Travel News

The romantic city of Paris is set to continue as one of the world's most attractive destinations, according to local tourist officials.

Despite a decline in long-haul visitors to the capital because of a rise in airline ticket prices, Paris is still popular with tourists because of its rich history and varied culture.

Figures from Paris's Tourism Office confirmed that there has been a fall in visitors from the US, however, the French city has welcomed a rise in tourist numbers from the Middle East, South America, Eastern Europe and India.

During the first six months of the year, the number of visitors increased by 2.2 per cent to total 17.3 million and there is expected to be a similar increase over the second half of 2008.

"Paris is doing well," Jean-Claude Lesourd, president of Paris's Tourism Office, told Business Week.

He added: "2008 will be a very good year - as good as last year and perhaps even better."

Visitors often opt to stay in the best hotels in Paris in order to make their trip to the famous city even more enjoyable.

There is plenty to see in the capital besides the traditional sightseeing tours - visitors are encouraged to take in the Musee Grevin, which houses some very impressive waxworks or see the masterpieces on show at the national Musee du Moyen Age.

London is set to hold a major event to welcome home the British Olympic medal winners.

Officials have confirmed that the capital will stage a special victory parade through the streets on October 16th as part of celebrations to mark the achievements of the sportsmen and women involved in the 2008 Beijing Games.

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, explained the event would be the ideal way to recognise the 19 gold medals won, as well as set the scene for London 2012.

He added: "To reflect the excitement and pride of the country in our athletes' superb victories, we've set a date in the diary now when we can cheer all our heroes and honour their extraordinary feats at this summer's Games."

The victory parade will be held in October in order to ensure those British athletes taking part in the Paralympic Games next month are involved, and that the event will make a great sight for anyone visiting the British capital.

Affordable accommodation in London makes the city an ideal location for tourists and there is plenty to see and do.

There are a number of large art collections housed across London and entry into many galleries, including the National Gallery, Tate Modern and Tate Britain, remains free of charge.

Icelandic quartet Sigur Ros play the Praca de Touros do Campo Pequeno in Lisbon as part of their world tour to celebrate the launch of their new album package.

The album literally translates as 'with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly' and is a fusion of film, photography and music.

Musicians combined forces with photographer Eva Vermandel and filmmaker Nicholas Abrahams to create an intimate portrait of Sigur Ros work.

The album package consists of downloads, a CD, a documentary DVD, unique film and a hardback book of images.

Sigur Ros is led by Jonsi Birgisson, famous for his falsetto, who received acclaim for Agaetis Byriun, the band's second album.

Their music has since been used on television and film by a variety of producers.

Strangely, the band has created a nonsensical language which appears on later releases encompassing strings and sweeping guitar.

Sigur Ros at the Campo Pequeno in Lisbon takes place on November 11th at 19:30 local time.

While you are staying in affordable accommodation in Lisbon, why not explore some of the city roots?

The Roman Empire and Moorish Conquest both tramped through the capital city, which sports plenty of beautiful architecture.

A Christ the King monument on the banks of the river mimics Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

Sci-fi enthusiasts can go wild in the aisles at the Manchester Conference Centre in October, when it hosts the Festival of Fantastic Film.

It is a three-day exhibition of sci-fi, fantasy and horror - sure to eek out plenty of gore from October 17th to 19th.

There will be special guests, hot debates, art work and posters, and memorabilia for sale.

Festival of Fantastic Film was founded in 1990 for niche fans. Prizes are put up for independent feature films and shorts, but the emphasis is on uniqueness and oddity in general.

Screenings from up and coming artists are encouraged by the organisers.

The 300-seat Weston Theatre and the 150-seat Cockcroft Theatre, both of which are close to cheap hotels in Manchester are also involved as venues.

Actor John Saxon is one of the guest stars. He went from making romantic movies to genre classics, including Nightmare on Elm Street and Dusk Till Dawn.

Robert Fuest directed Vincent Price movies, including the Abominable Dr Phibes.

Another guest star is Emily Booth, who is currently the face of television's Blue Review. She has acted in Evil Aliens and Cradle of the Fear.

John Scott is a musician and composer who attends several Hammer events and appears with Jess Conrad, an actor and singer.

The last night of James Blunt's UK All The Lost Souls tour will be in London.

He will sing at the O2 on October 14th at 18:30 local time.

Blunt used to be in the army, but left in 2002 to focus on music.

Most people will remember the song You're Beautiful from his small collection of albums.

His latest album The Lost Souls came out last year and Blunt describes it as "honest, naïve emotions and experiences".

Blunt has sold 11 million albums, gone to number one in 18 countries and top ten in 35.

I Really Want You, Blunt's new single, was out on August 4th.

Despite selling millions of songs across the world, Blunt describes himself as a down-to-earth guy.

So book yourself into one of the cheap hotels in London and grab a ticket to the gig for £32.50.

The O2 arena has hosted Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake and the Scissor Sisters among other fashionable acts.

Comfy seating and a variety of snack and drink options are part of the O2 experience.

O2 is near north Greenwich tube station, east of Canary Wharf in London.