A day in… Belfast

Adrian explores Belfast in a year when the city majors on its links with the ill-fated Titanic.

A day in… Dundee

Dundee is transforming its waterfront, to draw visitors in. Adrian looks at what there is for the short break tripper

Consumer Direct (formally the National Consumer Council)

From the website:

“Consumer Direct is the government-funded telephone and online service offering information and advice on consumer issues. Consumer Direct is funded by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services.”

Ireland Attracts Fewer Tourists

Last Summer all those holiday destinations where they had the euro didn’t do quite as well as they expected. Because the pound was weak against it, we chose areas with different currencies that had not declined as much or where we felt we got better value for money. Turkey and Egypt spring to mind.
Ireland suffered despite a campaign last May/June to get us there. !5% fewer Brits went there last year and since 50% of tourists to Ireland come from the UK it is a vital market to them. Now that the pound has strengthened against the euro will we be more likely to visit Ireland again?

Chicago Comes to Manchester

Remember the Route 66 competition that the Chicago and Illinois Tourist Office announced about a week ago? If you haven’t entered yet, then hurry because the first part ends this weekend. The prize is a 3 day trip to Chicago for 2 people and a hire car so you can explore some of Route 66. The website to go to, in case you’ve forgotten is www.chicagoroute66ambassador.co.uk.
Those people in Illinois, the state in which Chicago is, are working hard to persuade us to visit them. From the May bank holiday weekend for about a month , they will have taxis in Manchester emblazoned with their publicity. On a particular day each week, catch the right taxi, and your fare will be free. How do you know which day and which taxi? You don’t. It might be the same day each week but it needn’t be. It won’t be the same taxi so its no point taking the number plate. That’s as much as I could find out for you.

42 People Miss Ryanair Flight

About a quarter of a flight missed a flight from Liverpool to Belfast last Sunday because the gate changed and the passengers were unaware of this. Apparently, according to the BBC, the passengers rushed to the new gate to find that the pilot denied them boarding. Passengers were told they would have to pay extra to return to Belfast so who is to blame for this PR mess.
Liverpool Airport doesn’t make announcements so is it due to them for not making it clear to passengers? Is it the fault of the Servisair, who handle Ryanair flights at the airport and who should have wondered why 42 checked-in passengers all didn’t turn up

Cayman Chat

The Cayman Islands is often associated with offshore banking and diving. But this trio of idyllic islands in the Caribbean has much to offer as a holiday destination. Cayman resident, Christine Lister, reveals all