New York is one of, if not the, most famous city in the world and so it is no surprise that it is a popular venue in which to welcome in the New Year.

If you are looking for luxury holidays for New Year’s Eve, then New York is the place to be.  A holiday in New York at any time of year is certainly special, so the 31st December is no different.

The Times Square celebrations have been renowned for years, having been held every New Year for almost a hundred years now.  Crowds pour into the streets from 43rd to 59th streets, from Broadway to 7th avenue, but the best views are to be had along Broadway from 43rd to 53rd streets.

If you are lucky enough to be in New York this New Year’s Eve, then the locals will advise that you get to Times Square for no later than 8pm and note that vehicles are not allowed to travel in the area any later than 6pm.

There can surely be nothing more glamourous than celebrating New Year’s Eve in Times Square, New York, so head there for the party of your life.

Reports from technology company Steape state that mobile phone phrasebooks are likely to prove more and more popular with travellers because they offer a higher degree of security.

Steape is working in conjunction with Lonely Planet to create an audio phrasebook for all mobile phones enabled with Java.  These mobile phrasebooks will offer English translations of approximately 200 phrases in ten different languages to start with.

The phrases will be accessible in both audio translations played through your mobile phone’s speaker and also in text format.

A technical officer from Steape, Bas Jaburg, commented that the guides should prove useful for the majority of holidaymakers these days as most already use mobile phones.

He added:

“For travellers, having a means of communication gives them some security and backpackers will probably be going to countries where people don’t speak English, and they can’t speak the language or read the signs.  In an emergency or even if you just need to get to the airport and have no idea how to get there it could be a lifesaver.”

The mobile phrasebook will be sold in a downloadable format at a cost of just €4 (£3.20).

Lonely Planet also publishes printed phrasebooks which, after the company’s renowned travel guides, are the company’s largest profit mechanism.

The tourism authority for Dubai has made a recent announcement stating that the forthcoming range of attractions and developments opening in the next couple of years will allow the city to achieve its goal of 15 million tourists per year by 2015.

Dubai has been showing its industry products at various exhibitions and shows, including the Arabian Travel Market 2008, which attracted a record number of visitors this year.

This event demonstrated a range of additions to the United Arab Emirates hotspot’s tourism industry, including the new, modern hotels that aim to boost the city’s hotel room volume to over 63,000 rooms by 2010.

Ian Scott, director of the UK office of the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing department, said:

“Dubai is a destination where you can expect the best; known for its ground-breaking projects the emirate continues to expand its globally acclaimed leisure and business facilities of superlative quality.”

The latest addition to Dubai’s hotel industry is Atlantis The Paln, a new luxury development of two towers with 1,539 hotel rooms.

Dubai wishes to become the leading family holiday destination for both the UK and Ireland holiday markets by 2012 and this ambition is to be supported by new projects such as Dubailand, which will host 24 different theme parks and will be twice the size of Walt Disney World of Orlando, Florida.

Dubailand should be one of the world’s biggest leisure attractions and will include Marvel Entertainment and Universal Studios parks amongst its theme parks.  Brits searching for luxury holidays in a year or two are more than likely to have Dubai amongst their top choices, if not already.

In China, the first full moon of the New Year is a great reason to celebrate, and a great reason for travellers considering luxury holidays to choose this country, in particular the city of Hong Kon.

The annual Spring Lantern Festival is held in Hong Kong city to celebrate the first full moon and takes place at the beginning of February.

After the sun has set, thousands of lanterns light up the sky in Hong Kong.  Chinese tradition dictates that lanterns protect the people from different spirits, which can inhabit the physical world, and the lanterns guide them back to the land of the dead.  Visitors can buy local lanterns to take part, or just watch in awe at the vast number of lit lanterns trawling the streets.

Strangely, the festival is also considered an east-Asian Valentine’s Day as youths go on dates to celebrate their relationship during this festival.

This tradition celebrates good luck and fortune, so holidaymakers may wish to travel to Hong Kong at the start of February to experience the fun side of this impressive city.

In 2009, the Spring Lantern Festival is due on the 9th February so if you want to see Hong Kong at its best, book your flights now.

Regional airline Flybe is celebrating their 2008 Brussels Airport Environmental Award this year, which is their second award for their green performance in 2008.

Last month, at the Budgie Awards, the airline was given an honour for their ‘special merit for commitment to the environment’.

Flybe’s representatives collected the recent award on the 23rd October, having beaten competition from other airlines such as Air Canada, British Airways, Etihad and Lufthansa.

Their green initiatives include investing $3 billion (£1.9 billion) on new aircraft, which will apparently make it the most fuel efficient and youngest fleet globally by the end of next year.

Mike Rutter, the airline’s chief commercial officer, said:

“We’re honoured to receive this award from Brussels airport that recognises Flybe’s environmental credentials.  Our $3bn investment into a dual type, state-of-the-art environmentally sensitive fleet and the launch of the world’s first and only eco-label for the aviation industry, have both contributed to Flybe taking an industry lead and making a significant contribution in this area.”

Flybe is claiming that it is the most successful European regional airline, as it now has over 190 routes servicing thirteen different countries.

Cape Town’s city council has created an official working group with the aim of tapping into the international cruise industry market.  The council hopes to make Cape Town a high profile destination within the cruise industry.

According to the city council, the cruise industry is one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors in the world now, and considering the well placed location of Cape Town on the southern tip of Africa, the city is in an advantageous position to take advantage of any expansion in this market.

There are several planned initiatives to help boost the status of Cape Town, including establishing a new multi-use liner terminal as well as various marketing drives to increase interest in Cape Town itself.

In addition to setting up the new focus group to develop cruise tourism in the city, the council is also considering working with other port cities to develop joint developments.

Simon Grindrod, mayoral committee member for tourism, said:

“Globally, the number of cruise liner passengers has grown from about 4m in 1990 to 13.6m in 2005.  This high-level service industry has enormous job creation potential, sustaining over half a million jobs each year.”

In 2010, South Africa will be looking forward to some global exposure as it plays host to the Fifa World Cup.

Luxury holidays do not stop in winter, according to Costa Cruises, who say that travellers should consider taking a cruise to flee the winter weather.

Costa Cruises has a fleet of cruise liners that travel to worldwide destinations, include sunshine hotspots such as the Indian Ocean, the Far East and Caribbean beach resorts.

There are many options for travellers this winter, including a trip on the Costa Europa with an itinerary that commences in Port Louis in Mauritius, heads to the Seychelles and then on to Mombasa in Kenya.

Following a visit to the Comoros Islands to Mayotte, this particular cruise then continues to Madagascar and Reunion, the home of a real live volcano, before finally ending its journey where it began, in Mauritius.

Those interested in Caribbean luxury holidays may wish to take a look at the Costa Atlantica, which will be setting sail from Guadeloupe on the 13th December this winter on a journey that will include visits to St Maarten, St Lucia, Antigua and other sunny destinations over its four month cruise.

Other cruises available to Costa Cruises passengers are options to sail around south-east Asia with the Costa Allegra, southern Europe on the Costa Serena and South America on the Costa Mediterranea.

In the Australia state of Victoria, Tourism Victoria has published the latest What’s New – Melbourne and Beyond guide, which offers details of tourist attractions and products, as well as forthcoming events and happenings.

A new musical is due to open on the 10th December about the Australian cricket legend, Shane Warne, which should delight cricket fans.  It will open at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne itself.

In Victoria, the recent reopening of the Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa in the town of Daylesford was welcomed.  This bathhouse is reportedly the oldest in the whole country.

The bathhouse received a AU$10 million (£4.1 million) refurbishment with new therapy, relaxation, massage and private bathing rooms, a new building for three public pools and new state of the art facilities.

Another tourist attraction is Melbourne’s St Kilda Marina, which now has a model of the solar system in a billion-to-one scale that still stretches an amazing 3.7 miles ending at Sandridge Beach.

This model cost a huge AU$111,000 to create and includes a silicon bronze model of the sun, which cost AU$30,000 to cast and weights 55 stone.

Melbourne is also due to host the Australia Open tennis tournament early next year from the 19th January to the 1st February.

If you are looking at luxury holidays at the moment, it seems it’s all happening in Victoria, Australia.

According to a recent report from the Post Office on the price of skiing holidays, they reveal that increased costs in the United Stated are making Europe much more attractive for cheap skiing holidays.

Those looking for bargain holidays should be looking at Eastern Europe according to this study, although France, Austria and Switzerland are also likely to benefit from rising costs in US resorts.

The cheapest skiing destination is apparently Romania, then followed by Slovakia, although Slovakia is soon to join the eurozone in January and so resort costs are likely to be affected.

Third on the list was Bulgaria. Others in the top ten included Italy, Germany, Finland ad Austria.

Helen Warburton, head of travel at the Post Office, said:

‘Although the pound will not stretch as far for UK skiers as in previous years, there is still good value to be had. Resort prices in France, Austria, Switzerland and particularly Italy look good value when compared with the US, while the emerging ski resorts outside the eurozone – especially Romania and Slovakia – will be excellent choices for beginners and for families on a tight budget.’

Those skiers feeling a little more adventurous could try the Post Office’s adventurous suggestion of Argentina, reportedly half the price of the ski passes and equipment in the US.

A joint initiative has been announced between the whisky company The Famous Grouse and the tourist organisation VisitScotland.  Together, they are inviting visitors from anywhere in the world to host Burns Night on the 25th January next year.

The Homecoming Scotland 2009 initiative will mark the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth, and VisitScotland hopes that a record number of participants across the world will take part in the Burns Supper Celebrations.

Those wishing to take part are requested to register their activities on the new website for Burns Supper 2009 to help the world record for the number of worldwide celebrations.

Paul Bush OBE, chief operating officer of EventScotland, said:

‘We are delighted to launch the world famous Burns Supper Celebration with The Famous Grouse and encourage everyone around the world, whatever they are doing for Burns Night, to join in by registering on the site.  We hope to hear of a vast array of different celebrations including the largest ever Burns supper and perhaps the highest, such as one held on the top of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina last year.’

Burns Night in January will start Homecoming Scotland, which is a full year’s programme of parties, festivals, concerts and many other events leading up to the 30th November, celebrating St Andrews Day.