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Britons heading for the continent might be getting more euros for their pounds than at any time

in the past three years but they shouldn’t relax in their search for the best deals as they plan

their summer holidays.

The pound’s value against the euro has soared to its highest level for more than three years

amid uncertainty in the eurozone sparked by financial and political chaos in Greece and

economic fears for Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Richard Turner, head of foreign exchange at The Money Shop, which sells foreign currency

from its 480 branches nationwide, says that although the exchange rates are improving,

holidaymakers should still be on the lookout for ways to make their money go even further.

“The pound’s value has leapt due to uncertainty in the eurozone. While it is difficult to predict

if it will carry on rising, it certainly doesn’t look like it will dip in the short-term, which is good

news for travellers as the summer gets under way.

“At its height, in May 2002, travellers were getting 1.6 euros to the pound. By 2009 they were

getting less than 1.1 euros and as recently as April this year they were getting just 1.16 euros.

Now we are selling at above 1.2 euros.”

The company’s figures reveal that during 2009 customers of The Money Shop heading for

Eurozone countries bought an average of £387 of euros. As the economic slump took hold,

spending fell by three percent in 2010 to £374 and then a further five percent, to £353, last year.

Mr Turner continues: “We are confident our rates are consistently among the best, but we

would still urge travellers to shop around and do their research – not just for their cash but for

the best deals on almost every aspect of their holiday.

“Many leave currency until the last minute, often waiting until they are at the airport or even

their destination before buying. This could mean they get much lower exchange rates, pay

commission rates, or face a range of charges when using their bank cards abroad.

“They might also exchange too much before travelling and end up bringing foreign cash home.

At the Money Shop we also offer our £2.99 Buy Back Guarantee, allowing customers to return

up to £200 of unused cash at the original exchange rate and so saving significantly on buy back

charges.”

The Money Shop also offers security in the form of its pre-paid holiday cash cards. These can be

loaded with euros or dollars and used without charge at thousands of outlets. If stolen or lost,

funds will be replaced within 48. The only time you might be charged would be if you needed to

use a cash-point which would cost three euros or $3 per withdrawal.

The Money Shop’s money-saving tips

Plan: Excursions and extras, such as boat trips, para-gliding and special events could add to the

cost but, unless it’s an all-inclusive holiday, so will drinks and ice creams bought during lazy

days by the pool.

Research: If you’re in an established resort, there could be cheaper alternatives for organised

excursions – do some on-line investigations, shopping around before you travel to get an idea of

prices. Don’t feel you have to take the hotel or travel operator’s first recommendations. If you’re

planning to eat out, get an idea of how much local restaurants and bars are likely to charge.

Currency: If you have a clear idea about how much you are likely to spend you won’t end up

changing too much or too little cash. This will avoid having to either change surplus cash back

when you get home or risk high fees and charges at foreign bureaux de change and cash-points.

Make sure you take enough though, as using your credit or debit card to obtain extra cash or to

buy goods when abroad can be very expensive!

Security: Pre-paid holiday cash cards can be used without charge at thousands of outlets in

Europe and the United States so they could help reduce the amount of cash you have to carry

with you.

Do it yourself: Don’t rely on package deals – book travel, transfers, accommodation and

excursions separately and don’t be afraid to haggle over the prices. You may also save cash by

choosing to travel at unsocial times.

Book last-minute: It’s difficult during peak times but the bargains are out there, particularly if

you’re not set on a particular destination. Book the time off work and see what you can find. If

you don’t manage to get away, there’s always the dining room to redecorate!

New judges confirmed for 2012 including Tom Kitchin, Shaun Hill, Simon Rogan, Gizzi Erskine and Simon Hulstone

The Observer Food Monthly Awards 2012, in association with Cuisinart, launches this Sunday with a new judging panel that puts the British food industry at the heart of the awards.

For information pick up this Sunday’s Observer Food Monthly magazine and to nominate visit: www.observer.co.uk/foodawards. The deadline for entries is Friday 29 June 2012.

Holiday Inn is giving couples the chance to rekindle their romance with a special ‘Old Flame’ room rate.

This exclusive rate has been set up to celebrate the Olympic Flame starting its journey around the UK. Holiday Inn is the Official Hotel Provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and a Supporting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

Whether pining for a weekend away from the kids or the chance to charm a long lost love, on the 14^th and 15^th May the public will be able to book a reduced rate at over 180 participating Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express Hotels.

The ‘Old Flame’ rate includes a night’s stay in any participating Holiday Inn hotel, a three course dinner for two in the hotel restaurant and a full English breakfast the following morning, all for just £60.

Alternatively, ‘old flames’ can opt for one night’s stay in a Holiday Inn Express, including a free hot breakfast the following morning, for only £30.

The one-off rate will be redeemable from the start of the Olympic Torch Relay on the 18^th May, ending on 30^thSeptember.

Chris Hale, Head of London 2012 at Holiday Inn, commented, “We wanted to celebrate the start of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and what better way than to give people an opportunity to reignite an old flame. From old friends to long lost loves, they’re all invited to take advantage of this special offer.

“A room, three course dinner and breakfast for just £60 is a fantastic offer and we hope that people get booking from the 14^th May!”

To take advantage of the ‘Old Flame’ rate, and for full terms and conditions, please visit:www.holidayinngreenroom.co.uk/oldflame

As part of its London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games sponsorship Holiday Inn will also:

• Work with LOCOG to host 17,000 athletes and officials in the Athletes Village.  Holiday Inn will use its hospitality expertise by providing residential managers, receptionists and concierges.
• Employ a number of aspiring Olympic and Paralympic athletes on a flexible basis at hotels in the lead up to the Games helping athletes to build their work experience and earn money while they train and compete.
• Welcome guests, including staff from LOCOG and other organising bodies, into hotels across London in the lead up to, during and after the Games.
• Holiday Inn is an official provider to the Torch Relay, and will host the Torch Relay team at its hotels as they tour the UK.

Families looking for fun things to do during May bank holiday holiday should head over to Drayton Manor Theme Park, near Tamworth, in Staffordshire.

Visitors will get to experience the park’s new additions, as well as old favourites. New  are the fantastic live shows performed on the stage above the park’s Ben 10: Ultimate Mission rollercoaster, as well as in Thomas Land™ as part of its fifth year celebrations. Europe’s only Thomas Land features 20 rides and attractions based on the ever-popular Thomas & Friends™ series.

Visitors will also see the new CN Street and don’t be surprised if you bump into one of the many popular characters including Johnny Bravo, Dexter, Dee Dee, Grimm, Numbuh 5, Bloo, Eddy and Four Arms!

There’s also new film showing in the 4D Cinema called The Little Prince, based on the famous book of the same name written by Antoine De Saint-Exupery and published in 1943. This book has been translated into more than 250 languages and dialects and sold more than 80 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time.

The film follows the adventures of a prince who uses his magical wand to journey from one universe to another and from planet to planet in search of his lost rose. The prince is joined by his fox friend and together they battle a mechanical dragon, ride flying sheep and rescue a friendly giant. Visitors will watch visually stunning Little Prince in 3D while seated in chairs that react to scenes in the film, such as moving, releasing bursts of air and sprays of water.
Drayton Manor has a fantastic variety of thrill rides, including the adrenaline-inducing drop-tower, Apocalypse, stand-up coaster, Shockwave, the splash-tastic log flume, Stormforce 10, and stomach-churning gyro-swing, Maelstrom.

There’s also a 15-acre zoo within the theme park’s grounds, which houses a Sumatran tiger, monkeys and primates, a meerkat mob, and a pair of highly endangered black leopards, as well as various birds of prey and reptiles.

For visitors travelling from further afield or simply looking to turn a day trip into an Easter break, there’s also the luxurious four-star Drayton Manor Hotel. It has 150 bedrooms, including 15 Thomas & Friends themed family rooms, each with a unique hand-painted scene on the wall and ceiling, themed bunk beds, and train track patterned carpets in the corridors leading to each room. For further details, special offers, or to book a room go to www.draytonmanorhotel.com.

For further information, or to pre-book discounted entry tickets, visit www.draytonmanor.co.uk or call 0844 472 1960. For regular updates and news about Drayton Manor Theme Park join us on Twitterwww.twitter.com/Draytonmanor and Facebook www.facebook.com/Draytonmanorpark.

Nigel Pocklington from Hotels.com, a global expert in online travel, is urging the Government to take full advantage of what is being described as Britain’s summer of fun, to generate a long-term boost for UK tourism.

Six weeks before the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and less than 100 days to go until the start of the Olympics, London and the UK will be in the international spotlight more this summer than ever before.

Over 12,000 new hotel rooms will have been built and added to the market in time for the Games and Hotels.com has seen room prices during the peak Olympic period rise by 97% compared to last year.

Nigel Pocklington says people shouldn’t be put off by the popularity of the games.

“There are still good deals and availability during the Olympic period but, if you find the hotel you want for the dates you want, book now on a reputable booking site and don’t wait forbargains at such a busy time of the year.”

“Prices will be at a premium but we expect visitors to be willing to travel further to get to and from the sporting events, and don’t forget there are plenty of events being held outside of London.”

‘Looking further ahead this is a unique opportunity for the UK tourist industry. Never again will we be able to showcase the UK and London in such a spectacular way over an extended period of time. To take full advantage of this beyond this year, the Government needs to ensure that everything is geared up to welcome tourists to Britain. This country currently has amongst the most expensive aviation taxes anywhere in the world and that must be addressed. We have a bigger hotels supply than ever before in our capital, we have spectacular events to attract visitors and everything has to be in place to make the UK an attractive travel location for international visitors.” 

The ‘summer of fun’ effect is expected to last at least three years with many visitors planning return visits. The Royal Wedding reignited worldwide interest in the UK and with all the landmark events this year we expect the feel good factor to continue, with everyone benefitting, from restaurateurs to taxis and the economy in general.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO has confirmed on his Facebook account that Facebook will be acquiring Instagram, here is what Mr Zuckerberg had to say:

I’m excited to share the news that we’ve agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.

For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.

We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.

That’s why we’re committed to building and growing Instagram independently. Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people.

We think the fact that Instagram is connected to other services beyond Facebook is an important part of the experience. We plan on keeping features like the ability to post to other social networks, the ability to not share your Instagrams on Facebook if you want, and the ability to have followers and follow people separately from your friends on Facebook.

These and many other features are important parts of the Instagram experience and we understand that. We will try to learn from Instagram’s experience to build similar features into our other products. At the same time, we will try to help Instagram continue to grow by using Facebook’s strong engineering team and infrastructure.

This is an important milestone for Facebook because it’s the first time we’ve ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don’t plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.

We’re looking forward to working with the Instagram team and to all of the great new experiences we’re going to be able to build together.

Data services take a back seat for Brits abroad as mobile users stick to calling and texting, but they don’t have to change their data habits abroad according to GOSIM.com, an international SIM card provider.

With 1.5 million British holiday makers expected to travel overseas this Easter weekend, research revealed today by GOSIM.com has found that while 54% of them will be using their mobile phones to make and receive calls and text messages, very few will be accessing social networking and other data services.

Despite the dramatic rise in social networking, the survey of 1,012 UK consumers in April 2012 found that just 11% consider this to be the most important feature of their phones when on holiday. The figures do rise to 22% and 19% respectively for 18-22 and 23-35 year olds, giving a strong indication of the trend. For most of them, this social interaction may be burning a hole in the holiday fund given the charges levied by mobile operators for data ‘roaming’. 23% of 56-70 year olds may know that; they prefer not to be disturbed and switch off their mobiles altogether!

“Using your mobile abroad can be a costly and often unknown expense, leaving many Brits hesitant to use their phone in the same way they would at home, but that needn’t be the case.” said John Assiter, GOSIM.com.

GOSIM.com notes that even those who use their phones sparingly can be caught out, particularly if they have talkative friends and family at home. One cost that consumers often overlook is receiving calls, which can range anywhere from 11p per minute in Europe to more than £1 per minute further afield depending on the recipient’s operator.

“Holiday makers generally cut back on calling, texting, social networking and web browsing when abroad, primarily because of their exposure to roaming costs but for savvy travellers who opt for an international SIM card, it is possible to use the phone’s full feature set overseas without taking out a bank loan.” continued Assiter.

The European Union and Ofcom last month announced a phased plan, starting in July this year and running until 2014, to force EU operators to cut costs for phone calls, messages and data for their customers when roaming in Europe. Currently EU travellers that choose to use roamed data within Europe, without a bundle plan in place, will be cut-off once they hit a spend of €50.

GOSIM.com warns British travellers not to rely on their domestic providers when heading abroad and advises that they should include their mobile phone in their preparations. They don’t have to be hit with huge charges, or even risk having their service cut if they go over the spend limit. If they are going to use their phone for calls, text or data, they should consider using a specialist international SIM card that includes significantly discounted roaming rates.

Currently on ITV’s Daybreak with his Sleep School, leading sleep specialist Dr Guy Meadows is now sharing his top tips with Kuoni to help travellers achieve good quality sleep every night whilst away on holiday.

Recent statistics suggest the UK population is in dire need of a good night’s sleep. According to the Mental Health Foundation’s 2011 study the cost of sleep deprivation to the UK economy is estimated at 1.6 billion pounds every year, with 75 per cent of the UK workforce getting less than the recommended eight hours of sleep per night and 10 per cent suffering with chronic insomnia.

With one third of a holiday spent in the land of nod it makes sense to do all you can to ensure that you sleep like a baby whilst away. Enter Dr Guy Meadows with his ten top tips to help you drift off, completely drug free!
Pre flight
1.      Limit your jetlag - Jet lag occurs when you fly across many time zones leading to the confusion between your internal body clock and the local time. It is worse when you travel eastwards because we lose time. Prepare your body clock by going to bed and getting up an hour earlier a few days prior to travelling east. This means that when you arrive at your destination your body clock will already be synced to the local time.
2.      Prepare for your flight – Getting everything organised the day before your departure can help to calm a racing mind and promote a better night’s sleep. Exercising before going on a long flight can also promote sleep and relieve travel anxiety.

During Flight
 

3.      Set your watch – When you get on the plane set your watch to the local time to start preparing your brain for the time change.
4.      To sleep or not to sleep - If you are arriving at your destination in the afternoon or evening, make sure you stay awake on the plane so that you are ready for the local bedtime on landing. Alternatively, if you are arriving in the morning, aim to sleep on the plane to be ready for the day ahead.
 

5.      Sleeping on the plane - If you find sleeping on planes a challenge then come prepared with your own ear plugs, eye mask, neck rest, comfortable clothes and blanket. The more comfortable you can be the greater chance of you actually sleeping.
6.      Body scan – Scanning your body from head to toe is a great way to manage travel anxiety. Make time to describe every detail of your body in an objective manner such as “I can feel my toes touching the floor, the beat of my heart, the seat on my back, the movement of my breath and so on”. When your thinking mind starts to race with worries, gently acknowledge it and let it go by returning back to your body.
7.      Arrive healthy – The healthier you can be on your flight, the happier your body will be and the more energy you will have when you arrive. Stay hydrated, eat healthy food options, limit caffeine and alcohol, do regular stretches, get up and walk about and wear comfortable clothing.

Arrival
8.      Tune in to the local time – Adjust your body clock to the local time zone by immediately getting out into the sunlight, eating, socialising and sleeping all at the local time.
9.      Make the most of the rest - If sleep does not come straight away, seek solace in the beneficial rest that you get from simply lying in bed calm and relaxed. Take a moment to notice the comfort of your bed, the warmth of your body, the movement of your breath and the gentle goings on of your mind.
10.   The time is now – Make time to be in the present moment whilst on holiday, rather than worrying about the past or imagining the future. You will only be on this holiday once and so make the most of it by indulging in your senses. Notice the warmth of the sand between your toes, the taste of your food, the smell of the flowers, the sight of a sunset or the sound of bird song. If your worries come rushing in, welcome them, let them go and return back to your senses.

Dr. Guy Meadows will be at La Source in Grenada from the 03 – 10 June 2012 with his Sleep School. To book call Kuoni on 01306 747008 or visit www.kuoni.co.uk. His sessions will not cost extra and will be included in the all-inclusive holiday package at La Source.

For more information about Dr. Guy Meadows and his 100% non-drug based solutions for sleep, please visit www.thesleepschool.org or call 0844 561 0474.

LateRooms.com, the hotel booking specialist, has today revealed their new team of bloggers, who will be dedicated to posting the very latest in travel, including news, destinations and trends, on the site’s hugely successful blog. The site has already started to feature content from well travelled guest bloggers from around the UK, building on the blog’s increased popularity in recent months, and showcasing properties for a wide variety of accommodation needs.

From Dubai to Toyko, the Lake District to Liverpool, and incorpoating family breaks, historical culture and vibrant city tips along the way, the guest blogging team have been working closely with LateRooms.com’s in-house writers to create engaging content focusing on the best destinations and accommodation across the UK, Europe and beyond.

The guest bloggers include popular names in the travel industry, including freelance writer and lifelong travellerAndy Jarosz from 501 Places, Zoe Dawes from The Quirky Traveller, whose focus on the unusual and interesting aims to look at life and travel from a different viewpoint, Sarah Gibbons, editor of the inspirational holiday ideas website Travelbite.co.uk, and Kirstie Pelling and Stuart Wickes from the Family Adventure Project, who together with their children have cycled more than 12,000 miles, across more than 20 countries. With theircombined experience and blogging skills, the travel experts have helped to add a new dimension to LateRooms.com’s blog content and bring the very latest in travel writing to readers.

“We have had a great reception for our new guest posts, and are so excited to be working alongside such talented and experienced travelbloggers,” commented Martin Solly, LateRooms.com’s chief blogger and copywriter. “We hope everyone will stay tuned to read the latest thoughts on some fantastic locations from our travel experts, who are bringing their own style and unique travel experiences to the blog.”

The LateRooms.com blog launched in January 2011 to support the social side of the hotels booking company and act as an inspirational, enjoyable and useful travel resource for customers and travel enthuthiasts. It is going from strength to strength with content including infographics, sneak previews of LateRooms.com’s newest TV adverts, and news of special projects the LateRooms.com team havebeen involved in, such as the recent Alcatraz pop up prison hotel. Upcoming activity will include more guest blog posts covering trips toWarsaw, Rome and the newly-opened Harry Potter Studios. The LateRooms.com blog can be found at blog.laterooms.com.

Britain’s best hotels, shops, restaurants and more revealed  with new UK travel website Cool Places www.coolplaces.co.uk

The founders of Rough Guides and Cool Camping* have joined forces to create a brand new website, www.coolplaces.co.uk, focused on the best places to sleep, eat, drink and shop in Britain,celebrating what they feel is now the golden era for travel at home.

Cool Places (launching 3^rd April 2012) sets out to find, review and celebrate all the best things about Britain as a travel destination. The reviews are written by professional travel writers, based locally and with expert knowledge. They provide a fresh and contemporary take on places they know well – with users and locals able to add further reviews and comments. The result is an engaging and trustworthy website focusing on attractions right across Britain: seaside resorts, small towns, major cities and London neighbourhoods.

Cool Places launches with 35 main destinations across the country, all great places for a weekend stay – or in the case of London’s neighbourhoods, an insider’s day-out. The destinations include seaside resorts such as St Ives, Padstow and Bournemouth, and weekend escapes like Bath and Brighton, Winchester and Cambridge. London coverage includes neighbourhoods such as Clerkenwell, Camden, Shoreditch, Hoxton and Soho. The website will quickly extend coverage across Britain – many more destinations will be added in the weeks following launch, with Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, the Cotswolds and Stratford-on-Avon all on the way. Example content includes:

• ·         Tour the Lake District from Clifton’s George & Dragon, a comfy old Georgian inn that serves pub food to die for
• ·         Discover the wonders of Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath
• ·         Snorkel with seals on the Isles of Scilly
• ·         Enjoy your favourite tipple in Glasgow’s Nice & Sleazy Bar
• ·         Sample the sticky delights of the real life Honeyduke’s at Oxford’s Mr Simm’s Olde Sweet Shoppe
• ·         Browse for inspiration; boutique hotels, cool accommodation, restaurants and things to see and do.
• ·         Or search for specific things; hotels in Edinburgh, restaurants in Bath or bars in Brighton

In addition users can check out deals and special offers, some of them exclusive to the site, with easy links to book hotels, restaurants, train and coach tickets.

Managing Director, Martin Dunford comments: “Cool Places is all about celebrating what is great about Britain, what makes the country so unique. Our focus is on the authentic, independent and quirky, with each area explored personally by a local author. We hope the mix of professional reviews and user-generated comment will give users the best of both worlds. Above all we hope it will introduce a whole new generation to the beauty and diversity of Britain.”

Co-founder Jonathan Knight adds: “This is a golden era for British travel. Away from frumpy B&Bs, overpriced attractions and bland chain hotels, a rich variety of contemporary, high-quality places have changed the great British holiday for the better. Family-run boutique hotels, expertly-curated shops and fresh, local restaurants bursting with new ideas are all waiting to be discovered. Life’s too short to stay in a bad B&B or settle for an average meal.“

Co-founder Mark Ellingham comments: “What we wanted to do with Cool Places was create a website that people could trust. Our own experienced reviewers visit, inspect and recommend the places we feature – so users don’t have to rely solely on reviews written by disgruntled travellers or even by the hotels or restaurants themselves. Put simply, if somewhere makes it on to the Cool Places list, it’s well worth a visit.”

Cool Places destinations are also available as Apps for use on iPhones and iPads.

Visit www.coolplaces.co.uk to discover Britain’s best hotels, restaurants, shops, bars  and more – or add your suggestions.

Follow us on Twitter @coolplacesuk or search ‘Cool Places’ on Facebook.

Airport parking specialists Purple Parking has today announced that traffic, revenue and transactions for the first two months of 2012 have significantly increased as a result of its investment in online activity.

Total traffic to Purple Parking’s website increased by 44% in January and February 2012 compared to the same months in 2011. Revenue generated from web traffic is also up by 82% for the same period, as are transactions which have seen an impressive 88% year-on-year increase.

The increases are as a result of Purple Parking moving more of their investment online and away from offline activity such as print advertising. For example, during the past year the airport parking specialists launched its mobile commerce site to service the increase in traffic from mobile devices and invested in search engine optimisation (SEO). Another contributing factor is the increase in people looking to book their Heathrow Parking product through a Google search.

Oliver Inwards, Head of Online at Purple Parking, commented:  “These figures are extremely pleasing and shows we were right to focus the majority of spend on building our online presence.

As more and more of our customers use the internet to search for and book the airport parking that they need, we needed to ensure that our website was not only easy to find, but that we invested in making it both faster and easier to use.

We’re always looking at ways to stay at the forefront of our industry so we expect to continue improving our online presence where possible by listening to and responding to the demands of our customers.

For example, we’ve recently added a travel advice section covering helpful topics such as how to cope with travel stress and details of ski baggage allowances for the major airlines.”

Sales of airport parking traditionally increase from July to September, so if these trends continue then Purple Parking is set for a busy summer. The company which has been parking cars for over 25 years operates at 23 airports throughout the UK and offers three different types of parking options; meet and greet, park and ride and park and ride premium.

For further information visit: http://www.purpleparking.com/

VIP factor helped boost room rates by 31%, says new Hotels.com Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®)

Hotel prices have soared by 31% in Prime Minister David Cameron’s constituency of Witney, Oxfordshire, to an average room rate of £83 in 2011 compared to 2010. This increase marks the steepest rise in the UK, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®). Overall, St Andrews in Scotland, where Prince William met Kate Middleton, was the most expensive UK destination in 2011 at £143 a night, despite a 12% reduction.

According to the world’s leading hotel booking website, the rise in Witney was partly due to the increased profile of the Cotswolds in general, generated by high profile events, such as the filming of hit ITV series “Downton Abbey”, the weddings of Kate Moss and Lily Allen, as well as interest in the “Chipping Norton Set” of celebrities, including Mr Cameron, Jeremy Clarkson, Amanda Holden and Alex James.

Other Cotswolds destinations also experienced double-digit percentage increases including Broadway, the most expensive place in England after a 21% rise to£132, Cheltenham up 12% to £82 and Chipping Norton itself up 16% to £91.

Nigel Pocklington, Chief Marketing Officer of Hotels.com, said: “With its beautiful scenery and high-end hotels, the Cotswolds is always popular but we also believe there has been heightened interest in the area as a result of its celebrityresidents.

“This raised awareness is good news for Cotswolds hoteliers and those in Witney, in particular, have benefited from the increased custom from journalists, media crews and officials.”

The inflation-busting rises contrasted with a 1% year-on-year fall in the average UK room rate to £82. However, this disguised some dramatic drops and rises across the country influenced by fluctuations in the Pound, popular events and staycations as cash-strapped travellers stayed at home to holiday.

Slight price increase in London by 1%

In contrast to the price rises in the Cotswolds, the average room rate in London rose by only 1% to £115.

The city’s hotels were fully booked for events such as the Chelsea Flower Show and Wimbledon tennis tournament, but there was still availability on the weekend of the Royal Wedding in April 2011 with many sightseers making day trips or basing themselves in cheaper locations outside London and then travelling in. This trend led to double-digit percentage rises in towns near the capital. Watford jumped 22% to £77, the second-highest rise in the UK, High Wycombe was up 19% to £67 and St Albans was up 10% to £70.

However, the average price for a London hotel during the Olympics has already climbed year-on-year by 102% to £213, according to Hotels.com research. But there is still availability and good deals on offer in greater London for room rates starting at around £50.

Cherries are on their way to becoming the latest fruit to achieve “superfruit” status amid growing evidence of their many health benefits.
Although apple and orange still dominate globally, cherries featured in 7 per cent of juice drink launches in 2011 – up from 4 per cent five years earlier – according to research specialist Innova Market Insights.
Fuelling the interest in cherry juice is the growing evidence of the health benefits associated with the fruit. It has extremely high antioxidant content but newer research has also shown that tart cherries, such as Montmorency cherries, help to improve sleep quality, reduce inflammation and speed muscle recovery. There is also evidence that tart cherries can help combat arthritis and reduce the risk of gout.
Innova’s Lu Ann Williams said: “Cherry juices are increasing in popularity and increasingly carrying a “superfruit” branding in the wake of a growing body of research linking tart cherries to a whole range of health benefits. This, combined with their unique sweet-sour taste properties, looks set to boost demand and carry cherries even further up the rankings for soft drinks flavour use.”
The cherry’s claim to “superfruit” status has been further enhanced by another new report – The Red Report – which includes more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific studies on tart cherries.
Helping to launch the report, US health expert Dr Wendy Bazilian said: “The power of this super fruit is clear. It is remarkable just how far tart cherries have come in the last few years.
“For example, the fruit has long been believed to have pain relief benefits, but today there is strong and significant evidence to back this up.”
According to the report, 90 per cent of adults believe it is important to get their nutrients from foods that are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals, with Vitamin A a key nutrient in demand. Tart cherries contain 19 times more Vitamin A than blueberries or strawberries.
John Heseltine, founder of Cherrygood, the UK’s leading cherry juice, which has recently launched two new products to meet consumer demand, said: “There is no question that consumers are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about the many health and lifestyle benefits associated with tart cherries. We are responding to this by introducing new products into our range to meet the needs of all the family and also looking to take our brand into Europe, the United States and elsewhere.”

Leading ferry and tour operator Brittany Ferries has partnered with Maxymiser, the global expert in multivariate testing, personalisation and optimisation solutions, to increase clickthroughs to booking pages and boost online conversions.

Brittany Ferries will use Maxymiser’s MaxTEST™ to run a multivariate testing programme across its UK website, to determine the winning design and usability combinations that have the most positive impact on bookings, bounce rates and engagement throughout the site.

Maxymiser’s ability to provide a clear roadmap and a comprehensive testing approach, were key in Brittany Ferries’ decision to move to a new testing partner. The ferry and tour operator was also impressed with the in-depth reporting and metrics that track activity at every stage of the online booking process.

Matthew Randle, Internet Services Manager at Brittany Ferries, comments: “Maxymiser offers the expertise and consultancy-led approach that we need to take our multivariate testing programme to the next level of maturity. Maxymiser takes care of all the strategic planning, set-up, testing and analysis, freeing up our website and marketing team to act on the insights delivered.”

Maxymiser will use its unique OneTouch™ Network to allow testing to run continuously across the Brittany Ferries UK website, through a one-time change using a single line of code, eliminating labour-intensive website updates and resulting in a much faster return on investment for Brittany Ferries.

Randle adds: “Maxymiser will transform our approach to testing, simplifying the process for our teams, but delivering the metrics and insights we need to optimise the effectiveness of our website. Maxymiser will play a critical role in our web strategy, ensuring decisions are made based on the actual experience being delivered, to significantly increase conversions.”

ACCORDING to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, only 40% of major occupational accidents are reported each year even though informing the Health & Safety Executive about such incidents is a legal requirement.

Workplace equipment provider Slingsby, which supplies more than 35,000 products to all industries including a wide range of health and safety related equipment, believes that many people are unaware of the importance of reporting and logging accidents.

Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) employers must report all serious workplace accidents, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences, or near misses, as they happen.

Lee Wright, Marketing Director of Slingsby says: “By law all employers are required to keep suitable records about accidents and injuries that happen at work.  All serious work-related accidents, such as broken bones, diseases, dangerous incidents or any other injury that stops an employee from doing their job for more than three days, must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.

“In addition every accident, even if it’s very minor, should be recorded in an accident book.  This must contain full details about a workplace accident including the date and time, the people involved, the nature of the injuries and how the accident happened.  However the fact that so few serious accidents are reported suggests a lot of workplace accident books are sat collecting dust.”

Lee adds: “Recording accidents is very important and is often of benefit to employees because if they need time off, or struggle to recover from a workplace accident, then there is a written record of what happened. The accident book is also a useful reference tool to show employers where improvements need to be made in order to improve their safety records.”

Over 56 million jobs worldwide and $2.2 trillion in GDP are supported by aviation, according to a new report released today at the global Aviation & Environment Summit in Geneva. The report, Aviation: benefits beyond borders, was produced by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) and Oxford Economics. It outlines an industry that plays a larger role in the global economy than many would expect.

“It’s a fascinating look at the scope of the aviation industry and our role in the world,” says Paul Steele, Executive Director of ATAG the global association that represents air transport, “when you realise that aviation, if it were a country, would be the 19th largest economy in the world, supporting 56.6 million jobs and over two trillion dollars in economic impact, you really see the scale of air transport.”

Of the 56.6 million jobs supported by aviation, there are 8.4 million people directly employed by the sector, 9.3 million jobs at aviation industry suppliers and 4.4 million jobs are induced through spending by aviation industry employees. When you account for the part of the tourism sector made possible by air transport, over 34.5 million jobs are included in this total.

“Of course, aviation’s economic benefits spread far beyond the monetary aspects outlined here. When you take into account the further benefits gained through the speed and reliability of air travel, the businesses that exist because air freight makes them possible and the intrinsic value to the economy of improved connectivity, the economic impact would be several times larger.

“While the numbers relating to passengers are impressive enough, with nearly 2.7 billion passengers carried in 2010, the figures for air freight emphasise the importance of this mode of transporting valuable and perishable goods. The $5.3 trillion worth of freight carried by air transport in 2010 represents some 35% of the value of global trade, despite it representing half a percent of the volume. Air transport is invaluable for the shipment of lightweight but valuable goods.”

Other facts uncovered in the report, available at www.aviationbenefitsbeyondborders.org, include: there are 1,568 commercial airlines, 3,846 commercial airports, 192 air traffic control providers and 23,844 aircraft in service; Asia-Pacific accounts for 34% of passenger traffic worldwide, larger than both Europe and North America (both 27%); 35% of all international tourists travel by air; the average occupancy in aircraft is 77%, much higher than other forms of transport.

Steele adds, “The report also expands the economic data to include a view of aviation’s social benefits and environmental progress. Aviation is an invaluable part of the lives of modern people and will prove even more so as emerging economies continue to develop. It can also provide more immediate and vital links to remote communities, many island states and important relief with disaster response.

“With the sustainable development of economies and the creation of jobs comes the responsibility to carefully manage the resources we are using and the impact that we have on the world. All parts of the commercial aviation industry are engaged in ways we can reduce environmental impact – from new technology and operational efficiencies to infrastructure development. The amount of work occurring across the industry is an impressive sign of our commitment to sustainable development.”

SilverRail Technologies, the company behind the global rail ticketing platform SilverCore, has raised $15 million in Series B funding. The investment accelerates SilverRail’s vision of making passenger rail travel as easy to book as airline tickets. This news follows a highly successful year in which SilverRail added several new rail carriers to its platform, including Renfe in Spain and ViaRail in Canada. SilverRail also partnered with global travel sellers ebookers, GetThere, Egencia, KDS and several others to offer multi-country rail into their core booking platforms.

Canaan Partners led the Series B funding as the first investment in their new $600m fund IX. SilverRail’s current investors Sutter Hill, Accel Partners, GrandBanks Capital and Brook Ventures also strongly supported the round. The funding enables SilverRail to accelerate the addition of rail carriers and the development of cross-border and inter-carrier journey planning. SilverRail’s goal is to have all of Europe’s major rail carriers integrated into the SilverCore platform in the next two years.

Aaron Gowell and Will Phillipson founded SilverRail in 2009 to disrupt the multibillion-dollar rail travel industry. By consolidating content across multiple rail carrier systems, SilverRail has created a marketplace for sellers and suppliers to connect where historically it has been close to impossible. With extensive experience as pioneers in online travel technology, Aaron and Will saw the complexities and fragmented nature of the global rail market, and recognised the opportunity to make the search, shopping, booking and support of train tickets as easy as air tickets. SilverRail is now consolidating the world’s rail ticketing systems, seamlessly connecting suppliers, sellers and search.

“The $300bn rail market is the single fastest growing sector of travel today,” said Aaron Gowell, CEO and co-founder of SilverRail Technologies. “Passenger rail will increasingly dominate regional travel, driven by the perfect storm of four factors: 200 mph trains replacing regional air travel; rail markets deregulating and creating competition; a 90% cleaner environmental footprint than air travel; and, $200bn a year investment in infrastructure – 2x the investment in the commercial air industry.”

“We invested in SilverRail because of the company’s world-class team and innovative technology platform that’s completely disrupting the multibillion-dollar train travel industry,” said John Balen, general partner at Canaan Partners. “Over 60% of rail tickets are still sold offline at the train station immediately prior to departure, but consumers and travel booking companies want a more streamlined process. SilverRail has created the first technology platform that makes purchasing international train tickets as easily as air travel, and we’re excited about the huge growth prospects of this business.”

SilverRail’s platform currently offers in-country and multi-country ticketing in eight countries, including the UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Spain, Germany, Canada and the US. Rail tickets in these countries are made available through SilverRail’s partners AgentWare, Atriis Technologies, Dolphin Dynamics, ebookers, Egencia, eGlobalfares, GetThere, KDS, Orbitz for Business and Rearden Commerce.

LateRooms.com today reveals that hotel bookings to Glasgow have increased by almost 200% in the last four years, attracting shoppers and tourists to the heart of Scotland. Often second to Edinburgh in terms of popularity, Glasgow has risen to the top of the discount hotels specialist’s list of high climbers, and is second only to London in the most popular list of shopping destination cities.

Glasgow is currently notching up an average of three times more room bookings a night than it did in 2007, providing a great source of income and a boost for tourism in the city where as hotels in Edinburgh have seen a smaller increase of 130%. People are snubbing the traditionally popular Italian and Spanish destinations for their shopping, with Glasgow beating both bookings in Barcelona and Rome Hotels over recent months. Visitors flock to the numerous shopping malls and stores in Glasgow every weekend, including the Forge, St Enoch and ‘StyleMile’.

Glasgow also took on other popular European shopping cities in the price stakes, proving the cheapest for hotel stays, at its lowest average room rate since2007. Rooms in suave destinations such as Paris, Geneva and Rome are currently all averaging a higher price on the site, but cosmopolitan London, despite being popular with hotel goers, is the most expensive city destination for an average room rate.

“Shopping is one of the nation’s favourite past-times, and we wanted to analyse where the UK are spending their money on hotels,” said Lynda Matthews, Offline Marketing Manager at LateRooms.com. “LateRooms.com customers are incredibly savvy at snapping up a bargain, and we are pleased to see our home-grown shopping destinations of London and Glasgow doing so well against their European counterparts, in the hotel market as well as the shopping stakes.”