There are bike-friendly cities scattered all over Europe, with Paris and Amsterdam leading the way. Europeans are known to love their bicycles. They love the two-wheelers so much that they are purchasing more bicycles than cars. Bicycle sales in 2012 outpaced new-car sales last year in 23 of the 27 member states of the European Union. Belgium and Luxembourg were the two countries where bike sales did not outreach the car sales. Cyprus and Malta…

According to leading holiday rentals website AlphaHolidayLettings.com, holiday home owners in Europe look set to benefit the most in the coming year. The company has just published a list of Top 10 Holiday Rentals Hot Spots for 2014, based on trends, visitors and bookings received on their website in the last 12 months. The list is topped by the capital of luxury travel, Dubai, and also features seven European destinations. The complete top 10 holiday…

Swiss Tourism is getting ready for the upcoming winter season 2013-2014 with positive outlook. After considerable slump in overnight stay figures in the past years, slight increase is likely to be recorded this year. According to Swiss Tourism the visitors should feel the difference this year thanks to considerable investments in the tourism sector. The tourist board referred to new hotels in Andermatt, Davos, Lenzerheide, Nendaz, Saanen, Verbier, Affoltern am Albis and Basel. New mountain…

New South Wales has declared a state of emergency for the next 30 days as fire-fighters try to contain the worst bushfires the state has seen in four decades. Over 200 homes have already been destroyed and 120 damaged by the fires which broke out across the state earlier this week. More than 37,000 hectares (91,400 acres) have been affected. One man has been killed as he attempted to protect his home, according to reports.…

Tourism insiders at the annual World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony are celebrating in Kenya this evening after the winners were revealed at the Safari Park Hotel & Casino in Nairobi. Hundreds of travel leaders from across the continent were in attendance, as the best travel, tourism and hospitality organisations were recognised for their outstanding achievements. Among the big winners were Kenya Tourism Board, which took the title of Africa’s Leading Tourist Board, while Kenya…

The Olympic torch is a symbol of the beginning of Olympic Games and it has already started its journey for the next XXII Winter Olympic Games to be held in Sochi, Russia. The countdown has begun and within 123 days, the Olympic torch relay will be covering over 65,000 km through every region of Russia. The route designed by the authorities has made sure that over 90 percent of the Russian population is able to…

Tourism Victoria today launched a world-first tourism initiative – the Melbourne Remote Control Tourist – an innovative concept allowing would-be visitors to explore and experience Melbourne virtually by directing real people on adventures in and around the city, all captured and streamed online in real time. For five days from October 9 to13, the two Remote Control Tourists will become the ears, eyes and even taste buds of everyday people, offering an engaging first-person perspective…

The European Court of Justice handed down a decision in 8 cases brought against Member States for the incorrect application of the special VAT scheme for travel agents. Travel agents all over Europe will now have to apply the margin taxation scheme to supplies of travel services to all types of customers and may no longer benefit from the essential simplification of a global margin calculation. The European Court of Justice dismisses the actions brought…

The European Court of Justice handed down a decision in 8 cases brought against Member States for the incorrect application of the special VAT scheme for travel agents. Travel agents all over Europe will now have to apply the margin taxation scheme to supplies of travel services to all types of customers and may no longer benefit from the essential simplification of a global margin calculation. The European Court of Justice dismisses the actions brought…

Officials at the United States state department have issued a global travel alert following a terrorist attack in Kenya which left score of civilians dead. This global travel alert urges American citizens to be on their guard against actions and violence against them by al-Qa’ida and other militant groups. It warned al-Qaeda and other groups could be planning attacks against US interests. A statement read: “The department of state remains concerned about the continued threat…