Media Flash 16th April 2010
Posted by Editor on 16 April 2010
New Title
Bradt returns to Zimbabwe with the first dedicated travel guide since Mugabe’s politically engineered crisis deprived the country of tourism revenue. Whether or not to visit as a tourist is for each individual to decide but in the guide’s foreword Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE gives an unequivically positive response to the question – ‘By staying away from Zimbabwe, all you’re doing is making things even harder for all the people involved in tourism and conservation…’
Zimbabwe author Paul Murray adds ‘These are exciting times for Zimbabwe’s tourism industry which has now had 12 months of dealing in US$, enabling them to resurrect their properties from a 10 year hibernation.
The economy is on the move again so everybody is champing at the bit to welcome tourists back to this stunningly attractive country; all it just needs is for the recession to end.
Finally, and I can’t stress this enough, you don’t need to be intrepid, brave, or, as many people think, stupid, to come to Zimbabwe as it is safe, safe, safe for visitors – I should know – I’ve driven literally all over the country for much of the last four years researching this book and I’ve met nothing but smiling, friendly people along the way. And that includes the traffic cops!’
A key contributor to the guide, John Berry of Zambezi Safari will be a guest on tomorrow’s (17th April’s) Excess Baggage travel show to be broadcast at 10am on BBC Radio 4, and available to listen to online or download as a podcast shortly thereafter.
News
Elsewhere, in Kyrgyzstan the turbulent sands of history have whipped into a storm, sending former President Bikayev to exile in neighbouring Kazakhstan.
Bradt’s Kyrgyzstan author Laurence Mitchell, who is travelling in Turkey and Georgia at the moment, advises caution until the situation stabilises, ‘Potential travellers to the Kyrgyz Republic will understandably be concerned over the present political situation in the country. The British FCO is currently advising against all but essential travel to Kyrgyzstan but hopefully the situation should have normalised under the interim government by the time the main travel season gets underway in the summer. This is by no means certain, however. Be sure to keep up to date with current Foreign Office advise at www.fco.gov.uk’
New Editions
Hungary, Edition 2 – By Adrian Phillips & Jo Scotchmer
Bradt’s Hungary – winner of the ‘Best Guidebook of the Year Award’ – has been fully updated by authors Adrian Phillips and Jo Scotchmer along with a little help from their friends. Having initially been assailed by chickens’ testicles and indolent hotel managers – or was it the other way around? - Bradt’s duo developed a real empathy for Hungarian life. This second edition – the most comprehensive guide on the market – has a new, full-colour section on birdwatching, as well as expanded coverage of the Lake Balaton region and new sections on dental tourism and buying property. There are details of walking trails, thermal spas and in-depth reviews of restaurants and hotels. As Dan Linstead – editor of Wanderlust Magazine – writes’ ‘This book is first choice for the thinking traveller’.
Malawi, Edition 5 by Philip Briggs
One of Bradt’s Africa experts, Philip Briggs returns to update this fifth edition of Malawi and comments, ‘Few countries are so dominated by a single geographical feature as the “Land of the Lake”… it (Lake Malawi) covers more than 15% of the country’s surface area’, but goes on to qualify this, saying ‘There is more to Malawi than the lake and with the publication of this guide, I hope to draw attention to several exciting destinations which have previously been overlooked by visitors.’ Exploring five national parks and four game reserves along with the wildlife-rich Nyika Plateau and rocky heights of Mount Mulanje before venturing to the remote Dedza Mountain and Elephant Marsh, Malawi is still the guide for both independent travellers and those on an organised tour.
Syria, Edition 2 – By Diana Darke
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yria seems to have had a higher tourism profile of late, and it’s certainly a welcome change to see the country benefit from the right kind of attention for the right reasons. Diana Darke, whose own Arab history is almost as intriguing as that of her subject, has updated this second edition of her Syria guide from the perspective of one of only a few foreigners who own property in Damascus. She reports ‘This book aims to encourage an enlightened form of tourism to Syria and to help visitors appreciate the colossal variety and cultural richness it has to offer. Contrary to widely held beliefs, Syria is an extremely safe tourist destination, with virtually no petty crime. No foreigner has ever been kidnapped, raped or assaulted here, not even a Dane…’ This edition sees additional accommodation listings, expanded public transport information and as ever supports the facts with excellent historical and contemporary background encompassing a multitude of Syria’s customs, its culture and its sights.
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