New chapter in Yacht

ADTA’s state-of-the-art Yacht

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing unveiled its eye-catching new Volvo Open 70 racing yacht in Portofino on Tuesday, a state-of-the-art design emblazoned with a falcon across its bow and main sails.

The yacht will carry the 11-strong crew, skippered by Britain’s double-Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker, through the 39,000 nautical mile Volvo Ocean Race, starting in Alicante on October 29, 2011.

The yacht was developed by Farr Yacht Design of the United States and built by Italy’s Persico in Bergamo. It was conceived in March 2010 and is the combination of more than 7,000 design and 49,000 build hours.

The most striking aspect of the brilliant black yacht shown off in Portofino is clearly the soaring falcon, the national emblem of the United Arab Emirates.

“We have invested in the very best yacht design and build technology available to underpin the highly skilled Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team we have formed,” said His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and team principal of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

Etihad Airways New Destination

The new Chengdu services will connect the UAE
Etihad Airways has announced it will commence services to Chengdu in southwest China from December 15th, 2011 – subject to government approval.
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and the airline’s 69th destination, will be connected to the airline’s hub and home base in Abu Dhabi by four non-stop return services per week.
Chief executive officer James Hogan explained the airline’s new Abu Dhabi-Chengdu service would provide the first ever flight link between the United Arab Emirates and Sichuan province.
“The new Chengdu services will connect the UAE with the economic centre and transportation and communication hub of China’s booming southwest region,” he said.
“This will further stimulate the growth of commerce and trade between the UAE and China, already the UAE’s third largest trading partner.
“It will also provide a new, more convenient gateway into southwest China for business and leisure travellers from Europe and the Middle East and a faster, new route to Europe and the Middle East for the rapidly growing Chinese outbound travel market.”
A key benefit to travellers of the Abu Dhabi-Chengdu service is convenient flight arrival and departure times and network connectivity at the airline’s hub, added Hogan.
“The schedule has been designed to provide convenient departure and arrival times for both business and leisure customers and seamless onward connections to Etihad’s extensive network across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa,” he explained.
Etihad – which was last year recognised as the World’s Leading Airline by the World Travel Awards - will operate an Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a two-class configuration on the sector – offering 22 Pearl Business class and 240 Coral Economy class seats.
Chairman of Sichuan Airport Group Li Wei said: “Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport has been focusing on the construction of infrastructure, the soft environment and consistent improvement of service levels.
“Etihad Airways is a reputable and well-established Airline. We are glad to see Etihad starting a direct service from Chengdu to Abu Dhabi, and we look forward to having more Airlines here.
“We are dedicated to building Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport as the international gateway to central and western China, and the fourth largest air transport hub in China.”

Visa Waiver Programme for Indians

Indians no longer required Ireland visa to Visit

Indians visiting Britain on tourist visas will now be able to visit neighbouring Ireland without a visa, under a waiver programme. The waiver programme will run from July 1 until October 2012, a period that includes the London 2012 Olympics, when a large number of Indian and other tourists are expected to visit Britain. Currently, Indian citizens need a visa to enter Ireland. Under Ireland’s first visa-waiver programme announced in Dublin, citizens of 14 countries including China, India, and parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East will no longer need a visa for a short-term visit once they have cleared immigration in the UK during the period. The Irish government hopes it will result in extra tourism revenue especially from companies and the Olympics. The programme is designed to assist in the promotion of Ireland as a quality tourist destination for markets which hitherto would not have been regarded as traditional source countries for tourism to Ireland. Announcing the programme, Ireland’s Justice and Defence minister Alan Shatter said: "Our economic difficulties also present us with opportunities; it gives us a chance to take a fresh look at what we do and how we do it". "Dismantling barriers which act as a disincentive to potential and sought after visitors is a case in point". An official statement said: "Individuals who avail of the Programme will not be required to pay the visa charge of 60 Euros per person". Last year, Ireland approved approximately 30,000 applications for visas from nationals of these 14 countries. However, hundreds of thousands of these nationals visit the UK as tourists every year. Ireland seeks to attract this large number of tourists arriving in Britain.

Thailand’s Sustainable Target for 2012

Amazing Thailand Always Amazes You
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched a new strategic plan to drive up visitors numbers in an era of unprecedented change in the global operating environment.
According to TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni: “Responding to constant and incessant change has become our biggest challenge.
He went on to explain the body had set a 2012 target of 19.5 million international tourist arrivals, generating approximate revenue of 760 billion Baht (US$24.85 billion USD).
This represents a nine per cent increase on the target for 2011.
TAT will continue to utilise the “Amazing Thailand Always Amazes You” theme into 2012.
Suraphon added: “In spite of all the changes taking place globally, the TAT still has many opportunities to increase visitor arrivals.
“We can see many positive factors; such as, continuing economic growth in many countries particularly in this region, the positive effect of people who do not cancel their travel plans but merely change their destinations in the event of unpredictable natural phenomena, and the progressive liberalisation of economic growth and transportation in the ASEAN region.”

First time in Four Years

Car Rental Tariff Fall for the First Time in Four Years
The cost of renting a car has risen exponentially over the past few years due to a number of factors, including the recession and recent natural disasters which have squeezed car manufacturers.  However, Holiday Autos has revealed that prices are finally decreasing for the first time in nearly half a decade. 
         Annual global price of car hire

Year   Average Price
2011     £251
2010     £268
2009     £241
2008     £197

Of the 180 destinations surveyed, prices fell fastest in Ireland, where prices have dropped 51% to an average £125 for a week’s car rental. There are also bargains to be had in Gibraltar, (where prices fell by 35% to £195) and major Spanish destinations.
However, there are still a number of pricing hot spots where a week’s car hire will cost in excess of £300. Switzerland tops the list of most expensive destinations for car hire this summer at £317 for one week’s rental, closely followed by France at £304 a week.
         Top five most expensive destinations for car rental in 2011

Destination                Cost of one week’s car hire
Switzerland                              £317
France                                     £304
Spain - Balearics - Ibiza           £284
Portugal                                  £280
Italy - Islands - Sicily                  £276

Hema Nagar, head of marketing at Holiday Autos says: “The fact that car hire prices are showing signs of coming down after such a long time is great news for holidaymakers. There are a number of locations where you can pick up a good deal on your rental so it’s worth thinking about destinations where your money will go further.
“However, as our data reveals, there are still places where you could pay a hefty premium for car hire, particularly if you book last minute or during peak season, so we would always advise customers to book early to ensure they get the car that suits their needs at a good price.”
* Prices based on hiring a ‘compact’ category car for seven days in July 2010 compared to July 2011.