Europcar and Swiss International Air Lines extend

American Airlines annonce une
nouvelle liaison de Brussels
Airport
vers
Boston
via
Londres Heathrow
American Airlines a annoncé le lancement d’une nouvelle
liaison quotidienne entre Bruxelles (BRU) et Boston (BOS) via
Londres Heathrow (LHR), à partir du 19 novembre 2009. Ce
nouveau service s’ajoute aux deux vols quotidiens directs
Bruxelles-Chicago (ORD) et Bruxelles- New York (JFK) offerts
actuellement.
Mayor
Urges
Delta
To
Reconsider Shannon Pullout –
Landing and parking charges
must be reviewed
The Mayor of Shannon has called on management at Delta
Airlines to review their decision to cease the airline’s
Shannon to New York service on October 4th next.
Councillor Sean McLoughlin said the American carrier’s basis
for ending the 13 year-old service did not stand up.
He said: “The airline claimed that low yield factors had
determined their decision to end the service. However, the
service carried 30,000 passengers last winter alone.
Furthermore, the number of persons using the service has
dramatically increased in recent weeks. One flight this
weekend, for example, was operating at full capacity. Much of
these increases can be attributed to the introduction of preclearance facilities at Shannon and the airline’s decision to
lower its fares.”
“Aer Lingus’s announcement that it will not be utilising the
US pre-clearance facilities until mid-2010 at the earliest,
along with the imminent withdrawal of Delta’s long standing
service and ongoing doubts over the future of Aer Lingus’s
Shannon to New York service have completely undermined efforts
at Shannon Airport to develop new business. The opportunities
presented to airlines by the presence of the pre-clearance
facilities are numerous but appear to be having little impact
on business growth at the airport at present”, commented the
Mayor.
Councillor McLoughlin suggested that the Shannon Airport
Authority should introduce an additional landing charge
incentive scheme in a bid to boost transatlantic traffic and
attract new operators.
He continued: “Evidence from around the world indicates that
incentive schemes for airlines planning to operate new long
haul routes are very successful and generate significant
benefits for the airports in question. The Shannon Airport
Authority, in conjunction with the Dublin Airport Authority,
should explore such options as a 5-Year incentive scheme which
could offer free landing and parking charges for the first 3
years, as well as 75% and 50% discounts for the following 2
years respectively. Another possibility would be to offer
100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 15% discounts respectively on landing
and parking charges.”
“If Shannon Airport is to ever be afforded independent status
then it must be given a free hand in matters such as its own
marketing strategies. If this does not happen then I fear that
Shannon Airport’s transatlantic business will continue to
decline”, concluded Mayor McLoughlin.
A la découverte des lieux
hantés du Parc Astérix, pour
trembler en famille…
DU 24 OCTOBRE AU 4 NOVEMBRE, laissez-vous embarquer le temps
d’une journée dans un autre monde à la fois exaltant et
effrayant. La Toussaint sera le temps des frissons au Parc
Astérix. Fantômes, esprits, sorciers investissent les allées
du Moyen-âge et du Vieux Paris pour jouer à se faire peur !
Ils sont fous ces Gaulois…
SUIVEZ VOTRE CHEMIN, NE VOUS RETOURNEZ SURTOUT PAS !
Dans le plus gaulois des parcs, une atmosphère pesante règne
sur l’univers du « Vieux Paris » avec la venue des esprits
malins… Tout commence dès l’entrée du parc… le décor est
planté…le gigantesque menhir est recouvert pour l’occasion de
tous les artifices d’Halloween… On est bien au pays des
mystères et autres légendes. Mais c’est véritablement aux
portes du Moyen-âge que semblent s’être réunis nos facétieux
fantômes…
Le Transdémonium « hanté » s’est vu jeter un sort ! Fantômes
et esprits se sont donnés rendez-vous pour terroriser les
visiteurs au détour de chaque couloir.
L’attraction Nationale 7 est pour l’occasion renommée « Chemin
des sorciers ». Les visiteurs entrent dans une gare
vieillissante et pleine de toiles d’araignées avant
d’emprunter un véhicule pour faire le tour de ce fameux
chemin…
Une Maison Hantée a même été ouverte pour l’occasion… Les
visiteurs pénètrent dans une maison où il se passe des choses
vraiment anormales et terrifiantes !
Et pour encore plus de peur, un atelier maquillage attendra
les Petibonums: maquillage, accessoires, déguisements… Mieux
vaut se camoufler pour traverser les allées de la rue de Paris
! Attention, vous pourriez faire de mauvaises rencontres… des
personnages de la cour des miracles, aux artisans ensorcelés
sans oublier les araignées qui tissent des toiles énormes… la
traversée ne se fera pas sans sursaut et tout sera fait pour
piquer…la curiosité de nos hôtes !
Inédit en France, le film Haunted House en version 3D !
Un chat noir, une maison effrayante, un cocktail réussi pour
passer 13 mn dans un univers halloweenesque à vous faire
dresser les cheveux sur la tête!
Le tout mis en scène, avec des effets 3D pour un réalisme
saisissant et des effets sensationnels. Le tout sur une
réorchestration de la Traviata de Verdi.
Réalisateur : Ben Stassen pour la société N`waves – société
belge, leader mondial de la production de films pour parc
d’attractions 4D en relief).
Pour plus de sensations, 2 Nocturnes Halloween, les 30 & 31
octobre 2009
Les nuits Halloween par excellence ! Chaque nocturne se
terminera à 22h par un retentissant feu d’artifice !
Infos pratiques :
Horaires d’ouverture :
• Chaque jour, pendant les vacances de Toussaint (du 24
octobre au 4 novembre), de 10h à 18
• Nocturnes 16h jusqu’à 22h (avec feu d’artifice musical en
apothéose) les 30 & 31 octobre 2009
Tarif
•20€ pour tous pour les nocturnes à partir de 16h
British Airways offers new
Executive Club incentives
For the first time, British Airways is offering customers
flying on discount economy tickets the opportunity to earn
Executive Club tier points to help them ascend the blue,
silver and gold ranks of the airline’s loyalty scheme.
The permanent change to the Executive Club follows a
successful trial after members said such an improvement would
be top of their wish list.
Ian Romanis, British Airways’ head of loyalty, said: “We’ve
been listening to our members and rolling out a host of new
benefits for the British Airways Executive Club. This is the
latest initiative and our customers tell us they’re delighted
we’ve made this change. It brings real value to members,
allowing them to either move more easily up the tiers, or
simply maintain their status, regardless of the type of ticket
they’re on”.
The changes mean that Silver and Gold Executive Club members
will find it simpler to maintain their status and the benefits
associated with them, including access to 150 lounges
worldwide, including British Airways’ £60 million Galleries
lounge complex at Terminal 5.
Customers in Euro Traveller (shorthaul economy) will receive
five tier points while those in World Traveller (longhaul
economy) will receive 15 tier points with every booking.
Other recent enhancements to the BA Executive Club scheme
include the ability for Gold Card holders to book any route,
cabin or date for double the cost of the standard redemption
rate, provided they book 30 days or more in advance, and the
capicity for blue members can make it to Silver, and Silvers
can maintain their status by taking 50 flights.
No points are needed to become a blue member but 600 points or
50 flights with the airline are needed to become a silver
member and then 1500 points are needed to be a gold member.
About British Airways / British Airways Holidays Ltd
British Airways Holidays Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of
British Airways plc, which offers a range of destinations,
hotels, car rental and experiences. With many money-saving
special offers available; and the security of travelling with
British Airways, British Airways Holidays Ltd can add peace of
mind to holiday plans. Working very closely with colleagues at
British Airways, British Airways Holidays constantly seeks to
exceed customers’ expectations, both in terms of the value for
money and quality of the service provided.
About the BA Executive Club
The British Airways Executive Club has four million members,
1.7m of which are in the UK alone. Anyone who takes a BA
flight can join the scheme and collect BA Miles, which are
redeemable on flights and partner offers, as well as tier
points which allow them to climb the ranks of the scheme and
accrue the additional benefits associated with each level.
European tourists flock to
Taiwan
The number of international tourists visiting Taiwan has risen
for the fourth consecutive year, with European travelers
increasing the most, the Bureau of Tourism announced Sept. 13.
The United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands lead the list,
with Belgium and Austria trailing behind and expected to gain.
Wayne Liu, bureau secretary-general, said that most people in
Taiwan assume that the majority of visiting foreigners are
American. Actually, the number of European tourists has been
rising in recent years, and topped 200,000 in 2008. From
January through July this year, more than 110,000 European
sightseers arrived, a 28.92-percent increase over the same
period last year.
Taiwan’s beautiful scenery, friendly service and clean and
nutritious cuisine all accord with European and American ideas
about recreation. European tour operators exclaim that with
the breathtaking views at Taroko Gorge and Sun Moon Lake, plus
the tremendous hospitality here, visitors can hardly help but
relax.
Liu pointed out that in 2009 four major German tourist
agencies and five in the United Kingdom entered the Taiwan
package tour market. All are well-known agencies whose
marketing ability cannot be overlooked.
Most European tours to Taiwan are small and elite, with fewer
than 20 members. A Belgian tour to arrive Sept. 23 sold out
immediately, with overbooking to 23, encouraging news for the
BOT and the tour operator in Taiwan.
JETAIR and VTB, both owned by TUI, the largest travel agency
in Europe, have sold out six tour packages to Taiwan recently,
with the first one arriving Sept. 23, the second in October,
and the other four next year. The last five groups all have 27
members each.
VTB is the largest tour operator in Belgium. The group members
arriving on the 23rd are all Belgians. One of them—77-year-old
Christiana Raman—has picked Taiwan as the 100th spot to visit
in her world travels. The tour agency in Taiwan has arranged a
surprise celebration for her in Taipei 101, the highest
building in the world already in operation. She will be
interviewed about her interest in Taiwan and what Taiwan
scenic spots Belgians favor the most.
Liu said most tours organized by European operators are
relaxed round-island tours of 12 to 14 days, with five-star
accommodations. Costs run between at least NT$60,000
(US$1,840) and NT$70,000, excluding airfare, bringing in
substantial tourism benefits for Taiwan. (JY-THN)
Source： China Times
Germany MICE Blog with latest
news from the German meetings
and congress industry
Frankfurt/Main, 14 September 2009. The GCB German Convention
Bureau is offering something new: From now on you will find
the latest news from the German meetings and conventions
industry
in
the
GCB
blog
on
http://blog-en.germany-meetings.com. Internet users can also
reach the blog directly via a link from the GCB’s homepage
www.germany-meetings.com.
The blog is updated regularly with news from German meeting
organisers and suppliers. And you can access older news in the
archives categorised by event venues – hotels, convention
centres and special locations – and sections like “green
meetings”, “incentives” and “offers”. In addition, blog
readers can search for articles using searchwords (tags) like
IMEX, art or special location. A navigation bar indicates the
most frequent searchwords and will also help you find news.
With its new online tool the GCB is no longer merely offering
news from the world of meetings and conventions once a month
in its e-mail newsletter but all the time. Without
registering, web users will find out what’s going on in the
world of events – filtered according to the most important
news and brought to the point by GCB bloggers. Readers can
write comments on the blog articles – also without
registering. Hence, the blog enables fruitful discussions
about the latest industry topics.
You can also subscribe to GCB blog news as an RSS Feed,
choosing between a news feed and an offers feed. The online
newsletter will continue to be sent once a month featuring the
most important news and a link to the new blog.
“With our new blog we offer more space for news from the
German meetings and conventions industry in a better at-aglance format. This will benefit our members, whose news we
can present here, as well as meeting, event and business
travel planners who will have easy access to the latest and
most important industry news 24 hours a day,” says GCB
managing director Lutz P. Vogt.
The GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. markets Germany as a
destination for conventions, meetings, events and incentives
both on a national and international level, and is the place
to contact for anybody planning an event in Germany.
Its 250 members include leading hotels, convention centres and
destinations, car hire firms, event agencies and service
providers of the German meetings and conventions industry.
Maritim Hotels and Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH and
darmstadtium science and convention centre are Preferred
Partners of the GCB. As Strategic Partners, Deutsche
Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn and the German National Tourist Board
(GNTB) support the work of the GCB.
The GCB is an interface between organisers of meetings and
conventions and suppliers of the German meetings market,
offers advice and support for planning and organising events,
and provides contacts and addresses. Its website
www.germany-meetings.com features an online search facility
for meeting venues, newsletter, Germany guide and a lot more.
Frontier Airlines cleared to
emerge from bankruptcy
A federal bankruptcy court approved Frontier Airlines’
restructuring plan Thursday, declaring that the Denver-based
airline, which has been under Chapter 11 protection since
April 2008, is back on solid ground since dumping several of
its jets, trimming costs and cutting jobs. “Many people
doubted that we would even survive, let alone accomplish a
successful reorganization, provide a recovery for our
creditors and emerge a stronger competitor and company,”
Frontier President and CEO Sean Menke said. American City
Business Journals/Sacramento, Calif. (9/10) , The Denver Post
(9/11)
BTExpo Pétanque Challenge
2009 : LES ABSENTS ONT EU
TORT!
76 participants divisés en 24 équipes triplettes se sont
affrontés ce mercredi 9 septembre sur les terrains du typique
Léo Pétanque Club de l’Atomium de Bruxelles. Une seule équipe
put repartir avec le super X-L trophée de pétanque; pour la
deuxième année consécutive, MOSAIQUE CULTURE remporte le
challenge, et ce, grâce aux compétences indéniables de Georges
Paci à la pétanque.
L’ambiance était au rendez-vous lors de cette deuxième édition
du BTExpo Challenge, qui a pu compter sur la chaleureuse
participation de ses deux principaux sponsors : l’Ile de la
Réunion Tourisme et Rail Europe. Si les premiers apportèrent
leur part d’ambiance grâce à leur cocktail exotique servi par
une demoiselle encore plus exotique, Rail Europe quant à eux
distribuèrent à chaque agent de voyages un set de boules de
pétanque. Notons que la soirée fut également soutenue par
Europ Assistance, Holiday Autos, Touring, Boostonline, IT
Fidelity Points et «Chez Léon », qui ne manqua pas de servir
généreusement sa délicieuse bière.
La soirée s’est déroulée de façon exemplaire et le timing fut
parfaitement respecté. Toutes les 20 minutes, un nouveau match
était annoncé par la cloche, et chaque équipe eut entre temps
l’occasion de profiter d’un délicieux barbecue. Un peu avant
23h, la finale entre Mosaïque Culture et Travex fut lancée.
Après un dur combat, au cours duquel les deux équipes se
montrèrent l’une comme l’autre aussi déterminées, Mosaïque
Culture remporta finalement la victoire et put poser fièrement
avec le trophée.
Trois généreux chèques de 5000 points IT Fidelity furent
distribués aux 3 premières équipes. Un des participants fut
particulièrement chanceux, car d’après les dires, il peut dès
à présent, et ce grâce aux points qu’il a pu épargner,
repartir avec une très attendue console de jeux WII.
A l’unanimité, tous les participants repartent enchantés de
cette soirée, et avec un seul souhait: que ce rendez-vous
devienne un incontournable évènement annuel !
“Lekker feesten in WestVlaanderen”. Meer dan 70
gastronomische evenementen
‘West-Vlaanderen Lekker Land’ is het toeristisch-culinaire
topthema voor 2009. De gastronomische troeven van de Kust, het
Brugse Ommeland, de Westhoek en de Leiestreek worden voluit in
de kijker geplaatst. Naast natuur, sport, cultuur en shoppen
hou je natuurlijk ook van ‘tafelen’. De nieuwe brochure
‘Lekker Feesten in West-Vlaanderen” koppelt het culinair genot
van ‘tafelen’ aan ‘evenementen’. De culinaire agenda brengt u
het aanbod voor het najaar 2009 en het voorjaar 2010.
Dé invalshoeken om de culinaire schatten te ontdekken vind je
op de website www.westvlaanderenlekkerland.be en in de nieuwe
evenementenbrochure ‘Lekker Feesten in West-Vlaanderen’.
Evenementen met een gastronomisch tintje vind je in overvloed
in het Brugse Ommeland, de Westhoek, de Leiestreek en langs de
Kust. De culinaire agenda voor het najaar 2009 tot en met het
voorjaar 2010 zet je meer dan 70 maal op weg.
DE TOPPERS
24-25 oktober
Poperinge – De Westhoek
KARAKTERBIERWEEKEND
Het karakterbierfestival, dat plaatsvindt in Hotel-Restaurant
Palace, groepeert een aantal minder bekende, vaak
ambachtelijke en kleinschalige brouwerijen.
Aan de
brouwerijstands kan je de meest uiteenlopende met liefde en
vakmanschap gebrouwen biertjes leren waarderen.
www.poperinge.be
14-15 november 2009
Brugge
3de BRUGS BIERFESTIVAL
De Brugse Autonome Bierproevers vzw (BAB) organiseren dit
festival in samenwerking met het Brugse stadsbestuur in de
Stadshallen op de Markt. Een 60-tal brouwers/bierfirma’s
presenteren ongeveer 200 soorten bier. Ook het speciale BAB
bier kan je er proeven.
Gastronomie krijgt in dit bierfestival een prominente plaats.
Een aantal gerenommeerde Brugse chefs verlenen hiervoor hun
medewerking. Een absolute meerwaarde !
De toegang is gratis, een speciaal ontworpen proefglas koop je
aan 3 euro. In ruil voor 1 jeton (1,25 euro/stuk) kan je
bieren proeven. Er wordt niet alleen gedegusteerd, maar je
krijgt ook de gelegenheid om al je vragen over de bieren op de
aanwezige brouwers los te laten. Dit festival is een
uitstekende gelegenheid om met volle teugen van onze rijke
biercultuur te genieten.
www.brugsbierfestival.be
29-30 november 2009
Brugge
2de WIJNHAPPENING
de
Voor de 2 editie van de Wijnhappening koos de Vereniging van
Vlaamse Sommeliers (VVS) opnieuw de Brugse Stadshallen. Het
Brugse stadsbestuur verleent ook deze keer haar medewerking
aan deze hoogwaardige wijnbeurs.
Een groot aantal wijnmakers laten je kennis maken met hun
beste wijnen. Diverse wijnhuizen uit ons land verwelkomen je
dan ook met veel enthousiasme aan hun wijnstand.
Als je van goede wijnen houdt dan is deze wijnhappening een
must!
Voor 15 euro kan je onbeperkt proeven. Bovendien krijg je een
speciaal wijnglas met het logo van de VVS dat je meeneemt naar
huis en een handig notitieboekje waarin je al je bevindingen
kan neerpennen.
www.vlaamse-sommeliers.eu
12 – 13 december
Oostende – De Kust
QUEEN OF PROMS, CULINAIRE KERSTHAPPENING
De handelaarsbond “Queen of Proms” nodigt iedereen uit voor
een gezellig culinair evenement op de Albert I-Promenade.
De
plaatselijke handelaars stellen u graag hun specialiteiten
voor. Tijdens deze winterse wandeling op de zeedijk kan u
culinaire toppers degusteren in diverse eet- &
drankstanden.
Daarnaast allerlei randanimatie, evenals een
uitgebreid aanbod mobiele acts en muzikale animatie
www.toerisme-oostende.be
Tot juni 2010
Wervik – De Leiestreek
WERVIK ONTDEKKEN MET SMAKEN
In vijf Wervikse restaurants kan je een streekgerecht proeven
dat zijn inspiratie vond in de rijke
Wervikse
geschiedenis. Zo kan je er o.a. proeven van ‘het menu der
Menapiërs en Morinnen’, het ‘gapersmenu’,… De mooie brochure
kan je gratis bekomen bij de Dienst van Toerisme in Wervik
www.wervik.be
Eind 2009
De Leiestreek
Winter in de Leiestreek – sfeervolle ontdekkingen in de
vrieskou
Eind 2009 ontdekt koning winter de Leiestreek. De regio wordt
besneeuwd met talrijke leuke evenementen en belevenissen in
een winterse sfeer. Het wordt tijd om van voor het knetterende
haardvuur te komen, je warm in te duffelen en de gezonde
vrieskou te trotseren! Diverse Leiestreekgemeenten worden
omgetoverd in gezellige sfeerdorpen met kerstmarkten, winterse
lekkernijen, schaatspistes,… Op verschillende plaatsen kan je
wandelen tussen de fonkelende, fiere kerstbomen met een
brandende fakkel in de hand. De eindejaars-happeningen zorgen
er alvast voor dat geschenkjes kopen een plezier wordt. Alle
informatie vind je in de afzonderlijke winterbrochure of op
www.toerisme-leiestreek.be
Brochure gratis verkrijgbaar:
Bij alle diensten van toerisme en bij Westtoer, Koning AlbertI Laan 120, 8200 Sint-Michiels
Bestellen kan ook via www.westvlaanderenlekkerland.be
Brussels
Airlines
adds
Johannesburg,
Cape
Town,
Accra and Khartoum to its
network thanks to partnership
with Lufthansa
Brussels, 14th September 2009 – As from today Brussels
Airlines offers a perfect flight schedule to South Africa,
Ghana and Sudan thanks to an extended partnership with
Lufthansa. All flights are operated by Lufthansa
and commercialized by Brussels Airlines through a codeshare
agreement. Alternatively, Lufthansa sells seats on the
Brussels Airlines flights to Banjul, Nairobi, Douala, Yaounde,
Bujumbura, Abidjan and Monrovia.
Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa substantially expand their
cooperation on the African market. This agreement allows
Brussels Airlines to offer its customers as from today an
excellent flight schedule to South Africa, Ghana and Sudan,
countries that up until now were not part of the vast African
network offered by Brussels Airlines. Thanks to a codeshare
agreement with Lufthansa these destinations are included in
the Brussels Airlines network portfolio. Brussels Airlines
passengers travel from Brussels Airport to Frankfurt, from
where they connect on partner Lufthansa to Johannesburg, Cape
Town, Accra or Khartoum. Since the beginning of July a similar
solution is in place for the Brussels Airlines customers who
travel between Brussels and Libreville (Gabon). Flight
schedules have been adjusted to allow for smooth connections
in Frankfurt. Passengers can choose between First, Business
and Economy Class on their intercontinental flight. All
flights are eligible for earning and redeeming Miles & More
miles.
Apart from being a major commercial and cultural partner of
Belgium, South Africa is also a popular holiday destination.
Up until now Brussels Airlines did not offer a travel solution
for customers wanting to travel to Johannesburg or Cape Town.
Thanks to the convenient daily evening/night flight BrusselsFrankfurt-Johannesburg and the seasonal flight BrusselsFrankfurt-Cape Town, this is now possible.
Also for those who want to travel to Ghana in East-Africa,
there is good news from Brussels Airlines. The prominent
Ghanaian community in Belgium and the many businessmen
interested in this economically attractive country can from
now on travel five times a week to the capital Accra thanks to
Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa. Accra enhances the
strong presence of Brussels Airlines on the African West
Coast.
The codeshare agreement between Brussels Airlines and
Lufthansa allows for four weekly connections between Brussels
and the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
Alternatively Lufthansa commercializes a large number of daily
flights operated by Brussels Airlines from Brussels Airport to
Africa. The German airline sells tickets on Brussels Airlines
to Banjul (The Gambia), Nairobi (Kenya), Douala & Yaounde
(Cameroon), Bujumbura (Burundi), Abidjan (Ivory Coast),
Monrovia (Liberia).