Why is the pound in a state of collapse ?

[Chrisdee]

I don't think there is a problem really, the only one I think is silly is peeing in the sea. What's wrong with the others?

And from the Telegraph................

List of misdemeanours and the fines they carry:
• Entering beach between midnight and 7am – FINE: 750 euros
• Placing parasols and towels to reserve space – FINE: 150 euros
• Playing ball games outside designated areas – FINE: 120 euros
• Swimming when the red flag is flying – FINE: 1,000 euros
• Urinating in the sea – FINE: 150 euros . How on earth are they going to police that one
• Building sandcastles – FINE: 150 euros
• Fishing with a rod or net – FINE: 750 euros
• Fishing with a harpoon – FINE: 1,100 euros
• Drinking alcohol on the beach – FINE: 750 euros
• Sex on the beach – FINE: 750 euros



These Spanish are really trying hard to attract tourists in these difficult times aren't they !!!

[John50]

Britbuild - these Spanish know about as much about tourism as I do about.....well, building. With a collapsing market, they are now placing everything in the way of attracting business. No wonder TIBA are describing them as having an apartheid mentality !

Latest analysis:

"Spanish Tourist Arrivals Drop In October


(RTTNews) - Monday 24 Oct , a report by Spain's National Statistics Institute said overnight stays in hotels in the country fell 5.1% year-on-year in October. During the month, tourists registered 22.3 million overnight stays.

Overnight stays by residents in hotels fell 8.7%, while those by non-residents dropped 2.8%.

In the first ten months of the year, overnight stays slipped 0.1% year-on-year to 242.8 million.

Meanwhile, hotel prices rose 0.3% year-on-year in October, representing a decrease of 1.1 percentage points from the same month the previous year.

For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com

Copyright(c) 2008 RealTimeTraders.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved"


Aware of this, what do the silly beggars do - slap a 20 euro collection charge on rental cars and introduce silly regulations in Benidorm - a bucket and spade resort which now has unattainable and downright silly aspirations higher than its tallest aparthotel !

[Britbuild]

And from the Telegraph................

List of misdemeanours and the fines they carry:
• Entering beach between midnight and 7am – FINE: 750 euros
• Placing parasols and towels to reserve space – FINE: 150 euros
• Playing ball games outside designated areas – FINE: 120 euros
• Swimming when the red flag is flying – FINE: 1,000 euros
• Urinating in the sea – FINE: 150 euros . How on earth are they going to police that one
• Building sandcastles – FINE: 150 euros
• Fishing with a rod or net – FINE: 750 euros
• Fishing with a harpoon – FINE: 1,100 euros
• Drinking alcohol on the beach – FINE: 750 euros
• Sex on the beach – FINE: 750 euros



These Spanish are really trying hard to attract tourists in these difficult times aren't they !!!

[Britbuild]

Well, John, we will see if these nightmare scenarios that are being posted with glee turn out to be true.

There is a downtown in visitor numbers, of course. There is a global recession and the tourist industry as a whole is down. With 60 million visitors a year Spain would find it hard to buck that trend.

At the moment the figures for the Costa Blanca are better than those in other areas of Spain, which should be a cause for congratulations, especially combined with the additional marketing which is being undertaken.

The best indicator over the coming months will be the visitor numbers through the local airports as many analysts think that the number of independent travellers will further increase to the detriment of tour operators as a result of the credit crunch.

So this is the type of additional marketing that is being undertaken eh ???


Benidorm bosses threaten to fine sandcastle builders in crackdown on beachgoers

Nov 25 2008 By Stephen White
FUN in the sun could Costa holidaymakers dearly in Benidorm from now on.
Among the activities to fall foul of resort officials trying to clamp down on "bad" users is the old favourite of sandcastle building.
That will cost anyone caught in the act a 120-euro fine - the same as for playing with a ball outside specified areas.
And holiday romantics who fancy a moonlit stroll after midnight will find the cost even steeper.
The fine for even stepping on to the beach between midnight and 7am has been set at a whopping 750 euros. The bans are part of 73 new by-laws which expats fear will put tourists off the top resort.
Others include a ban on alcohol on the beach and a 750-euro fine for anyone caught fishing, which rises to 1100 euros if the offender is using a harpoon.
Councillor Josefa Perez said: "This is part of a masterplan to prevent bad users of the beach.
"Anyone caught swimming when the red warning flag is flying will be fined 1000 euros."
Brits Steve and Helen Hezzle, who own a beachfront bar, said: "People come on holiday to relax.
"Kids love to build sandcastles, play ball and swim.
"Families will just not bother and this will have a knock-on effect on everyone in Benidorm.
"We've invested heavily, like other expats.
"This will not help the tourist trade.
"In hard economic times, you would think the council would do everything in their power to attract people."




The Spanish really do amaze me at times !!!!. That is certainly some masterplan

[Drewth]

26 Nov 08

Opening numbers today:

£1 = 1.185 Euro
Euro = 84.4 pence

[Warrior]

The other trouble is that the wondeful Mr. Brown sold off all our gold reserves early on so we really are in the doo doo. Whatever government comes in after this is going to be up against it. Basically he has bankrupt the country and we will all have to pay for this long after he has locked the door.

You´re right, but this always happens when Labour get in power, they spend what reserves the Tories leave and everything is fine for a couple of years then they have to start borrowing to finance their freebee schemes and leave the next encumbents with a huge debt to sort out. So it goes round again.
Don´t vote ´cos no matter who you vote for the Politicians always win, and you know how much they cost............................!!

[Drewth]

I hope this area does see a recovery. Yesterday, I was told a fairly major Irish/British Estate Agency is going to close at the end of next week with substantial job losses. I shall watch to see what happens there. The crunch aided by the collapse of the Pound is hitting this area hard - an area which was built on disposable incomes to a large extent.

[Armin Tamzarian]

Well, John, we will see if these nightmare scenarios that are being posted with glee turn out to be true.

There is a downtown in visitor numbers, of course. There is a global recession and the tourist industry as a whole is down. With 60 million visitors a year Spain would find it hard to buck that trend.

At the moment the figures for the Costa Blanca are better than those in other areas of Spain, which should be a cause for congratulations, especially combined with the additional marketing which is being undertaken.

The best indicator over the coming months will be the visitor numbers through the local airports as many analysts think that the number of independent travellers will further increase to the detriment of tour operators as a result of the credit crunch.

[John50]

'Hacks' at Reuters wrote this for Foreign Exchange.com:

Spain Oct tourist arrivals down 5.4 pct

and the 'hacks' at Guradian business wrote this:

The surge to the turquoise coast may continue. Searches on Teletext Holidays between June and August for holidays to Turkey soared by 72% compared with last year. Ash Makkar, marketing director, said: "The credit crunch has affected our customers' priorities in terms of booking a summer break, as they now demand greater value than ever before. Customers are either staying in the UK, with one of our major clients seeing bookings up 55% year on year, or are going to non-Euro destinations where the pound is strong."

Okay Armin, only newspaper talk and I want to believe you, I really do, but................................

[John50]

'Hacks' at Financial Times wrote this:

Spain

The falling pound is a further blow to Spain's long-held status as Britons' favourite holiday destination, Mark Mulligan reports from Madrid.

Joan Flaquer, tourism minister for the Balearics, this week cited the strong euro as the single most "distorting" influence on the flow of Britons to Spanish tourist traps.

According to some officials, summer reservations for the Canary Islands and Mediterranean coast are down slightly on last year.

But even before the sharp drop in sterling against the euro, Spain was losing its allure. Cheaper destinations such as Turkey and Morocco partly account for zero growth in British visitors to Spain in 2006-07, according to Exceltur, the main industry lobby. Belt-tightening by debt-laden households was also a factor.

Growth this year is also expected to be flat as the sector struggles to reverse the gradual decline in visitors to the Costa del Sol, and the Canary and Balearic islands, where the weak pound will be most keenly felt.

However, NH Hotels, the urban hotel chain, says the business and weekend break markets are unlikely to be seriously dented by currency swings.

[Drewth]

John50, an almost identical article was also posted at the weekend from the Round Town News, which I took umbrage with. I imagine you have just posted this to upset me?

However I thought I'd keep that one line in above to show how laughable these hack-written pieces are.

If a Briton with Pounds goes on holiday to a country that trades in US Dollars, he is getting even worse value for money than in the Euro zone.

They may well trade in USD Internationally, but last time I went to Turkey, the currency was the Lira although you could spend US Dollars, Euros or indeed Pounds there. I don't suppose the Pound would be so welcome anymore on the market stalls and in the shops, cafes there. The prices were well below here.

I would be interested to know if the La Manga Resort failure was due in any small part to the collapse of Sterling ? (as featured in yesterday's La Verdad ?)

Anyway, Pound opened down today again:

£1 = 1.174 Euro
Euro = 85.2 pence

[Armin Tamzarian]

Weak pound hits tourism

Exchange rate increases holiday budget by 20 per cent

By James Parkes for the Costa Blanca News

.... forcing holidaymakers to choose other resorts along the Mediterranean that operate with US dollars on the international market - namely Egypt and Turkey.

John50, an almost identical article was also posted at the weekend from the Round Town News, which I took umbrage with. I imagine you have just posted this to upset me?

However I thought I'd keep that one line in above to show how laughable these hack-written pieces are.

If a Briton with Pounds goes on holiday to a country that trades in US Dollars, he is getting even worse value for money than in the Euro zone.

[cherrybear]

The other trouble is that the wondeful Mr. Brown sold off all our gold reserves early on so we really are in the doo doo. Whatever government comes in after this is going to be up against it. Basically he has bankrupt the country and we will all have to pay for this long after he has locked the door.

[John50]

Weak pound hits tourism

Exchange rate increases holiday budget by 20 per cent

By James Parkes for the Costa Blanca News

THE COSTA Blanca tourism sector fears the worst after major tour operators warned this week that the weak pound has seen holiday prices rise by up to 20 per cent for British tourists.

The euro to pound exchange rate in June was 1.26, but this week it has reached 1.18, and further drops are expected.

Great Britain is still the Costa's main market with 2.5 million British holidaymakers visiting each year, of which 90% book hotel accommodation.

For this reason, Costa hoteliers association Hosbec has warned its members that bookings for summer 2009 could be hit by the exchange rate and the worldwide economic crisis, forcing holidaymakers to choose other resorts along the Mediterranean that operate with US dollars on the international market - namely Egypt and Turkey.

Tour operator TUI Travel, owner of Thomson and First Choice, has announced a 27% cutback in its summer holiday bookings due to the weak pound, holidaymakers' lower budget and the increase in unemployment in the UK.

Low-fares airline easyJet, which flies from Alicante to 12 British airports plus Basel and Dortmund, has seen its profits plummet by 45%.

Thomas Cook also announced a 15% cut in its holiday package offer for next year.

Many of these figures were widely commented at the recent World Travel Market held in London, where Benidorm, the Costa Blanca and the Valencia Region had a large promotional space.

To encourage bookings despite the situation, the regional tourism board has launched a direct promotional campaign in Birmingham and Liverpool.

Led by tourism councillor Angelica Such, a delegation representing 50 Costa companies will be meeting tour operators and travel agents as well as holding special promotion events in high streets.

RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE

While concern grows within the tourism sector, expats living on the Costa Blanca, especially pensioners, continue to suffer the weak pound syndrome.

[Drewth]

I agree Drewth that the UK government is not to blame for the global economic recession, but they most certainly ARE to blame for the fact that they have put the UK in the worst position of all major nations to recover from it, according to the IMF (them again!).

The main effect of this mismanagement as far as we are concerned here, has been to destroy the value of the pound, which is exactly why you have made so many posts bitterly complaining about its value against the Euro.

In addition to his nuclear attack on private pensions in 1997 (which has cost everyone who contributed £17,000 on average) he's now managed to substantially reduce the value of those pensions that are left by facilitating the collapse of the Pound.

So, I don't blame Gordon Brown for the world sinking into a fnancial pit. But I do blame him fairly and squarely for digging the UK the biggest hole of all.

Fair point but reading the Irish press, I don't think we are alone in criticising our government. Things don't look so good there even though they do possess a strong currency - lucky old them !

Pound had a bad day thus far:
£1 = 1.176 Euro
Euro = 85.1 pence