Launched in January 2012, Travel and Tour Europe, a travel trade media and an information platform, is an all-inclusive B2B travel ezine catering to our readers in Europe. The magazine’s prime goal is to bring a network of travel and tour professionals across the globe, especially Europe under one roof. [WWW.TRAVELANDTOUREUROPE.BLOGSPOT.COM]
CN announced that members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Rail Canada Traffic Controllers (TCRC-RCTC) have ratified a new collective agreement covering approximately 210 train dispatchers in Canada..jpg){kind=logo}
The ibis and ibis budget Krakow Stare Miasto, and the ibis and ibis budget Warszawa Reduta, were respectively inaugurated on 9 and 21 May last. These two new hotels are part of a bigger objective for Accor: its goal to become a leader in Europe’s budget hotel segment. 
Passengers are set to benefit from a further £15m of improvements to stations across England after the latest round of successful bids for rail industry funding was announced today.
In the run up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, outdoor experts ‘Camping at the Games’ have unveiled a new initiative to provide alternative accommodation in-and-around the capital. The camping organisation has teamed up with a number of local schools and community sports grounds in London, Reading and Weymouth, to provide high quality camping pitches for as little as £10 per night.
Social Bookmarking websites have been creating ripples in the travel and tourism industry with travel trade professionals using this unique platform as a mean of promoting their brand. Social Bookmarking enables you to share your website details with fellow Internet users and also can be useful as a definitive way to access a consolidated set of bookmarks from various computers.
Crystal Cruises continues to expand its complimentary “You Care, We Care” voluntourism program with new opportunities for guests and crew to give back in Europe. This year, participants can spend a small portion (4-7 hours average) of their luxury vacation time aiding those less fortunate in the Ukraine, Italy, and Spain. 
Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation, jointly with its customer National Express, has won the Supplier of the Year award at the Global AirRail Awards ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, the premier international awards ceremony dedicated to the air-rail market..jpg)
WestJet announced it will fly the one millionth flight of its Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. The milestone flight is WS 612 from Calgary to Toronto, departing Calgary International Airport at 12:10 p.m. MDT and arriving at Toronto Pearson at 5:52 p.m. EDT. 
Alaska Airlines will launch service between Seattle and San Antonio, Texas, starting Sept. 17. The dominant carrier along the West Coast, Alaska Airlines now serves 16 destinations east of the Rocky Mountains.
RCI proudly announced that it was again recognized by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce as one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana. RCI, which has been a part of this list for four consecutive years, was honored at an awards dinner at the Indiana Roof Ballroom earlier this month. 
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C. has opened its first luxury resort in Japan on the tropical island of Okinawa. The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa will pioneer luxury hospitality on an island that has been the secret getaway for generations of Japanese visitors, but remains relatively unexplored by the international luxury traveler. 
Jetstar is ramping up its services in-and-out of Cairns, with a total net increase of more than 200,000 additional seats planned during the next financial year.
On Tuesday 29 May, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel from Beaumaris to Chester.
Great Hotels of the World announced that a number of new members from around the globe have been added to its collection. Furthermore, these include the first properties in Tanzania and Vietnam to be part of the alliance. 
Malaysia Airlines is mounting additional flights to various domestic and regional destinations in conjunction with the upcoming school holidays.
The iconic Ritz-Carlton, Montreal has reopened after an extensive $200 million restoration combining the latest amenities with the splendour of the past. The Grande Dame of Sherbrooke Street is back in all her glory.
Cathay Pacific Airways welcomed the start of the statutory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for creating a three-runway system at Hong Kong International Airport.
Ryanair announced that from midnight (24:00hrs) tonight Thur 24 May it will release 1million seats at fares from £15.99 for travel on Mon, Tue, Wed & Thur in July. These “all in” low fares will be available on over 1,000 of Ryanair’s European routes but must be booked on www.ryanair.com before midnight (24:00hrs) Mon 28 May.
The 10th anniversary edition of IMEX in Frankfurt, the award-winning trade show for the worldwide meetings, incentive travel and events industry, closed on a strong note, with IMEX Group Chairman, Ray Bloom, announcing a 21% rise in the number of individual buyer appointments with exhibitors during the show. In total over 64,000 appointments took place between buyers and exhibitors over the three-day trade show, 40,000 of which were made by individual buyers, the remainder being group appointments.
One of British Airways’ fleet of 747s is now featuring a very special emblem to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The celebratory aircraft will be flying its message of congratulations around the world.
The Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD) celebrated its 500th event this week with the international conference TM Forum Management World. Since its opening in September 2010, The CCD has hosted over 240,000 delegate days at a range of events, including international conferences, corporate meetings, banquets, exhibitions, award ceremonies and entertainment.British Airways is giving away hundreds of free flights and tickets for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to friends and families of UK athletes and Brits living overseas – to encourage them to fly back to strengthen home advantage during the Games.
Michael Caines MBE, Paul Heathcote MBE and Nigel Haworth came together this week to host a spectacular evening of fine dining at Heathcotes Brasserie, the second in a series of fundraising dinners at each of their restaurants in support of hospitality charity Hospitality Action.
Japan Airlines (JAL) will deploy a specially decorated aircraft on select domestic routes from May 27, 2012 to show support for the national team of sportspersons representing Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to be held in London this year from July 27 through August 12, 2012.
The Green in Action Contest, part of Green Education Foundation’s (GEF) free National Green Week program, requested schools and youth groups to share their environmental initiative, green team activity, or service project with the GEF community and beyond to foster enthusiasm and support for sustainability in K-12 schools nationwide. 
Reed Travel Exhibitions Chairman World Travel Market Fiona Jeffery collected her Order Of The British Empire (OBE) from Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace.
Southwest Airlines is pleased to announce that its Appearance Techs, represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), voted to ratify its tentative agreement with the Company. The new contract is good through February 2017. The current collective bargaining agreement became amendable in February 2009.
Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), organiser of International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), is launching an event called “Spa & Wellness by ILTM”. The first dedicated event of its kind by RTE for this increasingly important sector in leisure travel, will take place in Seefeld, Austria, 10th to 12th September 2012 at the five-star Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol.Network Rail has agreed an anticipated final cost with Crossrail Limited to deliver significant infrastructure enhancements on the rail network to enable Crossrail services to Maidenhead, Heathrow, Abbey Wood and Shenfield.
Ethiopian Airports Enterprise and Ethiopian Airlines introduced common use self-service check-in KIOSKS at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on May 22, 2012. This new service will greatly simplify the check-in process for passengers and ease congestion at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport during peak hours. 
Hawaiian Airlines today welcomed its eighth new Airbus A330-200 to its fleet, the third of four that will be delivered this year en route to an eventual fleet size of 22.
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner landed at Sydney International Airport in Australia, kicking off the seventh and final leg of the global Dream Tour.
As the best in class hotel in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport – Burlingame offers room packages that appeal to most any travel need, including the new “Ride BART to San Francisco” Package.
Cebu Pacific pushes for more domestic travel with a seat sale to the Visayas and Mindanao from May 24 to 27, 2012 or until seats last..jpg)
VIA Rail Canada and the City of Toronto celebrated the completion of VIA Rail’s new Panorama Lounge, a major project to modernize VIA’s passenger facilities and a significant milestone in the revitalization of Toronto’s historic Union Station.
SWISS is to modify its fares within Europe. The increases, which will enter into effect on 1 June, apply to all flights from Switzerland in Economy and Business Class. The airline is also simplifying its sports equipment carriage rates from the same date.Over 300 association executives from Europe, North America, South America and Asia took part in a power-packed day of professional development and networking at yesterday’s 10th IMEX Association Day at the Messe Frankfurt Congress Center. Feedback on the day’s restructured education programme showed that delegates appreciated the fresh approach plus the opportunity to step back from day to day business to discuss future strategies and current challenges with their peers and senior industry leaders. The 10th IMEX in Frankfurt trade show opens today with its traditional focus on generating strong business opportunities for buyers and exhibitors, high-level networking events and its largest ever professional development programme.In response to delegate demand for guidance on how to penetrate emerging markets, and particularly China, Jennifer Salsbury, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing at the China National Convention Center and Kristin K. Mirabal, CMP, Director Global Programs for The Optical Society shared their professional experience and knowledge. “Entering New Markets – The Keys to Success in China” acknowledged that China is unlike any other destination and presents unique cultural and governmental challenges. The session covered many of the practical issues involved as well as more subtle considerations such as cultural difference, language and managing expectations. British Airways is launching new London 2012 Olympic themed entertainment packs to be given out to children on British Airways flights during the Olympic and Paralympic games.
Japan Airlines (JAL) will deploy a specially decorated aircraft on select domestic routes from May 27, 2012 to show support for the national team of sportspersons representing Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to be held in London this year from July 27 through August 12, 2012. Alaska Airlines is debuting self-bag tagging for customers traveling out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The process allows customers to print and attach their own luggage tags from a self-service kiosk in the airport lobby and then, in one step, show their identification and drop their bag off with an airline representative for security screening and loading onto an aircraft. Following a successful trial at Redmond/Bend Airport in Oregon last year, the airline intends to offer customers self-service bag-tagging options at more airports across its route system this summer.Boeing delivered the third Peace Eye 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) on May 16.Ryanair confirmed that it had instructed its lawyers to immediately file a UK Supreme Court Appeal of rejection of Ryanair’s claim that the UK OFT is “out of time” to investigate Ryanair’s 6 year old 29% minority stake in Aer Lingus plc. 
Qatar Airways is preparing for its 2012 Middle East route expansion this week with Iraq being added to the airline’s growing network.
In Saint-Nazaire, France, MSC Divina was officially delivered to MSC Cruises at the STX France shipyard. During the traditional flag ceremony, the shipyard’s pennant and the French flag were lowered, accompanied by the French national anthem, before Laurent Castaing, General Manager of STX France, formally handed the ship over to MSC Cruises’ owner Gianluigi Aponte. Mr Aponte then gave command of the ship to Captain Giuliano Bossi, and the flags of Italy and MSC Cruises were raised to the sound of the Italian national anthem. 
A paradise of abundant greenery where the sun shines for more than 2,000 hours a year and diversity is at its best – that is Slovenia for you. All seasons are pleasant in this land of unspoilt nature, complete with picturesque trails, skiing slopes, thermal springs, therapeutic spas and never ending forests. The Slovenian tourism is expanding at a rapid pace and rightly so for every holiday is refreshing here. 
Following the decision by Captain Patrick Rotsaert, Chief Officer Flight Operations, to retire from the company, Captain Ali Hassan Sulaiman has been appointed Acting Chief Officer Flight Operations. Captain Ali, an Omani national, brings more than 30 years of professional experience in civil aviation into his new role. 
airberlin will offer even more flights from Berlin to Tel Aviv and thereby expands its route network to Israel. Germany's second largest airline will double the number of flights to the Israeli capital and increasen the connections from three to six nonstop flights per week.
When Asia’s premier surrealism-inspired boutique hotel, The Luxe Manor, pioneered its TOUCH Experience Package in Spring 2011, its sole aim was to exceed its guests’ every expectation. Just one year on and the hotel has received rave reviews from not only guests but also the press and industry peers. It has also seen a phenomenal 11.4% surge in its bookings at a time when many other properties are worried about where their next guest is coming from. 