Interesting report from the Nordic Innovation Centre. “One of the great economic hopes for the Nordic region is tourism. Regions a bit in the periphery see tourism as fuelling their economical growth, increasing the employment and enhancing the quality of life.” Read the article.

Tourism projects in Angus and Dundee are being sought for the Innovation and Development Fund, which is jointly-funded by Destination Dundee and Angus and Dundee Tourism Partnership. The fund is available to businesses, partnerships, community organisations and private individuals.

Mini-sub could revolutionise tourism!

The C-Quester is made by U-Boat Worx and is a series of submersibles, (one, two and four-seater). The mini-submarine could revolutionise the tourism industry, providing the basis for a new worldwide network of high-end underwater tourist ventures and it is hoped that the new larger craft will also appeal to the corporate market.

The configuration of the ship allows the submersible to act as a normal boat on the surface.  The C-Questers are called one-atmosphere ‘dry’ submersibles, meaning that passengers will stay in a normal one-bar dry environment, similar to what we have on land. This means it is possible to rapidly return to the surface without the risk of decompression problems.

Travelodge and Aldi have announed a joint plan to capitalise on development opportunities created by the credit crunch. They plan to open joint sites in Newquay and Middlesbrough by the end of 2009.  The 55 room Middlesbrough Travelodge will open at the end of November 2008, alongside a 16,700sq ft Aldi.

World Golf Systems introduces the exciting and unique family leisure activity TopPutt ‘Live.’ Manufactured by the Watford based company it’s a natural progression from the TopGolf system that has revolutionised golf driving ranges. TopPutt is a fun and compelling coin operated indoor putting game with added sound and visual effects. The aim of the game is to score a maximum of 800 points by hitting as many of the numbered and brightly coloured holes as possible. It is already proving highly successful at various Centre Parcs, Butlins and Xscape venues and will soon be installed at many more leisure, retail and amusement locations near to you. The dimensions of the unit are 4.8M (L) X 1.4M (W) X 1.75M (H) and it is available on a revenue share agreement. For further info please contact Richard Linington email: golf@pslplan.co.uk or tel: 023 9248 1999.

Go Ape are one of the UK’s leading innovative companies in the outdoor recreation sector.  They have developed their ‘aerial assault course’ at 12 centres in the UK, many in partnership with Forestry Commission locations.

New ideas from Opodo, include:

• Google maps with local hotel options (August)
• Extras inclduing ‘green weddings’ (August)
• SMS with flight and destination weather information (September)