With year-round sunshine and only a short hop from the UK, it makes sense to start your sunshine tour at the Canary Islands. Representatives from El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote will be at stand EM720.
Just a few stands away at EM820 you’ll find yourself enjoying the friendly hospitality of the Greek Tourist Board, voted best tourist office at the World Travel Awards. Health retreats, spas and agro-tourism are top of the agenda for 2006.
Do your bit for charity and pop next door to the Cyprus stand, EM874, where the Four Seasons Hotel Limassol will be selling special wristbands to raise money for the Just A Drop campaign. The hotel is also announcing a new agent initiative. It’s all hush hush for now, but do some digging and you’ll find out more.
You might not know where to start at EM215, the Portuguese National Tourist Office, which will have more than 60 exhibitors and over 300 delegates on its stand. But take your time and work your way around the stand to hear about new flights to the Azores, golf developments, eco-tourism, and more.
Close by at stand EM240, enquire about Croatia’s new focus on quality tourism, Northern Adriatic islands of Krk and Losinj and special interest holidays.
Spain might have seen its traditional package business coming under intense competition from cheaper destinations in the Mediterranean in recent years, but it’s now doing well on the back of the buoyant do-it-yourself holiday market. Hear all about this new trend and meet new amigos from all the Costas at stand EM520
Need a quick pick me up to get you through it all? Treat yourself to some Arabic coffee and dates, generously served by Qatar Airways cabin crew on a special two-tier stand ME1600.
Now you’re suitably revived, it’s time to go long haul. It’s been awarded best beach and it also holds the Guinness Book of Records for the most sunshine, so you really have no excuse not to call in and say hello to those lucky people from St Petersburg/Clearwater at Visit Florida at NA5020. Coastal geologist Dr Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr Beach, has ranked one of the region’s beaches, Fort De Soto Park, America’s Best Beach 2005, judged out of 650 beaches in the US.
Join the party at the Caribbean Village, perhaps the most colourful and vibrant section of the show. The official party kicks off on Monday at 5.30pm–8pm and is likely to carry on all week, but in all the excitement, don’t forget to ask for details of the official ticket agents for the 2007 Cricket World Cup being held in the Caribbean. Tickets go on sale in the next few months.
Finish the day with some musical light relief at the Dominican Republic stand CA8000. Tap your feet to the merengue band and dance duo and, while you’re there, find out about plans for a complex of golf courses, villas and a marina called Cap Cana in the southeast of the country. New five-star properties and boutique hotels are also under construction.
