She is concerned at what continues to be the comparatively low standard of accommodation in English resorts.In towns such as Torquay up to 40 per cent of holiday accommodation will fall outside independent inspection schemes. In Blackpool, the figure rises to 95 per cent, and while the resort may look successful, with 16 million visits a year, many guest houses are ticking over on very low levels of occupancy.In her first six months in the job, Lynch claims her priority has been to encourage a rise in the quality of accommodation “We have a task force in place to help improve standards. In places such as Blackpool we can put money together from a variety of sources, including European funding, to help make physical improvements to properties.”In other struggling resorts, there have been more radical moves to address quality. “In Morecambe, whole streets of poor-quality guestshouses, used latterly as b&b accommodation for homeless people, have been subject to compulsory purchase orders and demolished,” she said. “They’ve been replaced with open parkland.” Elsewhere, planners have allowed the failing guesthouses to be turned back into residential accommodation.”We want hoteliers to put themselves in their guests’ place and understand their needs,” said Lynch.From next April, approved accommodation in England will find its way online in a website linking accommodation, attractions, events, restaurants, shopping and services.. After last season’s fiasco, it’s a fresh start for the snow business.

The 1999-2000 season saw an overall decline of 12 per cent, with the millennium itself the biggest loser. Christmas and New Year’s Day fell on a Saturday, the worst-case scenario for package holiday scheduling, and greed did the rest. Why would anyone want to pay £900 for a holiday that would normally cost £600? By the time the public answered that question by withholding their credit cards, no amount of price-cutting could get them on to the slopes. With Easter too late to count, tour operators had time to plan for the future. After last season’s fiasco, it’s a fresh start for the snow business.

The 1999-2000 season saw an overall decline of 12 per cent, with the millennium itself the biggest loser. Christmas and New Year’s Day fell on a Saturday, the worst-case scenario for package holiday scheduling, and greed did the rest. Why would anyone want to pay £900 for a holiday that would normally cost £600? By the time the public answered that question by withholding their credit cards, no amount of price-cutting could get them on to the slopes. With Easter too late to count, tour operators had time to plan for the future.
Traditionally, this is presented in the form of brochures, with big, glossy promises and tiny, crucial caveats tucked away in small print.