SPAIN: New Model Airline Volotea Is New Member Of IATA

Volotea, the airline of mid- and small‐sized European cities is a new member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Representing some 280 airlines or 83 percent of total air traffic, IATA is the trade association for the world’s airlines.

It supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.

We are pleased to become an IATA member, as this global association leads the innovation, safety and value creation in the airline industry, supporting the highest industry standards, said Carlos Munoz, Volotea’s founder and CEO.

The airline is expected to benefit from IATA’s know how and resources covering all fields of the industry, including analysis of regulations, development of standards, innovation in distribution, improvements on safety procedures, updates and training for aviation industry professionals, as well as cost reduction.

Volotea is a new model airline with a clever and bold approach, creating demand and connectivity by establishing innovative routes.

We are thrilled to welcome Volotea to the IATA family and to help them grow and excel in this highly competitive European market, said IATA Regional Vice President for Europe Rafael Schvartzman.

Volotea has carried 15 million passengers since its first flight in 2012, and over 4.8 million in 2017 alone.

Since the beginning of 2018, Volotea has launched 58 new flights to serve a lineup of 293 routes.

It currently operates flights to 78 mid- and small-sized European cities in 13 countries including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Croatia, and the Czech Republic.

The airline is expected to carry 5.7-6 million passengers in 2018.

Its fleet consists of 32 aircraft, Boeing 717s and Airbus A319s.

Volotea currently operates from twelve bases: Venice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Palermo, Strasbourg, Asturias, Verona, Toulouse, Genoa, Bilbao, Marseille that opened on April 19 and Athens, which launched on May 3.

Volotea is a Spanish low-cost airline registered in Asturias, Spain with bases in Spain, Italy, France and Greece.

Volotea was established by Alaeo S.L. from Barcelona, a company created by former Vueling founders, Carlos Munoz and Lazaro Ros.

The name Volotea originates from the Spanish verb revolotear, meaning to fly around.

It commenced operations on 5 April 2012, from Venice Marco Polo Airport.

The company is backed by three private equity funds, two of them from Europe - Axis Participaciones Empresariales and Corpfin Capital and a third from the United States - CCMP Capital, whose chairman, Greg Brenneman, was one-time President and COO of America's Continental Airlines,and also chairs Volotea's board.

The company raised over €50m before operations began.

Boeing announced on 15 February 2012 that it had signed a long-term lease deal with Volotea for an undisclosed number of Boeing 717 aircraft.

In March 2015, it was announced that Volotea will receive a further four 717s from Blue1.

However, in November 2015, Volotea announced plans to phase out their 717 fleet over the next few years and replace it with Airbus A320 family aircraft.

As of January 2018, the Volotea fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Airbus A319-100 - 11

Boeing 717-200 - 17

Total - 28

Orders

Airbus A319-100 - 4


Tourism Observer

CHINA: Central And Eastern Europe Tourism Exchange Week Event In Ningbo

The official Central And Eastern Europe Tourism Exchange Week will open today, June 7th 2017 in the coastal city of Ningbo.

The event is organized by Ningbo Tourism Administration.

The Central and Eastern Europe exchange is the third Chinese Investment and Trade Expo of its type. Central and Eastern European tourism exchange week is the Chinese government directive to expand mutual cooperation and development in the region.

The exchange week welcomes official representatives from the Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia, Latvia, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Benin and Romania.

Ningbo is a beautiful coastal city on the East China Sea. It has advanced transportation infrastructure, a developed information & technology industry, and over two thousand years of Chinese history and culture.

Ningbo is a thriving social and business environment, representing modern China's many decades of development, urban management and the unprecedented growth of industry.

Ningbo is an ideal window into understanding the development of China. To host the third China International Investment and Trade Expo at this week's exchange is of great importance to the city of Ningbo.

The representatives and their nation states have expressed their willingness to cooperate fully under the mutually beneficial framework of "One Belt One Road" cooperation.

The framework will aim to increase quantities of Chinese tourists traveling to the participating country within this year. The "One Belt One Road" agreement plans a new era of Chinese tourism and prosperity for all participating countries.

POLAND: Visegrad Four Promoting Tourism In Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland And Slovakia

Promoting travel and tourism and sharing benefits between the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia is very much part of the Visegrad Group also known as the “Visegrad Four” or simply “V4” They reflect the efforts of the countries of the Central European region to work together in a number of fields of common interest within the all-European integration.

Member countries had always been part of a single civilization sharing cultural and intellectual values and common roots in diverse religious traditions, which they wish to preserve and further strengthen.

All the V4 countries aspired to become members of the European Union, perceiving their integration in the EU as another step forward in the process of overcoming artificial dividing lines in Europe through mutual support. They reached this aim in 2004 (1st May) when they all became members of the EU.

Poland currently is holding the presidency of the Group and hosted a high-level meeting to address the opportunities and issues in sharing tourism.

“For Chinese tourists traveling to Europe, Kraków, Prague or Budapest are very similar, popular destinations. The question is how to package a good tourist product for them, ” said Dawid Lasek from the Polish Sport and Tourism Ministry.

The V4 was not created as an alternative to the all-European integration efforts, nor does it try to compete with the existing functional Central European structures. Its activities are in no way aimed at isolation or the weakening of ties with the other countries.

On the contrary the Group aims at encouraging optimum cooperation with all countries, in particular its neighbours, its ultimate interest being the democratic development in all parts of Europe.

The Visegrad Group wishes to contribute towards building the European security architecture based on effective, functionally complementary and mutually reinforcing cooperation and coordination within existing European and transatlantic institutions.

In order to preserve and promote cultural cohesion, cooperation within the Visegrad Group will enhance the imparting of values in the field of culture, education, science and exchange of information.

All the activities of the Visegrad Group are aimed at strengthening stability in the Central European region. The participating countries perceive their cooperation as a challenge and its success as the best proof of their ability to integrate also into such structures, such as the European Union.

Meanwhile, Following an impressive month of 15% growth in passenger traffic in November, Budapest Airport has today welcomed its 11 millionth passenger this year, the first time this milestone has been reached in the airport’s 66-year history.

Setting a new record for annual passengers for a third year running, the Hungarian gateway has experienced an average 10% growth in passenger traffic, establishing Budapest as one of the fastest growing tourism markets in Europe at this time.

Heightened by the addition of 16 new destinations this year, along with 14 airlines significantly increasing frequency to essential hubs such as Amsterdam, London Heathrow and Doha, the airport has connected to more than 100 scheduled destinations throughout the year.

Today’s achievement was celebrated with airberlin, with the oneworld alliance airline carrying Budapest’s 11 millionth passenger from Budapest to Berlin Tegel – a route which has also seen a frequency increase this year with the addition of a third daily flight.

Last year we experienced remarkable passenger traffic growth and to watch the robust development continue into 2016 is a rewarding time for us all, said Kam Jandu, CCO, Budapest Airport. He added: We approached this year with a strategy to do all we could to ensure Budapest, and Hungary, remain an attractive and competitive market, and I believe we’ve not only succeeded in this goal but also ensured the demands of our passengers, as well as our business partners, have been met.

To ensure the Hungarian gateway is ready to meet further demand, the airport will invest approximately €180 million into its infrastructure over the next three years. The investment will see a number of developments including a new airport hotel, check-in area extension, a new Pier B, and a new Terminal C cargo facility.

Expecting to welcome 11.3 million passengers overall by the end of December, Budapest will have delivered an impressive 22% growth from 2014 to this year-end, a record-breaking expansion in Central and Eastern Europe.

CHECH REPUBLIC: Czech Tourists Attacked In Ethiopia

A group of six tourists from Slovakia and four from the Czech Republic was attacked while traveling in southern Ethiopia on November 7, news site iDnes reported with confirmation from Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Irena Valentová.

A group of six attackers threw rocks at their vehicle, then shot and killed the group's Ethiopian driver and guide. The attackers then robbed the tourists at gunpoint.

None of the Czechs were hurt but one of the Slovaks suffered injury. All of the Czechs have since safely returned home, Ms Valentová confirmed.

Ethiopia has not been known for such attacks, this is a new phenomenon probably due to the current fluid political situation.

CROATIA: Plitvice Lakes National Park

For our late summer vacation we planned a trip to Europe, with the Czech Republic and Croatia as the highlights. Croatia has always been on my World Travel Bucket List, but my knowledge and interest in the country was primarily limited to the gorgeous beaches and beautiful Dubrovnik. But, after a quick internet search on things to do in Croatia, I learned about what is undoubtedly the country’s most stunning place (and certainly its most visited), Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Located in the mountainous central part of Croatia, Plitvice Lakes National Park (the oldest national park in southeast Europe) was founded in 1949 and covers an astonishing 73,350 acres. With its extensive maze of lakes and waterfalls that gleam in brilliant shades of emerald green and sapphire blue, Plitvice can easily be described as the jewel of Croatia, attracting more than 1,000,000 visitors each year.

We drove our rental car from the rocky coast of the Adriatic Sea and wound our way through the countryside, which quickly changed to mountains. The two-lane highway made for a long road trip and, as we neared the park, the RV and car traffic increased exponentially, partially due to extensive road construction. The Plitvice Lakes National Park visitor’s center lay just three miles beyond the standstill traffic, but it took us over an hour to get there.

Once we found a parking spot between two trees in the forest, we walked back to the visitor’s center, which was teeming with people. We spoke to a helpful park employee, who gave us information about campgrounds and directed us to the ticket booth. The cost of a one-day adult ticket is 110 Kuna, or about 19 USD, payable only in Kuna or by credit card. We purchased tickets for the following day and made our way to the campground.

The park offers numerous options for sightseeing, with eight different hiking routes available. Each combines various sections of the park and vary according to length and required physical ability, with buses and electric boats supplementing the trails that crisscross the park. We chose Route H, a 4- to 6-hour hike which hit most of the main waterfalls and lakes. We arrived shortly after the park’s 8am opening time and made our way to the bus stop to begin our adventures.

The bus stop was a mob scene: With buses only running about every 20 minutes, and with no discernable queue, the park’s many visitors were all simply milling about in frustration. When the buses did arrive, a crush of people pushed aboard, claimed all the seats, and then packed the aisles. It wasn’t until the buses were full that a park employee finally approached and loudly declared that standing in the aisles was not permitted. Frustrated people suddenly became angry people as they filed back off the bus.

We waited another 20 minutes, and were able to squeeze onto the next bus for the ten 10-minute ride up the hill. Once we arrived, we let our fellow bus passengers immediately flood the trail while we visited the small cafe at the trailhead for a coffee. A few minutes later, we started down the trail (which consisted of dirt paths mixed with boardwalks), walking over the first of many ponds and lakes filled with such crystal clear water, it took my breath away.

But unfortunately, those breathtaking views were soon obliterated by overwhelming crowds of people lining the narrow pathways. Given the fact that an amazing photo opportunity seemingly waited around every corner, the problem was compounded when those in front of us stopped in an effort to frame the perfect shot. I was also surprised by the numbers of people working their way up the trail toward the trailhead where the bus had dropped us off. Two-way traffic on the trail literally brought everything to a standstill.

Although we were squeezing to find our way between hundreds of people, the hike down the mountain, past a multitude of lakes and waterfalls, was gorgeous. Waterfowl dotted the crystalline surfaces, and the sun glinted brightly at every angle, highlighting the fish that lurked just beneath. We shouldered our way through the crowds in anticipation of boarding one of the boats and exploring a different part of the park.

We made our way across the lake and disembarked with renewed spirits, as the crowds on the trails initially didn’t seem quite so heavy. Unfortunately, you can’t judge a book by its cover. This part of the park featured numerous rock outcroppings and overhangs, which further narrowed the trails as we hiked. The views were even more stunning, but that also meant that more and more people were stopping in the middle of the trail to take photos.

We decided to make our way back towards the park entrance, which meant that we once again boarded one of the Plitvice Lakes National Park boats to make the trip, but we clearly weren’t the only ones with that idea. Even with a capacity of 100 passengers per vessel, there were so few boats making the run that we waited for over an hour to board, and the line behind us just kept growing. Eventually, we made it back to our car, but waited further in the inevitable traffic jam on the highway.

I’m no stranger to crowded national parks. I’ve been to Yellowstone National Park on holiday weekends, which is enough to test any traveler’s nerves. Wherever these parks are in the world, they are made to be enjoyed, and I can’t fault throngs of other people for appreciating the same natural wonders that I do. Perhaps I was naive to think that the situation would be different in Croatia.

Regardless, the incredible scenery of Plitvice Lakes National Park is in no way overrated. It’s simply stunning in its beauty. Just be prepared to catch that beauty while peering over the shoulders of the multitudes in front of you, and make sure you have a cold beer waiting at the end of the day. You’ll need it!

POLAND: SprintAir Flying To Radom Airport In Poland

On 18 April SprintAir commenced its first operations to Radom Airport in Poland in the form of a twice-weekly (Mondays and Wednesdays), 557-kilometre sector to Berlin Tegel. Operated by the carrier’s fleet of Saab 340s, the route faces no direct competition.

Seen celebrating with the inaugural crew is Remigiusz Mazur, PR Specialist for Radom Airport.

The carrier will also serve Gdansk, Prague and Wroclaw from the airport, with services to the three additional destinations starting between 19 and 22 April.

SprintAir commenced services to Radom (RDO) on 18 April with a connection to Berlin Tegel (TXL). The twice-weekly (Mondays and Wednesdays), 557-kilometre city pair with the German capital will be operated using the carrier’s Saab 340 fleet and faces no direct competition.

The regional airline will further expand its operations from the airport, when it launches flights to Gdansk, Prague and Wroclaw later this week.

Gdansk and Wroclaw mark the airport’s first domestic connections, while Prague was previously served by SkyTeam member Czech Airlines which operated a thrice-weekly service to the capital of the Czech Republic.

TURKEY: Antalya Records Less Russian Tourists With 81% Decrease

The number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey’s top holiday resort town of Antalya decreased by 81 percent, as their numbers plummeted to 2,427 in January from 12,870 of January 2015 while the total number of tourists visiting the city in January decreased 17 percent, according to official figures.

Numbers also showed that only a total of 97,601 tourists visited Antalya in January, the lowest for January in the last decade.

Antalya hosted some 135,010 tourists in January 2006 and 125,446 in January 2007. It saw its highest turnout in January 2008 with 140,306. In January 2009 and January 2010, Antalya received 106,539 and 140,019 visitors, respectively. After 2010, the number of tourists visiting the city reached a stable level, with 126,272 tourists in January 2011, 122,314 in January 2012, 111,485 in January 2013 and 116,974 in January 2014. Last January, Antalya’s total visitors stood at 117,746.

Antalya gathers millions of local and international tourists each year, with its luxury hotels usually overbooked especially in the summer seasons. Meanwhile in winter, tourism slows down due to dropping temperatures.

The Russian market experienced the largest decrease in the number of tourists visiting the city in January 2016, as Russia ranked 5th in 2016, compared to 2nd in 2015 in terms of countries with the highest number of visitors to Antalya.

Turkey was Russia’s number one foreign tourism destination for years but this came to an abrupt end following the shooting down of a Russian military plane by Turkish jets on the Syria-Turkey border on Nov. 24, 2015. Upon the incident, Russia imposed economic sanctions against Turkey and travel restrictions on Russian tourists visiting Turkey.

Turkey’s tourism industry also expects to see losses in other markets this year after an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) suicide bomb attack in Istanbul’s top tourist spot Sultanahmet, which killed 11 German tourists on Jan. 12, highlighted security concerns for tourists planning to visit Turkey.

The loss in the German market stood at 16 percent as the number of Germans visiting Antalya decreased to 44,262 in January 2016 from 52,731 in January 2015. While Germans took the top spot for tourists in Antalya, the Dutch followed second. However the Dutch market has also decreased by 20 percent compared to 2015, as this year’s January number fell to 4,544 from 5,688.

The number of Israeli visitors saw a 122 percent increase, bringing it to third. In January 2016, the number of Israeli tourists visiting the city reached to 4,475, a huge leap from 2,008 visitors in January 2015.

Britain came fourth with a 14 percent decrease as Antalya only hosted some 2,965 English tourists in January. British tourists mostly like Antalya for its luxury golf club resorts in the Belek region of the province.

According to the statistics of Antalya’s provincial directorate of culture and tourism, among the 38 countries that send tourists to Antalya, only nine surpassed their January 2015 numbers. However, the surplus in the number of tourists arriving from these nine (which included Israel, Ukraine, France, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Estonia, Serbia and Syria) covered only 30 percent of the loss caused by the decrease in the Russian market.

More Refugees Will Invade Europe If Wars Don't Stop

Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki has said that his country might follow Hungary's example and build a border fence to stem the influx of refugees trekking through the Balkans to reach Western Europe.

The news comes as foreign ministers from four Central European nations are meeting in Prague on Friday, amid a growing rift over the refugee crisis.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia reject quotas proposed by the EU Commission, which proposed 120,000 additional asylum seekers per year to be shared out between 28 member states.

"We too will need some kind of physical defence to reduce illegal border crossing. Either soldiers or a fence or a combination of the two," Poposki was quoted as saying in an interview with Hungarian business weekly Figyelo on Thursday.

He said his country was currently forced to let the 3,000 to 4,000 migrants who arrive in his country on a daily basis continue their journey to Serbia and Hungary unimpeded.

"There is no European consensus on how we can handle this question," he said.

As of 0600 GMT on Friday, an estimated 7,600 refugees had already crossed into Macedonia from Greece in a 24-hour period, according to the UN refugee agency.

Peter Salama, UNICEF's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said millions of people in Syria could become refugees and head to Europe if there is no end to the war.

Refugees from the border between Greece and Macedonia on Friday, said the situation has settled down after tensions.

At the border crossing station, from where our correspondent was reporting, about 1,500 had crossed on Friday morning. They are reportedly being organised into groups of 50 people.

From there, public transportation will then take them to the border with Serbia, our correspondent said.

But overnight, the situation was tense, with "impatient" refugees facing off with the police.

"Macedonian border police had blocked their path and frustrations grew once more," she said. "This is not the first time for the Macedonian border guards to use force."

Syrian refugees Bassem, his wife Marwa, and their child Ali, were among those in the crowd. They left Syria 25 days ago, entering Greece through the island of Rhodes.

Bassem and Marwa said that they feared Ali would not make the Mediterranean crossing.

"We know it's going to be difficult here, we know some don't want us, but it's still much better than Syria," Bassem said.

Along with neighbouring Serbia, Macedonia has become a major transit country for tens of thousands of refugees who trudge up from Greece, after risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea crammed into makeshift boats.

The majority are heading for Germany, which has pledged to welcome hundreds of thousands more refugees having already taken in 450,000 to date since January.

So far, more than 160,000 have already crossed through Macedonia on their way to Serbia and Hungary this year.

Last month, the small Balkan nation declared a state of emergency as it struggled to cope with the relentless stream of people.

Reports overnight said that Hungary's government is considering declaring a state of emergency within the next week.

Hungary completed a razor-wire barrier along its 175km border with Serbia in late August, but it has failed to stop distraught refugees from scaling the barrier.

The central European nation is building another fence four metres high that it aims to complete by late October or early November, and the government has said it will be manned by the military.

Some 85 percent of those hoping to eventually reach wealthy EU nations such as Germany or Sweden are not merely in search of a better life, but have been forced to leave because of wars in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, according to the UN's refugee agency.

Hungary to deploy army to stop refugees from crossing border, so the Hungarian government announced.

On Friday, the wife of an Austrian politician said Hungarian police have been feeding refugees "like animals in a pen" inside a border camp.

Michaela Spritzendorfer filmed the footage of the refugees surging forward against the fences surrounding them as officers toss food packets to them.

It reportedly happened at a makeshift camp in the Hungarian town of Rozke.The incident was filmed on the same day the UN commissioner on refugees said conditions were getting worse there.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has ordered his administration to increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the country.

The United States has taken in just 1,500 Syrians since the civil war began in 2011.