If you like to keep in touch with what’s going on when you’re travelling you’ll be interested to hear about the new digital version of the Top 10 Travel Guide series created by DK Eyewitness Travel.

If you have an iPhone or an iPod Touch you’ll be able to download the travel guides direct from Apple’s website. The travel guides offering information on the top ten destinations for travel. They are:

• New York
• London
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• Barcelona
• Cancun
• Dubai
• Paris
• Rome
• Bangkok

The guides feature information such as travel guides, maps, tourist attractions and currency rates information.

DK Publishing’s Tom Hall stated:

We are delighted to be launching DK’s Top 10 guides for iPhone and iPod touch users.

The series is hugely successful in print, and the clear, structured format of its content lends itself perfectly to digital platforms in this manner.

Popularity: 74% [?]

According to a survey by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), Europeans aren’t particularly phased by the global recession and are generally planning on maintaining their level of business travel in the next 12 months.

52% of businessmen and women said they’d make the same number of trips in the next 12 months and 22% believe they’ll make more journeys in the next year.

26% of those polled said they expected to cut back on their travel in the next 12 months.

Kevin Maguire of the NBTA stated:

While the majority of business travellers understand the need to be prudent around costs, the most important issue for them when booking travel is convenience.

That’s why it is so vital that travel managers work with their communications colleagues to inform employees how travel changes are designed to meet both goals – cutting costs while offering convenience.

Popularity: 62% [?]

American Express has taken the difficult decision to close down its call centres for business travel, costing around 4,000 jobs throughout the globe. This amounts to 6% of Amex’s workforce worldwide but should help the company achieve its target savings of $800 million.

American Express is hoping to save $175 million through cutting employment figures and saving $500 million on marketing.

Kenneth Chenault is the CEO of Amex, he added:

While we have remained solidly profitable at a time when some parts of the card industry were incurring substantial losses, we continue to be very cautious about the economic outlook and are therefore moving forward with additional reengineering efforts to help further reduce our operating costs. We believe these efforts will put us in a better position to remain profitable and free up some additional resources that will be reinvested in the business to make sure we can take competitive advantage of opportunities as the economy begins to rebound.

Popularity: 96% [?]

The Scottish government is seeking the opinions of local businesses on the standard of ferry travel in the area. Businesses are being asked for their input via an online survey, with particular attention paid to the subject of the Sunday service from Lewis to mainland Scotland.

It has been claimed that Caledonian MacBrayne would be in breach of European law if they failed to run the Sunday service, but The Lord’s Day Observance Society disputes those claims.

The online survey will also go towards plans to make substantial changes to ferry routes in Scotland.

Popularity: 36% [?]

Virgin Trains has finally introduced wireless Internet access for passengers on its West Coast main line trains. The service was supposed to have been introduced years ago, but suffered great delays.

The Wi-Fi is being provided by T-Mobile and will afford passengers uninterrupted wireless Internet access, even when the trains are going through tunnels. A spokeswoman for Virgin Trains stated:

Wireless internet is now live across our Pendolino fleet and the service is forecast to be up and running in our Super Voyager trains by this summer.

The wireless net installation commenced last year, and receivers for the Internet have been installed gradually on each train. The installation has now been completed.

First class passengers can use the wireless net access free of charge while they are on the trains, plus they can use it in the business lounge at train stations.

Popularity: 52% [?]

The Business Travel Show is scheduled to be held in London, at Earl’s Court next year. However, the even was intended to be a three day show, but due to the recession it has been scaled back to just two days.

The Business Travel Show begins in Earl’s Court in February 9th 2010.

David Chapple is the director of the event. He stated:

Over the last two months we have listened carefully to what buyers and suppliers are experiencing, what they think, and what they want from their trade show.

It’s become clear that their overriding need at this stage is for (more…)

Popularity: 37% [?]

The recession has affected everyone in the world, from single mothers on a budget to millionaire businessmen. The recession has now also affected private jet travel as business executives have been forced to swap their private jets for economy class travel aboard airlines.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has revealed that use of private jets has fallen by 20% in just 6 months as the recession has taken hold of the most elite of sectors.

The UK was the fastest growing market in the world for luxury air travel, but the (more…)

Popularity: 49% [?]