CD-Traveller tells you what’s hot and what’s not in the travel world. This month, Spain and skiing holidays both get a big thumbs up, but readers are advised to think twice before booking a bungee jump in Zambia or getting a tattoo in Bali

CD-Traveller tells you what’s hot and what’s not in the travel world. This month, we’re loving the sound of the Strictly themed cruise and booking breaks in the Big Apple and Burma, while crossing our fingers that the situation improves quickly in Cairo

Cruise veteran, Viv, reveals why cruise ships are sometime forced to change their itinerary

CD-Traveller tells you what’s hot and what’s not in the travel world. This month, we’ll be booking the bus to Scotland while crossing our fingers that the situation improves quickly in Cairo

A survey by holiday comparison site, Travel Supermarket, has found that more than one in 10 UK holiday-makers will opt for familiar destinations – step forward Spain, Portugal, Italy et al.

Mr Mehdi Houas, the Tunisian minister of commerce and tourism, revealed today at the Tunisia press conference at World Travel Market that as a result of the Arab Spring, Tunisia has (somewhat unsurprisingly) seen a decrease in tourists.

Israel’s minister of tourism, Stas Misezhnikov, used his country’s press conference at WTM as an opportunity to urge attendees to vote for the Dead Sea in the international contest to find the new Seven Wonders of the World.

Egypt may have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons this year (the clashes in Cairo earlier this week killed 25 people and injured more than 300), but the Egyptian pyramids remain the sight most people want to see before they die.

It looks as though those of us who haven’t booked holidays are finally getting around to it. Over the weekend, travel agents that we’ve spoken to saw more customers than they expected. Last minute bookings seem to be the theme this year again.

CD Traveller tells you what’s hot in the travel world. This month the Turks and Caicos, camping and the Spanish Costas are all having a moment while sleeping pilots and towel thieves get the red arrow

At present, probably the best holiday bargains are to be found in either Tunisia or Egypt. Other Middle Eastern and North African countries like Yemen, Syria, Algeria don’t attract many British visitors. Jordan has been at pains to point out that they are open for business as has Oman which had a bumper tourism year in 2010. Morocco has been visited by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall which suggests all is quiet and safe. But are you encouraged to holiday there? Do the deals tempt you?

CD Traveller tells you what’s hot and what’s not in the travel world. This month the future looks red hot for Virgin’s cabin crew but gap years could be on their last leg…

Some might have have thought it too earlier to notice a rebound in people looking for holiday in Egypt but one supplier is finding that t has started already. At The New York Times Travel Show I found that Zak Fouad of a US tour operator called Signature Getaways was noticing that he was getting more enquiries about escorted tours there. And the enquiries were turning into orders.

Back last autumn you would probably expect that Egypt and maybe Tunisia would have been hot spots for tourist bookings this year. After the removal of the Tunisian president in January, it was to be expected that there would be a downturn in bookings at least until things had stabilised. The same could be said about Egypt. But as the disruption continues in North Africa and the Middle East, will, tourists be deterred from going to the whole area?

Our favourite Middle East holiday destination has had wall-to-wall news coverage over the last 12 hours or so. The French have advised their tour operators not to send French holidaymakers to the country but our foreign office has issued no similar warning. As such, anyone wanting to cancel holidays there in the next week or so has no option other than to lose their money or, maybe wait a bit longer and see if the foreign office does issue a statement saying all but essential travel to anywhere in Egypt is advised against.

Chris Wrede – Tukuyu, Tanzania
What do you like to do on holiday?
Stay in small locally owned hotels out of the tourist centers that are used by locals as much as travelers. Less luxury but loads more quirkiness and more interesting people. From this base I like to wonder the streets and sites, and visit [...]

One of the criticisms that visitors have to Egypt has been the way that some Nile cruise vessels dock. You think you might have a great view of the banks of the Nile. Yet in the morning you peer out and you see another Nile cruise ship moored next to you. And another. And another. Sometimes as many as 6 can be tied up to each other and your view of the majestic heritage is non-existent.

Zohair Garramah is the Minister of Tourism for Egypt. He is also one of the few – come to think of it probably the only minister I have come across – who has tourism experience because he used to be a hotelier. Consequently when he speaks, he speaks with a little more experience than the usual politician. In London yesterday he criticised the doubling of our Air Passenger Duty (APD) earlier in the month.
His criticism was not against the tax in general.

According to ABTA, about 2 million of us will leave the country to enjoy Easter abroad. And maybe some decent weather after the returning wintry conditions of this week.
It won’t come as a great surprise to many of you that Spanish resorts are doing well with Tenerife and the Canaries leading the way. You could also guess that Egypt and Turkey are doing well and so they are but Tunisia has also picked up a lot of bookings. Going slightly further afield, Florida is attracting the usual school age groups and booking seem to be up despite the fact that the biggest new attraction, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter doesn’t open until June 18th.
The usual places seem to fill the top spots each year for overseas citybreak destinations. Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin lead the pack with Milan and New York not far behind and this is despite the weakness of the pound against the euro and the dollar.
So who is going away?

Last November there was a further increase in the Air Passenger Duty (APD) we UK based flyers pay. Next November it will go up yet again. In Ireland a similar tax is blamed by Ryanair for a substantial fall in the number of people visiting there and its decision to maintain quite so many planes at Dublin. It has concerned some countries that their tourism is being affected so the Netherlands has abolished the tax.
The UK is one of the most heavily taxed, if not the most heavily one for airline flights. But it doesn’t only hit people in the UK. Because of the high cost, overseas countries that rely on tourism for substantial national income are worried we won’t travel there.

Just as Europe has capitals of culture; this year, Istanbul, Essen and Pecs so the Arab world highlights a city each year. This year it is Alexandria in Egypt, a city which is more well known than visited by British and Irish tourists. It is known as where Cleopatra had her palace, where the great lighthouse was one of the wonders of the world and home of the ancient world’s largest library. Founded and named after Alexander the Great, its glory days ended centuries ago as Cairo gradually became the capital.
Today it is where Egyptian city people go for the holiday. The days when the British and Europeans seem to take over the city have gone. Today Europeans visit Cairo and Luxor or go to the Red Sea resorts.

Around here the schools have just broken up and kids are everywhere. But so are cars heavily laden with luggage so it is obvious that some people are leaving tonight for the Christmas break. Maybe they are all trying to travel before even more snow comes over the weekend.

ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) claims that today and next Wednesday will be two busiest days on the roads or at railway stations, airports and ferry terminals as people make the way off for the break. They estimate that 3 million us will be heading away of the Christmas period. This number is about the same as last year so our appetite for a break seems as strong as ever

Egypt has been one of the success stories of the last few years. Blessed with a fascinating culture, beaches on the Red Sea and a heritage that is second to none, Egypt could be seen as almost the perfect destination. Everything is there.

Now there will be more as they develop the “White Med” which is the coastline west of Alexandria and towards El Alamein and beyond

In the travel industry there are only two seasons, summer and winter. Summer ends at the end of October. No figures have come out yet showing what we did this summer but there are some hints.

We didn’t go abroad as much as we did the year before. Maybe the numbers dropped by between 15 and 20%. Europe and North America would have been the worst hit since their currencies were strong and there was less discounting on hotel prices. Unlike Turkey where flexibility and keen pricing will have prompted many more of us to go there

Seemingly around faster than ever, half term is upon us and it usually throws up some surprises as to what destinations we prefer to go to.
But no this year, the choice appears to be pretty similar to those summer places we chose. Last summer you might remember we shunned Spain and many other places in the eurozone and opted for Egypt and Turkey in much greater numbers. Still Spain was the top destination. This time we have done the same. A Spanish destination is top but there have been lots more people heading away to Sharm El Sheikh and Dalaman.

All the schools have broken up now. My local rail carpark is only about half full and the 7.30am traffic jam no longer exists. That means that some of you have already started your holidays.So are you holidaying in this country, having a staycation or are you going abroad after all? We are going to [...]

With travel agencies opening for the first day after Christmas traditionally, today, begins the big booking period for summer holidays. Its cold across most of the country but dry on the whole and it will be bright.Why the weather forecast?Generally if it is raining, snowing or the weather is miserable then summer holiday bookings increase. [...]

Who he you may well ask.Dr Zahi Hawass has headed up the Supreme Council Of Antiquities in Egypt for the last six years. As such he is responsible for the archaeological excavations throughout the country, it’s musuems and those travelling exhibitions that go around the world.With his trademark cowboy hat he has become quite a [...]