If you were lucky enough to be enjoying the warmer weather on Cyprus in January then various music and motoring events may have been of interest to you.

Continue reading... Motor Show and Music Sundays in Cyprus

The general slow down in many industry sectors across Europe is not being taken lying down by the tourism authorities responsible for the Balearic islands that include Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca.

Continue reading... Menorca Benefits from Tourism Investment

The tourist authorities of the island of Madeira have recently published a listing of some of their most significant cultural events for 2010.

Continue reading... Madeira Publicises 2010 Events

Beaches and nightclubs may grab most of the holiday headlines when Ibiza is mentioned but during January and March the island's Flower Power and Hippy era is centre stage at two of the island's festivals.

Continue reading... Flower Power On Ibiza

The opening date for the newest luxury hotel in Antalya, Turkey has been set for March 2010.

Continue reading... New Luxury Hotel For Antalya

The carnival season is an important time of the year in Gran Canaria and because the resort of Maspalomas and the capital Las Palmas are the two biggest towns on the island, it is not surprising that the most spectacular carnivals are held there. We will cover those events in more detail as they approach, but there are also other towns on the island that host their own programmes.

Continue reading... Gran Canaria Celebrations

Most people choose to fly to Tenerife for their holidays, but for the 3000 passengers on one of the world's biggest cruise ships, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was a stopping point on their sea voyage that started in Barcelona during December 2009 and had already visited Casablanca before leaving the Mediterranean to head for the Canaries.

Continue reading... Tenerife Welcomes World's Biggest Cruise Ship

Gran Canaria's 11th International Film Festival is held between the 12th and 20th March 2010. The event which has graced the island since the year 2000 claims not to be seeking to duplicate its more famous counterparts in places like Cannes. The organisers are aiming a whole different segment of the cinema market and are looking to support the creative sector of the independent film industry. Don't expect to find any of the mainstream films that grace the cinemas up and down the country every week, the productions on show at this festival will be more leftfield, more unusual, more boundary-breaking than normal. They even describe some of the entries as bizarre and marginal.

Continue reading... Gran Canaria Film festival

If anyone doubted the importance to the Portuguese of sport and getting into the great outdoors, then a visit to the Algarve in Portugal during February will have put those doubts to rest. Of course the weather in the region is a crucial factor, with dry, mild conditions during the early part of the year permitting sporting events that could only take place during summer in the UK. Another factor is the attitude of the local communities towards sporting activities and events. Whether these be football tournaments, water sports events in the sea or motorsport competitions, there seems to be an endless stream of options for both spectating and taking part.

Continue reading... February Sports Bonanza on The Algarve

If we are talking about the January weather in the UK too much, it's because it seems to be the only talking point around at the moment but also because it provides a stark contrast to the conditions in many of our winter sun destinations.

Continue reading... A Far Cry From Fuerteventura

The events that are currently in full swing on Tenerife may not be everyone's cup of tea. The excitement and revelery of the annual carnival is the highlight of the year for many, but for others a selection of quieter more sedate events may be preferred.

Continue reading... Classical Times on Tenerife

When Malta puts on events, they are normally very ambitious. For such a small island you do wonder where they get all this desire to host big promotions. From music concerts and sporting events to international trade fairs and cultural celebrations, things are not done by halves in Malta.

Continue reading... Chess, Opera, Jazz and Pop on Malta

When you fly to Lanzarote the aircraft will arrive at the island's main airport in Arrecife. The airport is conveniently situated midway along the east coast making transfers to most of the island's main tourist hotspots relatively short, in fact as the whole island is only around 35 miles long, transfer distances are rarely more than 20 miles.

Continue reading... Arrecife Carnival on Lanzarote

The Mediterranean resort of Antalya in Turkey claims to have grown its January tourist numbers by over 30 per cent in 2010 compared to the same month in 2009. This claim is based on the number of tourists arriving at Antalya airport during the month.

Continue reading... Antalya Tourist Numbers Climb

The operators of Antalya airport in Turkey, which acts as a gateway for tourists travelling to this part of the Turkish Mediterranean coastline, have announced a series of improvements including an improved domestic terminal which is set to open before the end of March.

Continue reading... Antalya Airport Improvements

Tenerife is dependent on tourism for much of its commercial activity and is working hard to overcome the issues presented by the recession. Resort improvements and hotel renovations are taking place all over the island. Reduced consumer spending power has meant a drop in tourist numbers for many destinations across Europe, with some places seeing as much as a quarter of previous trade disappearing.

Continue reading... Tenerife Counts Tourism Figures

Winter breaks to the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh are proving very popular this season and flythomascook.com had some very competitive prices for journeys during January 2010.

Continue reading... Sharm Flights In January

Add running to your next holiday. More and more people seem to be turning to the sport of running as a method of keeping fit and healthy. As far as equipment is concerned running comes a close second to swimming for not needing any expensive or specialist kit.

Continue reading... Running on Malta and Ibiza

If you travel to the island of Menorca during January for a quiet winter sun break and you may stumble across an unexpected national celebration.

Continue reading... Celebrate National Day On Menorca

The social calendar during December on the island of Malta has a familiar British ring to it and that's no surprise given Malta's history and its long associated with Britain.

Continue reading... December Events in Malta

If you are visiting Mallorca and like to eat out in the best restaurants then a visit to one of the island's top eateries ought to be on your schedule.

Continue reading... Michelin Star Restaurants in Mallorca

The island of Mallorca and its capital Palma , like many places in Spain, prepare for a traditional Christmas and New Year that centres around four main events. Christmas Eve is important with concerts and Midnight Masses held in many churches, including the famous Seu Cathedral in Palma itself. Christmas Day is a time for relaxation and spending time with family. New Years Eve sees another excuse for celebration, with parties and fireworks displays illuminating the island's skies and then finally the celebration of the Epiphany on January 6th sees children receiving gifts in much the same way as UK children do on Christmas Day.

Continue reading... Mallorca Beyond New Year

A spectacular kite flying day took place in San Antonio, Ibiza on the 25th January 2009. This traditional event is part of the town's month-long fiesta programme and sees hundreds of kites, of all shapes and sizes, take to the air from the town's beaches.

Continue reading... Ibiza Kite Flying Day

Ask anyone to name the islands in the Canaries and most would, without much trouble, come up with the main four islands of Tenerife , Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. After all that's where most of the holiday companies and airline operators provide services for. However there are actually 8 main islands, the others being La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa, the smallest of the inhabited islands of the Chinijo Archipelago off Lanzarote.

Continue reading... La Gomera In The Canaries

One of the best ways to experience the true Gran Canaria is to take part in the annual carnival that started this year on the 26th January 2010.

Continue reading... Las Palmas Carnival

The 17th December, was the shortest day of the year in Funchal on the island of Madeira in 2009, dusk arrived at 4 minutes to five in the afternoon only 600 minutes after sunrise. Compare that to London whose shortest day came a day or two later and was only 470 minutes long. So a winter break on the island of Madeira will not only provide more sun and warmer temperatures, but the days will be over two hours longer too.

Continue reading... Funchal's Shortest Day

The Corfu Trail was established as a way of seeing some of the forgotten highlights of the island. The full length of the trail is over 80 miles, so would present a serious challenge even to an experienced walker, but taken in sections or with the help of a guided trip, it will take walkers to some of the prettiest villages on the island and through some of the most spectacular scenery.

Continue reading... Walk The Trail in Corfu

January and February are both popular months for golfers taking a trip to the Algarve in Portugal. The resorts that are within easy reach of Faro airport offer perfect conditions at the start of the year, when many UK courses could be difficult to play or even closed due to the weather conditions.

Continue reading... Fly To Faro For January Golf

Some of the big sporting events in Lanzarote during 2010 have been announced and are already attracting entries from competitors.

Continue reading... Sport 2010 on Lanzarote

There is plenty of activity to interest the tourist visiting Cyprus at this time of year. The first thing travellers to Larnaca will notice will be the improved airport facilities that were opened to the public on 10th November. Phase One of the new developments were unveiled by the company who assumed control of the airport back in 2006.

Continue reading... Cyprus During November

Lanzarote's Open de Canarias de Ala Delta hang gliding competition took place between the 6th and 12th December this year.

Continue reading... International Hang Gliding on Lanzarote

The normally quiet town of La Oratova on Tenerife opened its doors to the La Semana de Juventud y Cultura or Youth and Culture Week that concluded on 23rd October.

Continue reading... Tenerife Youth Culture Week

We knew that Turkey was gaining in popularity as more people discovered the attractions of the Mugla area on the southern coast on the country. The coastline has a number of established holiday resorts with others developing rapidly under the close control of the local tourist authorities. The weather in this part of the Mediterranean is amongst the best in Europe as far as warm sunny days go.

Continue reading... Turkey Celebrates Successful Travel Year

For many the Christmas period presents the perfect opportunity to take a short break and get away for a little rest and relaxation. For some a cosy chalet in snow covered mountains is the ideal break while others yearn for some warm sunshine. Being only a short flight from the UK, Lanzarote offers the combination of convenience and value for British tourists seeking some warmer weather.

Continue reading... Lanzarote Christmas

When promoters were looking for the perfect place to host a Christmas Fair in Palma de Mallorca, the unique Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village) was always going to be a frontrunner. This unique open air museum, village and shopping centre was an obvious choice for somewhere that could be transformed at Christmas into something very special.

Continue reading... Special Authentic Christmas in Palma Mallorca

New Years Eve celebrations seem to be getting bigger and bigger every year. London now stages a major public fireworks display, centred on the London Eye on the Thames, while TV news broadcasts always show the New Year being welcomed in different parts of the world. These reports usually show fireworks displays in Edinburgh, Paris, Sydney, Copacabana beach, Hong Kong and or the million or so revelers who converge on Times Square in New York. The New York celebrations are interesting as they first started in 1904 to commemorate the opening of the New York Times' new offices, when 200,000 people came to enjoy an all-day party put on by the newspaper. It is now estimated that 1 billion people worldwide watch the Times Square celebrations.

Continue reading... New Years Eve on the Algarve

With the festive season just a few weeks away, plans for getting away for some seasonal sun may be uppermost in the minds of those who prefer to spend the period in a warmer climate.

Continue reading... Christmas Getaway

Imagine the traditional Christmas scene and snowy forests or icy lakes may spring to mind. Well the festive season on Portugal's Algarve coast is highly unlikely to feature either of those, benefitting as it does from mild, dry weather right through the months of November, December and January. Of course you may be unlucky enough to catch a stray band of rain or be subjected to one of the onshore Atlantic breezes but largely the weather will be mild and sunny.

Continue reading... Christmas on The Algarve

November and December are the perfect months to explore the lesser known areas of Mallorca. Hire a car, hop onto a bus or use Mallorca's rejuvenated rail network to travel to some of the islands traditional towns and villages. Many visitors to Mallorca stay in the beach resorts either side of the capital Palma, the coastal areas in the north around Alcudia and Pollenca or the beach resorts on the east coast like Cala Millor or Porto Christo.

Continue reading... Exploring Mallorca

The islands of Tenerife and Lanzarote are no strangers to the international film industry. Tenerife hosts an international film festival, the next edition of which happens in June 2010 and the islands have also been used numerous times in films such as The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy and also several episodes of Dr Who.

Continue reading... Film Crew in the Canaries

Mention International Film Festivals and places like Cannes, Berlin, Edinburgh and Moscow spring to mind. But there are many other festivals celebrating the work of filmmakers and the island of Madeira hosts its own event which has slowly been growing in stature since it first started four years ago.

Continue reading... Funchal International Cinema Festival

In Europe the Autumn period seems to be the time when many areas host festivals celebrating local produce and cuisine. A little research has revealed that food fairs are now held in many popular tourist areas at the end of the summer season and serve to provide visitors with a taste of local cuisine and traditions.

Continue reading... Food Fairs in Autumn

During October the St Peters Singers, a fifty strong chamber choir from Leeds, England performed a number of concerts during a short tour of the island of Mallorca.

Continue reading... St Peters Singers in Palma

This local festival first started back in 2006, despite its name which would indicate it dates back much further than that. The content however does look back many years to the ancient traditions of an island that has plenty of history to recall.

Continue reading... Ayia Napa Medieval Festival

New plans for upgrading the airport at Chania on Crete are being made public at last. The Chania airport in western Crete is one of two operational charter flight airports at the moment. The other is at Heraklion, on the central northern coast and is the larger of the two, although there are plans to upgrade the airport at Sitia in eastern Crete to provide a third airport in the future.

Continue reading... Crete Airport Upgrade Plans

Visitors to Florida during the month of October have a choice of local festivals to try out as an alternative to lazy days on the beach.

Continue reading... Florida Festivals in October

Mallorca's three month long Jazz Voyeur Festival continues at the Conservatori venue in Palma with four interesting concerts during November.

Continue reading... International Jazz in Palma Mallorca

This year there was another chance to experience the thrills provided by the Le Mans cars at the Algarve International Autodrome between 30th July and 2nd August

Continue reading... Another 24 Hours on the Algarve

Corfu has many gorgeous beaches including Agios Georgios (Saint George) North on the west coast. This beach has a large sweeping sandy cove and is perfect for kids to make sandcastles and play in the tame surf. Confusingly, there is also Agios Georgious South (Saint George's Bay South ) which is also on the west coast. This more southerly beach has a long sandy dune and is located on the south west of the island, about 45 minutes from the airport. The bay is surrounded by olive groves and boasts a truly splendid sandy beach.

Continue reading... The Beaches of Corfu

Corfu has many gorgeous beaches including Agios Georgios (Saint George) North on the west coast. This beach has a large sweeping sandy cove and is perfect for kids to make sandcastles and play in the tame surf. Confusingly, there is also Agios Georgious South (Saint George's Bay South)which is also on the west coast. This more southerly beach has a long sandy dune and is located on the south west of the island, about 45 minutes from the airport. The bay is surrounded by olive groves and boasts a truly splendid sandy beach.

Continue reading... Corfu - Part 2

The island of Kos celebrates a series of cultural events during the summer, with many having their roots in the ancient past that defines this island. Local produce is also important to this island and several events profile the traditional products of local farmers and producers. These include the fish and wine festivals during early August in the port of Mastichari and the Ouzo Festival in Kefalos. Also during August is an evening of traditional Greek dancing in the harbour area of Kefalos and a celebration of dance and traditional music at the harbour in Kardamena.

Continue reading... Honey and Wine Festivals on Kos

Besides water sports, Sharm el Sheikh also offers plenty of hiking, horseback riding and camel riding trails, golf courses, quad biking outlets and water parks.

Continue reading... Sharm Part 2

Sanford is the airport that escorts visitors into to Orlando, Florida, the place with the most theme parks in the United States. The sunshine in Orlando is eternal, and the amount of things to do are almost infinite. In fact, Orlando has more activities than almost anywhere else on earth. Besides the plethora of theme parks, the nearby beaches, space shuttle launches, there is the central Florida wilderness which surrounds Orlando that is a treasure trove of flora, fauna, and wildlife.

Continue reading... Sanford For Orlando

Faro airport is the primary travel hub into southern Portugal. From the western end of the coast at Lagos right along through Albufeira, Vilamoura, Faro itself and across to Tavira in the east, the international airport welcomes flights from all over Europe. The majority of arrivals however are either from Lisbon or from the UK. Despite some lower traveler numbers this year, airport owners Ana Aeroportos are set to invest around 130 million Euros over the next four years in a multi-phase expansion project.

Continue reading... Faro Airport Improvements Planned

Just 35 miles south of Monastir and within easy reach of the airport, the important Roman town of El Jem hosts an annual music festival celebrating symphony music. The concerts are certain to be high quality but it is the setting that brings people to this special event.

Continue reading... El Jem Celebrates Symphony Music

Visitors flying into Sanford Airport ahead of their annual holiday in Florida can look forward to a full events programme in August and music fans are particularly lucky.

Continue reading... August for Music in Orlando

At the beginning of July 2009 a new bus route running between Coral Bay and Paphos airport was started.

Continue reading... New Bus Route to Paphos Airport

Over four days in July the Moto Club Faro holds its annual Bike Meet on the Concentration Showground right next to Faro airport.

Continue reading... Bike Meet in Faro during July

Most tourists simply pass through Faro airport en route to their resort destinations in other parts of the Algarve. But if you're hankering for a cultural city break with wonderful food and year-round sun, then Faro is a delightful retreat.

Continue reading... Faro Part 1

Exotic Monastir, Tunisia is a glistening tourist resort located on the north east coast of Tunisia. The city has a marina, stunning beach, an impressive fortress that serves as a landmark, and a traditional medina in the old town. Monastir is a blend of east meets west, beach holiday and cultural break, ancient ruins within a modern edge.

Continue reading... Monastir Part 1

FlyThomasCook have announced an additional weekly flight to extend the existing offerings to three flights per week between Manchester and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.

Continue reading... Extra Flights to Fuerteventura

Extra flights have been added to the schedules at FlyThomasCook which bring greater flexibility for passengers travelling to the island of Lanzarote from Manchester, East Midlands and Gatwick.

Continue reading... Extra Flights to Lanzarote

Menorca is often quoted as being preferred over Mallorca as a holiday destination for Spanish tourists and it may be the quieter, more relaxed feel of its resorts that attracts them. Certainly Menorca is a great place for a family holiday.

Continue reading... Peaceful Menorca

AquaShow Park opened at the beginning of June and has various new attractions to excite visitors this year. It trademark ride is a long water roller coaster which, it claims, is the biggest in Europe. The ride is 740 meters long and a trip is said to last around 5 minutes in cars which twist, turn, climb and drop through various water channels. If you can cope with the thrills, it's a great way to cool off. The park also has other rides including a vertical drop slide called White Fall, a water play area suitable for smaller children and a huge wave pool for just bobbing around. A bird park and a wide choice of places to find something to eat and drink, rounds things off. The park, which is only 10 miles from Faro airport, seems to get great reviews.

Continue reading... Waterpark attractions on the Algarve

FlyThomasCook will add a new Tuesday flight to its Manchester - Arrecife route that, together with the existing Thursday and Sunday flights, will bring more choice and additional flexibility for people flying to the island of Lanzarote. The additional flight will operate from 4th August until 27th October 2009 inclusively.

Continue reading... Extra Flights to Lanzarote

If your family is one of the many that are now finding surfing to be the perfect component of an activity holiday then your choice of location is very important. The Algarve coast in Portugal between Faro and Lagos has some of the best family surfing beaches in Europe.

Continue reading... Family Surfing in The Algarve

The sailing industry forms a large and important part of the travel economy on the southern coast of Turkey. The towns of Bodrum, Dalaman, Marmaris and Antalya are all dependent on the trade generated by large cruise ships, coastal cruise companies and private yacht owners. Supporting and developing this part of the travel sector has been a compromise between conservation and improving facilities. One company that has been responsible for two recent marina developments is about to start a third new project in the port of Dalaman.

Continue reading... Dalaman Marina Development to start soon

Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, got its second tramline route this weekend when operator Tranvia opened an additional link to its network in the city. The new line supplements the existing line by adding a route between the areas of Tincer and La Cuesta. On the opening day the company organised all kinds of events to celebrate the occasion and for the first two days of operation was offering free journeys for all passengers. The existing line runs for a distance of around 8 miles between La Laguna to Santa Cruz and the new line adds a further 2.5 miles of line between Tincer and La Cuesta.

Continue reading... Expansion of Tram network in Tenerife

Divers will be spoilt for choice here as Corralejo offers many diving sites for all diving levels to view vibrant fish, sea urchins and volcanic rocks.

Continue reading... Fuerteventura - The Canary Islands - Part 2

Hilton Hotels Corporation is obviously placing a huge amount of faith in the future of this part of Turkey, having announced plans for 11 new hotel contracts last year, which effectively doubles their footprint in Turkey. Ongoing plans are reported to include 40 hotel openings in Turkey over the next 5 years.

Continue reading... New Hilton Dalaman Resort on track for Summer opening

The Balearic island of Menorca is often overshadowed by its larger neighbour Mallorca, but there are some wonderful places here that have remained largely unknown to many. Menorca is often quoted as being preferred over Mallorca as a holiday destination for Spanish tourists and it may be the quieter, more relaxed feel of its resorts that attracts them. Certainly Menorca is a great place for a family holiday.

Continue reading... Peaceful Menorca

Following the opening of new terminal buildings at the airport and recent plans to start development on a new marina this year, the resort of Dalaman is bound to become a must-visit destination for many European travellers.

Continue reading... Dalaman Attractions

Depending on which report you read, the number of tourists travelling to Turkey this year has increased by between 10 and 15 per cent.There are a number of reasons suggested for this but there is no doubt that the Turkish authorities are seeing a fantastic opportunity for their country and are doing all they can to make the most of it.

Continue reading... Bodrum enjoys more Tourism

Fantastic beaches are what most people expect to find when they travel to a holiday island like Rhodes and they will not be disappointed.

Continue reading... Beaches of Rhodes

The town of Larnanca in Cyprus is famous for all kinds of reasons. It has a large modern airport, is a popular destination for holidaymakers from all over Europe and also hosts a large Summer festival that features all kinds of music, dance and theatrical events. Many international performers are booked for this year's festivities.

Continue reading... Larnaca Prepares for Summer Season

Just imagine all the ingredients required for a perfect golf holiday coming together nicely.

Continue reading... The Perfect Golf Holiday

The Turkish resort of Marmaris has used its special location on the coast to become a central hub of tourism, but just along the coast there are many more secrets to uncover.

Continue reading... Along the Coast from Marmaris

A year has passed since the new Beijing airport opened its doors to travellers ahead of the Summer Olympic Games and the stunning design is just one of many airport buildings to have been designed by famous architects.

Continue reading... Famous Architects Feature in New Airport Designs

Recording the highlights of a great holiday is something most people look to do but with the rush to pack everything before heading to the airport, the camera is something that tends to be left until the last minute. However once in the airport terminal with the bright lights of the duty-free lounge shining and the holiday spirit kicking in, the temptation of the electronics store is too much for some. But buying a new camera at the airport is probably not the ideal thing to do. Perhaps you can pick up a best buy magazine from the airport newsagent before you buy but you won't have much time to read the reviews in depth. Also the choice of models offered may be restricted.

Continue reading... Selecting a new Camera for your Holiday

For wine regions around the world the harvesting of a new vintage is the most important period of the year and many, including the Spanish region of Andalucia, celebrate with a range of traditional festivals.

Continue reading... Celebrate the New Vintage in Andalucia