It is no good pretending that the worldwide economic recession is about to go away shortly... British Airways has asked staff to work without salaries. Emirates Airline has persuaded a number of employees to take unpaid leave … Many hotels in the Gulf region have already downsized their workforces ... and the travel agent in particular has been hit hard by worries over job security and the uncertainty of future trade opportunities.
The time has come to look around for business which is always there come rain or shine such as the honeymoon vacationers. As marriage is becoming fashionable once again, the travel trade is looking for the best bargains for the newly-married.
From the Gulf, places like the Seychelles, Mauritius, the Maldives, South Africa and Cyprus as well as the UK, are all popular destinations for honeymoon couples.
My godson, who is getting married in September, has asked us for suggestions for hotels in Venice and Rome for his upcoming honeymoon. Venice, of course, should be high on the list of anyone who loves romance, history, culture and fine food.
The last time I stayed in Venice it was with my husband, who was there on business, and we stayed in the rather grand Hotel Daniele, fronting the sea with a canal on one side providing regular water taxis to tour this ancient city.
A powerful state in the Mediterranean from the eighth to the 18th centuries, The Most Serene Republic of Venice, La Serenissima, to give it its former title, is unique. Even if my godson and his bride are unable to afford the refurbished 14th century Palazzo Dandolo, I did recommend the rooftop restaurant of the Hotel Daniele for lunch. As it overlooks the sea and the islands of Venice, it offers one of the most fantastic lunchtime views in the world.
Rome brought back memories of the coins we, like all tourists, threw into the Trevi Fountain and the vast Colosseum emanating with the ghosts of long-gone gladiators as well as the street cafes, which inexplicably could not seem to equal Starbucks or Costa when it came to cappuccinos.
From Dubai, the Seychelles is a red-hot favourite for honeymooners and it is easy to see why, when individual hotels like the Banyan Tree and the Cousine Island Hotel offer newly-weds complimentary candlelit dinners and drinks and even the big chain hotels like the Four Seasons, Hilton and Meridien join in to compete providing special honeymoon packages.
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The water sports on offer such as snorkelling and scuba diving also make for a unique holiday.
The Maldives also rates high on the honeymooners’ list and no, it is not sinking just yet despite Al Gore’s film about global warming.
Dubai has also been offering twin-city vacations linking a stopover in the Gulf with a stay in South Africa on safari, while the Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa, which has won awards from Condé Nast, is another preferred hotel for those liking five-star luxury combined with solitude.
For couples deciding to tie the knot in Cyprus, it is worth remembering that the island is only just three hours away from the Gulf and it is served from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
Cyprus has a wonderful year-round climate, with just the right chill in the winter months, and a cost of living which is quite reasonable.
Last year, the tourist business from the UK to Cyprus was down by about 25 per cent, as the pound sterling weakened against the euro and the threat of job cuts has frightened off many would-be vacationers from Britain, but from the Gulf, Cyprus is a bargain worth contemplating seriously.
The UK is still topping the list for honeymooners, as well as other types of tourists, offering a range of accommodation from Blackpool’s famous bed and breakfast ‘personal hotels’ to roadside inns, historic castles and quirky residences like The Beatles Hotel in Liverpool otherwise known as the Hard Day’s Night Hotel.
I spent my honeymoon cruising the inland waters of the Norfolk Broads district, which I am reliably told is still a very popular destination, although canal longboats now seem to be all the rage.
The Highlands of Scotland via Emirates Airline’s Glasgow gateway and the Emerald Isle via Etihad’s Dublin service have all become more easily accessible thanks to the quality-minded Gulf airlines’ non-stop services. Going East, India is right on the doorstep for Gulf vacationers.
This Subcontinent with its fascinating sights, sounds and colours has something to offer everyone. Cruising on Lake Periyar in Kerala viewing wildlife such as leopards, tigers, wild boar and elephants, staying on a houseboat and sailing through the backwaters observing village life at close quarters, not forgetting the bird sanctuaries with teals, Siberian storks, cormorants and egrets.
Many tabloid writers in the European media have claimed that the honeymoon is over for expatriates and nationals in the Gulf but I believe that for the travel agent, it could have just started, if they begin to marry their activities with the newly-weds.
by Jonna Simon