Good news is in store for UK tourists. A recent petition initiated in Weston Super Mare, asking for VAT relief for the tourism industry, has been met with a tremendous response from local MPs.

Weston Super Mare’s Liberal Democrat candidate, Mike Bell, is fully supporting the petition. He wants to boost the UK tourism industry, which is still suffering from the recession, and has launched the ‘Give Tourism a Break Campaign.’

Countries including France and Germany have already abolished VAT on all tourism related businesses, and Mr. Bell hopes the UK can achieve the same.

The issue was discussed in Parliament, and won the support of 46 MPs in the campaigns first week along. Mr. Bell also said that the abolishment of VAT would create around 23,000 jobs and generate around £600million in a year in extra tax revenue.

Mr. Bell feels that it will boost holidays and tourism around the country, and many business owners at key tourism destinations agree.

Grand Pier co-owner, Michelle Michael, feels that if VAT was abolished, it would play an important part in attracting tourists, as price is a determining factor when people book holidays.

Those interested in backing the campaign can sign up online and who knows- it could change the way we choose our holidays in the future.

There are a lot of cheap holidays out there, all of which can be found quite easily if you know where to look. In order to secure cheap holidays to your favourite destination, you will need to keep a few things in mind.

If you plan to go touring there are many places where you could secure your travel and lodgings. Choosing a secure and reputable place will do you a lot of good.

If you are going to be traveling with your family, booking with a tour operator who is able to handle all the parts of the tour with ease will also be of a lot of help.

When you are trying to book your flight tickets, make sure that you book them as much in advance as possible. Most airlines these days have variable ticket rates on their flight which go on increasing as the date of the flight approaches. Moreover, booking your flight tickets on a budget airline might also help you reduce your air fare expenses to a large extent.

Traveling off season will also give you the benefits of reduced flight rates and cheaper accommodation. Both airlines and hotels reduce the prices of their offerings, during the seasons in which people do not travel very frequently. Making use of such discounts can help you to bring down the cost of your holiday tremendously.

By keeping these important tips in mind, you will easily be able to plan cheaper holidays to a destination of your choosing.

The London 2012 Olympics are now just 1,000 days away. Norfolk is sure to use this golden opportunity as a money making scheme for its tourism industry.

The Norfolk Broads and the country’s coastline have been marked as potential tourist spots, which are expected to attract visitors from all across the globe. The tourism officials of Norfolk are leaving no stone unturned to capture the attention of tourists. Norfolk officials are enticing foreign journalists by arranging press trips in exchange for published articles in newspapers across the world.

They have also identified 1,000 reasons to mark 1,000 days until the Olympic Games. The UK’s national parks including the Norfolk Broads have been highlighted as prominent tourist spots. The Norfolk and Suffolk coastline also contains 55 seaside piers along with 131 Blue Flag beaches. Blue Flag is the label awarded to beaches with a superior level of maintenance.

According to Lydia Smith, the Tourism team manager, Norfolk is blessed with many exciting tourist spots and recreational activities. They have also invited journalists from countries like China, India, Pakistan, Estonia, Spain, Denmark and Israel.

Norfolk is sure to experience a tremendous boost to its tourism industry during the summer holidays courtesy of the Olympics.

You don’t have to spend tons of money or travel thousands of miles to enjoy a satisfying break. City breaks in London are the perfect way to spend a long weekend, and there is something for everyone to enjoy.

From palaces to museums to parks, there are endless fun and interesting locations to visit.

When visiting London, you should definitely visit Buckingham Palace, an amazing building, which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world ever year.

The Tower of London, situated on the northern bank of the River Thames, highlights the very essence of the city.

Other landmarks that are worth a visit are the famous Big Ben and St. Pauls Cathedral.

If you’re stuck for ideas on what to do in the evening, then the West End could be the answer. It is home to some of the best theatres in the UK- so you may even be lucky enough to bump into a famous actor!

City breaks to London are suitable for people of all ages, and as there is so much to see and do you will never get bored.

Planning holidays to a city like London can be a confusing affair for people. London as a city is quite expensive and has a whole lot of things to offer to its visitors. In a situation like this one, it becomes extremely important to plan your holidays in advance to be able to extract a whole lot from your trip to one of the world’s most fascinating cities.

The first part of your London trip will begin from you booking an airline ticket to this place. There are a whole lot of low cost airlines which will bring down the price of your holiday by a great extent. Booking in advance will also enable you to take advantage of various special offers that are going around. Finding budget accommodation in London can be slightly tricky as well. One of the best ways to go about it is to travel during the off-season. A lot of hotels bring down the prices of their rooms during such a period and also offer various special offers to their visitors.

While you are planning holidays to London, make sure you also draw a list of all the important places you should visit. If this is your first holiday trip to London, then starting your exploration from Trafalgar Square would be a very good idea. You could also visit one of the numerous parks and museums to add more to your London holiday.

Proper planning will ensure that your London holidays are as memorable as you want them to be.

As mentioned in an earlier article, those taking city breaks to Barcelona this year will be able to benefit from the Wi-Fi hotspots being installed all around the city that are set to increase from the current 170 to 500 over the next two years.

Now, it seems that Brits taking holidays will be able to benefit from Wi-Fi hotspots at this end of their holiday too as Flybe is offering Wi-Fi hotspots in six airport lounges nationwide by partnering with BT Openzone.

The Wi-Fi points will be in London Gatwick, Birmingham, Exeter, Glasgow, Belfast City and Edinburgh.

Chris Bruce, general manager of the internet provider, said:

“Business travellers want to be productive before their flights and holidaymakers are armed with wireless devices. With access in the UK, plus overseas hotspots, we’re providing more Wi-Fi where travellers want it.”

Flybe’s product manager Jim Eaton-Terry added:

“Flybe lounges allow you to enjoy complimentary drinks and snacks and now stay connected using the wireless internet now available in all our lounges.”

The service will be free for those with mobile broadband or those on O2 iPhone with access in their contracts. BT broadband users will also have inclusive Wi-Fi minutes. For others, they will be able to purchase vouchers.

According to a report from one travel expert earlier this month, the latest ‘want’ from Brits going on their holidays is to get as many new experiences as they can on each trip.

Perhaps this is a trend that has emerged due to the recession and people wanting to experience life more or perhaps it is because we are spoilt for choice.

According to one travel magazine editor, Sharon Livingston, consumers are spoilt for choice nowadays. She said:

“The more savvy we get about what is on offer, the more we want. City breaks are an ideal cultural mini-break and sunning in the eurozone offers sand and sea but without the hefty long-haul flight.”

As Ms Livingston pointed out, many people now want to combine two destinations in a single holiday, perhaps combining city breaks with beach holidays using combinations such as Barcelona and Tel Aviv or another combination, such as a safari in Kenya followed by a beach holiday on the coast.

As the BBC has also pointed out, it was mentioned that the US and Turkey are two of the most popular holidays with Brits at the moment outside the euro-using zone, both of which have much to offer.

It seems that thanks to the global recession, city breaks worldwide are generally cheaper than last year according to a Times Online report.

The report shows that figures from a study of 50 worldwide cities suggest that prices this year have fallen by up to 31 per cent since last summer.

The largest price drop appears to be in Spain, with city breaks in Madrid and Barcelona showing the greatest price drop, closely followed by Granada and Valencia.

For those British holidaymakers thinking prices may drop further however, Spanish hoteliers claim prices could now drop any further. Holiday deals in Spain are particularly well priced at the moment as Spain is suffering in the recession.

Similar reductions are being seen in other countries, such as Italy where city breaks to Rome are now 7 per cent lower, and cheap holidays are available in Bologna and Turin with prices at 19 per cent and 12 per cent lower than last year.

City breaks in places such as Venice, Milan, Florence, Geneva, London and Athens are maintaining their prices in comparison to twelve months ago.

With recent surveys showing that Brits are not being put off their summer holidays by the recession, it seems there are some great city breaks to be had at bargain prices.

Earlier this month, Singapore Airlines launched new flights to Hong Kong on the new Airbus A380.

The first flight for the new service launched on the 9th of July and carried more than 450 passengers from Singapore to Hong Kong, both of which are highly popular with British holidaymakers for city breaks. The flight left at 9:50am and landed in Hong Kong at 1:30pm.

Singapore Airlines was the first airline to use the Airbus A380 in the fourth quarter of 2007 and has since flown over 1.4 million travellers on the A380.

As well as the new flights to Hong Kong, the airline uses the A380 to travel to London, Paris, Tokyo and Sydney.

Singapore Airlines’ Executive Vice-President of Marketing Huang Cheng Eng said:

“The A380 is the crown jewel in Singapore Airlines’ young and modern fleet and we are proud to be able to introduce this wonderful aircraft on one of the most important routes in our network. We are delighted that our customers have come to embrace the Singapore Airlines A380 and its industry-leading cabin products.”

The A380 is also used by Emirates airline, which launched flights to Toronto and Bangkok earlier this year with the superjumbo aircraft.

The regional airline, Flybe, has stated that it is now the UK’s leading domestic airline. The claim is based upon new figures recently released by the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) showing that in the month of April, Flybe carried 26 per cent of UK domestic travellers. EasyJet carried 23 per cent.

Flybe came first in the list for the total number of individual passengers too with over 450,000 customers, a figure which beat even major airlines such as bmi and British Airways.

In addition, Flybe’s position at London Gatwick Airport was also strengthened in April and May as it carried more domestic passengers from Gatwick than any other carrier.

Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer, said:

“Just six years ago, Flybe was a distant fifth in the UK domestic market. It’s a mark of how far we’ve come that, in less than a decade, we’re now number one – a phenomenal achievement. We now serve 35 airports in the UK, affirming our commitment to keeping Britain on the move through these challenging economic times.”

UK holidaymakers can take advantage of international flights from Flybe with city breaks to the likes of Paris and Milan as well as cheap holidays to Alicante and other European destinations.