Today, the community operates cruises from the township of Aurukun along waterways rich in birdlife, flora and fauna.

The wetlands cover more than 1 million hectares (about 8 per cent of Cape York) and include important breeding areas for waterbirds.

Environmental audits have identified several colonies of more than 5000 birds. Naturalists believe there are more than 1000 bird species in the region.

Four-night cruises from Aurukun, which has about 1200 inhabitants, also allow plenty of time for fishing and give visitors a close look at Aboriginal culture. They can hear stories of ancient times, watch spear-making and throwing demonstrations and learn about bush tucker and bush medicine.

Travel is aboard an air-conditioned vessel designed for wetlands cruising.

It sleeps eight passengers in one four-berth and two twin cabins.

Escape Travel, part of the Flight Centre group, is selling the cruises for travel from March next year, during the dry season.

Prices start at $2040 a person twin-share, including all meals and activities but not the cost of getting to Aurukun. Direct flights operate from Cairns. Phone 1300 799 783 or see www.escapetravel.com.au.

Round the Benz

Competition among Australian travel agents marketing Europe river cruises is producing some novel sightseeing extras.

Among the latest is a package featuring visits to the factories and museums of three of Germany’s blue-ribbon car makers - BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

The five-day package also includes visits to German castles and spa resorts, and has been tailored by Cruise Express as an add-on to two weeks of Rhine and Danube cruising in April or August next year.

Costs, including return air travel from Australia, start at $12,580 a person twin-share. Phone 1300 766 537 or see www.cruiseexpress.com.au.

Passenger storm

Passengers on cruise ships affected by a succession of Caribbean hurricanes are reportedly philosophical about sudden itinerary changes. But there’s apparently a limit to their tolerance.

When the liner Carnival Miracle detoured to avoid tropical storm Hanna, some passengers thought the change of course was so extreme they “virtually mutinied”, according to comments posted on cruise websites.

The ship, originally due to visit Caribbean ports on an eight-night sailing from New York, was heading south to the Bahamas on a modified itinerary when the captain decided the storm could still prove a threat.

He turned the ship around and it ended up in Newport, Rhode Island, north of its departure point and 1600 kilometres off its original course.

Some passengers allegedly were so angry that they gathered in a group at the purser’s desk chanting “refund, refund”. One website posting described the scene as chaotic.

Source-http://www.smh.com.au

Do you have any recommendations for cruising with teenage boys? They will be 17, 13 and 11 when we are thinking of taking this trip.

— Annette Traverso, San Rafael

This was an easy one for the cruise experts.

“Definitely Royal Caribbean. Voyager or Freedom class ship. No other ship compares for teens!” says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of CruiseCritic.com, the Web’s largest interactive guide to cruising.

From the nation’s cruising capital, Florida, travel editor Jane Wooldridge of the Miami Herald chimes in. “When it comes to boy teens, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ rock-climbing wall, ice-skating and surf-rider are the way to go.”

Wooldridge has traveled with three boys of these ages and also has sent many families with similar-age kids on cruises over the years, so she knows what of she speaks.

“But,” she quickly adds, “it has to be a ship that has all the bells and whistles. We took the boys on an RCCL ship that didn’t have the latest and greatest, and it was a nightmare. The kids had seen all this stuff advertised and they expected it, and when we got on board and the ship (from an older class) didn’t have these amenities, the kids were severely cranky — and bored!”

For ships with all those bells and whistles, check out the Freedom of the Seas, Independence of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas — all part of Royal Caribbean’s “Freedom” . Class of ships. Ships in the “Voyager” class have walls, rinks and miniature golf courses, but not the heavily hyped and wildly popular FlowRider surf park.

Besides ship choice, other key factors in a cruise decision are itinerary and shore excursions. For example, a European itinerary offers so much to do on land that ship amenities may play a secondary role. But if you have Alaska in your sights, prepare to spend plenty on adventurous shore excursions, Wooldridge advises.

“Alaska is all about the land, and not exploring the land to the fullest leaves you feeling unsatisfied,” she says. “I always tell people to save Alaska for a year when they aren’t going to feel shy about a $369 excursion. Times five, that’s a pretty big number — and that’s only for one flight-seeing trip.

Source-http://www.mercurynews.com

The Victorian Opposition has accused the State Government of trying to cover up nearly $300,000 worth of travel expenses by revealing them on the eve of the AFL grand final.

The State Government spent $280,000 on overseas travel for seven government ministers in the last quarter.

Tony Robinson went on an ANZAC study tour, Bronwyn Pike, Peter Batchelor and Gavin Jennings attended conferences, Theo Theophanous supported a fashion design mission and Lisa Neville learned about the European mental health system.

The Premier’s trip to America in June was the most expensive, costing taxpayers an average of $8,000 a day.

The Opposition’s Scrutiny of Government spokesman, David Davis, has questioned the timing of the release.

“This one’s been released under the cover of the grand final,” he said.

The Government says ministerial travel plays a key role in attracting investment to Victoria.

Source- http://www.abc.net.au

LOS ANGELES, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Business travel, which has propped up the hotel industry amid a dip in demand from leisure travelers, now looks ready to weaken as the recent carnage on Wall Street reverberates through businesses of all sorts.

“There is a lot of uncertainty and everyone is trying to cut costs where they can. Travel is one of the first things businesses will look at,” said Jeremy Glaser, a hospitality industry analyst at Morningstar.

JP Morgan analyst Joe Greff lowered earnings estimates on Thursday for all lodging companies under coverage, citing factors such as lower corporate volumes and higher group cancellation rates. He also lowered ratings on Marriott International Inc and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc to “neutral” from “overweight.”

Hotel industry tracker Smith Travel Research lowered its forecast this week for 2008 revenue per available room — a combination of room rates and occupancy that is a benchmark of industry health — to 1 percent, compared with its forecast of 5.2 percent at the beginning of 2008, when business travel was expected to hold firm.

“I think in the next few months we are going to see a lot of (travel budget) cutbacks,” by companies looking to defend their bottom lines, said Kenneth Simonson, chief economist at Associated General Contractors of America, the largest trade association of builders.

He spoke here on Wednesday before some 5,000 franchisees, hotel owners and managers at InterContinental Hotels Group Plc’s annual Americas conference.

InterContinental, the world’s largest hotelier, said earlier this week the hotel market in the Americas came to a standstill in August as the economic downturn in the United States began to be felt.

The British-based owner of the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands, which earns almost 70 percent of its income from the United States, said revenue per available room (RevPAR) across the Americas was flat August.

“The investment banks are capturing the headlines, but when you peel it back, the number of people moving around is not much less than it was,” Andrew Cosslett, IHG’s CEO, told Reuters in an interview.

Mark Lomanno, president at Smith Travel Research, said any softness in travel volumes has so far been offset by higher hotel room rates now that operators have gotten savvy about the pitfalls of discounting.

After the dislocation of the 2001 terrorist attacks, hotel operators, aided by the take-off of Internet price comparisons, slashed room rates to attract visitors.

“What’s different now is the behavior of the industry — systems are better, more sophisticated,” Lomanno said. “It doesn’t work to employ a discounting strategy in a declining market.”

Prime locations are likely to fare best.

Lomanno said a weak U.S. dollar has aided top-tier U.S. markets such as New York and Orlando, Florida, while plans by airlines to significantly cut back on capacity is a worrisome trend for secondary and tertiary U.S. markets.

Morningstar’s Glaser also said well-located hotels in major cities are likely to fare relatively well, while properties in other markets are on much shakier footing.

“I think we are starting to see weakness in the middle of the week — which means the weakness is spreading into business travel,” he said.

Glaser expects flat to negative RevPAR growth for U.S. hotels this year and negative numbers in 2009.

“If this is an extended downturn, ADRs (average daily rates) will go flat or slightly negative,” Lomanno said.

Cosslett told the meeting that the hotel industry is “not immune to the upheavals taking place … and while we might have every confidence in Hank Paulson, the reality is that credit is tightening … costs are rising … and travel budgets are being squeezed.” (Editing by Andre Grenon)

Source:www.guardian.co.uk

Traveling planning plays a great role for a winning and pleased traveling experience. How you plan your important travels that could help you plan and enjoy your holidays. Here are some good Travel tips such as Air travel tips, cheap airfare tips, travel insurance tips, and travel packing tips would put away you from irritate of being trapped off guard through travel.

Many travel guides list many destinations depending on your savor and intention. While adventurous people would like to go for Rock, ice-rafting, hiking, jungle trips or river rafting, couples would like to select idealistic destinations. Also, corroborate the climatic and climate situation consequently you can have appropriate wear to enjoy the holiday. Having right global tour tips and sketch of the potential expenses in the destination would help you in organizing travel inside your budget.

Free travel tips, yeah it is true. Search local magazines or websites to find various free travel tips and free holiday travel offers. You can find many travel offers packaged with the purchase of some consumer electronic items or other household goods. Some good but not-so-popular destinations also offer down to earth packages for a fun filled vacation.

Few hotels and resorts give free travel- fare if you accommodate rooms in their hotels. Finances play an essential role in your travel. While traveling cost typically go beyond the budget, so remain some liberty in your funds for demand. In overseas trips, always bear more than enough hard cash because cash is the only means of survival. With no friends and relatives, cash will take care of all emergencies. There are definite conditions in which your credit card would be of no use and you will need cash to take care of certain demands.

Voyage preparation is not just about planning the destination, mode of travel and the best possible resorts. You have to take care of proper documents and packing to enjoy a fun filled holiday and hassle free traveling. The most important travel planning and travel documents tips is to keep ready all documents before going on a vacation outside the US or even within the country. For foreign trips, Passport, Visa, Driving License and Insurance coverage are the most important documents that you need to carry along with you. While you may have your passport ready in hand, you will have to apply for a Visa for the destination country. Apply for the visa well in time to avoid last minute jitters.

Travel packing tips is necessary to keep you happy and hassle free during your travel. Keep your luggage handy and well organized according to the requirements. Pack your luggage according to weather conditions of the visiting destination. An extra luggage often becomes a liability. For certain items, it is cheaper to use and throw them in the destination itself rather than carrying an extra baggage for them.

Many people think The last minutes cruise are instant booking of Cruises which are going to depart within minutes or next two or three days. No not all, last minute cruises are not really so last minute. Last minute cruise is a kind of cruises, which start their booking between 60 days and six months in advance. That gives enough time to find someone to water your plants and feed the pet before leaving. Last minute cruises are booked in order to get potential relaxation, in addition to allowing the passenger to enjoy a cruise traveling, to a destination of their choice all over the world.

The booking of last minutes cruise and full price cruise is totally differ, it is depends on choice. When you are looking for full priced cruise booking then you can select when and where you want to go and which type of cabin you will inhabit. Apart these during the last minute cruise booking you have to intimate with much lower price in exchange for more limited options. When shopping for last-minute cruises, you’ll need to be flexible.

Last minute Christmas Carnival, New Year Tours and cruises that are in extreme times are unavailable for last minute cruises and cheap cruise.

Someone think the cruises are just as a party-ship, they are for party only, and they are not for honeymoon celebrations. No it is not true! Its totally depends on your cruise lines choice. Some good cruise lines offer a high class travel and some cruise ships offer great packages that are affordable. So do not think zigzag. Plan your honeymoon celebration with good cruises. The romance of honeymoon cruise holydays makes your perfect wedding honeymoon vacation getaway. A cruise is a best choice for you and your loved one honeymoon, and yet it’s easy to plan, you get to see most variety of places and you get to travel without packing and unpacking several times on your honeymoon cruise vacation.

There are many attractive offers for newlyweds such as a wedding cake at dinner on your first night. Plus, some money to which you can decorate your room you’re your choices like Mylar balloons, and a cake, a dozen red roses, corbel champagne with flutes.You can smell the salt air; feel the warm, gentle trade winds on your face. As you stroll hand-in-hand or dance to a lively calypso beat, you wonder, “Is there a more romantic spot on earth?”. These things make your honeymoon special.

The Million people’s dreaming to travelling with America Holland Cruises.If you are going to hunting a memorabale travelling then stop and think for America Holland cruises. America cruise comprises mega-ship cruises as well as small ship cruises. Luxury on water, these cruises in America leave an indelible mark on its guests.

Some of the most sought after vacation cruises in America are provided by ships like America Star, America Spirit, America Eagle and America Glory. With 12 luxury ships sailing to more than 280 ports of call and all seven continents, and more ships and tours being added each year, Holland America’s commitment to providing the best in cruise vacations is confirmed by awards and accolades from leaders in the tourism industry.

There are following Cruise and Cruise Lines are serving between Holland America Cruises with the enjoy and glory are:
Carnival Cruise Lines- Baja Mexico Cruises , 3 - 5 day Caribbean Cruises, Southern Caribbean Cruises, Europe & Mediterranean Cruises, Eastern Caribbean Cruises, Western Caribbean Cruises and Mexican Riviera Cruises
Cunard Line- Caribbean Cruises, Trans-Atlantic Cruises, Europe & Mediterranean Cruises
Holland America Line- Alaska Cruises, Europe & Mediterranean, Hawaii Cruises, South America, Asia & Pacific Cruises, Panama Canal Cruises, Australia & South Pacific Cruises, Caribbean Cruises, Mexico Cruises
Princess Cruises- Alaska Cruises, Europe & Mediterranean, Caribbean Cruises, Mexico Cruises, Orient/Asia Cruises, Panama

The prices of cruises have been very affordable and cheap,If you are looking for Discount Cruise it is drop more than 50 to 60%.Now you and your loved one can enjoy an adventure cruise travelling in the whole world like United States, Canada and UK at very discounted prices. The discount cruises do not compensate on the luxuries and comforts of the contemporary lifestyle.

Besides being one of the booming sectors in the travel industry, cruising is popular especially among the wealthy groups. Some of the famous world cruise lines offering discount cruises on cruise vacations are Holland America, Costa, Princess, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Oceania, Crystal and Celebrity Cruise. Check out the latest offers on discount cruises before venturing out.

China Cruises will take you to the 3rd largest country in the world that is abode to lots of varied attraction such as Deserts, Forests, Hills, Plains, Water Bodies, and Shoreline.

Looking for a China Cruise vacation and treat you to a majestic holiday. Speaking of treats, one cannot help but mention the sumptuous Chinese cuisines. It is most likely the mainly appreciated and required after international food all over the world, and when in China, the Chinese food must be renowned. So satisfy your stomach and senses with the appetizing spread.

So intimate with on a China Cruise and acquire to know this eastern country directly. You will enjoy every instant of the trip and the luxury of a cruise will just add to all the delight. It is an absolute diverse bag and surely a very popular place to visit at anytime of the year. The Great Wall of China is for all time an attraction, but given the multiplicity of the land, you will just be left astonished by the fascinating usual loveliness that this far eastern country has to offer.