Britain: Semi-open for business

By EWAN McDONALD

Britain is back in business and ready for visiting, enthuses the Open Britain website. Recall the television pictures and newspaper headlines of only a few months ago, and you might think the writer graduated from the same academy of spin-doctoring that earned Tony Blair a second term.

Downstream of the official Government bulletin, the warm red Travel England site will have no truck with tosh about a foot and mouth crisis.

"England's cities, towns, seasides and rural areas all have hundreds of attractions that are open, and exciting events are taking place almost every day of the week.

"You can freely drive or cycle along roads and visit picturesque country towns and villages or enjoy our coastal resorts and beaches. Most castles and stately homes are open for exploration and you'll be thrilled at a variety of theme parks," it promises, next to pictures of Stonehenge and the London Eye (get the symbolism there?)

Turn to its Foot and Mouth Update and you'll be advised that "some areas and tourist attractions closed while the response to the outbreak was considered. However, most of these have since reopened and there are numerous things for visitors to see and do, as well as many exciting events throughout the country.

"With the slowdown in new cases of foot and mouth and the Government chief scientist's advice that the disease is now under control, restrictions have been lifted in a number of areas across the country. Local authorities have started to reopen footpaths and rights of way and there is good access to rivers and canals."

It concludes (and you can just hear Hyacinth Bucket warning any shirkers): "England is still well worth a visit with plenty to see and do for everyone."

Chances are that if you're going to London to see the Queen (well, do the shops, the museums, the art galleries, the pubs, the shows) with a few side trips to, say, Stratford-upon-Avon or York, you won't notice too much out of the ordinary now.

You may have an easier holiday than in most summers because the hotels, restaurants and Harrod's won't be as crowded as usual. The Americans are not coming in the same numbers as they have in the past, anyway.

Most observers agree the crisis may be past its worst but its effects will be felt long into the summer, and not just in the countryside. Last week a major London restaurant chain, Chez Gerrard, warned of a severe downturn in profits, blaming a 20 per cent fall in visitors.

David Williams, chief executive of the upmarket steak'n'chips chain, said: "I suppose it's understandable, if you're an American, to look at pictures on CNN showing piles of burning cattle and say, 'I'm not sure I want to go to that country'."

The capital's theatreland is finding for the first time that visitors are staying away because of the disease, although the strength of the pound has not helped. Disappointing box-office returns could spell the premature end of several West End shows.

Provincial cities such as York are noticeably emptier than usual for this time of year, and a sense of despair is pervading the tourist industry.

"There's a lot of confusion out there from the consumers' point of view," says Jo Pickering of the Yorkshire Tourist Board. "They are feeling that they shouldn't visit.

"It really isn't a good picture. The impact is going to be seen for some time to come, and in the Settle area, which has had the latest outbreak, the situation is dreadful."

Many of the region's tourist businesses have gone bust as a result of foot and mouth, and the tourist board has been appealing for more government funds to start remarketing the area after its allowance ran out in May. Yorkshire's tourism industry is continuing to lose between $212 million and $255 million a month.

The most recent figures produced by the British Tourist Authority estimate that the combined impact of foot and mouth and the slowing US economy cost the country $5.72 billion in lost tourism revenue during April alone.

According to official figures, numbers of overseas visitors fell by 174,000, or 21 per cent, during April, as American travellers, by far the largest spenders, stayed away in droves.

"We've had calls from Americans asking if they need to bring their own food and drink," says Pickering. "Misinformation in the American media is a lot to blame."

In Wales, a study by the Welsh Tourist Board revealed a large downturn in the tourism industry's fortunes. Rural businesses are struggling for survival, and around three-quarters of those surveyed have seen a 60 per cent loss since the crisis began.

Farm holiday providers say revenues are down by 87 per cent, while activity operators report an 80 per cent fall. Caravan parks have suffered a 40 per cent drop in trade.

Farmers, landowners and public bodies have decided to open up many footpaths in the Borders region of Scotland, but the economy has already lost almost $100 million.

The Scottish Tourist Board estimates that the foot-and-mouth outbreak will cost the industry north of the border almost $1100 million. Average losses have been running around the 20 or 30 per cent mark, but some hotels have seen a 90 per cent loss of trade. Small rural hotels and inns have been particularly badly affected.

Martin Couchman of the British Hospitality Association, which represents hotels, restaurants and other sectors hit by the crisis, says: "Some people believe we more or less have to write off this year in terms of overseas business."

If you feel like stretching your legs, filling your lungs with fresh air and taking in England's greener and more pleasant land outside the metropolis, be aware that only about half the nation's country walking paths have been reopened.

In some areas - often those furthest from the outbreaks - more than 80 per cent of paths are closed, with no sign of them being reopened.

Ostensibly, the closures are to protect farmers against the spread of the disease, yet vets, Government ministers and rural agencies say there is no logical reason any footpath further than 3km from an outbreak should be closed.

It has been dubbed the "policy of silly walks" by commentators, who believe there is more to the closures than concern about foot and mouth.

Some suspect that powerful local landowners, in cahoots with Conservative-controlled local authorities, are happy to shut down ancient rights of way they were never keen to keep open in the first place.

But here's a twist: the success story in British tourism this summer is an environmental attraction. The world's biggest greenhouse, the Eden Project, celebrated its millionth visitor last week, just three months after its official opening.

Unlike Britain's previous biggest tourist attractions, Alton Towers theme park and Madame Tussaud's, the re-creation of the planet's different climates in a former clay pit near St Austell in Cornwall has succeeded without the lure of thrilling rides or celebrity cachet. The $280 million project features "biodomes" which total the size of 35 football pitches and contain 12,000 plants.

Links:


Open Britain - will direct you to each nation's tourist board

Good travel sites also to be found at:

The Guardian

Independent

BBC