From 7am through to 3pm the Fort Lauderdale street team distributed complimentary lip balms, beach goodies and ice scrapers complete with competition entry details allowing visitors to win a seven night break to Greater Fort Lauderdale with Virgin Holidays. In addition, those coming along to Canary Wharf had the chance to pose behind the ice block bikinis giving the visual effect that they are kitted out in their swimwear and ready to hit the beach.


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The Winter Offer is the perfect opportunity to plan an exciting city break in London as a family, with friends or with your loved one and enjoy all that the capital has to offer: world-class shopping, a trip to the theatre, fantastic restaurants, amazing museums and much, much more!


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Here is the top 10 list by SnowTrex:

Number 1: Switzerland – Laax: every snowboarder’s dream with four snow parks, more than 90 obstacles, 160 m half-pipe, shoot-my-ride kicker, Freestyle Academy

Number 2: Austria – Absolut Park Flachauwinkl: 1.5 km long, natural terrain “Burton The Stash”, south-facing half-pipe, unique chill-house

Number 3: Austria – Playstation Vita Ischgl Snowpark: 1.8 km long, concert stage, extra obstacle park, bag jump

Number 4: Italy – King Laurin Snowpark Seiser Alm: natural terrain “Woodline”, Panettone parties, more than 50 obstacles, fantastic location

Number 5: Austria – Kitzsteinhorn Kaprun: very snow -sure, more than 70 obstacles, 160 m super pipe, rail garden in the village


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Georgia in Depth (page 49) – 16 days from £2295 pp – This is the longest group tour that has been offered by Regent since the company started to feature Georgia in 1987. Highlights include a night in Bakuriani visiting the Ubisi Basilica and a visit to a potter’s house.
Albania in Depth (page 57) – 12 days from £1680 pp – includes 2 nights in Bajram Curri via ferry crossing from Shkodra to explore the Valbona River Valley and views of the Mountains of Montenegro. Visit the grave of Skanderbeg in a ruined Franciscan Monastery and the traditional village of Dragobi with its many wooden and stone kullas.
Armenia in Depth (page 50) – 15 days from £1995 pp – includes 3 nights in the de-facto Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.
Myanmar In Depth (page 45)- 16 days from £2685 pp – Includes a stay in Kyaihtiyo with a soft trek to Golden Rock (a popular Buddhist pilgrimage) and visit to Allied War Cemetery near Htaukkyan

OTHER NEW ESCORTED GROUP TOURS FOR 2012 INCLUDE :

Russia in Luxury Group Tour (page 37) – 8 days from £2085 pp – The rise of the Russian oligarchs has had an impact, not just on its own tourists looking for high quality hotels beyond Russia, but in domestic tourists looking for higher and higher quality at home. Regent Holidays can now offer Russia in real luxury, with a choice of hand-picked 5 star hotels and 1st class train travel between Moscow & St Petersburg. See the must-see sights of these 2 cities plus a vodka factory tour, a visit to a traditional Russian ‘banya’ and a Russian cooking master class.
Pioneering North Korea (page 40)- 19 days from £2995 pp – An off the map tour going where no UK tour operator has ever been before! Focussing on rarely visited areas and some places not even mentioned in guide books. As part of the tour, Regent will charter a plane for a week to take clients into rarely visited and uncharted territory. The tour includes two nights in Samjiyon, visiting the highest point in North Korea and the Paedu Secret Camps. A full day is spent visiting Daehongdan County, an isolated part of the North of the country meeting local farmers and visiting a potato processing factory.
Classic Macedonia Group Tour (page 60)- 7 days from £1195 pp – NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
Visits archaeological sites of Heraclea, Stibera and Stobi as well as the main cities of Skopje and Bitola and popular Lake Ohrid.


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The Mar Menor, Europe’s largest salt-water lagoon offers wide expanses of shallow water with no tide or waves, providing the perfect environment for children to safely splash around or enjoy a variety of watersports.

What’s more the Murcia region is currently experiencing an unseasonably warm winter, with the recent average temperatures five degrees hotter than normal.

People choosing a UK based residential based ‘learning holiday’ this year have many options available, from painting master classes to fine dining cooking experiences and from yoga training retreats to swimming and outdoor based activity courses, there is something for everyone. Holidays like this can cost more than £300 per person for just a few days, as they include tuition and training and often accommodation and meals as well.

The cancellation of courses, especially at the last minute, can be costly. People forced to cancel a pre booked course are likely lose the deposit and, in some cases, people may be expected to pay the whole cost, depending on the holiday company’s booking terms. Cancelsure course cancellation and curtailment insurance covers people who are going on any kind of pre-booked or residential course in the UK.

Cancelsure insurance policies will meet the cost of pre-booked fees if the individual is forced to cancel the course, pull out at the last minute or cut it short. In some cases the insurer may be also able to pay for unexpected additional expenses if the traveller is forced to return home early.

World First has revealed some of the most common injuries people suffer on winter ski breaks and has identified that those most likely to have an accident are men under the age of 25.

The most common ski and snowboard accidents include:

Ruptured ligaments in the leg;
Fractures of the lower leg;
Concussion; and
Broken bones, often wrists and ankles.

Managing Partner of World First Travel Insurance, Martin Rothwell said, “Accidents on the slopes are the most common cause of medical travel insurance claims and every year we pay out on claims to cover expenses for treatment, extended accommodation and transport. We also repatriate many people back to the UK and in the event of a fatal accident we do return the body to the UK, which fortunately is not very common.

“Having travel insurance not only provides travellers with peace of mind, it also means that the costs of any medical treatment are covered, providing of course that the policy is valid, i.e. the accident is not as a result of excessive alcohol consumption or use of illegal substances.”

The cost of medical treatment where skiing and snowboarding are popular can be extremely high, as most people will be automatically funnelled into a private healthcare system. For example, to pay for treatment for the most common skiing accident, that of a ruptured ligament in the leg, people may be looking at costs in the region of £20,000.

“We are so proud to recognize this remarkable cultural destination as the Cultural Tourism Destination of the Year. Biltmore is the embodiment of the high standards this award represents. The selection criteria includes demonstrating strategic marketing initiatives to invite cultural and heritage visitors to its destination, cultivating partnerships to expand market reach and budget and, most especially, providing visitors with authentic and educational experiences with innovative programs, events and exhibits,” says. Sheila Armstrong, Executive Director of the US Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council and co-producer of the ONE Travel Conference.

Biltmore was selected for this award by a committee of leaders in cultural and heritage tourism marketing: Jo Ann Haden-Miller, Director of Consumer Marketing, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau; Patricia Washington, Vice President of Cultural & Heritage Marketing, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation; Cheryl Hargrove, Hargrove International; Michael McDowell, Senior Director of Cultural Tourism, LA Inc. (The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau) and Richard Peterson, California Academy of Sciences Director of Sales, San Francisco, California.

Biltmore was the vision of George W. Vanderbilt. Designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, America’s largest home is a 250-room French Renaissance chateau, exhibiting the Vanderbilt family’s original collection of furnishings, art and antiques. Biltmore estate encompasses more than 8,000 acres including renowned gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture and designer of New York’s Central Park. Today, Biltmore has grown to include Antler Hill Village, which features the award-winning Winery, an exhibition space and Antler Hill Farm; the four-star Inn on Biltmore Estate; Equestrian Center; numerous restaurants; event and meeting venues; Biltmore For Your Home, the company’s licensed products division; and Biltmore Inspirations, Biltmore’s home party business.

The Cultural & Heritage Tourism Destination of the Year Award is one of 22 SASI-ONE Awards (SASI = Shop America Salutes Innovation) for shopping and cultural tourism marketing excellence presented with Shop America Alliance, the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council in partnership with CenterCal Properties. Brandace Bruning of CenterCal Properties is the SASI-ONE Awards Chairperson

Along with the 8 SASI-ONE Gold Awards and 9 SASI-ONE Merit Awards for shopping and cultural tourism marketing excellence, 5 SASI-ONE Special Award Recipients were honored in the categories of Shopping Tourism Retailer of the Year, TravMedia Tourism Journalist of the Year, Cultural & Heritage Tourism Destination of the Year, Cultural Traveler Trailblazer Award and SASI-ONE Chairman’s Award. The achievements of SASI-ONE Winners from throughout the USA, Mexico and Latin America and the winners of the special awards were showcased in a video presentation.

For additional information, please visit ONETravelConference.com or contact Sheila Armstrong, co-producer of the ONE Travel Conference at CulturalTraveler@aol.com or 843.341.6392.

Operating from offices in Hampshire, Edinburgh and San Diego, Aardvark celebrated its 12th birthday last year and now boasts a sales team which has accumulated more 100 than years’ experience in planning African holidays. Personal, expert advice is a hallmark of the Aardvark service, whether clients want the finest in luxury safari or a rustic bush experience.

Dahab, which is the Arabic word for gold, is located on the South East Coast of the Sinai Peninsula and home to one of the world’s most famous diving sites, the Blue Hole. The event offers its visitors the opportunity to experience South Sinai’s watersports culture in full, offering free diving with experts, workshops, professional windsurf and kite surf displays. Those who are already a little bit more experienced can take part in wind or kite surf competitions as well as diving and buoyancy challenges.

The festival also has free yoga classes and taster sessions of healing treatments such as facial rejuvenation, Reiki massages and crystal treatments. Street art, exhibitions and special movie screenings will also cater for all alternative arts lovers.


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The Country of Honour this year will be the United Kingdom, a country with whom the festival has established a number of notable strategic partnerships, including the Royal Opera House, Manchester International Festival and Edinburgh International Festival. Three outstanding collaborations and seven events making their Arab world debut will represent the country during the festival.

After the success of Macbeth in 2011, the acclaimed UK theatre company, Globe Education at Shakespeare’s Globe, returns to Abu Dhabi with A Midsummer Night’s Dream which will bring Shakespeare to life and enhance the English language and literature curriculum.

Building on the partnership between Abu Dhabi Festival and Manchester International Festival (MIF), the education programme will feature MIF’s Music Boxes. Events will include the Scottish Opera’s BabyO which offers babies an unforgettable musical experience by seamlessly combining recorded music with live singing. Jake Rodrigues’s event will encourage song and dance in the innovative Ukulele World.

The BBC Philharmonic Maestro will offer a unique interactive musical experience for children while the sensory show, Oily Cart – Drum, is specifically designed for babies and toddlers.

As a yearly highlight of the festival, Young Artists’ Day returns to nurture the competitive spirit and young talent of Abu Dhabi’s future generation of artists. This year aspiring musicians will perform alongside the renowned Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble ACJW.

ViluReef is the first resort in the Maldives to work with the charity Pack For A Purpose. The organisation was founded on the principal that those fortunate to travel to other countries have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to the communities they visit and a big impact on the lives of children around the world. All it takes is a small amount of holiday luggage space for educational materials (5 lbs/2.27kg is recommended). Guests then pack the requested supplies and simply deliver them to the resort on arrival.

Unlike many hotels in the Maldives, Vilu Reef is located in an atoll which is surrounded by local inhabited islands. As such, guests who would like to bring more to the Maldives and make a small, easy, but meaningful donation can do so for the Dhaalu Atoll School on Meedhoo island and the Bandidhoo School on Bandidhoo island for children aged six to 16 years.

The three-night, three-round event will see golfers play on three outstanding courses – the new, highly acclaimed Onyria Palmares; Quinta do Lago South; and Laranjal – while staying at the five-star Crowne Plaza Vilamoura, from May 24-27.

And there is no need to splash out on exorbitant airline charges to take your golf clubs to the event, as entry includes complimentary hire of a set of top-of-the-range clubs – choose from TaylorMade (including R11), Callaway, Wilson or MD Golf – from the ClubstoHire.com outlet at Faro airport.

1. Kiss a moose – Åre, Sweden
Kiss a real moose, you’ll either love it or be thankful that you’re with someone who smells better. A local tradition this kiss is said to bring you good-luck!

2. Frozen waterfalls & Ice igloos – Åre, Sweden
A protected waterfall that freezes over in winter and is magically lit up come nightfall – Take the trip to Tånnforsen and enjoy the view followed by a wander round the rooms and ice bar of the ice igloos. Coffee & fresh waffles are included to keep you warm and sweet!


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The new interactive water playground will have 2 levels, span more than 60-feet in height, expand across two pools and have more than 85,000 gallons of water for guests to enjoy. The sandcastle playground itself will encompass more than 15,000 square feet, and will feature 17 slides and over 100 soakers, jets, waterfalls and water cannons.


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- Relax in the Natural hot springs of Dorres/Llo.

- Enjoy local delicacies at the Font-Romeu ski resort.

The spacious cottage, which now costs £641 for seven nights at half-term, sleeps eight in four bedrooms and is well-placed for walking the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, visiting the walled town of Tenby and enjoying family-fun attractions such as Heatherton Country Sports Park and Manor Park Wildlife Zoo.

Over 1,000 acres of private parkland, nature trails, lakes and woodland provide the perfect opportunity to don wellington boots and get muddy. There is also the opportunity to try clay pigeon shooting or put a Land Rover to the test on Luton Hoo’s extensive estate.

To include private lunch with Saturday Kitchen’s James Martin

Enjoy a two night Harbour Hotels Gourmet Break this May, at our Christchurch Harbour Hotel & Spa or The Kings Hotel, Christchurch, during the highly anticipated Christchurch Food & Wine Festival 2012 – complete with celebrity chef cookery demonstrations and a private lunch with everyone’s favourite TV chef, BBC1 Saturday Kitchen’s James Martin, all included in your break….yum!

Christchurch Food & Wine Festival is a fantastic annual foodie event, now in its 13th year, which runs from 11 to 20 May with TV celebrities James Martin, Jo Wheatley and Festival patron Lesley Waters headlining the 2012 Festival programme.

The popular International Food Market will return on Saturday 12 May and Sunday 13 May, as the High Street comes alive with dozens of stalls selling a tempting array of food and drink.

A full programme of cookery demonstrations has been planned; taking place at the Harbour Hotels sponsored Cookery Theatre, with TV favourite James Martin showing off his culinary skills on Sunday 13 May, the Festival’s patron, TV chef Lesley Waters on Saturday 12 May, and chefs from a number of local restaurants completing the programme – including our very own Alex Aitken, one of the South’s most renowned Michelin starred chefs who heads up The Jetty restaurant team (located within the grounds of Christchurch Harbour Hotel & Spa).

From Tuesday 15 May to Friday 18 May there will be a whole range of demonstrations and classes at the Festival’s CookSchool, held in The Kings Hotel, Christchurch. There will be sessions for parents and children, chocoholics and anyone who wants to learn some cookery tips from the experts.

Other highlights include the Kids Kitchen at the Priory School on Saturday 12 May and Sunday 13 May, with workshops to include the Little Munchkins Cookery Parties and pasta workshops. On Saturday 19 May a marquee on Christchurch Quay will host a vintage tea room for the Great Christchurch Bake Day and Fete with a cake competition judged by Jo Wheatley, winner of TV’s Great British Bake Off.


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