Royal Travel News
Camilla, duchess of Cornwall, steps in as godmother of Spirit of Discovery
Saga has announced the duchess of Cornwall as the godmother of its newly built boutique cruise ship, Spirit of Discovery. The naming ceremony will take place in Dover, Kent, on July 5th.
British Airways welcomes her majesty the Queen to celebrate centenary
Her majesty the Queen has visited British Airways’ headquarters at Waterside, Heathrow, as part of the airline’s centenary celebrations. While at Waterside her majesty was introduced to colleagues in heritage uniforms from across the airline’s history and she visited British Airways’ museum, the Speedbird Centre.
Prince of Wales to open expanded Grand Cayman airport
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are set to officially open Grand Cayman’s newly expanded Owen Roberts International Airport later this month. The expansion project has tripled the size of Grand Cayman’s airport facilities, allowing the island to accommodate close to 2.5 million passengers annually.
Royal baby fever sees travel to London boom
The UK is set to see visitors flock to the capital this month in anticipation of the birth of the Royal baby. According to lastminute.com, Europe’s number one go-to site for last minute bookings, flight bookings into London have increased by almost a fifth (17%) and hotel bookings in the last week of June have already increased by 13%. lastminute.com has also predicted that the latest addition to the Royal family will boost the capital’s hospitality market, with sales of London hotel rooms set to rise by at least 30% in the weeks surrounding the birth.
British image transformed by London 2012
Research by the British Council suggests the UK’s big events of the past year – including the Olympics, Paralympics and Jubilee – have improved the its reputation overseas and created substantial new interest in the country as a place to visit, study and do business. The research was carried out for the British Council by Ipsos MORI among 8,000 adults in 11 key overseas economies – including the US, China, India and Russia.
ABTA: Two million Brits head overseas this Jubilee weekend
ABTA has estimated two million British holidaymakers are set to take advantage of the two bank holidays over the period of June 2nd-5th and head off overseas. Many savvy travellers realised that by booking three days leave they could have a nine day break from work which has given a substantial boost to business and the bank holidays also coincide with school half term.
Hospitality & Tourism Summit seeks single voice for UK travel sector
Over 500 delegates from the UK tourism industry have gathered at the InterContinental Hotel in London to debate how the destination can best participate in an increasingly competitive global travel environment. Organised by the British Hospitality Association, the inaugural Hospitality & Tourism Summit called for tourism leaders to reassess their perspective as challenges from developing markets continue to mount.
City Cruises prepares for Diamond Jubilee flotilla
City Cruises is to play a prominent part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pageant on June 3rd with its full fleet of 15 boats taking part in the river procession. In one of the largest flotillas ever assembled on the river Thames, City Cruises will be carrying approximately 2,000 passengers on boats that will both be moored and taking part in the historic sail down the Thames.
Millions of Brits prepare for Jubilee holidays
As many as four million Brits plan to make the most of the forthcoming double bank holiday weekend by taking at least one overnight stay in the UK, with 3.4 million people planning to take that trip in England. That is according to VisitEngland’s Diamond Jubilee Trip Tracker, which predicts the trend will generate some £700million in tourism spend for the UK economy, just under £600million of which will be spent in England.
BritRail celebrates Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
In honour of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, BritRail is offering up a promotion that transports visitors beyond the City of London and allows them to experience more of England’s coastal beauty and historic charm. From June 1st to June 30th, 2012 guests can get an extra travel day when you purchase a BritRail London Plus Pass and, for those looking to get a glimpse into the royal life, get a Historic Royal 4 Palaces Pass for the price of a Historic Royal 3 Palaces Pass.
DUKES London prepares for Diamond Jubilee celebrations
On June 1st 2012, HMS Diamond, the third of Britain’s fleet of six Type 45 destroyer ships, will lead the Queen’s Jubilee weekend with the tradition of toasting to Her Majesty with the brand new ‘DUKES Royal Navy Jubilee Cocktail,’ during the welcoming launch of the Queen’s Jubilee. DUKES ST JAMES LONDON was asked by the Royal Navy to create a special cocktail specifically for the old tradition to commence the Queen’s Jubilee.
Diamond Jubilee drives Eurostar sales
Eurostar has reported a 30 per cent surge in bookings around the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend, compared with the same period last year1 and an 18 per cent increase, compared to the Royal Wedding weekend in 2011. Thousands of Brits are taking advantage of the double bank holiday to take an extended mini break, while thousands of our European cousins will visit London to enjoy the Jubilee celebrations, as royal fever spreads across the continent.