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The Chinese government is being snubbed by an increasing number of high profile types over the Beijing Olympics, and its very poor record on human rights.
The Prince of Wales was the first to announce that he would not be visiting the event followed by film director Steven Spielberg who has resigned his position as creative director for the opening and closing ceremonies, reportedly after actress Mia Farrow asked him if he wanted to be known as “the Leni Reifanstahl of the Olympics”, Reifanstahl being the talented film maker who was hired by the Nazis to make propaganda films of their rallies, and one of the Olympic meetings held in Germany.
The British Olympic Association (BOA) has faced claims of grovelling to the Chinese government over the contract it drew up to stop our athletes discussing China’s human rights abuses, or policy on Darfur, when in Beijing, a contract it quickly withdrew after a storm of protest.
It is thought that UK politicians such as Gordon Brown and Ken Livingstone will still attend the event, to show support for the business community that makes money from the Chinese market, the world’s largest.
Airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic admitted illegally colluding together to overcharge passengers with an agreed fuel surcharge last year and have now agreed to pay back £102 million to compensate 8 million customers.
Embarrassingly for both companies they have had to agree a media campaign to inform customers of their illegal price fixing and how the extra money paid can be claimed back. Although the refund per flight is around £10, for corporate customers booking hundreds of flights the total refund could be substantial. The pay back applies to BA and VA flights taken between August 2004 and March 2006.
Airmiles, the British Airways owned travel rewards scheme by which BA corrupts the buying process for flights is being simplified by BA.
Henceforth those claiming their free flights will be able to use their airmiles rather than cash to pay for all additional taxes, fees and charges, including fuel surcharges illegally agreed with other airlines.
There is a view that Airmiles cost companies millions of pounds in paying more than they need for flights, to give their employees a minor benefit. Most would do far better, particularly in the recessional times forecast ahead, by motivating their employees with a share of the money saved when a cheaper flight, perhaps on one of the burgeoning number of budget airlines, was taken. Employees would also gain far more from this arrangement, too, and be able to afford their own personal travel.
Britain’s rail fares are the most expensive in Europe.
This is the conclusion drawn from research by the Liberal Democrats using figures from the Thomas Cook European Timetable of January 08, for full price fares. Based on how many miles can be bought for £10 Britain’s rail companies deliver more than 25% less than those in Germany, the next most expensive country. And based on cost per 100 mile journey Britain is nearly twice as expensive as Germany. The full results follow below.
| Country | --- | How far for £10 (miles) | --- | Price for 100 mile journey (£) |
| Latvia | --- | 383.436 | --- | 2.61 |
| Estonia | --- | 249.335 | --- | 4.01 |
| Slovakia | --- | 206.29 | --- | 4.85 |
| Romania | --- | 170.69 | --- | 5.86 |
| Czech Republic | --- | 165.035 | --- | 6.06 |
| Slovenia | --- | 147.36 | --- | 6.79 |
| Hungary | --- | 137.53 | --- | 7.27 |
| Portugal | --- | 118.71 | --- | 8.42 |
| Spain | --- | 95.99 | --- | 10.42 |
| Italy | --- | 91.69 | --- | 10.91 |
| Poland | --- | 91.69 | --- | 10.91 |
| Sweden | --- | 73.9 | --- | 13.53 |
| Belgium | --- | 68.77 | --- | 14.54 |
| Finland | --- | 58.94 | --- | 16.97 |
| France | --- | 58.94 | --- | 16.97 |
| Netherlands | --- | 58.94 | --- | 16.97 |
| Austria | --- | 48.54 | --- | 20.60 |
| Denmark | --- | 48.13 | --- | 20.78 |
| Switzerland | --- | 45.84 | --- | 21.81 |
| Norway |
--- |
41.71 | --- | 23.98 |
| Ireland | --- | 38.13 | --- | 26.23 |
| Germany | --- | 37.65 | --- | 26.56 |
| Great Britain | --- | 27.28 | --- | 48.68 |
As Britain’s railway and train operating companies have become more chaotically incompetent at running a satisfactory service – especially some being part of the much criticised First Group – so prices have risen and value for money has fallen. In 2002 it was possible to travel for 55 miles for £10 compared with the 27.28 miles possible in 2008, more than a 50% reduction. And in 2002 the price for 100 miles was £18.22 compared with £48.68 in 2008, almost a 300% increase. (table follows).
| Year | --- | How far for £10 (miles) in Britain | --- | Price for 100 mile journey (£) |
| 2008 | --- | 27.28 | --- | 48.68 |
| 2007 | --- | 35 | --- | 28.24 |
| 2006 | --- | 38 | --- | 26.21 |
| 2005 | --- | 25 | --- | 40 |
| 2003 | --- | 42 | --- | 23.83 |
| 2002 | --- | 55 | --- | 18.22 |
Nearly a quarter of all hotel guests in France complain about the way they are treated, as do nearly 40 per cent of restaurant guests. (Daily Telegraph).
These figures were released in December by the French watchdog the Committee for Modernisation of the French Hotel Trade who claim that poor wages and a lack of training is more likely to be to blame rather than a deliberate attempt by staff to intimidate customers with poor service, indifference, or a haughty or superior air, aspects that some claim are an essential part of French culture.
Apparently the most frequently heard complaints unrelated to offensive or surly staff is the dilapidated nature of many French hotels and the lack of sound insulation in the rooms enabling guests to hear someone coughing or worse, several rooms away.
Berlin is to get a bigger wheel than London’s Eye in 2009. (Evening Standard).
The £87 million Berlin wheel will be Europe’s largest at 185 metres tall (the Eye is 135 metres) and will take up to 1,500 passengers for a 35 minute rotation. A Berlin newspaper, probably tongue in cheek described the wheel as “a luxury symbolising nothing and at the same time embodying the very intoxification of being momentarily raised above nothingness”.
Meanwhile the world’s largest upcoming symbol of nothing is the Great Beijing Wheel, set to stand 208 metres high when it is finished in 2009. Other cities planning superficial symbols of nothing include Dubai, Mumbai, Moscow, Singapore and American’s cultural heart, Orlando.
Those organisers whose delegates comprise mostly readers of the Daily Telegraph might like to know which overseas destinations, cities, hotels, airlines etc were especially favoured by this group in the Telegraph Travel Awards 2007.
European Destination
1) Italy
2) Greece
3) Switzerland
4) Madeira
5) France
6) Portugal
Worldwide Destination (Not Europe)
1) New Zealand
2) Maldives
3) Australia
4) Canada
5) South Africa
6) Argentina
Foreign City (Worldwide)
1) Sydney
2) Cape Town
3) Vancouver
4) Venice
5) New York
6) Perth
UK City
1) York
2) Edinburgh
3) Bath
4) Chester
5) Cambridge
6) Oxford
City Hotel
1) Shangri-La, Bangkok
2) Shangri-La, Singapore
= 3) Le Meridien, Dubai
= 3) Raffles, Singapore
= 4) Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
= 4) Marriott, Sydney
= 4) Waldorf Astoria, New York
= 4) Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur
Resort Hotel
1) Jumeirah Beach, Dubai
= 2) Amathos, Paphos
= 2) Royal Savoy, Funchal
= 3) Jebel Ali, Dubai
= 3) Pestana, Funchal
= 3) Rasa Sentosa, Singapore
Airlines – Scheduled
1) Singapore Airlines
2) Emirates
3) Qatar Aairways
4) Virgin
5) Swiss
6) Air New Zealand
Airlines – Budget
1) Air Berlin
2) Jet 2
3) Zoom
4) Bmibaby
5) Easyjet
6) Thompsonfly
More information at www.telegraph.co.uk/travel
The claim of Scottish poet Robbie Burns that to “see ourselves as others see us” was a gift of great power has had some testing in the European sector recently.
Late last year an advertising campaign for Eurostar in Belgium revealed its own take on what a typical Brit was like and showed a skinheaded football thug urinating into a tea-cup, which upset some British MP’s who deemed it “utterly offensive and crass”. This was a view upheld by the Belgian Advertising Standards Authority who ruled that the ad was irresponsible as well as offensive and ordered Eurostar, early this year to withdraw it.
Now it’s the turn of the French to get upset at how they are portrayed after the launch of a new Mr Men cartoon TV character Mr Rude who speaks in a French accent and breaks wind when children pull his finger. Producers of the TV show featuring the new Mr Rude, which begins this month on Five, claim that the personification of the French as lacking politeness simply reflects the English view of them and is not meant to offend.
Meanwhile rumours that a new entente cordiale has been agreed whereby the creative cream of France and Britain are already dreaming up new ways to insult the Belgians should, in our view, be treated as mischievous ….
Visitors to Geneva are getting free bus travel over the whole Geneva network as from the beginning of this year.
Passengers passing through the luggage collection area at Geneva Airport can also collect a free ground transportation ticket valid for 80 minutes. At their hotel they can then pick up a free Geneva Transport Card entitling them to free public transport until the end of their stay, including travel to and from the Patexpo exhibition and conference centre, the ferry service across the harbour and the bus back to the airport.
In the UK the only known free bus service for all runs in Manchester. And, by further way of contrast the authorities in some parts of Italy require valued visitors to pay even more than the normal bus fare. (See IEOU, issue 12, “Italian government rip off their visitors”, plus letter this issue).
A workshop on Chile is being staged at the Jolly Hotel – St Ermins Victoria on Wednesday 12 March from 4.30 pm.
The programme includes a buffet dinner with Chilean wine and entry is by confirmed invitation only.
Tel: 0208 906 8989
Visit: www.tourism@chile.travel
A new 900 square metre spa is being launched at the four star luxe 619 room Fairmont Hotel, Monte Carlo and is due for completion in April 2009.
The 7th floor spa will incorporate refurbishments of the current rooftop heated pool and fitness centre, with the unique views, and a number of treatment rooms are being added.
www.fairmont.com/montecarlo
o Your piece on the Neapolitan bus discrimination was interesting.
Staying in the Veneto last summer, a bus driver refused to carry us on a route which was advertised on a bus stop as AVTO and which was convenient for getting to the port from our campsite. None of the Italians we spoke to were able to give us a satisfactory explanation, but I am now wondering whether it’s part of a racket to protect some bus services for the locals.
Amanda J Taylor, Marketing Controller (Bibles)
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge CB2 8RU
Amanda. Thanks for your contribution. We’d like to hear from any other readers who feel they’ve been ripped off on their travels, to share with us all.
Peter Cotterell
Editor IEOU
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