Freesun News, weekly magazine for travel and tourism, Belgium

AVIATION

Record-breaking year for local passenger and cargo volumes at Brussels Airport
Passenger and cargo volumes have continued to grow through 2005, establishing new records, whereas the number of movements remained stable.
Nearly 16.2 million passengers have used Brussels Airport in 2005, an increase of 3.5% compared to the previous year. The number of scheduled passengers increased with 2.4% on intra-EU flights and with 3.8% on extra-EU flights. The number of charter passengers rose by 6%. Read more.

Aviareps has a new client in Sweden. The airline representation now acts as General Sales Agent for the low-fare carrier Iceland Express and is responsible for all sales and marketing activities of the airline in this Scandinavian country. General Manager of Aviareps in Sweden is Johnny Gardsaeter.

SN lowers fares for European flights
Brussels, 18th January 2006 - SN Brussels Airlines lowers its fares to 32 destinations for customers who book their ticket at least 2 months before the departure date. Price reductions up to 45 pct will be implemented. With this new pricing strategy, SN targets mainly the early bookers. Read more.

Tokyo, Monday January 16, 2006: From January 23, 2006, passengers on JAL aircraft equipped with the 'JAL Inflight Internet Service' provided by Connexion by Boeing Inc. (CBB) - a business unit of Boeing - will be able to use their own wireless LAN compatible personal computers to enjoy live global television during flight.
By logging onto the 'JAL Inflight Internet Service' from this date, passengers onboard JAL will be able to select from four television channels and view directly on their own laptop or notebook computers live news, financial and sport news-related content. The programming will be transmitted live by satellite by NBC Universal, Euronews, EuroSport SA and BBC World to all JAL aircraft equipped with the 'JAL Inflight Internet Service'.

From January to December 2005, the Austrian Airlines Group welcomed more passengers onto its scheduled and charter flights than ever before, with 10,119,773 passengers carried. This represented an increase of 7.6 % compared to 2004. This record performance enabled the Austrian Airlines Group to achieve a traffic result - measured in revenue passenger kilometers on scheduled services (RPK) - which was up by 7.9 % on the comparable figure for the previous year, while the figure for available seat kilometers (ASK) rose by 5.5 % compared to the previous year. The resulting cumulative passenger load factor on scheduled services, at 73,8 %, was 1.7 percentage points above the previous year's figure. A historic “all-time-high” overall load factor for scheduled and charter services was achieved by an increase of 1.3 percentage points to 74.1 %.

SKYTEAM WELCOMES MIDDLE EAST AIRLINES, AIR LIBAN (MEA)
INTEREST IN SKYTEAM ASSOCIATE PROGRAM
Governing Board supports carrier's application for Associate Airline status
ROISSY, January 16, 2006 - Today, the SkyTeam Governing Board announced that Middle East Airlines, Air Liban (MEA), Lebanon's national carrier, has taken the first steps toward becoming a SkyTeam Associate Airline. Read more.

Tokyo, Friday January 13, 2006: Japan Airlines (JAL) will be the main airline sponsor of this year's 15th FIBA Men's Basketball World Championship - the first time it has been held in Japan. JAL will provide transportation assistance to basketball teams and officials, as well as help in promoting the event.

Air canada To Begin Toronto-Shanghai Non-Stop Flights
TORONTO - From June 16th, Air Canada will launch a non-stop flight between Toronto and Shanghai. The carrier will operate three non-stop services per week between Toronto and China's financial hub. With an elapsed time of 14 hours 45 minutes westbound and 13 hours 40 minutes eastbound, the airline's new flight will save travellers over 3 hours in each direction compared to the Vancouver routing. The service will depart Toronto on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays arriving in Shanghai the following day.

Qantas To Operate Extra LA-Sidney Flights, Begins Flights To Beijing
SYDNEY - Starting from March 31st, Qantas will add additional non-stop flights between Los Angeles and Sydney. The Friday flights feature the Skybed business class sleeper seat and add over 1,200 seats monthly to the airline's present schedule. Meanwhile, the Australian carrier has started three non-stop flights per week from Sydney to Beijing to add to its four weekly services to Shanghai. The Australian airline expects to offer daily flights to both Chinese cities within two years.

India's Air Sahara Launches London Heathrow-New Delhi Flight
NEW DELHI - Air Sahara on January 6th commenced direct flights from London Heathrow to New Delhi. The flight is operated with a Boeing 767 aircraft, which has 10 Business Class Premium seats and 32 Business Class seats.

Singapore Airlines To Launch Flights To Abu Dhabi
SINGAPORE - From March 1st, Singapore Airlines will begin a three times per week flight service to the United Arab Emirates destination of Abu Dhabi. The services will depart Singapore on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays arriving at Abu Dhabi on the same day. From there, they will continue on to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Qantas Launches Special fares For Travel Between Singapore And Australia
SINGAPORE - Qantas is offering reduced rates for flights between Singapore and Australia. Fares are available with up to 40 per cent off published rates. They include the Good Vibrations Festival (February to March), Romance Under the Stars (26 February), Raw. Creative. Colourful. Its Mardi Gras! (3 February to 4 March), Street Arts Galore in Adelaide Fringe (24 February to 19 March), A Wining and Dining Winter Wonderland (June), Whale Watching and Other Sea Activities (January through June). The sale finishes on January 23rd, with airfares valid for travel from February 6th to June 20th.

Air France vient de prendre connaissance de la décision du ministre des Transports, de l'Equipement, du Tourisme et de la Mer concernant l'évolution des redevances réglementées d'ADP pour les cinq prochaines années dont elle constate qu'elles pourraient évoluer presque trois fois plus vite que l'inflation.
Avant d'exprimer quelque opinion que ce soit, Air France attendra d'analyser l'avis de la commission consultative aéroportuaire devant laquelle elle avait, conformément à la procédure décidée par la loi de 2005, exprimé des arguments favorables à une augmentation beaucoup plus modérée des redevances, arguments dont il lui avait semblé qu'ils étaient entendus et compris par ladite commission.

CRUISES

Costa Crociere & Cinecitta' Campus Team To Offer New Opportunities For Young Italian Talent
Costa Crociere, the number one cruise Company in Europe and South America, and Cinecittà Campus, the entertainment academy for the performing arts directed by Maurizio Costanzo, where young hopefuls study and train and it is also possible to attend live performances, open auditions and castings, are joining forces to create new job opportunities for young Italians and Europeans in search of employment. Read more.

DESTINATIONS

Avec le billet Happy Trip
Des vacances pas chères au littoral
Les vacanciers qui réservent un logement au Littoral pourront dorénavant se rendre à la côte en train en bénéficiant d'un tarif réduit de 50%. Le billet Happy Trip est valable également sur le tram du Littoral pour le trajet de la gare à la localité du logement réservé, et inversément. En 2006 cette formule de voyage intéressante aura exactement 15 ans. La formule Happy Trip bénéficie de l'action conjointe de divers partenaires: Westtoer, qui est à l'origine de cette initiative, la SNCB, De Lijn, Horeca (Littoral) et Toerisme Vlaanderen. En savoir plus.

L'Irlande : une destination idéale pour des vacances familiales!
Quand on pense à l'Irlande, on ne pense sans doute pas tout de suite à des vacances familiales. Bien que l'Irlande du Nord et du Sud aient beaucoup de choses à offrir lors de vacances avec des enfants. En savoir plus.

Nieuw-Zeeland verwelkomt meer jonge 'werktoeristen'
Nieuw-Zeeland gooit de grenzen open voor jonge Nederlanders die maximaal twaalf maanden lang werk en vakantie willen combineren in Aotearora (het Land van de Lange Witte Wolk). Iedereen tussen 18 en 30 jaar, die aan bepaalde voorwaarden voldoet, is welkom. De ultieme kans om een van de mooiste landen ter wereld te ontdekken. Je verdient je eigen vakantiegeld, terwijl je met je rugzak door het avontuurlijke land trekt.
Zin om te gaan, of meer willen weten …. kijk op de site van de Ambassade van Nieuw-Zeeland
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/netherlandsworkingholidayscheme.htm
Via deze site kun je je on-line aanmelden voor het 'Working Holiday Scheme'.

News From Riga
World Champions in Women Leadership
Not only is Latvia referred to as European champions in Economic growth, the country may also be called World Champions in Women Leadership. It could be worth a study tour.
Read more.
Winter-Riga rich in activities
There are plenty of winter activities both in urban Riga and rural Latvia. Winter and white snow from December to March adds new values to incentives, events and meetings.
Read more.
Reval Hotels to open third hotel in Riga
The real estate company Linstow and their hotel chain Reval Hotels will start building their third hotel in downtown Riga. It will open in Spring 2007.
Read more.
World Cup in Ski Orienteering in Madona
World Cup in Ski Orienteering and World Masters Championships in Ski Orienteering will take place in the hills around Madona in Latvia from 1 - 6 February, 2006.
Read more.
Arena Riga opens in February
The new multi-functional hall Arena Riga will open with a concert on 18 February. Arena Riga will be able to host congresses for up to 10 500 delegates.
Read more.

Niet minder dan zeven nieuwe fietsnetwerken, themafietsroutes, mountainbikeroutes, wandelnetwerken, cultuurhistorische wandeltrajecten: dit zijn de nieuwste invalshoeken om dit jaar in West-Vlaanderen te fietsen en te wandelen. De nieuwe pocket 'Recreatiegids West-Vlaanderen' van Westtoer wordt de inspiratiebron om actief te genieten.
* De pocket 'Recreatiegids West-Vlaanderen' is gratis te verkrijgen bij Westtoer, Koning Albert I-laan 120, 8200 Sint-Michiels - tel: 050/305.500, fax: 050/305.590 - e-mail: info@westtoer.be en bij het provinciaal informatiecentrum Tolhuis (Jan Van Eyckplein 2 in het centrum van Brugge) - tel. 0800/ 20 021 - e-mail: provincie@west-vlaanderen.be.
* Met een bestelbon in de recreatiegids kan je specifieke kaarten bestellen. Fietsnetwerkkaarten: 6 euro, wandelroutes: 1,50 euro, fietsroutes: 2 euro, autoroutes: 2,5 euro, ruiterroutes: 1,50 euro. Routekaarten bestellen op internet: www.westtoer.be en www.fietsen-wandelen.be.

JUNGFRAU Winter with innovative new attractions
With the JungfrauWinner Card, a Tempo 30 zone and free Saturday skiing for kids, the JUNGFRAU Winter Region has innovative attractions lined up to complement the 45 mountain railways, cableways and ski lifts, over 200 km of superb pistes, 100 km of winter walking paths and 50 km of sledge runs. Read more.

Kopenhagen beste culinaire stad van Scandinavië
Het gezaghebbende reisblad Condé Nast Traveller heeft vastgesteld dat Kopenhagen de beste culinaire stad van Scandinavië is. In de Deense hoofdstad en omstreken zijn momenteel tien restaurants met een Michelin-ster.
Het blad looft met name een vijftal restaurants: Noma aan de Strandgade, Formel B aan de Vesterbrogade, The Paul in Tivoli, Premisse in Dronningens Tvœrgade en Den gule Cottage in Klampenborg (ten noorden van Kopenhagen).
Voor meer informatie over bestemming Kopenhagen zie www.visitdenmark.com

Meer hotels langs jarige Margrietroute
Er hebben zich in Denemarken meer logiesgelegenheden aangesloten bij de samenwerkende Marguerite-hotels, die langs of in de buurt liggen van de meer dan 3.500 km lange Margrietroute, die langs vrijwel alle belangrijke bezienswaardigheden van het land loopt. De route, genoemd naar de margriet, de lievelingsbloem van de Deense vorstin Margrethe II, is dit jaar 15 jaar oud.
Bij de Marguerite-hotels zijn nu ook kleine kro’s (herbergen) en Bed & Breakfast-adressen langs de route aangesloten.
De organisatie van Marguerite-hotels heeft een VIP-kaart op de markt gebracht voor stamgasten. De kaart geeft recht op bepaalde kortingen.
Binnenkort verschijnt bij uitgeverij Hugo Service een nieuwe Nederlandstalige gids over de Deense Margrietroute.
Meer informatie over de Margriethotels via www.marguerit-hoteller.dk (Engelse en Duitse versie).

FAIRS

Het Vakantiesalon van Brussel vindt dit jaar plaats van 9 t.e.m. 13 februari en dit steeds tussen 10 tot 18 uur. Bijna 700 exposanten zullen de bezoekers informatie verschaffen om hun reisbestemming zo goed mogelijk te helpen kiezen of voor te bereiden. Als gastland zal Frankrijk zijn 22 regio’s in Paleis 4 voorstellen. Een overzicht van de vakantiebestemmingen in Europa en de Middellandse Zee vind je in Paleis 5, terwijl België en verre bestemmingen in Paleis 6 in de kijker worden geplaatst. En dacht je op het salon al onmiddellijk je vakantie te boeken? Geen probleem, vanaf dit jaar is dat mogelijk. Meer informatie vindt u op www.uwvakantie.be

London, 17 Jan 2006 -- Texas Tourism, the official tourism organisation for the state of Texas, has signed up to take part in BITTM, the Beijing International Travel and Tourism Market, taking place April 3-5, 2006. BITTM offers international tourism organisations the chance meet Chinese travel professionals with a view to creating partnerships and international alliances. It is the only dedicated outbound travel event for the fastest growing travel market in the world - China.

HOTELS

Park Plaza Beijing Wangfuing Soft Open
BEIJING - The Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing has soft opened, becoming Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts' first hotel in China. Situated in the capital city's Wangfujing commercial and shopping district, the hotel is close to famous tourist sites such as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. With 216 rooms, Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing offers business guests private dining facilities, wireless internet access in public areas and the Park Plaza Club lounge. The hotel also boasts a business centre with full business services, audio visual equipment and three meeting rooms.

Sheraton Dongguan Hotel Adds 100 More Rooms
DONGGUAN - Sheraton Dongguan Hotel in China's Guangdong province has added 100 rooms, boosting its total number of rooms to 500. The new rooms come with the signature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Beds, high speed internet access, satellite channels, in-room laptop-size safe and Star Service. Located in Dongguan's busy District, the hotel is within an hour from Guangzhou International Airport, 35 minutes from Shenzhen Baoan International Airport and a 90 minute ferry ride from Hong Kong and Macau

RAILWAYS

2005 : une année exceptionnelle pour Eurostar
* Revenu de 464 millions de livres sterling, en hausse de 7% par rapport à 2004
* 7,5 millions de voyageurs - augmentation de 14% du nombre de voyageurs d'affaires par rapport à 2004
* Des parts de marché record
* Lancement en février d'une 10ème liaison quotidienne entre Bruxelles et Londres
En savoir plus.

TECHNOLOGY

ATLANTA, Jan. 17 -- Global airline technology leader Worldspan, L.P. announced a new multi-year full content agreement with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, providing Worldspan the same fares and availability of content offered through KLM's direct sales channels, including its Web site and reservation agents, without surcharges. The agreement encompasses all public low fare classes and Web fares offered by the carrier.

TOUROPERATORS

Haarlem, januari 2006 - Corendon Vliegvakanties, dé Turkije-specialist, start het nieuwe jaar met een driekoppig directieteam. Het bedrijf heeft sinds de oprichting in 2000 een aanzienlijke groei doorgemaakt; in zes jaar tijd heeft Corendon zich ontwikkeld tot de op vier na grootste touroperator van Nederland met een eigen luchtvaartmaatschappij, Corendon Airlines. Om het kantoor in Nederland te versterken en topman Atilay Uslu te ontlasten zijn Marco Bergschneider – financieel directeur per 19 december 2005 – en Wim Woelders – directeur voor interne zaken per 1 maart – aangesteld.

VARIOUS

Egypte : Mr. Zoheir Garranah was appointed Minister of Tourism on December 31st 2005.
Prior to joining the Egyptian Cabinet, and since November 2004, H.E. Zoheir Garranah served as First Assistant to the Minister of Tourism. During the same period
Mr. Garranah served as Board Member, General Authority for Investment and Member, Economic Committee, National Democratic Party.
Mr. Zoheir Garranah has more than 25 years of tourism experience and has positively and widely contributed to the growth and flow of tourism to Egypt. In appreciation of this experience in this field Mr. Garranah was appointed in 2002, Board Member, Egyptian Travel agencies Association.

C'est bientôt Carnaval à Disneyland...
Du 4 février au 12 mars, le Parc Disneyland va vibrer aux rythmes de la Petite Sirène et du Livre de la Jungle. Parades et animations dans le Parc Disneyland avec, c'est une nouveauté, le grand rassemblement du Festival de la Petite Sirène et de celui du Livre de la Jungle en fin d'après-midi. On demandera aux enfants et à leurs parents de former une immense conga-line - on leur apprendra ce que c'est, quels sont les gestes et les pas à retenir ! Confettis garantis.
La Magie Illimitée, c'est le programme en cours à Disneyland Resort Paris, jusqu'au 3 février. Vous restez autant que vous le voulez dans les grandes attractions, sans devoir repasser par la file d'entrée.
Et c'est gratuit pour les enfants : jusqu'au 30 mars, tout séjour adulte payé donne droit au même séjour gratuit pour un enfant de moins de 12 ans. Une offre promotionnelle qui rencontre toujours un grand succès. Thalys se joint à cette action : les enfants voyagent gratuitement pendant la plus grande partie de cette période.

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