Cruise disaster sparks macabre tourism
News24
Hundreds of Italian mainlanders hopped onto ferries in Porto Santo Stefano on the Tuscan coast to visit Giglio, site of the capsized wreck of the Costa Concordia, raising the ire of some of the islanders.
Clambering over portside rocks, they snapped photos and made videos of the wreck to bring back home with them macabre mementos.
Haiti dreams of tourism revival
Washington Post
A couple of rumpled aid workers were sucking down a Sunday morning beer at the Hotel Florita here when the minister of tourism rolled to the curb, followed by the interior minister with body guards toting AR-15s, and then the star of the show, New York fashion designer Donna Karan of DKNY.
The notables were in Jacmel, the funky art and carnival capital of Haiti, to plot the transformation of the earthquake-rattled port from the faded flower of the Caribbean to a destination resort for jet-setters.
“We’re trying to rebrand Haiti,” the tourism minister Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin said in an interview, with her toddler in her arms. “We’re trying to raise the bar a little bit, and so we’re bringing Donna here to help us with our vision.”
Lowest airfares found six weeks before flight study says
Los Angeles Times
Even when buying airline tickets, timing is everything.
Passengers can get the lowest airfares if they buy six weeks before their flight, according to a study by Airlines Reporting Corp., an Arlington, Va., company that handles ticketing transactions between the nation’s airlines and travel agents.
The study looked at millions of transactions for airline tickets over the last four years and found that passengers pay the lowest price, nearly 6% below the overall average fare, if they buy six weeks before their flight.
The study also showed that ticket prices begin to soar dramatically about a week before the day of travel, and can rise nearly 40% above the average price if passengers buy the ticket on the day of the flight.
South Africa Blue Train Announces 2012 Deals
If you have ever dreamed of taking a legendary train journey through Africa, the Blue Train has just made that easier in 2012. They’ve put together two deals which is fairly unusual for this iconic railway.
1. 2nd person pays half price (for travel before March 31, 2012)
2. Stay for 3, pay for 2 – receive 2 free hotel nights pre and post trip
For more information, please visit the South African Airways Vacations Facebook page.
