TOWER OF LONDON NAMED #1 IN THE UK IN 2015 TRIPADVISOR TRAVELLERS’ CHOICE AWARDS FOR LANDMARKS

LONDON, UK– The Tower of London has today been named as the best rated landmark in the UK and eleventh in Europe in the Travellers’ Choice TM awards for Landmarks, announced by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site*.

The famous London attraction, which has been named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses the Crown Jewels, was also named among the winning landmarks in Europe, along with Edinburgh Castle, which was named second in the UK rankings.

Gordon Innes, CEO London & Partners, the Mayor’s official promotional company for London said, “Last year was another record-breaking year for international tourism to London, with 17.4 million overseas visits. The Tower of London‘s spectacular poppy installation – Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red – captivated the world and was one of the key cultural attractions drawing visitors to the capital, with more than five million attending the stunning display.

“It’s no surprise that this world-famous landmark, along with six other iconic London attractions, have been deservedly championed by the TripAdvisor community.”

“The Travellers’ Choice Landmarks, now in its third year, highlight some of the world’s most iconic, must-see attractions that have won over the TripAdvisor community. The UK is blessed with a lot of fantastic landmarks, but especially in the summer they can prove very popular, so it often pays to plan ahead and book a tour in advance,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, James Kay.

London and Edinburgh dominate UK top 10

This year, London wins big in the Travellers’ Choice Awards for Landmarks with six of the UK’s top ten; Tower of London, Big Ben, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace taking first, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth place respectively. Edinburgh follows behind London as the second biggest winning city in the UK with two of the UK’s top three landmarks, Edinburgh Castle and Royal Yacht Britannia, taking second and third place.

Russian travellers showing the love for UK attractions

When looking at which nation’s travellers rate UK attractions the highest in their reviews, Russia came out on top, giving the winning UK attractions an average rating of 4.8 out of five[i]. While US and Brazilian travellers were found to be the most frequent reviewers of UK attractions after Brits.

Travellers’ Choice Landmarks awards honour top landmarks worldwide based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for landmarks worldwide, gathered over a 12-month.

Top three winners in the UK, Europe and the world with recommended value hotels and most popular tours:

For travellers planning a trip to one of the top three Travellers’ Choice award winning landmarks in the UK, Europe and world, TripAdvisor has identified top-rated Viator tours of these impressive sights, as well as highly-rated value hotels[ii] nearby with availability to book on TripAdvisor this summer.

London around the world

Africa, Europe, USA and Saudi Arabia. At the World Travel Market, which took place at the Custom of Excel in London, from 3 to 6 November, the world in window to promote what their countries offer, in terms of tourism.
There were two main topic which are, particularly, interesting: Ebola disease and the Iraq war. We wanted to find out how these issue have been compromising the tourism in the hit countries.

We interviewed Mrs Deffa Watt, Head of Communication of tourism Department in Senegal. We wanted to find out further details about the Ebola disease to esteem the level of risks in the country.

“The media tend to exaggerate. Senegal has nothing to do with Ebola. In the last few months only one case has been registered but we, immediately, adopted the sanitary procedures and now everything is constantly under control. Senegal is such a lovely place to visit. You can find seaside, wonderful landscapes and any sort of activities suitable for everyone”, Mrs Watt replied.
At the contrary, Nigeria is a country where the disease has spread significantly. We discussed it with the Director General, Nigerian Tourism, Mrs. Sally Mbanefo. “Not surprisingly, there has been a drop of the tourists in the last few months because of the panic caused by the disease. By the way, we have been strongly tackling the issue in order to let everybody come. Nigeria is a wonderful country and it is worthy to be visited, Mrs. Mbanefo explained”.
Another issue is the Iraq war. According to this, we talked with Ali Abudalreda, Director of the tourism Office in Iraq. “It’s a tough period for Iraq. Due to this conflict, the tourism has plunged dramatically. Iraq is a beautiful country to visit and we are doing everything is possible to sort this issue out. Iraq will be flourish again, Mr. Abudalreda assured”.
Through the European countries the efficiency and the organization of Hungary, the Uk and Germany were simply astonishing. At the contrary, some Italian stands seemed to be disorganized and lacked of leaflets and relevant information. Moreover, some Italian representatives refuse to grant a short interview for the press.

International tourism

Demand for international tourism remained strong in the first four months of 2014 according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 5%, the same rate as during the full year 2013. Prospects for the current peak tourism season remain very positive with over 460 million tourists expected to travel abroad in the May-August 2014 period.

Destinations worldwide received some 317 million international tourists (overnight visitors) between January and April 2014, 14 million more than in the same period of 2013. This 5% growth consolidates the already strong increase registered in 2013 (+5%) and is well above the long-term trend projected by UNWTO for the period 2010-2020 (+3.8%).

Growth has been widely spread with nearly all subregions recording increases in international arrivals of 4% or higher. By region, the strongest growth was registered in Asia and the Pacific and the Americas (both +6%), followed closely by Europe and Africa (both at +5%). By subregion, Northern Europe, Southern and Mediterranean Europe, North Africa and South Asia, (all +8%) were the star performers.

“The encouraging start to 2014 and the overall positive sentiment in the sector raise high expectations for the current peak tourism season, benefiting destinations from both advanced and emerging economies,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “The 5% growth in the number of international tourists crossing borders in the first months of 2014 further reflects the impact of the increase in public support to the sector as well as the immense capacity of tourism companies to adapt to changing markets,” he added.

Most destinations share in growth

Asia and the Pacific (+6%) consolidated its growth of recent years, with South Asia (+8%) and North-East Asia (+7%) in the lead.
Growth picked up in the Americas (+6%), with all four subregions showing significant improvement compared to 2013.

Europe, the most visited region in the world, maintained the strength it showed in 2013 with international tourist arrivals growing by 5% through April. Northern Europe and Southern Mediterranean Europe (+8% each) led growth.

Africa’s international tourist numbers grew by 5% as the recovery was consolidated further in North Africa (+8%).
International tourist arrivals in the Middle East are estimated to be down by 4%, though this figure should be taken with caution as it is based on limited available data for the region.

With regard to source markets, international tourism expenditure data for the first part of 2014 indicates that the growth in demand continues to be strong out of emerging markets, in particular from China, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia and India. Moreover, demand from advanced markets is strengthening as the economic situation improves gradually, with encouraging growth registered in expenditure from Italy, Australia, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Over 460 million international tourist arrivals expected in current peak season

Various indicators point to a strong Northern Hemisphere’s summer peak season. Over 460 million tourists are expected to travel abroad during the four months from May to August, which account on average for 41% of all international tourist arrivals registered in one year.

According to the UNWTO Confidence Index, prospects remain very positive for the period May-August 2014. Confidence has picked up, particularly among the private sector, and improved further in Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East.

Data on international air travel reservations from business intelligence tool ForwardKeys support this outlook with bookings for May-August up by 8% compared to the same period last year, with intraregional and interregional travel equally strong. The highest growth in bookings was recorded in international flight reservations from Asian source markets, followed by the Americas (+8%).

For the full year 2014, international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by 4% to 4.5%, slightly above UNWTO’s long-term forecast of 3.8% per year for the period 2010 to 2020.

GREAT PLAINS CONSERVATION SAFARI CAMPS

Great Plains Conservation’s 2014 Good Safari Guide Safari Awards are an extraordinary tribute to the Great Plains Conservation attention to detail and safari camp management. Each of their camps in Africa is known for their comfort, unique designs, and exquisite service. Guests can stay in what the Good Safari Awards called the “Best Romantic Honeymoon Suites” while enjoying “Best Safari Cuisine” after a day out with the Great Plains expert safari guiding teams.Great Plains Conservation movie.

The 2014 Safari Awards presented to Great Plains properties by country are:

BOTSWANA:
Zarafa Camp
Best Safari Property in Botswana
Best Romantic/Honeymoon Room/Tent,
Best Ecologically Responsible Safari Property
Best Safari Retreat/Spa
Best Safari Cuisine
Best Safari House went to the new Zarafa Dhow Suites.
Runner–Up Best Safari Guiding Team.

Selinda Camp 
Runner–Up Best Romantic/Honeymoon Room/Tent
Runner–Up Best Safari Cuisine

Selinda Canoe Trail
Runner–Up Best Mobile Safari Operator
Runner–Up Best Mobile Safari Operator in Africa

Selinda Explorers Camp
Winner Best New Safari Camp
Runner–Up Best Walking Safari

Duba Plains Camp
Runner–Up Best Ecologically Responsible Safari Property

KENYA:
Ol Donyo Lodge
Runner–Up Best Ecologically Responsible Safari Property
Winner Best Safari Cuisine
Runner–Up Best Safari Property in Kenya
Runner–Up Best Ecologically Responsible Safari Property

Mara Plains Camp
Winner Best Safari Property in Kenya
Runner–Up Best Romantic/Honeymoon Room/Tent

Mara Toto Camp
Winner Best New Safari Camp Kenya

Good Safari Guide, Safari Awards 2014 list.

Courtesy Great Plains Conservation

Dereck Joubert, noted filmmaker, conservationist and Great Plains Conservation CEO said, “being honored withGood Safari Guide’s Safari Awards in Africa is like receiving an Emmy Award in television, a real privilege and endorsement of a team of staff that works incredibly hard to bring across an atmosphere of authenticity and caring. A safari is often a once in a lifetime experience, so it needs to be special. For us it’s the perfect platform for us to engage in meaningful conversations about wildlife conservation, like our Zeros for Rhinos reintroductions, banning of hunting, and anti–poaching. We need serious ambassadors for wildlife and if the Good Safari Guide awards allows us to have that conversation at more or different levels, we won’t waste the opportunity.”

The Safari Awards come on the heels of industry and media recognition for the Great Plains properties, including theAndrew Harper Grand Award 2013Robb Report, Relais & Châteaux Environmental Award 2013Forbes’ The Hotel Detective’s “Top 10 Luxury Hotel Rooms of 2012,” and two TripAdvisors Certificate of Excellence for Duba Plains Camp and Selinda Camp.

About Great Plains Conservation
Great Plains Conservation saves wild tracts of land and endangered species, and generates much needed revenue for local communities, helping them care for their natural and wildlife resources. It specializes in enhancing habitats as well as creating premier class safari experiences for guests who want to understand Africa a little better, experience it at a more meaningful level and be exposed to experts in the field. Great Plains Conservation’s projects in Botswana and Kenya focus on providing guests with an exclusive experience through a strong commitment to a low environmental impact, high value safari that is environmentally and financially sustainable to the benefit of communities and conservation. Our efforts at Great Plains Conservation continue to be recognized by leading travel publications and organizations: Great Plains Conservation is a recipient of the World Responsible Tourism Award and featured in leading publications such at Condé Nast TravelerTown & CountryRobb Report, the Wall Street Journal and named to the Travel + Leisure It List 2014.

For media inquiries contact:
Caroline Graham, C4 Global Communications

 

Hampton Court Palace

welcome  in to Hampton Court Palace:

In the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames , Greater London, in the historic county of Middlesex, is one of the most beautiful palaces of Britain and ‘ undoubtedly Hampton Court Palace , the home of Henry VIII ‘s house. It has not Been inhabited by the British Royal Family since the 18th century .

just arrived, we are enveloped by his majesty ‘ of its red brick facade in Tudor style. Everything here takes us back to Tudor’s times . Among the corridors , rooms, the huge kitchens, gardens, seems to meet the courtiers , knights and ladies , and of course one of the rooms of King Henry VIII is also found , or rather his spirit present in the building just for centuries.

Hampton Court is  simply magic  , we makes a journey tour  of two hours immersed in the Great Britain ‘s history and we do not want more’ come away. The employees and volunteers every day take care of every detail to offer at the  visitors the best of the best , and visitors are excited about it. More than thousands of people come each year from all the world, to see the palace and hear his story. Henry VIII it was a King  very strong and much power . He was to give birth to the Anglican church after the split with the church of Rome. He who built many other buildings and to the history of Britain as we know it today. As you walk in Their footsteps through Henry ‘s apartments , discover the visual clues left behind by His queens In These magnificent rooms and find out about the events in the That shaped palace Their Lives .

 HC4It starts from the huge palace kitchens that are worth seeing. The kitchens are the most extensive of all Europe . Smell the boiling beef, hear the bubbling cauldrons and feel the heat f the fires. after following this itinerary on the map, very well done , go up to the palace to see the private rooms of the king. Beautiful rooms decorated with beautiful tapestries give welcome to the visitors. Henry VIII spent much of tapestries and he host a huge crowd of courtiers, and how we known he had many wives including the famous Anna Bolena, beheaded in the Tower of London . You can ‘ see also the beautiful Royal Chapel .

HC1The Chapel is still used for worship on Sundays and on special occasion . There ‘s also the replica of Henry VIII ‘s crown was used by all three of His Children before it was melted down at the Tower of London . The original crown ‘was deliberately destroyed in 1649 under the regime of Oliver Cromwell . But history go on. In the 17 th century William III and Mary Commissioned Cristopher Wren to transform the palace into the elegant baroque faschion . You can visit the state apartments of William III, King very private. Where he slept , where he ate, where he received guests in the wing of the building dedicated at the time of William III. But the beauty of this building not only inside , but is the outside also, with beautiful gardens.

After the visiting the palace , relax in over 60 acre of beautiful gardens bordering the River Thames, offering visitors a moment of beautiful , perfumes, and relaxation.

The huge garden is  divided into ares , all cured to perfection every haunting . The plants here, are sculpted of  green , the perfect witness to the beauty of the meadows made ​​in nature. There are deer, roses, and walking in these gardens have to spend at least two hours to turn them all .

Make a tour in these Christma’s days it a very fabulous atmosphere all is  more romantic and charming , but also throughout all the year to visit the palace is simply amazing, there is not a particular, best time to visit Hampton Court Palace,  you just to be seen .

Children enjoy wearing the jackets of the era, there are refreshments to eat, adults and children back for a moment . Hampton court Palace and ‘ one of those buildings that should be seen for its importance historical, artistic , architectural and cultural wealth for each of us.

Greenwich: much more than just an observatory

Greenwich is a wonderful district of south London, famous in the world for its namesake meridian.

If you have never visited this remarkable place, your first time in Greenwich will be a non-stop surprise, since the first sight you can enjoy from the opposite side of Thames, from the Island Gardens, where the trip begins.
The best way to get Greenwich, in fact, is through the 300 meters-long walk tunnel which cross the river, passing under its waters. If you are not too claustrophobic, your visit should start right there, with this cold and old tunnel, opened in 1902 and very close to the DLR station of Island Gardens.

After the wet of this wonderful tunnel and the emotion to have being walking under a big river as Thames, you will find in front of you the magnificent Cutty Sark, the British ship become the icon of Greenwich. Everything here will look sunny and brilliant, especially if you are so lucky to have a sunny day to spend in this south-east London’s district, which was the birthplace of many in the House of Tudor, around the 15th century: among them, also King Henry VIII.

In spite of its position, a little decentralized and too often kept out of the most usual touristic routes, Greenwich is a place which transpires history and magnificence.
Its proximity to Thames gives to this lovely area a particular atmosphere, majestic and maritime at the same time.

Reached the south riverside, beyond a moving sight of Isle of dogs and its skyscrapers beyond the Thames, you have the opportunity to get lost in an intricate network made by small streets and full of delicious shops, restaurants and traditional pubs. A place whose atmosphere reminds the little villages on the seaside.
But, on the other hand, if you come back on the main road to the National Maritime Museum or towards the magnificent Royal Naval College’s buildings, your feeling will be going immediately to change, as you will enter one of the yards among buildings, from where you will appreciate the white and stately sides of the huge building complex which definitely dominates the south riverside of Thames.

In all this magnificence, the Royal Observatory, who gave this place lot of renown, keeps on watching from the high of the hill, reserving for its visitors the last surprise: almost with discretion, we could say.
Visiting Greenwich for the first time uncovers a complexity and a fineness nobody can imagine before. Just because of the preconception which let us thing that Greenwich is just an astromical observatory. But it is not, and your first visit will demonstrate you. There is much more. Included the last surprise, perfect at sunset: climb the green hill of the park and enjoy one of the best view of the whole city of London.

Summer time is better London or Brighton?

 

Summer time:  Is an old question, in the summer is better remain in London and to see her beautifully or to go in Brighton on the sea, one hour from London, by train? For many English people the question doesn’t exist. They prefer to go out of grey London and to go in to the beach and therefore Brighton, for the tourists there is confusion still. Brighton is a beautiful little town on the sea with a lot of attraction for young people, Disco, pub, the city organizes parties, fare on the sea, and it’s characterized by the famousBrighton pier with inside numerous funs and fun fair. Brighton is the ideal place to find fun, sea, and Low price. Brighton beach has a nudist area (south of the easterly part of Kemptown). Brighton’s beach, which is a shingle beach up to the mean low tide mark, has been awarded a blue flag. The Monarch’s Way long-distance footpath heads west along the seafront above the beach. Ohso Social is a former deck chair arch that has been transformed into a bar and restaurant.

Brightonis near to one of the most beautiful coasts English where there are the chalk cliffs seven sister. Situated in the South Downs National Park, the Seven Sisters Country Park comprises 280 hectares of chalk cliffs, meandering river valley and open chalk grassland. It is a popular place for a number of outdoor activities including.

 

The Seven Sisters cliffs are made of chalk that formed where the South Downs meet the sea. The cliffs are receding at about 30-40cm each year on average. The process is intermittent with major falls occurring after heavy rain or rough seas, often two of three times per year. Where these falls occur they protect the base of the cliffs from the sea and usually there are no falls in the same places for eight or nine years until the sea undercuts the cliffs again. [photo seven stister englandwallpaper]

Brighton is considered to be one of the UK’s premier night-life hotspots and is also associated with many popular music artists. There are a large number of events and performance companies operating in the city. Each May the city hosts the Brighton Festival, the second largest arts festival in the UK (Edinburgh). This includes processions such as the Children’s Parade, outdoor spectaculars often involving pyrotechnics, and theatre, music and visual arts in venues throughout the city, some brought into this use exclusively for the festival.

 

Brighton and Hove shopping is a very therapy any time of year.So whether you want to soak up the sun with some summer shopping, take the chill out of winter with a heaven sent shopping spree Brighton style or simply put the creative into your Christmas shopping, the city offers retail therapy at any time of the year. In Brigthon there are the true and the best fish and chips of England, eat them in front of the sea is a really lovely and tasty thing. For the impassioned of the beer (14th- 17th July 2011 The Old Paddling Pool, Kings Road Arches. Brighton, BN1 2FU) there is a the Brighton Beer Festival is a brand new event bringing thebeer festival concept right up to date and propelling it in to the 21st century… Traditionally beer festivals have catered exclusively for real ale drinkers and only sold real ale, but the brighton beer festival aims to embrace a much wider audience and introduce a new generation of drinkers to the delights of beers, ales, lagers, ciders, from around the globe. [photo brigthon pire iananthony]

The festival also aims to be very female and mixed crowd friendly with a variety of wines & cocktails available for those who don’t drink beer… so there will be something to tickle every palate. For the last three years the organisers of this event have been running the very successful “Beerfest Asia” in Singapore which saw over 27,000 attendees. We are looking forward to this years festival marking the start of a popular and successful yearly event. The Brighton Beer festival will have 2 dedicated trade afternoons giving brewers, distributors and buyers a chance to meet with local pub and club owners, hoteliers, supermarket owners and other representatives from the industry. 

 The Brighton Beer Festival Thursday is on 14th and Friday 15 th 2pm – 5pm Trade only (pre registration required). 5pm – 10pm General Public & VIP Saturday 16 th and Sunday 17 th 12 Noon – 10pm General Public & VIP Prices £10 standard ticket (in advance), £12 on the door Tickets include first beer free, for more information (ww.beerfestbrighton.co.uk). But the best thing to do, is not to speak about Brighton but to go in Brighton live every instant of this marvelous city, and maybe to go back in London for September or Autumn.

 

 

 

 

Visit French in summer

In thinking about a French trip, it easy to imagine bright landscapes, magnificently flowered meadows, or cities characterized by splendid European architectural charm. But away from these images there are emotions and feelings that no photograph or guide will ever describe.

To absorb the whole soul of France one should spend their holiday traveling from art cities like Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Strasbourg to Nice and St. Tropez in the French Riviera, passing through the fragrant lavender fields of Provence.

Continue reading Visit French in summer

Visit Kensington Palace

In one of the most beautiful zone of London, at the extreme part of Kensington’s Park there is one of the British Monarchy ‘s historic palace : Kensington Palace.
Monarchies from William III to Queen Victoria , who was born here, but also Princess Diana have passed their life in this palace. Within a few hours of the new that Princess Diana had Died on 31 August 1997, Kensington Palace was swamped with visitor.

Continue reading Visit Kensington Palace

A summer visit in the Tower of London

Millions of people come to London every day and thousands visit the extraordinary and wonderful Tower of London . Enter in the Tower of London is like to jump into the story of the origins of England and London.

In 1066 a French Duke William of Normandy through the English Channel, in order to get their hands on the English crown. The victory was his, with the historic battle of Hesting, but he was interested dominate England and to do this was to crown himself king and seized the cities ‘most’ powerful in the world: London. Thus gave birth to a potetente fortress and today you can ‘see in all its glory: The Tower of London.

Continue reading A summer visit in the Tower of London