2008 Summer Olympics - Beijing, China

As I was watching TV the other night, I noticed that they have started to advertise the 2008 Summer Olympics… an entire year in advance. Does this seem a little early to you or are they just being smart? Maybe they are trying to plant a seed in our minds to think of going to Beijing in 2008?

After doing a little research, you can actually apply for your tickets to events now & for the next 26 days before a deadline approaches. If you are interested in applying for tickets you can get them at the official website.

Maybe they are advertising just at the right time…

Is it time for the bubble to burst?

I came across an interesting article about the amount of start-up travel related websites and the article is asking - Are there too many online travel start-ups? Personally I think the answer is yes…It seems like everyday I am getting emails from new companies.

Anyway, the article is an interesting one - so check it out.

First Ever British Tourism Week in 2007!

British Tourism week will launched in 2007, from the 12th to the 18th of March. Its aim is to launch awareness of the tourism industry in Britain.

It is being organised by Visit Britain and UK Inbound and it will focus on two main events:
- Visit Britain’s British Travel Trade Fair (13 - 14 March)
- UK Inbound’s 30th Anniversary Convention (14-15 March)

I think that it is great that Britain have finally organised an event like this…

Reading the paper on a lazy afternoon…

Normally I read the newspaper online but I decided for a change that I would actually buy the paper from a shop and have a read. I was surprised by how many travel companies still advertise in the classifieds section. I wonder how much business they really get?

I know that whenever I am thinking of booking or researching travel, the Internet is my number one source for information. Even before going to travel agent. Some of these advertised companies don’t even have websites.

So would you give them a call? Would you trust them? Or would you rather research everything online and then find a company to call?

Six train carriages derail in Canadian Rockies!

I was just watching the news and 6 train cars on the Rocky Mountaineer jumped track as it was going through Rogers Pass on its way from Calgary to Vancouver.

All 563 passengers that were onboard are safe as the cars remained upright and they stayed in Golden, BC last night. The passengers are due to continue their journey today.

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations say that this is the first time that it has happened in 17 years and they have launched an inquiry into why it happened.

It will be interesting to hear what the passengers say happened and how they were treated. I'll keep you posted if I hear anything…

A company that the industry NEEDS to know about!

In previous posts, I have emphasized how important it is for hotels, tour operators and other travel related companies to have good photos & videos of their products on their websites!

Now there is a company that specialises in producing visual content for hotels, cruises and destinations! VRX Studios are based in Yaletown, Vancouver (Canada) and they currently have:
 - 1,036 Hotels
 - 442 Destinations
 - 10, 540 Virtual Tours
 - 12, 927 Still Images
 - 864 Interactive Maps

It isn't free, but every company out there that has a website in the travel industry should at least consider this company for any photos, maps or videos that they need created.

They are a growing company and their client list includes Outrigger Enterprises, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii, Sutton Place Hotels, Vancouver International Airport, Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line and a lot more. You can look at some of their examples and they are definately top-of-the-line! I would be impressed if I was looking at a website & they had really great images and 360 degree photos / videos.

Remember that a picture tells a thousand words, so you better have a damn good photo…or better yet a great video!

A great website for Group Tour planners!

 I was doing a bit of surfing on the net & I came across a site called TripHub - a site specifically for group travel.It is a site that allows people to coordinate their group travel and some of the features include:

 - Invite people to join your group & keep track of who is coming
 - Research & discuss hotel options in over 350 cities
 - Share travel itineraries from any source to any supplier
 - Send emails to some or all members of the group
 - Track who owes money

The site is clear, easy to read & best of all it is currently free.

As I was a group coordinator at a couple of different jobs, it is great to see what the world of groups is becoming easier & less complicated. But does a site like this where people can book their own hotels and organise the group etc, take away from booking through a travel agent?

I believe so, but this is a great tool for travel agents to work with people. What is stopping a travel agent from using this tool & keeping in contact with the group organiser & participants.

I think that this is a site that will stick around for a while & definately one to keep an eye on.

Feel like working for the summer? Or winter?

Seasonal travel jobs are becoming increasingly more popular with travellers and also people entering the tourism industry.

For travellers it is a good way of picking up extra cash while enjoying what the summer or winter has to offer. This also suits the companies too as they need people to fill the positions that become available due to the increase of tourists.

On the other hand, seasonal jobs are a great way of allowing someone that has just finished a travel course to get some much needed experience and test to see what part of the industry they are interested in.

There is a downside to seasonal work though…it only happens for the summer or the winter (generally) and you are out of work when the season is over.

But there is also a downside for the employers too. What happens when they find a really great worker and they want to keep them on full time but they don't have the tourist numbers to support the extra staff?

I'd love to hear about other peoples experiences about Seasonal Work…

Is Richard Branson the ‘King of Travel’?

I have admired Richard Branson for a while now & I love the fact that he is slowly but surely taking over the way low-cost travel is done. Plus there are other factors that I think make him better than a lot of other travel business owners.

Some factors are:
 - His staff have great uniforms. They look great all the time and the staff seem happy.
 - His promotional stunts have a definite 'wow' factor and that gets people interested.
 - He bought his staff an island retreat, so that they have somewhere to go on holidays that doesn't cost them a fortune.
 - He doesn't ask for a resume as he never had one. 

He once said "Create the best. The best hotels and clubs and airlines never go bankrupt. The best always succeeds." 

So is Richard Branson the best at what he does in the travel industry? Should he be named as the 'King of Travel'? What do you think?

Does global warming have an effect on tourism?

Are more people travelling to see the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba because they are concerned that they won’t be able too in years to come? 

Global warming is having a huge effect on some parts of the world and the polar bears are going to be suffering because of this. I know from when I worked in Canada that we quite often had enquiries for people wanting to visit the polar bears but most of the time these tours are booked out a year in advance. 

Is this a sign that more people want to see things before they disappear? And will this bring about a new area of tourism that will specialise in destinations / wildlife that are fading into extinction?