Feliks Magus: Exceptional year for Tallinn

Riga: cheapest city
break this spring
nThe popular travel website Yahoo!
Travel has named Riga as the
best-value city breaks for its mainly
UK-based readers this spring. Holidaymakers
on a budget from Britain can
now get more for their carefully saved
pounds at a number of intriguing European
destinations.
Riga is top of the list, ahead even of
Tallinn with its cut-price hotels, as well
as Warsaw and Budapest. Vilnius is not
named, possibly because of its still poor
number of connections by air with the
UK and the rest of Europe.
The list appears in the UK Post
Office’s new “City Costs Barometer”
report, which puts Riga way ahead of
the pack on cost-saving city-break destinations.
Prague comes second in the
best shoestring city breaks, followed by
Budapest, Tallinn and then Warsaw.
The most expensive destination
out of the 19 cities listed is Stockholm.
Surprisingly, London is down as being a
nTo discover more about the attitudes
many holidaymakers have towards
certain aspects of the booking process,
an independent cruise comparison website
has conducted research revealing that half
of people from the UK who go on a cruise
don’t buy travel insurance.
A new study by the independent
cruise comparison website CruiseCompare.co.uk
has revealed that more than
half of cruisers, 52%, choose not to purchase
travel insurance for their holiday.
However, in contrast, only 13% of holidaymakers
who choose “beach holidays”
admitted to not purchasing travel insurance
for their trip.
The research, conducted by Cruise
Compare was part of a study into the attitudes
holidaymakers have towards buying
travel insurance and certain aspects of the
bookings process. Exactly 1,281 holidaymakers
were subsequently polled.
Initially, the respondents were asked
by Cruise Compare, “Do you purchase
travel insurance when taking a holiday?”
Of the respondents that usually went on a
cruise for their holiday, 52% answered “no”.
cheaper travel destination at the moment
than Rome or Paris.
The list was compiled by making
a “basket” of typical holiday costs, such
as hotel accommodation, meals, drinks,
public transport and sightseeing. Riga
boasted a total basket price of £114.92
(€131), which is only a third of the basket
for the most expensive city, Stockholm,
with a total of £313.64 (€358). The priciest
cities, like Stockholm, are weighed
down mostly because of the extreme cost
of accommodation.
The high price of accommodation in
cities like Boston, New York and Stockholm
pushed them to the bottom of the
cost table. According to Hotels.com, a
one-night stay in a 3-star hotel in New
York will cost £166 (€187) – over three
times the price of a similar room in Riga.
However, as cities like Riga and Tallinn
recover strongly from the recent economic
crisis, we can expect prices here to
increase quickly in the coming year. n
Half of cruisers
don’t buy insurance
“If cruisers
are insured,
they can rest
assured that
everything
is covered.”
Freedom Monument,
central Riga
The 13% of the respondents who said
“beach holidays” were their usual choice of
trip admitted to not getting travel insurance,
along with 4% of the respondents
who frequently went on skiing holidays.
The respondents to the study who
admitted to not buying travel insurance
for cruises were asked to explain the reasons
for their decision. More than a third,
34%, stated that the reduced risk of “luggage
going missing” was why they didn’t
feel the need to get it.
Less than a fifth of the cruisers who
admitted to not buying insurance said it
was because they were “not relying on
flights and transfers”. An additional 14%
cited the “safety” onboard a cruise liner.
Extra expense
More than half, 52%, of those who said
that they didn’t go on cruise holidays and
also didn’t purchase travel insurance said
that the “expense” of insurance cover was
their reason for not getting protection.
“Travel insurance can be an additional
expense to a holiday,” Danielle Fear, managing
director of Cruise Compare, said.
Alongside photo: EPA Photo / AFI / Gatis Diezins
tourism
Cheapest city breaks
City Country
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, computer image
Total basket
price
Riga Latvia £114.92
Prague Czech Republic £134.79
Budapest Hungary £136.06
Tallinn Estonia £142.04
Warsaw Poland £144.18
Lisbon Portugal £149.93
Dublin Ireland £160.78
Berlin Germany £192.74
Edinburgh UK £202.85
Barcelona Spain £217.89
Bruges Belgium £228.62
London UK £237.10
Amsterdam Netherlands £242.42
Rome Italy £247.50
Paris France £253.74
Copenhagen Denmark £256.77
Boston USA £259.89
New York USA £305.97
Stockholm Sweden £313.64
“However, I would still strongly suggest
purchasing it, as it acts as a great
form of protection against a variety of
possible scenarios and events, including
baggage loss and theft. Much like a person
searches for the best possible deal on their
holiday price, there are different insurance
packages available at varying prices, so it
is worth conducting a detailed search for
the best possible deal.”
She continued, “If people are considering
a cruise holiday I would strongly suggest
purchasing some form of insurance,
more for peace of mind than anything.
There is something magical about a cruise
liner and sailing into the sunset, as the
holiday is certainly full of adventures. If
cruisers are insured, they can rest assured
that everything is covered, allowing them
to kick back and enjoy the experience.” n
Land of
the Thunder Dragon
nNestled in the eastern region of the
Himalayas, Bhutan is a small Kingdom
roughly the size of Switzerland and fondly
referred to as Druk Yul (Land of the Thunder
Dragon) by the Bhutanese. Bhutan has
remained a country where age-old customs
and traditions are still part of everyday
life, even while modernization and global
influence are felt more and more. Here are
some of the special highlights of a visit
to Bhutan.
Paro, gate to Bhutan
Paro Valley is more than beautiful; it is
visually stunning and historically fascinating.
This beautiful terraced valley is
home to many of Bhutan’s oldest temples.
The National Museum is here and Taktsang
Monastery clings to a sheer cliff, 900
metres above the valley. Also known as the
Tiger’s Nest, it is said that Guru Rinpoche
arrived here on the back of a tigress and
meditated at the monastery. The site is now
visited by all Bhutanese at least once in
their lifetime and can be reached after a
four-hour walk. There is a café on the way.
Located on a ridge overlooking the Paro
Valley is a conical-shaped watchtower,
which since 1967 has held the National
Museum with a fascinating collection of
art, relics, religious paintings and exquisite
postage stamps.
Dochula Viewpoint
There are 108 temples called “Druk
Wangyel Chorten” here with colourful
prayer flags. If the sky is clear this provides
the best place to see and take photos
of the snow-capped mountains. You can
contemplate a number of peaks that are
higher than 6 000 m and also see neighbouring
Tibet. From here it takes about an
hour to reach Lungcho Tsekha Monastery
along a road with beautiful rhododendrons
and other flowers on both sides. Once on
top, you have a 360 view of the mountain
range.
Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan. But, just
like any other place in Bhutan, the area is
clothed with beautiful trees from the valley
to the hilltops and with beautiful buildings
in the traditional Bhutanese architecture.
The name ‘Thimphu’ originates
from a sinking stone in front of Dechenphu
Monastery. Oral history says that the stone
was placed on top of a subdued ogress to
prevent her from flying away. Incidentally,
Thimphu is probably the only capital city,
apart from the Vatican, where there are
no traffic lights.
Chari Monastery
This beautiful Goemba was built in 1620 on
a hilltop. The trek to the monastery starts
by crossing a lovely wooden bridge that
spans the Thimphu valley, then ascending
steeply to the monastery. Nearby, Tango
Monastery, founded in the 12th centur,
is an important centre of higher learning
for monks. It has a three-storey temple
dedicated to the body, speech and mind
of the Buddha.
Semtokha Dzong
The oldest fortress of the
Kingdom, about 7 km from
Thimphu, was built in 1629
and now houses the School
for Buddhist studies. The site
is said to have been chosen to
guard over a demoness that had
vanished into a rock nearby.
Weekend Vegetable Market
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, many
farmers and small business vendors gather
on the banks of the River Thimchu at a
place popularly known as Sabji-Bazaar. It’s
a fascinating place to visit and provides an
opportunity to mix with the local people.
Walk over the bridge to the other side of
the river to buy souvenirs.
National Textile Museum
Bhutanese textiles have reached new
heights as one of the Kingdom’s most visible
traditional crafts and as a distinctly
Bhutanese art form. This museum has six
themes: warp pattern weaves, weft pattern
weaves, the role of textiles in religion,
achievements in textile arts, textiles from
indigenous fibres and the royal collection.
Folk Heritage Museum
This museum is dedicated to connecting
people to the Bhutanese rural past through
exhibits, demonstrations and documentation
of rural life. The principal exhibit is a
restored traditional three-storey building
rammed with mud and timber that dates to
the mid-19 th
Punakha Dzong
century. See a typical Bhutanese
rural setting and spice, paddy, wheat
and millet fields; a traditional watermill
with millstones dating back more than 150
years; traditional kitchen gardens; and a
famous traditional hot-stone bath.
Punakha Dzong
Built in 1637, Punakha Dzong stands
majestically at a junction between two
rivers. It is open for visitors during the
Punakha festival and in the summer
months when the monks move to Thimphu.
Phobjika Valley
This is a vast U-shaped glacial valley
named after the impressive Gangteng
Monastery in Central Bhutan, where the
graceful black-necked cranes of the Tibetan
Plateau visit during the winter to roost.
On arrival in the last week of October, the
birds circle the monastery three times –
and later repeat the process when
returning to Tibet.
Chimi Lhakhang
This majestic monastery,
built in 1499, stands on a
round hill that had been
blessed by the “Divine Madman”
and maverick saint
Drukpa Kinley (1455–1529).
Kinley subdued a demon here with
his “magic thunderbolt of wisdom”
and trapped it in a rock.
Gross National Happiness
Besides its fascinating sights, Bhutan is
also famous for officially working towards
“Gross National Happiness” (GNH), as an
alternative to gross domestic product.
Immediate tasks to promote GNH include:
• Our people – investing in the nation's
greatest asset
• Harmonious living – in harmony with
tradition and nature
• Effective and good governance
• Developing a dynamic economy as the
foundation for a vibrant democracy
Tourism policy
Bhutan’s tourism sector is regarded as one
of the most exclusive travel destinations
in the world. Bhutan enjoys an image of
authenticity, remoteness and well-protected
cultural heritage and natural environment.
The Royal Government of Bhutan
adheres strongly to a policy of high value,
low impact/volume tourism, which serves
the purpose of creating an image of exclusivity
and high yield for Bhutan. n
New tourism
development
Over the last year or so, Bhutan
has made several important steps
making travel there easier.
Online airline reservations
Druk Air introduced an online reservation
system in February 2010.
All users are able to book flights
from their website using credit
cards (VISA or MasterCard).
More flights per week
Druk Air has significantly increased
its flights into Bhutan to 21 per
week and operates at eight international
airports outside Bhutan:
Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra, Gaya
and Gauhati in India; Bangkok
in Thailand; Katmandu in Nepal;
Dacca in Bangladesh.
Three new domestic
airports
Three airports will open in 2011,
at Yonphula (east), Bumthang
(centre) and Gelephu (south).
Transportation in Bhutan will be
dramatically improved once those
airports open.
Star ratings for hotels
A panel of trained experts rated
all 119 hotels in Bhutan by July
2010. From 2012, hoteliers will be
allowed to host tourists only at
hotels of 3 stars and above.
Merak Sakten Valley:
Open to tourists!
The Merak Sakten sanctuary in
the east opened to tourists in
September 2010. Tourists can
enjoy renovated guest houses and
campsites, experience communitybased
tourism and meet the valley’s
nomadic people.
New festivals for tourists
Haa Summer Festival on 9-10 July
2011 in Haa; Takin Festival on
9-10 June 2011 at Tsharijathang,
Laya; Nomad Festival on 23-25
February 2011 in Nagsephel
Chhokortoe Valley, Bumthang.
Online visa processing
An online visa processing system
was successfully introduced in
August 2010.
Credit card infrastructure
Credit card facilities were officially
installed in Bhutan in December
2010. Tourists can now withdraw
their money by MasterCard and
VISA through ATMs.
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