Bedbug warning for travellers

Australian travellers are being urged to watch out for bedbugs during their trip, The Australian has reported.

According to research published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, bed-bug infestations are increasing across the globe, including in North America, Europe, Australia and Eastern Asia.

The bugs are also a thousand times more resistant to common pesticides than they were a decade ago, the research claimed, while heat and cold now seem to have less of an effect on them.

Daniel Kass, New York City environmental health commissioner, commented, “People who travel should look at the rooms they’re staying in. They should check their clothing. There are good preventative measures.”

While bedbugs are often difficult to see, more obvious signs of their presence include bites on the skin and blood on the bed sheets.

Using a bright flashlight to look for them is recommended, as is using a hot hairdryer to force them out of hiding places.

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Bali still more popular than Fiji

Bali continues to be the island destination of choice for Australians over Fiji, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

More than 600,000 Australians headed to Bali last year, accounting for around a quarter of Bali’s 2.53 million visitors and making Australia the island’s biggest foreign contingent.

Fiji welcomed 318,185 Aussies in 2010, however this accounted for more than half of Fiji’s total visitor numbers, up significantly on the 28 per cent they accounted for the previous year.

Despite attracting fewer visitors, Fiji does have several advantages for Australian travellers over Bali – travel time is shorter, its beaches are generally regarded as cleaner and an increase in the number of airlines flying there have helped make the island a cheaper alternative.

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Australians gambling with travel insurance

Many Australians are basing their decision to purchase travel insurance on how safe they believe their destination to be, TravelMole has reported.

According to research conducted on behalf of Bupa Australia, 55 per cent of respondents said that their perception of a country’s safety would influence their decision to purchase insurance.

Africa was the country most commonly seen as the riskiest destination, named by more than half of those surveyed while South America ranked second with 31 per cent.

New Zealand was the country most often perceived as the safest destination, the survey also discovered.

Shane Williamson, of Bupa Australia, commented, “Unfortunately, it appears that some Australians believe they only need travel insurance if they’re running with the bulls, or engaging in daredevil behaviour, which is simply not true.”

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Australian hotel rates rising

Hotel room rates in some of Australia’s major cities rose last year, Australian Business Traveller has reported.

According to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index, Canberra saw the country’s biggest rise of 18 per cent, while prices in Sydney also rose by 16 per cent.

In comparison, Australian’s travelling to Europe are often benefitting from a drop in average hotel rates, with Austria and Finland seeing rates fall by 19 per cent and 18 per cent respectively.

With the exception of Singapore, where average hotel room rates increased by 14 per cent since last year, prices were slightly down across the Asia-Pacific region.

The average price paid for a hotel room by an Australian was $166, the Hotel Price Index also found, making Aussie travellers some of the biggest spenders in the world.

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Cape Town tops best destination list

Cape Town has been named the world’s best destination, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

The South African city triumphed in the Travellers’ Choice Destination awards, which were compiled by travel website TripAdvisor and based on a mixture of travellers’ favourite places and overall destination popularity.

Sydney emerged as the runner up, while Machu Pichu, Paris and Rio de Janeiro came third, fourth and fifth respectively.

TripAdvisor’s Emma O’Boyle commented, “Tourism is vital to the Australian economy so it’s encouraging to see Sydney at number two in the global table, outshining significant tourism hotspots such as Paris, New York and London.”

The top 10 South Pacific destinations were also revealed, and included Sydney as well as Queenstown, New Zealand, and Papeete, French Polynesia.

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Cruise numbers rising

More and more Australians are opting to go on a cruise holiday, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

According to figures from the International Cruise Council Australasia, nearly half a million Aussies embarked on a domestic or international cruise last year, up 27 per cent on the previous year.

Australian cruise passenger numbers have also increased by more than 300 per cent since 2002, making Australia one of the fastest growing cruise markets in the world.

Ross Dowling, professor of tourism at Edith Cowan University, commented, “Today you’ve got ships home ported in virtually every major port, so it’s more accessible and affordable and Australians are cruising as a result.

“While Australians would seldom have considered a cruise 10 years ago, there’s now almost a culture of cruising.”

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Aussies flock to LA

Los Angeles is proving to be a big hit with Australian tourists, News.com.au has reported.

According to the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, 339,000 Aussies visited the city in 2010, 46 per cent more than in 2009.

This also makes Australia the top source of overseas visitors to Los Angeles, ahead of Britain and Japan.

Mark Liberman, president of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, commented, “Whenever I speak to hotels, theme parks or restaurants in our city, I receive so many positive comments about the Australians who visit and just how friendly they are.”

Bargain airfares and the strong Australian dollar are both thought to have contributed to the surge in visitors to L.A. from Down Under.

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