CD Traveller

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Travel Rumblings =BB

More on the Goldtrail Collapse
=09=09=09=09=09=09Poste= d: 19 Jul 2010 By: The Editor
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=09=09=09=09=09=09Over the weekend, there has been lots of coverage of = Goldtrail, the plight of those abroad and the efforts by the CAA to get= them home=2E Holidaymakers affected are quoted as saying things like t= hey are angry, everything was fine when they checked the website, why w= asn't there some notice and so on=2E Because Goldtrail had appeared on = BBC's Watchdog programme last year, some holidaymakers have suggested the writing was on the wall for the company then=2E The same program sa= id that ABTA had fined them=2E Barrhead Travel in Scotland said that th= ey didn't sell Goldtrail holidays unless someone came in to their trave= l agencies and deliberately asked for one, suggesting they were concern= ed about the company=2E=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09

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Travel Rumblings =BB<= /h3>Summer and Bad News=
=09=09=09=09=09=09Poste= d: 17 Jul 2010 By: The Editor
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=09=09=09=09=09=09With decent weather over much of our countries last w= eekend it looked as though things were set fare for a while=2E In the s= pace of one week, we have had winds and heavy rain and then, to top it = off, Goldtrail Holidays (which also used the name Sunmar) went bust yes= terday evening leaving 16,000 abroad=2E Now it also seems that there ma= y be a strike at all BAA airports (Heathrow, Stanstead, Southampton, Gl= asgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen) during August=2E
=09=09=09=09=09=09CD-Traveller has frequently argued for wider consumer= protection=2E In the wake of Globespan in 2009 and XL in 2008 (see CD-= Traveller 14 Sept, 26 Nov, 17 Dec 2009), you might have hoped or expect= ed that such high profile events might have stimulated some change=2E N= o, the EU prepared a document and sent it for consultation=2E The then = government said it was an EU issue and we are no further forward=2E Yet= we have had 11 cases of companies going bust this year=2E=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09
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Travel News =BB

CD-Traveller and You
=09=09=09=09=09=09Poste= d: 16 Jul 2010 By: The Editor
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=09=09=09=09=09=09As a reader of the CD-Traveller Newsletter, and the C= D-Traveller website, we would like your assistance in improving and per= fecting our newsletter and site=2E=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09

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=09=09=09=09=09=09Cake Research is conducting online group discussion o= n Wednesday 21st July and Thursday 22nd July at 3pm and 7pm and we woul= d like to invite you to participate and share your ideas about CD-Trave= ller, tourism and holidays=2E What do you like and read, what would lik= e to see in it in the future and what don't you like=2E We are looking = for 30 people to take part=2E=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09

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=09=09=09=09=09=09Your views remain anonymous=2E Each group should last= approximately 1 hour and in return the 30 people will receive a choice= of a =A320 Amazon voucher or a Waterman fountain pen and pen set as a = thank you for taking part=2E=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09

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Travel News =BB

Londonderry/Derry is British Capital of Culture =09=09=09=09=09=09Poste= d: 16 Jul 2010 By: The Editor
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=09=09=09=09=09=09Hot on the heels of the Ulster Museum winning the Art= Fund Prize of =A3100,000 (see CD-Traveller 3rd July) comes the news th= at Londonderry is to be the first British Capital of Culture in 2013=2E= Beating off competition from Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield, (see C= D-Traveller 22nd March), Londonderry-Derry, as the winning city was cal= led, was announced on BBC's The One Show last night=2E
=09=09=09=09=09=09Prior to the announcement, Norwich was thought to be = the favourite until the final week but not having the unerring accuracy= of Paul the Octopus, many people got it wrong=2E So congratulations to= Londonderry-Derry=2E
=09=09=09=09=09=09What will the award mean?=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09

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Travel Destinations , Travel Rumbli= ngs =BB

Paul: An Instant T= ourist Attraction for Middlesbrough
=09=09=09=09=09=09Poste= d: 15 Jul 2010 By: The Editor
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=09=09=09=09=09=09Some destinations toil for years building leisure par= ks, attractions or restoring crumbling piles so that they can attract v= isitors=2E Paul has proved there's another way=2E Just pick the winners= of the matches Germany has played in and then the final of the World C= up=2E
=09=09=09=09=09=09Paul is, of course, the octopus that has achieved his= fifteen minutes of international fame by creating an astonishing recor= d that gamblers would envy=2E As you will remember, Paul had two cubes = each emblazoned with the flag of the playing country=2E He chose one- a= nd the one he chose just happened to win=2E 8 times in a row=2E (Appare= ntly a =A310 bet would have given a return of =A33,000 if you had rolle= d the winnings on)=2E But Paul is now a bigger winner=2E At least for S= ea Life in Oberhausen and Oberhausen itself=2E=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09

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Travel News , Travel Rumblings =BB

= Did We Visit Turkey Less last Year= ?
=09=09=09=09=09=09Poste= d: 14 Jul 2010 By: Adrian
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=09=09=09=09=09=092009 was a year of belt tightening=2E We may not have= gone abroad in such large numbers but holidays remained necessities=2E= There was a drop of 15% in those of us holidaying abroad=2E So says ou= r Office of National Statistics (ONS) via their annual Travel Trends pu= blication and goes to confirm -officially- what we knew already=2E
=09=09=09=09=09=09Headlines in the press yesterday spoke of the fastest= fall since the 1970's and how overseas trips had grown by an average o= f 4% per year since 1974 up until 2009=2E But how accurately does this = record what you and I did? Did 314,000 fewer of us go Turkey last year?= And does it matter anyway?=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09

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Travel Rumblings =BB

Why Do You Choose A Hotel?
=09=09=09=09=09=09Poste= d: 13 Jul 2010 By: Adrian
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=09=09=09=09=09=09Why do you choose a hotel? Because it is where it is?= Because of the price? Because of the appeal of the restaurants in the = hotel? I could believe any or a combination of those answers=2E What I = have difficulty believing is that it might be because of the soap or sh= ampoo they put in the room=2E
=09=09=09=09=09=09But it appears one hotel chain may believe that=2E=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09

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Travel Destinations =BB

Reviving Thailand's Tourism
=09=09=09=09=09=09Poste= d: 12 Jul 2010 By: The Editor
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=09=09=09=09=09=09The last 12 months or so have not been kind to Thai t= ourism=2E Visitors have been deterred from going there because of the d= eeply held views of supporters of the government and the trenchant view= s of the opposition=2E Disruption has occurred in Bangkok and some othe= r places and there have been outbreaks of violence=2E The British Forei= gn Office recommended that visitors stay away and as that can affect so= me insurance policies, some will have followed that advice=2E Although = the stand-off still exists between government and opposition, things ha= ve been quieter=2E Throughout this year, very few tourists have been af= fected even where they fly in to Bangkok=2E=20 =09=09=09=09=09=09

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Upcoming Events

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July 12, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Galway Arts Festival (= all day)
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July 16, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- VW Dubs in the Park (a= ll day)
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July 17, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Driffield Agriculture = Show (all day)
- The Gower Festival (7:= 30 pm)
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July 19, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Singles Together (12:0= 0 am)
- The Royal Welsh Show (= all day)
- Keeping up Appearances= (5:00 pm)
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July 20, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Open air theatre - Rom= eo and Juliet (all day)
- RHS Show Tatton Park (= all day)
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July 21, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Open air theatre - The= Taming of The Shrew? (all day)
- Bournemouth Beach Aqua= thon Swim & Run (all day)
- Open air theatre - Jan= e Eyre (all day)
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July 22, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Abba Mania (12:00 am)<= /a>
- RHS Show, Tatton Park = (10:00 am)
- Merchant City Festival= (all day)
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July 23, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Friday Family Fiesta i= nc Fireworks (all day)
- An Evening with Angeli= na (12:00 am)
- Beach in the Park 2010= (12:00 pm)
- Back for Good (1:00 pm= )
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July 24, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Summer Gala (all day)<= /a>
- 29er Open (all day)
- Mudeford Arts Festival= (all day)
- Grand Summer Parade (1= 2:00 am)
- Prestatyn Carnival (al= l day)
- Fresh Air Festival (10= :00 am)
- Waterside Community Li= nks Festival (12:00 pm)
- Battle Proms: Hatfield= House (4:30 pm)
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July 25, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- The Rifles Freedom Cer= emony & Civic Reception (all day)
- Friends of East Park: = Teddy Bears Picnic (12:00 am)
- Sunderland Internation= al Airshow (9:00 am)
- RHS Show, Tatton Park = (10:00 am)
- Chesterfield Farmers' = Market (all day)
- Minehead & Exmoor Fest= ival (all day)
- Lunch and Listen - Emi= ly Saunders, jazz saxophone (1:15 pm)
- The Importance of Bein= g Ernest (6:30 pm)
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July 26, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Singles Together (12:0= 0 am)
- School Holiday Drop In= Activities (2:00 pm)
- Concert (6:00 pm)<= /li> =09=09=09=09
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July 27, 2010:=20 =09=09=09=09
- Open air theatre - Rom= eo and Juliet (all day)
- The New Forest Show (8= :30 am)
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=A0	=09=09=09 =09=09=09 =09=09=09Welcome to the latest edition of CD-Traveller=2E=20 =09=09=09 =09=09=09 =09=09=09This week there will be four stories about Venice=2E Is it exp= ensive, how to get around, what to see in just a shortbreak and a quick= visit to Murano, the island renowned for glass=2E Following the collap= se of Goldtrail Holidays last Friday there are some thoughts on better = consumer protection but regular readers will know that we have been pus= hing for better protection for holidaymakers and travellers for some ti= me=2E=20 =09=09=09 =09=09=09 =09=09=09With many schools breaking up this week, if you are about to g= o on holiday, enjoy yourselves and let us know what you think of your d= estinations just like Joyce has done=2E=20 =09=09=09 =09=09=09 =09=09=09Thanks again and enjoy reading this issue=2E=20 =09=09=09 =09=09=09 =09=09=09CD-Traveller=20 =09=09=09 =09=09=09 =09=09=09	=A0	=A0
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