What's new? On the stands I met PR Patricia of Peru with Paddington bear. The Malaysians and Indonesians had glamorous girls, Paris sent glamour in slightly saucier suits like Las Vegas. Folly - no, folies.
Later I sipped great cocktails and jiggled to jolly music on the Caribbean stands. I'm a honeymoon specialist - my walls at home are full of framed articles of me in bridal suites on four poster beds, recommending everywhere from Niagara in Canada to the Lake District in England. St Lucia has places where if you book your honeymoon you can have the wedding arranged for free. Whilst some resorts are for adults only, others cater for second honeymooners with kids in tow. You can even park the honeymoon couple in privacy in an adults only resort and put the kids and grandparents next door in a resort with a waterpark to keep the children entertained - or have everyone together in a romantic all inclusive family resort. Why go all the way to the Caribbean when you can get waterparks in Spain? The Caribbean scenery - the twin peaks of the St Lucia's Pitons. The glide for adults and the small version for children. Before booking and travelling check news and foreign office guidelines for when St Lucia recovers from the hurricane - see report on that in Travel Trade Gazette.
Embarrassment as usual at the press conferences. Remember the Chinese adage, a man who runs a restaurant should have a smile. Same goes for press conferences. You need a smiling welcome for all and enough food and drink for the guests in each seat, plus enough goody bags for everybody.
Not enough facts about tourist sites. So several press conferences have ministers apologising. Members of the press air grievances about not getting replies to emails, no help or being held up at borders. In Toastmasters we have a session on dealing with hostile audiences and hecklers. You must go instantly and confidently into sorry to hear that, see me later and I'll answer your problem, now let's stick to the good news. At one conference two members of the audience immediately came back with, I've found the PR department helpful. It still wasted everybody's time - no story about new attractions for consumers. But perhaps it did highlight the three issues. Have a news story. Welcome all journalists. At the very least give everyone a glass of water, a smile, a business card and a promise you'll be in touch. And a simple message, a one line memorable story.
The Palestinians have their brochures out on the racks in the press office. The Egyptians and Israelis say they see a future in which the Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Palestinian sites will all receive tourists, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu or non-believers, who will travel from place to place not bothered by borders and every city will benefit from the income from tourists. As an Israeli said, I have never met anybody of any religion or none who has not been thrilled to visit Jerusalem.
The Israelis have a sniffer dog and a fight for an insufficient supply of smoked salmon bagels. But there's always lots of friendly banter and fun. A friendly journalist informs me he is not really Jewish because he does not play bridge.
The Israelis are promoting hidden gems. Where's the link between the title, gems, and the total variety of generalisations? Gems? I seem to be the only travel writer who has been on a visit to a diamond factory and seen the gem museum, factory tour, free walk of Jaffa. I could do with a few facts and fewer generalisations from travel press conferences.
Egypt - ministers for tourism here, like elsewhere, talk about projects which will finish in two years or ten years time. That's a great story for investment and environmental columns but we are mostly consumer package and business travel journalists. I admit I was excited by the idea of a green waterside desert city which will transform Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt and more to come.
That's the very project I had in mind for Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew to transform the world transforming every city to copy Singapore's flower-filled garden city, but I'm really looking for travel stories about what the consumer can see and do next week, saving money. I did ask a question about when do you get budget seasonal deals (for honeymooners, family holidays and business, and I got an answer. The budget season is three weeks before Christmas and three weeks after. Same as many countries. Writing this in November, that means book now for a last minute budget holiday in early December.
I find my press pack or goody bag contains a mug with the word Egypt on it. So much paper to carry! Even with a small bag on wheels I have to start recycling - I keep reading press releases, tearing off the contacts and newsy bits. I threw away the big heavy box protecting the big mug, and broke the mug on the way home. I saved all the bits and will try to fix it up with superglue. Waste not, want not.
More useful to me, I pick up an invitation to meet fellow Travel Twitter writers from the one company which recognises that Facebook and Twitter actually reach the consumer. Opposite Liberty's department store was a drinks reception in the basement of the Hilton Doubltree hotel, a converted magistrates' court. Off the main bar are alcoves which were originally cells, now with seating plus the preserved toilet cubicle with the toilet. What a novelty. When the PR sends me a picture I'll add it. If you want an offbeat venue. this is it, and very central. Luxurious too. Orange marble floor in the ladies' toilet. And lovely hand washing bowls, though no hand cream. Bedroom rates are well over £100 but that's rack rate.
Lovely, after all that second-hand tourism, seeing colour slides, to end experiencing real tourism. As well as Twitters I met a friendly face from a Toastmasters International speakers club in Hertfordshire, the area where I am Assistand Area Governor.
Oscar Wilde said he carries his diary so as to have something sensational to read on the train. I took my new book Quick Quotations for Successful Speeches. (You can see it on Lulu. Even buy it.) Does anybody know any amusing quotations on travel?
Travel editors, PR people, fellow journalists and writers, Toastmasters, readers, you can contact me with quotations, PR, or to buy my books, chat, ask me out to lunch, angelalansbury@hotmail.com
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