Freesun News, weekly magazine for travel and tourism, Belgium

Tokyo, Thursday November 24: JAL will temporarily resume normal international flight services between Japan and Indonesia over the New Year vacation period due to an expected upturn in passenger demand.
JAL reduced flight frequency and changed routings on its Japan-Indonesia flights at the end of October, following a significant decrease in passenger demand from Japan resulting from the terrorist bombing on Bali Island on October 1, 2005.

Tokyo, Thursday November 24: Japan Airlines has selected the GEnx engine made by the GE Company to power its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, due to enter service with the airline from 2008.
In December 2004 JAL decided to introduce 30 Boeing 787s with options for 20 more as the replacement aircraft for medium size jet airliners, without specifying the choice of engines. After studies, JAL has decided on the GEnx for installation on two types of the new generation aircraft, the long range 787-8 and the short to medium range 787-3.

Malev flight to Transylvania: New flight to Tirgu Mures
National carrier Malév Hungarian Airlines will be the first airline to operate international scheduled flights into newly renovated airport Tirgu Mures in Transylvania. The direct Budapest - Tirgu Mures service will launch on 16 January 2006, increasing the airline's number of Romanian destinations from four (Bucharest, Timisoara, Constanta and Cluj-Napoca) to five. Malév will then operate scheduled flights to more destinations in Romania than any other foreign airline. Flights will depart Tirgu Mures on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The flight arrival in Budapest is timed to integrate with the airline's evening departures to Western and Northern Europe, as well as transatlantic services, while travelers flying in from Western Europe are assured an excellent connection to the afternoon flight to Tirgu Mures.

Un accord d'affrètement entre Air france et Club Med / Jet Tours pour l'été 2006
Air France et le groupe Club Méditerranée (Club Med/Jet tours) annoncent avoir abouti à un accord d'affrètements pour l'été 2006. En savoir plus.

SAO PAULO, Nov. 23 -- GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, Brazil's low-cost, low-fare airline, announced today that it has signed a contract with Boeing to exercise options for the purchase of five additional Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft.
In July of 2005, GOL increased its contract with Boeing for the purchase of up to 101 737-800 Next Generation aircraft, the largest agreement between Boeing and a Latin American company. By exercising an additional five purchase options, the Company increases its firm orders to a total of 65 aircraft, scheduled for delivery between 2006 and 2012. GOL currently operates 40 Boeing 737 aircraft.

Air France - KLM
- Sharp Increase In Results In Q2 2005-06
- Interim Results Reflects The Success Of The Air France KLM Merger
- Second Half Objective Of A Claerly Positive Operating Result
Read more.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 22, 2005 – Boeing will install the industry-standard Boeing Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) on six 737-800 airplanes to be delivered to EgyptAir beginning in July 2006. EgyptAir will use the fully integrated Class 3 EFB to gain higher levels of safety, security and efficiency and as a bridge into the e-Enabled air transport environment.

International Lease Finance Corporation selects Airbus A350
International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), the world’s largest commercial leasing company and a subsidiary of American International Group, Inc, has signed a contract with Airbus for 12 new A350 aircraft.
ILFC was a launch customer for Airbus' A319, A321-200, A330-200, A330-300, A340-600 and A380, all market leaders in their categories, and has ordered virtually every type of Airbus airliner. It is Airbus' largest single customer worldwide. ILFC has a portfolio of more than 750 airliners. By placing an early commitment for the A350 series, including A350-800s and A350-900s, ILFC underlines the confidence leasing companies and financial markets are placing in the value of Airbus' new aircraft.

Malév invited to join oneworld alliance
November 22, 2005 - Malév is set to join oneworldTM , the world's leading quality airline alliance, after formally accepting an invitation to join the grouping at a ceremony today conducted in the presence of Hungary's Minister of Finance János Veres and Minister of Economy and Transport János Kóka. Read more.

Brussels Airport : Sustained passenger growth on extra-EU destinations
Zaventem, 22 November 2005. In October 2005 the number of departing passengers on extra-EU scheduled flights was 7.3% up on October 2004; the number of passengers on intra-EU flights remained stable. Charter traffic increased by 2.7% on the pcp. Read more.

Swiss International Air Lines has been named Europe's Leading Airline and Europe's Leading Business Airline at the World Travel Awards in London. This is the third time SWISS has won the award as Europe's leading airline.

DUBAI, Nov. 21 -- Boeing Business Jets today announced it is offering a new, more spacious Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). The new product offering is a business jet version of Boeing's Next-Generation 737-900ER commercial jetliner. It offers 35 percent more cabin space than the BBJ and 11 percent more cabin space than the BBJ 2.

FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 21 -- American Airlines announced today that it has applied to the United States Department of Transportation for authorization to begin codeshare cooperation with Vietnam Airlines in early 2006. The two airlines plan to implement their codeshare services in phases.

Qantas will begin operating seasonal services between Australia and Vancouver from 14 June to 13 August 2006.

DUBAI, Nov. 21, 2005 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) today announced a firm order for 20 787 Dreamliners with four additional options. The order is valued at approximately $2.7 billion at list prices. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in January 2010.
ILFC is the first leasing company to be announced as a 787 customer. The airplanes were previously acknowledged on the Boeing Web site, attributed to an unidentified customer.

DUBAI, Nov. 21, 2005 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] Business Jets today announced it is offering a new, more spacious Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). The new product offering is a business jet version of Boeing's Next-Generation 737-900ER commercial jetliner. It offers 35 percent more cabin space than the BBJ and 11 percent more cabin space than the BBJ 2.

DUBAI, Nov. 21, 2005 -- Boeing and Low-Cost Aircraft Leasing (LCAL) announced an order for six Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. The order, recorded earlier this year and attributed to an unidentified customer, establishes LCAL as the first leasing company worldwide to commit to the all-new, advanced technology 787. The order is valued at approximately $780 million at list prices. LCAL is designing its low-cost business model around a single fleet of 787s.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 20 -- The Boeing Company and Emirates today announced they have concluded contract negotiations for a firm order for 42 Boeing 777 airplanes with purchase rights for 20 additional airplanes. The deal was announced by Emirates Chairman H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum at the Dubai Air Show and is valued at $9.7 billion at list prices.
Emirates' order is for 24 Boeing 777-300ERs, 10 777-200LR Worldliners and 8 777 Freighters, with the first airplanes scheduled for delivery in 2007.

CAR RENTAL

Alamo biedt scherpe prijzen seizoen 2006/2007!
Alamo heeft nu al de nieuwe prijzen voor het seizoen 2006/2007 voor meer dan 30 landen doorgevoerd en wil hiermee als eerste op de markt zijn.
“De prijzen zien er goed uit en laten geen grote stijgingen zien”, zo is een eerste indruk van Arjan Helle, Director of Marketing & PR van Alamo Rent A Car. Lees meer.

DESTINATIONS

In Zweden staat de hele maand december in het teken van het licht en Kerstmis.
Hierbij informatie over Kerst in Zweden:
December, de maand van het licht
Kerstmarkten in Zweden 2005

The weekly bulletin of the Costa del Sol is available HERE.

Taiwan Announces International Youth Travel Year
TAIPEI, Taiwan, November 21, 2005 -- To promote Taiwan as a new destination for international youth and student travelers, the country's National Youth Commission has proclaimed 2006 as the Taiwan International Youth Travel Year. Read more.

Tignes vous prépare un Noël pas comme les autres !
Tignes est le lieu de tous les défis : non seulement l'espace Killy Tignes-Val d'Isère offre le plus vaste espace dédié à la glisse. 300 km de piste pour se défouler sur les pentes et apprivoiser toutes les neiges.
Mais à côté du ski et de l'après-ski 'classique », Tignes propose cet hiver une multitude d'activités nocturnes telles que la plongée sous glace de nuit, une promenade au clair de lune sur le lac gelé au cœur de Tignes, une soirée d'aventure en pleine montagne, un bivouac en igloo et une descente infernale en luge extrême. En savoir plus.

Alexandrie, la cité pluriculturelle
Cette ville impériale fondée par Alexandre (351 av. J.C.) est aujourd'hui la deuxième cité d'Egypte. Ce qu'on éprouve lorsqu'on passe par Alexandrie, c'est ce sentiment, quasi nostalgique, d'être à la fois en orient et chez soi en Europe. Ce foyer hellénistique éclaira le monde méditerranéen pendant près d'un millénaire. C'est dire si les racines européennes se retrouvent en parfaite harmonie là où français, anglais, italiens, grecques, turques ont imprégné un morceau de ville de leur passage. En savoir plus.

New York, NY (November 17, 2005) – Fuelled by record visitor volume, a thriving economy, and significant additions to the tourism product, New York City is adding nearly 5,000 new hotel rooms to its current inventory of 70,723 by the end of 2007.
In addition to new properties from the Marriott, Hilton and Starwood brands, celebrity hoteliers including Andre Balazs (The Standard), Ian Schraeger (Gramercy Park Hotel), Jason Pomeranc (6 Columbus Circle and to be named Allen Street), Vikram Chatwal (The Night Hotel) and Robert De Niro (The Downtown Hotel) are investing in New York City’s thriving tourism product. New York City is expected to close 2005 with an 87% occupancy rate and 22 million room nights booked, an increase of one million over 2004.
Tourism is a powerful economic engine for New York City that generates $21 billion in direct spending, $12 billion in wages and $5 billion in city, state and federal tax revenues. New York City welcomed nearly 40 million visitors in 2004, whose spending helped support over 300,000 jobs in all five boroughs.

The Ski Club of Great Britain has launched a new on-line environmental guide. The first of its kind, this pioneering database on www.skiclub.co.uk will be a leading source of information about the eco-friendliness of ski resorts.

FAIRS

International Attendance Soars At Record Breaking World travel Market
World Travel Market experienced its greatest year ever with a 5% overall increase in attendance to almost 49,000, more than 4% expansion in exhibiting space and a notable rise in both Meridian Club and trade visitors from overseas, compared to last year's event. Read more.

FITUR, the International Tourism Trade Fair will be held between 25th and 29th January 2006 in the Feria de Madrid facilities. It is showing off a new service directed at increasing its communication strategy and its presence in the newspaper media on a world scale. The fair has signed an agreement with the News Agency EFE (the main Spanish news agency), through which all the news and new features that the exhibition generates will be distributed digitally throughout the world. The exhibiting companies have a very useful promotional tool within their reach, as via this channel all kinds of conferences and events that will be developed in FITUR will be communicated. They will also present new ideas, products and services...

A l'occasion du Salon Nautique de Paris, qui se déroule Porte de Versailles, du 3 au 12 décembre, retrouvez le "Pays de la Loire Nautique", Hall 1, stand R70. 300m2 d'évasion et d'air iodé où les métiers de la mer et du nautisme sont la thématique retenue pour cette édition 2005 .
4 grands espaces vous accueillent : l'économie, la formation, le sport et le tourisme. Et pendant ces 10 jours, animations et manifestations se succèdent... pour le plus grand bonheur des visiteurs !

Une visite au Salon des Vacances d'Anvers, c'est toujours déjà un peu voyager.
Chaque année, nous attendons tous avec impatience le moment de ces vacances bien méritées. Quels que soient nos désirs de voyage, nous espérons toujours que tout se passe le mieux possible. Cela commence déjà par la préparation : il est en effet primordial de recueillir les bonnes informations et d'établir un planning détaillé.
Dans ce dessein, vous êtes certainement à la bonne adresse au Salon international des Vacances, du Tourisme & du Caravaning ! Du samedi 28 janvier au jeudi 2 février 2006 inclus, vous pourrez découvrir à l'Antwerp Expo une offre particulièrement variée de vacances et de voyages.
Info: holidayfair.antwerp@sinva.be

VAKANTIESALON van BRUSSEL volgeboekt !
Brussel, 21 november 2005 -- Met een stijging van meer dan 10% gereserveerde oppervlakte en een stijging van 20% meer exposanten tov vorige editie, is het Vakantiesalon van Brussel volgeboekt. Lees meer.

HOTELS

Rezidor SAS Launches New Lifestyle Hotel Brand : Hotel Missoni
24 Nov 05 -- Worldwide license agreement signed with Italian fashion house Missoni. Brussels, Rezidor SAS Hospitality, the Brussels based, multi brand hospitality management company, announced in London on November 16th, 2005 that they had concluded a worldwide license agreement with the Italian fashion house Missoni, to develop and operate a lifestyle hotel brand of the same name: Hotel Missoni. Read more.

November 2005 - Hilton International, the world's best known hotel brand, has triumphed at the prestigious UK National Business Awards for a second year by winning the coveted 'Broadsystem Customer Focus Award 2005'.

LONDON, Nov. 21 -- Hilton International today announced a distribution agreement with travel search engine leader SideStep, Inc. The deal, the first of its kind for the leading hotel group, will enable SideStep's 4.7 million monthly users to get real-time information on availability and best prices across Hilton International's entire inventory of more than 400 properties worldwide.

Rocco Forte Hotels is to open a five-star hotel in the heart of the Czech Republic capital, in the immediate neighbourhood of Prague Castle. The 101-room property will be created from a complex of five buildings, most of which are historical monuments. The largest and most important structure is St Thomas's Monastery, which dates to the 1400s.

The Conrad Brussels newsletter is available HERE.

BANGKOK, 21 November, 2005 - Accor is going for 'gold' in time for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, adding adjacent Novotel and Ibis properties in the Capital of China and creating a diverse portfolio of at least 7 hotels and over 2,000 sellable rooms in time for the games. Read more.

MICE

Grazer Congress wins global convention industry's marketing "Oscar"
Grazer Congress has picked up the 2005 International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) "Best Marketing Award" for its overall marketing concept. Of the four finalists, it was Grazer Congress' entry that both the jury and delegates at this year's ICCA General Assembly and Congress in Montevideo found most convincing. Read more.

RAILWAYS

Sociale akties verlengd in Frankrijk
Normale dienstregeling voor Thalys

Ondanks de verlenging van de sociale akties in Frankrijk zullen de Thalys-treinen vanaf woensdag 23 november volgens normale dienstregeling rijden.
Rekening houdend met de huidige omstandigheden zal het regulariteitscontract opgeschort worden tot donderdag 24 november 08u00.
Voor meer informatie, raadt Thalys International haar klanten aan de onderstaande informatiekanalen te raadplegen : 070/66 77 88 en/of www.thalys.com

TECHNOLOGY

Vilvoorde, Belgium, 22 November 2005: Amadeus hotels now includes Logis de France hotels. The independent hotel chain features properties everywhere in France, from small villages and towns to some major cities.
Additionally Amadeus hotels now includes over 54.000 hotels (including pictures and maps) and automatic commission collection.

Amadeus introduces E-voucher technology for car reservations
Vilvoorde, Belgium, 18 November 2005: As from November 30, Travel Agents can rent cars of all categories from Europcar, Avis, Hertz and National worldwide using Amadeus Cars E-voucher. Read more.

TOUROPERATORS

Visitbritain se lance dans une opération caritative
Ceci n'est pas un appel à envoyer vos clients vers la verte Albion mais bien à soutenir une autre bonne cause.
Nous vous donnons l'occasion de soutenir l'action d'Oxfam-Solidarité* en nous remettant vos guides de voyages usagés - mais en bon état - et qui méritent une seconde vie. La récupération et la vente de ces livres dans les bookshops d'Oxfam aidera à financer une série de projets de solidarité.
Plutôt que de nous les envoyer, venez nous les apporter à La BTExpo - stand 67 ou nous serons présents - vous y recevrez en échange une petite douceur.
Plus d'info : Myriam De Mulder
Tel. : 02/626 2586
e-mail : myriam.demulder@visitbritain.org
* The Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, fondé en 1942.

Bruxelles, le 22 novembre 2005 - Sunny Cars, spécialiste sur le marché des locations automobiles pour les vacanciers, a développé spécialement pour les agents de voyage un calendrier de l'avent. Afin de se plonger petit à petit dans l'ambiance de Noël, le calendrier commence à décompter 24 jours avant le jour J avec à la clef la possibilité de gagner quotidiennement des prix! Tickets, des week-ends ou des arrangements banc solaire… ça promet de devenir un “Sunny Christmas”! Wisitez www.sunnyxmas.com

ROSEMONT, Ill., Nov. 17 -- Whether by car, boat, train, bus or airplane, most people travel these days. Business and pleasure-related travelers rarely think twice about stuffing their suitcases to the brim. In fact, it seems to be the norm for many. More times than not, people pack items they never use, making the luggage cumbersome and bulky. The larger and heavier the luggage, the more susceptible a traveler is to neck, back and shoulder injuries. To avoid injury, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) urges people to use proper judgment when packing, lifting and carrying luggage. Read more.

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 -- Zagat Survey today released its 2006 Europe's Top Restaurants guide. The new edition contains ratings and reviews for 1,372 restaurants in 27 major European cities, based on the opinions of over 12,000 avid restaurant-goers. From Amsterdam to Zurich, Zagat surveyor's dined out on nearly 2.3 million meals in the process of making the guide. And with all new ratings and reviews, plus new cities and 104 distinct cuisines and two-dozen more cuisines than in the last edition, this year's guide is bigger and better than ever before.
For a list of the top rated restaurants by Food and Popularity in each of the 27 cities, please contact Tiffany Barbalato at tbarbalato@zagat.com.

La 3ème Rencontre Internationale "Agir Ensemble pour l'Avenir de la Planète Bleue" est organisée par le Réseau Océan Mondial www.reseauoceanmondial.org et ses partenaires. NAUSICAA - Centre National de La Mer encourage tous les organismes touchant le grand public à participer à la Rencontre afin d'aider à la mise en ouvre d'une campagne mondiale de sensibilisation du public et d'un plan d'action pour la gestion durable de l'océan.
La Rencontre se tiendra à NAUSICAA, Centre National de la Mer, à Boulogne/Mer en France, du 29 janvier au 2 février 2006.
NAUSICAA - Centre National de La Mer, Bd Sainte Beuve, BP 189, 62203 Boulogne-sur-Mer Cedex - www.nausicaa.fr

The Walt Disney Company reported lower revenues and profits for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ending 1 October, but its theme parks and resorts were up on the upswing.