ABTA reveals holiday hot spots for 2008
The Association of British Travel Agents has revealed its top tips for holiday hot spots for next year, including China, Australia, Abu Dhabi and Israel.
The Olympics in Beijing will put China firmly in the spotlight, and the Terracotta Warriors exhibition at the British Museum is also generating interest in China says ABTA.
Two new blockbuster films will continue to make Australia one of the UK's favourite destinations believes ABTA. 'Australia' starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Baz Luhrman, and 'The Cup' about one of the most famous horse races in Australian history are expected to draw tourists to the Northern Territories and Melbourne where they are set.
Abu Dhabi is dubbed the new Dubai and with 25,000 hotel rooms planned in the next few years and attractions like scuba diving and desert safaris looks set to become a major holiday destination.
ABTA expects Israel to be a destination hot spot because 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel and because "history and culture are here in spades". Thomsonfly launched flights from Luton to Tel Aviv in Israel in 2007 which has also helped the country grow as a tourist destination.
Among the more surprising destinations tipped by ABTA for 2008 are Botswana and Colombia. It believes the popularity of Botswana will soar when the novels by Alexander McCall Smith about the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency are brought to our TV screens in 2008.
Despite its political instability and associations with drug trafficking, Colombia will become a more popular tourist destination in 2008, predicts ABTA, thanks to the government's investment in tourism and the release of Mike Newell's film of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel 'Love in the Time of Cholera'. The movie has been filmed in Cartagena in Colombia, which is regarded by many as the most beautiful city in South America and is a favourite stop off for cruise ships.
Written by: Nick Purdom
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