The figures also suggest the average amount spent by those whose itinerary included a pub visit is rather more than those who did not (£676 compared to £502).

The British pub is also fast becoming a destination for avid sport and food fans. Last weekend will saw millions converge to witness the highly anticipated final week of the Premier League – one of VisitBritain’s key sporting partners – which has a global audience 4.7 billion people and is a huge driver for inbound to tourism to the UK.

But it is not just the cheerful atmosphere, cosy log fires or sporting events that draw in the thirsty crowds – visitors are being wowed by the wide range of good cooking being offered at pubs across the country.

Whether it’s the best pub grub in the world at the Hand and Flowers in Buckinghamshire, a traditional steak in ale pie, or the belly pork, Hereford snails, shallot and black pudding entrée at The Stagg Inn in Herefordshire, there is something for foodies to savour everywhere.

Looking deeper into the research we discover that overall, 50% of tourists who visited Britain on a holiday drank at a pub during their stay, 54% who were here to see friends and relatives enjoyed a pint or two and unsurprisingly top, were international students, with 55% of them frequenting their local watering hole. In fact, pubs create such overseas interest that even 9% of visitors who don’t stay a night in the UK make sure they stop off in a pub to have a drink, catch up with old friends or grab a bite to eat.

So which visitors are most and least likely to be found in a pub? Australians and New Zealanders feel most at home in our pubs, with three quarters of all leisure visitors from these two markets spending a considerable amount of time buying a round, while six-in-ten residents of Canada and the US who are over here also seek out a pub.

Towards the other end of the scale are visitors from the Far East – only one fifth of tourists from countries including China and Japan tend to go for a few swift ones after a day of sightseeing.

From Europe it is Swedish (66%), Icelandic (63%) and Irish (62%) holidaymakers who tend to search for the best pubs during their stay. Neighbours across the Channel are somewhat pickier, with less than 50% of both Belgians and French taking in the delights of the local compared to other inbound markets.

Pubs strong on welcome

In a separate study Visit Britain asked departing tourists what they thought about the warmth of a British welcome. That found that 39% of all respondents mentioned ‘pubs/bars’ as one of the places they were made to feel most welcome, beaten only by ‘restaurants’ with 42%.

Out of the 39% who reported to have felt welcome in a pub during their trip, 90% were ‘Extremely’ or ‘Very Likely’ to recommend Britain for a holiday or short-break.

Patricia Yates, director of Strategy and Communications at VisitBritain said, “The GREAT British pub is our welcome mat to the world. Visitors can chat with locals, get a flavour for the area and discover all the hidden treasures which aren’t necessarily found on a planned itinerary. That’s not to mention the wonderful array of local food, beer and wine that they can try while here.

“Our pubs play a huge role in enhancing the overall visitor experience and will go a long way in helping us improve global perceptions of the British welcome.”

We can all drink to that.

What about you?

Tell us your UK favourite, and why you like it.

Many people who go to the UK – even for short visits find they have a favourite pub that they like to go back to time and again.  For me it’s the Grenadier in Knightsbridge, conveniently located, but not that easy to find, tucked away in Wilton Mews. I try to visit whenever I am in London, and often if I am staying locally, will drop by a couple of times.  Why do I like it? I really have no idea – it just makes me feel comfortable and at home in a city other than my own.

Source: Travel Industry Today, May 18, 2012

That theory cannot be proved, and there has never been any such occurance, but a security supervisor at Newark Liberty Airport is facing criminal charges that nearly 20 years ago he assumed the identity of a New York man who was later murdered.

This incident raised questions about whether the Transportation Security Administration knows the true identities of people who work in secure areas at airports around the country.

The TSA said the man, Nigerian Bimbo Olumuyiwa Oyewole, never worked for TSA and the agency did not issue the man’s security badge. The TSA requires a background criminal and terror check for employees who work at airports. Oyewole was screened through that process, but because he worked at the airport for so long, the TSA did not do a separate check that would verify his identification, the agency said.

The House Homeland Security Committee conducted an oversight hearing Wednesday, and a senior TSA official, assistant administrator John Sammon, said he could not assure lawmakers there were no other such cases around the country.

“We don’t know whether they are who they say they are,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.

People who pose a threat can obtain government security badges for US airports because the TSA inadequately investigates the backgrounds of badge applicants, said the agency’s acting inspector general, Charles Edwards. This includes missed signs that such people might be dangerous, or confirmation they are American citizens, Edwards said.

Some of these security gaps could be resolved with a new government rule that would require a criminal history check every five years and strengthen other identification reviews, Sammon said.

But he acknowledged that he couldn’t assure lawmakers that the new rules – still under development – would catch every case of an airport worker using someone else’s identity.

Oyewole is charged with using the identity of Jerry Thomas, a petty criminal who was shot outside a Queens, NY, YMCA in July 1992. Thomas’ murder remains unsolved, but police in New York said Tuesday there is no evidence tying Oyewole to Thomas’ shooting.

However, two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation said that Oyewole began using Thomas’ birth certificate and Social Security number three weeks before Thomas’ murder. The officials requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss details of the case publicly.

Authorities were alerted to Oyewole’s alleged double life when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s inspector general’s office in Hoboken received an anonymous letter, the officials said. The letter described Oyewole’s using additional names, though those weren’t divulged Tuesday.

The Port Authority, which operates the area’s main airports and other transit hubs, said Oyewole entered the US illegally in 1989 and had worked under several contractors at the airport, most recently FJC Security Services, and had supervised about 30 guards. The agency said its investigation found no indication that he used the fake identity for any reason other than to live in the US.

Source: Travel Industry Today, May 18, 2012

This year, 202 ships will sail from Seattle –slightly  better than last year, when 196 ships used Seattle as a homeport during the summer Alaska cruising season.

The Port of Seattle says revenue from the cruise business remains strong .

Spokesman Peter McGraw says revenue to the region from the cruise industry is expected to top US$400 million dollars this year. The Port estimates 4,300 jobs are directly tied to the industry.

“And that includes everything from the piano tuner and the florist  all the way to those providing lubricants in the engines,” McGraw said.

Friendly competition

Seattle competes with Vancouver for cruise ships.  McGraw calls it a “friendly competition.,”

During the 2011 season, passengers on 199 sailings departed Vancouver to enjoy the splendor of the glaciers, the vast wilderness and fascinating culture of Alaska. That was a 15% increase over 2010 which saw 663,425 passengers on 27 different vessels over 199 cruise ship calls.

During the 2012 Vancouver-Alaska cruise season, Port Metro Vancouver expects to host approximately 670,000 passengers on 191 ship calls, including Princess Cruise Line’s Sapphire Princess, which will return to homeport in Vancouver for 2012.

Vancouver has the advantage of being closer to Alaska.  One cruise line, Disney, left Vancouver for Seattle, from  where it will sail this summer. Next year it plans to return to Canada.

Challenges

One challenge affecting the cruise business is a requirement on the horizon that cargo and cruise ships burn low sulphur fuel. McGraw says it has the cruise industry concerned.

“They are wondering if there is in fact enough fuel to go around between ocean going cargo vessels and cruise vessels.” he said.

Cruise ships sailing to Alaska from Seattle are considered mid size, each  carrying from 2200 to 2500 passengers.

Source: Travel Industry Today, May 14, 2012

A total of 37% percent of respondents chose Toronto as the worst airport, 18% chose Montreal’s Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport and 10% of the votes went to Edmonton International Airport.

To be fair, 20% of respondents considered Toronto their favourite airport.

Of the respondents voting against Toronto, 57% blamed slow security as the premier issue, followed by poor service and less desirable dining options.

Canadians chose Vancouver International Airport as the most favourable with 35% of the votes.

Source: Travel Industry Today, May 9, 2012

The standards for seat belt regulations were written 60 years ago when the average weight for an American traveller was set at 170 lbs (77 kilos).

Today the average American man weighs 195 lbs (88 kilos) and the average woman 165 lbs (75 kilos).

This is cause for concern says Robert Salzar, scientist at the Center for Applied Biomechanics at the University of Virginia.

“If a heavier person completely fills a seat, the seat is not likely to behave as intended during a crash.  The energy absorption that is built into the aircraft seat is likely to be overwhelmed and the occupants will not be protected optimally.”

Dr Salzar suggested that if the seatbelt was ineffective for a larger person, others would be in jeopardy with “the unrestrained motion of the passenger.”

The New York Times reported that Yoshihiro Ozawa, an engineer whose company, Jasti Ltd. in Japan, has been making crash dummies for 20 years commented that there was no data proving that the seats and seat belts are still appropriate for larger passengers.

Ozawa said there is no regulation enforcing testing to be done with heavier dummies.

Source: Travel Industry Today, May 9, 2012

The top five Canadian cities are Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Quebec City and Victoria.

In the US it is New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas and Honolulu.

In the list of best UK destinations, Edinburgh was second, Liverpool third, Torquay in Devon fourth and Glasgow fifth.

TripAdvisor spokeswoman Emma Shaw said: “To be crowned the world’s best destination in the Olympic year by millions of travellers is a tremendous honour for London.

“It’s fantastic to see the capital recognized and rewarded by those that have really experienced the city – travellers themselves.”

Gordon Innes, chief executive of tourism organisation London & Partners, said,  “This accolade couldn’t be better timed for the capital in this momentous year and we are delighted.

“It is a testament to the wonderful array of attractions, dining and accommodation that set London apart from all of these other destinations.”

The global top 10:

1. London
2. New York City
3. Rome
4. Paris
5. San Francisco
6. Marrakech, Morocco
7. Istanbul
8. Barcelona
9. Siem Reap, Cambodia
10. Berlin

Source: Travel Industry Today, May 5, 2012

According to figures released last week by the National Statistics Office (ONE), Canada remained the leading outbound market for the island nation for the quarter with 459,466 visitors.

France was a distant second with 37,191 French tourists – an increase of 7.5 percent.

Argentina, with 37,130 visitors, was the third source of tourists to Cuba and first in Latin America. The UK had 35,837, Italy 35,064, Germany 33,417, and Russia 27,830.

Spain was eighth in the number of foreign visitors with 17,685 in the first quarter of 2012, or 36.5 percent fewer than those who travelled to Cuba in the same period last year. In 2011, Cuba welcomed a record 2.7 million tourists.

Tourism, which is the second-largest sector for revenues in foreign currency after technical and professional services, has topped $2.1 billion in each of the last two years.

Cuba is hoping to receive almost 3 million foreign tourists in 2012.

Source: Travel Industry Today, May 5, 2012

The Italy-based line said the MSC Divina will homebase in Miami during winter 2013-14, operating eastern and western Caribbean cruises.

The 3,502-passenger ship is under construction at France’s STX Shipyard. It will enter service next month.

The Divina will operate from Miami from late November 2013 to May 2014, before returning to Europe for the summer season.

“There’s a certain style about MSC … that is going to be much more visible to the North American market when we bring the Divina to Miami,” said Sasso.

“It’s exciting news for our travel agent partners. That’s why we chose to announce it at 3sixty,” he added.

We started this process eight or nine years ago with this (seasonal homeport) in mind,” said Sasso.

Bill Johnson, port director of Miami, said he was ecstatic about the deployment.

“We’re excited MSC will be homeporting with us. It’s a dream come true. It’s our first ‘diva’ in Miami,” he said.

The port will “roll out the red carpet” for the Divina, said Johnson.

Sasso said he expects the lion’s share of the Divina’s passengers will come from North America during the Miami deployment.

“I expect it will be 80% North Americans and 20% from Europe and [elsewhere],” he said.

He hinted that additional North America deployments, including a possible year-round deployment, would be announced soon.

Source: Travel Industry Today, April 30, 2012

Approximately one in five respondents (21%) see a great deal of opportunity in the market segment and one-third of respondents report that they are ready to book business-focused cruising.

Social media hits the high seas

The report also examined the growth of social media engagement among travel professionals.

According to the survey, nearly three in four travel professionals (74%) expect the influence of social media on cruise and travel sales to increase either slightly or significantly in the next three years. The vast majority of travel agencies (71%) use social media as a business tool to generate cruise customer leads, up 17% from 54% when Amadeus and CLIA conducted a similar survey in 2011.

The “Mixing Business with Pleasure” report also revealed that the primary reasons travel agents use social media are to engage their customers (45%), to post offers, discounts/advertising (40%), to promote new products or services (38 %), and to provide travel advice to their customers (38 %). When compared to 2011 results, agents significantly increased their use of social media to provide travel advice (38%, up from 10% in 2011), allow customers to share experiences (29%, up 10%), and promote new products or services (38%, up from 21%).

“Social media is flexing its muscle across the entire travel industry, rapidly becoming an invaluable communications channel with customers. As travel professionals get increasingly comfortable using social media tools, they will uncover their true potential to make meaningful connections, engage consumers, and increase their business,” said Carolyn Cauceglia, vice president, Strategic Sales and Account Management, Amadeus North America

Source: Travel Industry Today, April 30, 2012

With a total of 57 calls scheduled for this season, just under 50% will come from Holland America and represent 38,165 passengers of the almost 80,000 passengers scheduled to arrive.

Stan MacPherson of the Charlottetown Harbour Authority says the cruise industry in Atlantic Canada, particularly on P.E.I., has been growing quickly.

He says that with the addition of 18 ship calls this year, 2012 is set to be the biggest cruise season ever on Prince Edward Island.

It’s expected that 11,000 passengers and crew will arrive in the port on October 9, with the last day of the season to be October 28 with a call from the SS Navigator.

Source: Travel Industry Today, April 30, 2012