easyJet Holidays and Paradores de Turismo de España
2012-11-22 — /travelprnews.com/ — easyJet the UK’s largest airline, has today announced a strategic partnership with Spanish hotel institution, the Paradores de Turismo de España. In the first collaboration of its kind for the hotel group, all of the Paradores, a collection of 94 uniquely individual properties, will now be available to book as air-inclusive short breaks and holidays via the easyJet Holidays website.
Located across mainland Spain and the Canary Islands, the Paradores offer a unique and authentic take on tourism. Spanning the many diverse regions and landscapes that Spain has to offer, no two Paradores are the same; ranging from mountainside estates to coastal retreats, many in buildings of historic significance, others sleek and contemporary, they offer year-round opportunities for a stylish and quintessentially Spanish getaway.
The Paradores experience offers a sense of place like few others; visitors have the opportunity to enjoy an in-depth appreciation of the country and the region they are visiting through its culture and cuisine, in chic, stylish surroundings. easyJet carries almost 60 million passengers each year and 13 million of these to Spain. This partnership will showcase a truly authentic side of Spain to those passengers, giving unprecedented access to an almost unlimited treasure trove of travel experiences. An array of cultural routes, wine trails, spa retreats, golf courses, sparkling beaches and nature reserves, as well as breaks at some of Spain’s landmark cities and lesser known historic towns will all be conveniently available.
Four nights at the four-star Paradore de Vic-Sau on a room-only basis costs £283 per person including flights from London Gatwick to Barcelona on 11 May 2013. This property is in a beautiful natural setting in the Osona area with the Guillerias mountains in the background and the Sau reservoir at its feet. It is ideal for outdoor and adventure sports as well as for visiting old Romanesque churches.
Depart on 19 May from Liverpool for a four night break at the four-star Parador de Alcalá de Henares on bed and breakfast basis for £379 per person. This newly opened Parador is only 26km from Madrid and is a magnificent 17th century former Convent and School, overlooking the beautiful Patio Trilingue.
With flights on no fewer than 19 Spanish routes from 11 airports across the UK, easyJet offers the most comprehensive coverage of any airline to the Spanish mainland and its islands. From next June, the airline will also be adding the Gatwick to Santiago route to its Spanish network, allowing convenient access to Santiago de Compostela, which is generally regarded as the most prestigious Paradores in the portfolio.
This means that almost all the Paradores are close to, or within comfortable driving distance of, an easyJet gateway airport. easyJet Holidays’ existing partnership with car hire company, Europcar, means that the Paradores can be easily booked as part of a tour or simply as a point-to-point short break. For those who don’t wish to hire a car, transfers are also available.
Paul Simmons, easyJet UK Director, said of the partnership: “We are extremely excited to be the first airline to bring Paradores to our customers via this partnership. It further strengthens our presence in Spain and is a part of a strategic decision which we’ve actively made to offer even more choice via a well-respected and sought after hospitality brand that is synonymous with Spain.
“The unique characteristics and breadth of variety presented by Spain’s Paradores, fit well with the easyJet philosophy of enabling passengers to make individual travel choices that suit their needs, easily and affordably.”
Commenting on the alliance, Ángeles Alarcó, president of Pardores de Turismo said, “We are very excited to establish this partnership with easyJet, who are such a significant generator of visitors to Spain, and to facilitate easy access from the UK to our many properties. There is a perfect synergy between the Paradores and easyJet with both offering a quality product with consistency to a broad demographic market and an accessible price point; we are confident that the partnership will enable more travellers from the UK to discover our unique taste of Spain”.
Bookings for Paradores can be made through the easyJet Holidays website at easyjet.com/holidays. The packages will initially be available exclusively to easyJet Holidays customers in the UK, with plans to roll out the concept to other European markets in 2013.
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Notes to editors:
About Paradores de Turismo: Paradores de Turismo is a State-owned company with eight decades of history, which currently manages 94 highly individual properties across mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. The group continues to expand its portfolio, with the objective of restoring and preserving Spain’s cultural landmarks. This year has seen the launch of a Parador in Cadiz and Lorca, with a further property in Ibiza currently in progress. www.parador.es
About easyJet Holidays: The easyJet Holidays website offers a range of city breaks, beach destinations and ski holidays, with a choice of flexible durations, star ratings and transfer options from departure airports across the UK.
The arrangements for a holiday booked on the easyJet Holidays website are made by easyJet, acting as principal for flights and as disclosed agent for travel insurance, car rental and airport parking; and by Lowcostbeds acting as agent for accommodation and transfers.
Prices are correct as at 21 November, include flights and accommodation and are based on 2 sharing unless otherwise stated but exclude transfers and baggage. Some payment methods attract a handling fee.
For further press information on the Paradores including photography please contact Katie Hamilton (kate@bacall.net) or Jeff Bacall (Jeff@bacall.net)
For further press information on easyJet Holidays please contact Dagmar Dua (Dagmar.Dua@easyJet.com or 01582 525252)