, even several times a day. The package also features guided walks free of charge.

The seven-day package at €164 per person is in apartment accommodation. There is also the opportunity to stay in hotels, inns, pensions and farmhouses. Seven-night accommodation in an apartment ranges from €164 to €295 per person; farmhouses €184 to €220; pensions €186 to €378; and hotels €326 to €1103. Selected accommodations have additional features included in the package price, like breakfast, half-board, spa vouchers and Nordic walking tours.

The package is valid between May 18 and Oct. 31, 2009. The offer is also available for three or four days with a three-day Kitzbueheler Alpen Summer Card from €93 per person.

More information. Or call +43 (0)5356 777 45

Grindelwald summer biking

The Jungfrau Region Marketing is offering a four-night Bike & Adventure - 4 for 3 Package in Grindelwald from CHF 369 (€242) per person.

The biking package includes four nights in a Grindelwald hotel for the price of three; one guided bike tour; and one entrance into the first indoor rope park in Switzerland or one racy ride with the ‘First flyer'. It also covers all services, taxes and 7.6 percent VAT.

There are five bike hotels available to choose from in Grindelwald: the two-star Lauberhorn for CHF 369 (€246) per person, per night; the three-star Parkhotel Schoenegg for CHF 479 (€319); or the four-star hotels - Selfness Hotel Eiger, Kirchbuehel, and the Belvedere - all at CHF 479 (€319).

Grindelwald offers 160 kilometres of signed mountain bike routes, which are divided into three levels. The use of helmets is recommended and bikers must ride responsibly, being courteous to hikers and avoiding flora and fauna. There is also a bike training course at the upper glacier.

The Bike & Adventure - 4 for 3 Package is valid in June 1-30 and Sept. 1-30, 2009. All prices are per person in a double room. Prices for single rooms and children are also available on request.

More information. Or call +41 3385 41240.

New lifts for Flaine

The new fixed grip La Foret quad will be a six minute ride accessing the seater chairlift accessing the beginners’ zone. It will rise 300 vertical metres over its 1,770m length and open a direct link to the ski runs from the western part of the Intrawest Village, the Hameau Scandinave and the Refuge du Golf.
A second new fixed-grip quad will improve the links to the Auron sector and replace the Bois draglift scheduled for removal this summer, although the neighbouring Aujon and Grand Grenier draglifts will remain. Customer advantages will include faster and direct access to this zone instead of the current route via Aup de Véran. The two kilometre long lift will rise 400 vertical metres.
The resort’s upgrading of its bucket lift will optimise user convenience on the link between the upper and lower beginners’ zones. The restored lift will reduce waiting times and mean less congestion for Tête des Verds.
Flaine will also introduce new snowmaking to its pioneering system (One of Europe’s longest established and most extensive networks, first started more than 35 years ago and currently operating more than 200 snow cannons. The new system will take water from a bore hole drilled 300 metres below the resort which has been tested to not interfere with the water table.

UK tourists feel the pinch

Number of foreign holidays taken by Brits falls 6%

(14 May 2009)
The number of foreign holidays taken by Brits fell 6% in the year to March as the recession and weak pound took their toll on the travel industry, according to figures released today by the Office of National Statistics.

The figure fell from 70.2 million in the 12 months to March, to 66 million.

Visits by UK residents to Europe decreased by 6% at 52.5 million, while visits to North America fell by 9% to 4.2 million. Travel to other parts of the world decreased by 6% to 9.3 million.

A spokesman for ABTA said the results were no surprise. "The credit crunch has been an issue for over a year now so it was inevitable it would have an impact on people travelling abroad," he said.

"Our members have planned for this with capacity cuts - 6% is not good but it could have been worse, it is manageable."

Despite talk of a growth in inbound tourism, travel to the UK by overseas residents has also suffered, according to the figures. The number of overseas visitors to the UK fell 7% during the 12 months ending in March (from 33.2 to 31.0 million).

The number of US travellers coming to the UK saw the highest fall of 17% to 3.7 million, perhaps due to the country being hit hard by the economic downturn.

However, there was a slight pick up in inbound tourism in the first three months of the year.

Travelodge spokesman Nick Dines said: "The increase reflects the added appeal of the UK to continental visitors thanks to the weakness of the pound. For the rest of the year it is critical that we are marketed abroad as a value destination, offering locations and an experience that cannot be matched anywhere else in the world."

The figures come from the ONS' International Passenger Survey.

Austria set-up complete

We now have a considerable programme in some of the top Austrian resorts, including Kitzbühel, St Anton, Schladming, Söll and Zell am Zee with a great range running from 2* pensions to 5* resorts.

Bulgaria is finalised

After a long trip to visit properties, we finally made the choice of Bankso and Borovets as our main ski destinations, with around 10 accommodation choices in each, ranging from good quality 3 stars to International standard 5* hotels like the Katarino Resort & Spa in Bansko and the Yastrebets Wellness & Spa in Borovets.

Switzerland is on board

We have a number of new ski destinations in Switzerland including Mürren, Grindelwald, St Moritz, Zermatt, Wengen and Crans Montana.

Logo is chosen and confirmed

After lots of versions, the final choice has been made and the skihotels4u.com logo will be revealed soon...

Core ski destinations are chosen

The core ski destinations for the new ski accommodation brand will be:

France

Austria

Italy

Bulgaria

Andorra

Switzerland

USA

Canada

Decision is taken to launch new ski accommodation brand

Decision has been ataken to launch new ski accommodation brand, logos are done and agreed.