Hispacar is Spain’s leading car rental broker on the Costa del Sol offering low cost car rental at Malaga airport and many other popular resorts in Spain like Alicante, Majorca or the Canary Islands. With its head office in Malaga you can be sure to get a quality service for your car hire Malaga and other destinations in Spain. All rental vehicles are provided by reputable car hire companies in Malaga with a wide choice of cars. They offer the latest models as fleets are renewed every year, your guarantee for a trouble free car rental in Spain. Whatever your travel destination is, you will be sure to get the lowest car rental price at any given time. A professional team with experience in the car rental industry is at your service to offer you a quick and efficient solution for all your questions related to Malaga car hire or other Andalusian cities like Granada.

With a Granada car rental you can discover the small hidden villages in the area. This Moorish city has many remote places which are witnesses of its character and history. One of the most beautiful and amazing buildings is the Alhambra with its palaces and gardens below the Sierra Nevada. This Sierra, (Mountain) is the most southern ski resort in Europe with the most sunshine. The Mulhacen at 3,479 metres is the highest point of continental Spain. Popular activities apart from skiing are hiking, climbing, paragliding, ibex and bird watching. The Nature Park Sierra Nevada was declared a biosphere reserve because of its flora and fauna. The international airport of Granada is located approximately 1 hour from the Sierra Nevada. Therefore it is advisable to rent a car to discover this amazing mountain range. The city of Granada has good connections to other cities in Andalusia, Seville is only 2 hours away on the motorway and Malaga is only 1 hour from Granada.

Granada Airport is an interesting airport to travel to and gives good access to some unknown parts of Andalucia. The airport is situated 16km west of the city of Granada. It mainly handles national flights to Madrid and Barcelona but recently has expanded with a number of international flights from low cost airlines like Monarch or Ryanair. There are several car hire companies at Granada airport all of them offer a good range of cars and it may well be possible to rent the car from this airport and return it to one of the other stations in Andalucia, like Malaga, Seville or Almeria.

Faro is the administrative centre for the whole of the Algarve region. The city has both Arab and Roman ruins but most of the present attractive older buildings were constructed after the disastrous earthquake of both 1755 and 1532.

Particularly attractive is the old part of the city surrounded still by the Roman walls which date back to the 9th. Inside a spacious open square that was once the site of the Roman Forum is a 13th Century Cathedral that faces the 18th Century Episcopal palace. An interesting building is the neighbouring 16th Century Convent that is now turned into the home of the city’s archaeological museum. Within it is a section devoted to the Arab occupation. Next to the small boat basin bordering the Praça de Dom Francisco Gomes is a small Naval Museum composed of scale model boats and galleons showing the maritime history of the coast. Much of the city is now composed of apartments and there are attractive shops and a particularly artistic theatre.

Apart from the wealth of available water sports facilities (the marinas of Vilamoura and Lagos deserves special mention, amongst the various ports and harbours), there are other alternatives, such as tennis courts, famous golf`courses, luxury hotels or quaint holiday resorts and an exciting nightlife.

In recent years the numbers of visitors travelling through Faro airport has increased as more and more low-cost airlines compete to offer cheap flights to Faro. One of the best means of transport is car hire. For the cheapest car hire Faro it is advisable to visit some of the many car rental websites offering prebooked car hire at Faro airport. At Faro airport there are several car rental companies offering car hire at reasonable prices.

The advantage of a rent a car is that it is easy to visit the surroundings by car. In the northern part of the Algarve, the hills of Espinhação de Cão, Monchique and Caldeirão shelter the coast from strong winds. This brightly coloured region, with its fig trees, orange groves and almond trees in blossom, is also the most verdant and fertile. The southern coastline consists of a long stretch of fabulous sandy beaches, broken up by extraordinary rugged cliffs and fantastic grottoes.

Hertz may have sparked the trend in 2006 when it launched its Green Collection, which includes thousands of fuel-efficient hire cars such as the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Buick LaCrosse, and Hyundai Sonata. These models, now available at 50 airport rental locations, average 31 miles per gallon (mpg) on the highway, and most carry the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) SmartWay certification, indicating lower greenhouse gas and other emissions.

In June 2007, Hertz bolstered its green offerings significantly by incorporating some 3,400 Toyota Prius hybrids into its American rental fleet.

Meanwhile, other car hire companies are toeing the line as well. Avis and its partner Budget offer 2,500 hybrids (Toyota’s Prius and Nissan’s Altima) for rent in the United States. And Advantage Rent-a-Car, a smaller but up-and-coming player in the industry, has pledged to turn 100 percent of its rental fleet “green” by 2010.

Not to be outdone, Enterprise – the nation’s largest rental car company, with 1.1 million rental vehicles – offers some 440,000 vehicles that get 28 mpg or better in highway driving. Some 5,000 of the total are hybrids (Toyota’s Camry and Prius and Ford’s Escape SUV), while another 73,000 can run on ethanol-based biofuel or regular gas. Customers of Enterprise (or one of its sister brands, Alamo and National) can also opt to pay an extra $1.25 per rental to offset their carbon emissions. (Funds go to Terra Pass, which funds clean energy projects.) And last year the car hire company opened several new “green branches,” where 60 percent of the vehicles for rent are hybrids or other fuel-efficient models.

Of course, green car rentals do come with a premium. Renting a hybrid typically costs $5 to $15 more per day than an equivalent conventional car. In a recent comparison of overall costs (including gas expenses), SmarterTravel.com’s Sarah Pascarella figured that a two-day trip from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park was $55 cheaper in one of Hertz’s Hyundai Accent economy cars than in a hybrid Prius from their Green Collection. Comparisons with vehicles from Avis and others yielded similar results. “I found choosing an economy car over a hybrid was often the more economical choice,” she reports.

In order to encourage greener rentals despite the cost premium, San Francisco International Airport now offers travelers a $15 credit if they rent a hybrid from any of the companies operating there. Elsewhere, in-town rental locations usually offer better deals on hybrids, although customers should still expect to pay a premium for renting green no matter where they are – at least until both supply and demand for such vehicles rises, which will inevitably lead to price reductions.

Automakers say they are selling fewer vehicles to rental companies and fleet buyers, like corporations and governments. Car hire companies, in turn, say they are buying fewer vehicles and keeping the ones they have longer.

The result: Fleet sales were down last year. And they’re not expected to jump soon.

Fleet business has been an important part of new vehicle sales. Rental companies benefited by getting vehicles at a discount, albeit basic models with few upgrades. Automakers, especially domestic ones, sold new vehicles to fleet customers as a way to keep plants open, reduce their excess supply, boost sales numbers and get consumers to take a test drive of sorts.

“It’s sales versus no sales, even if it’s not the most profitable segment,” said Stephanie Brinley, an analyst with auto consulting firm AutoPacific. “It’s a really subtle sales tool.”

But fleet sales come with a cost: Too much fleet business can dilute a vehicle’s image and the value of a used vehicle. And at a time when consumer confidence is key, automakers are finding they need to carefully manage their brands.

As the recession continues to batter the auto industry, sales to rental-car companies are becoming a smaller part of the auto business.

Source: Saint Louis Post

Hertz has become the latest company to get in on the act. Firstly, it is introducing a new car-sharing offering called Connect that will be available in New York City, Paris and London with 20 additional cities to be added later this year.

The program, which requires a $50 membership fee, allows members to rent cars by the hour or day. Rates begin at $8.50 and vary depending on the type of vehicle.

It is a clear effort by Hertz, which is established as the largest car hire company in the world, to challenge the dominance of Zipcar in the car-sharing market. Much like its adversary, Hertz will allow members to reserve cars online then use an electronic card to unlock the car where the keys always remain. Petrol and car insurance is included within the hourly or daily rates.

In addition, Hertz has added 3,400 new Toyota Prius hybrid cars to its rental fleet while the Connect scheme will include both the Prius and the BMW MINI Cooper. Green cars have become a favourite among car hire customers due to their greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

Car rental firm Hertz, which buys 550,000 cars every year, has just launched a car sharing club that aims to make people stop buying cars. “It’s an alternative to car ownership,” grins Michel Taride, president of Hertz Europe. “For us it’s a great growth opportunity.”

Globally, the car club market is worth $1bn (£667m), though this is set to soar to $10bn in the next five to 10 years, Mr Taride predicts.

“Car clubs appeal to urbanites who still need to use a car, but don’t want the hassle of owning one,” adds John Lewis, director general of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA).

“Car clubs will grow as populations continue to migrate towards cities, where there is already a huge market for pay-as-you-go transport.” Such a shift away from outright car ownership would hit already struggling carmakers hard as each car club car could replace up to 20 owner-driven vehicles. “Car manufacturers make most money from retail sales,” says Mr Taride.

Recession pitch
Membership in car clubs, such as Streetcar or City Car Club – where members share a fleet of vehicles that they can book in advance and pay to use from time to time – have mushroomed in recent years to some 60,000 in the UK.

The Hertz scheme, dubbed Connect, offers drivers in London, Paris and New York access to a fleet of cars and will be rolled out in more countries during 2009.

In London, membership costs £50 ($75) per year, plus rental charges. In New York, the cost is $50 per year, in Paris it is 120 euros ($162; £108).

“You pay as you go,” explains Mr Taride. “It’s per hour.” The pitch differs from existing car clubs, which have tended to focus mainly on their green credentials. “Car clubs started off as small-scale schemes set up in conjunction with local authority environmental transport initiatives,” explains Mr Lewis.

Hertz is focusing more on the cost of car ownership, hoping to attract families and others who are tightening their belts during a recession.

An hour in a Ford Focus, for instance, costs less than £4, including all costs such as petrol, maintenance and the congestion charge. A Mini Cooper costs just less than £7 per hour. The average annual cost of driving could be brought down to £700 from £2,749 – the average all-in annual cost of owning a car – Hertz insists.

Fewer buy-backs available
Hertz is entering the car sharing business at a time when relations between car rental firms and carmakers is changing. In the past, carmakers have been offering “guaranteed buy-back” scheme to car rental firms, where companies such as Hertz would hand back vehicles after six or eight months.

Such schemes have yielded low profit margins for carmakers, who are also concerned about their impact on the residual value of the cars they make, so they are becoming increasingly hard to come by. “Right now they’re tightening their ‘buy-back sales’,” observes Mr Taride. “I think there’s much more discipline in the automotive industry right now.”

Consequently, car rental firms are increasingly having to sell on the cars they buy themselves. Hertz Europe already sells about a third of its fleet through exports or through dealerships.

Additional benefit
Car clubs could help Hertz milk more cash from each car it buys, Mr Taride says. Already, cars are kept longer than the six to eight months that were normal in the past. And then, at the end of its life in the car hire business, it would be possible to “put that car into car sharing for another six months or a year”, Mr Taride explains.

“This is a natural extension of the traditional car hire model,” says BVRLA’s Mr Lewis. “Rental companies have an existing fleet of vehicles, so it is just a case of making it even more flexible and convenient to use them.”

Delayed profits
However, making money from the model may prove tricky. Hertz rival Avis tried and failed with its Urbigo offering a couple of years ago, and neither Enterprise nor Europcar, which both offer short-term car hire, have chosen to enter the car club market.

Nevertheless, Mr Taride remains optimistic. “We have done a lot of research and learnt from past failures,” he insists, though he also acknowledges that “it’ll take some time to make this profitable”.

Source: BBC News

According to the hotel employer’s association Hosbec in Benidorm, the negative affect is thought to have been caused by the worldwide economic crisis that threatens the whole tourist infrastructure in Spain. They said the exchange rate is making other destinations away from the Mediterranean such as Turkey or Egypt, more viable options for cash-strapped Brits.

The euro was changing hands for 67 pence in June however; yesterday the same euro was costing 81 pence. The US dollar was static at 67 pence the same amount as the euro six months ago due to the pound being very strong against the euro.

In order to fight this negative downturn, the local Spanish companies demanded action from the National, Regional, Provincial and local tourist administration to invest a greater effort in marketing the Costa Blanca in general and Benidorm in particular in Great Britain. HOSBEC have also called for a ‘joined up and concerted effort’ by all businesses big and small to protect their investment.

The weakening of the pound and the economic crisis that is affecting the UK has already caused alarm in the tourist sector of the Costa Blanca that relies heavily on British tourism comprising around 54 per cent (2.5 million people) of the total. The reduction in the numbers is a reflection of deep cutbacks in expenditure by people in the United Kingdom. Thomas Cook announced at the end of September they anticipated a 15 per cent reduction in business during the summer of 2009.

The ‘knock-on’ effects of these economic cuts and losses have been reflected in the activities of the airline company Easyjet. This week they announced their annual profits for the fiscal year September to September were 98.3 million euros down on last year, a drop of 45 per cent! The airline attributed the reduction in profits to the scarcity and relatively high price of fuel, especially in the UK. the low cost airline Ryanair is also struggling. Both airlines connects more than 10 UK airports with resorts like Santiago de Compostela, Asturias, Bilbao, Gerona, Barcelona, Reus, Valencia, Alicante airport, Murcia, Almeria, Granada, Malaga airport, Mallorca airport and Ibiza on the Balearic Islands and Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife on the Canaries.

Source: Roundtownnews.co.uk

“For a long time fleet sales have served as a pressure valve for U.S. automakers,” said Michael Kane, president of Vehicle Replacement Consulting Group. “These sales gave the automakers an easy place to unload inventory and smooth out their herky-jerky production.”

The economic downturn means fewer people are traveling, translating into lower rentals, especially at airports. “Business is down for everybody. It’s just a matter of degree,” said Patrick Farrell, vice president of corporate communications at privately held Enterprise Rent-A-Car Co, the largest U.S. car hire agency. “The airport business is being hurt, which has an impact on people who rent cars.” Enterprise, which cemented its place as a colossus in the industry last year when it bought the National and Alamo chains, reported revenue of $10.1 billion in 2007.

The credit crunch also makes it harder for the rental agencies to sell their used cars to consumers, who are struggling to obtain car loans. And as the resale value of many of the vehicles of U.S. automakers has plunged, when the rental agencies do sell their used vehicles, they get less cash for them. As a result, rental agencies are likely to need fewer vehicles from Detroit. That’s a bit ironic since just last year, the three U.S. automakers — in an effort to return to sustainable profitability — decided to cut back on fleet sales to the rental chains. Selling the cars en masse at reduced prices had undercut their value.

Source: the Guardian

Situated on the fertile Andalucian plain overlooked by three hills – the Alhambra, Albaicin and Sacromonte – this modern city is the country’s most popular tourist destination – and a “must see” for any visitor to Spain today.

The last Islamic kingdom on the Iberian peninsula, Granada flourished from 1238 to 1492 under the rule of the Nasrid dynasty, and during this period the region enjoyed economic prosperity and reached its artistic and cultural zenitth.

Popularised by American writer Washington Irving in his romantic Tales of the Alhambra, this is a fairy tale collection of palaces standing atop a wooded hill overlooking the modern city. Built around courtyards filled with flowers, fruit trees and fountains, where tranquil pools and the gentle sound of flowing water created a “paradise on earth”, the Alhambra epitomizes the aesthetic refinement of Spain’s sophisticated seven hundred year Muslim civilization.

Covering the ceilings and walls of the Nasrid kings’ palace are intricate sculptures and exquisite hand crafted stuccowork, richly coloured ceramic tiles and artistic decorations. Without using any pictures of humans, animals or even flowers, the decorations on the walls of the Alhambra make use of calligraphy and geometric patterns to create artwork of unique beauty and elegance. Among the highlights to be seen here are the Hall of the Ambassadors with its hand carved cedarwood ceiling, the Myrtle Courtyard with its rectangular pool in which the Comares Tower is reflected, and the Generalife (pronounced “hene-ra-lee-fay”) gardens with their beautiful patios and Water Staircase.

Situated off the city’s main thoroughfare, the Gran Via de Colon, are the city’s Cathedral and the older Royal Chapel. Construction of the Chapel was commenced by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella at the dawn of the 16th century to mark their victory over the Moors. The chapel contains the tombs of the two monarchs and a sacristy museum with valuable paintings by masters like Botticelli and Memling. Among the highlights to be seen in the Chapel are the gilded screen closing the chancel and some beautiful wrought iron screens.

By: by Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha
Source: The Island Online

Note: if you plan to visit Granada you will find low-cost flights to Granada airport, which is the nearest airport, but you can also choose to fly to Alicante, Almeria, Murcia, Malaga, Sevilla or Jerez. Car hire Granada is a must if you want to make the most out of your stay in Granada or Andalucia (Spain).

Dollar Thrifty announced the leadership change late Monday. The Tulsa-based company said Paxton will remain a director at Dollar Thrifty and will provide transition support through the end of the year, when he will retire.

In a note to investors Tuesday, Soleil Securities Group analyst Michael Millman said the move might allow the company to act on strategic alternatives more quickly.

“The CEO change doesn’t change our doubt that (Dollar Thrifty) can survive as an independent in today’s environment,” Millman said. The analyst said, however, that a sale is probably Dollar Thrifty’s best alternative. He expects the company to be acquired by Hertz. Fred Russell, principal with Fredric E. Russell Investment Management in Tulsa, agreed that Hertz is a likely buyer.

“I’ve long thought there are too many car-rental companies,” Russell said in an interview. “I think Hertz would rather buy Dollar Thrifty than see it go bankrupt.” Combining the two would offer many efficiencies, Russell said, including the combining of information technology, accounting, reservation systems and marketing.

“Dollar Thrifty is backed into a corner right now,” the money manager said. “With a stock price of $1, it would be very hard for management to resist a reasonable offer.”

At midyear, the Tulsa car-rental firm employed 8,500 people worldwide and about 970 in Tulsa. Dollar Thrifty’s stock traded above $55 in February 2007 after rumors surfaced that the company and Tulsa-based Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc. were in merger talks. Such a deal never materialized. Vanguard later was purchased by Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Shares of Dollar Thrifty gained 6 cents Tuesday to close at $1.03.

Source: Associated Press and TulsaWorld.com