However, competitors Travelocity and Expedia launched their applications earlier this year so Priceline looks like it’s coming late to the game. Not so, said Priceline.com spokesman Brian Ek, who said most of online travel agency competitors are supplying  ”reskins” of their Web sites, or simply the Web site with a slightly different look. Ek says that Priceline did the same thing until its latest launch on Oct. 26.

However, how much profit can be gained from such applications are difficult to measure (and Priceline refused to tell me.) One company executive told me that usage rates and booking travel are still pretty low. That makes it hard to figure out if companies are doing this primarily to make money in the future or show they can match or beat the competition in technology. I’m voting for the latter. Who wants to be known as the old grandma in online travel?

“It’s still very early in the game for mobile applications,” Ek told BNET. “No one knows how long it will be for these to catch on. So for now, it builds experience in the mobile space of what works and what doesn’t, and it’s a nifty little tool for customers on the road.”

Orbitz.com spokesman Brian Hoyt said that his company still hasn’t joined in the iPhone application craze, but instead relies on its mobile phone tools it launched in 2006. Hoyt said that the company may release its application in 2010.

“Just because you don’t have an app on the iPhone doesn’t mean you missed out on the market,” he said. “We’re still trying to find that killer app that gains higher adoption.

Bnet.

Na Zdravi! (Cheers!)

Especially for them, Austrian Airlines Vacation Center offers a unique vacation package to Prague (Czech Republic). Its “Here For The Beer” vacation package, includes roundtrip air transportation on Austrian Airlines between New York (JFK) or Washington (IAD) and Prague, Czech Republic, three (3) nights hotel accommodation in Prague in a three-star hotel in the city center plus daily buffet breakfast. In addition, travelers will get a Prague beer tour with dinner, a Pilsen and “Pilsner Urquell” brewery tour (full day tour including entrance fee to Pilsner Urquell Brewery, Beer Brewing Museum and lunch in the Spilka Beer Restaurant) and more. The package is valid for travel between November 1 – December 10, 2009, and again between January 4 – March 25, 2010.
In addition to this three-night “Here For The Beer” package, a variety of other vacation packages (called City Steals and Combo City Steals) are offered for travel to Europe by Austrian Airlines Vacation Center this winter. Single supplements, upgrades, additional combinations and extensions are available upon request.

All packages must be paid in full within 7 days after reservations are confirmed, and no later than 14 days prior to departure. Once confirmed, the packages are non-refundable, non-transferable, and cannot be changed. All packages will be booked on Austrian Airlines in economy class and are subject to schedule and space availability. The minimum stay is 3 nights or one Saturday overnight, and the maximum stay in Europe is 30 days. Package prices include fuel surcharges but do not include US Customs / INS / Aphis fees / International Transportation Tax / Passenger Facility Charges / Civil Aviation Security Fee / domestic and foreign Security and Airport Charges of approximately USD $145 per passenger, depending on the itinerary. Additional taxes and fees may be collected by foreign governments. All taxes / fees / surcharges are subject to change and exchange rate fluctuations and may vary on the day of booking.

The village of Govedartsi (1,200m) lies in the Cherni Iskar River valley. It is a perfect starting point for trekking tours to west or east Rila.
All walks in the original program could be adjusted by the guide on spot depending on the physical condition of the hikers (there is a variety of hiking trails in the mountains, varying in difficulty grade). Rila is more gentle compared to Pirin Mountains and also the tracks substratum is not as rocky as in Pirin (recommended for hikers with less experience on walking over rocky slopes).

SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Rila Mountains are the highest mountains in Bulgaria and on the whole Balkan Peninsula with Mount Musala – 2925 m a.s.l.
Govedartsi village (1200 m a.s.l.) is situated some 73 km to the southeast of Sofia. It is a mountain resort, primarily used during winter.
Borovets (1350 m a.s.l.) is the oldest international and most popular mountain resort in Bulgaria.
The Seven Rila Lakes The circus of “Seven Rila Lakes” is the most beautiful one in Bulgaria. They bear the following names: Salzata (The Tear), Okoto (The Eye), Babreka (The Kidney), Bliznaka (The Twin), Botanicheskoto or Trilistnika (The Botanical), Ribnoto (The Fish lake), and Dolnoto (The Lower Lake).
Maliovitsa resort is a famous place of the Bulgarian alpinism and mountaineering.
Rila Monastery (1147 m a.s.l.) is the most popular tourist site among all monasteries in Bulgaria equally for its size, natural surroundings, architecture, wall paintings and ancient history.
Strashnoto lake (The Scary lake) (2465m a.s.l.) is the biggest and highest situated in the circus of the Prekorechki lakes.
Musala (2925m/9,596ft) is the highest peak in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula. The peak is situated within the Rila National Park. All the major mountains in Bulgaria can be seen from the summit.

ITINERARY

Day 1. Arrival at Sofia airport and transfer to Govedartsi village in Rila Mountains (1hr drive).
Day 2. In the morning we board the bus and head for the Vada hut (1,410 m). This is the starting point for the trek to The Seven Rila Lakes – probably the most eminent hiking area in Rila Mountains. The path follows the summit between the rivers Dzherman and Cherni Iskar, offering fine views of both the Vitosha and Verila mountains. Wandering for a while among the glacial lakes we arrive in the region of Goreloto, where the next hut, Lovna, is situated. The trek ends again at Vada hut. (6 hrs; uphill walk/downhill walk: 900m)

Day 3. Short transfer to Maliovitsa resort. From there the path weaves up along the valley to the wide circus of Prekorechki Lakes, enclosed by the steep slopes and rocky walls of several peaks exceeding 2700m (Popova Kapa, Kupenite, Iglite etc.). We visit also The Scary Lake before walking downhill on a steep rocky slope to the west coast of Yonchevo Lake (more than 200m long) and further to Maliovitsa resort. (7 hrs; uphill/downhill walk: 900m)
Day 4. Today we climb the highest peak on the Balkans – Musala (2925 m a.s.l.). Short transfer brings us to Borovets ski resort, where we take the lift to Yastrebets Peak (2369 m a.s.l.). Enjoyable walk along Dwarf Pine massifs with the jagged form of Mount Musala at the background leads us to Musalenski Lakes, lying at the foots of the peak. The view from the top is truly breath-taking – you can make out the remaining peaks of Rila Mountains; the marble edges of the Pirin Mountains; Mount Vitosha and the Sredna Gora Mountains; the green summits of the Rodopi Mountains; and last, but not least, the long body of the Balkan range. (6 hrs; uphill/downhill walk: 750m)
Day 5. Transfer to Sofia airport for departure.

* The tour provides the opportunity more days to be added to the program if purchased in advance. These could be spent on self-guided walking in the area, more guided walks, guided sightseeing tours to famous places nearby (Sofia, Rila Monastery, Plovdiv etc.), cycling, birdwatching around Sofia at Dragoman Marsh or along Maritsa River and Pazardzhik hills etc. Please ask for quotation for any of these possibilities. Additional accommodation only (price per night per person in twin room on halfboard) is mentioned inside the pricelist.

EXTENSIONS

Yes, Black Sea
This is a unique proposal, which gives you the opportunity to stay in Bulgaria for one week more at the incredibly low price! We can offer a great variety of means of accommodation – from home stays (no meals) to 2, 3 and 4-star hotels (BB or HB) on the Southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast:
- Sunny Beach – a big modern resort with hundreds of hotels, cafes, pubs, casinos, water-sports facilities etc.
- Nessebar, Sozopol – small towns (founded by the ancient Greeks) with picturesque Old Quarters and a specific atmosphere.
- Lozenets - a peaceful small village with a beautiful beach. Only 4-5 km from the forests of the Strandzha Mountains where you can go walking, biking or riding horses.

Would you cross a (state) line to get a bargain?

Psst! You. Yes, you. Can I interest you in a Hello Kitty lunchbox, a 20-pack of freshly sharpened pencils, a blue hooded sweatshirt, or a new laptop computer? Would you head to the mall or drive to the next state if I knocked off the sales tax, and maybe threw in a free soda and some live entertainment?

Think about it. Because while you’re probably sick of all that cutesy talk about staycations, daycations, and no-can-do-cations (I sure am), if you’re in the market for some book bags, office supplies, clothing, boots, or sporting goods now may be a very good time to give in and plan an end-of-summer shop-cation.

Cross a border, save some money
Despite being cash-strapped and in some cases, practically broke, at least 16 states around the country have once again declared a summer sales tax holiday. That means for a few days, (usually over a weekend), state sales tax is waived on a wide variety of merchandise. Depending on a state’s sales tax rate, shoppers might see a savings of $4 to $10 on every $100 they spend. And at a time when so many people are trying to stretch each and every dollar, that savings can add up to something meaningful. Or at least, retailers hope, get some people to at least buy something.

Originally created as a way to help parents save some cash on back-to-school shopping expenses, you certainly don’t need to be a parent or a student to take advantage of these tax-free sales. And while the official list of eligible items is usually described as “school supplies and books, clothing, footwear, and computers,” each state’s list of tax-free items is surprisingly inclusive. Everything from underwear to outerwear and paper clips to computers is usually included.

Still, before you plan a shopping spree, take a moment to study the tax holiday price limits and the items that are on and off the lists. Each state has its own price cap for various categories and there are wrinkles and product exemptions that may both surprise, stump you, or trip you up.

For instance, in Vermont, beer, wine and liquor are exempt from sales tax during the sales tax holiday. In Texas, qualifying “school supplies” can include compasses (think hiking trips) and any sort of paper, including legal pads. Eligible clothing includes hosiery, hooded sweatshirts, jogging apparel, pajamas and ties. But while belts with buckles are tax-free, belt buckles —without the belt — are not. It’s like that with hats: baseball, fishing, golf and knitted caps are tax-free during the Texas sales tax holiday, but hard hats and helmets for biking or playing baseball, football, hockey, or for riding a motorcycle, are not.

Where and when to go
Once you’ve decided to take a sales tax holiday, you’ll need to figure out where and when to go. Financial issues caused the District of Columbia and the state of Florida to cancel their scheduled sales tax holiday this year. Massachusetts not only canceled its summer sales tax holiday, but on August 1, the state increased its sales tax rate from 5 percent to 6.25 percent. Georgia and Mississippi held sales tax holidays this past last weekend. And this coming weekend (Friday though Sunday, August 7-9, in most places) they’ll be celebrating the sales-tax-holiday in Alabama, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Connecticut will have a sales tax holiday on August 16-22, and in Texas, the tax-free shopping days will take place August 21-23. On August 22 only, there will be no sales tax levied for personal purchases up to $2,000 throughout the state of Vermont.

Most other states either don’t have a summer sales tax holiday or, like Oregon, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Alaska, don’t need to because they don’t charge any state sales tax year-round. (For an at-a-glance rundown of all state sales tax holidays, there’s a handy chart put together by the Federation of Tax Administrators listing each state’s sales tax holiday along with the items included and the maximum costs for each category.)

Some things to keep in mind
A sales tax is often a blend of city, county, and state taxes and some states may declare a state sales tax holiday but allow cities and counties to opt out.  Missouri is one of those states, and the Missouri Department of Revenue has published a long list of places, such as Branson, where shoppers will be charged local, but not state, taxes during the sales tax holiday weekend.  So before you start shopping, check to see if local taxes are being charged.

It’s also important to know when a bargain is a bargain. If you’re only going to buy a few small things and the discount will be just the 5 percent sales tax, then it may not be worth getting in your car and traveling an hour or more into another state, says J. Craig Shearman, of the National Retail Federation. “But these days with the economy in the condition that it’s in, any savings may be appealing. For some families that 5 percent can be the make or break point for whether or not they buy clothing or school supplies at all. For others it can make the difference between buying a generic backpack or the one with the cartoon character on it. Anytime you’re paying less, well, less is good.”

Family financial expert Ellie Kay agrees. She says you can make sure you’re paying less and getting the best deals by researching prices online, studying where the sales are, and looking for any coupons or additional discount opportunities that may be available before you travel across town or across state lines in search of a tax-free purchase. Some individual stores and shopping centers plan special sales, prize giveaways, and entertainment specifically for tax-free holiday shoppers, so there may be even more ways to save.

And if your family hasn’t taken an official summer vacation yet, Kay says you might consider turning your shopping spree into a family trip. “If you’ve wanted to go somewhere anyway, go online and check for special offers from hotels and restaurants near the places you plan to shop.” But be sure to set a budget for travel and meals ahead of time. “If you overspend on that trip, then you’ve negated the savings aspect of the sales tax holiday.”

A number of analysts are predicting that the situation can only get worse as the real effects have not yet been felt. The long term effects on fiscal balances, consumer spending and economic growth are still to be seen.

A strong Euro has not helped matters. The relatively weak dollar, pound and Russian ruble meant that Europe has been losing traditional customers to countries outside of its borders.

The regions governments are trying to help the ailing tourism industry with stimulus packages. Italy has announced an injection of 1.6 billion euros and Spain has announced it will provide support with a second package of 1.3 billion euros. Greece has also introduced subsidies forecasting that although the industry will stagnate this year, it will get better next year.

Credit-rating agency, Standard and Poor’s Mark Mrsnik says that the eventual impact of the tourism crisis will become apparent in many sectors and have “a variety of consequences.” He points out that, “these include employment consequences, consequences on the creditworthiness of households and companies in the sector and their ability to pay their debts, and it will certainly have an impact on government revenues.”