Abuse directed at travel expert

A TRAVEL expert who advised people to holiday in Wales says he has received the most intense abuse of his career as a result.

Simon Calder, pictured, says he was called “a maggot” and told to “f*** off and stay in England”.

Calder appeared on ITV’s This Morning on Monday to discuss staycations for the upcoming half-term holiday with presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.

The segment covered concerns over cancelled trips and made sure people knew their rights as well as offering alternative holiday destinations in the UK.

During his slot he also suggested holidaymakers could visit Mid Wales for a short getaway, as areas of South and North Wales remain under lockdown. He specifically suggested Machynlleth and Aberystwyth as possible staycation locations among others.

But some viewers criticised his advice to travel to Wales, which currently has 16 areas under local lockdown, and took issue over his final comment which was that “Wales is easy” in terms of being a place to spend a UK holiday.

Following the ITV segment, complaints were made to Ofcom.

Since the broadcast, the travel writer claims he has received a torrent of abuse.

Writing in a column in The Independent, the correspondent said he understood “the deep concern of any community that is fearful of outsiders spreading this vile virus” but also said there was a “tourism economy to support”.

He also pointed out that Visit Wales was featuring Mid Wales prominently on its homepage as a place to visit. The website also features Cardiff below that, which is under lockdown.

In his column, Calder said he’d been called a “worm” by one person who contacted him another called him “absolute scum of a man”.