Archive for August, 2009
Mexico Holidays: Gateway To Carnival
One of the requirements of modern day life is to take periodic breaks and go on vacations which would break the monotony of life and relieve one from the daily grind of unforgiving itinerary. No wonder going on break is one exercise everyone looks forward to. An activity which was always greatly in demand but which has reached a new high in recent times thanks mainly to the growing work pressure amongst people. Talking about holidays one place that is hugely in demand is Mexico. Indeed Mexico holidays is one vacation that everyone seems to be eager about but no one seems to have enough of it.
Now the question that arises is that what is it that makes Mexico such a hotspot for traveling enthusiasts. Well answer to this is very simple. The very experience of being in Mexico is an experience that only people who have enjoyed being in Mexico can only reveal. Visitors are immediately taken up by the carnival atmosphere in Mexico. A place that guarantees fun and frolic is how Mexico can be defined.
Home to some of the most stunning locations Mexico is home to several stunningly beautiful natural scenes which leave the visitors spell bound and gasping for more. Then again it is not that Mexico has only natural beauty to its credit for the place also has great potential for night birds. Replete with outstanding casinos pubs bars discos etc. the place is heaven for night crawlers. A place like Mexico which is so full of attractions for tourists is bound to be on the top of the wish list of people.
And if the present day popularity is anything to go by then one can be rest assured that coming days would see the popularity of Mexico Holidays being taken to another level.
About the writer: Writing on travel and tourism for quite some time now Alfie James has now earned an expert title for himself. Amongst the top ranking website where he has contributed includes OtravelHolidays. O TravelHolidays is UKs number one travel agent providing Mexico Holidays late deals and amazing bargains on the holiday destination of your choice.
Malta Prepares For Bumper 2008
The island of Malta has a reputation for good sunshine holidays in the Mediterranean and a fleet of 1950′s Leyland buses that have become a recognisable part of life for the island’s visitors and adds character to the former British colony.
But now the island is investing in a safe and visitor friendly mode of transport for the 2008 tourists dotto trains.
The trains are already an established feature in many European holiday destinations but Malta takes her time and comes nearly twenty years after the idea was first suggested.
The dottos started on running for New Year’s day and are operating in the popular areas of St Paul’s Bay Bugibba and Qawra all in the north of the island and if successful will be also included in the south in areas like Marsascala.
The delay in introducing dotto trains to Malta is typical of the island and the attitude towards tourism it seems to take years for an obvious idea to be implemented and then it’s embraced wholeheartedly with everyone wondering why they didn’t do it years ago. Another example is the introduction of low cost flights to Malta.
With a downward spiral in visitor numbers the Maltese government finally relented to pressure from the Malta holidays industry and allowed low cost carriers to fly to the island for the first time two years ago.
Competition was keen between the airlines to take up the lucrative UK to Malta route and Dublin based Ryanair was chosen over rivals easyJet to take up the route and the island has benefitted since autumn 2006 with a sharp increase in tourists reversing six years of decline.
Since then the island’s tourist authorities have finally waken up to the fact that competition in the skies could bring more benefits to the country than protecting her national airline and new routes have opened between Malta with Germany Spain and Scandanavia.
New official figures show that last year’s all important summer season was the best in six years for Malta reversing the decline in fortunes for the Mediterranean island.
The good news for Malta is that despite the increase in the number of tourists arriving on the island via low cost flights the occupancy levels of hotels has increased across the range from basic to 5 star showing that Malta can appeal to all.
Further good news for Malta came from the figures for hotels and holidays with the news that while the number of arrivals from her traditional UK market rose by eleven per cent the number of people from Germany visiting Malta increased by a third this year adding strength to the holidays industry that has been reliant on tourism from one country in the past.
Both Germany and the UK have seen new low cost flight operators sucessfully applying to fly to Malta and the increase in tourism can largely be put down to them.
2007 proved to be a turning year for Malta with previously poor publicity turning to good press reports in the media overseas.
The dotto trains may be coming late to Malta but as the low cost flights have shown once they are up and running the island will wonder how they ever did without them!
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;For vacation information about Malta which includes a wide range of Malta hotels and holiday details visit YourMalta.comThe travel guide also has weather forecasts for Malta and the weather in Milan for those tourists flying off to nearby Italy after their Malta holidays.
Malta – A Crossroad In The Middle Of The Sea
What comes to your mind when you hear the word Malta? Most of my friends would think of the knights the Mediterranean Sea and a lovely beach holiday. Very true Malta is all of these: the knights of St. John found shelter on the island and ruled it for several hundred years; the tiny nation of 400000 inhabitants occupies even tinier fortress island in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea and yes Malta is a famous travel destination. Still there is so much more to be discovered about Malta. For one thing we could easily describe it as soaked with history piece of land.
In order to get an idea of how diverse Malta is we need to look at its 7000 years of history. So many cultures have blended on this island that you could easily say it is a natural focal point where European Mediterranean and Oriental worlds meet. I like to say: ‘If Sicily is just around the corner Tunisia is across the road’. That is why Malta is fascinating: so many different people came here and not only took Napoleon was a famous taker but also left something namely their mark on the Maltese eclectic culture. For instance you can see the British heritage not only in the design of the old telephone booths and post boxes but also in the legal and political systems. Interested in the Italian influence on the Maltese way of life? Walk on one of the narrow streets in any Maltese village and listen to the sound coming out of the open windows. Yes you’ve got it most probably it is some Italian show on RAI or one of the Berlusconi’s TV channels.
The modern Maltese language is another feature of the island that leaves you wondering. It is the only Semitic language in the world written in Latin alphabet. The Tunisians and other Arabs would understand quite a bit of the local dialect. On the other hand you hear the heavy influence of Italian and English in almost every sentence. Some sources affirm the roots of the language are to be found in the Arabic rule during 9th11th centuries. Stubbornly I am prone to believe that it has something to do with the Phoenician heritage of the Maltese.
Browsing the Maltese history pages we get a glimpse on the most significant periods. There was a time when the Mediterranean Sea was not connected to the Atlantic ocean by the strait of Gibraltar and was an inner lake. The Maltese islands were a tip of a mountain dividing the western “Mediterranean” lake from the eastern one. The island boasts with well preserved heritage from these prehistoric times; the Neolithic temples and the UNESCO protected Hypogeum are good examples. After the colonisation by the omnipresent in the 1st Millennium BC Ancient Greeks the commerciallysavvy Phoenicians settled on the island and used it as an outpost for their commercial activities between their great colony of Cartage and Southern Italy. After the Punic wars the island became a thriving Roman province and later on fell under the control of the Greekspeaking Byzantine Empire.
At the end of 9th century the Arabs conquered the islands and ruled until 1090 AD with a capital Mdina. The magnificent fortress of the socalled Silent City was further fortified by the knights of St. John. They ruled the island from 1530 to 1798 and shaped the European features of Malta leaving numerous artifacts including many Renaissance and Baroque buildings. Thanks to these gentlemen on the narrow streets of nowadays Mdina you feel like taking a stroll in a real medieval town. Following the brief invasion of the French on their way to Egypt in 1798 the island became part of the British Empire. Some of the most conspicuous traces left by the British are the lefthand driving and the English the nations’ second official language.
What used to come in my mind when I heard the name Malta? The Bush Gorbachev summit in 1989 maybe? Well seriously I admit the knights and the capital Valletta were first to pop up. In fact Valletta is so inextricably associated with the notion of Malta that I’ve noticed people frequently referring to the international airport as ‘Valletta airport’ or to the national stadium as ‘Valletta stadium’. I am afraid that neither is true. I can see the bewilderment of many: How come? It is just that the island of 316 sq km hides so much to be discovered. Or let me rephrase: Malta has put on display under the open skies so much to be seen. And hey this was just a glimpse on the Maltese history did I mention diving?…
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Boyan Yordanof is in the tourism business since 1996. His main interests are in Internet Marketing and more specifically Service Branding in the Hospitality Industry. Boyan is an Internet Marketing Executive at RIU Seabank Hotel Malta.
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