GDANSK WOWS THE 2009 AITO(Astas) Association of Independent Travel Agents Conference

Lee and Hilary Harrison, owners of Select World Travel have just returned from the The Association of Specialist Travel Agents (ASTA)overseas conference held in the beautiful Hanseatic town of Gdansk in Poland.

SHORT DETAILS OF THE TRI-CITIES OF GDANSK, SOPOT and GDYNIA

“The Choice of Destination for the conference was important to us, as it is an area not often thought of to Visit, as impressions of Gdansk tend to be of the Iron Curtain and the events that took place at Gdansk Shipyard in the 1970’s and 1980’s and the struggles of Lech Walesa.” Said Lee and Hilary Harrison.

The Second World War was started by Adolf Hitler at the Westerplatte peninsula in Gdansk in 1939 and over the ensuing six years Gdansk was bombed,burned,battered and flattened.

Momentous occasions seem to follow Gdansk, and most of them brought bad news-whether it’s Teutonic knights ransacking the place, or communists declaring Martial law. All of these events have left a very good reason to visit The Tri-city area of Gdansk,Gdynia and Sopot,with plenty of interesting things to visit:whether it’s the Westerplatte Peninsula-where the first shots of the war were fired- or the shipyards where Solidarity was born, the city certainly isn’t short of sights. The old town,a compelling ensemble of spires and cobbles with stunning architecture and mouthwatering restaurants,bars and nightlife making Gdansk one of the most handsome Cities to visit in Poland.

Sopot in Summer becomes a swirl of sand and sound and rightfully claims to be Polands seaside capital.Some of the nicest Beaches on the Baltic can be found here and a modern infrastructure of high class Hotels,a casino,restaurants and Nightclubs can be found less than 14km north of Gdansk and 10km south of Gdynia

Gdynia is the most northerly of the Tri-Cities and was a peaceful little fishing village in the 1900’s and is now one of the busiest industrial ports, ignored by most travellers, as it lacks the historical buildings of it’s neighbours, but it boasts some of the best restaurants in the Tri-Cities, an exciting nightlife, good shopping and some beautiful beaches and parks connecting with Sopot and Gdansk.

THE CONFERENCE AND OUR IMPRESSIONS

Paweł Adamowicz, Mayor of Gdansk, says:

The city is delighted to be the host for this prestigious travel conference. It will allow us to showcase our beautiful and historic city to 150 of the leading travel agents in the UK. Gdansk has a proud history dating back over a thousand years and is becoming a popular tourist destination with many attractive and interesting sights which I look forward to showing the AITO Specialist Travel Agents’ delegates.

Our Hosts in Gdansk certainly gave us VIP treatment, and we were treated as though we were Royalty, said Lee and Hilary after the conference. The City Surpassed all of our expectations and as the local Currency is the Zlotty at a rate of 5 to the Pound, Poland and Gdansk certainly offers fantastic value for Money.

Our Host, a Delightful Lady, Ewa Binkin from the London Polish National Tourist office explained a Malvern Connection and that she admired Nigel Kennedy and that she knew Agnieszka, Nigels second wife and her family.Nigel has recently been exploring Klezmer music with the Polish jazz band Kroke and according to Ewa,Nigel had made an important contribution to the Polish Music Scene. He now spends most of his time living in Krakow and returns occasionaly to Malvern, where is son sark is at School

After the Conference session on Thursday evening we were taken to one of Gdansks highly rated restaurants, and a Welcome Dinner at Piwnica Rajców sponsored by the Polish Tourist Organisation. On Friday we had a busy day of Conferece sessions and met local inbound Tour Operators and Hotelliers. On Saturday afternoon after another round of busy conference sessions, we were taken on a Walking Tour of Gdansk arranged by the local Tourist Board, and we saw some of the incredible sights that Gdansk had to offer. An Exhibition entitled the Road to Freedom is an incredibly moving History of the struggles of Lech Walesa and his fellow Shipyard workers and the People of Gdansk during the landmark strikes ofthe 70's and 80's. In Fact it was so moving that Our local Guide was reduced to tears as she described some of the incredible scenes under Martial law.

The year 2009 marks an important year as 20th Anniversary Celebrations take place to mark the fall of Communism initiated by Lech Walesa

On The Saturday evening, The Mayor of Gdansk hosted a Gala Dinner at Artus Court, an impressive mansion, a symbol of the city’s power in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was founded as a meeting place for merchants and dignatries, it was named after King Arthur,of round table fame, and in present times has hosted dinners for Royal guests , Prime-ministers and important dignatries from around the World. We Felt Extremely proud and priveledged to be treated in the same manner as Royal guests.After the incredible 5 Course Banquet we were led out onto The Royal Way, where a Special chance to taste the exciting Goldwasser, a stimulating root and herbal liqueur, which has been produced in Gdansk since 1598. This alcoholic drink is one of a kind, containing small flakes of 22 or 23 karat gold.

We Were then treated to an amazing display entitled “The History of a Gdansk street”, staged in the Long Market Square by the Neptune Fountain and performed by “Plama” - Young Creative Club from Gdansk. Dancers on Hugh Stilts performed along the Cobbles to music from Drummers and then after approximately 30 minutes led everybody to The Green Gate, an impressive four arched gatehouse on the Waterfront which was built as a palace for Polish Monarchs. This is Where Lech Walesa has his office. We Were led to The Green Bridge overlooking the Motlawa River and at Midnight we watched the mosty impressive Fire work display we had ever seen, such was the importance of our visit to Gdansk by the Polish tourist board and the Country of Poland.

On Our Last Day before departing for the airport we were treated to tour of the Tri-Cities and had a spectacular Lunch at the Sopot Sheraton Hotel overlooking the Golden Sandy Beaches and the pier at 512 metres is the longest pier in Europe.

On our way to the Airport we stopped off to see Oliwa Cathedral, a three aisle design with a vaulted basilica and shaped in the form of the Latin cross. We Were there to listen to a special concert, and the interior of the cathedral is dominated by the extraordinary organ over the main entrance built between 1755 and 1780 by johann Wulf. It features moving cherubs, trumpet-playing angels and comes with a staggering 7,896 pipes and 110 registers allowing for an incredible range of pitch and sounds including rippling water, animal cries and human voices

ABOUT AITO AND ASTA

The Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) represents some of Britain's best specialist tour operators working in conjunction with The Association of Specialist Travel Agents (ASTA). Choice and quality lie at the heart of AITO and ASTA - and the ability to provide top-quality holidays with the highest standards of service and expert advice. The 140 companies that form AITO jointly offer an unrivalled collection of holiday ideas to every corner of the world. Each holiday is backed up by AITO’s consumer-facing Quality Charter. AITO Specialist Travel Agents, who work with select AITO tour operators, is delighted to announce that the Overseas Conference 2009 which took place in the historic harbour town of Gdansk, Poland was a great success.

The conference took place from 11th - 14th June 2009 and brought together UK’s leading independent travel agents. Now established as a must-attend event in the AITO Agents’ calendar, the overseas conference allows travel agents and tour operators to network, share ideas and address topical issues within the travel industry whilst discovering a new destination.

Chairman, Barry Moxley of Traveltime, “Every year AITO Specialist Travel Agents tries to seek out a destination that agents and operators will be attracted to either because it is a ‘new’ destination or because there are undiscovered parts that are not generally appreciated. So in previous years we have been to locations as varied as San Marino, Seville, Mauritius, Gibraltar, Budapest and Waterford. Gdansk as our choice this year offered us all a chance to learn more about this up and coming destination. Post conference tours provided opportunities to see other parts of Poland including Warsaw and Krakow. We were delighted to have the enthusiastic support of the Polish Tourist Board which has gone out of its way to put forward an enticing programme.”

AITO Specialist Travel Agents have access to a wide range of specialist holidays and travel experiences - many not available from other travel agents. When it comes to value for money, quality of product, original thinking, innovative ideas and pushing the boundaries of customer satisfaction, an AITO Specialist Travel Agent should always be the first port of call when booking a holiday.

AITO Specialist Travel Agents represent some of the very best independent travel agents in the UK – and the organisation is a byword for high quality, original and value for money service.

Mexico Travel Advice Downgraded

Mexico travel advice reviewed

The Foreign& Commonwealth Office is no longer advising against all but essential travel to Mexico.

An updated travel advice issued this evening says the change is due to "a decline in the number of reported new swine influenza cases in Mexico since its peak on 26 April 2009."

The advice confirms that most of the cases were reported in Mexico City and continues to warn that "the British Government will not be in the position to offer evacuation to British Nationals in the event of an influenza pandemic."

The Mexico Tourism Board, which earlier this week announced a major tourism recovery plan to help the country recover from the effects of the flu alert, said it would issue further information on Monday.

Blooming Hills 2009-come and visit Great Malvern during Malvern Spring Garden Show

Visit Great Malvern during the Malvern Spring Gardening show 2009 and you'll discover a blooming marvellous array of floral displays created by the local shops, boutiques,hotels and Restaurants in the Center of Great Malvern.

TO SEE DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL OF THIS YEARS ENTRIES CLICK ON THE PHOTOGRAPHS ABOVE TO GO INTO OUR PICASSA WEB ALBUM

Select World Travel is once again sponsoring Blooming Hills, now into it's second year in conjunction with Sunvil Holidays. A Prize of a Holiday for two people to THE AZORES awaits the Winner of Blooming Hills 2009. The event is run in conjunction with the Three Counties Showground and the Royal Horticultural Society, who will judge the entries.

TO DOWNLOAD THIS LEAFLET IN PDF FORMAT CLICK HERE

FREE BUS TO GREAT MALVERN!! It's so easy to pop up to Great Malvern from the Three Counties Showground with the Free shuttle bus running continuously during the Malvern Spring Gardening Show. The bus will pick you up outside the showground entrance and drop you on Belle Vue Terrace at the top of Great Malvern. It also drops off at Great Malvern train station so it's a great way to see Blooming Hills on your way home.

SANTAS WORLDWIDE WEATHER FORECAST

A Delightful summary of Tomorrow's Weather taken from

DR JEFF MASTERS WUNDERBLOG

Posted by: JeffMasters, 6:04 AM GMT on December 23, 2008

Santa's reindeer will be hitting the skies tomorrow, and the official Weather Underground Flying Reindeer Forecast (FRF) calls for some tricky turbulence and tough sledding for Santa in some regions of the world. As Santa begins his adventure, temperatures will be a crisp -20 degrees at the North Pole Workshop. Foggy conditions will require Rudolph's red nose to light the way, since the light winds blowing simultaneously from the south and north at the Pole (think about that for a second, it's true!) will not be strong enough to disperse the fog. As Santa heads south through Siberia into China, he'll be riding a strong jet of polar air that could bring some tricky turbulence. Santa's sleigh will be heavily loaded at this point, and he'll have to negotiate the turbulent skies with great caution to avoid dumping any of his precious cargo. Fortunately, heavy snows cover much of China and eastern Asia, allowing smooth rooftop landings for the sleigh.



As Santa heads south to the Australian continent, the sledding gets much tougher. He'll have to dodge Tropical Cyclone Billy, along Australia's northwest coast. With hot summer temperatures prevailing across Australia, Santa's team will have to execute pinpoint rooftop landings to avoid showering sparks on the dry, fire-prone vegetation. As Santa heads west across Indonesia into southern Asia, he'll need to call upon the thunderstorm avoidance skills of his reindeer, Donner and Blitzen. These storm-savvy critters, named after the German words for thunder and lightning, are experts at sniffing out turbulence-free routes through seemingly impenetrable areas of thunderstorms.

Approaching Turkey, Santa will have to avoid the razor-sharp blue triangles of a cold front. Once through the front, though, he'll find ideal conditions over Turkey and Eastern Europe, where cold temperatures and snowy rooftops abound. However, the sledding quickly degrades over Western Europe, where only Scandinavia and the Alps can expect a white Christmas.

The Western Hemisphere portion of the Flying Reindeer Forecast calls for smooth flying over South America and the Caribbean. But the best conditions of Santa's entire journey await over the United States and Canada, where a series of major snow storms have left excellent rooftop snows. In the Northeast U.S., though, it'll be slow slogging for Santa, with heavy rains expected in an advance of a strong cold front expected to track through on Christmas Eve. The cold front will bring thunderstorms to the Southeast, and Donner and Blitzen will be called upon to safely guide Santa's sleigh through the front to the Southern U.S., where smooth sailing and clear skies will prevail. Excellent sledding awaits Santa in the Midwest and Northwest, where fresh snow from the latest in a series of significant winter storms will delight Santa's reindeer. However, significant rains over Southern California could make for some dangerous mudslide conditions. Santa may be forced to break into his stash to find boogie boards intended for California kids, to help him ride out the mudflows. Santa's final leg northwards across Alaska to the North Pole should be mostly uneventful, and we can expect that clear skies over the Pole upon Santa's return will make for a beautiful Christmas scene as Rudolph guides the sleigh to a perfect landing.

MAY WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WISH ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS AND READERS A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

Q.E.2. HAS DRAMATIC FINAL APPROACH TO SOUTHAMPTON WATER.FAMOUS OLD LADY RUNS AGROUND ON A SANDBANK

The QE2 has arrived at its home port of Southampton ahead of its final voyage, after it ran aground on a sandbank as it sailed in.

Five tugs were sent to assist the 70,000 tonne liner after it hit a sandbank at about 0530 GMT at the entrance to Southampton Water.

Solent Coastguard said the ship was pulled off after about 30 minutes. It later docked at about 0730 GMT.

About 1,700 passengers and 1,000 crew were on board.

Most had been asleep when the ship ran aground and no-one was hurt, owners Cunard said.

Spokesman Eric Flounders said: "She touched a sandbank called Brambles but with the tide rising she was able to get away.

"We are not aware at this stage of any damage to the vessel and everything is proceeding today as planned.

"We don't know exactly what happened for the vessel to get stuck."

Floating hotel

It is thought winds blowing from the south west at force seven may have contributed to the ship grounding at Brambles as it made its way into port.

Thousands of people are expected to line Southampton Water on Tuesday evening to wave the ship off as part of the the celebrations before it leaves for Dubai.

The Duke of Edinburgh will lead the farewells, which include fireworks and a fly-past.

The 40-year-old liner is being taken out of service next month and turned into a floating hotel.

QE2 ran aground as it arrived in Southampton ahead of its final journey

It will be Prince Philip's seventh visit to the vessel, which was launched by the Queen on Clydebank, near Glasgow, in September 1967.

The QE2 is expected to leave Southampton Docks at 1915 GMT.

At 1100 GMT, one million poppies will be dropped from a Tiger Moth aircraft over the ship to mark the 90th anniversary of the Armistice.

Following a two-minute silence, Prince Philip will meet crew members who travelled on the QE2 when it was used as a troop ship in the Falklands War.

The liner has sailed nearly six million nautical miles, been round the world 25 times, crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times and carried more than 2.5 million passengers.Story from BBC News.