Krabi tour company Andaman Camp and Cruise is passionate about its traditional longtail boats in Krabi, south Thailand.

They point to the years of tradition behind the longtail designs and the danger the boats face from the increasing popularity of speed boats.

The longtail boat is one of the unofficial symbols of Thailand and can be seen decorating the beachfront in any number of Thai photos. The longtail gets its name from the long pole used to connect the propeller to the motor – usually from a car or truck. The simple propeller link up makes the boat easy to steer and gives it its unique appearance.

The sleek look of each longtail boat is unique to the craftsman who made it, but the general design has been around for many centuries longer than the car engines that give the longtail its modern name.

Each boat has colourful ribbons tied to the head – a symbol of the ancient times when animism was the main belief system in the region. The colours are designed to appease the spirits of the seas. If the spirits are appeased, the boat and crew will have safe passage and good luck when fishing.

The specific colours on display have no meaning in themselves and are the choice of the boat’s owner. Being colourful and attractive is the rule people generally try to stick to.

Speed boats are increasingly popular in south Thailand, as they are faster and do not need to be painstakingly made from natural materials by local craftsmen. The longtail boat is suffering as a result, and some fear for its long term survival.

Elizabeth and Sun, the co-owners of Andaman Camp and Cruise, do all they can to preserve a future for the beautiful longtail boat, and encouraging tourists to take an interest is an important step.

Andaman Camp and Cruise specialise in offering longtail boat tours in Krabi, as well as personalised tours of the whole Andaman Sea region of southern Thailand.

Visit the Andaman Camp & Cruise website for more information on longtail boats in Krabi.

As falling house prices and rising fuel costs begin to bite, British holidaymakers are making sure they get a holiday to remember this year. An analysis of holiday bookings made through online travel agency www.holidays-direct.co.uk reveals an increase in the number of people booking holidays in destinations more traditionally associated with the luxury end of the market.

This is in contrast to an overall caution by holidaymakers and strongly suggests that if people are investing in a holiday, they are making sure it is a memorable one.

The poor weather in Britain has certainly been a good thing for the travel industry as thousands each week jet off to the sun.

This summer has seen higher than average sales for holidays in the Caribbean, Dubai, Thailand and Tunisia.

Holidays in Spain and Egypt are once again the top selling summer holiday destinations.

Jon Pearce of www.holidays-direct.co.uk explains how their holiday sales patterns have differed from last year: “Each year the number of people booking their summer holidays two months or more ahead of the departure date has grown. Following this trend we’ve seen an uptake in bookings for holidays in the Caribbean and Thailand, along with other long haul destinations.”

“This suggests to us that a lot more people are planning ahead and saving up for their holidays somewhere special.”

“With the lousy weather here, people cannot consider getting away from the sun – despite the cost. We all need cheering up, so a holiday is a luxury that has become a necessity for many!”

About www.holidays-direct.co.uk

Online travel agency www.holidays-direct.co.uk is part of the Midlands Co-operative Society Group and is a member of ABTA. They specialize in providing affordable flights and accommodation in the top holiday destinations around the world.

Midlands Co-op Travel, incorporating Ilkeston Co-op Travel, is the No 1 independent travel agent in the Midlands.

Created by Web Certain, the UK-based agency that specialises in multinational, multilingual search engine optimisation, the Forum addresses the need for a place to collate information about the unique issues that PR professionals face when dealing with online PR campaigns across multiple languages and in different markets.

The forums are open to anyone to register and discuss topics such as;-
Social media optimisation
Copywriting for both human editors and search engine robots
News release distribution in multiple languages and countries
Performance tracking – in any language
Co-ordinating global PR campaigns
New developments and techniques in online PR
Blogs and RSS
The link between SEO and PR – and the use of PR as link-bait

Web Certain’s Managing Director Andy Atkins-Krueger explains why he launched www.multilingual-pr.com: “Multilingual search marketing is at the core of our business because we have an international workforce managing campaigns for clients operating in countries all around the world.”

“We have found that news distribution is a hugely useful SEO tool and the most effective way to manage an online reputation, but editorial rules and opportunities vary greatly from country to country.”

WebCertain manages a unique network of news release publishing sites in many languages around the world – the NewsCertain Network www.newscertainnetwork.com. There are currently 22 sites in the network and more on the way.

They offer clients and agencies the opportunity to publish news in all the world’s major web languages.

Unlike many press release portals they have been designed specifically for search engine impact. Therefore html formatting and adding links on important keywords is allowed and the WebCertain PR team are on hand to advise on writing news stories for the best possible online impact.

About WebCertain

WebCertain offers the full range of search marketing services, in all the major web languages, including pay per click campaigns, organic SEO, online PR and web development.

In the organic search, pay-per-click and PR teams WebCertain employs specialists in all the major web languages who are also experts in local search engine behaviour.

The “world language hub” consists of a team of search specialists of many languages all working together on search engine optimisation and pay per click campaigns under one roof. WebCertain also has local partners for that extra local edge – a powerful combination.

Visit WebCertain at www.webcertain.com to find out more about the multilingual search marketing services.

The Icelandic budget airline Iceland Express has announced details of its end of summer sale.

Iceland Express today revealed details of its end of summer sale, offering travellers to Iceland incredibly low fares for a limited time only.

Flights will cost as little as EUR 70, GBP 56 or DKK 535, including taxes and fees, to Iceland (and back if you want) from Barcelona, Berlin, Billund, Copenhagen, Eindhoven, Frankfurt Hahn, London, and Paris.

Flights must be taken between 18 August and 15 September 2008 and bookings must be made online either today or tomorrow (Tuesday 19 August).

The airline points out that the offer is first-come-first-served and that there is limited availability.

Iceland Express is Iceland’s low-cost airline and has been operational since 2003. Five years later, the successful business now offers flights to Iceland from 14 destinations around Europe.

Iceland Express has plans to begin operating two new, more environmentally-friendly Boeing 737-700s in September and begin a new route to London Gatwick in spring 2009.

To book cheap flights to Iceland, or for more information on Iceland’s low-cost airline, take a look at www.icelandexpress.com

Since opening Europe’s largest national park in June, Icelandic authorities have been busy improving the facilities and getting the word out.

The Vatnajokull National Park in south Iceland incorporates the old Skaftafell and Jokulsargljufur national parks, as well as the entire Vatnajokull glacier.

The Icelandic travel website www.South.is describes Vatnajokull National Park as ‘the meeting point of extremes’ – a sentiment instantly confirmed by the statistics.

Vatnajokull glacier is the largest in Europe and covers six active volcanoes under its 8,000 square kilometres of ice. Fire and ice are extreme contrasts; but the National Park’s sheer size is quite extreme too: 13,000 square kilometres, or 13 percent of the entire country.

Turning the entire glacier into a national park was a move intended to draw attention to the rapid melting of Iceland’s glaciers and to aid researchers in highlighting the reasons.

In contrast to the scientific community, tourists are set to be the second big winners. The Park aims to have completed construction of its second visitors’ centre shortly, and an additional four visitors’ centres will be completed by 2012.

In addition to this, the network of rangers’ stations will increase from four to 11 under the current 10 million euro investment plan.

In return for the investment, Iceland hopes to see a total increase of five to seven percent in visitor numbers to the country over the next few years.

South.is is the website for the tourist industry in South Iceland. As such, it is an invaluable English-language resource for those interested in the region.

The site contains lots of useful information, including details of current events, accommodation, restaurants and attractions, including Vatnajokull National Park. South.is is also home to an inspiring collection of photographs from South Iceland.

More information on the new Vatnajokull National Park and South Iceland in general, can be found at www.south.is

Blink Communications is a facilities based data communications service provider that delivers cost-effective, fiber-based high bandwidth services for some of the largest organizations throughout North America. With over 1000 KM of routed fiber, Blink Communications is one of the few optical networks left that are fully diverse from that of other carriers. Designed to deliver the utmost in flexibility, security and scalability, the network allows fast, simple bandwidth changes that grow with end user requirements and delivers optimal uptime for mission-critical applications.

A tailored approach to network services that continues to generate interest from some of North Americas largest organizations. Not only for the speed and reliability with which we deliver our services, but also for our commitment to working with existing and prospective customers on solutions that are specific to their needs.

The 2008 Financial Services Technology Forum focuses on new, cutting-edge enterprise applications and solutions that are sustainable, flexible, and increase profitability, presented via interactive expositions and engaging conference sessions presented to all corporate users, from service providers to small, medium and large businesses alike.

For more information:

To register for Early-Bird Passes, please visit http://e-financial.wowgao.com/registration

More details about the event can be found at http://e-financial.wowgao.com

About WowGao Inc.

WowGao Inc. is an Event Management Company that organizes and manages internationally renowned conferences and expositions focusing on latest innovations and developments in Information Technology Industry since 2003. We have been honored with an award for our excellence. Our featured events are:

- 2008 Financial Services Technology Forum, October 28 & 29, 2008
- 2009 Government & Health Technologies Conference and Expo, April 28 & 29, 2009
- 2009 Wireless & Mobile Expo and Conference, June, 2009
- 2009 RFID Forum, June, 2009

For more information about the events, please visit http://www.wowgao.com

For any media queries:

Director of Marketing,
416-292-0038 ext 812
attendee@wowgao.com

Actavis Group, the international generic drug company, has announced that it has appointed Gudbjorg Edda Eggertsdottir as Deputy CEO.

Valur Ragnarsson will become the new Executive Vice President of Third-Party Sales and Doug Boothe will be the CEO of Actavis United States.

Valur will join the Group’s Executive board with immediate effect while Gudbjorg Edda and Doug are already executive board members.

Gudbjorg Edda Eggertsdottir joined Actavis following the company’s merger with Delta, where she had been Deputy CEO and Managing Director of Exports and Development since 1999. She was appointed Actavis’ Chief Executive of Third-Party Sales in 2002.

Valur Ragnarsson joined Medis, Actavis’ Third-Party Sales division in 2001 and was appointed Managing Director in October 2003. He has held the posts of Marketing Manager of Lundbeck in Iceland and later as Marketing Manager of Aventis.

Doug Boothe joined Actavis through the acquisition of Alpharma in 2005. During the past four years he has held a variety of management positions within the company, the most recent of which was Executive Vice President of U.S. Commercial and Administration.

Incoming Deputy CEO Gudbjorg Edda Eggertsdottir said, “Following the departure of Robert Wessman, it will continue to be business as usual at Actavis. We have an incredibly committed team that will continue to provide quick to market, low cost, high quality pharmaceuticals around the global marketplace.”

Actavis CEO Sigurdur Oli Olafsson said, “We have a world-class management team with global expertise. We fully intend to continue the remarkable Actavis growth story but our main focus this year will remain on internal growth.”

Actavis is one of the world’s leading generic drug companies specializing in the development, manufacture and sale of generic pharmaceuticals. Based in Iceland, the company has operations in 40 countries and 11,000 employees.

Visit the Actavis website for more information on the generic drug manufacturer.

Contact:
Hjordis Arnadottir
Director - External Communications
Tel: (+354) 535 2300 / 840 7476
E-mail: harnadottir@actavis.com

Icelandic budget airline Iceland Express has announced the introduction of two fuel-efficient Boeing aircraft to its service, as well as flights to London Gatwick from spring 2009.

Iceland Express has announced changes to its upcoming winter timetable, which includes a delay in the introduction of the low cost airline’s new five-times-weekly service connecting Reykjavik and London Gatwick.

Birna Gudmundsdottir, marketing manager for Iceland Express, said: “We have decided to move the launch of this exciting new service to the spring as it is the peak travel season for Iceland. While the number of bookings has never been higher for Iceland Express, we do not want the current increase in fuel costs to impact on the ticket prices for our customers”.

The low cost flights to Iceland from Gatwick will be in addition to Iceland Express’s popular daily service from Stansted, which will continue as usual.

“We have wanted to expand into Gatwick for some time and the decision by British Airways to suspend its services to Reykjavik earlier this year means that the time is now right to do so,” Gudmundsdottir said this spring. The time of the launch may now have changed, but the sentiment has not.

“Iceland Express is remaining cautious in the current uncertain economic climate, while continuing to deliver the best possible service at the best possible price. Iceland Express is a budget airline and we want to ensure it stays that way.”

The Icelandic budget airline also announced recently that it will be introducing two Boeing 737-700s from September. The aircraft are more environmentally-friendly and will result in up to a 40 percent reduction in fuel costs for Iceland Express.

Launched in 2003, Iceland Express is Iceland’s low-fare airline connecting the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik with 14 airports in Europe: Copenhagen, London, Alicante, Basel, Berlin, Billund, Eindhoven, Frankfurt Hahn, Friedrichshafen, Gothenburg, Paris, Stockholm, Barcelona and Warsaw.

For more information on Iceland Express or to book flights online, go to www.icelandexpress.com.

Ing4Music is totally dedicated to music and it’s absolutely FREE! We have three membership areas - artist, tribute artist or music fan. Anyone can register and set up his own unique profile.

This music site also lets to stream the latest music tracks and videos, add photos for everyone to enjoy, and update fans on the latest gig information. Venues are also welcome to post their site and gig details for free. Take advantage of our advanced searches and Google map options to increase public visibility among music fans. Create individual music blogs, groups, polls, forum posts and invite friends to join the community. A separate classifieds section is also available with free registration and advertising.

Forthcoming attractions will include a secure shop offering artists the opportunity to sell their music downloads; buy the latest instruments and accessories plus Ing4Music official merchandise.

There are also live secure chatrooms. Ing4Music mobile service will also be available soon. Ing4Music offers a full professional management and promotions service for all assistance.

Founder, Julian Ing said: “This social music community will make it easy for unsigned artists to get their music heard by a wider audience in a place that’s fun, easy to use and free. Whatever music you play or listen to, Ing4Music is open to everyone. Music has no boundaries – it’s about free expression which is very close to my heart and the hearts of everyone involved with this project.”

So sign up today at www.Ing4Music.com to make a real difference and get noticed!

Contact:
Ing4Music Company Ltd.,
84 Chaucer Road,
Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5LY
Phone: 07967268896
E-Mail: julian@ing4music.com
james@ing4music.com
Website: http://www.Ing4Music.com

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Ing4Music is a registered music company based in UK. It is developing a music community to bring together all the musicians.

Nearly 100 Icelandic children suffering from cancer and their families were recently taken on a day trip to a theme park in Sweden by Icelandic national carrier Icelandair.

Thanks to Icelandair, the children were back home in Iceland the same evening after a memorable day out at Scandinavia’s biggest theme park.

Arriving in Gothenburg at 11 in the morning, it was off to Liseberg Amusement Park for a day of family fun, and then back on a flight to Iceland in time for bed.

The trip was funded by Icelandair’s Special Children Travel Fund and by the generosity of Icelandair staff and customers.

Since 2003, Icelandair has offered passengers the chance to contribute towards the company’s Special Children Fund. The fund gives seriously ill children and their families the chance to go on dream trips that they could otherwise not afford.

Usually the fund tries to help around 20 families go on extensive holidays to Florida and other Icelandair destinations each year. The day trip to Swden for 100 Icelandic families was a new and successful experiment.

All the Icelandair staff involved gave their time for free, so only the flights and entrance fees came from the Special Children Fund.

“It is precious for the children and their family to find that they are not fighting this alone. Many of these children just finished a cancer treatment or are still in a tough treatment. This kind of a trip gives them a change to think about something else than the illness for one day.” says Oskar Orn Gudbrandsson, manager of the Organisation for cancer sick children (SKB).

Icelandair is the biggest airline in Iceland, connecting Iceland with 24 destinations in Europe and North America.

For more information on flights to Iceland and the Special Children Travel Fund, visit www.icelandair.net