A day in… Belfast

Adrian explores Belfast in a year when the city majors on its links with the ill-fated Titanic.

Explore Shandong

Heading to China in the year of the Dragon? Seek out Shangdong – steeped as it is in myth and supernatural allure

Passenger Focus

From the website

“We are the independent passenger watchdog. Our mission is to get the best deal for passengers.

We are an independent public body set up by the Government to protect the interests of passengers.”

Reviving Thailand’s Tourism

The last 12 months or so have not been kind to Thai tourism. Visitors have been deterred from going there because of the deeply held views of supporters of the government and the trenchant views of the opposition. Disruption has occurred in Bangkok and some other places and there have been outbreaks of violence. The British Foreign Office recommended that visitors stay away and as that can affect some insurance policies, some will have followed that advice. Although the stand-off still exists between government and opposition, things have been quieter. Throughout this year, very few tourists have been affected even where they fly in to Bangkok.

Climate Week Begins

These days it seems as though each week has been used by some group of other to try and get publicity. National Sausage Week has come and gone and last week was British Tourism Week. This week is Climate Week. If you immediately said to yourself what on earth has this to do with my travelling then you only have to think back to last year. For a few weeks, flights were severely disrupted, not just in Europe but around the world as the knock on effect took place of the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

Racing Around Trafalgar Square

The pigeons, the stone lions, Nelson and even the empty plinth might all be put in the shade if a race between Michael O’Leary, Chief Executive of Ryanair and Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of easyJet ever takes place.
A couple of weeks ago, Ryanair ran an advertisement with Stelios having a nose like Pinocchio, the allegation being that easyJet was hiding the truth about the punctuality of the airline. As well as that, Ryanair in the shape of Michael Cawley, the Chief Operating Officer was interviewed on BBC Breakfast and alleged that easyJet was a high fare airline.

What’s hot, what’s not

Whether you’re staycation-ing or vacationing, CD Traveller tells you what’s happening in the travel world
HOT
Having a gay time in London
The UK’s first gay tourist office opened in October in Chinatown, London. The office – located at 30 Lisle Street, WC2 – will prove to be as useful to Londoners as to tourists, covering as it [...]