Travel news

DESPITE news that the financial fortunes of Dubai (below) may be less than stellar, travel experts predict the world's most glamorous destination will be one of next year's top holiday spots. The city's economic problems have provided UK travel agents with the perfect opportunity to sell luxury holidays at heavily discounted prices, according to industry newspaper Travel Trade Gazette.

Travel operator Thomas Cook has admitted the company has seen prices drop by 7 per cent and that rates will continue to fall, while fares on Emirates Airlines have also been reduced in recent weeks.

All aboard

WAY before the motor car, the maharajahs of India loved trains. They installed their own thrones in opulent coaches, embellished with ivory and gold, and commissioned detailed pint-sized replicas – which chugged along the centre of royal banqueting tables on silver rails, carrying liqueurs and cigars.

These days are back with the Maharajas Express, the first Pan-India luxury train, due to start this month with four itineraries that take travellers into the heart of India.

Ampersand (020 7289 6100, www.ampersandtravel.com) offers seven nights full-board on the Maharajas Express, with one night each B&B in Delhi and Calcutta, from 4,760 per person. The price is based on two people sharing and includes drinks, guides, site entrance fees, all entertainment and flights.

Advice for adventurers

If the fact that the Scottish seaside town of Nairn scooped second place in a list of the world's most up-and-coming travel hotspots for 2010 by the website Tripadvisor didn't exactly have you running for your suitcase and the next express to Inverness, there were more adventurous hotspots for us holidaying Scots.

The Moray town was pipped to the post by Troncones, in Mexico, known for its miles of white sandy beaches, jungle and tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. Third place went to El Chalten, in Patagonia, with its hikes to the Unesco world heritage site at Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, while the national park and 12-mile long beach of Patara, in Turkey, took fourth, and the medieval Bavarian town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in Germany, took fifth.

This article first appeared in Scotland on Sunday on 3 January, 2010