Travel rumblings

Torturous Brexit negotiations, four terrorist attacks in a month, the Grenfell Tower tragedy, a coalition of chaos… it’s time to escape for the summer, says Kaye Holland

Yet again we have a report that rehashes old ideas, presents few new ones preferring to rely on hoary old arguments instead.

Could some of charities and organisations be on the verge of competing with small, niche holiday companies?

It all goes to show that there is no standard way of deciding “best” or “worst.” Passengers will remain confused whilst so many organisations provide conflicting results.

In the first quarter of 2017, there was a worldwide increase of just 1.8% international visitors. Why so little an increase?

With these words the UK prime minister, Theresa May, might be indicating a response to the terrorist attacks that the UK has faced over the last three months.

Today is UNESCO World Heritage Day. Given the destruction by ISIS at Palmyra and at other Middle Eastern sites it is important to remember what we have lost and give thanks for what we still have and still have to discover.

Rather the Mail on Sunday should have said that any country was a potential target and urge its readers to be vigilant and careful when the holiday wherever they go.

I suspect that a problem of the size that occurred yesterday can never be adequately handled by training and customer service manuals. Passengers will never be totally satisfied when a problem of this magnitude occurs.

Today, Cory Jobe – the Director of the Illinois Office of Tourism – sent out his weekly tourism newsletter. He began, not by noting something about Chicago or Illinois, but by reference to the cowardly attack on children, teenagers and their parents at the Manchester Arena yesterday evening.

More and more people are moving from country to country for both personal and professional pursuits. JAT reports on the rise of the roamers

If Mr Taylor’s case is successful it mmight make the airlines think again and give us sufficient room for health reasons as well as comfort.

Update: 18 May 2017: At a meeting between the EU and USA officials it was decided NOT to introduce a ban on carrying PED’s as hand language. However other measures may be considered.

Future Thinking says that families are the most frequent visitors with an average of 21 trips to visitor attractions or art performances planned this year. But maybe not to heritage sites unless they are to our national museums which are free!

Patricia Cleveland-Peck investigates one of the necessary hazards of a travel writer and holidaymaker’s life.

Those who fly with United will have a greater influence on how staff will be rewarded. Bad service and bad customer satisfaction ratings should mean lower pay cheques.

Are baths being designed by twenty somethings or fitness trainers who don’t have problems getting into and out of baths?

On Tuesday, Tim Farron MP asked the Department of Transport what information the Department for Transport holds on the amount of compensation for delayed and cancelled flights. Answer – none.

About $500,000 of the annual bonus of CEO of United Airlines, Oscar Munoz, is payable as a result of customer satisfaction. What’s the betting that this may not be paid out?

Never have I seen anybody dragged from a flight because no passenger would be allowed on a flight until volunteers have been selected or chosen.

It would be helpful then if the government could explain why it has not lifted the “ban” on travel to Tunisia or, alternatively, why one hasn’t been imposed on Egypt.

What is needed is a figure to show how much revenue having a museum brings to the local economy. In that way it would be easier to justify, increase spend on museums, galleries and other attractions.

This week, Responsible Travel, based in Brighton which specialises in wildlife holidays has dropped visits to zoos as part of its tours. The reason? It says that zoos are “… relics of the past.”

Three weeks ago, Travelzoo suggested that hotels could also be classified by how secure and safe they were.

For nearly thirty years works from the National Portrait Gallery in London have been able to be seen at Bodelwyddan Castle, near Rhyl in North Wales. But no more.

What is that we want from tourism? What do we want from the travel trade and politicians? Do we want more tourist information centres, more transparency about pricing, more public toilets and better grading of accommodation? Something else?

I must look in Hamley’s or ToysRUs to see if there is an age recommendation before I buy one for my grandchildren to play with next Christmas.

there is a claim that holidaymakers believe that only about half of complaints come to the attention of anyone who can make a difference.