If you believe the media why would you want to go on holiday to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama or Florida? All the beaches are covered with oil, wildlife is dying and you can’t go swimming. You would be right in thinking that the sentence above is bunkum but what is the truth? We saw on TV with our own eyes the catastrophe as it evolved. The newspapers had page after page of appalling stories of how fishermen were losing their livelihoods and that it would take years before the coastline and the environment got back to normal.
What is the state of play?

No this isn’t a salacious tabloid story but David Cameron made a speech on tourism and, as holidaymakers, we are all involved. Or should be. As I wrote a couple of days ago, I can’t remember the last time any Prime Minister paid any more than lip service to it. Yes, there was praise and comment at the appropriate time but hard-core support was limited. Will this time be any different?
Everyone travels, holidays or has a day out so everyone is affected and should be interested. But did the PM ask what we want?

Yesterday I received two different sorts of holiday scams both designed to get you to open attachments. As this is the time for holidays some may unwittingly respond so this is to remind you what to look out for.
Firstly, if you get more than one e-mail about the same thing from different people or sources beware. I had 6 about a hotel booking and 9 about a passport application. That alone is something that wouldn’t happen. If you had genuinely made a booking then you would just receive one reply from the hotel or whatever.

The boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith are back, with a brand new guide to the most stylish and seductive places to stay across the Channel. Smith editor Lucy Fennings rounds up a top-10 selection of bijoux boltholes, pied-à-terres and romantic rural retreats from their latest travel tome.
Here, their second extract for CD Traveller [...]

[ September 4, 2010 to September 5, 2010. ]
Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridgeshire

On the day [...]

[ August 20, 2010; 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. ]
Child (0-15 years inclusive) FREE
Adult (16-59 years) £18.50
Senior (60 years or over) £14.80
Student £14.80
Unemployed £9.25
Adult, Senior, Student – disabled £11.10
Carer (one per disabled visitor) free
Friends of Duxford Adult £14.80
Friends of Duxford Senior £11.80

Both TUI (the parent company of Thomson, First Choice and Crystal) and Thomas Cook announced results this week. Each seems to have been hit by people booking later and by people holidaying at home. Eurodisney also announced that they had been helped by more French people visiting their resort outside Paris so it seems as though the staycation, whether you are in France or the UK, is having an impact on tourism and travel. And now we have David Cameron making a speech on tourism and urging us to holiday at home (More on this over the weekend, when I have properly read it. I can’t remember a Prime Minister making a speech on tourism before.)

The boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith are back, with a brand new guide to the most stylish and seductive places to stay across the Channel.

On the one hand we have ATOC (Association of Train operating Companies) telling us that rail travel is more popular than ever and then we have the Department of Transport said to be considering stopping all London services into Scotland at Glasgow and Edinburgh. All direct Inverness and Aberdeen services will cease and all passengers for those and other destination will have to change and probably wait a connection.
Why would they be encouraging that if train travel is on the increase?

From Der Spiegel, the German news company, comes a story that I haven’t seen much in our press which is why I mention it. It concerns a claim by a doctor that, in his opinion, easyJet was not carrying sufficient basic medical support. This is not to say that it was not adhering to the law, merely that if he is right, the laws need urgent consideration so that we may all feel better protected. Then he concluded by saying that easyJet can be only recommended for passengers who are entirely certain that they are healthy is cause for some thought

If you are thinking about going to the United States in the next two years, it will pay you to apply for your ESTA authorisation now while it is still free. (ESTA authorisations have to be renewed after 2 years.) Even if you’re not sure whether you would want to visit it does no harm to get your ESTA application now. If you don’t go there it doesn’t matter. Why? Because from September 8th, the US government will charge you $14 for each application. What happens if you have one already? It is still valid and you won’t be asked to pay more. You will only have to pay when you renew.

Gloucester is one of those places that nearly everyone has heard of but how many have been there? It is linked with county cricket, rugby and is the burial place of Edward II after his unfortunate incident with a red hot poker. It saw the first coronation of his grandfather Henry III in 1216 and today part of the cathedral is used as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.
But what to do on a day trip?

Think of Jordan – the country – and the first thing that probably comes to mind is Petra, its greatest tourist attraction. Carved into a rockface more than 2,000 years ago, the city is one of the wonders and must-see places of the world.
But is it only Petra that has caused such an upsurge in tourism in the last 6 months? What is attracting so many people to go there? Many countries have seen only a limited increase in visitors but Jordan has announced that visits by Britons are up over 30% over last year. Admittedly 2009, was a tough year for everyone as we tightened belts during the recession but it was also the year that proved we felt holidays were an important aspect to life. Other things would be cut back first. Nonetheless there were countries we have chosen not go to such as the US and most Caribbean countries yet other long haul countries do well. Jordan is one of those.

Given that newspapers seem to think they can print stories in the summer that they wouldn’t carry at other times, the last week or so has seen a flurry of tales that are so newsworthy, they will surprise you. No less than 3 surveys have come out all saying that price is the most important thing in choosing a holiday. Who would have thought it!
How many times have we been told that? And it is a complete surprise to you all isn’t it? And to think I believed it was the colour of the brochure or the fact that some 1970’s long forgotten soap star was plugging it. The research is so helpful that I’ll not even name those firms that commissioned it.
But does that tell the whole truth?

CD Traveller tells you what’s hot in the travel world

As some of you may remember and at the risk of not knowing what you might say, we invited some of you you to an online focus group so that we could learn your thoughts on what you thought of us. What did you want to read about? Did we cover all that you wanted? What do you like or dislike?
Firstly, thank you to all who gave us their views during the four sessions that were scheduled. That they went on longer than we anticipated was because the conversations were so helpful. Secondly, the results are from a small number of people. They aren’t indicative of many or all of you. The idea was to give us some guidance. As some of you may remember and at the risk of not knowing what you might say, we invited some of you might want.
So what are the results?

So how to get to Indonesia reasonably cheaply at a time when fuel costs have rocketed, passenger demand depressed with global recessions and airlines racking up multi million dollar losses? Fares have risen by close to 50% in many cases from 2006/07 especially on longer haul routes with low competition.

Cutbacks abound. Governments everywhere are looking to raise money to pay for the important things. Unfortunately it is the government that decides what is important. You and I might think otherwise. The Italian government needs to pay for maintenance and repairs for the Colosseum in Rome. It is prepared to put up some of the money so they have decided the rest will come from the private sector. In return the private sector will have advertising rights. To the Colosseum. To one of most important sites of the Roman era!
Just as we have the Emirates Stadium and the Volvo Ocean Race, the Carling Cup and the Costa Book of the Year are we now going to have something like Guiseppe’s Olive Oil Colosseum?

August and September may get rather miserable for some of us. We have the continuing saga at British Airways, Spanish air traffic controllers have voted overwhelmingly to strike and Greek lorry drivers also threatened that they would refuse to deliver fuel. Luckily, that strike is now over. Aer Lingus cabin crew are being balloted on a work-to-rule. Rome airport will have a strike there for 4 hours on 9th September. There is a French and an Indian general strike both on 7th September and one in Spain on 29th September. Two weeks ago we had the French air traffic controllers on strike. Even pilots in Sweden had a brief strike in July and another in June.
So what will it mean for us?

No not the planes, but rather the PR department of an airline whose ability to create stories and repackage news is not even surpassed by politicians.
You will remember that for the summer season, Ryanair raised the cost of hold baggage to €20 for most bags and €30 for heavy ones. This was to last for July and August and return to the €15 level in September. Just after the school holidays and the busy summer travel season meant there was less opportunity for removing cash from passengers, but that is probably just coincidence.

This isn’t the way that that the authors of a US report on hotels worded their announcement. They said that the satisfaction levels of hotel visitors had increased over the last year. Does it mean the same thing? But if hotel guests are more satisfied surely that comes as a result of feeling that they are being treated better?
The next question is whether we should believe what we read. After all how many of us have stayed at a place after checking reviews and then decided that the reviews must have been written by someone who was not too observant? Or as blind as a bat. The same applies with research. If we understand it then we can accept or reject it.

Belfast tends to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons but don’t be deterred from visiting, for the reality is very different. Louise Browne, a Belfast local, reveals all…

[ July 17, 2010; 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. ] Thirsk Hall. Picnic in the park. Beatles tribute band Thirsk Tourist Information Centre Tel: 01845 522755

[ July 19, 2010 9:00 am to July 24, 2010 6:00 pm. ] A hilarious evening of social climbing gone awry in this sensational stage production of BBC TV’s successful comedy. The Grand Theatre Church Street, Blackpool www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk 01253 290190

[ July 22, 2010; 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. ] Abba Mania. Winter Gardens and Opera HouseChurch Street, Blackpoolwww.blackpoollive.com01253 292029

[ July 18, 2010; 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. ] Annual gathering of around 60 Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars. West Beach Lytham St Annes, Blackpool Visitor Centre 01253 478222.

[ July 17, 2010; 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. ] Crowning of the Queen with precessions and fairground. Gala Field All Hallows Road. Blackpool Visitor Centre 01253 478222.

[ July 17, 2010; 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. ] Town Criers Championship. St John’s, Blackpool Visitor Centre 01253 478222.