International tourism is steadily rebounding from an extremely challenging 2009, led by Africa and Asia, according to the latest figures from the United Nations World Tourism Organization. International tourist arrivals grew 7 percent during the first two months of 2010 and follows a 2 percent rise during the last quarter of 2009.

Egypt, a country long admired for its culture, history and man-made wonders, is attracting a growing number of Canadian travellers. According to the Egyptian Tourist Authority in Canada (ETA), the volume of Canadian visitors to Egypt rose to 88,591 in 2009 compared with 76,921 in 2007, an increase of 15 per cent.

With 9% more bed nights and 12% more value-added than in 2008, last year Vienna recorded its second best congress results, only slightly below the record set in 2007. National and international congresses and corporate events accounted for 14% of the total of 9.8 million bed nights.

STR predicts 2010 occupancy to increase 1.9 percent to 55.8 percent, average daily rate to decrease 2.3 percent to US$95.45, and revenue per available room to end the year virtually flat with a 0.5-percent decrease to US$53.22.

Bespoke adventure holiday company St Hilda Sea Adventures (www.sthildaseaadventures.co.uk) has experienced a significant increase in bookings from single parent families for the 2010 season.

The spread of British bars and chip shops has led to the Britification of Spain’s coastal towns and has eroded the sense of being somewhere new and exotic.