Rhodes Greek Island

02/06/2010 by Silver Blogger.

A View of the Greek Island Rhodes
by: Dan Williams
If you have always fancied a holiday on a Greek island but were worried about busy beaches and crowded bars and night clubs full of noisy young people having fun then perhaps Rhodes is the destination you’ve been looking for. Perhaps it’s the location of Rhodes that sets it apart from other Greek islands, being much nearer to the coast of Turkey than Greece. Rhodes certainly has a slightly different feel to the other main islands like Corfu, Kos, Mykonos, Naxos and Kefallonia and Zakynthos off the west coast. It seems to attract an older cross-section of travellers and more family groups.

As you read through the reviews posted by people about their visits to the island, the common theme is quiet beaches, relaxed surroundings and peaceful days in the sun.

Quality is another word associated with Rhodes and the island has its fair share of luxury 5-Star Hotels.

Rhodes is lucky enough to enjoy over 250 kilometers of coast and therefore has a great choice of beaches. One of the best is the oddly named Anthony beach, named after the actor Anthony Quinn who fell in love with the island while filming The Guns of Navarone and ended up buying some land on the island. This beach is small and beautiful but not well suited for families with young children as the rocks and stones are tricky underfoot.

A more developed beach with full facilities can be found at Faliraki Beach. It is one of the biggest and most developed beaches on the island and has lots of golden sand and clear waters to keep holidaymakers happy. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants on hand and also a choice of watersports activities for more active people. Kalathos beach and Tsabika beach both offer soft sand, but many beaches on Rhodes are stony so families with children should check carefully where they head for.

Like many Greek islands, the main town has the same name as the island itself and Rhodes town is certainly full of interesting attractions. It has its fair share of tourist developments, including large hotels and shopping areas but it also has a wealth of history to explore and enjoy. The medieval part of the city, sitting high above the harbour, dates back many hundreds of years and old fortifications indicate that the town was often subjected to siege and invasion over the centuries. It is this part of Rhodes that attracts many visitors. The large palace surrounded by paved walkways and alleyways, combined with squares, courtyards and gateways provides an old town that illustrates architecture and style throughout the ages. The main fortress is divided into northern and southern halves. In the south the Hora houses a Turkish bazaar and other markets, while the northern section, the Kollakio, has the Street of Knights the palace of the Grand Master. Rhodes town, which is accessed by one of eleven ancient gateways, has been nominated as a site of world cultural heritage by UNESCO, one of only 878 in the world.

Rhodes is also a very green town, with areas of grassland between the old castles and many tree-lined avenues. It certainly makes a stroll around the town a very pleasant way to pass the time.

The harbour is a central focal point for the capital and, although not large by any means, has an interesting mix of old and modern boats. It is also a stopping point for larger passenger ships and island hopping cruise ships.

Flights into Rhodes arrive at Diagoras International Airport, which is situated south-west of Rhodes town, about 15 kilometers away. The airport takes a mix of national flights, mainly from Athens and charter flights from abroad bringing holidaymakers to the island. The airport was opened in the late seventies but benefits from a new terminal which opened 3 years ago.

About The Author
Islands like Rhodes are popular tourist destinations and Dan Williams has all the information people look for before they travel. He can also help tourists find cheap flights to Rhodes and other locations such as those offered on the FlyThomasCook website.

Article courtesy of Article City

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Holidays in India

02/06/2010 by Dave.

Exciting Destinations For India Holidays
by: Rajesh Kumar

India is one of the most sought after destinations for tourism and holidays in South Asia. India attracts tourists and vacationers from all over the world. Rich in its culture, the country of India has excellent tourist facilities to give vacationers truly mesmerizing holidaying experience. The country has been emerged a holiday destinations with tremendous tourism opportunity and lots of activities to do. In this country, you will find many destinations which have been synonyms with holidaying. Kashmir, Goa, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, etc are some popular destinations for holidaying in India.

Kashmir is a beautiful destination located in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. It is gifted with exceptional nature beauty and often referred as the “Switzerland of Asia” or sometimes it is also called the “Paradise on the Earth”. It is a very fascinating holiday destination in the country where many holiday ideas are emerged. Kashmir valley attracts tourists and vacationers from all over the world with tremendous sightseeing opportunity and lots of activities to do. Vacationers can spend vacation in picturesque locations like Gulmarg, Srinagar, Pahalgam, Sonmarg, etc. Gulmarg is one of the finest skiing resorts in the world. Srinagar is known for lovely lakes, gorgeous gardens, religious shrines and overall generous people who are always ready to help tourists. Vacationers have opportunity to stay at luxury and deluxe hotels moored on the banks of picturesque Dal Lake. Tourists have also opportunity to enjoy Shikara Ride over Dal Lake and Nagin Lake. Indeed, Kashmir can be a very fascinating destination for your holidays in India.

Goa is a tiny emerald in the azure Arabian Sea. It has been a globally famous holiday destination in India with its world class beach resorts, fantastic forts & monuments, intricate churches and terrific temples. There are many beautiful palm-fringed beaches in Goa which are very popular among vacationers and also among honeymooning couples. Anjuna, Palolem, Aguada, Benaulim, Dona Paula, etc are some of popular beach destinations in this gorgeous state. Vacationers have wonderful ambiance for their vacations on these beaches. And they have also opportunity to enjoy some of water sport activities like scuba diving, water scootering, water skiing, wind surfing, dinghy sailing, boat cruise, river cruise, etc. Beaches here endowed with copious nature beauty and very ideal for swimming, bathing and sun basking. Vacations in Goa also provide vacationers wonderful opportunity to see some of historical monuments like Portuguese churches and colonial buildings. Churches of Goa have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will surly love to spend your vacation in Goa on your India tours and travels.

Curving alongside the cerulean Arabian Sea on the southern tip of India, Kerala is a beautiful state in the country. It is one of the very ideal destinations for India holidays. It enthralls vacationers and tourists with its superb greenery and copious nature beauty created by palm-fringed beaches, verdant hill stations, lush plantations, exotic wildlife, serene & scenic backwaters and many historical sites. Himachal Pradesh is located in the foothills of majestic Himalayas. This charming and captivating state of India is very popular among vacationers with its mind-boggling and beautiful hill stations like Shimla, Manali, Kullu, Dharamshala, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Kangra Valley, etc. Andaman & Nicobar is very popular among vacationers with its unique serenity and copious nature beauty. Agra (the City of Taj Mahal), Delhi (Capital City of India), Mumbai, etc are other fascinating destinations of India tours and travels. In fact, the beautiful country of India has many more fascinating destinations which are popular for India tour packages. So plan your holidays in India and convert your holidays into a lingering affair.

About The Author
Rajesh Kumar is an eminent analyst and writer in India Travel & Tourism related topics. He has authored many books on tour guide for India tours and India tour packages. Find more packages at
Indian Luxury Tours.

This article was printed courtesy of articlecity.com

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Unconvential honeymoon in Norway

15/03/2010 by steffi.

Me and my husband  got ourselves attracted by beauties of Norway and spent our honeymoon by walking on glacier, kayaking on white water and climbing..

We are both to active to spend all day doing nothing, lying on the beach, so it was unanimous agreement to undertake something challenging. So we discovered by intensive searching, Multi Activity Holidays by FlatEarth in Ovre Eidfjord. It is a package of various outdoor activities conducted with instructor and FlatEarth provides with all equipment (so you don’t have to own paddles, harness or ice axe). All activities take place in breath taking nature of Norway.

Eidfjord can be found in Hardangervidda National Park which belongs to the largest national parks in Europe. Eidfjord takes advantage of its unique position by offering glaciers, fjords, mountains, wild river, lakes to its curious and eager visitors. Eidfjord is to be reached by taking train from Bergen or Oslo and afterwards bus from Geilo taking you directly to this place. Journey was pleasant as I could not have enough of observing the passing by environment.

We were accommodated in Eidfjord Gjestgiveri knwon for its traditional recipe of pancakes (which are delightful by the way). It was situated about 1 minute from FlatEarth centre so we did not have to use any other way of transport. The transport for particular activity was provided by FlatEarth.

We’ve been taken care of, I must admit, in all possible waysJ FlatEarth provided us a complete service not only by all booked activities but also by its indivual approach, trying to adjust the schedule to our requirements and circumstances. The staff was very helpful and kind, interested in us as humans and not just as “subject of future gains”, which was nice change after our some unpleasant experiences from the past. We were treated as friends, as part of the company. That was why we extended our stay for few more days and spent them hiking and wandering in the Hardangervidda in the routes recommended by them.

I have to say that it was perfect way of celebrating our love, the commitment. The rush of adrenalin, excitment of discovering of unknown areas, was the perfect beginning of our marriage. FlatEarth, thank you so much‼‼

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FlatEarth- Ideal for active family holiday

14/03/2010 by sunflowwer.

 

Multi Activity Holidays- package of never-to-be-forgotten experiences in Eidfjord, Norway

The holidays by Flatearth provided with ideal solution for my two teenage kids bored with their stereotype life. I decided to break our tradition way of spending our holidays, so-called “lying on the beach” holidays and pick something absolutely different. I was lucky enough to discover FlatEarth on internet offering package of sport activities (incl. instructors and all equipment needed). All sport events don’t require any particular skills, everything available for beginners (of course advanced courses were at disposal as well), so ideal for my familyJ

Of course my kids were not so thrilled about this idea, but you should have seen their faces when we were passing the countryside from the airport for Eidfjord, which is located about 300km from Bergen and 350km from Oslo. Renting a car seemed to be adequat option for us intended to stop, take a rest, admire the nature and make some pictures. The journey took us longer than we expected but we weren’t in hurry. In the late afternoon we arrived to our camping just as near the lake as possible. Eidfjord neighbours to Hardangervidda National Park which is the largest national park in Norway and man can find here everything such as wild rivers, highland, fjords, lakes, waterfalls and glacier, why go anywhere else?

Just near the FlatEarth centre is unique restaurant with goats feeding on the grass on the roof, never seen anything like that before. According to our schedule next few days were fully occupied with sea kayaking, white water kayaking, glacier expedition, climbing, abseiling and canoe rental. Everything in one week, quite challenging‼ I must admit that I was bit worried how we can keep up but the instructors adjusted the tempo to our physical shape and we have overcome ourselves. And the kids just loved it. Not only the spectacular nature of Norway but also all these activities were really fun. During the last days we decided to explore the beauties of fjord and we took canoes. That day we got reallt lucky. We got to see 3 beautiful dolphins few meters from us, we all were amazed.

Eidfjord is magnific small, quiet place, but you can find there anything you want. Plenty of hotels with typical norwegian interior, cottages, campings, pubs and lots of events are taken place in here representing natural values and traditions.

Multi Activity Holidays by FlatEarth was extraordinary and I can only recommend it to those of you interested in exploring loveliness of unspoilt nature, not damaged by industrial civilization.

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Holidays and Family

22/02/2010 by Dave.

Holidays and Family

by: Eric Wilson http://www.articlegimp.com/

Holidays are meant to unwind from your stressful life. In the present age, when life has become extremely stressful, one needs to find an outlet to unwind and what better way to do that than to go on a vacation with your family. A good holiday spent with your loved ones is an ideal way to destress

Holidays are a means for family bonding. There can be nothing more rejuvenating than a peaceful family holiday. Finding time from your hectic life for your family is really difficult. But one has to find time for loved ones and a vacation with the family is an assured way of strengthening the relationships.

A short weekend trip or a longer vacation- whichever it is, it doesn’t matter but quality time spent with loved ones will definitely bring you closer to them. This time spent together will go a long way in cementing your relationships. The affection between you will grow and the emotional bonding will strengthen.

Once you take out time from your tight schedule, then comes the daunting task of choosing the right spot for your holiday. It is of utmost importance as you need to please each member of the family. Each may have their own preferences, but once you reach a consensus, it works towards helping you to enjoy your holidays to the maximum.

There are many beautiful destinations around the world and depending upon your taste and likes you could make the rightful choice. You could head for the beaches or for the mountains. You could take off into the wild or you could settle for someplace quiet. You could travel the paths of history or could rest in the laps of nature.

However, in this varied choice, there are some destinations which are more favorable and enjoyable than the others- Lapland is one of them. This province of Finland with its pristine snow landscape is an ideal winter vacation spot.

Christmas time is the best time to visit Lapland, the hometown of Santa Claus as it is popularly known as. Its winter activities include skiing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, ice-skating and others.

So plan it out and take off on a holiday and have fun with your family and loved ones.

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How to relax on Holiday

02/11/2009 by Dave.

How to relax on a package holiday.

 

There is no magic formula, no strict rules or off the shelf answers to finding out the secret of how to relax on a package holiday. Whether you are cycling up the side of a mountain or into your fourth book on a sun drenched beach I can’t tell you how to relax on holiday but I can give you some tips that hopefully will help you to relax and enjoy your holidays. I believe there are two types of package holidays, last Minute Holidays and Planned Holidays.

 

Last Minute Holidays

 

Now I do not want to say never go on a last minute packaged holiday, this would be completely out of order. However, if you are looking for a relaxing holiday this may not be a wise choice. In my opinion holidaymakers going on a last minute packaged holiday need to be prepared for the worse. But with some small amount of planning even this type of holiday can be relaxing.

 

Last minute package holidays can vary from skiing trips, coach trips, island hopping, sailing, or relic hunting, they all need a certain amount of planning if you are going to find them relaxing. Before jumping into an agreement with a tour operator you need to make sure you ask all the appropriate questions. We are all different and what suits one person will not suit the next. So before going to the travel agents or booking on line make a few notes such as: -

 

What is the full cost of the holiday, are there any discounts available.

What are the flight times and are there alternative airport departures.

What is the transfer time from airport to the hotel?

What are the boarding arrangements i.e. half board, full board or B & B.

What is the location like, most travel agents should be able to tell you something about the resort. i.e. the beach, places of interest, restaurants, hotel activities etc

What is the nightlife like in the hotel or the resort?

Is the hotel for the young or the not so young?

If your thinking about going to an hotel find out about the food arrangements i.e. is it formal or is it Buffet style.

Coach journeys, ask if there is a toilet on the coach, how often do we stop, what time do we set off in the mornings.

 

These are just a few of the sort of questions you need to get answers to if you want to be sure the holiday is for you. Just by doing a little bit of planning even last minute holidays can be relaxing.

 

Planned Holidays

 

Most holidaymakers like to plan their holidays; it’s the buzz of knowing that some time in the not too distant future your going to get away from the every day activities and hopefully have a relaxing enjoyable holiday. The worst thing that can happen is that after all that planning and waiting, the dream holiday that you have been planning for is not such a dream holiday after all. I can’t promise that you will find that magic formula by reading this article but I can say it works for me.

 

How many times have you said after your holiday “I had a really great time this year and I am going back again next year.” But never do.

 

We have met many people on holiday who go back to the same place year after year and like me I bet you thought, “Why would I want to go back year after year to the same place.” The reason is because these people have found their favourite holiday place where they can enjoy themselves and relax. Now that may be for different reasons such as because the scenery is fantastic, the hotel is friendly and welcoming, or the resort is quite or lively and many more reasons. 

 This year we went on holiday to an hotel we have been to on several occasions, but rarely two years running. However, something different happened this year and we came back off holiday in July and two weeks later we booked the same hotel again. Why, because we think we have found our ideal holiday place where we can enjoy our holiday and relax. 

It all starts with trying to decide where you are going to go on holiday. My advice here is to make sure you are all in agreement on where you would like to go. Visit your local travel agents and ask for the brochures you think may be of interest to you and your family. These days you can get brochures sent to you or down loaded on line. Check out your favourite web sites to get a better idea and understanding of what’s on offer. If it is a beach type holiday I recommend you visit The Holiday Photo Site (http://www.holidayphotosite.co.uk) this site will help you to choose your ideal holiday destination.

 

This is the singular most important decision you will need to make so make a list of all the things you are looking for and in just the same way as for the Last Minute deals make sure you understand exactly what you are paying your money for. If you have children, involve them, make it a fun thing rather than a chore. Remember keeping the kids happy on holiday will give you more time to enjoy yourselves and relax.

 

The planning of your relaxing holiday does not stop here. Make a list of all the things you have to do. Some of my tips are below -

 

Arrange the holiday insurance. Shop around you will be surprised at the many deals on offer. Alternatively your travel agent will arrange this for you.

Arrange the car parking. It’s wise to do this early.

Find out about your destination, places of interest, check out the web for photos. I find there is nothing more annoying than reading up about your holiday destination when you arrive back home and discovering places that you would have loved to visit.

Make a list of things that you need to take with you. Our list comes out every year.

Do not leave your shopping till the last minute.

Decide how you are going to take your holiday money, traveller checks, Euros etc.

Weigh your suitcases before leaving home; overweight cases can cost you dearly.

Decide how you are going to get to the airport and leave yourself plenty of time.

Pack that book that you have been putting off reading, just to read on holiday.

Make a list of the telephone numbers if you need to ring home when away.

 

I think your probably starting to get the idea, by careful planning you can take out the stress and strains that we have all suffered before we actually go on holiday. If you can start your holiday in a relaxed state knowing that everything that you need has been packed and it all goes like clockwork your half way there to a relaxing holiday. When you finally arrive at your destination it’s then that the unwinding and relaxing can really start, but that is another story.

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Cheap flights online booking discount fairs

30/07/2009 by johnsmith9.

Hello,

It is quite to say that without proper plannings of the tour trip will not give the satisfaction and its incomplete to travel the places and wasting of time and money. Once upon a time its take the time to travel to destination places but know the technology is vast and developed a lot, airlines are increased for the helpful to the people. Here is the problem that without proper plannings and not choosing of travel agent from the well known websites they became unsatisfactory while their choosing journey. So Planning of Tour is essential and taking the guidance of tour agent by pickup the service offered from the website rendering and also see they offering any discounts should be consider, then automatically the tour will be successful and beneficiary for the tourist while traveling and enjoying the beautiful places by seeing the tourist……

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Holiday Flights

20/03/2009 by Silver Blogger.

Cheap flights online

By tom cena www.free-articles-zone.com

Today everybody is looking out for cheap flights online, but increase in the airfare while traveling has become very difficult issues among the common people to plan their holiday vacation at any exotic holiday destination by any airlines. As there are so many persons who love to fly where traveling is concern but with the increased airfare it is not so easy and traveling by flight may leave you with a hole in your pockets as well. For a cheap and comfortable traveling everybody wants cheap flights for his/her travel destination. However, many of travelers find difficulties fulfilling their travel as they fail to plan for the entire journey, which is the major drawback while arranging a trip. But finding out the best offers and more importantly finding out cheap online flights to their desired location is quite distressing and pleasurable. There are various online travel sites that come up with plenty of online cheap offers or discount airfares. Only for cheap flights you can see several of travel portal online available for you but only few of them know about how online travel site gives you your cheap airfare on one search. It has been seen while traveling a passenger sitting next to you has bought his cheap flights online and you paid full price for the same airline and for same traveling destination. Today I will tell you how to make utilize of such online cheap flights and save you pocket from getting hole.

Get some helpful hints and tactical tips on how to buy cheap flights available online. A question arises on whether a traveler has done enough research work or went to the right travel site to find the bargain. All such worries can be alleviated with the help of online travel sites, word-of-mouth, and travel agents. Make use of various resources that are used to provide information about cheap flights and best airfare deals. Knowing what types of resources are available and using them to their advantage is the way to get those cheap flights online. Majority of the online travel sites aims to give best and cheap flights to his/her customer only on one search. A traveler should have to mention their travel need means when and where should like to go means their travel destination, and also they have to tell them about booking for their flights, hotels or cruise. Only travel loving person have to contact customer care via email and they will contact you via your phone email address with your complete travel packages related to your flights, hotels etc various travel sites are one source of finding cheap airline tickets and you can also look at bargain airfare sites. A search for cheap online flights among different carriers ensures that you get the cheapest fare. Various airlines display information about inexpensive flights offer on their websites depending on the season, destinations and departures. Browsing and comparing various cheap flights online ensures a traveler to get the best deal available.

Generally on online travel sites you can book you airline tickets along with your complete information about your destination like about your desired location, destination weather, perfect time to visit, tourist attraction, accommodations, entertainment places and when and where should you go in your destination. One can come across cheap flights online if they desire to break their flight journey. Most of the times it is more expensive to buy a direct flight than to buy a flight that stops one or two (or even three) times on the way. Such issues has been seen while using an online travel or flight agency, indirect flights will be cheaper, as you’ll be likely to fly with various companies at the lowest prices available. A traveler can book their cheap flight online if they settle their flying dates on midweek. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the perfect cheap days to fly if you want to save money. Look out for sales and discounted tickets while are mostly available on weekdays. Don’t try to fly on local events or holidays; flights will be packed and really expensive on thanksgiving, Christmas or on New Year.

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Malta Holidays

20/03/2009 by Silver Blogger.

Malta Holidays Beating The Credit Crunch

By Roger Munns 

Oil prices and higher aviation fuel costs might suggest that Malta, which is a three hour flight from her main market of the United Kingdom, might see a drop in tourist numbers this year.

And with the media reporting on a possible recession there could be even more reasons why a holiday in Malta might not be top of everyone’s list for summer 2008.

But surprisingly reports from Malta suggest that the island could see a rise in the number of tourists taking a holiday there this year.

The Malta holidays industry could get an unexpected boost this summer too as Spain, which is the number one destination for European holidays, suffered adverse publicity in June as strikes over the price of fuel resulted in poor publicity suggesting some hotels and resorts were struggling to keep going.

But some in the travel industry think that the suggestions of a ten per cent rise in the number of tourists this year could be optimistic.

‘We might have agreed with the analysis a couple of months ago’, state Malta holidays internet site YourMalta.com, ‘But we have seen quite a decline in the number of people enquiring about holidays and hotels in Malta in the last couple of months, and the highest number of visitors will be July and August. Unless there’s a sharp rise in the number of people taking late bookings we can’t see the year overall showing a ten per cent rise, nothing like it.’

Indeed some analysts in the travel industry might agree that as the UK is the main market for Malta hotels and holidays, that falling house prices, job insecurity and a faltering economy could stop some Brits taking an overseas trip at all in 2008 in favour of a cheaper one on home soil.

Cheap Malta Flights

But whether the rise in the number of people taking a holiday in Malta this year is ten per cent or less than that, there is no doubt that the Malta hotels and holidays market has done well in the last three years, returning it to mainstream holiday destination status.

Malta has successfully diversified her market place, making it less reliant on the British tourist, who has been the mainstay of the Malta holidays industry in the past.

Low cost airlines, and Malta’s own airline - Air Malta - have opened new routes to Malta, allowing other Europeans apart from the British to have a holiday in Malta, and with flights to Malta cheaper now than in previous years it has helped boost the number of British tourists too who might previously have been put off by the cost of flights to Malta compared to Spain.

Notable successes in the island’s diversification has seen the number of tourists from Italy, Sweden, Norway and even Spain discover what Malta has to offer.

And it’s not just cheap flights to Malta that have attracted the tourists - Malta is steeped in history, churches, beaches and some of the Malta hotels are now offering the best spa facilities in the Mediterranean.

The property industry in Malta has done well too, with an increase in tourists it has seen the number of overseas property buyers interested in buying a Malta property rise in recent years. Whether Malta property prices will continue rising though is dependent upon other economies, but increased interest could see Malta real estate hold its own compared to other countries.

And it will be interesting to see if Malta can do well again this year for their holidays, in times of low activity.

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Menorca Holidays

20/03/2009 by Silver Blogger.

Menorca Holidays Shake, Rafa And Roll

By Roger Munns http://www.free-articles-zone.com

Company: Tribune Properties

The golden era of modern tennis when Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe were winning Grand Slams was the last time the sport could be said to be exciting to watch, but now Rafa Nadal from Spain’s Balearic Islands and Switzerland’s Roger Federer have made the game watchable to a mass audience again.

The numbers 1 and 2 in the world produced what was widely described by sports journalists around the world as Wimbledon’s finest men’s final in a generation last July where Nadal triumphed, and then in early February this year the two produced a pulsating final lasting over four hours in another Grand Slam event - the Australian Open. Again Rafa Nadal was victorious.

Upon returning home to the Balearic Islands after his Wimbledon triumph last summer - the Balearics are made up of Rafa’s home island of Majorca, along with Menorca and Ibiza - Rafa was given a hero’s welcome, and the island came to a standstill for the day as celebrations carried on from dawn to the early hours of the next morning.

Before Rafa’s rise to the top of the tennis world, The Balearic Islands have been best known in the wider world as prime holiday destinations - Menorca for example is known as a quiet family holidays island, and with flights to Menorca under two hours from London has become a favourite for the British holidaymaker since the early 70’s.

But with a recession hitting Menorca’s main holiday markets of Britain and Germany, the tourist authorities for the islands have come up with a stroke a world class tennis player would be proud of - they have signed Rafa Nadal up to promote Menorca as a holidays destination to the British and German publics, and be the recognisable face for their holiday marketing activities.

‘Rafa is an instantly recognisable symbol of something positive’, comments leading Menorca travel site yourmenorca.net, ‘And associating Menorca with someone as dynamic and successful as Rafa Nadal could help the island attract more tourists at a time it really needs it.’

Of all the islands in the Balearics, Menorca is known as one for family holidays. Quiet, sedate, peaceful are words often used to describe Menorca and Menorca holidays.

But as well as promoting Menorca as a reminder to past visitors to holiday on the island again, it’s quite possible that Rafa Nadal’s image among the population as a whole in both Germany and the UK could be enough for new generations to consider taking holidays in Menorca for the first time - something the island would welcome as once people take a trip to Menorca they often return and count the island as one of their top holiday destinations to consider for future years.

British visitors, an important constituent of Menorca tourism, have been hit by the strength of the Euro against Sterling, and Menorca holidays are more expensive than holiday destinations which don’t have the euro - Turkey in particular has seen a big jump in British tourists, and outside of Europe Egypt and Morocco have benefitted too at the expense of traditional favourite Spain - in 2008 Spain experienced a drop of a million holidaymakers compared to the year before.

And while the island will still be seen as peaceful compared to some holiday destinations, it will be determined to keep that as part of the appeal that has attracted holidaymakers in the past. But new companies are also springing up among the Menorca holidays businesses that will appeal to those first time Menorca visitors who might want a little activity - and might expect it too considering Rafa Nadal’s image. One new company is offering escorted mountain bike tours, while another is offering jeep safaris - perfect for the younger generation of tourists Menorca would like to see return in future years.

The new companies providing the tourist facilities will be welcomed by the Menorca hotels too. Menorca hoteliers have invested heavily in recent years, refurbishing existing hotels while a few new ones have been added too. But if occupancy rates drop this year there is a possibility that some Menorca hotels will open just for June, July and August, while others may be mothballed until the number of visitors increases again.

Menorca will be hoping her holidays industry has a bit of Rafa Nadal’s success for 2009.

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