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As surveys go, this one is pretty gross. Our friends at Tripadvisor.com have come up with a top five tourist attractions that could be bad for your health as they’re so germ-ridden. Here they are in reverse order:

At number 5 is the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, where celebrities leave their hand- and footprints for posterity. Apparently, it’s covered in grime from the countless visitors who see if their hands and feet match those of the stars.

St Mark’s is a beautiful square in Venice, but it’s always suffered from a surfeit of hungry pigeons and the mess they leave behind. That brings it in at number 4.

At number 3 is Oscar Wilde’s tomb in Paris. People clearly like to kiss it, because it’s covered with lipstick prints. Yuk!

A wall outside Market Theatre in Seattle was placed runner-up in the survey. Since 1990, tens of thousands of people have stuck their unwanted chewing gum to the wall, turning it into a tourist attraction. The display was started by people waiting in line to visit the theatre. The wall has been scraped clean twice but is still covered with gum, some moulded into shapes and faces.

But the ‘favourite’ tourist attraction for picking up germs is the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle near Cork in the Irish Republic. More than 400,000 tourists a year literally bend over backwards to kiss the Stone, as legend has it that it will give you the gift of eloquent speech.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique can promise you ultra-hygienic facilities at top-class hotels close to all the tourist attractions mentioned above: browse our selection of luxury hotels in Los Angeles, Venice, Paris, Seattle and Cork.

The entertainment industry, like the travel business, seems to hold its own in dark economic times. In the 1920s and ‘30s, Hollywood boomed as people flocked to their local cinemas to seek a little escapism.

And figures just out reveal that the London West End theatre enjoyed a record year in 2008, with receipts of £481 million ($688 million). There was a wobble in the autumn, but a strong Christmas.

In New York, Broadway’s 2008 figures amounted to nearly $1 billion (£690 million) – about the same as the previous year, although like London, it enjoyed a strong Christmas and New Year.

The President of the Society of London Theatre, Nica Burns, said that, faced with harder decisions over how to spend more limited cash, people were enjoying themselves in theatres rather than ‘hiding under the duvet.’

New London shows including Zorro, Hairspray and High School Musical helped to boost figures, along with a strong drama season with productions of Twelfth Night and Rain Man. The new production of Oliver took record box office advances. On Broadway, more than 20 new shows are lined up to open before spring.

“These are worrying times for all of us, but if you are on a tight budget you can shop around and find a ticket that’s affordable,” said Ms Burns.

by Andy Moreton