If you've ever wondered what the main reasons are that make thousands of winter holiday fans book flights to Hurghada in Egypt, then you've probably quickly come up with sun and sand. And you'd have been right. So what else, if anything, does this resort have to offer that makes it stand out from other winter sun destinations?

Continue reading... Reasons to visit Hurghada

The start of February traditionally sees one of the first professional races of the European season taking place on the island of Mallorca. Many of the top European riders use the event to test their form and get used to racing with new teammates. This year the event clashed with another top level race taking place in Qatar, with several teams attracted to the warmer desert weather as a place to start their 2010 campaign.

Continue reading... Pro Cyclists in Mallorca Race

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

For many people, primarily those who have never been there, Mallorca creates the impression of being a typical beach-based resort, often filled with rowdy twenty-somethings on a cheap week away, but for those who have visited the island and ventured away from the one of two resorts that seem to make the holiday headlines, Mallorca is a real jewel in the Mediterranean.

Continue reading... Mallorca Has Hidden Charms

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

The rest of Europe may be settling back for a quiet few weeks to help get over the Christmas excesses but the Algarve region of Portugal is still busy at this time of year. The southern coast of Portugal is a long strip of beaches, holidays resorts and golf courses that attract visitors all year round and especially during January and February when its mild weather can provide a welcome break from the harsher winter days of the UK.

Continue reading... January Algarve Events

For an alternative winter sun getaway why not consider Funchal on the island of Madeira. The typical winter sun locations like Malta, Egypt or the Canary Islands like Tenerife, Gran Canaria or Lanzarote are all popular destinations for those seeking to spend a week or two escaping from the UK winter weather, but the island of Madeira is also a great option.

Continue reading... Funchal For February

Dance music fans have their favourite venues around Europe where the world's top DJs and dance music performers typically appear. These include of course Ibiza during the summer months but also, in the earlier part of the year, several other holiday resorts get their chance to promote dance music events featuring the stars.

Continue reading... Dance Music in Malta, Sharm and Cyprus

Due to there location, several thousand miles from the European mainland and the balance of resident and tourist population, the islands of the Canaries rarely benefit from visiting pop stars and celebrity performers. Premier music concerts featuring big stars are few and far between on the islands. In the past performers like Rod Stewart, Gloria Estefan and Elton John have all played on Tenerife. Even Michael Jackson included Tenerife in his "Dangerous" tour during 1993, when 45,000 people watched him on stage in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Continue reading... Celebrity Musicians in Tenerife

There may have been a big freeze across northern Europe at the beginning of January but the attractions for tourists soaking up the sun in Gran Canaria were added to on 8th January when the Canary Islands Music Festival started in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Continue reading... Canary Islands Music Festival Schedule

The southern coast of Portugal, better know as the Algarve region, is staking it's claim as one of Europe's top surfing locations. There are now numerous surf-friendly locations along the coast and a series of events for both amateurs and professionals.

Continue reading... Algarve's Surfing Crown

Since beach volleyball became part of the Olympics in 1996, its popularity has boomed. In October last year, Tenerife hosted a top level mens tournament at Siam Park.

Continue reading... International Volleyball in Tenerife

Football fans are always treated to a feast of action over the Christmas period when most of the top UK clubs have a series of games. In Europe too, the New Year also sees renewed interest in the game and football fans who travelled to the island of Mallorca during January had a chance to watch some of mainland Europe's top players.

Continue reading... Top Flight Football in Mallorca

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

As well as many tourists from Britain, the Canary Islands are also popular with Scandinavian visitors, who probably also value the region's mild winter weather as means of escape from their naturally cold climate at home. Take the Swedish for example who have a shorter working week than anywhere else in Europe and, according to a 2008 study, take an average 33 days annual leave each year, much higher than the European average of 25.2 days. The Danes and Germans are both calculated to have 30 days annual leave, while in the UK, workers have to make do with a meagre 24.7 days, ranking them only 13th in Europe. Estonia and Cyprus come bottom with only 20 days per year.

Continue reading... St Lucia Day on Gran Canaria

Discovering that you're one of the top ten contenders in line for Britain's most prestigious sports award might be enough to persuade most people to venture up the motorway to Sheffield. For Jenson Button and Mark Cavendish the journey to the BBC awards night was a little longer, as earlier in the month they were both on the island of Lanzarote getting in some warm weather training.

Continue reading... Sports Celebrities in Lanzarote

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

One of the more unusual sporting events on Lanzarote this year saw over 700 competitors setting off on the 23rd January from the African coast and racing the 100 miles or so to Lanzarote. The cash prize for the first one home was a healthy 6000 Euros, so competition was fierce with only the very fittest and fastest in with a chance of winning.

Continue reading... Race to Lanzarote

When the big nightclubs on Ibiza are approaching the end of their long season the island is gearing up for a ten day Jetski festival that will attract riders from all over Europe.

Continue reading... Jetski Festival in Ibiza

Rapidly turning into Turkey's hottest new kid on the block in terms of tourism, Belek is a region on the coast of southern Turkey which includes the town of Belek itself, the city of Antalya and the stunning Aspendos amphitheatre. Here the coastline is scattered with "blue flag" quality beaches, newly developed tourist centres and a variety of historic and cultural attractions.

Continue reading... Glorious Golf in Belek

The Gran Canaria International Marathon took place on the 24th January 2010. Local council and tourism authorities saw the potential of hosting an international marathon race after witnessing what they called the "magnetic" effect of similar races in other Spanish cities. They quoted the success of cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Saragossa and Palma de Mallorca as some of those that have put on marathon races and attracted huge crowds in addition to the runners themselves. For Gran Canaria the obvious choice was to make the most of the island's mild winter weather and entice runners to take part in one of the only European marathons to be held during January.

Continue reading... Countdown to Gran Canaria Marathon

The Spanish islands of Mallorca, Menorca and the Canaries are not the only places to hold their carnivals in the early part of the year. The town of Rethymno in Crete also stages a spectacular carnival programme that runs throughout the whole of February.

Continue reading... February Carnival in Crete

Once again Gran Canaria briefly became home to over 200 yachts as the fleet for the annual ARC trans-atlantic yacht race assembled in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ahead of the event.

Continue reading... Transatlantic Yachts in Gran Canaria

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 Challenge, or to give it its full name the Malta International Challenge Marathon, took place again in November for the 19th time. The format of this popular running event is very different to that of your typical London or New York marathons. In this race the distance to be covered was split into three more manageable pieces and tackled over consecutive days. It gave runners more chance to see different parts of this remarkable island whilst at the same time making the challenge of running a marathon slightly more accessible.

Continue reading... Malta Marathon Challenge

Whilst many European holiday resorts go through a quite spell before the start of the festive holiday period in mid December, Tenerife still has plenty of activities and events to interest visitors during November and early December.

Continue reading... Forthcoming Events on Tenerife

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 the first time Banjul,in The Gambia, will host its Fine Arts Festival to run for two weeks from 4th January 2010. The organiser of the event, Yusupha Kula, claims to be taking a small, local art show and transforming into a fine art festival that will attract up to 150,000 visitors and showcase talented and emerging artists from all over the world.

Continue reading... Banjul Fine Arts Festival

Choir festivals and competitions are a feature of the social calendar for a number of holiday destinations around Europe. This year it started on the 29th October with Malta's 4th International Choir Competition and Festival taking place using various locations around the island. Malta is fortunate to have an expansive choice of concert venues, with there being 365 churches on the island.

Continue reading... Choir Competition and Festival on Malta

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

There were two International sporting events that featured on the events calendar of the island of Lanzarote during November.

Continue reading... Lanzarote Sports November

There were two International sporting events that featured on the events calendar of the island of Lanzarote during November.

Continue reading... Lanzarote Sports November

Colourful skies were promised at the annual Fuerteventura Kite Festival in November this year.

Continue reading... Fuerteventura Kite Festival

Once again Gran Canaria briefly becomes home to over 200 yachts as the fleet for the annual ARC trans-atlantic yacht race assembles in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ahead of the event.

Continue reading... Transatlantic Yachts in Gran Canaria

The Teatro das Figuras in Faro was the venue for a Dance Gala evening on the 10th of October 2009.

Continue reading... International Dance Gala in Faro

Almost 20 years after his last performance on the island, Leonard Cohen returned to Mallorca to give a concert at the Palma Arena.

Continue reading... Leonard Cohen in Palma

During the summer months the resort of Alcudia on the northern coast of Mallorca transforms into a buzzing beach location, fringed with a huge selection of luxury hotels, bars, restaurants, cafes and one of the best sandy beaches on the island. Once the peak months of the summer are gone, everything starts to move at a slightly slower pace, although the resort doesn't quite return to the peaceful, quiet rural zone it once was before tourism discovered it.

Continue reading... Alcudia Fair in October

It claims to be the land of sun, hospitality and culture and the resort of Antalya in Turkey is aiming to increase its list of cultural attractions by establishing its own International Choir Festival this year.

Continue reading... Antalya Choir Festival in November

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

A new season of concerts by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra starts in November.

Continue reading... Tenerife Symphony Orchestra Starts New Season

The holiday scene in Rhodes may be slightly quieter during September and a music festival follows the trend.

Continue reading... Music in Rhodes - A Classical Festival

The slowing down of the holiday season and the quieter roads are exactly what motorsports fans on Tenerife have been waiting for.

Continue reading... Tenerife Turns to Motorsport

The beaches of Eastern Crete are often referred to as some of the more secluded on the island, but when windsurfers discover perfect conditions, things tend to get livelier.

Continue reading... Go Freestyle on Crete

The main holiday season may be starting to wind down in some mainland European resorts, but the Canary Islands have a year-round season to enjoy.

Continue reading... Events in Lanzarote during August and September

Cars of all shapes, sizes and age will depart Plymouth in England during December on a long journey to Banjul in The Gambia.

Continue reading... Plymouth Banjul Rally

The ancient Greek's love of sport goes back many thousands of years and the stadium, that forms part of the Acropolis of Rhodes, is a breathtaking structure that allows visitors to imagine what times were like. The stadium was unearthed after a large excavation and most of the original 600 feet of straight are still preserved together with lower levels of seating and the rounded sphendone at one end.

Continue reading... Rhodes welcomes Blind Athletes

For a real Greek village experience try Vamos. The town is situated between Chania and Rethymnon, in the rolling foothills of the White Mountains. The sea is less than four miles away, with sandy beaches complete with water-sports facilities at both Kalives and Georgioupoli.

Continue reading... Crete - Part 2

In a move that appears to be bucking the trend experienced in other parts of Europe, the Greek Islands are seeing improved tourist figures for the first four months of the year.

Continue reading... Greeks Islands Proving Popular

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

For an exciting summer getaway with a difference why not try Bourgas, Bulgaria. It has the pretty sand beaches, hot climate, and varied activities that a Summer getaway requires, all at a more affordable price than the Med. With its preserved medieval villages and monasteries, it's also a cultural mecca. No wonder that Bulgaria has been named the world's best budget destination.

Continue reading... Bourgas Part 1

Ibiza is a place where the club scene is nothing short of legendary. But beyond the nightlife, Ibiza sizzles during the languid summer days with sublime beaches, hippie charm, and nature's beauty. The locals are hospitable with long held artistic traditions and inventive culinary skills. In short, Ibiza is much more than the party capital of Europe and has fast become a favourite holiday vacation for families and couples, too.

Continue reading... More To Ibiza Than Clubbing

Art and Culture lovers are well catered for in Cyprus with plenty of events being promoted all over the island to showcase music, dance, theatre and other forms. Typically the major towns of Limassol and Nicosia are home to most of the promotions with venues like the Municipal Theatre, the Medieval Castle and the Athletics Stadium, all in Limassol, being ideally suited for different sized events. The big summer concert this year at the stadium in Limassol features American rock musician Alice Cooper who comes to the island as the last date on the first European leg of his "Theater Of Death" tour. Cooper then moves onto the States and Australia in August and September, before coming to the UK in November and December.

Continue reading... Concerts and Ballet in Cyprus

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

The towering Bellver Castle, situated in the woods high above the city of Palma in Mallorca, is home to an annual music festival during July.

Continue reading... Music Towers above Palma

The annual summer festival in Chania, Crete showcases all kinds of traditional Cretan theatre and music, but international bands will rock the festival into life on 11th July, when rock band Scorpians headline an outdoor concert in the town.

Continue reading... Summer Festival Rocks into life in Crete

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

Visitors to the island of Lanzarote next weekend will have the opportunity to sample the Festival of Arrecife, a series of musical events taking place at different venues around the city on Friday and Saturday.

Continue reading... Lanzarote Festival in Arrecife

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

Starting on the 3rd of July 2009, the 18th Canaries Jazz Festival kicks off with performances on Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. Acts from all over the world are playing during the week long festival and on the second day concerts are taking place on 4 different islands in the group.

Continue reading... Canaries Jazz Festival

Holidays in Turkey are certainly increasingly popular with some remarkable beaches, luxury resorts and a spectacular coastline that changes from developed tourist destination to isolated countryside at the turn of a peninsula. At the western end of the south coast, between the Gulfs of Gulluk and Gokova, lies the city of Bodrum. Although it is surrounded by a varied choice of smaller holiday resorts, Bodrum itself is a popular location that offers an eclectic mix of ancient culture, indulgence in luxury and exciting modern trends. By day Bodrum revolves around two attractive bays, a busy marina full of luxury yachts, an ancient castle and long, palm-shaded promenades. By night in Bodrum comes alive with hundreds of bars and restaurants, outdoor socialising and some of Europe's most exciting nightclubs.

Continue reading... Bodrum Comes Alive at Night

The first United Nations World Environment Day (WED) happened in 1972 and over the following 37 years the initiative has been gaining traction as a vehicle to generate awareness of environmental issues. Thomas Cook was one company that supported the initiative with action events all over Europe and in Egypt. A sustainable tourism fashion show fashion show was held in Italy and a coastal walk was organised on the Coast del Sol to raise money for a local charity. In Paphos on Cyprus, Gran Canaria and Zakynthos Thomas Cook staff took part in beach clean up initiatives. The company sees WED as a good opportunity to educate both staff and guests about the environmental impact of travel and the means of making leisure travel a sustainable option.

Continue reading... Zante Clean Up on World Environment Day

There are many things that are different about the Egyptian holiday resort of Sharm el Sheikh and traditional fashion culture is one of them. Egypt is a country steeped in history, culture and customs. The native population conforms to many religious and cultural traditions as far as dress is concerned, but those rules seem to be quietly forgotten in the cosmopolitan resorts of Sharm el Sheikh on the Red Sea. However a new campaign, being promoted by travel magazine Wanderlust, aims to make tourists more aware of local expectations in terms of what to wear and hopes it will encourage people to take more care to be respectful of local traditions when it comes to choosing appropriate clothing.

Continue reading... Sharm an Egyptian Fashion Enigma

The Greek island of Rhodes certainly has plenty of history to call upon when it comes to creating festival events and a recent Medieval Festival that started in 2005 is repeated this year at the end of June.

Continue reading... Medieval Festival Planned for Rhodes

Club La Santa in Lanzarote is regarded by many as one of the best sports resorts in Europe. It certainly has plenty to offer in terms of facilities and the mild winter climate helps to attract thousands of sports people to the island throughout the year. The club first opened in 1983 and has grown in stature and size consistently ever since, however a recent issue has brought a temporary halt to development work aimed at expanding facilities.

Continue reading... Additional Sports Facilities in 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 Greek islands of Rhodes, Crete and Zante are among many holiday destinations in Greece that will benefit from the smoking ban that is being brought forward to July 1st 2009 from its original introduction date of January 1st 2010. With smoking banned in public places across much of Europe already, Greece is one of a few countries yet to introduce the legislation that bans smoking in public places like restaurants, hotels and cafes. The fact that smoking is still allowed in these places at the moment comes as a surprise to many visitors of holiday destinations in Greece and has been seen as a significant disadvantage by tourist authorities.

Continue reading... Smoking Ban in Greece brought forward

Most people taking a holiday around the area of Paphos in Cyprus will do so because of the lovely weather. Virtually guaranteed sunshine and mild temperatures make it a great location for beach holidays almost all year round. But if relaxing and enjoying the sunshine is not quite enough for you, Paphos also has plenty of more energetic activities to keep you busy.

Continue reading... More than Sun in Paphos

Situated on the Algarve coast between Lagos and Faro, the town of Portimao is no stranger to high adrenalin sports events. Kitesurfing, motorcycling and powerboat racing have all used the location on the southern coast of Portugal for professional calibre competitions.

Continue reading... Blue Skies over Portimao

The annual Kataklysmos Fair starts on 5th June in Larnaca, Cyprus with a performance of Greek dancing and music on the seafront stage, followed by a fireworks display. The word "kataklysmos" means flood and the celebration is unique to Cyprus, coinciding with the Greek Pentacost. The celebrations are thought to link back the birth of Aphrodite who emerged from the waves and turned the ground around her into a sea of flowers. The flood is celebrated as something that cleanses mankind and enables new life, and is a event marked in a similar manner in many cultures around the world.

Continue reading... Annual Kataklysmos Fair in Larnaca

The coastline around Bodrum has a rich history dating back many through thousands of years of rule by Persians, Ancient Greeks, Crusader Knights and the Ottoman Empire. All that has left the area scattered with enough relics and artifacts to keep today's archaeologists very happy and the museum in Bodrum is a popular attraction for them.

Continue reading... Return of Artifacts to Bodrum

An intoxicating coastline of white sandy beaches plus top restaurants and clubs, Palma is a mecca for the traveller who appreciates the very best of everything. The capital of the Balearic Islands, Palma is upmarket, eternally chic, and perfectly suited for walking as it's compact and navigable for pedestrians.

Continue reading... Palma de Mallorca - Balearics - Part 1

There's a beach on the island of Zante that has been voted one of the most popular beaches in Europe and was given the title of best beach in Europe for tots and toddlers by The Times in 2005. But you won't find any water parks, amusement parks or stalls selling buckets and spades here.

Continue reading... Gerakas Beach in Zante

Described as a walker's paradise by many, the island combines a mild, dry climate with spectacular high mountains, coastal paths and, in places, wonderful isolation. A huge network of ancient walkways and traditional trails used by shepherds links together hundreds of small villages which provide places to stop and gather refreshments as well as places to stay overnight.

Continue reading... Walking and Climbing in Crete

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

The Rod Stewart concert, on the 16th May, is expected to be the biggest of the 3 main rock and pop events to come to Tenerife over the summer and the organisers have chosen to put on the outdoor concert at the Golf Costa Adeje resort in order to cater for the demand expected. This is easily the biggest concert to come to the island since Sir Elton John played to 20,000 people there in January 2008.

Continue reading... Tenerife Gears up for Musical Summer

The Lanzarote Ironman event has taken place annually for the past 17 years and has become one of the premier races on the world triathlon calendar. Competitors face a 3.8km sea swim, followed by a 180km bike leg looping around the island's volcanic terrain and finally a gruelling marathon distance run around 4 laps of a course at Puerto del Carmen.

Continue reading... Lanzarote plays host to Sporting Ironmen and Women

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

The opening of the Siam Park water complex was certainly long awaited. Construction started back in 2004 on what is reputed to be the biggest water park in Europe, but delays and construction problems delayed the opening by 16 months.

Continue reading... New Water Park in Tenerife

The town of Bodrum in Turkey is well known as a gateway to various coastal holidays resorts that lie within reach of the town. But Bodrum itself is a fascinating town and is well worth a visit, if only for a few days, to see the sights and sounds of real Turkey. Tourism is becoming ever more important for Bodrum but the economic roots of the town lie in fishing, boat building and farming and many historical elements of those trades can still be found.

Continue reading... Bodrum Nights

Anyone taking a holiday in Tenerife is probably heading there to enjoy the warm temperatures and beautiful beaches but if that is not quite enough then there are other attractions to enjoy on the island.

Continue reading... Theme Parks in Tenerife