Outlook 2016: Suppliers Still Betting on Europe

Despite the terrorist attack in Paris, the lockdown in Brussels, the steady trail of migrants, and a global travel alert from the U.S. State Department, industry suppliers insist they are still bullish on leisure travel to Europe in 2016.

While clients may be temporarily holding back on booking trips to the continent, they insist there has been no major fall-out from the recent events and no red flags to prompt tour operators and cruise lines to second-guess their Europe programs.

"A change in destination is really contingent on the current landscape worsening," says Collette executive vice president Paula Twidale. "We have not seen interest in Europe wane and Americans are far more resilient than in past years."

"The pace at which people commit to new bookings may slow down, as they 'wait and see,' but we have not experienced a higher than normal cancelation rate," she adds.

Lower oil prices and a stronger dollar are great incentives for travel, too, says Twidale. "Numbers are still strong and barring no additional acts of violence to instill fear, I am confident that Americans will not deprive themselves of the freedom to travel and enjoy life. At Collette we are cautious and risk averse, but will not succumb to fear, as that is the intention of those who invoke violence."

Collette, she says, is encouraging its customers to continue with their travel plans to all destinations. "We remain proactive, monitor government advice and will always act in the best interest of the safety and security of our guests and employees," Twidale says.

'Italy on top'The Globus brands – Globus, Cosmos, Avalon Waterways, and Monograms – are "still betting on Europe for 2016, with Italy on top," declares spokeswoman Vanessa Parrish.

"Not just because it's Italy – a destination offering a wide range of experiences from north to south and heel to toe – but because it's also a Papal 'Year of Mercy. With the Pope's recent visit [to the U.S.], we're seeing even more interest to an already big destination," Parrish says.

The Globus brands also are expecting growth in Spain and Portugal. According to Parrish, "Past Italy travelers are helping drive the popularity of Spain and Portugal, along with increased interest in the sights and culture. Cruise stopovers in Barcelona and the great value proposition in these countries are also helping this region soar. They have become our No. 1 'where to go next' destination for travelers."

The Globus brands also have set their sights on other international destinations in 2016.

"South America has witnessed double-digit growth for both Globus and Monograms. Australia has also been a big destination for us in 2015, and it's one we think will continue to grow in 2016," says Parrish. "Driving growth is a combination of great prices and a growing demand by Boomers to get off-the-beaten path. Given the growth in South America, we have added Colombia to our destination list for Monograms," she says.

On the waterAt Avalon Waterways, says Parrish, the Rhine and Danube river cruises are leading the way. "River cruises will continue to be very popular for us in Europe," she predicts. But Asia is another hot spot for Avalon.

"Cambodia and Vietnam, featuring the Mekong River, is off to a big start for 2016 at Avalon Waterways. We also just launched a new ship on the Irrawaddy River, sailing to off-the-beaten-path destinations throughout Myanmar. These are next-generation destinations for river cruises," Parrish says.

Blue water lines are banking on Europe as well. All of the major lines will have a presence there in 2016, from the northernmost routes through Scandinavia and the Baltics to the far Eastern Mediterranean and the jewels of the French Riviera. In fact, Carnival Cruise Line will have its first Europe deployment in three years with the launch of Carnival Vista, the 3,954-guest mega-ship that will debut in May and sail the Eastern and Western Mediterranean through mid-fall.

But Carnival always remains largely focused on North American, Caribbean and Mexico destinations and that will be the case next year, too. "Close-to-home cruising has always been an important part of our marketing strategy as we operate from 17 North American homeports, including 12 year-round departure points on he East and West Coasts as well as the Gulf of Mexico," notes Terry Thornton, senior vice president-international.

"Consumers appreciate the value and convenience of being able to drive to their cruise and it's estimated that roughly half of the U.S. population is within a day's drive of a Carnival homeport," he adds.

The high endIn the luxury segment of the market, operator Tauck foresees a great year ahead and continues to look at the "larger picture."

"Our market is American travelers, retired, and looking for a premium product. Our outlook was extremely positive before Paris and we're still bullish," says Jeremy Palmer, senior vice president of Tauck Land Journeys, Worldwide Operations and Tauck Ventures.

"Look at our core clientele: Ten-thousand Boomers are retiring every day, the market is coming our way. These travelers want authentic experiences and the wealth effect is still strong. It's been a bull market since 2009 for IRAs so we have more people with money to spend," he says.

And despite moments of insecurity in the world, "it's been relatively stable," adds Palmer. "This is the new normal." He says Tauck is expecting a record year for river cruising in 2016: "Our growth rates have been outstanding."

Concerning Paris, he says, "It's too early to say that the fundamentals I pointed to have changed. We have had a little bit of 'wait and see' but that has been limited to people traveling to France and to a lesser degree elsewhere in Europe."

Closer to homeUndoubtedly, there will be some number of American travelers who will opt to vacation domestically next year. For those folks, tour operators point to the national parks. The National Park Service will mark its centennial in 2016, and companies are offering special tours tied to the occasion.

Tauck has several national park tours and an exclusive partnership with filmmaker Ken Burns, who helped design some of them. Burns also provides filmed narratives on some tours, and three itineraries are part of the Crafted by Tauck & Ken Burns collection. These trips visit the Southwest, along with Yosemite and Yellowstone, among other areas.

"There's a heightened sense of national pride and awareness, and our national park tours will out perform in 2016. There are a lot of external factors to make it more attractive to visit them," adds Palmer.

Collette's Twidale agrees.

"Domestic trips have been doing well as there is genuine interest in historical sites within the U.S.," she says, adding, "We are featuring many tour packages and it is exciting to celebrate the national park centennial in 2016. There are more listed national parks than one would realize and Collette offers a great variety, central locations and many included features."

Collette has joined with Tourism Cares to support the parks, "as they are severely underfunded," says Twidale.   "Our corporate pledge represents our commitment to sustainable tourism and our donations are based on the number of guests that we will send to [the parks] in 2016."

Source: Outlook 2016: Suppliers Still Betting on Europe

A world away from Europe, US has its own immigrant surge crisis

Washington — Waves of migrants cross five or more borders and pay thousands of dollars for safe passage to their destination. Countries slam their borders shut, stranding thousands and roiling relations with neighbors. Growing numbers of women and children flee violence at home.

And the United Nations' chief refugee organization concludes that a "looming crisis" is unfolding across a hemisphere.

Sound like just another assessment of Europe's refugee crisis? It's not.

All this describes what is taking place across South and Central America and up into Mexico as tens of thousands of Central Americans and Cubans – along with a sprinkling of others from as far away as China and India – take to the Americas' well-worn migratory paths in hopes of reaching the United States.

The numbers do not match those of Syrian refugees arriving in Europe this year, but they are staggering nonetheless and have taken US border authorities by surprise.

The s urge in what the Border Patrol calls "other than Mexicans," or OTMs, crossing the border has not generated the kind of emotional debate that Europe's refugee crisis has – or that a spike in Central American children crossing the border in summer 2014 did. But some immigration experts predict that this will change as the figures become known.

More than 45,000 Cubans are projected to migrate to the US this year, with more than 27,000 having crossed the US-Mexico border between January and October. The figures already make 2015 the biggest year for Cuban migration to the US in decades.

At the same time, migration from Central America is also rising, with regional migration experts predicting that at least 300,000 mostly Hondurans, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans will have attempted the trek by the end of the year.

In October alone, nearly 5,000 unaccompanied minors from Central America were caught illegally crossing the southern US border – about double the num ber of October 2014. The same month, more than 6,000 family members crossed the border together – triple the number of a year ago.

The exodus has led to scenes and practices that are more readily associated with Europe after a year of acute attention to Syrian refugees.

More than 5,000 US-bound Cubans currently find themselves stranded in Costa Rica after Nicaragua closed its border to Cuban migrants last month. Also, as in Europe, more migrants using land migratory corridors are putting themselves in the hands of smuggling networks, paying up to $10,000 for passage from, say, Ecuador to Texas.

Indeed, at least until recently, Ecuador served as Cubans' equivalent of a Greek island for Syrian refugees – the first stop in a long, multi-country journey to the US. That's because Ecuador did not require Cubans to attain a visa to visit. Last month, Ecuador did an about-face and started requiring visas for Cubans, sparking spontaneous street protests in Havana.Why the surge?

The similarities with Europe are real, regional and immigration experts say – although they often strongly disagree on what explains the surge on this side of the Atlantic.

"There are parallels between what's happening here and what's happening in Europe, and there are probably lots of differences, but the key thing motivating people here and in Europe is the very same – and that is the accurate assessment that these illegal immigrants will be allowed in once they reach their destination, and allowed to stay," says Mark Krikorian, executive director the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington.

Although the US government's "messaging" to Central Americans has been that they won't be allowed in and will be sent home, the reality has been very different, Mr. Krikorian says.

"Thousands of Central Americans are reaching the border every month, and in most cases, they are given a date to appear in [immigration] court and are sent on their way to Dallas or New York or wherever," he says. "The US can have all the TV and radio announcements they want down there saying people reaching the border will be sent back," he adds. "But when the guy who makes it to his destination calls home and says, 'Don't worry, it's not really like that,' who are they going to believe?"

But others say it's the conditions at home that are causing people to undertake a long journey to live elsewhere.

"El Salvador has seen this year a really worrying increase in violence and specifically in homicides to numbers that are now higher than during the civil war," says Maureen Meyer, senior associate for Mexico and migrant rights at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).

El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala all figure in the top 10 of the world's most violent countries. Rampant gang violence and a desire to flee it are prompting the waves of unaccompanied minors reaching the US border.

But the situation of the thousands of Cubans crossing the US-Mexico border is different because of the US "dry foot" policy, which promises automatic residency to any Cuban who manages to reach American soil. That decades-old policy remains the same even though the US and Cuba have reestablished diplomatic relations and Cuba has loosened its restrictions on Cubans traveling from the island.

"These changes have prompted Cubans to trade their rafts for airline tickets to get to the United States," Krikorian says. "If more Cubans are now choosing to come here by land, there's a good reason," he adds. "There are no sharks."

Off the US radar screen

Despite the rising migration tide and what the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees calls a "looming refugee crisis in the Americas," the issue has largely remained off the US radar screen, some experts say.

"We have a migration crisis in the hemisphere that piles up at the US southern border, w ith more or less 200,000 people crossing the border a year, and basically nothing much is done about it," says Manuel Orozco, program director for migration, remittances, and development at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington.

Several key reasons explain why the migration "crisis" has yet to register with Americans – aside from perhaps the attention that Donald Trump's presidential campaign has put on immigration.

For one thing, the rise in Central Americans and Cubans crossing the US-Mexico border has occurred as the number of Mexicans apprehended at the border has fallen off sharply – adding up to modest apprehension numbers.

At the same time, Mexican authorities (with US financial assistance) have beefed up migrant interdiction efforts along Mexico's southern border with Guatemala – stopping and turning back tens of thousands of Central Americans who otherwise might have made it to the US. Mexico's detentions of Central Americans over the year ending in June were up 73 percent over the previous year, to about 157,000. Deportations over the same period were up 64 percent, to 138,000.

As for the Cubans, their special immigrant status and immediate receipt of residency under the dry-foot policy mean that even tens of thousands of Cubans can enter the country with little fanfare – and be quickly absorbed into American society.

But most migration experts say nothing suggests the pressures on the southern US border will dissipate soon, and they say measures should be taken to avoid a depending crisis – even if they don't agree on what those measures should be.

"This is a huge issue that has been neglected far too long, and we're seeing the results of that neglect now," says Ms. Meyer of WOLA.

Possible steps

One priority she advocates is for the US and the rest of the hemisphere to recognize that violent conditions, particularly in northern Central America, mean the Americas have a refuge e crisis and not just a rise in economic migrants.

"As a region, we need to start addressing the flow of people as more of a mix of migrants and political refugees," she says. She notes that Mexico's refugee agency has only 15 agents nationwide to evaluate tens of thousands of Central Americans for protection as legitimate refugees. US aid to Mexico should be "rebalanced," Meyer says, to enhance Mexico's screening capabilities.

On the contrary, Krikorian says the US needs to be unequivocal about the "reality" that almost all the people crossing the border are "economic migrants," including the Cubans. "Here, as in Europe, the response needs to be clear and direct, and aimed at changing the perception that people will be allowed to stay," he says.

Where experts seem to agree is that addressing the region's migration crisis will require US leadership – but they see little prospect of that happening anytime soon.

Mr. Orozco of the Dia logue says the sight of countries squabbling over the Cubans who have been stranded on their way to the US, not to mention Central American countries trying to deal with violence and weak economies that are causing people to leave, leads him to one conclusion.

"The US needs to take the lead in efforts to do something about this crisis," he says. "But we haven't seen much of that so far."

Source: A world away from Europe, US has its own immigrant surge crisis

Europe Investigates McDonald’s Alleged Tax Evasion

The European Commission (EC) announced Thursday they are opening up a formal investigation against McDonalds over tax treatment that some suspect is in violation of the rules of free competition in Europe. The investigation was opened by the Luxembourg government. Brussels also wants clarification on two tax resolutions from 2009 which allow McDonald's Europe franchises to avoid paying corporate taxes in places like Luxembourg.

During this current tax year, the company "did not pay any taxes" in Luxembourg according to the complaint. The company is said to have not paid taxes despite the company showing earnings of more than 250 million euros ($266 million) in 2013 just in Europe. The reason behind McDonald's not paying taxes in Luxembourg stems from a European directive on double taxation. The directive was created to prevent multinationals from being charged or taxed in two countries for the same benefit.

The conflict comes from the fact that the profits earned in Europe were also not taxed in the United States. The EC argues that Luxembourg authorities were aware that profits earned in Europe by McDonald's "were not being taxed in the United States."

"The tax resolution which allows for McDonald's to not pay taxes in both Luxembourg and the United States for profits generated in Europe needs to be carefully examined by the European Union," said the European Commissioner of Competition, Margrethe Vestager.

McDonald's alleged tax evasion was discovered by a group of journalists known as LuxLeaks.

McDonald's is not the first company to be under investigation for unpaid taxes either. In October, during the first closed cases, the Italian automobile company Fiat and the U.S. coffee company Starbucks were both investigated and ordered to pay a total of 60 million euros ($64 million) to Luxembourg and the Netherlands respectively. Apple is also being investigated in Ireland, and Amazon is being investigated in Luxembourg for similar tax evasion concerns.

"For too long, McDonald's has stashed billions in tax havens and ducked contributing to state coffers while simultaneously imposing poverty wages on its workers," commented Scott Courtney, the organizing director at the U.S. Service Employees International Union. "McDonald's has a clear record of mistreating workers and communities virtually everywhere it operates, and it's time that the company is held accountable.

McDonald's shared fell by 0.29% and closed at $113.39 on the stock market Thursday as a result of the announcement of the EC's investigation.

McDonald's denies any allegations of tax evasion. In fact, the company says it complies with all European tax laws and pays a "significant amount" of corporate income tax. From 2010 to 2014 the company "paid more than $2.1 billion in corporate taxes" in Europe according to a spokesperson for the company.

"Additionally, we pay social, real estate and other taxes," said the spokesperson. "We are subject to the same tax laws as other companies and are confident that the inquiry will be resolved favorably."

McDonald's is cooperating with the investigation. If the EC finds that the company benefited illegally from tax benefits, McDonald's could end up paying over $30 million to Luxembourg and their tax situation in Europe will be changed.

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Source: Europe Investigates McDonald's Alleged Tax Evasion

A world away from Europe, US has its own migrant crisis

Washington — Waves of migrants cross five or more borders and pay thousands of dollars for safe passage to their destination. Countries slam their borders shut, stranding thousands and roiling relations with neighbors. Growing numbers of women and children flee violence at home.

And the United Nations' chief refugee organization concludes that a "looming crisis" is unfolding across a hemisphere.

Sound like just another assessment of Europe's refugee crisis? It's not.

All this describes what is taking place across South and Central America and up into Mexico as tens of thousands of Central Americans and Cubans – along with a sprinkling of others from as far away as China and India – take to the Americas' well-worn migratory paths in hopes of reaching the United States.

The numbers do not match those of Syrian refugees arriving in Europe this year, but they are staggering nonetheless and have taken US border authorities by surprise.

The s urge in what the Border Patrol calls "other than Mexicans," or OTMs, crossing the border has not generated the kind of emotional debate that Europe's refugee crisis has – or that a spike in Central American children crossing the border in summer 2014 did. But some immigration experts predict that this will change as the figures become known.

More than 45,000 Cubans are projected to migrate to the US this year, with more than 27,000 having crossed the US-Mexico border between January and October. The figures already make 2015 the biggest year for Cuban migration to the US in decades.

At the same time, migration from Central America is also rising, with regional migration experts predicting that at least 300,000 mostly Hondurans, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans will have attempted the trek by the end of the year.

In October alone, nearly 5,000 unaccompanied minors from Central America were caught illegally crossing the southern US border – about double the num ber of October 2014. The same month, more than 6,000 family members crossed the border together – triple the number of a year ago.

The exodus has led to scenes and practices that are more readily associated with Europe after a year of acute attention to Syrian refugees.

More than 5,000 US-bound Cubans currently find themselves stranded in Costa Rica after Nicaragua closed its border to Cuban migrants last month. Also, as in Europe, more migrants using land migratory corridors are putting themselves in the hands of smuggling networks, paying up to $10,000 for passage from, say, Ecuador to Texas.

Indeed, at least until recently, Ecuador served as Cubans' equivalent of a Greek island for Syrian refugees – the first stop in a long, multi-country journey to the US. That's because Ecuador did not require Cubans to attain a visa to visit. Last month, Ecuador did an about-face and started requiring visas for Cubans, sparking spontaneous street protests in Havana.Why the surge?

The similarities with Europe are real, regional and immigration experts say – although they often strongly disagree on what explains the surge on this side of the Atlantic.

"There are parallels between what's happening here and what's happening in Europe, and there are probably lots of differences, but the key thing motivating people here and in Europe is the very same – and that is the accurate assessment that these illegal immigrants will be allowed in once they reach their destination, and allowed to stay," says Mark Krikorian, executive director the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington.

Although the US government's "messaging" to Central Americans has been that they won't be allowed in and will be sent home, the reality has been very different, Mr. Krikorian says.

"Thousands of Central Americans are reaching the border every month, and in most cases, they are given a date to appear in [immigration] court and are sent on their way to Dallas or New York or wherever," he says. "The US can have all the TV and radio announcements they want down there saying people reaching the border will be sent back," he adds. "But when the guy who makes it to his destination calls home and says, 'Don't worry, it's not really like that,' who are they going to believe?"

But others say it's the conditions at home that are causing people to undertake a long journey to live elsewhere.

"El Salvador has seen this year a really worrying increase in violence and specifically in homicides to numbers that are now higher than during the civil war," says Maureen Meyer, senior associate for Mexico and migrant rights at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).

El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala all figure in the top 10 of the world's most violent countries. Rampant gang violence and a desire to flee it are prompting the waves of unaccompanied minors reaching the US border.

But the situation of the thousands of Cubans crossing the US-Mexico border is different because of the US "dry foot" policy, which promises automatic residency to any Cuban who manages to reach American soil. That decades-old policy remains the same even though the US and Cuba have reestablished diplomatic relations and Cuba has loosened its restrictions on Cubans traveling from the island.

"These changes have prompted Cubans to trade their rafts for airline tickets to get to the United States," Krikorian says. "If more Cubans are now choosing to come here by land, there's a good reason," he adds. "There are no sharks."

Off the US radar screen

Despite the rising migration tide and what the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees calls a "looming refugee crisis in the Americas," the issue has largely remained off the US radar screen, some experts say.

"We have a migration crisis in the hemisphere that piles up at the US southern border, w ith more or less 200,000 people crossing the border a year, and basically nothing much is done about it," says Manuel Orozco, program director for migration, remittances, and development at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington.

Several key reasons explain why the migration "crisis" has yet to register with Americans – aside from perhaps the attention that Donald Trump's presidential campaign has put on immigration.

For one thing, the rise in Central Americans and Cubans crossing the US-Mexico border has occurred as the number of Mexicans apprehended at the border has fallen off sharply – adding up to modest apprehension numbers.

At the same time, Mexican authorities (with US financial assistance) have beefed up migrant interdiction efforts along Mexico's southern border with Guatemala – stopping and turning back tens of thousands of Central Americans who otherwise might have made it to the US. Mexico's detentions of Central Americans over the year ending in June were up 73 percent over the previous year, to about 157,000. Deportations over the same period were up 64 percent, to 138,000.

As for the Cubans, their special immigrant status and immediate receipt of residency under the dry-foot policy mean that even tens of thousands of Cubans can enter the country with little fanfare – and be quickly absorbed into American society.

But most migration experts say nothing suggests the pressures on the southern US border will dissipate soon, and they say measures should be taken to avoid a depending crisis – even if they don't agree on what those measures should be.

"This is a huge issue that has been neglected far too long, and we're seeing the results of that neglect now," says Ms. Meyer of WOLA.

Possible steps

One priority she advocates is for the US and the rest of the hemisphere to recognize that violent conditions, particularly in northern Central America, mean the Americas have a refuge e crisis and not just a rise in economic migrants.

"As a region, we need to start addressing the flow of people as more of a mix of migrants and political refugees," she says. She notes that Mexico's refugee agency has only 15 agents nationwide to evaluate tens of thousands of Central Americans for protection as legitimate refugees. US aid to Mexico should be "rebalanced," Meyer says, to enhance Mexico's screening capabilities.

On the contrary, Krikorian says the US needs to be unequivocal about the "reality" that almost all the people crossing the border are "economic migrants," including the Cubans. "Here, as in Europe, the response needs to be clear and direct, and aimed at changing the perception that people will be allowed to stay," he says.

Where experts seem to agree is that addressing the region's migration crisis will require US leadership – but they see little prospect of that happening anytime soon.

Mr. Orozco of the Dia logue says the sight of countries squabbling over the Cubans who have been stranded on their way to the US, not to mention Central American countries trying to deal with violence and weak economies that are causing people to leave, leads him to one conclusion.

"The US needs to take the lead in efforts to do something about this crisis," he says. "But we haven't seen much of that so far."

Source: A world away from Europe, US has its own migrant crisis

Cheap city breaks: Top five European travel destinations for 2016

GETTY

STUNNING: See the Northern lights and bathe in hot springs on a trip to Iceland

With so many great European cities on our doorstep, there's little wonder 98% of UK holidaymakers claim they are planning on taking at least one short break this coming year.

But which city breaks should you be adding to your bucket list?

Here, travel specialists SuperBreak share there top five must-visit destinations. From the medieval city of Krakow to stunning Northern Ireland city of Derry, here are the places you should be seen in 2016.

1. Reykjavik, Iceland

GETTY

CHILLED: The Blue Lagoon is a great place to relax on a trip to Reykjavik

The travel company has tipped Reykjavik to be the top destination for 2016 after bookings to Iceland's capital city nearly quadrupled over the past year.

From natural wonders including the magical Northern Lights and relaxing hot springs, to the engaging night life, there really is something for everyone in this unique part of the world.

Price: from £312.50 per person based on a four night stay at the 4* Center Hotel Skjaldbreid with breakfast and return flights from London Heathrow. Valid for departure on 3rd March 2016

TRAVEL QUIZ: HOW MANY BUCKET LIST DESTINATIONS HAVE YOU VISITED? 

2. Krakow, Poland

GETTY

HISTORY: Krakow is famous for its well-preserved medieval centre

The Polish city of Krakow has grown in popularity over the last year, with web searches increasing more than six fold year on year.

Known for its well-preserved medieval core and history, this beautiful city is now one of the most popular short break destinations in Europe and is great value for money.

Price: from £199.50 per person based on a three night stay at 4* Qubus Hotel Krakow with breakfast and return flights from London Stansted. Valid for departure on 8th March2016

3. Lisbon, Portugal

GETTY

BUSTLING: Built on the coast, Lisbon is a great city for bar hopping and relaxing

Spread across steep hillsides that overlook the Rio Tejo, Portugal's capital city is a must for 2016.

Wander around the city's gothic cathedrals, majestic monasteries and quaint museums and take in the colourful landscape. After a long day exploring, witness a magical sunset from the old Moorish Castle before enjoying some tasty traditional cuisine.

Price: from £171 per person based on a three night stay at the 3* Luxe Hotel by Turim Hotels with breakfast and return flights from London Stansted. Valid for departure on 3rd March 2016

4. Madrid, Spain

GETTY

BRIGHT LIGHTS: Madrid is a great cosmopolitain city and foodie destination

Bookings to the Spanish capital have more than doubled over the past year, and with its lively culture, beautiful architecture and stunning food, it is easy to see why.

Spend your day exploring this eclectic city before enjoying an evening of fine dining, cocktails bars and world-class nightclubs.

Price: from £171 per person based on a three night stay at the 3* Luxe Hotel by Turim Hotels with breakfast and return flights from London Stansted. Valid for departure on 3rd March 2016.

5. Derry, Ireland

GETTY

SCENIC: Derry is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and located right on the stunn...

With so much to see and do, it is no wonder that the Northern Ireland city of Derry was named as the UK's first ever City of Culture. This pretty, 6th century city has something for everyone, from trendy bars and restaurants to fascinating museums, and is continuing to grow in popularity as a short break destination.

Price: from £199.50 per person based on a three night stay at the 4* City Hotel Derry with breakfast and dinner included. Return flights from London Stansted. Valid for departure on 7th March 2016.

The top travel destinations were taken from a survey of 4,841, who voted for their favourite city break.

For more inspiration and to book visit superbreak.com or call 0800 042 0288.

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Source: Cheap city breaks: Top five European travel destinations for 2016

Hawaii Tourism selects organizations for destination marketing, representation services

HONOLULU, Hawaii - The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state's tourism agency, has announced that it has selected four organizations to represent the Hawaiian Islands in Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), Korea, China, and Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy) with external destination marketing management services. Two organizations were chosen for destination representation services in Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, AVIAREPS Korea, BrandStory Asia and Hills Balfour will begin as new representation for Hawaii Tourism Korea, Hawaii Tourism China and Hawaii Tourism Europe, respectively.

Hawaii will also gain representation in the new major market area, Southeast Asia, under AVIAREPS Southeast Asia. Efforts to promote Hawaii in Southeast Asia will focus primarily on the countries of Singapore and Malaysia, and secondarily Thailand and Indonesia.

"We are pleased to welcome our new partners who will be representing us in Korea, China, Europe and Southeast Asia," said George D. Szigeti, HTA president and CEO. "As we start a new chapter here at the HTA, we are looking to take our efforts to the next level and the selection of these new organizations will improve our presence in their respective regions."

AVIAREPS Korea previously represented Hawaii in Korea from 2004 to 2014 and Hills Balfour in the U.K. between 2004 and 2008.

The Walshe Group has been working with the HTA since 2004 and will continue to represent the state in Oceania. JWI Marketing will also continue to provide destination representation in Taiwan and has been the HTA's contractor since 2014.

All services will commence on Jan. 1, 2016 and end on Dec. 31, 2016.The HTA will be holding a marketing update with its new global marketing partners on its 2016 activities Dec. 8, 2015 at the Hawaii Convention Center.

iConnect Communications has held the contract for the Korea market since Jan. 1, 2015, Travel Link Marketing has been representing China since 2014, and AVIAREPS Tourism has been the contractor since 2004. They will continue to represent Hawaii through Dec. 31, 2015.

"We would like to extend a sincere mahalo to iConnect Communications, Travel Link Marketing and AVIAREPS Tourism for their hard work and dedication in representing the Hawaiian Islands over the years," added Szigeti.

Source: Hawaii Tourism selects organizations for destination marketing, representation services

Lesson from Madrid: Europe's Tourism Industry Will Get Back to Normal

PHOTO: Three years ater a 2004 terrorist attack in Madrid killed 191 people, Spanish tourism had rebounded to the point it was the second-most visited country in Europe. (TravelPulse file photo)

Trending Now

The terrorist attacks in Paris last month sent shock waves throughout the world. In the wake of the mass shootings, travel-related industries have suffered a significant slowdown. European airline stocks are down, there have been reports of mass hotel reservation cancellations in Brussels and Paris, and estimates are saying that Paris has lost $2 billion in tourism revenue since the attacks. On the street, most Parisians are saying that there are noticeably fewer tourists.  

In the same breath, some media outlets are reporting that tourists are back on the streets of Paris and other European countries are looking forward to record numbers of arrivals in 2016. The main thing that you can really take away from all the post-attack coverage is that no one is quite sure how things will play out over the coming months. 

Looking into the past for a precedent 

Unfortunately, this was not the first terrorist attack in recent times. Nor was it the first attack on a major European capital. In 2004, Madrid's train system was bombed and 191 people were killed. To this day, it remains one of the worst terror attacks ever to occur on European soil. 

The bombings, which involved four trains heading to Madrid's central Atocha Station, were blamed on Al Qaeda, though no link was ever proven. The initial suspicion was that the attack was actually carried out by Basque separatists. This theory was dropped after a couple of days. 

With short term uncertainty, it pays to think long term

Like in Paris, there were plenty of questions in Madrid, with people asking if the attacks could have been stopped with better police work and accusing various groups of using the attacks to advance their political agenda. Tourism dropped off in the short term and financial markets tumbled. 

Fast forward to 2007, just three years after the attacks. That year, Spain became the second-most visited country on earth (after France) with almost 60 million foreign arrivals. International arrivals remained in the 50-60 million range during subsequent years. This year, the World Economic Forum put Spain first on its rankings for the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report. The report measures things like policy, infrastructure, number and accessibility of attractions and business investing environment. 

France's chance to rebound is coming soon

The point is that Spain's tourism industry did recover from the bombings in the mid and long term. Obviously, there are different variables at play in 2015, but there is a precedent that shows that it is not unreasonable for countries, companies and airlines to stick to their long-term goals and projections even when short-term events have caused uncertainty. 

France has already passed a major benchmark, hosting the current climate change forum. Next year's Euro soccer tournament will be a huge chance to get things back to normal by putting people's minds back on leisure instead of danger.  

Source: Lesson from Madrid: Europe's Tourism Industry Will Get Back to Normal