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One of the more bizarre travel stories of the past week was in the Daily Telegraph, which reported that Chechnya was to market itself as a ‘Swiss-style’ ski resort to attract Russian and foreign tourists.

As the Telegraph’s Moscow correspondent, Andrew Osborn, observed:

“If the plan succeeds, it will be one of the most radical makeovers in the history of global tourism. The southern Russian republic is better known for suicide bombings, kidnappings and two brutal wars than for après ski parties and designer ski wear.”

The President of the troubled region, Ramzan Kadyrov, said he thought the small mountainous republic had huge tourism potential. He and his advisers have earmarked a scenic area called the Argun Gorge for a large ski resort to include a luxury hotel, mid-priced chalets and a spa complex.

“We have a good climate and wonderful scenery,” said Mr Kadyrov. “We have places that, when equipped with the necessary infrastructure, will be in no way inferior to Swiss resorts.”

Russian tourism experts believe Chechnya does have potential, but say personal safety issues mean the bold plan is ahead of its time. That’s a view echoed by the Foreign Office in London. It advises against all travel to Chechnya, saying terrorism and kidnapping remain a serious threat.

by Andy Moreton

The UK government’s announcement that it intends to introduce body scanners at all major airports has stirred up something of a hornets’ nest.

The decision was taken in the light of the failed attempt to blow up a US plane on Christmas Day, but the government has been told the devices might breach an individual’s right to privacy under the Human Rights Act.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has written to the government expressing its concerns.

The scanners produce ‘naked’ images of passengers, and civil rights groups warn they could generate illegal pictures of children and celebrities that could be leaked online. In response to such fears, the Department of Transport said it was developing a staff code of practice for airport body scanners.

In its letter, the EHRC calls on the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, to set out in detail the justification for bringing in body scanners, and clarify what safeguards will be put in place.

The Netherlands has also decided to install the scanners, but other countries such as Spain have sounded less enthusiastic.

by Andy Moreton

There was something quite alarming about the revelation last week that five passengers had had their pockets picked while sleeping on an Air France flight from Tokyo to Paris.

I think it was the violation of that unwritten code that, although some fellow travellers may snore, some may chat when you’re trying to read, and some may get up rather too often to visit the loo, everyone is basically honest.

The Air France-KLM Group said the incident was ‘very rare’ and wouldn’t prompt the airline to change proceedings by cabin crew, whose primary concern remained the flight’s safety.

The passengers on the Boeing 777, who were in business class, lost about £3,600 ($5,750) and the police in Paris are investigating.

An Air France spokeswoman said the airline didn’t provide a secure safe for valuables on board, and cabin crew ‘were not mandated’ to query passengers on which bags they were opening or if they were the rightful owners.

While Air France was responsible for the loss of any baggage in the hold, she said, it was up to the passengers themselves to protect money and other valuables they took on to the plane.

by Andy Moreton

A recent story that had wide coverage in the States but might have passed other readers by was that of Erin Andrews, the ESPN reporter who was videotaped nude in various hotel rooms by a stalker.

The man, who’s pleaded guilty to stalking charges and will be sentenced next month, apparently made the tapes by installing a miniature camera in the peephole of the door. He then published them online.

Erin Andrews says she still has nightmares about the voyeur, and her lawyer, Marshall Grossman, told ABC’s Good Morning America that she intended to campaign for sweeping changes in the hotel industry to protect against potential stalkers nationwide.

Security experts told ABC of some simple steps to make sure your next stay in a hotel room is a safe one, and I happily pass them on:

• Always use the chain lock in addition to the deadbolt. Using both protects the occupant even from people who may have gained access to master keys.

• If you’re suspicious of someone knocking on your door, call the front desk to make sure of his or her identification.

• Make sure the front desk doesn’t announce your room number when you check in, and be aware of who is in listening distance.

• If you think you may be a target for stalkers, some experts recommend switching rooms or hotels frequently and trying to not stay in rooms with connecting doors unless you know the other occupant.

by Andy Moreton, with acknowledgements to ABC

I wrote in April about a group of intrepid travellers who’d ventured into Iraq on an organised tour.

Now the Iraqi authorities are making a concerted effort to market the country as an up-and-coming tourist destination.

A delegation has come to London this week to attend the travel industry’s showcase event of the year, the World Travel Market (WTM) exhibition. It will be the first time Iraq has attended such a gathering for more than ten years.

WTM chair Fiona Jeffery said that in the past, tourism had played a major role in helping to regenerate a number of countries affected by war. “It may be in its infancy, but Iraq has the potential to become a viable tourism destination, just like Vietnam, Cambodia and, closer to home, Croatia and the other former Yugoslavian countries,” she said.

The specialist adventure travel firm Hinterland Travel is the only European company currently offering escorted tours. Managing Director Geoff Hann said:

“Obviously there are security problems in the country and the infrastructure is poor. But Iraq appeals to entrepreneurial and adventurous travellers who wish to see something special.”

The chairman of the Tourism Board of Iraq, Hammoud al-Yaqoubi, gave a flavour of what might attract tourists back:

“The ancient cities of Babylon and Ur are key sites, whilst Baghdad was for centuries the intellectual capital of the Islamic world, leading in astronomy, literature, mathematics and music.”

“According to some historians, the Garden of Eden is 50 miles north of Basra, the city from which Sinbad set sail in The Thousand and One Nights. With 5,000 years of history, Mesopotamia [Iraq] is the cradle of civilization,” said Mr al-Yaqoubi.

by Andy Moreton

I wrote in July about the Japanese couple who went to the police in Rome after being charged nearly 700 euros (£600/$980) for a modest lunch.

Tourists can be ripped off anywhere, of course, but Rome seems to crop up regularly in complaints columns. It’s reassuring to hear, then, that Italy’s tourism minister, Michela Brambilla, has begun a campaign to try to stop the unscrupulous few getting away with sharp practices.

It seems it’s not only restaurants and bars that will come under scrutiny. Another Japanese tourist complained after being charged 20 euros (£18 /$30) for having his photo taken with one of the costumed centurions outside the Colosseum.

Incidentally, Ms Brambilla offered the restaurant couple, the Yamadas, a holiday in Rome at her ministry’s expense, which they politely declined.

The very reasonable Mr Yasuyuki Yamada said that spending taxpayers’ money in this way was not really fair on the Italian population, particularly as his vacation had not been at all bad. He would certainly think about for another holiday – but at his own expense.

by Andy Moreton

You’ll get the best deal with Luxique’s unrivalled selection of luxury hotels in Rome.

The beautiful and vibrant Spanish city of Barcelona has just earned a less welcome tag – the pickpocket capital of the world.

In a survey carried out by a major the holiday review site, the Catalan capital was even ranked ahead of Rome, where the problem has been deep-rooted and much-publicised. Prague was third.

The travel review site based its rankings mainly on comments made by its website users. Particularly notorious was Barcelona’s famous boulevard, La Rambla, which has also recently become a magnet for street prostitutes. One tourist commented: “The place is rife with pickpockets …. I know of three people who were victims in the four days we were there!”

A spokesperson for the travel review site said: “The combination of an awe-struck traveller and a bag bulging with local currency, not to mention passports, cameras and credit cards, is an appealing prospect for any light-fingered thief.”

Don’t be put off from going to this delightful city, but read the useful safety tips on the Barcelona Tourist Guide website: http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/general/barcelona-safety.html. And for accommodation, you can do no better than browse Luxique’s comprehensive selection of luxury hotels in Barcelona.

by Andy Moreton

The authorities in Nepal have come up with a novel idea to combat rampant bribe-taking at the country’s international airport in Kathmandu.

They haven’t increased CCTV or begun random searches – they’ve given staff trousers (US: pants) with no pockets.

“We sent a team to observe the growing complaints about the behaviour of airport authorities and workers towards travellers and we discovered that the reports were true,” said Ishwori Prasad Paudyal, spokesman for the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

He said CIAA investigators had observed theft as well as bribe-taking and it was felt that the pocketless trouser would, as he put it, ‘curb the irregularities’.

The move came a day after Nepal’s new Prime Minister, Madhav Mumar Nepal, had expressed fears that corruption was tarnishing the reputation of the Tribhuvan International Airport.

The landlocked Himalayan nation is one of the poorest in the world and its tourism industry is important, employing around 300,000 people. There were more than 500,000 foreign visitors in 2008 and Nepal has set an ambitious goal of attracting a million tourists a year by 2011.

by Andy Moreton

The Lonely Planet guide describes Nepal in this way:

“Draped along the greatest heights of the Himalaya, Nepal is where the ice-cold of the mountains meets the steamy heat of the Indian plains. It’s a land of yaks and yetis, stupas and Sherpas and some of the best trekking on earth.”

And when you want to put your feet up and relax after the trekking experience, try the luxury Dwarika Hotel in Kathmandu, described by recent guests as ‘unique’, ‘special’, and ‘awesome’. It’s bookable through Luxique at the best rates.

A restaurant in Rome has been temporarily closed after presenting a Japanese couple with a bill of nearly 700 euros (£600 / $980) for lunch.

The young couple, who haven’t been named, were outraged by the bill for what they said were two plates of pasta, a bottle of water, a bottle of wine and a fruit salad. The service charge alone (to which they said they hadn’t agreed) was 115 euros (£98 / $161).

Their protests, however, were brushed off by the manager of the restaurant, Il Passetto, located close to the tourist hub of Piazza Navona. He said they’d ordered ‘a lavish meal’.

The newspaper Il Messaggero said that following their complaint, Rome’s Mayor ordered a raid on the restaurant by health and pricing investigators, and they found a series of breaches of hygiene and administrative regulations.

The inspectors checked the prices on the tourists’ receipt against those on the menu (which the Japanese said they never saw), and found they were quite a bit higher.

by Andy Moreton

If you’re planning a visit to the Eternal City, check out Luxique’s range of luxury hotels in Rome.

As summer gets into full swing over here in Europe, I return to a rather prickly subject – jellyfish.

A warning has gone out on the beaches of the Costa del Sol in Spain about the arrival of the potentially deadly Portuguese man o’war. This creature has tentacles that can be 30 yards long and are barbed with a sting ten times stronger than an ordinary jellyfish.

Xavier Pastor, from Oceana, an ecological campaigning group, said: “The Portuguese man o’war hasn’t been seen in the Mediterranean for a decade and its appearance could herald a process of colonisation, which has happened with other invading species.”

The Spanish are doing all they can to tackle the swarms of this and other potentially dangerous stingers. In the north-east area of Catalonia, where 20,000 people received treatment after being stung last summer, the authorities are using satellite images to track swarms. When they seem dangerously close to shore, boats will be sent to scoop them up.

It’s thought the large rise in the numbers of jellyfish is a result of global warming and the overfishing of predators.

Spain’s environment ministry is distributing leaflets alerting bathers to the dangers.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers a selection of luxury hotels throughout Spain – beach and city.