There has been a loud hue and cry about the pollution that is being incurred to our environment due to transportation system, but many people in UK are showing a deaf ear to the eco-friendly calls. People in the UK have preferred to take cars than feet for short distances according to a survey conducted by the government.

The Department for Transport's latest national transport survey seems to show that many people are not getting the message about the impact of our travel habits on the environment, with the majority of journeys, including short ones being made by car.

Despite frequent campaigns by the government and health and environment charities to get us all walking, the survey revealed that the number of walking trips per person per year fell by 15 per cent, over the last decade.

In the year 2006, 60% of travellers have used cars as means and a quarter of them had to travel a distance as little as a mile. There has also been a rise of school children who are driven to school; from 38% in 1997 to 41% in 2006.

There has been a significant increase in the number of cars that have been added constantly in the UK.

On the brighter side, the average distance travelled by train has increased and also the number of cycling trips has shot up exponentially. The total bus trips in London has increased by 23% while outside London, there was a dip of 6%. Increase in bus rides could be a result of congestion in London.

via ETA

London is one of the busiest places with millions of flyers visiting the city airports for refuelling and change of airline, let alone the tourists visiting the UK. Yet, it does not impress visitors and none of the UK airports figure in Europe’s preferred airports.

A survey was conducted by Skytrax Research to close in on the most preferred airports in the year 2007. A huge sample size of 7.8m was considered in around 170 airports around the World. The survey carried an excess of 40 different categories which included cleanliness, staff efficiency and courtesy, signage and walking distances, shopping, dining, security process and wait times.

Hong Kong International Airport was adjudged as the best airport closely followed by Incheon in Seoul and Singapore Changi airport; all in Asia. The toppers also included Munich, Kuala Lumpur International, Zurich, Amsterdam Schiphol, Vancouver International, Kansai International and Madrid Barajas.
The best airports in each region are: Asia: Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul; Australia/Pacific: Sydney, Auckland, Brisbane; Middle East: Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi; South America: Buenos Aires, Santiago, Sao Paulo; Southern Europe: Madrid, Athens, Istanbul; Africa: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban; Europe: Munich, Zurich, Amsterdam; North America: Vancouver, Denver, Atlanta; Central/Eastern Europe: Prague, Budapest, Moscow Domodedovo.

Singapore was voted "best duty free shopping" and "leisure amenities"; Hong Kong, "best airport dining" and "best security processing"; Abu Dhabi, "best baggage delivery"; Seoul Incheon, "best international transit" and "cleanest washrooms"; Zurich, "best immigration service"; and Auckland, friendliest staff.

via IHT

According to a survey conducted by Sainsbury travel insurance, many travel agents are selling travel insurance without revealing policy details. These agents sell insurance that probably has everything under the sun and coverage that are usually not required by maximum number of tourists.

The survey estimates that around 3.56m tourists have been misled by agents in the past 12 months. Around 17% of the duped tourists who bought insurance say that they weren’t asked if they had a pre-existing medical condition, and around 13% tourists were not told by the agent what the insurance covered. To add to this list, 9% claim that agents misled them by bullying them to buy insurance.

Financial Services Authority (FSA) had passed a notice to regulate all insurance sales. Unfortunately, this regulation would not come into full effect until the start of 2009.

If you are reading this article, you are probably aware of miscreant travel agents. Be careful until the year 2009. Ask some questions like – What does the insurance cover and what does it not cover? Does the insurance cover for pre-existing medical condition whilst on trip? Does it cover the activities I am undertaking on my trip?

It’s not always the people who act in movies who become celebrities, but the movie locations seem to have many fans as well. The film locations in the UK have become touristy places and tourism has kicked off by a huge margin.

Alnwick Castle which is featured in the Harry Potter movie has topped the table with an increase of 120% in visitors. Other celebrity places are Lyme Park in Cheshire which features wet shirt scene of Mr.Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and the village of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull in the children's programme Balamory.

John Woodward, chief executive of the UK Film Council, said: "British films and television programmes play a powerful role in showcasing the UK to the rest of the world and boosting tourism.

"There are countless examples of visitors flocking to locations they've seen in films or on TV and the effect can last for years."

To further boost tourism in the UK, the government and film industry should take extra interest in ensuring that movies and shows cover multiple locations around UK. Maybe, other countries that thrive on tourism revenue could learn a thing or two from this report.

via BBC

With the long weekend coming up, UK travellers seem to have deserted the international travel hotspots by opting to hangout in the backyard of UK. Around 65% of weekend UK travellers have expressed their desire to holiday in the UK.

The top places of interest are Channel Islands and Belfast in Northern Ireland. Edinburgh and Southampton are the other popular destinations for this bank holiday weekend.

It is only logical not to travel too far when you have 3 days to holiday. If you are spending big money on flying to international locations, one might want to stay there for a little longer; at least a week.

This survey has been conducted by Flybe, a leading European airliner and they have introduced several special domestic UK flights for the weekend going by their survey.

Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer for Flybe comments: “Our figures show that even torrential rain can’t dampen the British spirit as Bank Holiday travellers choose to stay closer to home and explore the delights we have on our doorstep.”