Holiday & Travel

In a year, on September 1, 2016 to be precise, Reunion Island will be experiencing a total eclipse of the sun, lasting for a projected three hours from start to end. The event is due to last from about 12:20 pm local time to about 3:40 pm local time, which is GMT+4. The peak of the darkness is projected to take place around 2:10 pm, a perfect mid-day situation which will allow spectators to get the best sightings in return for their long journey to Reunion Island.

Air France has celebrated 30 years of operating to Paris Charles de Gaulle from Birmingham Airport, over which time the airline has carried more than 1.7 million passengers. The national carrier for France operates almost 2000 flights and carries 225k passengers a year from Birmingham, and has a strong network of onward connectivity from Paris to Nice, Johannesburg, Beijing, Hong Kong, Marseille and Shanghai.

Top executives from the world’s leading search engines, Google and Yahoo!, will advise delegates at World Travel Market London 2015, the leading global event for the travel industry, how to improve their rankings. The events program for the Travel Technology Show at WTM – the largest dedicated travel technology event in the UK – also includes senior executives from Carson Wagonlit Travel, ACCOR, bmi regional and Mr.&Mrs. Smith.

Summer might be drawing to a close, but don't let that deter you from unleashing your wild spirit and having some fun. Northumberland has everything you need for a great autumn break.

Each year Cornwall plays host to an exciting schedule of food and music festivals and this Autumn, you'll want to reserve some time to visit the local atmospheric seaside towns to embrace their rich and plentiful offering of fantastic produce and warm and welcoming Cornish entertainment. Each event is designed to entertain and educate all ages and can be interwoven with your weekend or holiday plans with lots to do for all the family.

The shortlist of new international and domestic air routes for smaller airports was announced by the government, successful routes from this latest stage of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund will provide improved connectivity with new transport connections for businesses and passengers from their local areas. Fifteen brand-new routes have reached the funding shortlist, open to regional airports handling fewer than 5 million passengers a year.

Developed for travelers seeking a luxury retreat with added value, this special promotion provides first-class amenities and accommodations at St. Lucia's award-winning hillside resort, all paired with stunning vistas of the iconic Pitons. For guests booking a minimum five-night stay, the "St. Lucia Getaway" promotion includes free accommodations in Hillside Deluxe or Premium rooms on the fifth night.

British Airways has created what is believed to be the world's biggest piece of money art, using a combination of ten, five, two and one penny coins to celebrate the great value fares on offer on flights and holidays across the network. Six hundred thousand coins were delivered from a London bank vault to the airline's Heathrow engineering base this week, and a small team created a giant mural on an aircraft hangar floor depicting the Statue of Liberty in New York, which is British Airways' flagship Atlantic route, which features as part of the 'Big British Airways Take Off'.

As the nation gears up for the great bank holiday getaway, a new survey reveals the holiday habits of travellers across the UK. The research, carried out by Back-Roads Touring, suggests that where you live is a deciding factor in where you are likely to holiday. Londoners are most likely to travel than from elsewhere in the UK. The historical and cultural landmarks they visit are likely to be far-flung attraction, with the Inca Trail, Cambodia's Angkor Wat and Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow coming out top.

Keen photographers will be travelling on board Tatra Photography's Travelling Hotel, a ten-room hotel on wheels travels to locations inaccessible to other photography tours. The travelling accommodation will give photographers the opportunity to spend more time in Iceland's epic landscapes without having to check in and out of hotels or drive long distances to capture the Aurora.

The Caribbean may be missing an important opportunity by not fully tapping into the growing volunteer tourism or "voluntourism" market, according to veteran community development expert and nonprofit advisor Kwayera Archer-Cunningham. With more than 25 years of experience as a nonprofit leader, Archer-Cunningham, who travels frequently between her Jamaica and New York offices, said many tourists are traveling to the region with a desire to have a positive impact and make a difference in addition to having fun.

The St. Kitts Tourism Authority has announced that United Airlines is launching inaugural non-stop service from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to St. Kitts.   Commencing December 19, 2015, the flights will operate weekly on Saturdays through April 30, 2016. United will utilize a 737-800 aircraft with capacity ranging from 154 to 166 seats for these flights.  These flights will complement existing non-stop airlift into St. Kitts from North America, providing more convenient options for travelers to get to St. Kitts during the peak winter travel season.

High-street health and beauty retailer Superdrug is sponsoring a unique hotel accommodation concept in Ibiza where single Britons can stay entirely for free. But there’s just one catch: guests will have to check-in to a room that is covered entirely in pictures of sexually transmitted diseases and warnings to practise safe sex.

The prestigious Nayara hotel chain and Toro Verde Adventure Park came together for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the construction of the new luxury Nayara Toro Verde Hotel in Orocovis. The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) welcomed the Nayara flag to Puerto Rico, specifically to Toro Verde Adventure Park in the central mountain range region. The Nayara  hotel chain, which is no longer exclusive to Costa Rica with its expansion to Puerto Rico, has ample brand recognition and holds a high reputation in the international tourism industry community.

Qatar Duty Free (QDF), in conjunction with L’Oréal Luxe, has created an exclusive pop-up experience for passengers travelling through Hamad International Airport (HIA) this summer. Lancôme, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, and Viktor & Rolf will showcase their oriental and occidental style fragrances housed within different areas of the East Meets West installation, which is situated in the main atrium of Hamad International Airport (HIA).

All those who love and live in Northumberland are being urged to put their vote where their heart is to help Northumberland in this year's British Travel Awards 2015. This year, Northumberland is the only county in the North East to be nominated in the category for Best UK Holiday County/Destination. Against other nominees Pembrokeshire, Devon and six-time winner Cornwall, it is hoped the whole North East region will get behind the twice-nominated county to bring home the Gold.