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T
he holiday business has turned very traditional after the 2008 downturn and has stayed that way. But there are new services to play with in 2014 and a growing number of destinations at the right price to attract the curious,
JANUARY 2014 PAGE 19
DESTINATIONS: WHAT’S HOT
14 for 2014
TORONTO
Amid the fuss about Aer Lingus now Toronto daily route to commence Apr 21 2014 (a Boeing 757 in 12-165 configuration), you could forget that Air Canada are going daily on the route having operated a seasonal service, and Air Transat are still operating on the route. Toronto’s big ticket openings in recent months were Ripley’s aquarium and the Edgewalk tower, a newly opened scarey experience. Beyond the city the Niagara wine district is worth a visit, with 75 wineries and George Bernard Shaw have their own theatre festival dedicated to the writer from April to November.
SAN FRAN
Back on the map with direct flights to the city of Alcatraz, San Francisco is the most European of American cities with the street trams and an amazing array of restaurants. This is where Irish coffee was first served commercially.
RHODES Back in the brochures after a few years, Falcon Holidays will operate a direct charter for summer 2014 including packages in the the Holiday Village Rhodes in Kolymbia. Many people’s first holiday in decades past, the island has revitalised its tourist product. Falraki, while still boisterous, has a fabulous beach with great facilities and watersports, also has the largest water park in Europe, a state-of-the-art bowling park, a history park, an amusement park
New Year: new places to go Toronto is the city which hsas seen most route expansions in 2013
and a fully air-conditioned fun-park for families and younger children.
EGYPT If you have been put off by the trouble, don;t be. Direct flights resume December 26th form Dublin (they continued through the season from Belfast) and hotel rates are offering some of the best value in the beach business. ALGARVE In-
terest in the region was sustained through recent years by the terrific value on offer, flights to Faro have become so popular that Aer Lingus will use their A330 for a rotation between transAtlantic flights in summer 2014, as they already do with Malaga.
FLANDERS
You cannot escape the centenary of the first world war, with a small industry of documentaries, re-enactments and commemorations al-
ready having sprung up. Going to the battle fields themselves is a much more pleasant and immersive experience than listening to the TV jingo on the satellite channels. Some restaurants will recreate the menus of the period for you.
SWANSEA
Dylan Thomas’ centenary is the excuse for a trip to Laugharn, beautiful and inspirational spot in any year. As citybreaks go, Swansea is under-stated and low cost and a short journey away by ferry.
year, due to the range of connections through Abu Dhabi (Etihad) and Dubai (Emirates). Emirates has started flying from Dubai to Phuket. Thai will have an A380 on the London route from summer 2014 and easy connections with Aer Lingus through terminal 2 at Heathrow when both airlines move there. Thailand has launched a high profile wedding and honeymoon campaign, although they need to make the weddings easier to make more headway in this business.
DONEGAL Har- QUEENSLAND vey’s Point and Lough
Eske together have raised the standards of the home hotel product. Five star and four star plus prices in Donegal are much lower than the traditional luxury end product in Munster
THAILAND
More than 60,000 Irish will go to Thailand this
We cannot get enough of Australia, with 12,000 visa migrants and 50,000 other tourists heading there each year. Emirates and Etihad have an amazing number of seats to sell to Australia and Turkish will offer one stop connections through Istanbul from April. It is the year of Queensland,
with Cairns hosting Australian Tourism Exchange and the focus on Port Douglas and its hinterland..
WILD ATLANTIC WAY Signage wil be
in place in April for Ireland’s equivalent of the Great Pacific Highway, brining profile and, hopefully, property to al the small villages, inns, hotels and hostelries in its path. Drive it before the tourists.
can be expected to bring prices down. Infrastructure is the other big legacy, monorails are being constructed in São Paulo and Manaus. The World Cup is being used to revitalise the cities centres that have been abandoned by the middle class in the past. In the coastal cities Fortaleza. Salvador, Natal and Rio de Janeiro the city planners are making the waterside promenade much more attractive
BRAZIL Avoid the SERBIA Haven’t
world cup form June 12 to July 13, when prices wil soar. Over 40,000 new beds are being delivered to the twelve venue cities including 18 new international first class and luxury hotels with about 2,800 guest rooms. These beds have to be sold when the World Cup is over. Getting there and internal flights can be expensive but the increased lift provided by the world cup
been? Go. Great citybreaks in Belgrade at lower rates than Prague, terrific winelands and stunning Hapsburg and Ottoman fortresses.
COPENHAGEN
The Whirlpool-shaped aluminium-clad Blue Planet aquarium as the big opening in 2013, located near the airport on the metro. Copenhagen shoping and cafe culture has brought it up the citybreak charts.