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Fans of the Dan Hotels chain can look forward to three new properties joining the group, after it acquired three hotels from the Rimonim chain.

The properties, in Eilat, Tzfat and Nazareth, will add another 579 rooms to the chain's offering, with the possibility that the Neve Ativ Rimonim Hermon Holiday Village will also be acquired by Dan hotels.

Ronen Nissenbaum, CEO of the Dan Hotels, Israel said: “We are delighted that this deal has now come to fruition and that we are able to offer travellers additional properties around the country, including two in locations where currently there is no Dan presence. We are also actively trying to secure three other properties as part of the negotiations.”

Tel Aviv in the spotlight

Tel Aviv is taking centre stage as the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest approaches, preparing to welcome a record number of tourists, with a temporary campsite planned to cope with the influx.

The campsite will be set up in the Yarkon Park, walking distance from EXPO Tel Aviv where the contest takes place from May 14-18, and is expected to operate for two months, housing up to 2,000 guests in three different levels of accommodation from camping to luxury caravans.

The city has already had a visit from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who recently posted images of himself cooking in Tel Aviv, as well as enjoying hummus in Jerusalem, while Virgin Atlantic has announced its new flight route from Heathrow, starting this September, with tickets already on sale.

New European itinerary for P&O

P&O Cruises’ new ship Iona is set to spend its first winter season visiting Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands and northern Europe.

The range of seven and 14-night itineraries departing Southampton between October 2020 and March 2021 go on sale on March 18. And the cruise is aiming to offer passengers more than day visits, with “day into night” late departures from destinations including Barcelona, Valencia, Tenerife and

Fuerteventura, in order to experience the nightlife, plus overnight stays in Barcelona, Lisbon, Cadiz and Rotterdam.

There will also be a range of shore excursions from waterfall canyoning in Madeira to river rafting in Vigo, as well as tuk tuk tours of Lisbon and cruising Amsterdam’s canals on a vintage boat at night.

All-inclusives for all?

All-inclusives for all?The number of all-inclusive breaks booked by UK holidaymakers are up, making up half of bookings with On The Beach so far this year.

Family bookings have risen to 62% this January up from 58% for the same time last year, while couples’ holiday bookings have reached 44% and 39% for group trips. The company books 1.5 million passengers every year.

And package holiday bookings are also up, now at 91% of the total bookings compared to 87% last year – suggesting that as Brexit approaches, many holidaymakers are looking to protect themselves against currency fluctuations and taking advantage of the security offered by Package Travel Regulations.

Most popular is Spain and its islands, in particular Tenerife, while Greece takes second place, with Crete listed as the most popular island for 2019. Turkey, the Algarve and Cyprus make up the top five.

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