Continental Airlines had a slightly weird but entirely valid excuse for an eighty-minute delay on a flight out of Houston, Texas just before Christmas.
A pair of otters had escaped from their wooden cages in the hold and were seen scurrying across the tarmac. Airport workers managed to catch the animals and return them to captivity, and the flight took off for Columbus, Ohio. One worker was slightly hurt in the chase.
“They told us there were a couple of otters loose in the cargo area,” said passenger Nicky Devanny. “People thought it was a joke at first I think.”
Some travellers reported that the otters had tried to chew into their luggage.
by Andy Moreton
The tourist authority VisitBritain didn’t waste any time when it found out that Guy Ritchie was to direct a new version of Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law.
It got on the phone to Warner Brothers, and the result is a partnership between them to promote the film, its locations and the UK in general. The campaign invites tourists to discover Holmes’s Britain, past and present.
Conan Doyle’s story is fictional, of course, but the locations are real, including 221B Baker Street in London, where Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson were said to have lived. It’s now home to the Sherlock Holmes museum – just look for the Victorian-era policeman on guard outside.
Other London landmarks in the film include St Paul’s Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament and the Royal Naval College in Greenwich. One of the locations outside the capital is the historic Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham in Kent.
VisitBritain’s Marketing Director, Laurence Bresh, said: “Sherlock Holmes is known around the world as one of Britain’s most iconic characters. Our partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures is a great way of helping people discover the secrets of our destinations and entice them into having a fantastic adventure here.”
Sherlock Holmes is now on general release.
by Andy Moreton
If you’re planning a visit, finding a luxury hotel in London (and many other parts of the UK) is elementary: just browse Luxique’s superb selection.
There’s nothing like a Presidential vacation to give a boost to tourism – at least that’s what Hawaii is hoping.
As many parts of the United States were facing heavy snow and wintry rain, the Obamas were enjoying the warmer climate of Kailua in Hawaii for their Christmas break. Tourism officials hope others will have seen them enjoying the sun and fun and decide to follow suit.
This is Mr Obama’s first trip as President to the state where he grew up. He spent last Christmas there as President–elect. The state visitors bureau has set up a ‘Barack Obama’s Hawaii’ page that entices tourists with images of him golfing, body surfing and strolling along the beach.
Tourism in Hawaii has dropped by about 5.5 per cent from last year. Rob Kay, who runs the ‘Obama’s Neighborhood’ website, said: “It’s hard to anticipate that his visit will bring any kind of boom, but it can’t hurt.”
by Andy Moreton
Searching for some winter sun? Try Luxique’s pick of the luxury hotels in Hawaii – the Four Seasons Resort Maui and the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.
The government of the Canary Islands has raised an outcry by proposing to downgrade the protected status of hundreds of species of plants and animals.
The planned alterations would mean that large areas previously protected from urban development could now receive planning permission for new homes, golf courses and tourist facilities.
The Canary Islands, with their unique bio-diversity, have long been recognised as a haven for wildlife. They’re home to about 4,000 species and sub-species that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. These include birds, a snail, a grasshopper and a type of sea-grass.
Ecologists branded the plan by the regional authority in the Spanish Atlantic islands a ‘crime’ and called on the central government in Madrid to intervene. They claim the proposal aims to remove obstacles that have impeded the development of tourist resorts across the islands.
The opponents have threatened to take their case to the European Parliament, claiming the new bill is in violation of European Laws on the protection of endangered species.
by Andy Moreton, with Fiona Govan in Madrid
Luxique offers great rates at six top-class hotels in the Canary Islands – all with different styles, but luxurious facilities.
The ancient wall painting fragments that caused a feud between Egypt and the Louvre Museum in Paris (see my article Luxor Relics Repatriated ) have been returned to Cairo.
The five frescoed pieces – believed to be from a 3,200-year-old tomb in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor – arrived by air last week.
French officials had maintained that the Louvre had acquired the fragments, known as steles, in good faith. But Egypt’s antiquities department said the Louvre bought the fragments in 2000 and 2003 despite knowing they’d been stolen in the 1980s. It broke off ties with the museum in October, saying they would be restored only when the fragments had been returned.
Egypt is stepping up demands for the restitution of many relics, including the Rosetta Stone, on display in the British Museum, and the bust of Queen Nefertiti in the Neues Museum in Berlin.
“Everything which was stolen from us should be given back,” said Zawi Hawass, the head of the antiquities department.
by Andy Moreton
If you’re travelling to Luxor to see the wonders of the Valley of the Kings, take a look at Luxique’s two selected luxury hotels: the Old Winter Palace and the Hotel La Moudira.
My seasonal award for the most thoughtful travel gesture this holiday time goes to Air Berlin.
The airline – the second biggest in Germany after Lufthansa – is allowing passengers to take their Christmas trees with them on flights at no extra cost. Customers can take trees of up to two metres (six feet) in height until Christmas Eve on condition they notify the airline at least 24 hours in advance.
Titus Johnson, Air Berlin’s manager in the UK and Ireland, said: “Most of the demand for this comes from our German customers – it seems they can’t bear to be parted from their trees at Christmas. After all, it was Queen Victoria’s [German] husband, Prince Albert, who brought the tradition with him to England in the first place.”
The trees will, of course, go in the hold, not on the empty seat on the aisle. I’d love to witness the scene at the baggage carousel!
by Andy Moreton
My friends in mainland Europe and the United States – where they have proper snow falls – will no doubt be amused at how the UK becomes paralysed by a relatively modest dusting of the white stuff.
And as far as travel is concerned, no-one has felt the cold blast of winter more than Eurostar, the rail system that links the UK with France and Belgium through the Channel Tunnel.
Services have been literally frozen since Friday evening when some 2,000 people were trapped for up to 16 hours in stationary trains in the tunnel. When they finally emerged, the furious passengers accused Eurostar of leaving them without food, water, light and information.
Snow getting into the power systems caused the problems. Wintry conditions in France led to the snow building up underneath the carriages because snow shields proved ineffective. When the trains entered the heat of the tunnel, the snow melted into the electrics.
With Christmas approaching, it’s a peak time for Eurostar with 20,000 people due to travel back and forth through the Channel each day. The company has announced an immediate independent review of the problems and said it hopes the service will be running again by Tuesday (22nd).
by Andy Moreton
Efforts are being made to bring home more than 3,500 passengers stranded abroad after the collapse of Scotland’s biggest airline, Flyglobespan.
Rival budget airlines including Flybe, EasyJet and Ryanair have been offering reduced price rescue packages. The Transport Minister, Paul Clark, said efforts were being made to get the passengers home for Christmas. “We are working with the industry and the Civil Aviation Authority to minimise the regrettable disruption,” he said.
Flyglobespan had 800 staff and had operated flights from Manchester, Gatwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Belfast to 24 destinations in Europe, North America and North Africa.
The airline had expanded aggressively in recent years. This year, it has carried more than 1.5million passengers and operated 12,000 flights.
The company had hoped for a last-minute reprieve against administration with a cash injection from a Jersey-based company, but eleventh hour talks seemed to have failed.
It was already a bad month for aviation in the UK, with the announcement of a 12-day Christmas strike by British Airways cabin crew over pay and conditions. That strike is now off, having been declared unlawful. The High Court in London ruled that the union had not correctly balloted its members.
by Andy Moreton
Back to a recurring theme – the efforts by Venice to cling on to its cultural heritage in the face of all kinds of 21st century threats.
The city council has now outlawed for two years any new takeaway outlets selling pizzas or kebabs in Venice’s historic centre. The Mayor, Massimo Cacciari, said the proliferation of such places was contributing to the ‘impoverishment’ of restaurants and affecting the quality of the architecture.
While Venice is making a specific stand (by including the traditionally Italian pizzeria), Italy is witnessing a national campaign against ethnic food restaurants, led by some conservative local authorities. Earlier this year, the city councils of Milan and the Tuscan town of Lucca restricted non-Italian food outlets.
The Italian Agriculture Minister, Luca Zaia, has applauded these local initiatives aimed at protecting Italy’s culinary traditions. “We stand for the safeguarding of our culture,” he said.
by Andy Moreton
Browse Luxique’s selection of exquisite luxury hotels in Venice. All the top names are there.
The route of the annual New Year’s Day parade through London is being reversed to satisfy American TV broadcasters.
The organisers are anxious that American audiences (i.e. potential tourists) wake up to see such iconic landmarks as Nelson’s Column and Big Ben in all their glory.
So, after a goodwill message from the Queen has been read out, the parade will now start at noon London time at the Ritz Hotel in Park Lane and make its way to Parliament Square.
The annual event is apparently already hugely popular in the United States. Last year, nearly 4,000 Americans from 24 different marching bands took part and even more are expected to be involved this year.
With an estimated US television audience of up to 100 million viewers, organisers say the parade is a fantastic shop window for the capital’s tourism and they want London looking its best. The parade’s executive director, Bob Bone, said:
“The Christmas and New Year period is vital for tourism, when millions decide where they will visit in the summer. This year, of all years, it is vital that we attract every last one of them.”
by Andy Moreton
It’s a great city to explore at any time of the year, so take a look at Luxique’s comprehensive selection of luxury hotels in London.
