FRANCE is polishing up its hotel star ratings and introducing a new luxury five-star category to help travellers know what to expect.The new rating criteria will apply to 18,000 hotels across France, many of which are showing off stars awarded under the previous ranking system that dates back to 1986.The most spectacular change is the new five-star category – already claimed by some 60 hotels such as the world-class Paris Ritz or the Hotel Negresco in Nice.
A THRILL-seeker has set a new world record by in-line skating down a rollercoaster in Germany.Donning specially designed skates, Dirk Auer, 36, chose the Trips Drill theme park in Stuttgart, Germany, as the site for his daring feat.While speeding down the 860-metre rollercoaster Mr Auer, from Frankfurt, reached speeds of 85km/h.It took him just one minute to reach the end of the track.”This was a very dangerous stunt because there were so many factors to consider,” Mr Auer told The Sun.
THE father of an English tourist believes his son could still be alive despite being missing for a week in the NSW Blue Mountains.Jamie Neale has been missing in the mountains since last Friday and police have stepped up their appeal for public information as a search continues.Detectives have released a CCTV image of Mr Neale, 19, who was last seen leaving a youth hostel at Katoomba on the morning of July 3.Search and rescue authorities are scouring bushland in the area where Mr Neale is believed to have gone bushwalking last Friday morning.
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Travel is supposed to broaden the mind. But for many Britons, going abroad still seems to be an opportunity to prove that no other tourists can be as oafish.It’s an accolade we win easily, according to European hoteliers who have voted us the worst behaved of any foreign visitors.Hotel managers on the Continent, tired of bracing themselves for the annual influx of hard-partying, beery Brits who flock to hotspots such as the Med, also rated us among the messiest, most likely to complain and the worst tippers.
AIRLINES have reported a surge in booking from Jackson fans flying to the US for his memorial.British Airways and Virgin reported a jump in bookings once details of Michael Jackson’s memorial service were announced.Flights from the UK to US destinations of San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles were packed with fans and VIPs, a Virgin spokesman said.
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THE operators of Spain’s most famous festival, the San Fermin Running of the Bulls, are concerned about the party pooping impact of economic woes.Rates on hotel rooms have fallen due to a lack of demand as big-spending tourists become harder to find.Some rooms are selling for as little as 90 euros ($157) a night, said Nacho Calvo of the Navarra Restaurant and Hotel Association.”Rates have come down a lot and the weakness of the dollar against the euro is taking its toll on tourism,” Mr Calvo told the Associated Press.
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A RESTAURANT in Rome which presented a Japanese tourist with a bill for nearly 700 euros ($A1224.31) after a meal with his fiancee has been closed down by the authorities, Il Messaggero daily reported.The young couple, who have not been named, were outraged by the 695 euro bill on June 19 which included two plates of pasta, a bottle of water, a bottle of wine and a fruit salad. The service charge alone was 115 euros ($A201.14).Their protests however were brushed off by the manager of the restaurant, located close to the tourist hub of Piazza Navona.
FIVE French tourists have been welcomed to New York with an experience straight out of the movies after being taken on a terrifying “ride from hell”.The tourists had arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport when they were reportedly lured into an unlicensed van allegedly by Ian McFarland, 57.The driver of the van, Khaalis Preacher, 27, then sped off with the tourists inside after plainclothes police recognised Mr McFarland and tried to grab the van’s keys.
When you think of The Netherlands, the first things that comes to mind are cheese, wooden shoes, windmills AND FLOWER BULBS. The flower fields in the west of Holland are at their best in April and May. That’s when the spring bulbs, such as tulips and hyacinths are flowering. The cultivation of flower bulbs for commercial purposes started in Haarlem and the surrounding area about 400 years ago. The area between Haarlem and Leiden eventually became known as ‘De bollenstreek’ – the bulb district. For many years, a large part of the population earned their living from bulbs, whether in nurseries, export, or in industries that supplied the sector. The town of Lisse regarded itself as the centre of the bulb-growing area, boasted a postmark that declared: “Lisse, the centre of the bulb district”. The famous flower exhibition “de Keukenhof” can be found here.
LONDON has been named the dirtiest city in Europe for the second year running by travellers.It was also seen as the most expensive city on the continent and as having the most tourist traps and the worst-dressed locals.Some 36 per cent of travellers who were polled by TripAdvisor said London was the dirtiest European city – well ahead of Paris in second place with 9 per cent.The cleanest city was considered to be Copenhagen, while the best bargain city was Prague, the friendliest was Dublin and the most boring was Brussels. There was some good news for London as the capital was thought to have the best free attractions, the best public parks and the best nightlife.
