AUSTEN'S
POWER: VisitBritain is promoting Lincolnshire and the Peak
District and Derbyshire, in the East Midlands of England, as "Pride
& Prejudice Country," to coincide with the debut of a new film
of the 1813 Jane Austen novel this fall. Information on locations
associated with Austen, the film and the book -- such as Stamford,
Rowsley and Basildon Park -- has been posted at www.visitbritain.com/usa. VisitBritain's New York
office also is making limited numbers of movie maps highlighting 16
relevant destinations available to travel agents who call
(800)462-2748 or e-mail [email protected].
ACP'S NORWAY ABC'S: ACP Rail International added
the popular Norway in a Nutshell rail/bus/boat tour from Norwegian
State Railways (NSB) to its Scandinavian rail offerings.
Commissionable to travel agents at 8% from ACP, the tour is a
year-round circuit that takes travelers between Bergen and Oslo via
three modes of transport -- trains and buses through the mountains,
and boats across the fjords. Participants can start the tour at
either end and take as long as they like, although it can be
finished in one day. Tour segments can be purchased separately;
there is a choice of five itineraries. Roundtrip to/from Oslo via
Bergen costs $300. Call ACP at (866) 938-RAIL (7245) or go
online at www.scandinavianrail.com.
ITALY RAIL ONLINE: Looking farther south,
developer Wandrian added Italian rail product from Trenitalia to
its new Railagent.com trade rail-pass site, where agents will now
earn cash bonuses for each rail pass sold. Agents now have access
to real-time online bookings of Trenitalia tickets, with the
guaranteed lowest fares for the North American market, access to
all available trains, and "fast and easy" booking with confirmed
reservation when reserved at least seven days in advance. In
addition to the instant commissions Railagent.com pays agents,
retailers for a limited time will get cash bonuses for passes worth
more than $200 ordered through the site. For more information, go
to www.railagent.com.
IRISH FLIES: Aer Lingus introduced a new ongoing
Great Places, Great Prices promotion to more than 40 European
destinations the Irish flag carrier serves. The campaign launches
this month with a focus on the carrier's home hub market, Ireland.
Transatlantic one-way fares to the Emerald Isle are available from
$129 from Boston or New York (Kennedy), $139 from Chicago and $179
from Los Angeles, depending on departure date, at www.aerlingus.com.
EARLY X-MAS: It's Christmas in September, as
Picasso Tours rolls out four-night packages to Germany for the
holiday season. All the Christmas market tours include three nights
in either Nuremberg, Regensburg or Frien and a final night in
Munich, starting from $499 per person, double occupancy. Departures
are available Nov 1 to Dec. 15 and Jan. 3 to March 23. Rates
include roundtrip air from New York to Munich, 3-star hotel
accommodations, breakfast daily and all taxes and service charges.
Call (800) 995-7997 or visit www.picassotours.com.