ICELAND: WOW Air Collapses Stranding And Inconveniencing Thousands Of Passengers

Icelandic budget airline WOW Air ceased operations on Thursday, stranding passengers across two continents.

In a statement on its website the airline, which had earlier suspended all its flights, told passengers there would be no further flights and advised them to check flights with other airlines for ways to reach their destinations.

The airline, founded by entrepreneur Skuli Mogensen, began operations in 2012 and specialized in ultra-cheap flights between North America and Europe, with flights to airports in cities including Washington, D.C, New York, Paris, London and its Reykjavik hub.

Its bankruptcy comes after six months of turbulent negotiations to sell the low-cost carrier, first to its main rival and flag-ship carrier Icelandair and later to Indigo Partners, an American company operating the airline Wizz.

I will never forgive myself for not acting sooner, Mogensen said in a letter to employees Thursday. WOW was clearly an incredible airline and we were on the path to do amazing things again.

Tourism is Iceland's largest industry and WOW's disappearance is set to have an effect on this summer's high season.

In its early years the airline expanded fast to 37 destinations and reported up to 60 per cent annual growth in passenger numbers. Its revenue per passenger, however, has not kept up and fell by about 20 per cent in 2017, according to the last earnings report.

WOW grounded at least six planes in North America that were set to leave late Wednesday from Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Detroit, New York and Baltimore.

In Europe, Reykjavik-bound planes from seven cities of Amsterdam, Dublin, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt and Copenhagen did not take off Thursday morning.


Tourism Observer

ESTONIA: airBaltic Will Deploy Two Airbus A220-300 In Tallinn

airBaltic has announced that as of summer season of 2019 it will base two of its new Airbus A220-300 aircraft in Tallinn, in order to serve the growing range of destinations offered to Estonian passengers.

In total, airBaltic will have three aircraft based in Tallinn next year.

Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic says: since 2014, we are continuing to grow our operations in Tallinn Airport and we are glad that more Estonian passengers choose our services. Next summer we will serve already 12 different destinations. By basing a third aircraft in Tallinn, we are further committing to the Estonian market. We see airBalticc as a true Baltic airline, and with this Estonia is part of airBaltic’s growth story.

This year we launched direct flights from Tallinn to London, Stockholm and Oslo. Next year new direct flights to Malaga, Brussels and Copenhagen will be added. By offering both direct flights from Tallinn and convenient connections via Riga, airBaltic offers the best connectivity to and from the Baltic states to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, CIS and the Middle East, Martin Gauss added.

This year airBaltic expects to transport around 400 000 passengers to and from Estonia. This making Tallinn the second biggest market after Riga.

From Tallinn, airBaltic offers direct flights to Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm, Vienna and Vilnius as well as convenient connections via Riga. airBaltic will launch new direct services from Tallinn to Malaga, Brussels and Copenhagen in 2019.

airBaltic serves over 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, offering the largest variety of destinations and convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East.

For summer 2019, airBaltic will launch a new direct routes from Riga to Stuttgart and Lviv.


Tourism Observer

SCOTLAND: Loganair To Commence Glasgow To Düsseldorf Flights From 31st March 2019

Loganair, Scotland’s National Airline, has announced its first destination in Germany. From the 31st of March 2019, the airline will start daily flights from Glasgow (GLA) to Düsseldorf (DUS), Germany’s third busiest airport.

The airline will be taking over the daily route from Eurowings, which will ax it from their network effective the 30th March 2019. Loganair’s timing for the launch means the route will be continued without any disruption.

Loganair has stepped in to preserve the GLA-DUS and will use it as a stepping stone for future expansion into Europe.

The airline’s move has also helped safeguard jobs supported by the route, as Düsseldorf remains an important region for businesses between Scotland and Germany.

The route also secures the continuation of incoming German tourists from Düsseldorf to Scotland, as well as supporting many industries like tourism, food & drink, hospitality, energy, trade, and telecoms.

The airline plans to operate the service with its first Embraer 145, which was transferred from parent company BMI Regional. The airframe G-SAJC (Ex G-RJXF) was delivered to the Scottish Airline on the 17th of December 2018.

The flight will depart Glasgow at 10:20 and will arrive into Dusseldorf at 13:10 Local Time. The return flight will depart Dusseldorf at 13:50 Local Time, arriving back into Glasgow at 14:40.

Jonathan Hinkles, Loganair’s Managing Director, noted how the airline’s new Düsseldorf route is Loganair’s first foray into Germany, heralding another significant milestone for the airline as our reach extends into continental Europe.

We’re now able to carry passengers further and faster since adding Embraer 145 jets into the fleet, an important development for international travel, he said.

The coming months are set to be an exciting period for Loganair, as we continue to provide excellent service to customers in our Scottish heartlands while setting our sights into Europe.

Paul White, Head of Aviation at Glasgow Airport admitted that Loganair’s decision to introduce its first route to Germany is a landmark moment for the airline and welcome news for Glasgow Airport.

He added, Düsseldorf continues to be a popular destination and this new service from Scotland’s airline will provide our passengers with an even greater choice.

The introduction of the daily service to this fantastic city will also further strengthen our strong links with Germany, which currently includes routes to Frankfurt, Berlin, and Munich.

Loganair passengers will also be able to enjoy a vast train and airline network at Düsseldorf. It is unclear, however, whether the Scottish carrier will seek further relationships with airlines as far as codeshare is concerned.

Overall, it is great to see Loganair with yet another significant announcement after winning the Prestigious European Region Airline of the Year award, on top of this it recently announced a codeshare with Qatar Airways, as well as taking over the Isle of Man route, on behalf of British Airways from Eastern Airways at the end of Summer 2018.

Meanwhile, Travelers can look forward to flights connecting Carlisle and the Lake District with the South East of England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland from June 4, with Carlisle Lake District Airport (CLDA) unveiling Loganair, Scotland’s Airline, as its airline partner today.

Loganair will operate eight flights per-day across the working week and a total of 12 at weekends, connecting Cumbria and the Lake District, which receives 45 million visitors per year, to London Southend Airport, Belfast City Airport and Dublin Airport.

The routes will go on sale from Monday 12 March, with all services commencing on 4 June when CLDA plans to launch commercial and business passenger flights for the first time since 1993.

Kate Willard, head of corporate projects at Stobart Group, said: “Stobart Group is committed to delivering a brilliant air travel experience across the UK and Ireland. We are therefore delighted to be announcing flights with Loganair connecting London, Belfast and Dublin with Carlisle and the Lake District.

“There is huge demand from London, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to visit Carlisle, which is home to major businesses and serves as a gateway to the Lake District, two UNSCO World Heritage Sites and South Scotland.”

The route to Dublin also offers additional connectivity ease to travellers as they will be able to clear US immigration checks in the comfort of Dublin Airport at Terminal 2 – meaning they will land State side as a hassle free domestic passenger.

Jonathan Hinkles, managing director of Loganair, said: “We’re delighted to become the first operator at the new Carlisle Lake District Airport, and will be opening up Loganair’s services to a whole new range of customers. With frequent services on each of the three routes, we have every confidence that these new flights will transform access to and from the Lake District for many thousands of customers each year.”

Gill Haigh, managing director of Cumbria Tourism, said: “The new flights from Carlisle Lake District Airport will be a major boost for Cumbria’s connectivity and our £2.72billion tourism industry.

“We welcomed 45 million visitors to the county last year, but a large proportion were day trippers to the Lakes. Our marketing strategy has a key focus on encouraging visitors to stay in the county as a whole.

“New flights though Carlisle will create alternative travel options and Cumbria Tourism is working in partnership with the Airport to encourage new and existing visitors to enjoy more of our iconic landscapes and world-class experiences.”

Nigel Wilkinson, board member of the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The opening up of new air routes into Cumbria, providing more direct access to attractions and the county’s newest UNESCO World Heritage site, is a boost for the visitor economy here.

Cumbria LEP is contributing £4.95m to help the airport improve its runway and terminal, an important investment which will enable flights to and from Carlisle and provide wider global access via international hubs.”

John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle, said:
“I am excited by the new flights to and from Carlisle Lake District Airport and what they will mean for Carlisle and the surrounding area.

“It is vital that we have the infrastructure to support taking our local economy to the next level. The development of Carlisle Lake District Airport will have a huge impact on our ability to grow economically.

Many local businesses will be able to expand as a result of these new flights and it will also encourage other businesses to choose Cumbria as a viable location.

“Not only will businesses benefit from an increased level of connectivity in and out of Cumbria, but it will also encourage holiday makers to choose Cumbria, the Borders and the Lake District as an attractive destination as journey times will be reduced by the introduction of commercial flights.”

James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, said: “I am delighted that Carlisle Lake District Airport plans to launch commercial and business flights on 4 June.

The routes mean that the South East and London will be much better connected to Cumbria and the Lake District, which will be boost the economies of both regions and drive tourism, John Stevenson MP and myself hope to lead business delegations from both areas to increase links between them over the next few years.

“I look forward, in particular, to seeing the Rochford and the Southend business community benefiting from this new and exciting connection to the North of England.”

Tourism Observer

USA: Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Re-branded As Radisson Hotel Group (RHG)

Following months of speculation, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group re-branded as Radisson Hotel Group (RHG).

The new-look company was unveiled at an event during the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin, Germany and is part of what the company says is about leveraging Radisson’s global brand awareness.

The change to RHG was first revealed at Radisson’s Investors Day in Frankfurt, Germany, during January.

The new RHG brand, the brand architecture, and the new brand experience will enable us to capture the full potential of the portfolio globally, the company said in a presentation at the Investors Day.

The company said it would re-launch brands behind the Radisson Hotel Group name to leverage brand equity, drive awareness and increase marketing efficiency.

The company also said it wants to define a brand architecture that brings clarity to the value proposition and that allows us to harness the full ADR potential of every hotel.

The change of name was officially confirmed in a statement.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group changed its name to Radisson Hotel Group on 5 March 2018, a spokesperson said.

This included the launch of a new global loyalty program replacing Club Carlson.

We look forward to sharing more information on our new vision, new global brand architecture and loyalty program at the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin, Germany.


Tourism Observer

POLAND: LOT Polish Airlines Goes To Lublin And Other New Destinations

LOT Polish Airlines on 3 September commenced five times weekly services between its hub at Warsaw Chopin (WAW) and Lublin (LUZ).

The 156-kilometre domestic route will be operated by a 78-seat Q400, with no competitors currently serving this city pair.

The Polish flag carrier last operated the route in January 2015, with rival Small Planet serving the city pair until October 2017.

The outbound service departs Warsaw at 13:40, touching down in Lublin at 14:25, with the return leg leaving at 15:10 to land back in the Polish capital at 16:00.

The year-round service marks the 99th route for LOT.

The carrier’s only other direct service from Lublin in S18 is a connection to Tel Aviv, which operates twice-weekly.

Meanwhile, LOT Polish Airlines is back in Berlin.

LOT Polish Airlines now flies 12 times weekly to Berlin Tegel (TXL) from its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) hub, having ceased operations to the German capital in July 2013.

The route, which started on 4 December, is operated by the Star Alliance carrier’s Q400s and E170s, and a third daily flight will be added from June 2018.

Tegel is the sixth airport in Germany that LOT Polish Airlines operates to, with Nuremburg soon to become the seventh.

LOT Polish Airlines is back in Berlin. We are pleased that the airline is resuming its connection to Warsaw, says Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, CEO of Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

We share a long history: LOT was one of the first airlines at Schönefeld Airport.

It is good to know that they are once again securing this important route into the economic centre of our neighbours. There is no competition on the airport pair.

LOT Polish Airlines introduced services between Warsaw Chopin (WAW) and Oslo Gardermoen (OSL).

The Star Alliance member will offer 13 weekly flights on the 1,078-kilometre European capital connection using its fleet of E195s.

Competition on the route comes from Norwegian and SAS, with the rivals offering 10 weekly rotations combined between the two airports when referencing OAG schedules.

LOT Polish Airlines introduced two routes to its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) operation on 2 July, beginning a 12 times weekly service to Billund (BLL), plus a six times weekly link to Zaporizhia (OZH).

Both 867- and 1,125-kilometre sectors to the Danish and Ukrainian cities will be flown using the Star Alliance member’s mixed fleet of Embraer aircraft, with neither city pair expected to face direct competition in S18.

By launching flights to Billund, LOT becomes the Danish city’s 11th hub operator, with it joining airBaltic (Riga), Air France (Paris CDG), British Airways (London Heathrow), Brussels Airlines (Brussels).

Also Finnair (Helsinki), Icelandair (Reykjavik/Keflavik), KLM (Amsterdam), Lufthansa (Frankfurt), SAS (Copenhagen, Oslo Gardermoen and Stockholm Arlanda) and Turkish Airlines (Istanbul Atatürk) on the airport’s apron.

For Zaporizhia, LOT becomes the Ukrainian airport’s third hub operator after Ukraine International Airlines (Kiev Boryspil) and Turkish Airlines (Atatürk).

LOT Polish Airlines launched flights between Bydgoszcz (BZG) in Poland and Kiev Zhulyany (IEV) in Ukraine on 3 August.

The Star Alliance member will offer a twice-weekly (Mondays and Fridays) service on the 906-kilometre city pair using its mixed fleet of E170s and E175s.

The airline will operate this route between the Polish and Ukrainian cities using a Warsaw Chopin-based aircraft, with it operating a Chopin – Zhulyany – Bydgoszcz – Zhulyany – Chopin rotation.

No other airline currently flies between Bydgoszcz and Zhulyany, however it should be noted that from 28 October Ryanair will begin a twice-weekly (Wednesdays and Sundays) rotation on the airport pair.

Along with Kiev Zhulyany, LOT offers a twice-weekly service between Bydgoszcz and Lviv in Ukraine.

It does not operate any further routes from the Polish city. With this launch, Bydgoszcz now has scheduled services to 13 destinations, with Ryanair serving Birmingham, Dublin, London Luton, London Stansted, Glasgow (ending 26 October) and Weeze.

Lufthansa offers flights to Frankfurt, while Onur Air links to Antalya and Travel Service Poland operates weekly rotations to Corfu, Dubrovnik and Zakynthos.

LOT Polish Airlines added its latest Asian spoke to its network on 15 May – Singapore (SIN) – with the Star Alliance member now linking its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) hub to the destination three times weekly.

The carrier will operate the 9,408-kilometre route using its 787-8s, with no other airline presently linking the two cities.

We are delighted to welcome LOT Polish’s new service which now connects us to Poland. This marks Singapore’s first non-stop link to Central and Eastern Europe, and will provide passengers with greater convenience and travel options.

It also presents growth opportunities for leisure and business travel in both regions, commented Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Singapore Airport on the carrier’s launch.

According to the Asian airport, in 2017 traffic between Singapore and the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region totalled over 258,000 passenger movements.

Along with its flights to Singapore, another route launched by the airline from Chopin this week was Kaunas (KUN) in Lithuania, with LOT becoming the first hub carrier to serve the airport.

Flights on the short 372-kilometre hop will operate six times weekly (no Saturday services) and be flown by the carrier’s fleet of Q400s.

Services from the Polish capital city to the Lithuanian city will depart at 22:35, landing into Kaunas at 00:45, resulting in a night-stop at Kaunas.

Return flights to Warsaw then depart the following morning at 06:15, allowing for seamless connections onto morning services from LOT’s hub to destinations throughout Europe, Asia and North America.

LOT Polish Airlines commenced a weekly service between Rzeszow (RZE) and Tel Aviv (TLV) on 11 March, with the 737-800-operated service being flown on a Warsaw Chopin-based aircraft, routing Chopin–Tel Aviv–Rzeszow–Tel Aviv–Chopin.

The 2,274-kilometre airport pair launched by the Star Alliance member this week will not face direct competition, and will operate inbound from Tel Aviv on Saturday evenings, with the outbound leg from Rzeszow being flown on Sunday mornings.

With this launch, LOT now serves Tel Aviv from six airports in Poland on 21 weekly flights.

LOT Polish Airlines commenced a weekly service between Rzeszow (RZE) and Tel Aviv (TLV) on 11 March, with the 737-800-operated service being flown on a Warsaw Chopin-based aircraft, routing Chopin–Tel Aviv–Rzeszow–Tel Aviv–Chopin.

The 2,274-kilometre airport pair launched by the Star Alliance member this week will not face direct competition, and will operate inbound from Tel Aviv on Saturday evenings, with the outbound leg from Rzeszow being flown on Sunday mornings.

With this launch, LOT now serves Tel Aviv from six airports in Poland on 21 weekly flights.

LOT Polish Airlines introduced two routes to its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) operation on 2 July, beginning a 12 times weekly service to Billund (BLL), plus a six times weekly link to Zaporizhia (OZH).

Both 867- and 1,125-kilometre sectors to the Danish and Ukrainian cities will be flown using the Star Alliance member’s mixed fleet of Embraer aircraft, with neither city pair expected to face direct competition in S18.

By launching flights to Billund, LOT becomes the Danish city’s 11th hub operator, with it joining airBaltic (Riga), Air France (Paris CDG), British Airways (London Heathrow), Brussels Airlines (Brussels), Finnair (Helsinki), Icelandair (Reykjavik/Keflavik), KLM (Amsterdam), Lufthansa (Frankfurt), SAS (Copenhagen, Oslo Gardermoen and Stockholm Arlanda) and Turkish Airlines (Istanbul Atatürk) on the airport’s apron.

For Zaporizhia, LOT becomes the Ukrainian airport’s third hub operator after Ukraine International Airlines (Kiev Boryspil) and Turkish Airlines (Atatürk).


Tourism Observer

FINLAND: Finnair To Launch Flights to Hanover, Germany

Finnair has unveiled plans to launch flights between Helsinki and Hanover, Germany, next summer.

The new route will start on 29 April 2019 with five weekly frequencies and will become a daily and year-round frequency as of 1 June 2019.

Hanover is one of Northern Germany’s largest cities and hosts several important fair and trade events throughout the calendar year.

The city will be Finnair’s seventh destination in Germany as the airline already flies year-round to Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart.

We are very excited to open a new route to Hanover and to continue our growth and expansion into Germany as it is a very important market for Finnair.

We’ve also significantly increased our presence in the German market for the upcoming 2018 summer season by adding approximately 35 percent capacity compared to last summer, said Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Finnair.

Additional capacity is also being added for the 2019 summer season on some popular European routes.

Finnair will add four weekly frequencies to Barcelona from the beginning of June until the end of the summer season.

An additional frequency will be added to Reykjavik, making it a daily destination for the entire summer season. In addition, an additional daily frequency will be added to Warsaw on both Saturdays and Sundays.

The airline is also adding capacity on its Helsinki-Dubai route for the upcoming winter 2018 season.

One weekly frequency will be added which means Finnair will fly seven weekly frequencies to Dubai.

In addition, two of the weekly frequencies will now be operated with a A350, instead of a narrow-body aircraft.

Flying some of the Dubai frequencies with the A350 during the winter season will also allow us to offer our Finnair Business Class product with full-flat seats on this popular leisure and business route, Juha Järvinen said.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Airberlin Stops All Caribbean Long-Haul Flights

airberlin, which filed for bankruptcy last month, is to close all of its long-haul routes to the Caribbean from Sept. 25 because of cuts to its long-haul fleet.

On Sept. 11, the oneworld member said its entire Caribbean network will be closed, including flights from Dusseldorf to Curacao (Dutch Antilles), Cancun (Mexico), Havanna and Varadero (Cuba), as well as Punta Cana and Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic).

Airberlin has already announced plans to close all of its long-haul routes from Berlin Tegel – including Berlin-Abu Dhabi – as well as cuts to its Dusseldorf network.

Berlin-Los Angeles and Berlin-San Francisco will now stop four weeks earlier than originally planned, from Oct. 1. Dusseldorf-Boston Logan will also close earlier than expected, on Oct. 1.

Airberlin, which is Germany’s second largest carrier, filed for insolvency Aug. 15 after 29.2% shareholder Etihad Airways withdrew financial support.




Tourism Observer

TURKEY: World’s Most Affordable City Is Istanbul

Marbles reveals the world's most affordable shopping cities for shopaholics and holidaymakers. The research finds the world's top 30 cities for a shopping weekend from a British perspective. Istanbul has been selected as the number 1 city for affordable shopping.

Marbles found the top 30 cities by number of overnight international visitors and then research on shopping costs, cost of the stay, flight time, and whether a visa was required.

Shopping cost was made up of the average cost of jeans, a dress, trainers, business shoes, a luxury souvenir, and smartphone.

The cost of the stay was made up of a flight cost, the cost of six meals, thirty beers, and six miles of taxi transport.

The top five cities for shopping were a mix of locations from all over the world. Have you been shopping in the best places in the world?

1. Istanbul – Turkey is renowned for its bazaars and street traders, and it’s common to haggle for all sorts of items. Along with affordable travel and only four hours of travel time, it’s the best place to satisfy your shopping needs.

2. Prague – As well as being a picturesque, historical city, Prague proved one of the best places to go shopping. Visitors should be sure to check out Manufaktura, the combination arts centre, shopping mall, and leisure complex.

3. Berlin – Easy to get to and cheap to stay in, the German capital’s highlight is chocolate producers Fassbender & Rausch Chocolatiers am Gendarmenmarkt.

4. Madrid – Sun, Spain, and shopping, Madrid’s top retail attraction is the Mercado San Miguel, a covered food market that offers a wide variety of gourmet tapas.

5. Bangkok – With the cheapest costs on local transport and hotels across the entire study, and low costs on food and drink, Bangkok is a very affordable place to stay – it’s pulled down to fifth on the list by its more expensive flights.

UKRAINE: Ryanair To Fly From Ukraine

Ryanair is going to Ukraine.

The Irish low-cost carrier (LCC) has officially announced the launching of flights to two Ukrainian cities, Kyiv (Boryspil Airport) and Lviv, in October 2017.

From Kyiv, Ryanair will operate to London, Manchester, Eindhoven, and Stockholm (Skavsta Airport). The airline expects to carry around 250,000 passengers annually on its 15 weekly flights from Boryspil to all four destinations.

“Last week our airport presented a discount offer to all carriers,” Boryspil General Director Pavlo Ryabikin commented. “We are offering 75% discounts to all airlines for launching new destinations.

Three out of Ryanair's four flights are automatically covered by these discounts. We will now have to complete a lot of negotiations on the technical aspects of this.”

Ryabikin added that at the moment, the only document outlining the terms and conditions of Ryanair operations to Ukraine is a letter of intent signed between the airline and the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry.

The final contract between the airport and the carrier has yet to be signed.

Ryanair’s route network from Lviv, which operates in the open skies mode, will be even broader: the carrier will fly to Wroclaw, Warsaw, Berlin, Memmingen, Budapest, London, and Eindhoven. The cumulative traffic on these routes is forecast at 260,000 passengers annually, Ukrainian daily Segodnya reports.

Lviv Airport General Director Tetyana Romanovska confirmed having receved an offer from Ryanair in June 2016. She was not prepared to comment on the LCC's planned fares: “However, for us to support this carrier's flights we need to think of ways to compensate the costs of the airport services.

We are currently discussing this issue with the Infrastructure Ministry, and are considering developing landside revenue activities, such as shops, restaurants, and parking services.”

Ukraine will become the 34th country in Ryanair's route network. According to Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan, the country's authorities have been making attempts to attract the low-cost carrier since 2011.

The Ukrainian air travel market is actively recovering, and the government is working to bring more low-cost airlines to it.

Although the lack of an open skies agreement with the EU is hindering the process, the ministry is drafting a program of preferences and discounts for budget carriers.

Wizz Air, Ryanair's direct competitor (especially on the Central and East European markets), is already present in Ukraine.

It flies to Kyiv's Zhulyany, whose chairman of the board, Denys Kostrzhevskyy, says the Hungarian LCC is the largest traffic generator for that airport.

Ryanair was initially supposed to fly from Zhulyany as well, but changed its plans eventually.

Wizz Air used to operate to Lviv and is planning to return to that city in April, initially flying to Wroclaw. The LCC will launch a service between Lviv and Berlin Shoenefeld on June 18.

The two carriers will come to compete directly on these routes eventually.

Ryanair is gradually increasing its presence in Eastern Europe and driving Wizz Air out.

The Irish LCC has announced plans to become the leader on the Central and East European air travel market by 2018.

Wizz Air last year opened a base at Kutaisi, Georgia.

Several Georgian media outlets have reported recently that Ryanair is planning to launch flights to the country, after the code of Tbilisi airport appeared on the airline's destination list.

The assumption was supported by Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili following his meeting with Ryanair COO David O'Brien.

A Ryanair spokesperson replied to Russian Aviation Insider's formal query that the airline “does not comment on rumors and assumptions”.

GERMANY: Dusseldorf Airport Evacuated After World War 2 Bomb Is Discovered

On Wednesday, builders working in close proximity to Germany's Dusseldorf Airport discovered an unexploded bomb near the facility, forcing the airport and residents in the surrounding neighborhoods to evacuate.

Construction crews found the 250-kilogram WWII dud during a project in the northern district of Dusseldorf, prompting authorities to evacuate an area of one kilometer around the discovery.

The mandatory evacuation caused 8,000 people to leave their homes Thursday morning and closed several major roads into and out of the German city.

In addition, a hotel housing about 250 guests was also evacuated.

The airport reopened a short time later, but the facility was only accessible via detours around the impacted area.

Officials from Dusseldorf Airport have asked passengers to arrive at least two hours early to deal with the traffic congestion.

While police are expected to begin diffusion of the device Thursday, bomb squads have not yet determined if they will explode it on-site or take it away.

Even 70 years after the end of WWII, unexploded projectiles are still discovered buried in German soil more often than you'd think:

Officials claim there are an estimated 3,000 bombs underground in Berlin alone.

GERMANY: airberlin Needs More Than 500 New Cabin Attendants

airberlin wants to reinforce its cabin crews and is organising casting calls for future flight attendants in Berlin, Dusseldorf and Munich. More than 500 new jobs in airberlin’s cabins are to be filled.

Due to the long-haul expansion planned for next year, airberlin needs more than 500 new cabin attendants.

The desired profile is outgoing people with strong communication skills who have finished their schooling, are at least 18 years old, and who are passionate about on-board hospitality as well as passenger safety and satisfaction. A high degree of self-initiative, autonomy, flexibility and ability to work under pressure are just as important as good German- and English-language skills. A friendly and well-groomed appearance completes the desired applicant profile.

Successful applicants will be prepared for working on board the aircraft during an approximately eight-week training course in Berlin, Dusseldorf or Munich. This will entail, among other things, learning the on-board safety procedures as well as first aid training.

Special training courses in service and sales, communication and intercultural competence will also be part of the training. After the training has been successfully completed, the flight attendants will be deployed on short- and medium-haul routes. After working for the company for eight months, the flight attendants will have the possibility of obtaining additional qualifications to work on long-haul routes.

At the open casting calls, the candidates can expect an interview in English, a short general knowledge test and then a personal interview. Applicants should bring a valid photo ID or passport to the casting calls.

Overview of the casting calls; from 9 am to 6 pm on each date, last entry at 5 pm:

11/22 Landshut, Michel Hotel Landshut, Papiererstrasse 2, 84034 Landshut
12/08 München, Hilton Munich Airport, Terminalstraße Mitte 20, 85356 München
12/16 Berlin, RIU Plaza Hotel, Martin-Luther-Str. 1, 10777 Berlin
01/11 Berlin, RIU Plaza Hotel, Martin-Luther-Str. 1, 10777 Berlin
01/13 Düsseldorf, Maritim Airport, Maritim-Platz 1, 40474 Düsseldorf
01/20 München, Hilton Munich Airport, Terminalstraße Mitte 20, 85356 München

GERMANY: Towns You May Wish To Visit In Germany

Germany is one of the most in-demand tourist destinations in the world, as tourists from the world over flock to experience the history, culture and sense of grandeur embodied by Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and other great cities.

Going beyond the big cities like Berlin, Munich and Hamburg, we delve deeper into the German hinterland to find some of its undiscovered gems. From quaint medieval towns to breathtaking natural beauty, Germany's got it all.

Even smaller towns like Heidelberg and Regensburg have become ever more popular stops on the tourist trail.

That's why we're bringing you the ten most beautiful German towns you've probably never heard of, so that you when you're planning your next trip you can enjoy unspoilt charm in the serenity it deserves.

The stunning beauty of certain regions like Bavaria and the Rhineland is well documented, but the northern and eastern states also have incredible places up their sleeves.

Because so many German towns and cities were flattened during the war, places that were left unscathed and still have their original old towns are all the more marked out by their rarity.

While over 70 million people visited Germany from abroad in 2014, a record high, Germans themselves also like to explore their own back yard, perhaps a tribute to the tremendous variety.

LATIVIA: Riga Airport Leading In The Baltics

The number of passengers served has increased by 6.3%.

In the first half of the year, over 2.52 million passengers were carried, which is a 6.3% increase compared to the first half of the previous year.

The number of flights has increased by 2.1% and over 33 thousand flights have been performed in total.

Serving 45% of Baltic air passengers, Riga's Airport has maintained its leading position in the Baltics.

The "Riga" Airport has recorded a sharp 18.4% increase in the number of transfer passengers, thanks to the success of the national airline "airBaltic" in attracting transfer passengers.

In the first half of the year, transit and transfer passengers accounted for 26.6% of the total number of passengers. The main transfer destinations are Tallinn, Vilnius, Helsinki, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Kiev, Berlin, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, but the largest increase in transfer traffic has been in the direction of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, London and Kiev.

This year, the most popular destinations in terms of number of passengers are London, Moscow, Frankfurt, Oslo and Helsinki, while the largest growth has been for flights to Berlin, London, Kiev, Moscow and Stockholm.

In the first half of the year, two new airlines have launched routes - "Vueling" (Riga-Barcelona-Riga) and "Aegan Airlines" (Riga-Athens-Riga).

Currently, the airport is successfully carrying out the terminal's development. The new terminal is expected to be completed by this year's winter flight-season.

UNITED KINGDOM: Birmingham Is UK’s Top Destination

Cvent, a global event management company, listed Birmingham 22nd in its second annual ranking of more than 2,500 EMEA cities, based on event booking activity through the firm’s supplier network. Activity was tracked from 1st January to 31st December 2015, with criteria including how often a destination is searched for by Cvent clients and the total number of room nights generated by events.

Birmingham moved up one place to 22nd in Cvent’s top 25 rankings, overtaking its nearest UK rival Manchester (23rd). The top five comprised London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin.

Emma Gray, director of Marketing and Communications at Meet Birmingham, the city’s business tourism programme, commented:“Birmingham’s position as the preferred UK meetings destination outside London is further evidence of the consistent hard work of our venues and partners to provide the best possible experience for our many event visitors.

“It is also testament to the continued, significant investment being made to enhance Birmingham’s business tourism sector. Events play a vital role in the city’s visitor economy, which hit an all-time high of £6.2 billion in 2015. By launching new spaces including the Vox Conference Centre and accommodation providers such as Park Regis – together with redeveloped transport hubs New Street station and Birmingham Airport – we’re ensuring we remain attractive to this valuable market.”

Cvent monitors approximately 230,000 hotels, resorts and event venues in 175 countries worldwide through its Supplier Network database. The company has 16,000 customers and 2,000 employees across the globe.

The news comes as it revealed that Birmingham welcomed more than one million international visitors for the first time in 2015, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The 163,000 increase (17.3%) in foreign guests was the largest for any city outside London.

GERMANY: Germania Airline

Germania, legally Germania Fluggesellschaft mbH, is a privately owned German airline with its headquarters in Berlin. Germania operates scheduled and charter flights to destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from several German bases. It carried 2.5 million passengers in 2009 and had around 850 employees as of summer 2014.

The airline was founded in April 1978 as Special Air Transport or SAT for short in Cologne and started operations on 5 September 1978. with a Fokker F-27. In November 1978, a Sud Aviation Caravelle was purchased from LTU, which was replaced by two used Boeing 727-100 from Hapag-Lloyd Flug (now TUIfly). Germania Express has adopted the IATA code "ST" which was previously used by Yanda Airlines.

In spring 1986, the company was re-organised and its name was changed to Germania on 1 June 1986. For many years, Germania's main area of doing business were charter services for TUI, Condor and Neckermann Reisen – an area in which Germania earned a reputation for offering the lowest prices. In 1992 the registered office was relocated to Tegel. In the same year Germania won the bid for flight services between the old and new capital of Germany (Bonn and Berlin) on behalf of the German government, establishing a short-lived Beamten-Shuttle (German for “shuttle for civil servants”).

In 1998, the airline pioneered the use of aircraft for advertising in Germany advertisers included Siemens and various tour operators. In the same year, Germania began to lease more and more planes to other airlines such as Hapag-Lloyd Express, Maersk and Delta.

In June 2003, Germania started to offer tickets directly to passengers under the brand Germania Express (often shortened to gexx). Following a purchase of a 64% stake in dba (now part of Air Berlin) on 28 March 2005, Germania wet-leased 12 Fokker 100 aircraft to dba. At the same time, dba took over Germania Express's 15 established low-cost routes and thus absorbed Germania's gexx brand. Germania on the other hand, with all aircraft having been leased to other airlines, no longer offered routes directly to passengers.

While the partial merger between Germania and dba was already reversed in the summer of 2005, the cooperation of Germania and dba was extended to 14 Fokker 100 aircraft. Air Berlin chief, Joachim Hunold, was tasked by Germania owner, Hinrich Bischoff, to take charge of the future of the company shortly before Bischoff's death on 11 November 2005. However, an agreement between Bischoff and Hunold was not reached in the end as Bischoff's heirs refused to accept.

Germania relaunched scheduled flights under its own brand name out of Berlin and Düsseldorf beginning with the 2008 summer schedule.

The foundations were laid for the first maintenance hangar at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on 21 March 2011. Germania plans to use the hangar together with Air Berlin once the airport becomes operational.

On 3 March 2014, Germania had its traffic rights for flights to Iraq revoked after an intervention by Iraqi Airways. On 12 March 2014, Germania was allowed to resume all operations to Iraq with the first flight resuming on the 17 March 2014.

In spring 2015, Germania announced to phase out all of their recently refurbished Boeing 737-700s by 2020 to become an all-Airbus operator.

Germania Fluggesellschaft mbH is a private company that had been founded and run for many years by Hinrich Bischoff, who died on 11 November 2005. His wife Ingrid Bischoff was the main shareholder, but she sold it. Germania has its headquarters at Riedemannweg 58, Berlin, Germany.

Germania Technik Brandenburg GmbH is a wholly owned aircraft maintenance subsidiary of Germania, based at Schönefeld.
In October 2011 it was reported that Bischoff had taken over Germania's charter partner Flynext (Flynext Luftverkehrs GmbH) from the Nuremberg-based regional airline entrepreneur Hans Rudolf Wöhrl, Flynext having been set up earlier that year and operating two Airbus A319s on a wet-lease basis for Germania. Now called Germania Express (Germania Express Fluggesellschaft mbH), the new company took over the two Airbus A319s.
Germania Express in turn is the main shareholder of Gambia Bird, a airline based at Banjul, The Gambia. Gambia Bird however suspended operations on 30 December 2014.

In 2014, Germania founded Germania Flug as a new sub-company in Switzerland to operate leisure flights under the newly established HolidayJet brand in cooperation with Swiss tour operator Hotelplan.

Germania offers a wide range of some year-round and mainly seasonal leisure and some metropolitan routes from several German airports. From its bases, scheduled flights to Turkey, Kosovo, Israel and Lebanon are also offered, servicing minorities living in Germany and Austria.

Fleet
As of January 2016, the Germania fleet (excluding the Swiss subsidiary Germania Flug) consists of the following aircraft

Airbus A319-100----------------------------8

Airbus A321-200----------------------------4

Boeing 737-700----------------------------10

Total-------------------------------------22

GERMANY: Berlin Hunts Down On Holiday Apartments

Berlin is about to shut down as many holiday apartments as it can. But while the city's nightmarish rental market needs relief, sites like Airbnb say the law won't lower rents, but will drain money from the city.

Berlin's tight housing market will get some small, but possibly much-needed relief on May 1, with the end of the transitional phase of its new law banning unregistered holiday apartments.

From the end of this month, landlords in the German capital will have to apply for special permits to rent their apartments out to tourists, or face fines of up to 100,000 euros ($113,000). Renting out single rooms is still allowed, provided the landlord also lives in the apartment.

Major online mediators have already taken steps to ensure their users are abiding by the law. "Die Zeit" newspaper reported on Wednesday that Airbnb has begun removing some Berlin entries from its site..

Some 6,300 apartments could be brought back onto Berlin's regular rental market as of next week - though some see that as a drop in the ocean in a city of 1.9 million apartments and an estimated housing shortfall of over 100,000 units.

Major problem, or not?
Rents in Berlin are rising fast. The city is welcoming some 40,000 new inhabitants every year (not including the influx of some 50,000 refugees that arrived in 2015). In an analysis published in January, the real estate investment firm CBRE found that there had been an average five percent rise in rent prices across the city since 2014, and a seven percent increase in the city's central Mitte district.

But it's unclear exactly how many apartments in Berlin in total are being rented out to holidaymakers and other visitors. A study last year by the German property developer GBI put the figure at 24,000 - which suggests that only about a quarter are being rented out legally. Wibke Werner, deputy director of the Berlin tenants association, says estimates vary from between 12,000 and 29,000 apartments.

Since the new law was introduced in 2014, local district councils have started appealing to residents to report suspected holiday apartments via a special anonymous online portal. Now the authorities are ramping up the pressure even more - with some 34 additional positions being created to carry out spot checks, while online services like Airbnb and Wimdu are being forced to pass on information about landlords.

The new ban represents a major headache for such businesses - Berlin is by far the biggest market in Germany for private holiday rentals. GBI estimated that some 6.1 million overnight stays in the capital per year are in private properties - more than three times as many as the second city on the list: Hamburg, where there were two million privately rented overnight stays.

Not cheaper
So it's unsurprising that Roman Bach, CEO of the online portal 9flats, is pretty blunt about it. "This law is one of the most stupid pieces of legislation that ever happened in Germany," he told DW. He also questioned whether there really are 24,000 holiday apartments for rent, arguing that many apartments may have been counted twice because they appear on different platforms.

"However, let's assume this 20,000 number is real," he said. "Even if you get those 6,000 back onto the market, how many cents per square meter do you think your current rent will be lower, or your new rent, with 100,000 or 140,000 units still lacking on the market? Do you think you will get a cheaper apartment?"

Werner, of the Berlin tenants association, agrees that the direct impact of the law will be small - but that doesn't make it unnecessary. "It's more of a signal," she told DW. "We have to make clear that rental apartments that exist and are affordable should be available to tenants. The rental market is getting tighter and tighter and we have to try and protect every single rental home."

Werner also thinks it's more than high time that something was done. "The government could've acted quicker," she said. "The law depends on there being an intense property market, and for many years the Berlin government denied this."

Other holiday home platforms argued that the negative impact of holidaymakers are more than matched by the benefits: "We understand the concerns of the authorities in Berlin, although we do not share them," Aye Helsig, regional director for the international platform HomeAway/FeWo-direkt, said in an emailed statement.

"The vast majority of guests in holiday homes are families who do not pose a particular disturbing factor in residential neighborhoods. It is worth noting that families on holidays contribute much revenue to the local economy."

Lufthsana-Turkish Carrier Launches RAK Flights

SunExpress starts weekly charter flights from seven German cities on October 31

SunExpress, the Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines joint venture carrier, is now flying to Ras Al Khaimah, the emirates tourism authority announced on Tuesday.

Weekly charter SunExpress flights from seven German cities started on October 31, according to an emailed statement.

The cities are Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hanover, Dresden and Leipzig. The flight is operated by a 189-seat Boeing 737-800.

A weekly charter flight from Katowice in Poland operated by Kurban Tours started on November 1, the statement said.

The flights will operate until May.

IRELAND: Ryanair Kicks Off Athens Winter 2015 Schedule

New route to Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Santorini and Warsaw. More flights on 3 other routes including Paphos 2X daily, Rhodes 2X daily, and Thessaloniki 8 X daily.

Ryanair kicked off its Athens winter 2015 schedule, which includes 5 new routes to/from Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Santorini & Warsaw as well as increased frequencies on 3 other routes (including Thessaloniki 8 x daily), which will deliver over 2.4 m customers p.a. and support 1,800* “on-site” jobs at Athens Airport.

Ryanair’s Athens winter 2015 schedule will deliver:

5 new routes: Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Santorini & Warsaw
13 Athens routes in total
More flights & improved schedules on 3 other routes
2.4 m customers p.a. in total
1,800 “on-site” jobs p.a.

Greek customers and visitors can choose from 13 routes from Athens this winter, while enjoying allocated seating, a free second carry-on bag, reduced fees, a new website, a brand new app with mobile boarding passes, Family Extra and Business Plus, making Ryanair the ideal choice for families, business and leisure travellers.


Ryanair’s Dimitra Apatsidou said: “The winter season is almost here and Ryanair is pleased to celebrate our biggest ever Athens schedule, with 13 exciting routes in total, including our new routes to Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Santorini and Warsaw. We’ve also added extra flights on 3 routes, including Thessaloniki, with an eight-time daily service from November and we continue to connect Athens with Europe’s major centres of business.

Greek consumers already choose Ryanair for our low fares, industry leading customer service and great route choice. Now they can also book their summer and winter flights on our improved website and great new app, carry a free small 2nd carry-on bag and avail of our new Family Extra and Business Plus services, as Ryanair continues to deliver so much more than just the lowest fares – with more improvements to come in 2016.

To celebrate the beginning of our Athens winter 2015 schedule and 5 new routes, we are releasing seats on sale from €29.99 from Athens to Berlin, Budapest, Bratislava and Warsaw for travel from November to January 2016 which are available for booking until midnight Friday (6 November). Since these amazing low prices will be snapped up quickly, customers should log onto ryanair.com and avoid missing out.”

Athens Airport spokesperson, Ioanna Papapadopoulou said: "We are indeed delighted with Ryanair's decision to continue its dynamic expansion in the Athens aviation market, during the current winter season, with the establishment of new services and the increase of frequencies. The Athens market has been developing rapidly within the last two years, demonstrating double-digit traffic increases and Ryanair has substantially contributed to this success. On our part, we remain firmly committed to continue supporting Ryanair, as well as all our airline partners, in order to further enhance their very successful presence in our market”.

Europe’s Most Competitive Airport Pairs and city pairs in S15 revealed

Pobeda became the latest carrier on the highly competitive city pair between Moscow and Sochi when it commenced services between Moscow Vnukovo and Sochi/Adler on 6 February. Aeroflot’s in-house LCC now serves the route with six daily flights. This summer, the link between Moscow and Sochi is the most highly competed route in Europe with a total of 10 carriers operating services between the two cities.

We look at several aspects such as aircraft type operated, weekly frequency, sector length and which other carriers may already be operating on the route. Typically around half of all new airlines services are on airport pairs that are not served by anyone else. (Coincidentally, out of 25 new services launched this week, 12 are already served by other carriers.) However, that means that around half of all new services are airlines entering a market already served by at least one other carrier. These existing carriers are not likely to take kindly to having their position challenged.

This got us wondering as to which were the most competitive routes within Europe, during the peak summer season, on both an airport pair and city pair basis. At this point the anna.aero data elves let out a big sigh and got to work to see what they could uncover. For summer we used the first week of August in 2015. When attaching airports to cities we used the IATA recommended allocations for the following 16 cities: Belfast, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Istanbul, London, Milan, Moscow, Oslo, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Tenerife, Venice and Warsaw.

German airports to Antalya dominate summer airport pairs ranking
For this summer the following table reveals the airport pairs served by the highest number of airlines. Routes to Antalya from German airports appear five times among the top eight, with Cologne Bonn and Düsseldorf to Antalya both offering flights on eight different airlines. Two more ‘summer sun’ routes also appear in the rankings; Düsseldorf to Heraklion and Manchester to Palma de Mallorca. The final route is the Italian domestic link between Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa.

Moscow – Sochi/Adler most competitive city pair
If instead of considering airport pairs we examine city pairs within Europe, the most competitive markets now include a large number of markets from London. With six airports designated as serving the UK capital (Gatwick, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Southend and Stansted) it’s no surprise that London routes now feature prominently. However, only one city pair can beat the eight carriers between Cologne Bonn and Antalya, and Düsseldorf and Antalya as reported earlier in this analysis. And it does not involve London. Instead it is the Russian domestic route between Moscow and Sochi/Adler, which according to OAG Schedules Analyser data had a total of 10 different carriers serving the market this August.

Two other Moscow routes also appear with seven competing airlines. Moscow is served by three airports; Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo. Seven city pairs involving London are served by seven carriers; four in Spain, two in Greece and one each in Cyprus and Italy.

Sin Cities Of The World

The seven deadly sins of the world are what we haves been told to stay away. But the forbidden fruit was the doom of mankind. We tend to follow our history and magnify the acts which fall in grey area. This ‘area ‘are most visited most loved and most frowned upon by all. The stress level has risen and so has the need of stress busters. As the saying goes, once we have broken the egg best thing to do is get a mighty good omelet out of it. We dance at the edge knowing we can fall off but the joy of this dance is inexplicable. One place we think of in this scenario is Vegas but the world has changed and we have many more dance floors today. Man has built beauty entwined in vice and these places have made life lot more bearable. The break taken to this land takes you out of the mundane routines. The never-land for grown-ups is cropping up all over the world. The let’s hop into the best sin-lands of the world.

10 Berlin, Germany
With the first Institute for sexual studies in the world established in in mid-1900s, the legalization of prostitutes and sheer possibility of all sleazy dreams of the world this city makes it to our list easy-peasy. With the open attitude towards sex, the cabaret and burlesque shows have come up everywhere. The easy availability of cocaine vials, the KitKat clubs have made this a true blue sin city. The frowned upon movies are available in a volume which will put any hidden stash of teenager to shame. This is one place where your dark dreams are welcomed and put to reality if you are ready to loosen the strings of your wallet. It’s called ‘the most Fetish-free city of the World’ for a reason. So while planning a trip with buddies, keep Berlin in mind.

Bring out das gimp! Latex pants, tops, chains, whips and S&M are all the rage in Berlin, one of the world's most fetish-friendly sin cities. Need to be punished? Turn yourself in to any of the city's sex dungeons for rehabilitation. Want to dance at a club you can also have sex at? The KitKat Club will oblige. Between the First and Second World Wars, Berlin established the world's first institute for sexual science, which, among other things, had a porn collection that puts every teenager's hidden stash to shame. This openness inspired cabaret and burlesque shows. Plus, at a popular nightclub of the time, patrons could even send cocaine vials by pneumatic tube to other patrons.

In modern-day Berlin, prostitution is legal everywhere. So, if handcuffs and zipper masks don't do it for you, working women will be happy to oblige.

9 Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The international destination for weed/Harold and Kumar fans everywhere, Amsterdam has tonnes of cannabis cafes where you can buy hash and marijuana, smoke it and then order food to curb your munchies. Once you've peaked, walk over to the city's red light district where you can look at prostitutes who are on display for anyone who's interested. Finish up your day by checking out a live sex show where various acts are performed on stage, including couples doing the real thing. The greatest part: It's all legal. Not only can you sin, but you can do it paranoia-free.

One reason that makes the Netherlands famous is this tailor made sin city. Let’s take a look at it. How about a morning cup of tea with a generous hash? Marijuana Cakes and brownies to go with it? Well you can enjoy this all legally euphoria inducing breakfast in the cafes of the city. When you have reached your high, step out for some window shopping. This is no carry the bags get bored shopping; it’s literally prostitutes on sale. The choice is window shopping or take away with bargaining and haggling. This Sin city also offers all kinds of shows for you to enjoy. The other famed attraction is the red-light districts where the lights are literally put to red to show that the show is all set to begin. What a wonderful way to say that it’s all legal isn’t it?

8 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
For a moment,Think about Gisele Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima The grace of Brazil is vouched by these exotic beauties. The Brazilian women are known to have magical effect which makes man swoon. Add to the list the topless beaches of Copacabana and Panama and you have the perfect destinations that define sin. Think this is pretty good but not enough to make it to this list then add the legal brothels with just as exotic menu as the ladies. This place has been the infamous for its nights and days. The weeklong feast is the culminating point of the life here for the masks and parades and costumes brings the wildness to its pinnacle. The perfect week for perfect fun. If you do it right, you won’t remember the half of it.

Brazil’s women have a mythical beauty that consistently puts them at the top of the world's supermodel list. Think: Gisele Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima. Rio is one of their biggest playgrounds. Pick a beach - Copacabana to Ipanema - and stare at topless women all day. Of course, this is all a prelude to when the fun begins at night. Slip into any of the city's nightclubs to grind with Brazil’s best over-powering bass lines and bossa nova. Rio also makes our sin cities list because it has legal brothels with a menu of services. To truly experience Rio, however, visit during its annual Carnaval, a weeklong festival of parades, music and masquerades that brings Rio’s flesh and fantasy culture to a boiling point. Bring plenty of sun and fun protection.

7. Moscow, Russia.
Tochkas! The one word that puts Moscow into this list. The open market for prostitutes. The clinch here is that this is illegal here but the Rubles go a long way. The coveted land Russian Vodka ensures enough fuel for the party. The clubs and pubs are extravagant and give a feel of recently unchained wildness. This sin land has proposition to get tie you in holy matrimony as well. Visit one of the many places to find your better half. It carters to women’s needs as well and is a perfect sin land.

What happens when a culture that has been bottled for decades finally gets uncorked? Insanity. You’ll find every kind of nightclub - from hardcore techno to rock to trance - jammed with people from across Europe. Do you want to find a longterm thing? No need to mailorder when you can meet a wife at the clubs and strip clubs near Red Square. Prostitution is illegal, but punishments are often paid off with rubles. You'll see prostitutes out in the open at tochkas (outdoor markets for prostitutes) or at the city's clubs.

Also check out The Hungry Duck. A bar that runs ladies' night three times a week with male strippers for two hours, and then lets men into the club once the strippers are offstage. It has been shut down repeatedly for lewdness and public sexual acts. And your party fuel? Only one of the best vodkas in the world. Comrade, your revolution starts here.

6 New Orleans, Louisiana
If dancing, feasting on one best French cuisine, drinking is on your list this is the place. It has been so for over 100 years today. The famous city is the North Americans go to land for the Mardi gras. The history vouches for its sins. The past and present mix today for the experience which is the USP of this land. The prostitution is illegal here but the history begs to differ. With many shows to gratify the visitors this city is worthy of the 6th rank of this list.

5. Macau, China
Have you been to the Venetian, Wynn and MGM hotel casinos in Las Vegas? Now try the ones in China. Located in South China, Macau's legalised gambling laws have made big money for the country and gotten it ranked as one of our top 10 sin cities. It has already surpassed Las Vegas twice for total gambling revenue and boasts the world's largest casino, the Venetian Macau. In all, it packs 33 casinos into 11 square miles with plans for plenty more to come. Like Las Vegas, Macau also advertises tons of women for extracurricular entertainment. While the prostitution laws contradict themselves in the books (it is legal, but procuring it is not), it’s practiced more and more out in the open.

The Las Vegas attractions of The Venetian, Wynn and MGM with twice the gambling! This puts Macau in our top 5. The Chinese and Portuguese cultures mix here to give the feeling of being out of the world. The unique festivals and events and free laws has made life at Macau picture perfect for the title of sin city. Women are available for various extracurricular activities with law forbidding the trade and legalizing the action. The revenue in gambling had out Vegas behind in the race, twice. The south Chinese destination has the largest casino of the world, The Venetian Macau. This is one rising Sin-city to keep a tab on, the offers are irresistible.

4. Tijuana, Mexico.
Cross one international Border from USA to Mexico and watch the wildness quotient multiple times infinity. The dollar is much more popular here for it can get you more for less. The lowering of drinking age to 18, legalizing of prostitution and free flowing cheaper than water alcohol makes it an easy on pockets larger than life holiday destination. Similar to the Amsterdam’s Modius-operendi, the Mexican version is ‘la Cauhuil’. This is one hot spot for the earl 20s for it has all the ingredients of sin.

Cross one of the busiest international border stations in the world and you may think you've crossed into the Wild West. The 21-year-old US drinking age drops to 18, illegal prostitution is now legal and zoned in its own red light district called "La Coahuila", people on the street solicit prescription drugs and illegal drugs for sale, strip clubs encourage a "hands on" policy with its strippers and tequila is dirt cheap. These reasons alone make Tijuana No. 2 on our list of sin cities and a huge party spot for American college kids at the city's various nightclubs on Revolucion Avenue. Take note, however, that Mexican police hold no quarter with gringos. Make sure to keep your head about you while you sin to avoid paying bribes or serving jail time for bad behaviour. Sinning the rest of the time is easy; just say, "Dos cervezas, dos disparos de tequila y dos mujeres por favor".

3. Las Vegas, Nevada.
If this were a list for the top 10 Sin cities of United States, Vegas would defiantly win it hands down. The city is built on sins and for sins. The fun begins right from the airports where you can start gambling right away. The shows, the massages, the alcohol on streets and ‘Escort Services’ are all the vices of Vegas. The best part is the 24/7 gambling. Enjoy the night life in day and win or lose your dime, you will have the time of your life. The city prides itself on being a reputable destination for tourists. No raised eye brows on this particular land. It is the true Never-land.

Las Vegas is every sinner's paradise. You can gamble all day and night (even in the airport) and prostitution, while not technically legal, disguises itself in the form of "escort services". You'll see plenty advertised on magazine stands and guys will snap escort service cards at you as you walk The Strip. Other available vices in this sin city include taking your drinks outside and finding lurid sex shows at strip clubs or tamer ones at well-known casinos.

Have you ever wanted to shoot an Uzi or a handgun? No problem. Just walk into a local gun shop with a driver’s license. You can even indulge your taste for sinful wine and food at many of the city's celebrity restaurants, like Thomas Keller’s Bouchon. The greatest part of this sin city, however, is that no matter how dubious the culture, people respect Vegas as a legitimate destination. Go on and sin. It’s an industry here.

2. Manama, Bahrain
Welcome to the party oasis of the Middle East. Connected by a causeway to nearby Saudi Arabia, Manama is a popular spot for Saudis to kick back from their country's restrictive laws. Here they can get hammered, go clubbing, mingle with the opposite sex, and if they're really daring, they can pick up prostitutes - a practice that's illegal but widely available. While Manama is still largely a Muslim city, a third of its residents are foreigners, so it has led to a much more liberal culture that gave women the vote in 2001, and let them drive cars. For many Saudi males this proximity to an open culture is irresistible and many jam the causeway and fill flights to the city every weekend.

Do you want to see what happens when Saudis cut loose and leave the rules behind?

The 33% of European population mixed in the Middle-Eastern region this is the only one country in the world which allows alcohol openly. The European influence on the region has led to relaxed atmosphere here. The kick back from the stern Saudi laws is this wonderland where one can drink, gamble and easily mix with fairer sex. The weekend here is jammed with the Saudi Males looking to blow of some steam. The sin city has brought some relief to the strict region as due to the European presence women experience freedom more than the surrounding areas. The sin has led to a virtue in Manama, Bahrain.

1. Pattaya, Thailand.
The winner of this list is Pattaya, whereas the above cities give you one or two of this list this is the whole package. Here sin is equivalent breathing and this land is apt if you want to take in a sinful gulp of air. Here Sex is dubbed entertainment and is available as easily as water. The massages, the hourly hotels, the clubs the beach are all part of this entertainment legend. If you get bored of the women, the men can watch men beat each other to pulp in Thai boxing matches that are held at the outdoor bars. This land is paradise for the Guy community. This land boasts of easy access to all the sins and easily wins this list. Here we conclude the tour of the most sinful lands of the world. The amusement at humans going to lengths to satisfy the devil inside is valid. We fight for the virtues and gratify the struggles in these sin cities. The lights are mirage away from life and everyone who experiences this world wishes to go back just one more time.

From "happy ending" massage parlors, brothels, go-go bars and cabarets with transsexuals to ping-pong dancing theatrics, everything is on display at this beachside resort city. Sex is the No. 1 activity (it's called "entertainment" in Thai), and if you can imagine any variation, you'll probably find it on Walking Street, a hub in South Pattaya. While you’re walking, prostitutes will call out to you and some will likely try to pull you into their brothel for services. If you're tired of sex shows, however, you can always sit down to watch guys beat each other to a pulp in a Thai boxing match hosted at the outdoor bars. Since the city is right on the beach, you can sleep off your hangover and sin from the night before and get a tan - just in time for the next evening’s "entertainment".