Credit Crunch 'not Impacting On Tourism' 14/03/2008
The impact of the global credit crunch is not putting people off booking holidays abroad, new research has revealed. According to TNS Travel and Tourism, millions of leisure travellers from the UK are still preparing to make their annual trips abroad, reports Travel Weekly. This is despite people's finances being constrained by the slowdown in the worldwide economy, which has led to fears of a possible recession. Since one in five people said they plan to have more than two holidays this year, this suggests that consumers have made a trip abroad one of their financial priorities. Tom Costley of TNS commented: "This data highlights a number of trends that suggest the UK holiday market appears resilient in the face of the economic downturn." Countries along the Mediterranean... more

Michael Lynn Ordered To Pay Back 1.3m Euro 14/03/2008
Ill-famed solicitor Michael Lynn was ordered on February 25 to repay loans amounting to 1.3 million euro that he used to buy four apartments for investment purposes, the Irish Independent daily reported. A High Court judge’s ruling came after the National Irish Bank (NIB) lodged a claim with Lynn. Justice Peter Kelly received the High Court’s order in Lynn's absence. When his name was called at the Commercial Court, no one stepped up to act on his behalf. Justice Kelly said that NIB's claim for damages against Lynn was unsubstantiated because another solicitor, Fiona McAleenan, was the one facing the charge. The proceedings by NIB arise from a 20-year loan agreement of February 21, 2007 under which it agreed to lend Lynn 1.338 million euro to assist in the purchase of four... more

Ecosign Works On Bansko Redesign 19/03/2008
e world’s leading ski resort designer, Paul Mathews, is reported to be working on improvements to the design of Bansko ski resort in Bulgaria. Mathews’s company, Ecosign, is behind the design or redesign of many of the world’s leading ski resorts, including Whistler and both 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic venues. Bansko has had meteoric growth since 2000 following the installation of a new Dopplemayr gondola and other infrastructure improvements which helped fuel a development boom. However the resort has been criticised for allowing development on what environmental protestors claim is illegally used and supposed to be protected national park land which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ulen, the company which operates the resort infrastructure, is now spending on... more