Tripping the light and ice fantastic

I CHANCED upon a press release from Brussels this week and it makes interesting reading for more than one reason.

Brussels, and the southern Belgian region of Wallonia, will be transformed this December by the genius of French lighting artist Patrick Rimoux, famous for illuminating Montmartre in Paris and working with Wim Wenders on the film Wings of Desire.

His work will be on display in the Grand Place during the festive period. Illuminated, multi-coloured donkeys, sheep and cattle will graze in a mystical field, through which visitors will be able to wander.

But what really caught my eye was the section that mentioned the provision of an outdoor ice rink that will be open daily in the city centre from December 6 through to January 5.

Since the introduction of the euro in Ireland, there has been a lot of rounding off and mostly rounding up. It's interesting then to note that, in between displays by professional skaters, the ice rink in Brussels will be open to the general public at a cost of €4.46 for an hour of skating and that includes skate hire!

Despite the fall-off in business following the September 11 attacks last year, those involved in the travel market in America believe 2003 will be a big year.

American Holidays recently launched its biggest ever brochure to cater for the Irish market and offers a wide range of options. The company believes that Florida, Orlando, the Gulf and east coast will be among the most popular choices for next year.

But a spokesperson pointed out that other hot tips could be for holidays on the west coast, the deep South and Hawaii, the 50th State with its collection of 132 tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean. All are featured in the American Holidays brochure.

Camping/mobile home expert EuroSites has upgraded all its accommodation levels for next year and has also created three new grades of holiday options.

The company has also embarked in a mini price war with its competitors and guarantees (with conditions) to match competitors' prices.

According to sales development manager Nicola Rides: "We are delighted to offer three options to our customers. They will know exactly what they are getting when making the booking and we are giving them the option to pay for what they want, whether it be luxury or no-frills accommodation."

Cork Airport has had further good news with the announcement that bmibaby (the low-cost arm of British Midland) will provide 100,000 seats to the east Midlands, offering a host of extra destinations through that hub. It appears, however, that the bmi babies (the marketing people) ruffled a few feathers in Cork when they jumped the gun and made the announcement in advance of the planned launch date. Not the best start.