Ibiza

Young Europeans flock to Ibiza for the island’s clubs and nightlife,

Often still living at home, and with plenty of money, young Brits, Italians and Germans are spending more per person on their trips than the conventional family on their villa and hotel breaks on the neighbouring islands Menorca and Majorca.

But perhaps the biggest surprise is that the amount of time spent on Ibiza by each tourist is longer than on Menorca and Majorca - destroying the myth that Ibiza is primarily for long weekends or short trips for a couple of nights in the club.

The amount spent by Ibiza tourists averaged 94 Euros a day - a huge contribution to the island’s economy.

Commenting on the figures, a Menorca travel guide says both sets of figures will surprise many who steer away from Ibiza because of her reputation.

Ibiza is also a paradise for sports enthusiasts: tennis, golf, riding, biking, quads, karts.watersports and diving.

Ibiza clubs:

Amnesia: An open air disco on Ibiza. The birthplace of the Balearic music style.

Pacha: The first club to open here back in 1973. There are now over 70 frashinsing Pacha's all over the world.

Privilege: Officially the world's biggest club. Mind-blowing interior complete with pool, gardens, back room

Family Island

Of the three Balearic Islands, Menorca is known as the quiet one, the type of island where you take your family on holiday if there aren’t any mid to late teens who need entertaining, which would be more suited to Majorca. Ibiza is well known in Europe as a clubbing destination.’

Menorca villas are often let out to holidaymakers, with the season generally running from May to end September.

As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.

Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.

Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Park, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.

The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.

Lovely Lisbon Offers

Lisbon is the westernmost capital in Europe and the capital of Portugal. In addition to being Portugal’s political center, the Greater Lisbon area is also one of the major financial centers of the entire Iberian Peninsula. While those attributes may not draw huge crowds of tourists, Lisbon’s many sights and gorgeous parks do.

Lisbon’s attractions are many and varied. The area in the center of the city is called the Baixa. The Baixa is set up like a grid with separate squares. This layout came to be after a large part of the town built by "Marquês de Pombal" in the medieval area was leveled by an earthquake in 1755.

There are seven hills in Lisbon. On the top of the tallest of those hills, situated east of the Baixa, are the Castelo de Sao Jorge and the Lisbon Cathedral. Other attractions are Commerce Square, the beautiful Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao Velha, Rossio Square, and Restauradores Square.

One of the more unusual tourist attractions in Lisbon is the Elevador de Santa Justa, which, as the name implies, is an elevator. This structure was built in the Art Noveau revival style around 1900. Its purpose was to connect the Baixa and Bairro Alto.

Lisbon also has many famous museums. Among them are the National Museum of Ancient Art, the Museum of Portuguese-style Tile Mosaics, and the National Museum of Costume and Fashion. Lisbon also boasts the largest collection of royal coaches in the world housed in the National Coach Museum (Museu dos coches).

Another popular attraction is the monument to ".Cristo Rei", which stands in Almada. The statue of Christ stands with arms spread wide overlooking the entire city. It was built after World War II in gratitude of Portugal being spared from the atrocities of war.

In western Lisbon lies the enormous Monsanto Forest Park. With an area of about four square miles, this park actually takes up most of the western side of the city. As large as this park is, though, it’s not the biggest of Portugal’s green areas. Parque Eduardo VII, located in the center of the city, holds that honor. It was named after King Edward VII of England because of his visit at the time of his inauguration.

In addition to its many sights, each June Lisbon holds a street celebration that spans five days in honor of "Santo António". He was a rich man who spent his life preaching to poor, and heaven to the fishes!

For tourists interested in visiting Lisbon’s many attractions will find no shortage of fantastic accommodations. There are a number of hotels and holiday apartments from which to choose.

Examples of hotels in Lisbon are:

As Janelas Verdes Inn Lisbon: This beautiful hotel takes its name from an 18th century palace standing next to the National Art Museum. The name means “green windows.” The hotel is charmingly decorated with artful objects, books, and pictures drawing on the inspiration of Portuguese novelist Eca de Queiros, who many say lived in the palace from time to time. Each room is sunny and cheerful. Guests will enjoy breakfast in the garden during warmer months.

Lapa Palace Lisbon: Live like royalty in this magnificent hotel that was originally a private home built in 1870 for the Count of Valenca. It’s located in the city center and has a marvelously elaborate entrance. The hotel sits atop a hill overlooking the Tagus River, so many of the rooms have a wonderful view of the river. The hotel is surrounded by beautiful gardens decorated with ornamental fountains and streams.

York House Hotel Lisbon: This small boutique hotel was once home to Carmelite nuns. It’s considered among the most charming hotels in Lisbon. The entrance to the hotel is cheerfully painted with matisse blue walls and a stone staircase leads to the garden terrace. The hotel is located in Rua das Janelas Verdes in the city’s center, very close to the Ancient Art Museum.

Examples of holiday apartments in Lisbon are:

Old Town Apartments: This is a collection of four apartments in one building. Each unit has one bedroom three of them sleep four people and one sleeps two people. The apartments are in a 19th century building that was fully restored in 2005. It’s located in the center of Lisbon in one of the oldest areas.

Modern Central Apartment: This lovely one-bedroom apartment is on the third floor of a restored historic building in central Lisbon. It’s a short walk from the Rossio in the Baixa and within walking distance of the subway. The view from the living room window is spectacular. Guests are greeted with a bottle of wine and a basket of fruit.

Old Villa: In the center of Lisbon sits a cozy villa that accommodates up to six guests. There are two spacious floors with a total of three bedrooms. The villa is within minutes by foot of restaurants, shops, cinemas, the bus station, and the subway. The villa has a small terrace and a fully equipped kitchen.

The unique grid-like layout of the city of Lisbon makes it easy to navigate through, and its many sights make it a pleasure. Vacationers who enjoy cultural attractions and who also enjoy a little green space will thoroughly enjoy a trip to Lisbon.
Article source: ContentLog.com

Cyclo Tourism

Cyclo tourism is a hobby that combines tourism and cyclism and is practiced by the cyclo-tourist. The activity consists of discovering new sites, landscapes and places or to visit lands and countries using the bicycle as a means of transportation. Cyclo tourism is not to be confused with long distance sporting racing events such as the Tour de France, it is first and above all a leisure activity, the extra exercise is an added bonus but not the main and only objective of cyclo-tourism. It is however a form of eco tourism.

Forms of cyclo tourism

Cyclo tourism can be characterized by the distance traveled, the length of the trip and the nature of the equipment used.

The short excursion consists of a single or a half day ride. It doesn’t require any specialized equipment apart from the standard tire repair kit, water bottle and maybe a light snack.

The long excursion can be as long as a few hundred kilometers ride with camping equipment, a more extensive bicycle repair kit and special clothing and garments to face the eventuality of changing meteorological conditions. This way a cyclo tourist can circumvent entire countries, cross borders or travel between distant cities. Some cycle tourists even go as far as traveling the world and crossing multiple continents by planning ahead with great precision for any possible eventualities and scenarios.

In France and continental Europe a network of roads dedicated to cyclist tourist called “veloroute” is under construction to facilitate the movement of cyclists across Europe. These roads are specially designed to be far away from super highways and high traffic road ways while using common touristic itineraries giving cyclo tourists access to conventional touristic attractions such as camping grounds, museums, restaurants and accommodations. The economical advantages to local economies help to finance and develop the “veloroute”.
History

Cyclo tourism was pioneered by Paul Vivie in France in the late 1890’s, the first excursions were Lyon-Nice and were executed in less than 24 hours. He is the founder of the 7 commandments of Velocio (cyclo tourism):

- Take rare and short breaks
- Have numerous light and frequent meals, eat before being hungry and drink before being thirsty
- Never push until abnormal fatigue that leads to lack of sleep and appetite
- Cover yourself before being too cold and uncover yourself before being too hot
- During excursion, limit or eliminate tobacco and alcohol consumption

Equipment

The bike is the most important element of the cyclist tourist. It must be comfortable and sturdy to accommodate the extra weight required on long excursions. The seat is particularly important because if not suited to long trips it will cause blisters, bruising and pain on long journeys. The frame is usually made of high quality steel from reputable companies such as Reynolds, Vitus or Colombus. Mud flaps must wide and sturdy, ball bearings must be of high quality, saddle bags must be roomy and are often made of high quality leather. Most long excursion bicycles are actually usually custom made to withstand the special and extenuating conditions and circumstances that cyclo tourism can bring. Lighting should be complete with head lamp and break lights, tires must be of high quality and made for both street and moderate off road conditions.
Article source: ContentLog.com

Tourism in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is situated in the south eastern part of Europe and occupies the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the north it borders with Romania, to the west with the Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, on the eastern side is the Black Sea, to the south borders with Greece and to the southeast with Turkeys European part.

Bulgaria has a total area of 111 000 square kilometres.

Extremely varied large plains and lowlands, low and high mountains, valleys and lovely gorges, numerous lakes and rivers.

Temperate continental climate with very distinctive four seasons.

A Mediterranean influence is felt in the countrys most southern regions.

Bulgaria is located on the Back Sea coast in Eastern Europe and has been a traditional holiday destination for tourists throughout Europe for many years. The mountainous towns in the West of the country are endowed with substantial snowfall during the winter months affording a long ski season, while the Black Sea coast enjoys bright sunshine and high temperatures during the summer months.

There are three international airports in Bulgaria, one in Sofia and two on the Black Sea coast in Varna and Burgas. Clearly each country has an individual capacity to prosper based on its raw materials and traditional industries, and in Bulgarias case the driver is tourism.

Since 1991, working with the IMF, and more recently in working towards 2007 entry to the European Union, Bulgaria has stabilised its macro economy and worked to develop an infrastructure and business environment to facilitate tourism and external investment. The budget airlines are expected to begin flights within the next 2 to 3 years.

The Bulgarian government has developed a program for increasing tourism, especially in skiing and beach holiday resorts. The program includes support and development of infrastructure, services, cultural offerings, historical sites, green areas, and tourist information centres.

The tourism industry in Bulgaria increased by 18 percent in 2003, the highest figure in Europe. This trend is also the same for the winter period. In December 2003 there were 28 percent more tourists in Bulgaria than in December 2002. This increasing popularity is particularly noticeable in the UK, with 130,000 Britons of visiting during the summer of 2004. Tourism from the UK increased by 60 percent between 2003 and 2004, with Britons now the seventh largest group of visitors.

Despite this, the price of property on the Bulgarian coast is around a third of that in Spain, while the cost of living is also significantly lower. This represents a great investment opportunity for those interested in property. Prices in Bulgaria are already rising fast driven by the following key factors. Stable economy with currency pegged to the Euro. Significantly cheaper prices than Spain and other Western resort destinations the low cost of living. Joined the EU January 2007 The booming tourist trade. Impending arrival of the UK/Irish budget airlines.
Article source: ContentLog.com

Dublin Tourism Attractions

Dublin is special, a place where tradition and cultural heritage have merged seamlessly over the centuries to create an atmosphere simply unique to Dublin.

Dublin Tourism Attractions represents a select number of finest visitor attractions, capturing the essence of Irelands cultural and historic capital city and county.

Dublin is renowned world wide as a city of writers and literature, home to such literary pens as Joyce, Shaw and many others, celebrated at the Dublin Writers Museum, James Joyce Museum and the Shaw Birthplace.

Malahide Castle is a beautifully restored residence with distinctive elegance and charm. The extensive grounds of the Malahide Castle Demense are also home to the delightful Fry Model Railway and the Talbot Botanic Gardens. Malahide Castle is also the home to Taras Palace, one of the worlds most significant Dolls Houses. Inspired by Sir Neville Wilkinsons celebrated Titanias Palace of 1907, Ron and Doreen McDonnell sought to recapture the spirit and purpose of Sir Neville, when they began the creation of their own masterpiece Taras Palace in 1980.

An essential feature for any European capital, little or large, is a good shopping district a few streets of well stocked stores with gorgeous window displays hinting at even more treats within. Well, Dublin is quite well endowed in that respect. Not only do you have the lively pedestrian shopping streets at the heart of the city, replete with buskers and street performers, but there are a number of huge shopping centres in the outskirts offering the same excellent choice all under one roof, or go further a field to the surrounding towns where youll find boutiques and craft shops stocking items you know you wont find anywhere else.

If you want an evening in the old style with traditional Irish food, music and some Irish dancing, youre spoilt for choice. What about a huge luxuriant late bar with cocktails, imported beer and music you cant stop bopping to. Then on to a club of your choice pop, r and b, seventies disco, salsa, jazz, alternative, or all of above. Trendy, beautiful, student friendly, its all possible.

Wherever you eat, portions will be generous, especially in pubs. With its coastal location, its not surprising to find so much seafood on offer in Dublin, in particular smoked salmon and oysters are a favourite and are usually consumed with a Guinness.

When you spend your time in Dublin you will be assured of a very warm welcome and very special memories, and foremost among those memories will be the times you spent visiting the Dublin Tourism Attractions.
Article source: ContentLog.com

Malta Tourism A Step Closer

This year’s holiday arrivals on the sunshine island of Malta is set to reverse the decline of recent years after the introduction of new routes from the island’s core UK market, and recent news suggests that other European airlines could soon be landing at Malta Airport, bringing with them a new set of tourists.

The Spanish airline, ClickAir, it was thought had hoped to operate a once a week return service from Barcelona Airport to Malta, but the Maltese authorities persuaded them to increase this to a twice weekly service.

Early indications are that the service will start in June.

It’s an interesting development for Malta, which traditionally has relied on the UK market for tourism.

Visitor numbers have declined in recent years, although signs are that this year could see a pick up from the UK as low cost airlines start to deliver passengers on the island.

Tourists arriving from new markets as well as the core UK one could see a good improvement in holiday and hotel bookings in the years ahead.

As British holiday arrivals have dropped, some of the slack has been taken up by tourists from Italy, reducing the overall impact of less tourists. St Julian’s seems to be a particularly favoured area of the Italian visitors.

UK Arrivals

Ryanair’s new routes from London and Dublin to Malta have proved a success both for the airline and for the island since the launch in November of their Luton flights. Initial estimates of an extra 80,000 tourists due to Ryanair might be much lower than the true figure when results are published. Reports suggest that Ryanair might be considering further flights to Malta from different destinations. Whether this will be from the UK or elsewhere isn’t clear yet.

Air Malta, the island’s national airline, has run a successful campaign to sell seats, and has opened up a new route from the North-West of England, flying from Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport.

With the arrival of more holidaymakers, the possibility of increased property sales to overseas buyers becomes more of a reality as well, so the real estate sector as well as the holiday market is keeping a keen eye on arrival figures for the months ahead.

Some UK overseas property agencies who deal with property in Malta think that property prices could rise in 2007.

‘With lower fares, Malta becomes a destination viable for 3 and 4 days trips a few times a year from the UK, and that will attract buyers to look at Malta in the same way they do France and Spain when considering where to buy a holiday home abroad. The weather in Malta and low fares could be a magnet for buyers’, commented one recently,

There is a warning however from some that property prices on the island might not necessarily escalate in the same way that regions of France have seen when low cost airlines have started flying to their region.
Article source: ContentLog.com

Mallorca Yacht Race

This summer’s SuperYacht Cup, held off Palma de Mallorca, will be the most competitive for the yachts since the event began ten years ago.

With 40 entries so far, and another 20 possibles by the time the yachting weekend comes along, will ensure races to remember both for the yacht crews and spectactors, with plenty of social events organised for the evenings.

The organisers have appointed a Race Officer for this year’s event, to move the image from one of fun and socialisng, to that of a serious yacht competition, with the social side as active as ever.

The new officer has experience of helping to organise regattas in Cowes, on the UK’s Isle of Wight, one of the most famous locations in the yachting world, has sailing experience himself and brings to the Mallorca Supercup a drive and level of experience necessary to meet the organisers ambitions.

Palma in Mallorca is well suited for sailing. Set in the Mediterranean, with Menorca and Ibiza as close neighbours, it’s an ideal base for the Mediterranean.

The actual bay of Palma is ideally suited for the Cup races, and is some ten miles (nearly 15 kilometres) wide, with a naturally occuring wind - vital for good yachting!

As well as Mallorca, the yachting world has a busy year ahead in Europe, with Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight, and for the megayachts the Monaco Yacht Show in September just two of the occasions to look forward to.

The Balearics

The SuperYacht Cup is a welcome event for the holiday island of Mallorca. As well as drawing extra tourists for the event itself it adds an extra attraction for those holidaymakers already on the island, adding to the possibility of a return visit in future years - and with more destinations to choose from in recent years repeat visitors has become an important strategy in tourist locations.

As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.

Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.

Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Park, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.

The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.

Despite competition from other destinantions, Mallorca looks set to remain a favourite holiday spot for some time to come.
Article source: ContentLog.com

Tourism in Kiev

Kiev is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The Ukraine is one of the largest countries in Eastern Europe and has a population of about 50 million.

The natural and historic cultural potential of Ukraine cannot be overestimate, from miles of beautiful coastlines and the Carpathians Mountains to the Dnipro River and the coastline of Crimea. Some streets are like forests, with glimpses through the branches of art nouveau balconies, vibrant cafes and beautiful sculptures. The city is a gem to explore since there are so many wonderful attractions in such achievable distances from each other. Enthusiasts of art and architecture will have a field day during a Kiev short break or weekend holidays in Ukraine.

One of the most ancient of Slavonic cities, Kiev for centuries has remained Russia’s major historic and cultural centre. Nowadays the cultural life of the Ukrainian capital is extremely rich and diverse and represents a wide range of experimental and traditional styles. For those interested in art, Kiev has a lot to offer. The art collections and architecture of Kiev are recognized world treasures. Theatre and museums buffs are offered an extensive list of celebrated establishments to choose from.

Theatre buffs will find much to choose from here. Most performances are in Ukrainian or Russian. The recently renovated Kiev Opera House presents very good opera as well as a broad repertoire of ballets. The Kiev Young Theatre is very popular and stages innovative plays in Ukrainian or Russian. The Ivan Franko Theatre is the centre of Ukrainian drama, comedy, and musicals. This repertoire has just opened its 75th season and includes brilliant versions of Aeneid and Teve Tevel, the original version of Fiddler on the Roof.

Ukrainian pottery, embroidery and handicrafts are available throughout the city. Quality and quantity vary from shop to shop. A growing number of hard currency stores stock Western food, alcohol, clothing, and electrical appliances. Most prices, in hard currency stores, are higher than those in the West and availability of stock is unpredictable.

A continental humid climate although it has changed significantly during recent decades. The warmest months are June, July, and August. The coldest are December, January, and February. Snow cover usually lies from mid November to the end of March.

Kiev offers endless opportunities for tourism. Travelling to this city may be one of the most pleasurable experiences in your life.
Article source: ContentLog.com

Yachting World Menorca

The Spanish island of Menorca has long been regarded as the quietest of the three islands that make up the Spanish Balearics, but the holiday isle, much favoured by British and other European tourists, is set to steal the limelight for a while at least with the King’s Cup for Classic Yachts.

The sailing regatta is due to be held in the Port of Mahon - Mahon is the capital of Menorca - ideally suited for sailing and one of the world’s best known deep water harbours.

The harbour is often a port of call for cruise ships touring the Mediterranean.

The Classic Yachts Weekend includes three different classes of boat. Vintage yachts, which were launched before 1949, Claasic Yachts that were built before 1975, and at the organisers’ discretion Spirit of Tradition Yachts.

The timing of the weekend is good for Menorca. Visitor numbers have been down in recent years, and in an attempt to lengthen the season and make up numbers the island is trying to extend her normal peak times from May to September to April through October.

It has also seen the success of similar yacht events in neighbouring Mallorca.

This summer’s SuperYacht Cup off Mallorca will be the most competitive for the yachts since the event began ten years ago.

With 40 entries so far, and another 20 possibles by the time the yachting weekend comes along, will ensure races to remember both for the yacht crews and spectactors, with plenty of social events organised for the evenings.

The organisers have appointed a Race Officer for this year’s event, to move the image from one of fun and socialisng, to that of a serious yacht competition, with the social side as active as ever.

The new officer has experience of helping to organise regattas in Cowes, on the UK’s Isle of Wight, one of the most famous locations in the yachting world, has sailing experience himself and brings to the Mallorca Supercup a drive and level of experience necessary to meet the organisers ambitions. Menorca might need a person of similar calibre to promote her own events.

As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.

Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.

Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Park, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.

The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.

Despite competition from other destinations, Mallorca looks set to remain a favourite holiday spot for some time to come, and Menorca will hope that some of her success is passed onto her sister island in the Balearic Islands.