Tony Loeb

📍 Originaltour offers a group trip to Vietnam for New Year's Eve, departing from Milan and Rome on December 28 and returning on January 6. In Hanoi, visitors explore the ancient city on foot or by rickshaw, including the famous 36 streets. The trip includes a visit to Hoi Han to witness lantern-making, and to Tra Que, a village renowned for centuries-old aromatic herb cultivation. Travelers can also learn to make traditional Vietnamese dishes like 'Tam Huu' spring rolls and 'Banh Xeo' pancakes. In the Mekong Delta, the tour stops at Ben Tre, famous for its coconut palm plantations, and includes a boat ride and a bicycle journey through peaceful villages. Alternatively, Originaltour offers a combined Vietnam-Cambodia tour from December 28, 2024, to January 10, 2025, featuring a visit to the monumental Angkor complex and a boat cruise through Kampong Kleang, a large floating village on Tonle Sap Lake housing over 20,000 people.

🏗️ The 44th edition of Wtm in London is set to welcome over 40,000 businesses for a trade volume estimated at over £200 million (€240 million). A record-breaking number of exhibitors, up 7% from the previous year, will gather, including over 4,000 entities ranging from hotel chains to tech brands. Deals expected to be signed during the event amount to over £2.2 billion. 40% of visitors plan to stay three days, and a third for a week, in London.

🏆 Royal Air Maroc targets to become a travel hub for three continents by 2030, tying with Morocco hosting the Soccer World Cup. Foreseeing a passenger growth of 5-7% in Italy and a load factor of 76%, they're improving on a record 2023 year. Casablanca, with 30 West African destinations, is pivotal, and a new Casablanca-São Paulo route in December will bridge Latin America. Celebrating 50 years in 2025, the airline will receive 10-15 new planes, part of a 200-aircraft order by 2035.

❄ Universal Air, a Maltese carrier, confirms its winter schedule starting this weekend, maintaining flights to destinations in the European Mediterranean and North Africa, including three weekly flights from Valletta to Palermo. CEO Simon Cook expresses enthusiasm for continuing these popular routes. However, services to Salerno, Corfu, and Ibiza are suspended until the next summer season.