Harold Goodwin

Before the internet, we booked gites and holiday accommodation from small ads in the papers. We arrived in Normandy to find that the British owners of […]

Back in April, I wrote here about the new methodology that the ICRT global has developed with colleagues in southern Africa to reliably report on the […]

A Mastercard survey conducted across 28 European countries in February revealed that nearly half of the 27,000 holidaymakers surveyed planned to acquire or improve a skill during their holiday. Gen Z travellers are leading the trend: 57% of 18–24-year-olds and 52% of 25–34-year-olds reported having already planned a dedicated skill-based trip this year.

” The judges were really impressed in the European Responsible Tourism Awards by the Mallorca SUP Stand-Up Paddleboarding SME.

” The adage, “Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well”, is generally attributed to either Mark Twain or Oscar Wilde.

” I wrote here last week about the wildfires in Europe, now increasingly accepted as the new normal, and suggested the adage, “Never put

As in so many places around the world, the locally available building materials have traditionally determined the local architecture, at least until the second half of the twentieth century. The Cotswolds cover 800 square miles of central-south-west England and form the UK's largest designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Cotswold name comes from two Old English words: “cot” (meaning a sheep enclosure) and “wold” (meaning a hill or high open land). Together, the name translates to “sheep enclosures on the rolling hills”, reflecting the landscape and the region's historic medieval wool trade. The AONB is famous for its picturesque villages built of honey-coloured stone.

For the last couple of decades, we have been recognising tourism businesses as having a positive impact on nature, and this year we have recognised some great examples. The charismatic megafauna found in national parks and other protected areas, primarily in developing countries, attracts travellers from countries that have hunted out most of these species and where reintroduction initiatives are resisted.

I first travelled abroad in my early teens on a day trip across the Channel to France with my father. As we walked away from the dock, I recall my father saying, “Let's get into the backstreets.” And so we did. I don't remember much about that experience. Fast forward to 1973, when a friend and I were wild camping in the north of Scotland. We walked down the lane to a local bar. As we entered, the bar fell silent. Nothing was said, but it was clear that we were unwelcome and would not be served. We quietly retreated.

If tourists are effectively temporary residents, should we expect them to contribute to the taxation necessary to fund the infrastructure required by their presence?