Tuesday, March 20, 2012

A shortage of rental cars in Easter Week is expected

A shortage of rental cars for the Easter holidays is expected again as a consequence of important companies's closedown of the sector because of the crisis.

Days pass fast, and by leaps and bounds approach one more year the first holidays of this year 2012, the Easter Halidays Week, beginning this year on Thursday the 5th of April. Because this is a very short vacation, a lot of visitors, most of them foreign people, prefer to come by plane or train and once arrived in destination, would like to rent a car.


Up to date we could see really low prices for car hire. As a tradition, many of the foreign customers have reserved their cars with a few months in advance, in order to be sure that will have a confirmed reservation and at the same time to get the best prices available. For example until only 2 weeks ago we could book a car hire at Alicante airport for less than 100 euros per week.

However, as dates are closer to the Easter Week prices begin to increase. For example now we can hire a car in Murcia from 130 euros and everything points that prices will increase as Easter holidays aproches.
But why do the prices increase?
As we already know the big majority of car hire companies renew the cars of the fleet constantly and as soon as the low season arrives they sell most of the vehicles, keeping the right number of cars for the winter season.
This year the economic situation is very dificult and finding finansation it is now a real challange for most of the companies. Beeing in this situation the companies can not renovate their fleet of vehicles. This way the big majority of car hire companies will have to resign with buying a lot less vehicles that the normally acquire buy this time.

As well is very important to point that important companies of the sector have suspended its activity as a consequence of the financial crisis in which Spain is immersed.

Conclusively, there are less car hire companies and the ones that support the pressure will a minor availability of cars for hire. This situation involves a shortage of fleet in curcial seasons like Easter Week and summer, besides a predictable rise of prices by this time.

How does this affects the travelers?
When the number of vehicles is very low, the companies have no other choice but to increase prices and many times the ones that makes last minute reservations will have to pay very high prices. This is all the way round than in a normal situation, when the last minute bookings haves special discounts.

The ones that have decided to rent their car until today, can say that they have paid a really low price for the Easter holidays. The ones that want to rent a car, it will be advisable to make theis booking now, and so will be sure they will pay a moderate price and at the same time being sure that they will have a car hire for those dates.

What about you? Are you going to risk and not hire a car until the last moment?

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Fallas of Valencia are up to begin!

From the 9th to the 19th of March is when they delebrate the famous Fallas of Valencia. The Levantine capital will be invaded by thousands of visitors searching for the smell of gunpowder, the impressive monuments, the music and the  festivities around the streets during these days.

Once again, Valencia´s streets are filled with happyness, entertainment, concerts and people looking for fun.

We´re talking about the Fallas of Valencia.

Huge cardboard monuments are erected in the middle of the streets anywhere around the city and its towns. Each year with more daring designs, always trying to satirize all kinds of topics related to politics, famous artists...

The Fallas, also known as the "Fiestas Josefinas" are held in honor of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the carpenters. These festivities were born as a result of burning old stuff as a way of celebrating the end of the winter season and entrance of the spring season. In Valencia, the fallera capital, they last for about 1 month and they are a genuine show of color, smell of gunpowder and noise by the millions of firecrackers which are explode at all hours.



This year, despite of a budget reduction, the celebrations haven´t lowered down their level and do keep attrackting tourist from all over the world. There will be held variuos activities and music bands to entertain all visitors along the city.

This year their will be performances of many soloists and groups such as Colti, Celtas Cortos, Ariel Rot, etc. Apart from them, many other lesser-known groups will be performing as well with their own songs and with wordlwides greatest hits to encourage the atmosphere.

Of course during these days we also will be enojying of the typical Fallera music. The more than 300 bands will start touring around the streets every morning at 8 o´clock waking up everyone, forming a true spectacle all over the city.

All the Fallas are part of a competition. On the 18th of March is when a specially elected jury will decide which Falla is the best of all. Not only the Fallas will get rewarded, there will also be a reward for the best Ninot of the normal Fallas and for the infants one, which saves itself to be burned on the 19th.

During the las three days of this festivity, are taking place the Flowers offering to the Virgin. Thousands of Faller@s from all the districts give honor to The Virgin with a bouquet of flowers, and bunch to bunch they make an intense colourful mantle at the monument.

The last day of the Fallas is when they celebrate the well known Nit del Foc. Its when they celebrate the greatest pyrotechnical spectacle of Valencia. This year they expect over than 600.000 visitors to join this event. Just when finishing is when they burn all the statues, a whole year work. Many of its visitors cannot hold back their tears.

This is the moment when they start again working for the Fallas of the next year.

All the information about the Fallas for its visitors can be found at http://www.fallasfromvalencia.com/

Which is the best way to go to the Fallas?
To come and visit Valencia during these days, if you travell by plane to the capital of the Comunidad Valenciana, the best thing to do is hiring a service of car hire in Valencia to be able to move around comfortably to all the strategic points of the city during these days.

If you prefer to spend a journey through the different towns where they celebrate this festivity, its advisable to travel by plane up to Alicante Airport and hire a service of car hire in Alicante. Many villages between Alicante and Valencia are also celebrating these festivities, particularly Denia, Oliva, Gandia, Sueca...

Where about are you going to celebrate this festivity?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

In a few days... Pego's famous carnival starts again.

For one more year, Pego's well known carnival will start again on the 18th of February.

Why are Pego's carnivals so famous?
In less than a week, the streets of the main cities will become flooded again of all kinds of coloured costumes, parades, and party. During these days everyone around the world will forget about its problems and will enjoy of a happy day. We are talking about the festiviy of the Carnivals 2012.
Stores are ready for this event. For quite a while, many store windows are showing their best and most original costumes.


The village of Pego is one of the most best-known organizers of this event. People from all over the world and from all kind of ages are comming to its event to enjoy from their special nights.

A week where the town leaves the day-to-day routine by side, magic nights, where inhabitants and visitors mingle among, disguise themselves up in the most unimaginable thing.

For many years the population has even arrived to quintuplicate, getting to have in one night more from 30,000 people walking up and down the streets.

It all starts a few weeks before the Carnival takes place. Now is when concerts are getting organized and where the tents will get set up.

Local officers are getting ready to guide the thousands of cars that will come over and lead them to the different parking lots that are specially prepared at the village entrance.

Many groups of young people are planing what to wear during the night. It is very usual to see all kinds of groups on the streets, dressed for example like princesses, queens, in pajamas… The more shameless persons between the boys will dress as ballerinas, wearing heels and makeup or even wearing animal costumes such like cows, bulls or any other kind that they can think about.

A great variety of music bands will offer concerts during these days, some of them with their own music and other ones singing songs from the most popular artists... the good thing is that the organizers has managed every year to cover up practically all types of music. This way, anybody that thinks about going to this festival can enjoy this way of their favourite music songs.

What is the schedule during the main day of the Carnival?
It will start at 11 o´clock in the morning with an infantile parade, that will depart from the Market square up to the Fount square, with all kind of infantile games and music.

At 5 o´clock in the afternoon is when the party begins for the adults ones, with a night parade and with a batucada that will be animating the festivity all afternoon.

From 10 o´clock in the evening until 1 o´clock, people will be able to enjoy from a dance band at the Fount square and at 1,30 the Carnival parade will start, starting from the Passeig Cervantes and will go up to the Market square, were thousands of disguised people will participate in order to win the reward for the best fancy dress.

The Carnival will finish at around 6 o´clock in the morning at the Market square, where there will be 2 music bands animating the atmosphere.

An very well organized event where everybody can have a good time and an unforgettable day, with lots of music, party and fun.

Traveling to Alicante in Carnivals.
VictoriaCars is a well known company by offering car hire services at the airport, confirming it with its service of car hire in Alicante or any other important airports, like car hire in Valencia or car hire in Murcia airport

So, to enjoy the carnivals festiviy anywhere around the costa blanca area, nothing better than hiring a rental car service, bu hiring a car makes it also easier to move through the city.

If you travel by plane from any another Spanish city, the best thing to do is to leave your carparked in a private parking space near the airport. This way, on your return, the only thing you need to do is to pick up your car and you can drive home straight away, without having to wait for anyone who is picking you up, or paying for taxis, etc.

Victoria also offers parking in Alicante airport and Valencia airport.

What about you? do you already know what fancy dress you are going to wear?

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Hiriko, Spanish electric car which will conquer Europe.

Hiriko, the Spanish 100% electric car, has great potential for conquering Europe.


The past 24th of January 2011 was the official presenting day of Hirico. José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, has given the approval to this Spanish project.

But, what is Hiriko?
The project was born beginning 2010 together with the MIT collaboration (Massachussets Institute of Technology), but is completely developed in Spain, Vitoria city, that in addition has been elected as the Green capital.

It´s about a car that is 100% electric and electronic.
Features:
  • It is a very small citycar 
  • It will be catalogued as a Cyclops, so it will not be necessary to have a driver´s license, except a valid autocycle license according to each country.
  • It will reach a maximum speed of 80km/hour on main roads and 50km/hour in the city.
  • A car that once it is parked it will reduce almost in half its size.
  • The car will cost 12.500 Euros.

What benefits will this vehicle have?

Primary it is an electric vehicle, which means that it does not emit any CO2. As we know, many big cities are prohibiting the entry to its centre to vehicles that emit CO2, problem that Hirico won´t have.

   
Given that the vehicle will know at all times exacly where it is, it will apply the limiting road speed according the road where is driving on. It will reach 50km/hour in just 3 seconds and it has a range of 120 km with only a 30 minutes charge.

Where and when will we see it?

It´s planned that Hiriko will come on the market by 2013, main customers will be the public administrations. Due that it won´t have limited access to certain areas and neither pay toll to enter certain areas, like London for example, it will wake up a great interest in companies who are operating in these cities. This will improve employees mobility in case they need it.


It is likely that soon car rental companies will also take advantage of this technology. VictoriaCars is considiring the possibility to add some of these models in their car fleet for car hire Alicante and this way study the viability of this technology in the car rental sector. We will notice it by it car fleet and probably it will be advertised as rental per hour, like the company Autolib does in Paris.


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