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On The Road 

The magazine for the inbound tour industry reaching 8 million escorted visitors into & around Europe 

Mid March - Mid April 2009 

Issue 181 

This month we highlight the Capital of the Hessen region in Germany - Wiesbaden. This historic city in the heart 

of the Rheingau wine region offers culture and spa’s galore. It also boasts ‘the world’s largest wine bar’ during 

the famous annual wine festival. More on page 12 

Again this spring Puppenhaus Museum in Basel presents a special exhibition from April to October. It 

highlights the life of the women from one of the most famous families and a name know throughout the world 

– Margarete Steiff. More on page 11 

Orient Express – next 

step? 

Luxury travel group Orient 

Express has confirmed it is considering 

disposals in an attempt 

to shore up its finances. 

Deutsche Bank are rumoured 

to have been instructed to explore 

a range of options that could 

lead to the sale of some its core 

operations or a partnership with 

a new investor or even an outright 

sale of the whole company. 

The group’s share price has 

suffered badly in the current 

downturn as fears over its ability 

to survive a full-blown recession 

have been called into question. 

www.christmas-markets.org www.christmas-markets.org www.christmas-markets.org 

Orient Express owns a number 

of landmark hotels including the 

Cipriani in Venice, as well as the 

renowned train service. 

In the past Dubai’s Jumeirah 

group and the Indian conglomerate 

Tata have both expressed 

interest in Orient Express, as 

have a number of hedge funds. 

The property tycoons David and 

Simon Reuben, already investors 

in Orient Express, could raise 

their stake in the company. A 

spokeswoman for Orient Express 

confirmed to the Daily Telegraph 

that it was looking at divesting 

selective elements but declined 

to comment on Deutsche Bank's 

appointment. 

The only Pan European Advent 

and Christmas Market web site 

What can it do for you? 

e Every European tourism destination on one site - 99 locations 

highlighted from Aarhus to Zurich and more added as we receive 

details. 

e Saves you and your team time and effort, by sourcing dates, 

descriptions and timings. www.christmas-markets.org is constantly 

updated throughout the year to ensure you have the latest 

information 

e As well as details of Christmas Markets, you can also see 

Attractions that have special events during the Festive season 

– offering you ideas and solutions for additional options for 

itineraries. 

Advent and Christmas Markets provide a huge potential source of 

income in what was historically ‘dead time’ for the tourism industry. 

Clients love soaking in local customs, myths and legends, traditional 

festive music and of course local cuisine. 

A great way to combine fun, culture and shopping!! 

www.christmas-markets.org 

Record European 

cruise figures 

The number of Europeans taking 

a cruise holiday reached an all 

time high in 2008 with the UK 

continuing to top the list with 

the greatest number of cruise 

passengers. Data released by the 

European Cruise Council (ECC) 

at the Miami Seatrade Convention 

reveal a 10% increase in the 

number of passengers to a record 

4.4 million. 

continued on page 5... 

Passenger pitched 

into harbour 

On March 5th an 80-year-old Italian passenger plunged 9m (30ft) 

into the harbour of Palma del Mallorca from the MSC Fantasia. 

The incident occurred as the guest was disembarking on the 

ship’s gangplank. At the time high winds were gusting from the 

shore at up to 70mph (110km). Suddenly three forward mooring 

lines from the quayside parted allowing the ship’s bow to drift out, 

pitching the gangplank and the passenger into the water 

Four nimble-minded crewmembers that were on shore quickly 

dived into the harbour and pulled out the passenger who was later 

taken to hospital. The rescued man is reported to have sustained 

head injuries but is in a stable condition. 

In a statement, the operator MSC Crociere, said the Spanish port 

operator had accepted full responsibility for the incident. 

The Italian cruise company also said that the four rescuers - 

Salvatore Caso, chief crew steward from Italy; Naim Samsudin, 

able fireman from Indonesia; Andrian Williams, housekeeping 

cleaner from Madagascar; and Faamoe Lalopua, able sailor from 

Samoa - will be officially commended by MSC and the local port 

authorities and government. 

Click here to see video footage of the incident on BBC’s website. 

The gangplank hits the water 

Downloadable copies of On The Road are available on the net: www.OnTheRoad.co.uk


in Mid March - Mid April 

In the News... 

3 People... 

3 Places... 

4 Hospitality 

5 Cruise News 

6 European Eccentrics 

6 Mice News 

7 Transport News 

8 Travel Industry 

8 Faith Based Tourism 

9 Options & Attractions 

11 Dolls House Museum 

12 Weisbaden, Hessen 

13 “We Welcome Groups” 

A directory of Companies 

throughout Europe that 

specialise in working with 

leisure and business tourism 

groups 

Dear Readers 

Many of you will be aware that in the last couple of months 

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It was with some trepidation we e-mailed readers to say that 

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would seem you like the digital On The Road. 

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to receive On The Road to subscription@ontheroad.co.uk and 

we will e-mail you a copy of On The Road every month. It’s as 

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Alan Bennett 

Publisher/Editor 

Terrific website. Many thanks for letting us know that 

you are out there. We look forward to receiving your publications 

Barb Godwin 

Senior Director - Product Development 

Clipper Adventurer 

St. Louis USA 

Dear On the Road 

We would like to receive your monthly magazine. I have 

reviewed several and they are very interesting and would 

be helpful for our tour planning. 

Charles Hemeon 

Director 

Gateway Music Festivals and Tours, Inc. 

Dear On the Road 

Further to your website and the above magazine, I would like a 

copy emailed to me. 

Philip R. Stone Senior University Lecturer 

Course Leader: [International] Tourism Management Undergraduate 

Programmes 

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE (UCLan) 

Dear 'On the Roads' Team, 

It would be great if you could e-mail me your monthly 

publication, I have been on the road for 25 years now 

and your magazine has been a tremendous help on many, 

many occasions, so please, keep going! 

Gerald Posiwal 

Subscription Department – On the Road 

We would welcome receiving your magazine online. 

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International Guide Academy, Inc. 

Denver, CO 80237-0190 USA 

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2 On The Road - Mid March - Mid April 09

PEOPLE UPDATE..... 

SWISS 

Peter Koch, Managing Director of 

SWISS European Air Lines, has 

moved to become CEO of Swiss 

PrivateAviation. His successor 

is Andreas Thurnheer, who can 

draw on 18 years of experience 

within the aviation sector, as a 

pilot and in various management 

functions at SWISS. 

MTA 

The Malta Tourism Authority 

has appointed Alex Incorvaja as 

its new Director for the U.K. and 

Ireland. Mr Incorvaja, based in 

London he is responsible for coordinating 

all the MTA’s marketing 

and promotional efforts across 

the U.K. and Ireland. 

Accor 

Accor SA’s Chairman and five 

other Directors have abruptly quit 

the company, apparently in protest 

over a plan to expand the role of 

CEO Gilles Pelisson. The majority 

of Accor’s board—led by Colony 

Capital LLC and Eurazeo, which 

jointly hold about 30% of Accor— 

wanted Chairman Serge Weinberg’s 

role merged with Pelisson’s. 

Weinberg quit in response, as did 

five directors: Baudouin Prot (chief 

of Accor shareholder BNP Paribas 

SA, France’s biggest bank), Aldo 

Cardoso, Isabelle Bouillot, Roderic 

Lyne and Augustin de Romanet. 

PLACES... 

They did it! 

Innsbruck won the bid and has 

been selected as Host City for 

2012 1st Winter Youth Olympic 

Games. Following the Olympic 

Winter Games of 1964 and 1976 

this will be the third time Olympic 

competitions will be held in the 

Tyrolean capital. 

Valencia votes to 

end bull run 

Paterna this year will not have 

any bull runs as part of its fiestas 

following a poll in which 68% 

of the respondents were against 

the idea. 

Suffolk gears up 

Group travel organisers and coach 

tour operators are being encouraged 

to explore Suffolk with the 

development of a series of new 

group travel itinerary fact sheets. A 

range of visitor destinations in the 

county are highlighted and each 

fact sheet focuses on three specific 

venues with the aim to stimulate 

ideas for group travel organisers. 

Key destination messages include: 

discovering the classic Georgian 

elegance of Bury St Edmunds; the 

inspiring Ipswich waterfront area; 

the excitement at Newmarket - the 

Home of Horseracing and the 

Sunrise Coast. The group travel 

itineraries will be included on the 

Visit Suffolk website within the 

group travel pages, www.visitsuffolk.org.uk 

According to Bloomberg News, 

Weinberg said he and the other 

former directors were unable to 

carry out their duties after Colony 

and Eurazeo moved to unite Accor’s 

top two roles. Pelisson now 

holds the title of CEO and Chairman 

of the board for Europe’s 

largest hotelier. 

Virgin 

Virgin Atlantic has appointed 

Steve Griffiths as its new Chief 

Operating Officer. Steve replaces 

Lyell Strambi, who returned to 

Australia at the end of last year. 

Steve Griffiths is currently the 

Director of Engineering for Virgin 

Atlantic and is responsible for all 

aspects of aircraft engineering 

and maintenance. His new role as 

COO will encompass Engineering, 

Operations, Airports, Cabin Crew, 

Product and Cargo. 

Saga 

Former Royal Caribbean Cruise 

Line European boss Susan Hooper 

is to take charge of the travel division 

of Saga Group as Chief Executive. 

Her new remit will include 

Saga Cruises and the company’s 

adventure cruise offshoot Spirit 

of Adventure. 

She is replacing Ian Coghlan, who 

is moving to another position 

within the Saga Group 

Top City Destination 

2007 – Europe 

The chart of the Top City Destination 

is drafted by the Euromonitor 

International organisation every 

year. Due to the high number 

of data sources and delays at 

national statistics offices, the 

publication of the chart is delayed 

by one year. 

London was the number one city 

destination both in Europe and 

the world for international travel 

in 2007. 

Ranking City Tourist numbers in 

millions % change 2006/2007 

1. London 15.3m - 1.9 

2. Paris 8.8 - 10.2 

3. Rome 6.1 + 1.5 

4. Barcelona 5.0 + 7.4 

5. Dublin 4.6 + 4.4 

6. Moscow 4.0 + 9.6 

7. Prague 4.0 + 8.3 

8. Amsterdam 3.9 + 0.2 

9. Vienna 3.6 + 4.5 

10. Madrid 3.4 - 12.1 

Portugal has a C of 

C 2012 

Portugal’s Guimarães is going to 

be the European Capital of Culture 

in 2012, along with the Slovenian 

town of Maribor. 

Guimarães was founded upon 

much older settlements by Count 

Vímara Peres after his namesake 

‘Vimaranis’, later ‘Guimaranis’. As 

the first capital of Portugal, Guimarães 

is known as the birth 

place of the country. The historic 

centre was declared a World Heritage 

Site in 2001. In 1095 Count 

Henrique of Burgundy, who had 

married princess Teresa of León, 

established in Guimarães a Count 

of Portugal. In July 25, 1109, D. 

Afonso Henriques, son of Count 

Henrique, was born in the castle. 

D. Afonso Henriques would, 

after his father’s death, proclaim 

Portugal’s independence from the 

Kingdom of León. www. guimaraes2012.com 

Spanish gaff 

Spanish tourism officials have 

admitted to passing off pictures 

of beaches taken in Australia and 

the Caribbean as their own to promote 

the Costa Brava Pyrenees on 

Spain's northeast coast. 

The latest gaffe from the Costa 

Brava Pyrenees Tourism authority 

comes as official figures released 

this week show that visitors to 

Spain fell 12% in January. 

Tel Aviv 100 years 

old 

Next month Tel Aviv celebrates 

its 100th birthday, when 66 families, 

dreaming of a new utopia in 

which to live, drew lines in the 

sand to define the boundaries 

of what would become Tel Aviv. 

To divide up the plots, they had 

an impromptu raffle, using sea 

shells. 

On April 3 the city will become 

a massive street party with food 

stalls, dance performances and 

street artists. 

On April 17, descendants of the 66 

families will gather in Sir Charles 

Clore Park to recreate the original 

photograph of the Zionist pioneers, 

grouped hopefully on the 

empty sand. 

On April 24 and in June, the RS:X 

European Open Windsurfing 

Championship takes place on 

Gordon Beach. 

On May 27 the annual White 

Night celebration will turn Rothschild 

Boulevard, one of the main 

thoroughfares and location of 

many of the most beautiful Bauhaus 

buildings, into a stage for 

re-enactments of city scenes from 

the 1920s, 30s and 40s. 

Carmel Market, the city’s biggest 

fruit and veg market, will stay 

open all night, as will Nahalat 

Binyamin, a chichi craft fair in a 

neighbouring street and restaurants, 

clubs and bars. 

Scotland – Homecoming 2009 

Whisky Month is a diverse range of more 

than 30 events and experiences happening 

across Scotland this May, held in honour 

of Scotland’s famous national drink as 

part of the year-long Homecoming 2009 

celebrations. 

Homecoming Scotland is a year-long 

celebration marking Scotland’s major 

contributions to the world stretching from 

Burns Night to St Andrews Day 2009. Visitors 

can discover the unique characteristics 

of the whisky regions of Scotland: the 

Berlin launches 

charm offensive 

Berlin has launched a new ‘friendliness’ 

campaign to keep tourists 

flocking to the German capital 

during a time of economic crisis. 

With the 20th anniversary of the 

fall of the Berlin Wall looming in 

November and the World Championships 

in athletics due in August, 

police, street cleaners, airport 

staff and taxi drivers have begun 

wearing special red pins to signal 

to visitors that they are ready to 

lend a helping hand. 

The campaign, launched mid 

March by the city government and 

local companies, mirrors a friendliness 

drive that was launched back 

in 2006 when Germany hosted the 

soccer World Cup. 

"Berlin has a reputation in Germany 

of being a rude city, but 

we're a rude city with a heart," 

said Rene Gorka, head of Berlin 

Partners, a marketing group that 

promotes the city. 

Rotterdam 

• The Tour de France will start in 

the city of Rotterdam in 2010 on 

03 July. After Dusseldorf pulled 

out the race was between Rotterdam 

and Utrecht so Holland 

was guaranteed the start of this 

iconic event. It is the 4th time 

that the Tour starts in Holland 

• Opened in October 2008 - The 

Rotterdam Port Experience is 

an interactive introduction to 

Europe's largest port. Visitors 

can experience the port area on 

an enormous aerial photograph 

in the Port Terminal or by an 

amazing port Ride. Screens display 

panoramic images of the 

city and its port and also special 

developed games are designed 

to let visitors discover more 

about the port of Rotterdam. 

Rotterdam Port Experience 

is located under the Erasmus 

Bridge (city centre side). T0031 

(0)10 275 99 91 

• A new guide has been introduced 

to help travel trade and 

conference organisers. The 

guide contains easy-reference 

tables with facts and figures 

about hotels, attractions, group 

restaurants and museums in 

the city. It also offers ideas and 

examples of city break programmes. 

tel. +31 10 205 15 00. 

Whisky month 

Highlands, Speyside, Lowlands, Islay and Campbeltown. 

The ‘water of life’ will be celebrated across these regions with three 

major festivals, special tours and tastings, exclusive access to rarely 

opened distilleries and a look at the world’s largest collection of 

whiskies. Into this mix goes a generous measure of music, dance and 

song, feasts of fabulous food, a game or two of golf and the chance 

to explore the great outdoors. www.homecomingscotland2009. 

com/whiskymonth 

news 

Mid March - Mid April 09 - On The Road 3

news 

HOSPITALITY 

Divine dining 

A new 'restaurant for pilgrims' 

is driving Venice prices down by 

offering cheap, quality lunches to 

visitors to St Mark's Basilica. The 

eatery, which advertises threecourse 

lunches for €13 has caused 

a flutter around the famously 

pricey square. 

The La Basilica restaurant is run 

by a local catering company, SGS, 

on behalf of the St Mark's Procurators, 

the board that manages 

the famed Byzantine Cathedral. 

Since the Procurators are a nonprofit 

outfit, SGS has been able 

to come up with a large low cost 

menu, catering firm chief Augusto 

Piscella said ''Since all we have to 

do is break even, we can afford 

a choice of eight first courses, 

seven second courses and six 

side-dishes. The Procurators aim 

is to give a good standard meal 

to all those who visit the Basilica, 

expressing the Venetian Church's 

desire to welcome people''. 

Buddha-Bar for 

Prague 

WORLDHOTELS has opened its 

affiliate hotel, the Buddha-Bar 

Hotel in Prague. The five-star 

property is located in the heart of 

the Czech Republic’s capital, close 

to the Old Town Square and only 

10 minutes from Charles Bridge. 

The property’s 36 luxurious rooms 

and three suites are decorated in 

a contemporary modern Asian 

design with French colonial influences 

and feature the ambience of 

the famous Buddha Bars. 

Tram fare 

The city of Milan’s transport company, 

ATM, now offers a unique 

experience that combines a night 

tour of the city in the historic 

street-cars and fine dining. The 

two ATMosfera’s street-cars depart 

from Piazza Castello at 8pm 

and return at 10.30pm and they 

touch the most important sights in 

Milan following the same route in 

different directions. On board the 

guest can dine with dishes (typically 

Milanese or Italian) prepared 

by renowned chefs and taste fine 

wines. Booking is essential. www. 

atmservizi.it 

Budget bunker 

Switzerland claims it is the first country in the world to have a Zero 

Star Hotel. (Null Stern) which after ‘trial runs’ is due to open imminently 

in late April. Artist-twins Frank and Patrik Riklin came 

up with the idea to change an ex military air-raid shelter into a lowbudget 

hostel. The Zero Star Hotel is located in the Sevelen commune 

in the St. Gallen canton. A room costs between 6 and €16. 

Be prepared for the Spartan style as the bunker must be convertible 

back to military use within 24 hours if necessary. Rooms have no 

windows, heating is provided by way of hot water bottles, guests 

are provided with ear plugs as the ventilation system is noisy and 

guests share a communal bathroom. www.zero-star-hotel.com If 

you dare! 

Atelier für Sonderaufgaben – keeping warm - Zero Star Hotel 

Bristol gets The Bristol 

Ever since the famous Lord Bristol went searching for luxurious 

experiences in 1766, his name has become synonymous with the 

finer things in life. 2009 sees the city reclaim this legend, with the 

re-launch of a landmark city hotel. 

Following a multimillion pound renovation, Doyle Collection’s 

newly named Bristol Hotel opened in February. Featuring 187 

rooms and suites, the hotel is located on the historic harbour side 

in the heart of Bristol, surrounded by the Bristol’s commerce, Old 

City and maritime history. 

These sleek and fresh interiors run through to the River Grille 

restaurant positioned on the waters edge. Natural light fills the 

room through floor to ceiling glass windows. The menu features a 

selection of cuisine ranging from some of the finest beef cuts sourced 

directly from Glastonbury through to rope grown mussels cooked in 

cider, finishing the palette with Vahlrhona chocolate mousse.www. 

doylecollection.com 

Bristol Hotel - Executive Bedroom 

Villa Trapp blocked 

Salzburg has blocked plans to 

open a hotel in a former home of 

the von Trapp family immortalized 

in The Sound of Music after 

protests by neighbours. The Villa 

Trapp had been expected to open 

this year but residents had feared 

tourists would be a ‘nuisance’ 

and cause local traffic problems. 

The hotel operators say they will 

appeal the decision by the urban 

planning committee. 

Radisson Blu 

The name change just announced 

to Radisson Blu only applies to 

the 170 Radisson hotels operated 

by The Rezidor Hotel Group in 

the EMEA and does not include 

Radisson Edwardian Hotels in 

the United Kingdom or Radisson 

hotels operated in the Americas, 

Asia Pacific or other parts of the 

world. 

The change is taking place because 

the SAS Group, former owner 

of Rezidor, sold the company in 

November 2006, and no longer 

has a formal connection with the 

Radisson brand. Rezidor is the 

master franchisor of the Radisson 

brand in EMEA. 

Sofitel – 2 new 

brands 

The French Accor group's Sofitel 

Hotels has launched two new 

brands, namely SO by Sofitel and 

Sofitel Legend, to cater to different 

hotel guest needs. 

The SO by Sofitel is positioned 

to be comfortable and trendy to 

attract the younger age group, 

while Sofitel Legend is expected 

to be a top luxury brand. According 

to market sources, Sofitel has 

closed some hotels which were 

seen as incompatible with the new 

brands. As such, Sofitel currently 

has 150 hotels, compared to 206 

hotels in 2007. 

Profit falls across 

Europe 

The trend of falling occupancy, 

revenue and profit across key 

European hotel markets continued 

during January, according to 

the latest HotStats survey by TRI 

Hospitality Consulting. 

In Vienna the sample of international 

branded hotels saw daily 

profit - expressed as income before 

fixed charges (IBFC) - decline by 

nearly two thirds to just €9.80 

per available room. In Prague 

profit more than halved and in 

Amsterdam the decline was 45.2 

% The only city in the survey not 

to report a double-digit decline in 

profit was Hamburg. 

"There has been considerable supply 

growth in both Vienna and 

Prague since January 2008. More 

than 2,000 extra graded bedrooms 

entered the Vienna market and 

at least 800 branded hotel rooms 

opened in Prague. Combined with 

the decline in overnights from 

these cities' key source markets 

(Germany, the UK, and the US) all 

now in recession” said Jonathan 

Langston MD of TRI Hospitality 

Consulting. 

Paris and London reported similar 

falls in occupancy and profit. Occupancy 

was down 3.3% to 70% in 

London and in Paris down by 3.5% 

to 69.3%. Profit fell back by 20.6% 

in Paris and 21.5% in London. 

There was greater discounting 

in the London market, however. 

Average room rate dropped by 

8.4%, compared to -3.7% in Paris. 

Relatively high reductions to rack, 

corporate, conference and leisure 

rates meant that London slipped 

from its historical place as the most 

profitable city in the survey. 

In absolute terms, Paris had the 

highest average room rate and the 

best room revenue performance 

making it number one for profit 

with daily IBFC of €55.13 per 

available room. 

Tunisian addition 

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has 

signed a management contract 

with Compagnie Tunisienne de 

Développement Touristique for 

a new upscale resort and conference 

property at the Tunisian 

holiday destination of Sousse. 

The Mövenpick Resort & Thalasso 

Sousse is the Swiss Hotel Group's 

second resort in Tunisia and offers 

627 rooms. 

This beachside hotel is located in 

the heart of the city along the lively 

corniche and is scheduled to open 

in July 2009. Sousse is renowned 

for its beautiful Mediterranean 

coastline with sandy beaches, its 

picturesque old town and yearround 

mild climate. This vibrant 

port city is located some 130 km 

south of Tunis, and Monastir International 

Airport is a 20 minutes' 

drive away. North Africa's largest 

international airport is due to 

open in Enfidah, 30 minutes from 

Sousse, in November 2009. 

Tivoli for Portugal 

The Algarve’s newest five-star 

resort will be officially opened 

this month. Located by the golf 

course of the same name in the up 

market tourist town of Vilamoura, 

the Tivoli Victoria offers 280 luxurious 

guest-rooms, comprising 

184 twin rooms, 79 doubles, 14 

junior suites, 2 executive suites 

and a presidential suite. Besides 

the Arnold Palmer-designed golf 

course, the hotel’s main features 

are the Elements Spa, gourmet 

and buffet restaurants and a wide 

range of on-site sport and leisure 

facilities, including four outdoor 

swimming pools (one for kids). 

Tivoli Hotels & Resorts currently 

operates 11 four- and five-star 

properties in Portugal 


CRUISE NEWS 

City Cruises expands 

services 

From April the fleet will expand 

from four to five boats. This move 

will enable the service to operate 

every 35 minutes, instead of the 

current 40 to 45 minutes and will 

provide passengers with more 

choice. 

The award winning sightseeing 

service includes a circular cruise 

between Westminster, Waterloo 

and Tower Piers as well as a hopon 

hop-off service between the 

four major destination piers on the 

River Thames (Westminster, Waterloo, 

Tower and Greenwich). 

As well as the expanded service 

there will also be a sightseeing 

cruise price freeze until November 

2009. This means that the travel 

trade can enjoy an even better 

service at a great price. 

Details of the expanding sightseeing 

service and new 2009 summer 

timetables T+ 44 (0)20 77 400 400 

or at www.citycruises.com 

Cruising – UK votes 

www.Cruise.co.uk has looked 

to build the definitive community 

guide to cruising around the 

world, completely generated by 

UK users. In 2008 the site claims it 

had over 2.5 million visitors, with 

reviewers answering more 25,000 

frequently asked questions. 

Visitors to the web site are asked to 

rate the operators and their ships 

in eight different categories as part 

of the process. Each category is 

Continued from front page 

rated from one to five stars. 

The January 2009 top performers 

are: 

Best Ship – Oceania Insignia – 

score 4.55 

Best Cruise Line – Cunard – 4.36 

Best Accommodation – Costa 

Mediterranea – 4.75 

Best Entertainment – Independence 

of Seas – 4.37 

Best Food - Oceania Insignia – 4.77 

Best Service - Oceania Insignia 

– 4.86 

Best for Families – Independence 

of the Seas- 4.28 

Best Shore Excursion – Star Princess 

– 4.22 

Irish Ferries back to 

full strength 

Irish Ferries has reinstate the 

morning return sailing of its fast 

ferry, Dublin Swift, because of fuel 

cost savings. The vessel will then 

return to offering two return sailings 

each day between Holyhead 

and Dublin. 

Irish Ferries sailings are as follows: 

Holyhead/Dublin -Two return 

crossings daily on Dublin Swift 

(1 hr 49 mins) 

and two return crossings daily 

on cruise ferry Ulysses(3 hrs 15 

mins) 

Pembroke/Rosslare - Two return 

crossings daily on the cruise ferry 

Isle of Inishmore (3 hrs 45 mins) 

Reservations: 08705 17 17 17, 

www.irishferries.com 

Record European cruise figures 

66% growth in five years 

The UK accounts for 33% of the market with nearly 1.5 million British 

passengers taking a cruise last year with Germany showing growth 

in second place with 21% of the market and 907,000 passengers – a 

19% increase on 2007. Italy, the third largest cruise market in Europe, 

saw a 6% increase to 682,000 passengers. Only Spain has seen any 

contraction in passengers (-4%) on 2007 

The Mediterranean and Atlantic Islands continued to be the most 

popular destinations with 2.6 million passengers visiting the region – a 

60% market share. 53% of passengers booked a cruise holiday lasting 

between 5 and 7 days with the number of passengers now cruising 

for more than 22 days increasing by 139% to 55,000. 

David Dingle, chairman of the ECC and chief executive officer of 

Carnival UK, said: “The European cruise industry has seen an impressive 

66% growth in the number of cruise passengers in the last 

five years and suggests cruising is in a strong position to face today’s 

challenging economic climate. There are 17 cruise ships on order and 

under construction for the European market for delivery between 

now and 2012. This is significant investment and we anticipate the 

upward trend in the number of Europeans taking a cruise holiday to 

continue in 2009.” 

Passengers (000s) 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 % change 

2007-2008 

UK 964 1,029 1,071 1,204 1,335 1,477 11 

Germany 537 583 639 705 763 907 19 

Italy 346 400 514 517 640 682 6 

Spain 307 300 379 391 518 497 -4 

France 212 222 233 242 280 310 11 

Scandinavia 54 56 42 62 94 123 31 

Benelux 42 41 42 64 82 92 11 

Switzerland 47 50 51 56 64 65 1 

Austria 35 38 39 44 52 59 14 

Portugal 14 14 15 18 20 28 41 

Other 113 101 102 105 155 183 17 

Total 2,671 2,835 3,126 3,409 4,004 4,442 10 

ECC statistics: source ECC/IRN research 

News on the Danube 

The Danube Travel Commission can provide statistics for cruise 

passenger traffic for the Danube for 2008. Email donau@austria. 

info 

This year Voldomar Lines, will run excursion cruises on the Serbian 

Danube from Smederevo aboard the brand-new Sajka. The ship can 

carry thirty-five passengers and has cabins for up to twelve people. 

zpudar@serbia.travel 

Belgrade Tour Operator Sirona Cruises can welcome up to 120 passengers 

aboard its comfortable liner the Sirona. They offer a variety 

of excursions on the Danube and Sava, including sightseeing cruises 

around Belgrade, brunch and dinner cruises, and trips to Novi Sad, 

Sremski Karlovci, Smederevo, and other places of interest. info@ 

sirona-cruises.com 

Croisi Europe the French firm offers for the first time a cruise on the 

river Sava: the cruise departs from and returns to Budapest taking 

guests to Osijek, Vukovar, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Sremska Mitrovica, 

Brčko, Slavonski Brod, Bosanska Gradiška, and Sisak. 

Uniworld River Cruises is to launch its tenth boutique hotel-style 

ship, the River Beatrice at the end of March, the vessel will sail the 

nine-day Enchanting Danube through November and the nine-day 

Danube Holiday Markets in November and December 2009. The 

ship offers 80 luxurious cabins, 80% with balconies, elevator, three 

decks plus a sun deck, salon, sauna, panorama lounge, restaurant, 

library, massage services, fitness centre and WiFi internet services 

onboard www.uniworldcruises.com.au 

Tauck Tours offers on Swiss Emerald, Swiss Sapphire or the new 

Swiss Jewel a 3-week North Sea to Black Sea cruise through nine 

European countries along the Rhine, Main and Danube. Black Sea 

Cruises starting in Amsterdam, Prague or Budapest and for the first 

time Cruising the Blue Danube-2009”, a family-friendly 7-day cruise 

on the Danube www.tauck.com 

AMAWATERWAYS celebrate the newest addition to its fleet, 

the 148 passenger MS Amalyra, with an Easter christening. The 

luxurious MS Amalyra will sail its inaugural cruise on the newly 

introduced 7-night Romantic Danube, itinerary, departing April 

6 from Budapest 

Day Trips to Jersey 

and Guernsey 

Condor Ferries announced very 

special coach group rates for their 

day trips from Weymouth and 

Poole. For the discounted rate 

of £21.00 per person, you could 

arrange a trip for the day to the 

islands of Jersey or Guernsey. 

There are daily services from 

March to October offering a range 

of sailing times giving up to 10 

hours ashore in the height of the 

summer. For just £25.50 you could 

upgrade to a day trip including a 

two course lunch at one of five 

carefully chosen island restaurants, 

all within easy walking 

distance from the port. www. 

condorferries.com 

DFDS discounts 

DFDS Seaways has launched 

a range of spring cruise break 

offers, as well as early booking 

discounts to offer customers an 

extra incentive to book in April, 

May and June of 2009. These 

include mini themed breaks, 

themed cruises and sailings plus 

Center Parcs packages. www.dfds. 

co.uk/agent. 

Sail between the bulb fields 

Visitors have been able to cycle around Keukenhof bulb fields for 

years. This year there is a new attraction at, the ‘whisper boats’. 

These boats are driven by electric engines, are environmentally 

friendly and are almost silent as they sail through the beautiful 

surrounding bulb landscape. The boats were originally used by 

gardeners, growers and farmers. 

The boat trip lasts about 1 hour and guarantees great photos of the 

colourful bulb fields 

The price is € 7.50 p.p. For groups of 20 or more (maximum 52 passengers) 

sales@keukenhof.nl or T+31 (0) 252 465 537. 

Keukenhof Boottrip persbericht 

news 


news 

EUROPEAN ECCENTRICS 

www.gudman.de 

2009 - A Year of celebrations 

90 Years Bauhaus in Weimar 

90 Years Weimar Republic 

250 th Birthday of Friedrich Schiller 

10 Years Cultural Capital of Europe 

exhibitions | theatre plays | festivals | concerts 

Service of Weimar Tourist-Office: thematic guided tours | 

tickets | accommodations | Incoming service | congress 

service | events 

You must be Will 

Power 

A former RAF man called Stan Still 

says he suffered ridicule all his life 

because of his name. “My commanding 

officer used to bellow 

Stan Still get a move on” – hugely 

boring”. Stan appeared in a list of 

most amusing names, compiled 

by thebabywebsite.com. Other 

victims included Barb Dwyer, 

Will Power, Anna Prentice, Mary 

Christmas, Annette Curtain, Jo 

King and Priti Manek featured 

on the site. 

25th on the way 

History’s most married woman 

is looking for her 24th husband , 

Linda now 68 first married at 16. 

She married one of her husbands 

3 times, one lasted 36 hours, two 

were gay, one homeless and one 

padlocked the fridge but now she 

is lonely and on the lookout. 

Good cod! My 

phone 

Businessman Andrew Cheadle 

thought his mobile phone had 

gone for good after loosing it on 

a beach. But it turned up a week 

later in the tummy of a 25 lb cod. 

It was found by trawler man Glen 

Kerley as he was gutting the fish 

and used it to alert Cheadle’s girlfriend.Returned 

wet and smelly 

but still working. 

Straw pole 

Computer hackers sent an email 

appeal from UK politician Jack 

Straw’s computer. The appeal 

was for $3,000 as he was on a 

charity trekking trip in Africa and 

had lost his wallet and needed to 

get home. In a letter in the Daily 

Telegraph, one constituent wrote 

“ The fraudsters were sadly misinformed, 

nobody would pay 

$3,000 to get Mr Straw back from 

anywhere” and he was right, there 

were no offers. 

Clean sweep 

In a UK hospital's Intensive Care 

Unit, patients always died in the 

same bed, on Sunday morning, at 

about 11:00 am, regardless of their 

medical condition. A worldwide 

team of experts was assembled to 

investigate the cause of the incidents. 

The next Sunday morning, 

a few minutes before 11:00 AM 

all the experts nervously waited 

outside the ward to see what could 

be the terrible phenomenon Some 

holding holy objects to ward off 

the evil spirits. Just when the clock 

struck 11:00, Pookie Johnson, the 

part-time Sunday cleaner, entered 

the ward and unplugged the life 

support system so he could use the 

vacuum cleaner. 

Kiss goodbye 

After a £1 million refurbishment, 

Warrington train station 

in Cheshire has banned kissing 

because it causes congestion and 

train delays. 

Boogie basher 

A woman in Paris came home to 

find her husband in the kitchen 

shaking frantically with some kind 

of wire running from his waist towards 

the electric kettle. Intending 

to jolt him away from the deadly 

current, she whacked him with a 

handy plank of wood, breaking 

his arm in two places. Up to that 

moment, he had been happily 

dancing to his new ipod. 

Good intentions 

Two animal rights defenders 

were protesting the cruelty of 

sending pigs to a slaughterhouse 

in Bonn, Germany . Suddenly, all 

two thousand pigs broke loose 

and escaped through a broken 

fence, stampeding madly. The two 

helpless protesters were trampled 

to death. 

God is Good! 

Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet did 

not pay enough postage on a letter 

bomb he posted. It came back 

with 'Return to Sender' stamped 

on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, 

he opened it and was blown to 

bits. 

Swimming – it’s too 

wet 

The London Fields Lido has 

warned it may have to close the 

outdoor pool if conditions become 

too wet, saying life guards cannot 

see properly as the water becomes 

cloudy in heavy rain. 

A spokesman for Hackney council 

said “We make no apology for pro- 

weimar 

Culture City of Europe 

Tel. +49 3643 745-0 tourist-info@weimar.de www.weimar.de 

viding protection for swimmers 

from drowning” 

Round in circles 

Police have rescued a driver who 

did 50 circuits of a roundabout 

because she couldn’t reach an 

exit. Two cars guided 62 year 

old Andrea Zimmer to an exit in 

Braunschweig, Germany. “I was 

breaking in a new car to see how it 

does in traffic, and I couldn’t seem 

to get close to the roundabout exit 

she said.”But it takes roundabouts 

pretty well” 

Wanted – single, 

straight drake 

Attempts to save a species of duck 

from extinction in the UK appear 

doomed – because the last two 

mails in the country are gay. Keepers 

at the Arundel Wetland Centre 

in West Sussex hoped that either 

Ben or Jerry would mate with the 

only remaining female Cherry but 

to no avail. 

“They stay together in their enclosure, 

parading up and down 

together and whistling to each 

other, they make a lovely couple” 

says Peter Stevens, the warden. 

MICE NEWS.... 

Focus Istanbul 

Istanbul, is gearing up for its title 

as European Capital of Culture 

2010; a recognition that can only 

enhance further its status as an 

exciting and intriguing meetings, 

conference and exhibitions 

destination. New state-of-the-art 

conference facilities are preparing 

to open their doors across the city. 

On the European side of the city, 

The Sutluce Convention and 

Cultural Center is scheduled to 

open in March 2009, whilst The 

Harbiye Congress Center, located 

in Congress Valley is due to open 

in October 2009 - and the Ayazaga 

Congress and Cultural Center in 

2010. On the Asian side, similar 

investments are underway, including 

the Pendik Exhibition Center 

near the city’s second airport, 

Sabiha-Gokcen, with capacity for 

3,000 delegates. 

ITM plans changes 

The Institute of Travel Management 

- the professional body for 

buyers, managers and suppliers 

of business travel in the UK and 

Ireland, are voting at their AGM 

at the end of March to change 

their name to Institute of Travel 

& Meetings emphasising their involvement 

within the conference 

and meeting segment. 

VB review 

A new three year strategy to capitalise 

on key events and business 

opportunities has been launched 

by VB. Setting out its plans to 

achieve the full potential of the 

visitor economy, VisitBritain’s 

British Tourism Framework Review 

identifies as a clear enduring 

Flames of passion 

A reluctant bridegroom set fire 

to the hotel where he was due to 

marry his girlfriend. Tatsuhiko 

Kawata 40, could not decide to 

wed his girlfriend or stay with 

his wife, so on the eve of the 

bigamous wedding he set light 

to the hotel. At court recently, 

he pleaded guilty to arson and 

unlawful entry. He was jailed 

for 5 years. 

Payback time 

A London based passenger who 

wrote an amusing complaint letter 

to Virgin Atlantic has been invited 

by Sir Richard Branson to select 

the food and wines for future 

Virgin flights. 

The complainant contacted Sir 

Richard, after a flight from Mumbai 

to Heathrow in December last 

year, to convey his disappointment 

with the food served on 

board. The letter has been circulated 

around the world and has 

been almost universally praised 

for its irony and humour. 

In his letter, the passenger said 

that opening the lid of the main 

meal was like being given a 

“dead hamster for Christmas”. 

He has not yet confirmed whether 

he would take up the opportunity. 

strength the fact that “Britain has 

one of Europe’s most successful 

event industries”. It states that, 

“Our events and meetings industry 

is globally competitive and our 

range of venues includes some 

of the world’s most famous and 

admired buildings” 

It argues that these venues need 

to be supplemented with more 

new, purpose-built conference, 

exhibition and meeting venues, 

especially in London so that Britain 

can remain internationally 

competitive. 

The report also highlights Britain’s 

London and regional theatres and 

festivals as having significant 

international profiles and making 

important contributions to attracting 

international audiences. joss. 

croft@visitbritain.org 

Europe’s largest 

Milan - 18,000 seats, a 1,500-seat 

auditorium, a 4,500-seat plenary 

hall, 73 modular halls accommodating 

from 20 to 2,000 seats, and 

54,000 m2 of supporting exhibition 

space – these figures define the 

plans of the new Milano Convention 

Centre which will give Italy 

the largest convention centre in 

Europe in 2011. 

ITB defies gloom 

The 43rd ITB Berlin 2009 opened 

on 11 March, with almost the 

same number of exhibitors as 

last year, despite the global economic 

downturn. Event organisers 

Messe Berlin reported that all 

available space had been booked 

by 11,098 companies from 187 

countries - only 49 fewer exhibiting 

companies than in 2008. 


TRANSPORT 

Trenitalia speeds up 

Trenitalia, Italy’s National Railways, 

has introduced a new 

high-speed line that significantly 

improves travel times between 

main cities across Italy. Rome 

and Milan are now connected 

in only 3.5 hours with no stops 

and in December 2009 the same 

distance will be covered in only 3 

hours. Additionally the following 

travel times are now applicable 

Milan-Bologna in 65 minutes, 

Milan-Florence in 130 minutes and 

Naples-Milan just under 5 hours.. 

www.trenitalia.it 

New Guidelines on 

Transport Safety 

The Federation of Tour Operators 

has drafted a new code of practice 

providing comprehensive and 

clear cut guidelines for the safe 

provision of land transport arrangements. 

The code is the first to apply to all 

land transport arrangements provided 

by tour operators’ suppliers, 

such as transfers and excursions, 

rather than purely to coach travel. 

Once the guidelines have been 

circulated to transport providers 

they will be given a period of time 

to familiarise themselves with and 

implement the guidelines and 

then a detailed audit will be made 

to ensure that implementation has 

been successful. Companies will 

then be graded and suggestions 

made for necessary improvements. 

The FTO expect that the majority 

of land transport providers 

used by its members will have 

implemented the code and been 

audited within the next 12 months. 

In addition to auditing the condition 

of transport vehicles the code 

will cover areas such as checking 

drivers’ licences and ensuring adequate 

and regular rest breaks. 

New routes for 

Vienna’s trams 

Vienna is reorganizing public 

transportation routes for the 

Ringstrasse boulevard with a 

dedicated tourist tram entering 

into service on April 4, 2009. The 

40-seater tourist tram will circle 

the Old Town between 10 a.m. and 

6 a.m. year round. The tramcars 

are equipped with LCD screens 

which display information on all 

the highlights along the route. 

Headsets with multilingual commentary 

are also available. The 

tram will stop at selected stations 

where holders of a special hop-on, 

hop-off ticket can disembark and 

embark at their leisure 

Last year, Trams 1 and 2 finished 

their last lap of the Ringstrasse. 

The lines now serve passengers 

in outlying districts and no longer 

complete a full circuit of the 

ring. But even with its new route 

Tram 1 retains its appeal among 

Flight plan 

Aegean Airlines. will add 5 more European destinations from its 

base in Athens. Aegean will begin non-stop services to Brussels, 

Berlin, Barcelona, Vienna and Venice. From summer 2009. 

Air Europa will inaugurate daily service from New York to Madrid 

in June. 

Air Southwest will link Oxford to Jersey for the first time. The new 

route will be flying every Saturday between July 11 and September 

12. 

Bmi will operate a five times a week service to the Ukrainian capital 

Kiev from March 29. All bmi flights operate from London Heathrow 

Terminal 1. 

Continental Airlines is to fly from Cleveland to Heathrow from 

May, replacing its current Gatwick service. The airline is to end its 

seasonal service from Cleveland to Paris Charles de Gaulle, but will 

continue daily from Houston and New York. 

Emirates has launched daily services from Bangkok to Christchurch 

in New Zealand 

Estonian Air - from 30 April a seasonal route between Parnu 

and Stockholm will operate. on Thursdays and Sundays until 23 

August 2009. 

Lufthansa adds Rzeszow – Poland to its summer timetable 2009. 

From 27 April 2009, the Lufthansa CityLine regional airline subsidiary 

will offer 5 flights weekly. 

Monarch will fly to the Greek city of Volos this summer. Departing 

from Gatwick and Manchester on Fridays between May 15 and 

October 9.Volos, the third largest port in Greece, is situated on the 

northern shores of the Pagasitikos Gulf, offering access to the Pelion 

Peninsula and the Sporades. 

Pegasus Airlines is going daily with its London Stansted to Istanbul 

services from April 1 and is launching a direct weekly flight to 

Bodrum on May 4. 

Ryanair has reinstated its daily flights between Newquay Cornwall 

Airport and London Stansted. 

SWISS is to offer a twice-daily service between Zurich and Oslo 

from mid-June onwards. 

V Australia, which launched on 27th February, initially flys between 

Sydney and Los Angeles, with services also planned between Brisbane 

and Los Angeles, and Melbourne and Los Angeles. Its launch 

means that passengers can book to travel on individual Virgin 

airlines on an around-the-world routing. 

Hold on or pay 

Michael O’Leary the publicity provoking CEO of Ryanair said in a 

BBC interview that having slot machined for on board toilets was 

one of the ideas the airline was thinking about. 

However a spokesman for Ryanair said it was a spoof and that there 

was no intention to install coin slots on the planes. 

He did admit that the thought had prompted a competition. You can 

submit your ideas to help Ryanair raise revenue by entering their 

‘Ideas Competition’. The competition closes on the 30th March 2009. 

So far entries have included: 

• Charging for toilet paper - with O’Leary’s face on it 

• Charging £2.50 to read the safety cards, 

• Charging £1 to use oxygen masks, 

• Charging £25 to use the emergency exit, 

• Charging £50 for bikini clad Cabin Crew. 

Ryanair will choose the winning idea and their decision will be final. 

competition@ryanair.com 

visitors to the city. The route now 

takes in attractions including the 

Hundertwasser House and KunstHausWien 

in the 3rd district, 

as well as numerous buildings 

lining the Ringstrasse, including 

the Burgtheater, City Hall, Parliament, 

Kunsthistorisches Museum, 

the Natural History Museum, 

the Hofburg and the State Opera 

House. www.wienerlinien.at 

Coach Parking in 

London 

The new guide ‘Coach parking 

in London 2009’ is produced by 

Transport for London (TfL) and 

the Confederation of Passenger 

Transport UK (CPT) and is available 

free from CPT at coaches@ 

tfl.gov.uk 

On your bike 

The city of Faro is offering tandem 

and adaptive bikes for visitors to 

use to tour the city’s Old Town, 

waterfront and other sites. The 

adaptive bikes are suitable for 

people with disabilities. http:// 

www.visitalgarve.pt/visitalgarve/vEN?res=1024×768 

KD safe 

Kaliningrad based airline, KD avia 

continues operations as normal. 

In mid March the airline has been 

able to formalize new arrangements 

which have stabilized the 

company. A coordinated approach 

has been taken by the Ministry of 

Transportation of the Russian Federation, 

Rosaviation and a number 

of financial institutions in order to 

facilitate the introduction of state 

aid for the airline. 

This has led to the immediate lifting 

of any temporary restrictions 

placed by leasing companies on 

the operation of KD avia’s fleet 

of aircraft.KD avia is now able to 

continue its daily flying program 

without any further disruption, 

whilst measures are taken to fully 

complete the financial arrangements. 

In 2009 KD avia plans to carry 1.3 

million passengers and the airline 

has responded to the change in the 

market conditions by reducing 

operational costs and increasing 

aircraft efficiency. 

Crash cause 

The Turkish airliner that crashed 

at Schiphol at the end of February 

had a faulty altimeter. That's 

the conclusion of the preliminary 

findings of the investigation team. 

The altimeter wrongly indicated 

that the Boeing was already almost 

on the ground. Because the 

airplane was flying on automatic 

pilot, the thrust was reduced according 

to the faulty reading. The 

pilots realised the problem, but 

had insufficient time to correct it. 

9 people died and 80 others were 

injured. 

It transpires from listening to 

black box voice recorders that the 

altimeter had been giving false 

readings on two previous occasions, 

but apparently was not 

corrected by Turkish Airlines. 

On this particular flight, one pilot 

was receiving training in making 

a landing by automatic pilot. The 

investigators say that too much 

time was spent exchanging information 

between the instructor and 

the trainee, and not enough was 

spent checking the actual readings 

which would have alerted 

the crew to the problem in time to 

override the automatic pilot. 

Air France-KLM 

Air France and KLM have announced 

their first synergy since 

coming under a shared ownership.KLM 

Ground Services Ltd 

(KGS) and Air France Services Ltd 

(AFSL) will merge on 1 April 2009 

to become Cobalt Ground Solutions 

Ltd, a joint UK subsidiary. 


news 


news 

...continued from page 7 

The new ground handling operator 

will be the largest at London 

Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4 

and London City Airport, with 

an annual turnover of £36m and 

a work force of 782. 

Cobalt's Managing Director Corneel 

Koster said all staff would 

be retained with expansion at 

London City anticipated ahead 

of the 2012 Olympics. Mr Koster 

revealed the significance behind 

Cobalt's distinctive name, a blending 

of both airlines' colours. 

BAA monopoly 

breaks 

The Stansted Airline Consultative 

Committee (ACC), which 

represents airlines at Stansted, has 

welcomed the Competition Commission’s 

decision to break up the 

BAA monopoly and looks forward 

to working with the new owners 

to develop traffic at Stansted. 

ACC Chairman David O’Brien 

TRAVEL INDUSTRY 

NEWS 

BA/Iberia 

British Airways has dropped its 

strongest hint yet that its proposed 

merger with Iberia is imminent, 

saying there is only one outstanding 

issue to be resolved before the 

deal can proceed. 

BA and Iberia plan to create a 

single parent holding company, 

Topco, that would own the two 

airlines, allowing the carriers to 

operate largely independently and 

retain their brands, but make estimated 

synergies of £400 million. 

Walsh is expected to remain as 

Chief Executive of Topco while 

Fernando Conte, the head of Iberia, 

is likely to become Chairman. 

said “Passenger numbers at Stansted 

are in freefall, driven downwards 

by high airport charges and 

BAA monopoly indifference. The 

airlines can reverse this trend if 

new owners deliver what airlines 

and their passengers need - efficient 

facilities and lower costs. 

Under the discredited CAA regulatory 

regime of Dr Harry Bush, 

BAA produced unwanted and 

overpriced facilities with the 

inevitable consequences of collapsing 

traffic and loss of business. 

Prospective new owners 

should take note.” 

Majestic Imperator 

deluxe 

Guests can relive the luxurious rail 

journeys following in the footsteps 

of Sisi, on the Empress Elisabeth, 

from April 24-October 10. On the 

new European Imperial Train 

every guest has the opportunity 

to experience travelling in true 

Croatia Operators 

merge 

Independent Croatia operator 

Holiday Options is merging its 

operations to the country with 

specialist Hidden Croatia The 

integrated group expects to carry 

more than 20,000 holidaymakers 

to Croatia this summer. The combined 

resource will enable those 

numbers to be exceeded if there 

is demand, according to the two 

companies 

Stansted delay 

BAA has conceded that the opening 

of a second runway at Stansted 

airport will be delayed by two 

years due to the downturn causing 

a sharp drop-off in passenger volumes. 

The original opening date of 

the second runway is now being 

shifted from 2015 to 2017. 

Brits keep their holidays 

The survey by lastminute.com 

revealed that despite fears of economic 

recession, 70% of people's 

monthly expenditure for leisure 

activities and holidays has actually 

risen or remained the same 

as last year. In fact more than 3 

million Brits will spend more 

on holidays this year than last. 

However there is a changing 

trend in holiday-going behaviour. 

Short breaks and shorter holidays 

are expected to dominate travel 

plans, with 31% of people stating 

they will head for short city breaks 

while just under 25% are still planning 

to fly off for the traditional 

two-week dose of summer sun. A 

further 25% of people stated they 

had no firm holiday plans yet, 

waiting instead for last minute 

money saving deals. 

USA into Europe 

Jean-Philippe Perol Chairman, 

USA European Travel Commission 

has given estimates for outbound 

travel for Europe for 2008. 

Approximately 12.40 million American 

visits to Europe, down about 

7 % from the 13.33 million record 

of 2007, he expect declines of 10% 

or more through the spring, and 

smaller declines in the summer. 

France virtually tied Britain as the 

No. 1 destination for U.S. travellers 

in 2008. Britain has been the 

leader, by a wide margin, for over 

60 years. France gained by losing 

slightly less. Britain reported a 

16% drop to 2.98 million U.S. visits 

in 2008, Maison de la France is 

estimating its total at 2.95 million 

U.S. visits, which would be a 14% 

decline. Of the remaining top 4 

destinations, Germany reported 

that U.S. visits were down only 

4.3% through to November. Italy 

has not yet reported a U.S. traffic 

estimate for 2008. 

Overall, Britain is down only 2% 

from all overseas markets, thanks 

to much better performances in 

other regions. In the U.S. market, 

the dollar’s weakness versus the 

pound (since reversed) was a major 

obstacle through the summer. 

Perol stated "the stronger dollar 

and lower fuel prices should help 

limit the decline in travel.” 

imperial style. Each section of the 

journey can be booked separately. 

The Palazzo team provides true 

culinary experience. New offers 

include a weekly dinner and 

monthly theatre trains The train 

departs weekly from Vienna to 

Munich www.imperialtrain.com 

ÖBB railjet 

The new high speed train of the 

FAITH BASED TOURISM 

The Italian plan 

An Italian plan, to be unveiled at 

a G8 summit in Italy in July, proposes 

an international airport for 

Palestine which would bring religious 

tourists in the West Bank, 

''The plan foresees the construction 

of an international airport able to 

attract the many Catholic tourists 

interested in visiting the holy sites 

such as Bethlehem. Italian Premier 

Silvio Berlusconi told French 

daily Le Figaro, ''This would be 

the only way to give an effective 

incentive to the Palestinians to 

sit down at the negotiating table 

and ensure peaceful co-existence 

(with Israel)''. 

There are no civilian airports within 

the West Bank, and the nearest 

major airport is in Tel Aviv. 

Austrian Federal Railway (ÖBB) 

has cut travelling time between 

Budapest (Keleti), Vienna (West) 

and Munich. The trip from Vienna 

to Budapest now takes just 

two hours fifty-five minutes. The 

train offers three classes – premier, 

first and economy, contemporary 

design and an exclusive range of 

services www.rasiljet.at www. 

ungarn-tourismus.at 

Religion important? 

According to a survey run in 143 

countries by Gallup, Estonians 

are the least religious people in 

the world. In interviews between 

2006/2008 approximately 1,000 

respondents were interviewed in 

each country. The question asked 

was "Is religion an important part 

of your daily life?" 

The five least religious countries 

are Estonia where only 14% of the 

pollsters’ responded with a yes. 

Sweden 17%, Denmark 18%, Norway 

20% and the Czech Republic 

21%. The most religious country 

was Egypt with 100% positive 

response, followed by Lebanon 

86%, the State of Mississippi 85%, 

and Iran 83%. 

Pilgrims progress 2010 

Summer 2010 sees the internationally famous, once-a-decade passion 

play at Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps, providing operators 

and organisers with a special focus for Christian tours. 

With up to 5,000 people a day expected to flood the village during 

its four-month season, 2010 provides a rare opportunity to offer 

add-on excursions, for modern-day pilgrims to take before or after 

a visit to Oberammergau. 

English Heritage has some of the most important Christian sites in 

the land – and with many located in Yorkshire and the North, they 

are easy to build into tours. Here is one of the ‘cream’ of Christian 

sites: 

Lindisfarne Priory, Northumberland 

Became a magnet for pilgrims as far back in time as AD 698, when 

the remains of the bishop, St Cuthbert, were exhumed eleven years 

after his death and were found to be un - decayed, a sure sign of 

sanctity. Christians celebrate St Cuthbert every March 20 and still 

make the pilgrimage to the ruined monastery today, despite its 

remote location on Holy Island off the Northumbrian coast. 

One of the most important early centres of Christianity, its increasing 

wealth made it vulnerable to attack by Viking raiders and ultimately, 

the monks retreated to the mainland. A small community finally 

returned in the 12th century. A Viking Raider Stone, believed to 

commemorate the first raid on the monastery in AD 793, is among 

the relics to be seen in the Priory Visitor Centre. 

T0044 (0)1289 389200) 


GROUP OPTIONS/ 

ATTRACTIONS 

Wedgwood open for 

business 

An offer from U.S. private equity 

group KPS Partners for the indebted 

crystal and porcelain maker 

offered hope for porcelain and 

crystal manufacturers Waterford 

Wedgwood. 

Group Organisers should be aware 

that the brand new Museum and 

Visitor Centre at Barlaston, Stokeon-Trent 

are throughout the negotiations 

still open for business 

Tel: +44 (0)1782 371911 www. 

wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk 

BUGA 2009 

German Federal Horticultural 

Show (BUGA). 23rd April - 11th 

October 2009. Visitors to the area 

around Schwerin Castle in the 

State of Mecklenburg-Western 

Pomerania.will be able to take a 

walk through the history of garden 

design. 

The BUGA is offering reducedprice 

tickets for groups. In addition, 

groups can go on guided 

tours of the BUGA site that 

showcases the concept of ‘Seven 

Gardens at the Heart of It All’. 

Special offers are also available 

for groups in the catering outlets. 

Tel.: +49 385/ 59 25 222 www. 

schwerin.com 

Evening culture - 

Vienna 

HAUS DER MUSIK has the longest 

opening hours of all museums 

in Vienna, and also a special offer 

for the evening: Happy Hour - 

every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 10 

p.m. The admission prices are 

reduced by 50% starting from 

5 p.m. Additionally, numerous 

items in the shop and drinks in the 

Restaurant Cantino are available 

at a reduced price. Tel. ++43-1-516 

48 www.hdm.at 

London wins 

Attractions in London fill the 

top ten list for the most visited 

attractions in the country according 

to figures revealed by ALVA 

(Association of Leading Visitor 

Attractions) 

The top position is filled by the 

British Museum which had a 

visitor increase of almost 10% 

since 2007. 

Top ten attractions 2008 

British Museum 

Tate Modern 

National Gallery 

Natural History Museum 

Science Museum 

Tower of London 

Victoria and Albert Museum 

National Maritime Museum 

National Portrait Gallery 

St Paul’s Cathedral 

www.alva.org.uk 

Henry is back! 

At Hampton Court Palace from 

10 April Henry VIII: Heads and 

Hearts opens inviting your groups 

to attend Henry’s wedding! The 

palace will be made ready for 

Henry’s wedding to Kateryn 

Parr, with lavishly dressed rooms 

throughout the Tudor route, including 

the Tudor cooks preparing 

the wedding banquet in the Great 

Kitchens and feasting in the Great 

Hall. Whether seeing the palace 

front decked out in splendour, 

passing warders in their new Tudor 

inspired uniform, or meeting 

a live Henry and Kateryn at the 

palace every day, your clients will 

revel in this moment of history 

that happened at Hampton Court 

in 1543. For group bookings T0844 

482 7770 groupsandtraveltrade@ 

hrp.org.uk 

A fusion of folk culture 

INTERfolk Jungfrau is a brand new annual event beginning in 

October 2009 within the Jungfrau Region, packed full of events 

involving national and international participants. Folk music, dancing, 

folk customs, handicrafts and artisans, sports and games for all 

participants. Plenty of food and drink of course! 

This 5 day event will take place within the Jungfrau Railways network; 

including Schynige Platte, Winteregg-Mürren, Grindelwald- 

First, Kleine Scheidegg and the Jungfraujoch–Top of Europe. INTERfolk 

Jungfrau will be held 14-18th October 2009, Contact Jungfrau 

Railways in Interlaken. T+41 33 828 72 34 email info@jungfrau.ch 

INTERfolk Jungfrau 2009 

Russian court life comes to Amsterdam 

On 20th June 2009, a major new European cultural destination, the 

greatly expanded Hermitage Amsterdam, will welcome visitors to 

its elegantly restored 17th-century building in the historic heart of 

Amsterdam. 

Founded to bring the richness and grandeur of Russia’s artistic heritage 

to one of the West’s most charming capitals, this independent 

cultural institution will inaugurate its spacious new home — ten 

times the size of the previous building — with the exhibition ‘At 

the Russian Court’, a dazzling display of more than 1,800 treasures 

from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. 

Hermitage Amsterdam is the only dedicated, independently managed 

venue in the West of St Petersburg’s amazing State Hermitage 

Museum. At the Russian Court — a scholarly researched exploration 

of the opulent material culture, elaborate social hierarchy and 

richly layered traditions of the Tsarist court at its height in the 19th 

century — will remain on show in the newly opened museum until 

the end of January 2010. Hermitage Amsterdam will then stage 

two large-scale, temporary exhibitions each year, drawing on the 

encyclopaedic collections and unparalleled scholarship of Russia’s 

museums to offer cultural riches that would otherwise be unavailable 

in Amsterdam 

www.hermitage.nl For more information: +31. (0)20 530 87 55 

The Hermitage Amsterdam 

Good bye Mary Rose 

Seeing the hull of the famous Tudor 

warship Mary Rose is a mustdo 

this year before it is withdrawn 

from view temporarily so a new 

£35 million museum can be built 

around her. 

The new museum in Portsmouth 

Historic Dockyard is due to open 

in 2012 in time for the Olympics 

with funding support from the 

Heritage Lottery Fund. 

The ship hall is likely to close 

from mid-September 2009 as construction 

commences on the new 

museum. However, the hull of 

the Mary Rose will be interpreted 

in imaginative and visual ways in 

the current Museum which houses 

over 1000 original Tudor artefacts 

retrieved from the hull. Included 

amongst the plans for interpretation 

is a new introductory film; 

time lapse photography; a realtime 

film link to the ship hall and 

enhanced displays. 

The existing Mary Rose Museum 

is a short walk from the ship hall 

in the Historic Dockyard. It will 

remain fully open throughout the 

construction phase and will not be 

affected by building work. www. 

historicdockyard.co.uk 

Archaeological 

exhibition 

At Lisbon’s São Jorge Castle 

Museum, a collection of artifacts 

found in the castle’s vicinity, will 

be on permanent exhibit in the 

former building of the Paço Real 

da Alcáçova. The quality and 

historical importance of these artifacts 

found during archaeological 

digs since 1996 are a testament to 

the city’s cultural richness and 

diversity. The exhibit is divided 


Tivoli summer season 

For the 167th time Tivoli opens on 8 April 2009. A new ride opens 

on 1st May.The ride consists of two planes with four seats each. and 

its theme is the mystery of the Orient and the making of history. The 

planes are mounted on two large wings decorated with gold leaf and 

onion-shaped cupolas. Two passengers on each plane have control 

over the ride. They take turns to decide the speed (up to 100 km/h) 

and the movement, as the planes can rotate 360 degrees. 

The Pantomime Theatre presents its fourth Hans Christian Andersen 

ballet with set designs and costumes by HM Queen Margrethe. This 

year’s ballet is the Swineherd. James Price composes the music and 

Dinna Bjørn choreographs the show which premiers 16 July. 

The traditional Danish pantomime is on almost every night throughout 

the summer season. The charming ballets have been performed 

at Tivoli since 1844 and can not be seen anywhere else in the world. 

The theatre itself is Tivoli’s oldest building, dating from 1874. 

The Tivoli Concert Hall offers some of the world’s greatest music 

performed by Danish and international stars. There are over 40 catering 

outlets to choose from. landscaped gardens and performances 

throughout the season in the bandstands www.tivoli.dk 

news 


news 

...continued from page 9 

into two main areas. ‘The Lisbon 

Islamic Alcáçova (fortress),’ which 

portrays the impressive Islamic 

presence in Lisbon. It shows accounts 

of the 12th and 13th centuries 

when the Castle was under 

construction, and the creation of 

the Alcáçova as a political-military 

location and its importance for 

the city. The ‘Other Lives’ part of 

the exhibit invites the visitor on 

a journey of the various struggles 

and characters at the fortress 

throughout its 25 centuries of occupation. 

www.egeac.pt 

‘Rome the Myth’ 

The classical foundations of the 

Baroque state. The focus of the 

exhibition is on the impact of 

the Roman legacy on political 

and ethical thinking in the early 

modern era, particularly with 

regard to the notion of power that 

the Habsburg emperor and the 

Eggenberg family represented. 

Paintings, graphic works, sculptures 

and coins trace the survival 

of the classical/imperial tradition 

in the outlook of Renaissance and 

Baroque princes. 

The exhibition is 09 May - 04 

September 2009. Location Schloss 

Eggenberg, Graz, Austria T+43 

316 8017 9211 

Leeds Castle 2009 

Set in 500 acres of beautiful parkland, 

Leeds Castle, near Maidstone 

in the garden of Kent has a 

huge list of special events suitable 

for groups throughout 2009. With 

over 900 years of fascinating history, 

the castle has been a Norman 

stronghold, a royal residence for 

six medieval queens of England, 

a favourite palace of Henry VIII 

and a grand country house. 

Its blend of history and heritage, 

glorious gardens, aviary and 

birds of prey, maze and grotto, 

dog collar museum, craft cafe, 

children’s playground, gift shops 

and licensed restaurant make it 

the perfect choice for a day out. 

2009 marks the 500th anniversary 

Agatha’s house 

opens 

The stuccoed Georgian villa 

where the writer Agatha Christie 

spent her holidays is open to the 

public for the first time after a 

$7.8 million restoration. Visitors 

can see the bedroom where 

Christie slept, the dining room 

where she entertained, and the 

drawing room where she thrilled 

friends with readings from her 

latest whodunit. 

Craftsmen have restored 18thcentury 

home, Greenway, and 

the rooms are much as they 

were when Christie lived there, 

complete with books, papers, 

boxes of chocolates and bunches 

of flowers. Even the scratches on 

the bedroom door made by the 

family dog remain. 

During World War II, the house 

was requisitioned by the U.S. 

Navy amid preparations for D- 

Day. The home’s restorers have 

retained a vivid frieze of wartime 

scenes painted on the library 

walls by Lt. Marshall Lee, a U.S. 

Coast Guard war artist. 

Christie bought the house in 

Devon, 200 miles southwest of 

London, in 1938 and spent holidays 

there until 1959. She died in 

1976, aged 85. 

Her family donated Greenway 

to the National Trust nine years 

ago, but until now only its lush 

gardens have been open to the 

public. The house remained offlimits 

until its occupants — the 

writer’s daughter Rosalind and 

her husband — died in 2004 

and 2005. 

Christie had deep roots in Devon. 

She was born there in 1890, and 

15 of her books have Devon 

settings, including ‘And Then 

There Were None,’ ‘Ordeal by 

Innocence’ and ‘The Murder at 

Hazelmoor.’ Greenway itself is 

the inspiration for the setting 

of ‘Dead Man’s Folly’, in which 

Photo Apex - Greenways 

of Henry VIII being crowned King 

of England. To celebrate his accession 

to the throne, Leeds Castle is 

hosting a number of Tudor themed 

events which will be included in 

the admission price. www.leedscastle.com/events 

Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot 

investigates the murder of a 

Girl Guide at a mystery writer’s 

country home. 

For Christie, the prolific author of 

80 crime novels and short story 

collections, two autobiographies 

and eight romance novels under 

the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, 

the house was also a retreat 

from the pressures of celebrity. 

The National Trust said it is considering 

holding murder-mystery 

tours and Christie-themed 

events in the future.. Greenways 

is located in Galmpton between 

Painton and Brixham on the 

A3022. Maximum size coach 25 

seater, larger groups can arrive 

by boat. T01803 842382 

WELCOME TO 

MOTORWAY-RESTAURANTS 

Enjoy best hospitality in Austria! 

Make the most of your motorway stop 

in Austria – in our market- and a la 

carte- restaurants we will be happy to 

welcome you and your guests, with 

special offers for groups and comprehensive 

service for coach drivers and 

tour guides 

Excellent quality food, absolute freshness 

with wide assortment of meals 

and snacks 

Salad- and antipasti-buffet, fruit 

juice-bar 

Bakery: homemade pastries, bread 

Rapid, friendly rosenberger service 

Restaurants directly on your route, 

easy to plan in any tour 

Welcome vouchers for coach drivers 

and tour guides 

Coach drivers and tour guides 

receive personal service from our 

restaurant manager 

LINDACH 

NORD 

A8 

LINZ 

St. PÖLTEN 

A1 

1 2 

4 3 HAAG 

ANSFELDEN 

SÜD 

BREGENZ 

6 GOLLING 

A9 

AMPASS 

OST 

INNSBRUCK 8 

A12 

10 HOHENEMS 

9 

7 VOMP 

A10 

A14 

A13 

PETTNAU 

EISENTRATTEN 11 

VÖLKERMARKT 

12 

KLAGENFURT 

5 

SALZBURG 

S6 

GRAZ 

GRALLA 

WEST 

WIEN 

CITY 

A2 

15 

GRALLA 

14 

OST 

13 

Motorway-Restaurant 

Motorway-Restaurant & Motor-Hotel 

City-Restaurant, Maysedergasse 2 

1010 Wien 

Truck Stop 

www.rosenberger.cc 

Rosenberger Coach 

+ Tourguide-Hotline 

Rosenberger Head-Office 

Harlander Strasse 112 

A–3104 St. Pölten/Austria 

Tel. (+43) 02742/88 17 15 

Fax (+43) 02742/88 17 15/5 

zentrale@rosenberger.cc 

EISENSTADT 


The Doll’s House Museum Basel presents - 

Margarete Steiff - a Special exhibition from 18 April to 4 October 2009. 

The story of the woman who laid the foundation stone for today’s successful global group 

Fortune does not favour 

her 

In the former Free Imperial City of Giengen 

an der Brenz., on 24 July 1847, Appolonia 

Margarete Steiff is born the third daughter 

of master builder Friedrich Steiff and his wife 

Maria. Margarete is initially a happy, healthy 

child. However, shortly after the birth of her 

brother Fritz in 1849, she contracts poliomyelitis, 

at that time an almost unresearched disease. 

Therapies, operations and spa treatments 

don’t help and her paralysis remains, left with 

permanent disability: her legs have become 

virtually immovable and she can barely move 

her right arm. 

Determination and 

ambition bring her success 

She was a stoic child and a conscientious 

and gregarious student. She decided initially 

against her families’ wishes to become a 

seamstress eventually winning their support. 

She and her sisters buy a sewing machine – the 

first in Giengen. They open a dress makers and 

even with her disabilities she is the principle 

seamstress 

At 17 with the moral and financial support of 

a felt maker acquaintance, the dressmaker’s 

begin a felt-clothing business in 1877. The 

business prospers and soon she is running a 

successful small factory. 

It began with the ‘little 

elephant’ 

In 1879 Margarete Steiff sees a small stuffed 

elephant in the Modenwelt magazine and 

makes five of them out of felt and wool 

as pincushions for Christmas. They prove 

incredibly popular, especially with children. 

Virtually all toys were then made of wood and 

porcelain – not very cuddly. She begins to 

make and stock the animals. 

Margarete’s brother Fritz, a master builder, 

is the driving force behind expansion and 

Margarete Steiff with family and friends 

product development. 

In 1889 Margarete, now 40, with 

Fritz’s encouragement eventually leaves her 

parents home. Fritz builds her a new shop 

with an apartment above. That year she 

meets Johanna Röck who moves in with 

Margarete and stays with her for almost twenty 

years, until Margarete’s death. 

A pioneering spirit with a 

big heart 

Margarete, begins to make ride-on and 

wheeled animals. Her range includes monkeys, 

donkeys, horses, camels, pigs, mice, dogs, 

cats, hares and giraffes. They develop and 

promote a mail order company. By 1894 

the annual turnover is 90,000 marks and 

in 1897, it has a stand at the Leipzig Trade 

Fair for the first time. From 1897/1898, the 

‘little elephant’ is used as a trademark in 

response to endeavours by competitors to 

copy her product. From 1904 onwards, the 

world-famous ‘button in the ear’ follows as the 

trademark. 

Richard Steiff, Fritz’s son joins the company. 

Margarete, is very close to her nine nieces 

and nephews - all six boys join the business. 

Margarete is a warm and considerate 

employer. Her employees’ social benefits 

exemplary for the time included meal vouchers 

for the local restaurants. 

In 1903 they move to a glass and steel 

building locally nicknamed ‘virgin aquarium’ 

as the factory mainly employed young, single 

women. The innovative and disabled friendly 

building had another added shortly after. They 

are still used by the Steiff Company and enjoy 

historic monument protection. 

That year Richard attends the Leipzig Trade 

Fair with the bear he has personally developed. 

Buyers are less than impressed by this first bear 

with a swivelling head and moveable limbs, fur 

made of mohair plush and shoe button eyes; 

they also find it too expensive. Margarete was 

highly sceptical but Richard persuaded her to 

start a trial with the animal. It is reported that 

at the very last minute , an American appeared 

on the exhibition stand and purchased the 

entire bear collection. These 3,000 items are 

never seen again. 

The next model, the slimmer “Bear 35 PB”, 

becomes a bestseller. At the St Louis World’s 

Fair, Margarete and Richard receive gold 

medals and the company wins the Grand 

Prix..In the ‘bear year’ of 1907, 400 full-time 

employees and 1,800 home workers make a 

total of 974,000 bears. Margarete continues 

to oversee insisting on flawless quality but she 

is becoming weaker and on 9 May 1909, she 

dies at just 61. 

The best is just good 

enough for our children! 

With these words, Margarete Steiff 

summed up her qualities as a successful 

businesswoman. The exhibition in the Doll’s 

House Museum Basel offers an insight into 

the life history of this extraordinary woman. 

The focal point of the exhibition is a 

reproduction of her workshop, a remarkably 

realistic, life-size reproduction of Margarete 

herself in plasticine made for the exhibition. 

With pictures and audio texts (featuring the 

Swabian accent typical for Margarete Steiff) 

the Doll’s House Museum guides visitors 

through the various phases in the life of 

this creative, disciplined woman, untiringly 

dedicated to her work. 

The original felt animals, documents, 

catalogues, etc., bear witness to an 

enormous creative power. Of course, the 

‘little elephant’ with which it all began is 

there .A copy of the original ‘little elephant’ 

pattern is available for those who would 

like to sew one for themselves. Visitors with 

time to spare will be moved by the film 

‘Margarete Steiff’ acclaimed as the ‘TV 

event of the year’ with Heike Makatsch in 

the leading role, on show in the museum. 

Also featured - Margarete personal 

possessions, such as her wheelchair and 

diary, the zither, the sewing machine, 

handwritten letters and much more, courtesy 

of Steiff GmbH, Giengen an der Brenz. 

Opening hours 

Museum, Shop and Café: daily from 10 

a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Admission 

CHF 7 / CHF 5 

Children up to 16 years of age are admitted 

free of charge and only in the company of 

adults. 

No additional charge for the special 

exhibition.The entire building is wheelchair 

accessible. 

The Doll’s House Museum Basel 

Steinenvorstadt 1 

4051 Basel 

Tel. +41 (0)61 225 95 95 

Fax +41 (0)61 225 95 96 

www.puppenhausmuseum.ch 


The versatile capital of the German 

region Hessen is waiting for you! 

Rheingau Wine Festival - Horst Goebel 

The capital of the German region Hessen, 

Wiesbaden is full of variety, elegance and 

life. It lies in the heart of Germany only 30 

minutes away from the Frankfurt Airport, one 

of the biggest hubs of international aviation. 

Wiesbaden - idyllic location between the 

Taunus hills and the Rhine river banks. 

The neo-classical flair, the beautiful casino in 

the historic Kurhaus (Convention and Event 

Centre) as well as the splendid Hessian State 

Theatre, lush avenues and colourful parks 

more than justify Wiesbaden being called 

‘Nice of the North’. Because of its cultural 

and architectural background Wiesbaden 

is member of the “Historic Highlights of 

Germany” (www.historicgermany.com), an 

organisation promoting German cities with a 

unique historic heritage. 

Spa treatments 

The 26 hot springs once made the city famous 

as a 19th century world spa. Today, Wiesbaden 

has a great variety of high-quality renowned 

health facilities for those who need to unwind 

and relax. The thermal spa Aukammtal offers a 

Neroberg Mountain - Wiesbadens own little 

hillside estate - Horst Goebel 

thermal bath area, a spacious sauna section as 

well as various massages, alternative medical 

and beauty treatments. The Kaiser-Friedrich- 

Therme, an Irish Roman bath, is known for its 

fascinating sauna and a wide range of health 

applications and it fulfils the needs of todays 

modern guests. 

Shop and browse 

Tradition and quality – two terms which 

numerous Wiesbaden retailers feel obligated 

to provide; their high-quality goods reflect this 

tradition. Especially along the Wilhelmstrasse, 

which is about two kilometres long and is 

lovingly called the ‘Rue’ by residents. Visitors 

will find not only boutiques with international 

and exclusive brands, but also creative 

fashion and jewellery designers and authentic 

souvenirs. Numerous interesting shops 

are also found in the historic city centre. 

Here smaller boutiques, goldsmith studios, 

delicatessens and art galleries predominate. 

For antique lovers, a stroll along the 

Taunusstrasse in particular is a memorable 

experience. 

Cultural heritage 

Wiesbaden is embedded in one of Germany’s 

most traditional wine regions, called the 

Rheingau. The attractive landscape and the 

many castles, manors and cloisters have 

fascinated poets and philosophers throughout 

history. The combination of active recreation, 

nature, culinary delights and culture make 

Wiesbaden the ideal base for trips to the 

Rheingau region. 

Group offers 

Wiesbaden Marketing presents new attractive 

packages for groups. There is a wide range 

of guided city und culinary discovery tours, 

spa packages and great offers to experience 

the beautiful Rheingau region including wine 

tasting, and visits to castles and monasteries. 

More information is available on 

the internet www.wiesbaden.eu/ 

groupoffers! 

Experience Wiesbaden 

during the Rheingau 

Wine Festival 

(August 14 th – 23 rd 2009) 

The popularity of the Rheingau wine 

region is predominantly due to its 

Riesling wine. The Rheingau Riesling 

with sparkling elegance and imaginative 

fusion of noble sweetness and fine 

acidity is considered one of the world’s 

top white wines – and justly so! 

For more than 30 years the Rheingau 

Wine Festival has turned the Wiesbaden 

city centre into the ‘world’s longest 

wine bar’. The wine growers of 

Wiesbaden and the Rheingau region 

will be serving their precious products 

together with local specialties at about 

118 stands. There is also a plethora of 

entertainment. 

Rheingau region - Rüdesheim Tourist AG 

Group Offer - What you get: 

• one overnight stay in a double room 

incl. generous breakfast 

• guided city tour in the group’s own 

coach 

• one glass of sparkling wine 

• voucher for food & beverages 

• Wiesbaden surprise gift 

• coach driver free of charge 

From €51 per person, based on double 

occupancy 

Additional night from €34.90 per 

person, based on double occupancy 

Single room surcharge from €21 

Minimum: From 15 people 

Arrival: August 14 th – 23 rd , 2009 

Bookings: Minimum 14 days prior to 

arrival 

Further information and bookings: 

Wiesbaden Marketing GmbH 

- Tourist Service - 

P.O. Box 6050 

65050 Wiesbaden 

Tel.: +49 (0) 611 1729 702 

Fax: +49 (0) 611 1729 799 

tourist-service@wiesbaden-marketing.de 

www.wiesbaden.eu 


Austria 

Attractions 

Bergisel Ski Jump 

Bergiselweg 3, 6020 Innsbruck 

Tel: +43 512 589 259 

E-mail: office@bergisel.info 

www.bergisel.info 

New Bergisel is a historical, cultural and 

architectural highlight of your Innsbruck 

visit. With the funicular and the tower 

elevator to the panorama-restaurant from 

where you will enjoy views over the city 

and its mountains. There is also the Kaiser 

Jäger Museum. Groups welcome. 

Concerts 

Sound of Salzburg Dinner Show 

Salzburg 

Tel: +43 662 82 6617 

E-mail: reservations@soundofsalzburgshow.com 

www.soundofsalzburgshow.com 

Organised by 'The New Sound of Music 

Events Gmbh' 2006 provides a new, 

enhanced programme. All year round for 

group bookings at the Sternbräu Dinner 

Theater 

Sound of Vienna 

Strauss & Mozart Concerts 

Kursalon Wien 

Johannesgasse 33 

A-1010 Wien 

Tel.: +43 (0)1 512 57 90 

Fax: +43 (0)1 512 57 91 

E-mail: sound@soundofvienna.at 

Concerts performed daily at 8.15 pm. 

Concerts at 6.00 pm on request. You can 

also have lunch or dinner at our Johann 

Cafe Restaurant or on the lovely terrace 

overlooking the City Park. 

Tyrolean Evening with the Gundolf 

Family 

Gasthaus SANDWIRT 

Innsbruck 

Tel.: +43 512 263 263 

Fax: +43 512 263 263-4 

E-mail: office@tirolerabend.info 

www.tirolerabend.info 

Tyrolean Evening with the Gundolf Family 

An authentic Tyrolean Evening with 

the Gundolf Family at the Gasthaus 

SANDWIRT located near the heart of 

beautiful Innsbruck. Your guests will enjoy 

folk dancing, brass band music, yodelling 

and typical songs of the Region. The 

performers have travelled Internationally 

as musical Ambassadors of the Tyrol. 

Daily 20.30 – 22.00 April – October, out 

of season – on request 

Vienna Residence Orchestra 

Palais Auersperg 

Auerspergstrasse 1, 1080 Wien 

Tel.+43 1 817 21 78 

Fax: + 43 1 813 28 65 

Email:konzert@residenzorchester.at 

www.wro.at 

Mozart & J. Strauss Concert 

Daily 6:30 & 8:15 p.m 

Imperial Dinner before or after the 

concert. 

Crystal & Glass 

Swarovski Crystal Gallery 

Herzog‐Friedrich-Strasse 39, A 6020 

Innsbruck 

Tel: + 43 512 57 3100 

Fax: + 43 512 57 3530 

e-mail: crystalgallery@swarovski.com 

www.swarovski.com/crystalgallery 

Contact: Mrs Gfreiner 

Crystal, Glassware, Jewellery 

Swarovski Crystal Worlds 

Kristallweltenstrasse 1, A‐6112 

Wattens, Tyrol 

Tel: + 43 5224 510 80 

Fax: + 43 5224 510 80 3831 

e-mail: swarovski.kristallwelten 

@swarovski.com 

www.swarovski.com/crystalworlds 

Contact: Christian Oberleiter 

Crystal, Glassware, Jewellery, Café 

Motorway Restaurants 

Landzeit Autobahn-Restaurants 

Landzeit HeadQuarters 

New Corporate address 

Voralpenkreuz 2, A-4642 Sattledt 

Tel: + 43 7244 20250 

Fax: +43 72 44 20250320 

e-mail: zentrale@landzeit.at 

Excellent catering and shops Generous 

benefits for drivers and tour managers 

Museums 

Old Vienna Schnaps-Museum 

Wilhelmstr 19-21 

A1120 Vienna 

Tel: + 43 1 815 7300 

office@schnapsmuseum.com 

www.schnapsmuseum.com 

A museum and working distillery, original 

furniture from the 1870’s – 1920’s. Visitors 

can tour the distillery and taste and buy. 

Coach parking 

Technisches Museum Wien 

Mariahilfer Srraße 212, A-1140 Wein 

Tel: +43 1 899 98 1720 

Fax: +43 1 899 98 1111 

email: museumsbox@tmw.at 

www.technischesmuseum.at 

Exhibits range from the original Imperial 

Salon carriage of Empress Elizabeth 

1 to the modern TV studio. Interactive 

presentations and “hands on” experiments 

– a unique experience 

Restaurants 

Sternbräu Gastronomie Welt 

Greisgasse 23 

Salzburg 

Tel: + 43 0 662 840 717 

info@sternbraeu.at 

14 different dining experiences under 

one roof, with beautiful gardens also for 

guests eating during the summer. Excellent 

location for groups with easy parking 

Shopping 

Geiger Hut-und Trachtenmoden 

Goldgasse 19, A-5020 Salzburg 

Tel: +43 662 841393 

Fax: +43 662 841393 

E-mail: geiger@hats.at 

www.hats.at 

Contact: Mr Peter Macho 

groups welcome, good provisions! 

We are specialised in the famous boileed 

wool jackets from Geiger and traditional 

hats! Tax free for 

non eu visitors! 

Salzburger Heimatwerk 

Residenzplatz 9 

A-5010 Salzburg 

Tel: + 43 0 662 844 110 

sbg@heimatwerk.at 

Large store offering every type of gift for 

any friend or family member, exhibitions 

and displays throughout the year. 

Everyone visiting Salzburg passes the door 

BELGIUM 

Museums 

Choco-Story 

Sint-Jansstraat, 7b 

8000 Bruges 

Tel/Fax + 32 50/61.22.37 

info@choco-story.be 

The museum opened in March 2004. Tells 

the story of the transformation of cocoa 

into chocolate and to promote the health 

and quality aspects of Belgian chocolate 

Gifts/Souvenirs 

Käthe Wohlfahrt - Kerstfeeerie N.V. 

Walplein 12/Wollestraat 29 

Tel: +32-(0)50/330604 

Fax: +32-(0)50/346313 

E-m: kerstfeeerie.brugge@pandora.be 

Experience the real authentic German 

Christmas in Bruges. Käthe Wohlfahrt, the 

German Christmas specialist, have two 

‘year round’ Christmas stores in Brugge 

France 

Perfumerie/Museum/ 

Boutique 

Perfumerie Molinard 

60 Boulevard Victor Hugo, 06130 

Grasse 

Tel: + 33 (0) 493 360162 

20 Rue St Francois de Paule, 06300 

Nice 

Tel: +33 (0) 493 62 90 50 

Free guided tour and 10% group 

discounts and free parking. Welcome pack 

for Tour Managers collecting On The Road 

magazine 

Germany 

Gifts/Souvenirs/Hotels 

Hofgut Sternen 

An der Ravennaschlucht (B31) 

79874 Breitnau/Hollsteig 

Tel: +49 7652 9010, 

Fax: +49 7652 1031 

E-m: info@drubba.com 

Contact: Jurgen 

Cuckoo clocks (demonstration), 

Biersteins, Hummel figures, Birkenstock, 

Swarovski crystal, largest cuckoo clock in 

the Upper Balck Forest. 

Black Forest Clock Centre 

Seestrasse 37, 79822 Titisee 

Tel: +49 765 198 1200 

Fax: +49 765 188 142 

E-m: info@drubba.com 

Cuckoo clocks (demonstration), Biersteins, 

Hummel figures, Swarovski crystal, boat trips. 

Contact: Alison or Peter 

House of the Black Forest Clocks 

Landsraß 7, D-78132 Hornberg 

Niederwasser 

Tel: +49 7833 8037 

Fax: +49 7833 7724 

Web: www.house-of-black-forestclocks.com 

Contact: Jurgen Herr 

Black Forest Clocks 

Gifts/Museums 

Käthe Wohlfahrt - 

“Weihnachtsdorf”, ( Christmas 

Village & Christmas Museum ) 

Herrngasse 1 

91541 Rothenburg ob der Tauber 

Tel.: 09861 - 4090 

Christmas novelties, and museum 

Museum Contact: Mrs Felicitas 

Höptner 

Tel: +49 (0)9861 409 365 

E-mail: hoeptner@wolfahrt.com 

Shop Contact: Andrea Rank 

Tel: +49 (0)9861 409116 

E-mail: rank@wohlfahrt.com 

Fax: +49 (0)9861 409 366 

Shops also in Heidelberg, Oberamergau 

and Rüdesheim 

GREECE 

Destination Greece 

Olympias 23, 1 st Floor 

Glyfada 16673 

Tel: + 30 210 9626220 

Fax: +30 210 9651493 

Mob: + 30 6944 825251 

email: julie@cruise-greece.com 

Tour Operator 

ITALY 

Travel 

Blue Star Italia 

V. Filippo Corridoni 15, 1/c 00195 

Rome, Italy 

Tel: +39 063 723487 

Fax: +39 063 728573 

Contact: Giancarlo Staroccia 

E-m: bluestartvl@tiscalinet.it 

Gifts/Souvenirs/Leather 

Mair Mair 

Alstadt No 1, I‐ 39049 Sterzing, 

Vipiteno 

Tel: + 39 472 765 386 

Fax: + 39 472 766 386 

Contact: Mr Mair 

Souvenirs, Leather, Wine, etc 

NETHERLANDS 

Souvenirs/Restaurant 

De Simonhoeve 

Wagenweg 2 

1145 PW Katwoude/Volendam 

Tel: + 31 299 36 58 28 

info@simonehoeve.com 

15 minutes north of Amsterdam, Cheese 

Farm & Clog Factory with demonstrations, 

meals and snacks 

Museums 

Het Loo Palace 

Koninkliijk Park 1, 7315 JA Apeldoorn 

Tel: + 31 55 577 2448 

Was the famous summer retreat for the 

Dutch Royal family between 1686-1975. 

The museum has been beautifully restored 

with gardens 

NORWAY 

Clothing 

Oslo Sweater Shop 

Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel, 

Tullins Gate 5, N-O166 Oslo 

Tel: +47 22 11 29 22 

Fax; +47 22 11 06 48 

Contact: Yonna Johnsen 

Switzerland 

Restaurants 

Swiss Folklore Restaurant Stadtkeller 

Sternenplatz 3, CH-6004 Lucerne 

Tel: + 41 0 41 410 4733 

email: info@stadtkeller.ch 

www.stadtkeller.ch 

Original Swiss folklore restaurants, 

yodelling, alphorn blowing and flag 

throwing, and outstandingly good food 

Downloadable copies of On The Road are available on the net: www.OnTheRoad.co.uk 

Swiss Musik & Foklore Show 

Albisgütli Event Centre 

Uetlibergstrasse 341 

8045 Zurich 

Tel: +41 43 333 30 00 

Fax: +41 43 333 30 01 

Internet: www.albisguetli.ch 

E-Mail: info@albisguetli.ch 

Opened June 2008 Experience Swiss 

folklore at it’s best: Yodelling, alpine horn 

blowing & banner waving. Lot’s of fun and 

good food are guaranteed! 

Groups are welcome 

Shopping 

Bühler's "Chalet Shop & Toyland" 

Bühler AG Interlaken 

Bahnhofstrasse 10 

CH-3800 Interlaken 

Tel: +41 (0)33 822 34 33 

Fax: +41 (0)33 823 34 33 

info@buehler-interlaken.ch 

www.buehler-interlaken.ch 

Contact: Kurt Bühler 

A huge souvenir and watch store close to 

the west-station, every conceivable gift 

idea, and also a model train enthusiast 

dream. Open daily during the season until 

10.30 pm. Multilingual staff to assist your 

clients 

Swiss Knife Center 

Höheweg 125 

3800 Interlaken 

T/F+41 (0)33 822 32 30 

Email swissknife@tcnet.ch 

Established for over 20 years, specialists 

for Swiss army knives, Swiss and German 

kitchenware, International-hunting knives, 

and Swiss souvenirs. Opposite Hotel Du 

Nord, parking available. 

Watches/Jewellery/Gifts 

Casagrande 

24 Kapellgasse & Grendel/ 

Schwanplatz, Lucern 

Tel: +41 41 418 60 60 

Fax: +41 41 412 16 64 

E-mail: info@casagrande.ch 

www.casagrande.ch 

“One stop shop” for all gifts including 

watches. Additional store, and Internet 

Café . Restrooms 

Gübelin 

Schweizerhofquai 1 

6004 Luzerne 

Tel: + 41 41 417 0017 

Fax: + 41 41 417 0018 

E-mail: pr.guebelin@guebelin.ch 

www.guebelin.ch 

Watches, jewellery and diamond centre. 

UK 

Group Services 

T Shirts Etc 

Tel: +44 (0) 1442 832929 

E-m: info@tshirtsetc.co.uk 

Personalised tour gifts and souvenirs, no 

minimum order for Tour Operators/Cruise 

Company/Event Organisers. Over 7,000 

items available instantly 

Associations 

ETOA 

The Weighhouse Gallery 

6 Weighhouse Street 

London W1K 5LT 

Tel: +44 020 7 499 4412 

Fax: +44 020 7 499 4413 

E-m: info@etoa.org 

Web: www.etoa.org 

Contact: Tom Jenkins 

European Tour Operators Association. 

Representing the interests of European and 

international tour operators at a political 

level in Europe and providing commercial 

opportunities for suppliers. 

International Association of Tour 

Managers (IATM) 

397 Walworth Road, London SE17 

2AW 

Tel: +44 020 7703 9154 

Fax: +44 020 7703 0358 

E-m: iatm@iatm.co.uk 

Web: www.iatm.co.uk 

Contact: Ron Julian 

The Association for all professional Tour 

Managers. 

Regions 

UK: iatmbr@iatmbr.co.uk 

Central Europe: iatmcer@gmx.at 

Israel: iatm@iatm.co.il 

Italy: iatm.italia@aliceposta.it 

Ned: jannas63@hotmail.com 

Nordic: iatm@telia.com 

N. America: iatmtourmanager@ 

yahoo.com 

Pacific: iatmpacific@yahoo.com 

Spain: bofiko@yahoo.es 

Taiwan: T +886 22779 0070 

“We Welcome Groups”

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