Malta holiday news for the people of the UK counties of Hampshire and Dorset - their local airport is about to have flights to Malta - and at prices which will tempt many to take a holiday or short break as the flights are being operated by Europe’s most successful low cost airline.

With low cost flights it will boost the island’s tourism industry as more people decide to try a Malta holiday for the first time - or remember their last trip and decide to visit again.

With prices low it will encourage not only traditional week and fortnight holidays, but also three and four day breaks for those who might normally visit the Spanish Costas.

Ryanair pioneered cheap Malta flights a few years ago after a long battle with the authorities who seemed apparently entrenched in their ways, and protective to existing carriers.

It was only after quite a battle to win the right to fly to the island that airfares came down in line with much of the rest of Europe, bringing more holidaymakers and relief to the Malta holidays trade.

As well as Bournemouth, the airline offers cheap Malta flights from Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds and Luton - and from Ireland has a service from Dublin.

Further helping the island’s economy Ryanair aren’t just flying to and from the UK and Ireland. In mainland Europe they have cheap Malta flights to and from Spain - Barcelona and Madrid - Pisa and Venice in Italy, and Stockholm in Sweden.

These flights from Spain, Italy and Scandanavia has helped Malta become more cosmopolitan, which in turn means visitors are more likely to visit from diverse destinations across Europe and not just from the UK. Helpful indeed to the island’s economy as it’s no longer reliant on just one country’s tourists to choose it from a multitude of other locations, especially when that country has been in a recession for two years and is only just beginning to emerge from it.

Holidays in Malta can now appeal to a wide range of people both from the UK and Europe, and with the cost now on par with a week in Spain there’s every reason to hope that the island will see a good number of holidaymakers visit for 2010.

More Malta holiday details are at http://www.yourmalta.com

Tourists often post comments about their holidays on facebook

Mount Everest

As every self-respecting schoolboy knows, Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

For those a little older it’s also known as one of the world’s top extreme sports and holiday destinations.

Tourists seeking a journey to a memorable location will not be disappointed. 

Everest ranks as one of the top 8 extreme vacation spots in the world, and attracts thousands of climbers of varying skill levels every year. Everest is around 29,029 feet high or 8,848 meters. Exhilaration and adventure are set requirements for climbing enthusiasts looking to visit Mount Everest.

Glaciers envelop Everest from peak to peak. The mountain is a pyramid shaped horn with three chief ridges which soar to the summit from the north, south and west. The mountain is revered by the people of the Himalayas for power and beauty. Locals also revel in the fact that so many thrill seekers come to the mountain bringing welcome tourist revenue and employment.

What makes Mount Everest an extreme destination is the altitudes combined with the weather. There’s a very small window of opportunity for climbing safety. The months of May through October are the best months to climb the mountain.

Only Serious Climbers Please

It’s important to take into account that mountaineering is for serious tourists with good mountaineering experience. Mount Everest is a tremendous adventure for serious thrill seekers. Steep faces, rough rocks, night climbing, ice, wind and snow are all factors when climbing this mountain.

An adventurer will journey from Lukla to Base Camp which is 17,600 feet of trek on the first day. Khumbu Icefall is another 19,500 feet upward, and then comes the Valley of Silence. Finally you will scale Lhoste Face and then onto the Summit. A climber will begin early in the morning and each stop resonates with a sounding effect of triumph.

As an extreme destination Mount Everest offers minute by minute thrills. A tourist seeking to branch out and away from the ordinary will find the world’s highest mountain is a thrill seekers dream. It will test your own endurance and will power.

Breathtaking scenery, defying everyday life and a sense of accomplishment await those who wish to trek the highest peak in the world. It truly is a mountain climber’s dream accomplishment.

Malta Climbers Set to Climb Mount Everest

In May 2010 three men from Malta will seek to be the first from their country to set their flag atop Mount Everest. Marco Cremona, Robert Gatt, and Gregory Attard are members of Challenge 8000. They are climbing Mount Everest for the benefit of the Society of Maltese Asthmatics.

Robert says this about climbing the mountain, ‘Everest is the summit of what you can achieve, it’s the one thing on every mountains climber’s mind - the one place they all want to be…’

More information about Malta including the weather, a map and Malta hotels are available at yourmalta.com for those considering a Malta holiday next year.

A Malta Tourist Board survey shows what the Malta travel industry has suspected for some time - Malta holidaymakers are happy holidaymakers!

Globally the holidays industry, much like any other business, thrives on repeat customers, in other words people who have been happy with a product or service enough to buy it again, and if repeat customers can be built up it leads to a successful business.

And in a recent survey of tourists who had visited Malta for a holiday, the results were good and shows that Malta is an ideal Mediterranean holidays destination.

The sample base was large at nearly 2000 tourists, and a remarkable 86 per cent of those who participated said that their time in Malta had met or exceeded their expectations.

While good, other figures revealed in the survey give hope that Malta is building itself as a holidays destination, and once the economy improves will see year on year increases in visitor numbers again.

If holiday destinations can impress visitors enough to want to visit again in the future, it helps to give those investing in the Malta holidays trade confidence to go ahead, while the extra revenue gained by the government through employment and sales taxes give it the ability to spend money on the infrastructure expected by holidaymakers.

No less than 87 per cent of those surveyed who had just had their Malta holidays said they would recommend Malta to others - not just an impressive figure but a vital one for a destination trying to compete with countries like Spain with massive advertising budgets and a rich history of tourism who can rely on repeat visitors to use as a base every year when drawing holidaymakers to their shores.

Word of mouth and a recommendation from someone trusted is worth far more than any advertising campaign for a destination like Malta which many people might not have considered before, hopefully enough to pique curiosity to look at Mata what has to offer for a holiday.

So what areas of Malta do holidaymakers typically head for - and what can Malta offer that’s a bit different from other holiday destinations?

For a taste of the more modern side of Malta, there is the St. Paul’s Bay area and the seafront at Bugibba, the hub of nightlife in the area. Here, there are a selection of trendy boutiques and restaurants. When the sun sets, Malta can go down market as well as up market and there are karaoke bars in Bugibba, but there is also the casino and a cinema.

From the nightlife of Paceville to the view of the sea, Malta has much to offer every age group. Even though the visitors to Malta used to be retirement age, a great set of clubs, discos and bars has developed over the years.

Paceville is the nightlife capital of Malta. Most of the venues of Paceville are located on four main streets that spread out from the main square. These streets are Dragonara Road, Wilga Street, St. Georges Road and St. Rita Steps. A police presence is always nearby, keeping the denizens of the clubs safe and orderly. A taxi rank is also located in the main square, for those who need a lift.

For those who prefer a more genteel holiday, Wherever you go you will find something wonderful to see in Malta. The ruggedly beautiful coastline of Malta offers some fantastic views. It’s an island of culture and history but with the incredible beaches and secluded coves it can be a romantic setting for a honeymoon or a great place to simply get away from it all as well.

You have an 86 per chance of having a fantastic holiday in Malta after all!

More details about Malta are available with yourmalta.com - travel resources include flights to Malta and Malta hotels.

Passenger ships, also known as cruise ships or cruise liners, have been a very important part of travel life as we know it. Early cruise ships were built with more functionality in mind than comfort or leisure. Their purpose was to travel the oceans and seas, delivering passengers and goods to distant places. Transatlantic crossings took several days and were often perilous. The journey between North America and Europe was never shorter than four days. The introduction of steamships made the trip safer, faster and more reliable.

As cruise ships became a more popular and viable form of travel, the ships became ever more luxurious. The Titanic is probably the most famous cruise ship ever - for all the wrong reasons. Construction of the ship included ballrooms, luxurious dining areas and staterooms. The Titanic was the largest passenger steamship in the world, and many people looked forward to her maiden voyage. Because of the tragic events that followed, many maritime laws were passed to ensure the safety of future luxury ship voyages.

Today, millions of passengers each year take advantage of the accommodations a variety of cruise ships have to offer. These massive ships are built with comfort in mind. In recent years, they’ve been used as vacation getaways, taking passengers on fantastic voyages lasting several days or a week. A few remote destinations in the world may only be visited by cruise ships, airplane or helicopter. Some of the most popular destinations for cruise ships are the Caribbean, the Balearic Islands, Europe and Alaska.

Retired Cruise Ships Become Much More

The introduction of air travel and cheap holidays caused a decline in the number of passengers on cruise ships. Many people chose to fly in lieu of setting sail on a cruise ship simply because it was faster. Fortunately for tourists who enjoy water travel, many cruise ships still operate today. More cruise ships are being added often to accommodate the growing number of people who enjoy cruising.

When the time comes to retire a cruise ship, they are often put to use in other areas. The SS United States, or “The Big U” as it is often called, made its maiden voyage in 1952. It has been out of service since 1969 and is currently docked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania awaiting a new future. The Big U still holds the record for the fastest westbound transatlantic crossing.

The RMS Queen Mary was one of the most spectacular ships of her time. She played a very important part in World War II. One of her passengers was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whom she carried across the Atlantic for meetings. In 1942, she captured and still holds the record for the most passengers ever transported on one ship. She carried 16,082 American troops from New York to Great Britain. The Queen Mary is now berthed in Long Beach, California, where she serves as a hotel and museum.

The  Queen Elizabeth 2, commonly known as QE2, is one of the most recent ships to be decommissioned. The QE2 commenced her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City in 1969. In 1999, she celebrated her 30th anniversary in Southampton. Her 30 years of service had seen almost 5 million nautical miles and carried more than 2 million passengers.

The QE2 was given a multi million dollar makeover in 1999 that included refurbishing several rooms and cabins. Since 2004, she’s made several trips to the Mediterranean. She is now moored at Port Rashid in Dubai, where she will be converted to a floating hotel.

Not all decommissioned cruise ships are forgotten and left to rust. Many cruise ships have been retired and go on to become hotels, a casino, museums and luxury restaurants. Millions of passengers per year enjoy cruises to the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean and many other exotic or remote destinations. Those ships become a special point in the memories of the passengers who enjoyed the trip. The ability to turn those ships into floating hotels or other tourist attractions is a great asset to the tourism industry.

Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta. Malta welcomes over 500,000 cruise ship passengers a year.

Malta last year for example attracted over half a miillion cruise ship visitors - a record for the island, and a real boost for the holidays in Malta industry as it faces the recession.