Best Travel Websites for 2011

The way of travel is taking new turns in today's era which is more advanced, modified and internet- dependent. Majority of tourists are looking for online mediums for their travel solutions rather than making arrangements themselves which involve lots of hassle. Following consumers demand, online travel owners have acquired large space in market, which has led to the massive inflow of travel websites in tourism world. Though plethora of travel websites are present out there but some of them really offer out of the box services to traveler which assures complete travel comfort. Enlisted below are few names:

                            

SmarterTravel

If you are in search of hassle-free journey in a standardized way and that too in pocket friendly rates then your search ends here. SmarterTravel.com, a travel website catering to travelers all around the world is a lucrative option when it comes to best deals, fruitful advice and latest travel buzz. This forum also provides cost-effective travel opportunities by providing airfares, flights, deals and tour packages within limited budget. This travel station has almost everything, which is required by any individual traveler for a soothing trip. Specially, for a smarter travel experience in a sophisticated style, SmarterTravel.com can be the right choice.  

HelloTravel.com

HelloTravel.com is another travel website which welcomes all aspiring travelers and eases their travel by showing them the most reliable path. HelloTravel.com serves the basic requirement and catches hold of the nerve of the traveler by immediately connecting it to genuine travel agents. By simply filling an enquiry form which is forwarded to minimum of 4 travel agents, travelers can get instant response from agents where travelers can directly communicate with them. Apart from this, travelers on this portal can even sort out the best travel deal and tour offer for themselves at much attractive rates. So, for a lifetime travel feast and a memorable trip, HelloTravel.com is the ultimate option for every passionate traveler.                     

Expedia.com

In a highly competitive travel marketplace, Expedia.com emerges as another influential name in the list of online travel service providers. Keeping pace with modern trends in tourism, Expedia.com always provides an updated version of its services. Travelers here can approach for last minute flight deals, hotel bookings, trip advices and travel information. Expedia.com offers satisfying tour alternatives and also guarantees for low price travel options. The platform is easily accessible and extremely productive for travelers who seek profitable tour solutions. For exclusively trendy journey and  package, discerning travelers can look up to Expedia.com.                                   

Travelocity.com

In the ocean of tourism world which is crowded with multiple online travel sites, Travelocity.com has occupied a strong position amidst all them. Range of impressive deals and offers are displayed on the home page of this website which guarantees for low and fixed price. Travelocity.com provides customer-oriented services and designs itinerary which meet their demand. With change in phase of traveling style with time, Travelocity.com has also transformed the mode of catering to its customers. This innovation by this travel operator is indeed beneficial for customers for comfy tour planning, hotel and flight bookings and many more.            

Orbitz.com  

Adorning the list of online tour operators, Orbitz.com come up as a trustworthy service provider  among huge throng of travel websites. If you are looking for fantastic family hang out  at reasonable rates then Orbitz.com is where you can look for. It can provide you with best vacation packages, hotel and deals. Moreover, you can also avail free services on flights as they are available for no fees. Orbitz.com is a well-known online travel company which utilizes latest techniques and makes for well-arranged leisure and business travel. So, if you want to avoid any kind of fuss in planning your journey then Orbitz.com is there to serve you.                                           

The Exuberant France Holiday Trip With HelloTravel

France symbolizes the never-ending fragrance of perfumes responsible of making it the sweet-smelling country in the world. It has everything to bedeck your Europe travel and present all that which must have been the part of your dreams always. The country comes into light as the fabled land of exotic food and wine, where hidden landscapes, art and romance can be savored by you on the River Seine in Paris. Royal Chateaux, perfectly restored farmhouses, imperial times gone by blaze forth at Versailles, all motivate you for a pleasant start here in the country.

Get fantasized with Roman civilization and the shimmering blue Med located in the south of France. Its land is timeless whose inhabitants are gifted with natural joie de vivre for centuries. Lovely nature, sexy beaches, countless monuments, incredible topography of the city of light, Paris prepares you for a true Parisian in a memorable experience. However, sense the sophisticated mixture of music, language, and legends in Brittany presented by 5th-century Celtic invaders.

So, in the end, we can only say that if you wish to relish the “Yellow Wine” from the Jura mountain vineyard, desire to be amidst great castles and picturesque towns of Loire valley in Central France, expect skiing in winters and hiking in summers, and interested in seeing cathedrals to feel blessed then who else would be better than Hellotravel.com. They are known for turning dream travel into a real lifetime experience, and thus will advice you the most customized France travel package to see the result yourself.

Benefits of Planning Trip with HelloTravel.com ● Saves Time and Money ● Response by maximum of 4 travel agents ● Choice to select best travel plan and travel agent. ● Hassle Free Trip planning

Majority of Europeans embrace green travel

According to the Eurobarometer survey that was conducted in 27 European Union Member States, Europeans have decided to reduce emissions by cutting down on the features and prices of their cars.


In this context, about two-thirds of EU car users also told that they are very much in the favor of reducing the speed of their car, about 53% of the majority of motorists pointed out that the are okay with pay-as-you-drive scheme and approximately three quarters of EU citizens (71%) stated that they would not mind using public transport, if buying a single ticket would help them to cover to all modes of transport.


Further, in addition to what is said above, the Transport Commissioner, Vice President Siim Kallas pointed out that such initiatives of common men would make European transport more sustainable, thereby guiding them of saving environment and promote green travel.


Compromises to be made in order to make driving greener
When over 60% of the European population was surveyed, they made a vivid point that if paying excessive for their cars would reduce emissions then they are happy doing that. About 66% highlighted their point and remarked that they would also contribute by compromising on their car size.


Support for charging schemes based on actual car use
Half of the EU citizens along with 53% of car drivers supported the concept of replacing new charging schemes with existing car charges.


Reasons for choosing a car
While giving the reason for choosing car as their daily mode of transport, about 71% of car users told that they were not contented with the service given by public transport. Further, about 72% of the motorists, out of which 49% being very crucial emphasized that due to improper connections they never opted for public transport. Nonetheless, the ratio of 54% called public transport sheer deceitful and 64% of car users only considered low frequency of services important.


Encouraging motorists to combine other modes of transport
When motorists were asked that what would motivate them to choose other means of transport then about two-thirds (65%) told that they would not mind going for that if switching over would be an easy process. Plus, 52% of the ratio told that only better (online) information about schedules would persuade them towards this deal. However, if buying single ticket online (38%) and terminals turning more attractive (47%) would only excite them to travel by other means of transport.


Strong interest in single ticket covering all means of transport
Last but not least, the survey was conducted at the request of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport among 24,570 people, and nearly 71% or three quarters of EU citizens along with 66% of the motorists strongly supported the frequent use of public transport if buying a single ticket would help them to cover all possible modes of public transport.

TAT launches book, ‘Fall in love in India, Get married in Amazing Thailand,’ in India

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) New Delhi has successfully launched a book exclusively for the Indian buyers titled, “ Fall in love in India, Get married in Amazing Thailand.” The content and its printing is typically done in Thailand and about 4,000 copies of the book will be distributed to the tour operators and travel agents, wedding planners, end consumers and of course to those who are into promoting Wedding Tourism products along with tourist spots and services of Thailand. Besides, the information shared by the  Director  of  TAT , Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, New Delhi Office , it is also confirmed that  the main motive of this  book is to  encourage Wedding Tourism in Thailand by educating most importantly, the consumers, the Indian Travel Trade together with wedding and destination services that Thailand is thinking to offer.

Furthermore, he also pointed out on the remarkable growth of 200 guests received by 100 wedding groups from India last year, creating monetary benefits for Thailand’s Wedding Tourism Segment and for other segments and thus brings to light the rapidly growing inbound markets for Thailand from India.

In the end, the Director of TAT, Chattan, also told that in spite of the economic slowdown and other issues in the previous year, Thailand received 15 million international tourists, of which 7.9lakh tourists were from India, a 28 per cent increase over 2009. Nonetheless, he also stated that as far as potential wedding destinations of Thailand is concerned, they have an array of destinations for instance Phuket, Chiang Mai, Samui, Koh Chang, Bangkok etc. to host exotic Indian weddings.

Tahiti Tourisme looks at tapping high-end leisure and honeymooner segment from India

With the intention to tap high-end leisure and honeymooner segment from India, various promotional activities are being planned by Tahiti Tourisme, the National Tourist Office (NTO) of French Polynesia. NTO is taking the steps in collaboration with the official agency namely Atout France, that also works religiously in promoting France tourism in India. While talking to Travel Biz Monitor on the sidelines of Mumbai’s Outdoor Travel Roadshow where both Tahiti Tourisme and Tahiti Travel Specialists (Destination Management Company) participated, Robert Thompson, Director of Tahiti Tourisme told that in spite of being a new entrant in Indian travel market, Tahiti has received a good response in terms of tourist arrivals from India to France. 

He also justified his statement by quoting the figures of Indian tourist arrivals of 2007 which were only 50 in number but with the visit of two famous Bollywood couples, Tahiti emerged as the hot favorite tourist destination among Indians. Above and beyond, it receives around two lakh tourist arrivals from India during the peak months of November to January and by the end of 2008-2009, the figure highlighting the tourist arrivals from India got tripled and thus have been on an upswing ever since.

Mr. Robert Thompson also mentioned that Tahiti Tourisme wants to work as a team with outbound tour operators located in India to create destination awareness. Moreover, Tahiti and its 118 islands are located halfway amid Australia and underscoring the West Coast of USA’s two major hot spots namely Bora Bora and Moorea. However, to simplify the promoting process in the Indian market, huge efforts are being put in for Morrea as it is comparatively more reasonably priced than Bora Bora.

Last but not least,, he ended up by saying that with the help of social networking website Facebook, they are able to record about three bookings on their official webpage: www.facebook.com/tahititourismIN related to Tahiti destination in India.

Visit Finland to promote Helsinki as MICE destination in India

To promote Helsinki, Finland chiefly as one of the leading MICE destinations in the Indian market, the Finland Convention Bureau has recently organized a presentation in Mumbai in collaboration with Visit Finland for the Indian Travel trade. It highlighted the need of promoting various exotic places for instance Turku, Tampere, Inari, Saariselka and Rovaniemi as leisure destinations among Indian holidaymakers. The bigwigs who were the part of this Mumbai presentation included Papori Bharati, Marketing Representative, India – Visit Finland; Sangeeta Mansukhani, Sales Manager – West India; Shyam Kartikeya, General Manager, Kuoni Travel – India and Ashish Tela, Senior Manager – Marketing,  and TATA Asset Management Limited. Additionally, Visit Finland is also thinking of organizing similar MICE presentations for the Indian travel trade, taking place in the two most happening cities of India namely Delhi and Mumbai on March 2-3, 2011 respectively.

Nonetheless, in order to position Finland as a phenomenal tourist destination, the Bureau has emerged with an innovative theme underscoring Finland as ‘Credible, Creative, Contrasting, Cool’ destination.

Top Visited Destinations of World in 2010

India
Say it because of Commonweath or otherwise, India had been one of the top travelling destinations . A rich repertoire of culture and heritage, India is one popular tourist hub visited for many reason. Festivals, Monuments, or culinary delights, India has array of things to showcase.

China
In the same run falls the much juvenile China. By hosting the popular Asian Games in 2010, China has went ahead of many destinations and easily claimed its presence in the list of being most visited. Fascinated by culture and people, China is again one of best tourist destination of the year 2010.

Switzerland
Better known as the romantic destination, Switzerland don't need any reasons for being explored. The god's heaven is an enticing paradise that could be visited any time of the year. Be it the Alps, nightlife or green meadows, the abode is mesmerizing enough to woo anybody.

Maldives
Those looking for serene beaches has opted for Maldives this year. Dazzling turquoise water with crystalline white sands makes Maldives a preferred destination of 2010. The destination is good enough for family beach holidays.

Srilanka
To our amazement, Srilanka, is this list. Yes Srilanka, better known for its terrorist activities has moved out of its image to become a hotspot in tourism world. With number of leading hotels, beaches, temples, Srilanka is has surprised us with its figures.