Travel Rants recently used collated data from their own complaints department and came up with some very interesting, but probably unsurprising statistics.

39% of the complaints were due to issues within the airport or with the airline with 63% of the complaints were relating to poor customer service.

Here are some of the results from the Travel Rants website:
17% – lack of assistance from airline when flight delayed/cancelled.
13% – lack of assistance with lost baggage.
12% – inaccurate information provided by travel agency.
10% – inaccurate travel insurance advice.
9% – lack of help when ill abroad.
9% – parking at airports, both pick-up and long stay.
8% – changes to accommodation on arrival at resort.
8% – issues with airport transfer, i.e. coach not arriving etc.
4% – issues with booking holiday online.
2% – issues around banking charges abroad.

Have you been affected by any of the above or feel that there should be another complaint added the the list above….leave us a comment of the blog as we’d love to hear about it.

Greece or it’s islands are not the first places that spring to mind when thinking about a golf holiday, however it’s a little known fact that Corfu has one of the best championship courses in the whole of Europe. The 18-hole championship course is located in the picturesque Ropa Valley, where temperatures remain mild and sunny throughout the autumn.

If Golfing in Corfu is not for you, why not take a look at our exclusive selection of Villas and Apartments across the Greek Islands as Oct and Nov tempreatures are still in the high 20′s so sun bathing by the pool or on the beach are still an option.

The Maltese authorities had concerns that the crisis in Libya may drive visitors away as the island of Malta is just 200 miles off the coast of Libya, however for now there is little sign of tourism being affected.

For villas in Malta or apartments on this beautiful island, take a look at our selection of holiday rentals on the villa holidays website.

The new Apple iPAD 2 launches in the UK on 25th March and we’re giving one lucky person the chance to win one of these must have devices!

For your chance to win, all you have to do is become a friend or fan of Villa Holidays on Facebook and we will choose at random the winner on April 3rd 2011. Existing Friends and Fans of the Villa Holiday Facebook page will automatically be included in the draw.

Becoming a Fan of the page is easy, just visit Villa Holidays if you haven’t already.

The winner will be notified before Saturday 9th April 2011..The competition will close at 11:59pm on 2nd April 2011…Good luck!

Full details here

The disbanding of the previous regime has restored calm to most places and Tunisians are keen to help the country’s tourism industry get back on its feet.

Around 7 million tourists go to Tunisia each year, 250-thousand of them are Brits and the lifting of the travel warning by the UK Foreign office comes in the light of what it calls the “reduced threat”.

However the department’s website states; “Anyone travelling to Tunisia should keep themselves well informed and closely monitor political and security developments,” it says.

The exotic fish and corals on the sea bed are a magnet for snorkellers and diving enthusiasts while the usually calm waters entice tourists in to cool off from the blistering heat from the sun.

The spate of shark attacks, which left one woman dead and three people badly injured have led to the local authorities issuing a warning to those tempted to enter the sea off  Sharm el-Sheikh.

3 million tourists visit the resort each year and many head to the beach to dive with the sharks, the oceanic white tip shark being the most common in the region.

The government ordered  6-metre-high watchtowers at regular intervals manned by trained lifeguards, the restriction of swimming to designated areas, and a total ban on recreational shark feeding in an effort to reassure bathers that the waters are safe.

The Egyptian Tourist Authority has issued a statement saying it believes once situation is resolved there’ll be a speedy recovery is possible.”

Two million Egyptians rely on tourism for jobs and the holiday industry has in recent years provided 11% of the nation’s economic output.

In 2010, the country welcomed 15 million tourists but the rioting in places like Cairo plus the fatal shark attacks in the coastal resorts have undoubtedly had a negative impact on tourism.

So far the Red Sea resorts such as of Sharm al-Sheikh haven’t been affected by the demonstrations but supplies of some tourism essentials could be hit unless some semblance of normality returns.

Alex Brown of Villa Holidays said, “As always when travelling abroad, holiday makers should wash their hands regularly, ensure their food is properly cooked, buy bottled water and where possible carry alcohol cleaning gel”.

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition and congratulations to Maria. Maria’s iPad was delivered yesterday by one of our staff and she’s over the moon with her Xmas present from Villa Holidays.

“The competition was such fun and lots of our new friends got involved across Facebook and Twitter and we thank them for that. We will be running more competitions in Jan 2011 so if you are already a friend of the Villa Holidays Facebook page a new one, everyone will be in with a chance of winning” said Alexa Brown of www.villa-holiday.co.uk.

Keep warm this Christmas and have a wonderful time.

The Villa Holiday Team!