Travel and Leisure Magazine  has a great article on 12 new beach resorts that are not on the general publics radar yet, so you can have a peaceful and relaxing time in an exotic local.

12 New Exotic Beach Resorts

• Hua Hin, Thailand
• Sri Lanka
• Esperance, North of Perth, Australia
• Great Oyster Bay, Tasmania, Australia
• Todos Santos, Baja Peninsula, Mexico
• The Dominican Republic
• St. Lucia
• Azores, Portugal
• AntĂ­paros, Greece
• Ilha de Santa Catarina, Brazil
• Oualidia, Morocco
• Zanzibar, Tanzania

The Economist Intelligence Unit, a division of the Economist Magazine,  has released it’s annual survey that ranks the top 130 cities in the world by cost of living, and for 2005 Oslo was the most expensive and surprise, surprise, Tehran was the least expensive city to do business in. New York City was the most expensive city in the United States coming in at 27th position.

Latin America saw inflation hit their currencies and moved up the list while the United States saw a modest increase and most of it’s cities moved down the charts.

The 10 Most Expensive Cities in the World

1 Oslo, Norway
2 Tokyo, Japan
3 Reykjavik, Iceland
4 Osaka Kobe, Japan
4 Paris, France 
6 Copenhagen, Denmark
7 London, UK
8 Zurich, Switzerland
9 Geneva, Switzerland
10 Helsinki, Finland

The Economist  goes on further to explain how the cost of living is determined:

There are two major reasons why a city’s cost of living index will change over time: exchange rate movement and price movement. Since a common currency is required in making a comparative calculation all local prices are converted into dollars, which emphasises the role of currency movement. If, for example, a currency strengthens or inflation pushes the price of goods up, so the relative cost of living in that country will also rise.

 

The Airbus A380 will be entering airlines fleets in 2006, and the impact will be felt initially on the long haul internation routes before they impact domestic routes. These double decker planes are the largest passenger airplanes to go into service. An interesting article from the New Zealand Herald discusses the impact that will be felt on this hard to reach nation with the coming of the A380.

In 2005 the Airbus A380 finally took to the skies. Singapore Airlines will be the first to fly the new plane - it hopes later this year, barring any more delays in testing.

And the giant jet - while not expected to be a regular visitor to Auckland, will be flying not too far from us, with Singapore Airlines first deploying it on the Sydney-Singapore-London route.

There is a total of 159 “orders and commitments” for the massive new plane, though not all are for the passenger model, with the world’s cargo operators keen to start using the freighter version, which is yet to fly.

The impact of the plane on world aviation has been debated for years. Airbus says it may have the same kind of effect as the introduction of the Boeing 747 in the late 1960s - dramatically lowering the cost of air travel.

Emirates, the Dubai-based airline that has been flying to New Zealand for just over two years, may again shake up the local aviation scene with its anticipated Auckland-Dubai direct flights.

Aviation sector awaits A380 effect - 09 Jan 2006 - Business.

This is great news from the area’s ravaged by the Tsunami.

Visa card-holders are now spending more in most of the countries struck by last year’s tsunami than in the period just before the disaster, the payments company said on Monday.

Visa said card-holder spending in the tsunami-affected markets as a whole grew by about 8 percent from a year earlier during the week ending December 11, the same as for all of the Asia-Pacific region.

“It is a good sign for 2006 that these holiday destinations are now welcoming guests at sustainable levels,” James Murray, Visa Asia Pacific’s executive vice president for South and Southeast Asia, said in a statement.

Tourist spending in the week ending December 11 was up 23 percent from a year earlier in India and 12 percent in Thailand. Even Phuket, which had a tough time recovering from the December 26, 2004, tsunami, reported 8 percent growth, Visa said. CNN.

Australia was deeply affected by the bombings in Bali a few years ago. It has issued a warning about traveling in Indonesia today.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has changed its travel warning for Indonesia amid concern terrorist groups are planning kidnappings and church bombings.

Indonesia has warned that terrorists could target foreigners for abduction over the Christmas New Year period and there has been intelligence there may be attacks on Christian churches.

(more…)

This is good news.

After a year-long waking up and recovery since last year’s tsunami disaster, bright prospects are foreseen for the tourism industry in Thailand’s most famous southern resort when its accommodation is now back to normal, with an occupancy rate of about 80 percent during November and December.
The local tourist industry began to perk up from October, the Thai News Agency quoted Suwalai Pinpradab, head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket office as saying Thursday.
She said the number of tourists visiting Phuket is rising.
“Judging from this tendency,” the TAT officer said, “we expect more than 4 million visitors will travel in Bangkok next year.”
Tourism income in 2006 is also expected to rise, she explained, but only slightly, due to higher costs of living. Via East Day

Bora Bora. The name conjures up imagery of the South Pacific, beaches and natural beauty as far as the eye can see. Now this vacation can be yours at the ultra luxury resort, The Bora Bora Lagoon, in the heart of Tahiti.

Of her exceptional work in the Polynesian islands, Mother Nature has been particularly generous to the private isle of Motu Toopua. This fragment of ancient volcano in the midst of Bora Bora’s majestic lagoon is home to the exquisite Bora Bora Lagoon Resort and Spa. At this member of the elite Orient-Express Hotel Group, you’ll savor a stay in a lavishly appointed Overwater Bungalow furnished with a private deck whose steps lead directly into the lagoon. Even indoors you’ll feel part of your surroundings, as the underwater sea life can be admired or fed through your illuminated glass-topped coffee table.

Relax in the freeform freshwater swimming pool or submit to a traditional massage in the unique treetop Maru Spa. Restaurants feature popular theme nights, including an exotic Tahitian dance show under the stars. Pass your days exploring the coral gardens, joining a Shark Feeding expedition or deep-sea fishing for marlin and mahi mahi. Vaitape, just 3 minutes across the lagoon—the main village of Bora Bora—embodies the casual, hospitable spirit of island living. Guest Testamonial

Luxury Link Travel has this exceptional hotel available for $2372.00.

avor seclusion among natural splendor with this island escape for two, including:

(more…)

We are all looking for a bargain, right? The internet promises to help us enjoy some of the finer things in life without having to deplete the children’s college fund. But how does one find the deals, and then how does one know they are deals?

The Vancouver Sun offers some great suggestions in their article “Luxury Travel Just Got Easier”. The best advice is to get ahead of the curve. With 5 star hotels being built around the world, the trick is not to go to the current hot spot, but to go to places ahead of the crowds.

Roger Kershaw is the general manager of Attache, which specializes in luxury travel arrangements for an affluent clientele. The company has offices in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. Kershaw’s picks of destinations that are in the forefront of luxury travel but not quite fashionable enough to command five-star prices include: India, which offers great value and ultra-luxury hotels; and Vietnam, which also now boasts luxury resorts. “You can travel in style and luxury in Vietnam at very affordable rates.” Eastern European destinations Prague and Budapest are now popular with Westerners and the prices “are getting up there,” he says. But others, such as Warsaw and Croatia, remain a bargain, he says.

Buenos Aires is another “unbeatable” destination for the price, Kershaw says. The sophisticated Argentine capital, known as the Paris of South America, offers a number of five-star hotels including the uber-cool Philippe Starck-designed Faena Hotel. The country is still recovering from its peso devaluation, which gives the loonie considerable clout. “Couple it with a beach holiday in Brazil and you have a great vacation for excellent prices,” he says.

Traveling to countries that have invested in the tourism infrastructure but are not ahead of the curve is an outstanding way to travel like a Rockefeller and still have a few dollars left in your pocket at the end of the day.