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Category Archives: World Travel

Luxury Travel Exchange to Feature Top Luxury Travel Companies

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Luxury Travel Exchange International

NEW YORK -- Questex Hospitality + Travel today previewed some of the world's foremost luxury travel suppliers and sponsors that are scheduled to participate in its 2014 Luxury Travel Exchange International (LTX), to be held Dec. 9-11 at The Palazzo in Las Vegas.

Suppliers will include Abercrombie & Kent, International Expeditions, Baha Mar, Dubai Tourism, Emirates Vacations, The Inn at Little Washington, Playa Hotels & Resorts, Mediterra, Port & Channel, Buffalo Tours, Cruise Copenhagen Network, Tourism Australia and Sunset Key Guest Cottages, A Westin Resort.

Sponsors include AMResorts, Japan National Tourism Organization, India Tourism, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, The Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Down Under Answers and Sud de France Languedoc-Roussillon.

LTX brings prequalified, top-producing advisors who specialize in luxury and premium niche travel together with leading suppliers for three days of interactive networking, accredited educational programming and intimate appointment options. The successful 2013 program hosted more than 5,000 one-to-one meetings among 1,000 professional travel advisors and luxury travel suppliers.

"Our goal is to provide travel advisors direct access and quality time with some of the world's top suppliers," said Jill Birkett, LTX event director for Questex Hospitality + Travel. "We have an exceptional program planned this year featuring learning and earning opportunities and a host of new luxury suppliers, including, at this point, almost 100 suppliers who did not participate last year. Bringing new global suppliers to our audience of luxury travel advisors helps those advisors be more efficient with their time so they can explore the details of so many different destinations, hotels and services."

The event offers a traditional trade show and intimate meetings on its signature Exchange floor. The 2014 format will include eight-minute, mutually requested, one-to-one appointments to allow participants time to conduct business and discover how they can best fit each other's needs. Additionally, open trade show floor hours will provide meeting opportunities for advisors and suppliers who were not scheduled to meet one another.

For more information, visit LTXInternational.com.

Questex Hospitality + Travel, the largest multimedia organization in the world dedicated to travel and lodging, drives revenue, productivity and value-creation for these related industries through strategic investment and deal-making forums, powerful lead-generation tools, interactive online business solutions, world-class events and industry-leading publications.

Questex Travel Group, a division of Questex Hospitality + Travel, serves travel marketers globally through its TravelAgentCentral.com, LuxuryTravelAdvisor.com, TravelAgentUniversity and International Meetings Review online portals. It operates the leading luxury travel booking site, FiveStarAlliance.com, publishes Travel Agent and Luxury Travel Advisor magazines and produces leisure events: Luxury Travel Exchange International, ULTRA Luxury Summit, Young Travel Leaders Conference and Hawaii Travel Exchange and MICE events: Global Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchanges and MEET and CONFEC conferences.

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Luxury Travel Exchange to Feature Top Luxury Travel Companies

SiteMinder secures partnership with travel experience experts Jetsetter

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SiteMinder has today announced its latest integration partnership with one of the world's leading luxury travel sites, Jetsetter a part of the TripAdvisor family of travel sites since April 2013.

Jetsetter is an online travel community that provides insider access and expert knowledge for exclusive deals on the world's finest vacation destinations to its over 20 million members. The luxury site has connected to SiteMinder's RDX platform, which offers a robust two-way, real-time XML connection between leading hotel booking channels, property management systems and central reservation systems worldwide.

"Jetsetter is excited to partner with SiteMinder. With the RDX platform's best-in-class connectivity, we now have access to live rates and inventory at more of the world's best hotels. This partnership reinforces Jetsetter's commitment to our members by helping us provide the most competitive rates for our curated list of properties," says Mario Bauduin, VP of Sales at Jetsetter.

Through the partnership, SiteMinder's high-end hotel clients can now distribute directly with Jetsetter, an otherwise-closed user group site which features only properties hand-selected by a team of 200 top travel journalists and meet an 85 percent approval rating from members. Hotels are assessed on their 'personality, great style and a sense of place'.

David Chestler, Executive Vice President Enterprise Sales and Business Development at SiteMinder, says: "With the rise of online booking channels and review sites, today's travelers are more sophisticated than ever before. It was identified this year that hotels are no longer just an escape for travelers; they now provide very home-like experiences with luxury hotels, in particular, offering increasingly personalized options.[1]

"As with the recent announcement of our integration with Asia Pacific-based TheLuxeNomad.com, SiteMinder is excited about this partnership as it provides a unique opportunity for our luxury property clients to gain exposure to the growing channels for luxury travelers. We are particularly thrilled Jetsetter has selected RDX, which spearheaded over 18 million reservations for hotels over the 12 months ending 30 June 2014. We are confident we will now see even greater results for our luxury brands over the coming year and beyond."

[1]10 Luxury Hotel Trends to Watch in 2014, Luxury Travel Magazine, 27 January 2014

About SiteMinder SiteMinder is one of the global hotel industry's leading providers of online distribution and direct booking technology. Founded in 2006, SiteMinder offers award-winning, cloud-based distribution products including the world's largest channel manager, a booking engine, PMS/CRS integration and GDS connection tools to help hotels increase online revenue, streamline business processes and lower operational costs. Driven by a no-contract, commission-free business model, SiteMinder's robust product suite and exceptional client support has made the business one of the most recognizable in the industry. In addition to its global head office in Sydney, SiteMinder has operations in Bangkok, Cape Town, Dallas and London, and more than 14,000 customers in over 140 countries. For more information about SiteMinder and its market-leading products, visit http://www.siteminder.com or the team at World Travel Market 2014 (Booth TT320).

About Jetsetter Jetsetter is a travel community providing its more than 20 million members with hand-selected luxury experiences, verified by experts. From hotels to tours to trip planning, Jetsetter offers exclusive deals and insider advice designed to match members with their ideal travel experience. Each vacation featured on the site is hand-selected by a team of curators and personally verified by Jetsetter's global network of correspondents. Jetsetters can browse offerings on limited-time sales of up to 40 percent off or peruse Jetsetter 24/7, a collection of more than 2,500 hotels and resorts available 365 days a year. Members can tap into the regional expertise of Jetsetters correspondents with private consultations through the Personal Travel Planning Service or personalize deluxe tours with the new Jetsetter Journeys program. All Jetsetter partners featured in retail and flash, as well as the same-day booking app Jetsetter Now, must meet an 85 percent approval rating in post-stay member surveys. Jetsetter apps for iPhone and iPad were named best travel apps in the Apple App Store Rewind 2011. For more information, visit http://www.jetsetter.com.

About TripAdvisor TripAdvisor is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching nearly 280 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 170 million reviews and opinions covering more than 4 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 43 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

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SiteMinder secures partnership with travel experience experts Jetsetter

Fodor's Travel reveals the world's best 100 hotels

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List compiled by experts from Fordor's Travel, with properties from 43 countries broken up into eight categories Europe dominates as the region with the most winners, followed by US with 20 - while London scores three

By Emily Payne for MailOnline

Published: 02:07 EST, 19 September 2014 | Updated: 02:07 EST, 19 September 2014

They're a far cry from your average Holiday Inn.

For the fourth year running, travel guide specialists Fodor's Travel has announced its top 100 hotels in the world, celebratingproperties that 'provide travelers with remarkable experiences'.

Over the course of a year, experts stayed at more than 5,000 properties all over the globe, from Anguilla to Vietnam.

The 100 hotels, which span 43 countries, were placed into eight different categories: All-Inclusive Vacations, Beach Getaways, Boutique Chic, Modern City, Enduring Classics, Country Retreats, Small Hotels and Trip of a Lifetime.

Blissfully secluded: Beautiful Song Spa Private Island Cambodia is featured on the Trip of a Lifetime list

Country living: English stately home, Hartwell House, features on the list of best Country Retreats

Europe, which saw a post-recession boost in visitors in the last year, dominates as the region with 29 winners.

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Fodor's Travel reveals the world's best 100 hotels

Three Gold, One Silver Awarded to World Travel Holdings Brands in Prestigious 2014 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards

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Wilmington, MA (PRWEB) September 16, 2014

World Travel Holdings and three of its brands including Villas of Distinction, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. have been recognized again this year by Travel Weekly for their industry leadership, creative consumer marketing campaigns, innovative website design and exceptional training. Three gold and one silver rankings were awarded as part of the publications annual Magellan Awards program.

Our teams of dedicated marketing and training professionals are continually looking at innovative ways to enhance our interactions with villa customers and develop our franchisees and independent contractors, said Jeff Tolkin, co-chairman/CEO for World Travel Holdings. I am proud that we can deliver a remarkable experience to our customers through the teams creative and inspiring initiatives, and to see them recognized for the extraordinary work they do. This kind of innovation helps our CruiseOne franchisees, Cruises Inc. affiliates, and travel agents who buy from Villas of Distinction maximize their sales.

Villas of Distinction, a full-service premier luxury villa provider, won three gold awards. The first award in the Hospitality category gave Villas of Distinction gold for its status in the villa rental market as a leading luxury villa provider that creates unique experiences through unmatched expertise, dedicated concierges and extensive inventory making planning a villa vacation as effortless as the vacation itself. The second award in the Advertising/Marketing Campaign category recognized the companys marketing campaign, USVI Dine & Drive that gives customers booking any of Villas of Distinctions more than 100 total villas in St. Croix, St. John or St. Thomas up to $400 in restaurant credit and a free rental car. And the third gold award was in the Website category for Villas of Distinctions comprehensive, refreshed and elegant website redesign that brings to life the beauty of its villa offerings and destinations through large vibrant images while improving the experience of researching a villa vacation for those who visit the site.

CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., one of the nations top home-based travel retail networks, received a silver award in the Training Program category for The Learning Center, a robust online learning management system providing new and seasoned vacation specialists ongoing educational opportunities which can be completed at their own pace. It has more than 10 certification programs and more than 400 training modules including product courses covering itineraries, cruise lines and land vendors; technology tips for the My Cruise Control proprietary booking engine; sales soft skills training; and introductory-level refresher classes.

Travel Weeklys annual Magellan Awards recognize the travel industrys leaders and are judged on a 10-point performance scale. Nominees are chosen based upon appeal, design and functionality by top travel industry professionals. This is the fifth consecutive year in a row that CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. have been awarded Magellan Awards and the fourth consecutive year in a row for Villas of Distinction.

For more information on World Travel Holdings and any of its brands please visit http://www.WorldTravelHoldings.com. World Travel Holdings is currently hiring virtual travel agents. For more information on joining this award-winning team, please visit the World Travel Holdings careers page.

About World Travel Holdings World Travel Holdings is the world's leading cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company with a portfolio of more than 40 diverse brands. In addition to owning some of the largest brands distributing cruises, villas, hotels, resort vacations and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of licensed private label partnerships comprised of top leisure travel providers, almost every U.S. airline, leading hotel brands and prominent corporations. The company also operates a top-rated travel agency franchise and the country's original host agency. Its global presence includes operating multiple owned and private label cruise and vacation brands in the United Kingdom. World Travel Holdings has offices in Long Island, NY, Wilmington, Mass., Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., Virginia Beach, Va., and Chorley, United Kingdom. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.

About Villas of Distinction Villas of Distinction, as part of World Travel Holdings, is a full-service premier luxury villa provider with an extensive portfolio of thousands of privately-owned villas in more than 50 luxurious destinations including the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Belize, Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Thailand, Croatia, the Continental United States and many private Islands. For nearly 25 years, Villas of Distinction and its team of expert concierges have been helping travelers find their perfect vacation home without a membership fee. The company takes pride in offering customized vacations to meet every imaginable need, with most villas featuring private pools, butlers, maids and chefs. http://www.VillasofDistinction.com.

About CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. are part of World Travel Holdings, the worlds largest cruise retailer. CruiseOne is a Franchise opportunity, and Cruises Inc. is an independent business opportunity; both business models provide a work from home opportunity to those interested in becoming a part of the exciting travel industry. With a mission of delivering a remarkable experience, both companies offer their customers the lowest possible pricing on vacations. For more information on CruiseOne, visit http://www.CruiseOneFranchise.com. Like CruiseOne on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CruiseOneFranchise, and follow us on Twitter at @CruiseOneBiz. For more information on Cruises Inc., visit http://www.SellCruises.com and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SellCruises.

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Three Gold, One Silver Awarded to World Travel Holdings Brands in Prestigious 2014 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards

5 overlooked world treasures

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Pingyao, China

Chavin de Huantar, Peru

Catalhoyuk, Turkey

Hampi, India

Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- What a veteran traveler you are.

You've already hiked up to Machu Picchu and climbed up and down the thousands of stairs of the Great Wall of China. We bet you've also stood awestruck before the Hagia Sofia and the Taj Majal.

You're a regular Tony Wheeler, who co-founded Lonely Planet travel company more than 40 years ago. Like you, he's visited most of the world's major wonders of the world and almost everything else worth seeing.

Wheeler and fellow world explorer Vince Michael, head of the Global Heritage Fund, are always looking for hidden places to discover. By all means, they say, visit Angkor Wat and the Hagia Sophia. Go there and check them off your bucket list.

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5 overlooked world treasures

RTW Family World Travel If I Were President of the World Dahnya’s Essay Holiday Lettings, Pashas H – Video

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RTW Family World Travel If I Were President of the World Dahnya #39;s Essay Holiday Lettings, Pashas H
http://www.thenomadicfamily.com One Stupid, Beautiful Idea! Not your boring we-are-so-perfectly-happy-on-the-road blah, blah, blah blog. Voted TOP TEN FAMILY...

By: thenomadicfamily

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RTW Family World Travel If I Were President of the World Dahnya's Essay Holiday Lettings, Pashas H - Video

World's Best Places To Travel In 2014

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By SiliconIndia| Friday, 12 September 2014, 18:42 IST

BANGALORE: As Rumi, the Persian poet quoted, Travel brings power and love back into your life. To travel is to find your inner self, and to explore creations in their great marvellous feats. Let us discover the stunning travel destinations of the world worth visiting at least ones in a lifetime.

Istanbul

Istanbul is a mixture of vibrant culture and combines Asiatic ambience with European roots.

The city forms one of the largest urban cities in Europe and stands among the top tourist destinations of the world with its historical monuments, peninsulas, and scenic beauties adoring the City of Istanbul.

The city's biggest attraction, its historic center, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but its cultural and entertainment hub can be found across the city's natural harbor, the Golden Horn, in the Beyoblu district.

While in Istanbul or visiting the nearby cities, it offers you its unique pleasant environment pearled with peace and serenity. Istanbul enriches you with providing a glorious view of the Black Sea in the north, The Marmara Sea in the South and the Istanbul Strait running through the middle of the city.

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World's Best Places To Travel In 2014

Flavours of Greece at the World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony 2014 special weekend – Video

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Flavours of Greece at the World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony 2014 special weekend
A private tour of the Athens Acropolis Museum to a relaxing cruise across the Saronic Gulf were some of the activities for attendees to the World Travel Awar...

By: PhilBlizzardTVDubai

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Flavours of Greece at the World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony 2014 special weekend - Video

Housesitting: A Fun Way To Travel The World On A Dime

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By Irene S. Levine, Next Avenue Contributor

When boomers want to escape the 9-to-5 workplace grind and the demands of caregiving for parents and/or kids wane, many dream of traveling. A recent survey found that 59% of retirees look forward to exploring new places during the second part of their lives.

But people soon realize the cost of traveling for extended periods can be daunting, especially when living on a reduced income. Thats why housesitting has become an increasingly popular way to live away from home without the steep pricetag.

(MORE: Boomer Travel Trend: Couchsurfing for Grown-Ups)

What is Housesitting?

Housesitting entails taking care of someone elses property (and possibly their pets) in exchange for your stay.

In the past, it typically took the form of informal arrangements between people who knew each other. Less commonly, individuals or couples were hired by professional agencies that employ housesitters at a salary, usually for long periods of time.

Over the past decade, though, technology has spawned a new model of unpaid housesitting, with websites connecting homeowners and potential sitters for jobs lasting weeks or months at a time.

(MORE: Home-Swapping: Slash Your Travel Costs and Live Like a Local)

This peer-to-peer model is part of the same sharing economy that laid the foundation for successful businesses such as Uber and Airbnb.

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Housesitting: A Fun Way To Travel The World On A Dime

Photos: Around the World in 40 Cakes

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Pictured here is "Japan." Sweet-toothed jet setters don't even need their passports for this worldwide tour, as they can travel around the world in 40 cakes. Some of the world's most famous landmarks and cultures have been created by some of the best bakers, as featured in this month's edition of Cake Masters magazine.

Mimi Cafe Union/Mercury Press/Caters News

Pictured here is "Paris."

Avalon Cakes/Mercury Press/Caters News

Pictured here is "The North Pole."

McGreevy Cakes/Mercury Press/Caters News

Pictured here is "Venice."

Callious Cakes/Mercury Press/Caters News

Pictured here is "Mexico." Some of the world's most famous landmarks and cultures have been created by some of the best bakers, as featured in this month's edition of Cake Masters magazine.

Little Cherry Cake Co/Mercury Press/Caters News

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Photos: Around the World in 40 Cakes


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