Bruxelles-Chambéry en 4h15, c`est possible avec le Thalys Neige

Star
Clippers
Offers
Complimentary Cabin Upgrades
During National Cruise Week
To celebrate National Cruise Week, (19 – 26 September 2010),
tall ship sailing specialist Star Clippers is offering free
cabin upgrades for all bookings made during that period.
Book any Star Clippers voyage to the Mediterranean, the
Caribbean or Central America during National Cruise Week, or
one of the longer ocean crossings, and the cabin paid for will
be upgraded by one category (terms and conditions apply). For
example, pay for a Category 3 cabin on Commodore Deck and stay
in a Category 2 cabin, which has more space and superior
fittings and is located on Clipper Deck. On one of Royal
Clipper’s seven-night Caribbean cruises this winter, this
represents a saving of £110 per person.
Better still, this cabin upgrade offer, if taken up during
National Cruise Week, can be combined with existing Star
Clippers early booking offers. These include 10% off any
cruise in the 2011/2012 programme and a spectacular 20%
discount on selected sailings for 2011 and 2012, as follows:
On Royal Clipper, the five-masted flagship of the fleet,
special offers include departures in April and October, 2011
and certain sailings out of Barbados in December 2011 and
January 2012. As an example, the April 30, 2011 cruise from
Barcelona to Rome calls at Palma, Mallorca; Mahon, Menorca;
Bonifacio and Calvi on the beautiful island of Corsica; and
Portoferraio on Elba.
Special offers on the four-masted,170-passenger Star Clipper
are valid for Mediterranean cruises in April, early May and
October, as well as four Caribbean sailings from St Maarten in
December 2011. Take advantage of a Mediterranean mini-cruise;
a five-night short break from Athens to Malta departs October
8 and calls at Monemvasia and Pilos in Greece and historic
Siracusa in Sicily.
The 20% saving on cruises operated by sister ship Star Flyer,
meanwhile, applies to six Mediterranean cruises and five
sailings out of Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica in 2011 and 2010.
These fantastic Central American voyages call at the laid-back
beach resort of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, as well as the
national parks, scattered islands and sheltered bays of Costa
Rica’s rich, rainforested coastline, with superb opportunities
for diving, snorkelling and hiking.
CP Travel Union : “TravelBox
de Thomas Cook : Il n’est pas
écrit Bécasse ici !”
Travel Union salue toujours toute initiative d’un Tour
Opérateur, quel qu’il soit, visant « la possibilité de toucher
(un) acheteur comme nouveau client potentiel pour la vente
d’un voyage à forfait » en agence de voyages. C’est donc avec
une attention toute particulière que nous avons examiné
l’annonce faite hier par Thomas Cook dans sa Newsletter de
lancer sur le marché belge sa TravelBox.
Malheureusement, il est à nouveau désolant de constater la
politique choisie pour le lancement de ce « nouveau » produit
!
En premier lieu, nous trouvons bien maigre la commission de 8%
consentie par Thomas Cook envers les agences de voyages alors
qu’il existe sur le marché d’autres TO qui offrent 10 % pour
un produit similaire.
En second lieu, nous nous insurgeons contre le « petit
investissement » exigé par Thomas Cook dont, selon leurs
dires, « ces frais pourront être amortis sans difficulté en
cas de vente suffisante ». Ce « petit investissement »
représente environ 395 € par agence ! Un rapide calcul montre,
qu’en ayant la chance de vendre un mix de chacune des boîtes,
il faudrait vendre pas loin 30 TravelBox avant que l’agence de
voyages ne puisse gagner 1 cent ! Et si par malchance l’agence
ne vend que des coffrets les moins chers, c’est près de 200
box qu’il lui faudrait vendre avant de récupérer son « petit
investissement » !
En troisième lieu, nous pensons qu’en acceptant de payer 250 €
pour un display ou de payer 75 € pour de simples « exemplaires
à consulter » c’est ouvrir grand la porte au paiement de «
brochures à consulter » ou de matériel promotionnel pour avoir
l’autorisation de vendre les produits de certains TO.
En quatrième lieu, nous nous opposons à ce que Thomas Cook
décharge de sa propre responsabilité sur les agences
voyages en nous faisant vendre un produit pour lequel
indique clairement que « Travelbox est le producteur
coffrets(-cadeaux) dont le contenu consiste, entre autres,
des séjours mais n’est pas l’organisateur de voyages ».
se
de
il
de
en
En cinquième lieu, et cela ne fait que confirmer la politique
précédemment choisie de Thomas Cook, Travel Union ne peut qu’à
nouveau dénoncer cette volonté de Thomas Cook de vendre leurs
produits via « les grands distributeurs » !
A quand la vente des forfaits Thomas Cook dans les
supermarchés entre les produits de poudre à lessiver ?
Vendrons-nous un produit sous-commissionné et peu rentable
pour lequel nous devons investir de l’argent en subissant la
concurrence énorme des supermarchés, et tout cela en endossant
l’entière responsabilité en cas de problème ? Comme le disait
Maïté, il n’est pas écrit bécasse ici…
Pour toutes ces raisons, Travel Union déconseille fortement à
tous les agents de voyages d’accepter de vendre les Travel Box
de Thomas Cook dans ces conditions-là. Nous demandons à Thomas
Cook de revoir sa politique commerciale. D’autres produits
similaires présentent nettement plus d’avantages pour les
agents de voyages que nous sommes…
Randonnée en Allemagne
Avec ses forêts romantiques, ses paysages pittoresques, ses
collines, ses montagnes et ses lacs idylliques, l’Allemagne
est le paradis des randonneurs. Des promenades dans l’estran à
marée basse aux randonnées en montagne, en passant par les
excursions dans les collines, tout y est possible.
La proximité avec la nature, la terre et les gens permet aux
randonneurs de vivre l’Allemagne avec beaucoup d’intensité. De
nombreux sentiers de randonnée traversent les plus beaux
paysages naturels et peuvent être parcourus en plusieurs
étapes. Les hôtels et les auberges le long de la route n’ont
pas leur pareil pour satisfaire aux besoins propres aux
randonneurs. De nombreux organisateurs de voyage proposent des
« randonnées sans bagages » pour plus de confort. Vous y
trouverez également des campements, des possibilités de
loisirs, des randonnées découverte et des programmes de
formation à l’intention des groupes de jeunes.
U.S. Travel Association Hails
‘Momentous
Week’
as
Government
Launches
Corporation
Promotion
for
Travel
Board Appointed, Funding Established for Program Expected to
Attract Millions of New Visitors to the United States
Washington, DC – The U.S. Travel Association today hailed the
momentous steps taken this week by the Obama Administration to
launch the Corporation for Travel Promotion, enacted into law
in March 2010. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced
the Corporation’s initial board of directors and, earlier this
week, the Department of Homeland Security established the
funding mechanism that, combined with private sector
contributions, will create a marketing program of up to $200
million per year to attract millions of new visitors to the
United States.
“This is a momentous week in laying the groundwork for
attracting millions of new visitors to our country and
creating thousands of new jobs,” said Roger Dow, President and
CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “The rapid speed with
which the Obama Administration launched this program is
concrete evidence that our government leaders embrace the
importance of welcoming more international visitors.”
“The establishment of the Corporation for Travel Promotion is
a long-awaited victory for the U.S. travel economy,” said
Jonathan Tisch, chairman emeritus of the U.S. Travel
Association and chairman & CEO of Loews Hotels. “This
partnership between the travel industry and government will
finally reverse the declines we have seen in overseas
visitation to our country since 9/11.”
The launch of the Corporation for Travel Promotion comes on
the heels of President Obama’s recent launch of the National
Export Initiative and his goal of doubling exports over the
next five years. An analysis by Oxford Economics revealed that
travel promotion could help to generate $4 billion in new
international consumer spending in the United States annually.
“Travel holds the key to achieving the President’s ambitious
goal of doubling exports over the next five years,” Dow said.
The United States welcomed fewer overseas visitors in each
year post-9/11 compared to 2000. An analysis earlier this year
by Oxford Economics showed the failure of the United States to
simply keep pace with the growth in international long-haul
travel has cost our economy an estimated $509 billion in total
spending and 441,000 American jobs which could have been
created or sustained over the past decade. In addition, our
country forfeited an estimated $32 billion in direct tax
receipts over the same period.
The anticipated next steps for the Corporation include hiring
an executive director, developing a global marketing strategy
and launching a private sector fundraising effort. The private
sector is responsible
Corporation’s budget.
for
raising
50
percent
of
the
Included on the Corporation for Travel Promotion board are:
* Caroline Beteta, President and CEO, California Travel &
Tourism Commission, Sacramento, Calif.
* Stephen Cloobeck, Chairman and CEO, Diamond Resorts
International, Las Vegas, Nev.
* George Fertitta, CEO, NYC & Company, New York, N.Y.
* Daniel Halpern, President and CEO, Jackmont Hospitality,
Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
* Tom Klein, President, Sabre Holdings, Southlake, Texas
* David Lim, Chief Marketing Officer, Amtrak, Washington, D.C.
* Mark Schwab, Senior Vice President-Alliances, International
and Regulatory Affairs, United Airlines, Chicago, Ill.
* Diane Shober, Tourism Director, State of Wyoming, Cheyenne,
Wyo.
* Al Weiss, President, Worldwide Operations, Walt Disney Parks
and Resorts, Orlando, Fla.
* Roy Yamaguchi, Owner and Founder, Roy’s Restaurant, Newport
Beach, Calif.
* Lynda S. Zengerle, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP,
Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit
organization representing all components of the $704 billion
travel industry. U.S. Travel’s mission is to promote and
facilitate increased travel to and within the United States.
U.S. Travel is proud to be a partner in travel with American
Express. For more information, visit www.ustravel.org.
Dormir sur le crin
L’hôtel Stazione della posta situé dans le village de La Rösa
(Vallée Poschiavo aux Grisons) a ouvert ses portes cet été. La
particularité de cet hôtel, est sa philosophie qui s’oriente
vers l’authenticité et le retour à la nature. L’hôtel se
trouve dans un ancien bâtiment du 17e siècle où, à l’époque,
les commerçants logeaient pendant que les chevaux de leurs
chariots de postes étaient changés. Les chambres ont été
refaites dans le style traditionnel et les matelas sont
confectionnés avec du crin par Andrea Compagnoni âgée de 82
ans et une des seules Suissesses qui maîtrise encore le
métier. Pour les repas, les propriétaires n’utilisent que des
produits locaux. L’hôtel dispose de 4 chambres doubles et 4
chambres simples et fait partie du groupe Roughe Luxe.
Rough Luxe Experience
En savoir plus
Palma
de
Majorca:
First
Costal
Destination
to
Implement
UNWTO
Energy
Initiative
UNWTO and the Town Council of Palma signed today an agreement
establishing Palma as the first pilot costal destination to
join the Hotel Energy Solutions (HES) project. Over the coming
months, the twenty five participating hotels in Palma de
Majorca will test the beta version of the HES e-toolkit, a
specialized online tool enabling them to assess their current
energy needs and prioritize investment in energy.
The agreement, signed by UNWTO Executive Director, Márcio
Favilla, and the President of the Palma Municipal Tourism
Institute (IMTUR), Ms. Joana María Borràs, represents a
recognition and contribution to Palma’s effort in building a
sustainable destination. This UNWTO-led initiative aims to
help small and medium sized hotels across the European Union
to increase their use of energy efficiency and renewable
energy.
Palma’s commitment to environmentally friendly tourism was
confirmed when it became the first city to implement the UNWTO
Davos Declaration on Tourism and Climate Change – urging the
tourism sector to adopt sustainable practices – through its
campaign, ‘Palma, Responsible Tourism’.
“We are delighted to join hands with Palma in its major
undertaking of renewing itself as a sustainable tourism
destination of the highest level. Palma will be the first
coastal destination to join the HES project and this is no
surprise given its commitment to a strong sustainability
agenda” said Mr. Favilla.
“Thanks to the Hotel Energy Solutions project, hotels in Palma
will be able to reduce their operational costs while
increasing competitiveness, promoting sustainability and
mitigating the sector’s impact on climate change,” said Ms.
Borràs.
Palma de Majorca, one of Europe’s major coastal destinations,
will join three other HES pilot destinations covering
mountain, urban and rural destinations: Haute-Savoie (France),
Bonn (Germany), and Strandja (Bulgaria).
The HES project aims at increasing energy efficiency in the
European Union small and medium hotels by 20% and the use of
renewable energy by 10%. The HES e-toolkit will permit
participating hotels to assess their energy use and decide on
the most advantageous technology investments. Investment in
energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies can
deliver significant returns, while reducing hotels’ carbon
footprint.
The e-toolkit will be made available free of charge at the
beginning of 2011 to all accommodation units registered with
the project. UNWTO invites all European Union accommodation
proprietors to join the Hotel Energy Solutions initiative by
providing
their
details
on
website:www.hotelenergysolutions.net.
the
project’s
More
information
on
the
UNWTO
Davos
Process: http://www.UNWTO.org/climate/index.php
More
information
on
Sustainable
Tourism: http://www.unwto.org/sdt/index.php
Ma rules out cross-strait
ties following Hong Kong
model
President Ma Ying-jeou reaffirmed the sovereignty of the ROC
and said cross-strait relations will not follow the mainland
China-Hong Kong model.
“The ROC has been a sovereign, independent country since its
establishment in 1912,” Ma said, adding that there can be no
comparison with Hong Kong, which is a special administrative
region subject to Beijing’s one country, two systems policy.
The president made the remarks during an interview published
by U.S.-based The Christian Science Monitor Sept. 8.
Although Hong Kong is self-ruled and enjoys a high degree of
autonomy, the reality is that it “must bow to the will of one
country,” Ma said. “This model can not apply to cross-strait
relations.”
In terms of the cross-strait sovereignty dispute, the
president said as this will not be resolved in the near
future, his administration has made it a priority to maintain
the political status quo across the strait.
Citing a recent Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council survey,
Ma said the public favors this policy and he will stick with
it while working to improve Taipei-Beijing ties. “This
approach is conducive to enhancing Taiwan’s participation in
international affairs.”
On the issue of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement
forcing Taiwan to rely overly on mainland China, Ma said the
government put measures in place during cross-strait
negotiations to reduce such a risk.
“The
text
of
the
agreement
contains
no
politically
compromising content,” he said. “In all we do, we strive to
put our people’s interests first, maximize opportunities, and
minimize risks.” (JSM)
Publication Date:09/10/2010
Source: Taiwan Today
By Elaine Hou
Belangrijkste
nieuwigheden
bij Neckermann voor winter
2011
Gent, vrijdag 10 september 2010 – Het winteraanbod 2010-2011
van Neckermann heeft weer heel wat nieuwigheden, zowel voor
exotische vakanties naar de zon, wereldreizen, vakanties naar
de USA, Canada & Bahama’s, cruises, citytrips, dichtbij als
wintersport.
Hieronder alvast meer informatie over de grootste nieuwkomers
voor komende winter.
1. Snowblend
Deze winter lanceert Neckermann een volledig nieuw wintersport
concept: Snowblend, een all in mix van sport en plezier.
Het basispakket bestaat uit: vervoer per autocar (optioneel),
accommodatie (in logies alleen of in half pension), skipas,
gratis ski- of snowboardlessen (voor kids: tijdens de
schoolvakanties), kinderopvang van 9u tot 21u (tijdens de
schoolvakanties) en animatie door het tweetalig Snowblend
team, zoals cava Snowbar en een Testlab met de nieuwste
materialen.
Men kan een Snowblend vakantie boeken in Frankrijk (Les Deux
Alpes en Val Thorens, van 18/12 tot 24/4) en in Oostenrijk
(Kirchberg, van 22/1 tot 17/4).
Prijsvoorbeeld: vanaf € 699 pp/week in half pension inclusief
skipas, ski-of snowboardles, animatie & autocar in Les Deux
Alpes
2. Sri Lanka
Vanaf deze winter vliegt Neckermann wekelijks vanuit Brussel
rechtstreeks naar Colombo met TUI Airlines Belgium.
De klanten kunnen opteren voor een strandvakantie op Sri Lanka
of op de Malediven of kunnen strand combineren met cultuur en
natuur.
Neckermann biedt een zevendaagse Classical Ceylon-rondreis aan
waar men kennis maakt met de prachtige natuur en cultuur.
Nadien kan men deze rondreis combineren met
een
strandverlenging op Sri Lanka of op de Malediven.
Prijsvoorbeeld:
Classical Ceylon rondreis (7 nachten): € 1334
per persoon, afreis 6/11 (boek voor 1/11)
3. Nieuwe luchthaven La Romana – Dominicaanse Republiek
Vanaf deze winter kunnen de klanten kiezen voor een vlucht
naar La Romana, de nieuwe luchthaven die door Neckermann wordt
aangevlogen, naast Punta Cana en Puerto Plata. La Romana, aan
de zuidkant van de Dominicaanse Republiek, ligt op slechts 20
km van Bayahibe. Dit zorgt ervoor dat de hotels in Bayahibe
vanaf nu makkelijker bereikbaar zijn. De transfer van de
luchthaven naar de hotels wordt hierdoor ingekort van 2 uur
naar 20 minuten.
4. Scherpe prijzen voor iedereen
Neckermann staat ook deze winter garant voor de beste
prijs/kwaliteitsverhouding. Voor klanten van ALLE leeftijden
hebben we talrijke voordelen. Zo zijn er voor iedereen
aantrekkelijke vroegboekkortingen op alle bestemmingen en
gratis nachten bij citytrips, weekendje dichtbij,
vliegvakanties en exotische vakanties. Vele hotels bieden
bovendien ook superkortingen voor kinderen.
Bij Neckermann hoeft men niet te wachten tot z’n 55ste
verjaardag om van mooie kortingen te genieten.
Late-Evening Openings at the
Brussels’ Museums – 10th
season!
23 September > 16 December 2010, every Thursday from 5pm to
10pm
If you’re a fan of culture and seeing Brussels by night, then
there’s a special treat in store for you this autumn courtesy
of Brussels’ Museums.
Every Thursday evening during the season you can explore some
of the gems among the city’s museums and enjoy a visit with a
twist! There’s always a great atmosphere and you can join
guided tours and workshops and much more
besides – all of which lend these Late-Evening Openings
(“Nocturnes”) a charm of their own.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Late-Evening Openings,
Brussels’ museums are pulling out all the stops and putting
together a packed anniversary programme full of festive fun
and activities!
To find out more, visit www.brusselsmuseums.be.
An initiative of the Brussels Museums Council.
A
new
version
of
the
accorhotels.com application
available on iPhone
The multi-brand iPhone application provides users with a more
precise search function for booking rooms directly in 3,000
Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Mercure, Novotel, Suitehotel,
Adagio, ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and hotelF1
hotels. It also features additional functions and enhanced
services.
*Additional functions
Criteria have been added to enable a more precise search.
Users can, for example, enter the number of adults and
children at the outset to streamline the booking process. They
can also enter their A|Club membership number and earn points
with each reservation. Lastly, a new page has been added that
allows users to select their preferred brands more quickly and
easily. The new version of the application is the first in the
hotel industry to provide access to video presentations of
hotels via iPhone.
*Enhanced services
The new version of the accorhotels.com application features a
new design that makes searches smoother and more intuitive.
The results of map-base searches are more complete with rates
posted in real time, thereby enabling users to easily choose a
hotel depending on their location and budget. Accorhotels.com
is the only hotel application available in seven languages,
with the addition of Dutch and Brazilian Portuguese as well as
French, English, German, Spanish and Italian.
*****
Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in
Europe, is present in 90 countries with 4,100 hotels and close
to 500,000 rooms.
Accor’s broad portfolio of hotel brands – Sofitel, Pullman,
MGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, ibis, all
seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1, hotelF1 and Motel 6, and its
related activities, Thalassa sea & spa and Lenôtre – provide
an extensive offer from luxury to budget. With 145,000
employees worldwide, the Group offers to its clients and
partners nearly 45 years of know-how and expertise.