OPERATORS CANCEL TIBET TRIPS

Tour operators are dropping Tibetan itineraries after China warned that no tourist visas would be issued until after June 20, when the Olympic torch passes through the region. Jonathan Wilson, director of Wendy Wu Tours, said six tours had been cancelled this spring, and Balaji Kandasamy of Cox & Kings said the operator had cancelled one tour scheduled for June, although three others taking place later in the year are still on sale. “From what we hear, it looks as if problems will continue until the games start,” he said.

KILLER BUG HITS CRUISE SHIP

Hundreds of holidaymakers on a round-the-world voyage have been contacted by health authorities after an outbreak of the potentially fatal hepatitis E virus. Seven passengers on P&O’s ill-fated Aurora went down with the virus, but the cruise line kept the outbreak under wraps until the ship docked in Southampton last week. About 600 passengers have now supplied blood samples to the Health Protection Agency.

BIG CATS FACE CHOP

Conservationists have warned that Kenya’s wildlife is at risk following the collapse of tourism in the country. Loss of revenue has led to cutbacks in ranger patrols – and a big increase in poaching – and compensation paid for stock taken by lions and leopards has dried up. The Mara Conservancy says it is facing a shortfall of £25,000 per month. Unless the money is found, herdsmen are warning that their only option is to kill the predators.

BARGAIN DUBAI

Dubai last week launched its own travel search engine, allowing potential visitors from the UK and Ireland to find deals on flights, hotels and holiday packages over the internet. The government-backed website – Dubaitravelmarket.co.uk – sifts through prices from airlines, tour operators, hotel discounters and online travel agents such as Lastminute.com and Ebookers.

WE’RE THE REAL LESBIANS

The holiday island of Lesbos has taken a gay-rights group to court for using the word Lesbian in its name. Plaintiff Dimitris Lambrou said the association – Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece – “insults the identity” of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians. “My sister can’t say she is a Lesbian,” he says. “Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection with Lesbos.”

GEOGRAPHY HERTZ

Let’s hope Ryanair’s navigational skills are better than its cartography, after an in-flight incident this week in which an enraged Czech stewardess attacked the in-flight magazine. The offending page? A map of Hertz car-rental locations in Europe, showing Poland where most of us expect the Czech Republic to be and landlocked Prague now enjoying Baltic views. “I’ve told them before,” the attendant fumed. “If they can get France and the UK in the right place, why not the Czech Republic?”

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