The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
From Soho and Uber to Saga and Cuba – theswere the winners and losers of travel in 2023
This year may have meant business as usual for British holidaymakers, but there were still plenty of highs and lows. Greg Dickinson reveals the people, places, companies, modes of transport and trends that gained plaudits in the past 12 months – and those that didn’t Winners Bedbugs
It was a vintage year for bedbugs, you can’t deny it. Over the summer, the critters were seen scuttling around the Paris Metro, prompting widespread panic among holidaymakers which may, or may not, have been perpetuated by a Russian disinformation campaign. Very 2023.
Jet2
It was a positive year, once again, for Jet2 (right), which turned 20 in February. The ever-reliable airline came out top in the Telegraph Travel Awards’ short-haul airline category, and its package holiday wing, Jet2holidays, has now overtaken Tui as the UK’s biggest tour operator.
London City Airport
This good old metropolitan favourite became the first major British airport to roll out a new generation of scanners that allow passengers to board a flight with as much liquid as they please – meaning no more tedious 100ml limits. All UK airports will be required to do the same by June 2024.
Sleeper trains
A new route from Berlin to Paris, launched this year, is the latest in an ever-growing network of overnight services on the Continent. There are also growing rumours of a “winter train” from Amsterdam to the French Alps: watch this space.
Soho
Thought Soho was a tacky tourist district filled with tuk-tuks and overpriced pizza slices? Think again. The reopening of the Colony Room Club, a legendary 1990s haunt, and the arrival of the boutique Broadwick hotel have kickstarted a second coming for the West End.
Ryanair
Love it or loathe it, Ryanair has had a very good year. The airline reported its busiest month ever in July, transporting an impressive 18.7 million passengers across Europe – proving, perhaps, that its seemingly counterintuitive business decisions have decisively paid off.
Thor Pedersen
Who? Thor Pedersen, that’s who. This year, he completed his decade-long quest to visit every one of the 203 countries on Earth without boarding a flight. He contracted malaria, ate goat brain and was held at gunpoint along the way, but arrived safely home to Denmark in July 2023. Go Thor.
Turkey
Despite the awful devastation of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February, the appetite for summer holidays in Turkey remained high. The country saw a 70 per cent rise in visitors compared with pre-pandemic figures, and is set to hit 50 million arrivals in 2023 – meaning it would overtake France as Europe’s second most popular holiday destination, after Spain.
The Railway Tavern in Darlington
That’s right. This humble pub was listed by Historic England as one of 227 new heritage sites to be added to its roster in 2023, along with an old car wash, an abandoned radar station, a Manchester primary school and a Modernist family home in Grimsby. Heritage really ain’t what it used to be.
Florida
With a new train, the Brightline, connecting Orlando and Miami in three and a half hours, you can skip the hire car on your next twin-centre break in the Sunshine State. And this isn’t the end of the line. Plans are in place to extend the route towards the Gulf coast, to Tampa.
Liverpool
The Eurovision Song Contest (hosted in Liverpool after Ukraine won in 2022 but couldn’t host the event because of the war) brought a £54.8 million boost to the local economy, with hotels, shops and bars cashing in on the kitsch Europop love-in.
California
Fighting off some stiff competition, West Coast wunderkind California was the big winner in our Best American States (according to science) survey: “California – that spectacular slice of the US west coast, basking in eternal sunshine – has it all,” wrote Chris Leadbeater. Sadly, it seems Rod Stewart – who “quit toxic Los Angeles” after 30 years to return to the UK earlier this month – disagrees.
Ponies in the New Forest
It was good news (finally) for the ponies of the New Forest in April, when Forestry England announced that the stroking of roaming livestock is “detrimental” to their wellbeing. Breaching the rules comes with fines of up to £1,000. Neigh bother.
Cairo
Despite Egypt’s proximity to the wartorn Middle East, tourists haven’t been put off travelling there this year. In October, capital city Cairo (below) saw the arrival of not one but two new links to the UK, with easyJet and Wizz Air launching routes to Cairo for the first time in either budget airline’s history. Just don’t mention the perennially delayed opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum…
Sicily
The second series of the sexy/murderous HBO series White Lotus has led to a huge wave of interest in the Italian island – and in particular the lavish Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Taormina (above), where the series was shot. Keep an eye out for a similar tourism boom in Koh Samui, Thailand, where season three is allegedly being filmed right now.
The northern lights
The sun moves in an 11-year cycle of solar activity and reached its peak in 2023, prompting stunning displays of the northern lights. In early November, the aurora was seen as far south as Stonehenge when a powerful solar storm lit up the skies.
Travel agents
Who could forget that 2023 was the year when a branch of Hays Travel opened on Coronation Street, signalling the official return of the high street travel agent. Trailfinders, Tui and Hays all have plans to open more stores in 2024, suggesting an unlikely renaissance for the vintage institution.
Uber
Long seen as being in direct competition with the drivers of London’s iconic black cabs, Uber has finally signed an agreement which will allow the traditional cabbies to sign up to the platform. It also launched a hot air balloon service in Cappadocia this year, continuing its bid to dominate all areas of the travel booking journey, from hotels to trains and flights.
Portugal
Lisbon was named by the Post Office as the cheapest city break destination in Europe, while the Algarve and Porto also picked up wins at the World Travel Awards. For an affordable city break, there has never been a better time to go.
Sutton Hoo
A “remarkable” 1,400-year-old possible temple was found near Sutton Hoo this winter. This, along with other exciting archaeological discoveries, means that the Anglo-Saxon tombs at the Suffolk site can now legitimately be described as “Britain’s Pyramids”, said our correspondent Chris Leadbeater after a recent visit.
Mega cruise ships
The Icon of the Seas, a ship five times the size of the Titanic, hit the headlines before it even set sail, as absurd 3D renderings cruised to every corner of the internet and earned it the nickname: “the human lasagne”. Soon afterwards, Norwegian Aqua (the “spaghetti” ship) did the same. It was a resounding PR success for an industry that hit rock bottom during the pandemic.
The Welsh language
In April, the Brecon Beacons National Park announced that it would officially go by the name Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, in a bid to revitalise usage of the Welsh language. Later in the year, Eryri National Park (formerly Snowdonia) announced that all lakes and waterfalls in the park would go by their Welsh names.
Bhutan
The tourist tax to enter Bhutan was halved in 2023, reducing to a (still expensive, but much improved) $100 (£78) per day. This change has made the elusive Buddhist kingdom (right) a slightly more feasible prospect for adventurous backpackers.
Railway ticket offices
In November, campaigners in Britain’s rural communities rejoiced as plans to close railway ticket offices in England were unexpectedly scrapped. “It goes to show that it’s worth raising your voice because people do listen,” said the chairman of the Friends of Buxton Station.
Raffles
After six years of debate, hype and chat, Raffles finally opened its five-star hotel at the spectacular Old War Offices in London. Our hotel expert, Fiona Duncan, wrote: “They have injected the velvet touch of utmost luxury without losing any sense of history, endeavour and intrigue.”
Losers
NATS
During the August Bank Holiday, a dodgy flight plan caused the National Air Traffic Services system to melt down, affecting 250,000 passengers on thousands of flights. NATS came under further scrutiny at the end of the summer, when staff shortages prompted further delays and cancellations.
Eurostar
In November, Eurostar announced that it would be scrapping the return leg of its London to Amsterdam service, due (in part) to immigration complications caused by Brexit. Not long afterwards, passengers were stuck onboard for seven hours near the Channel Tunnel, without access to toilets – not the glamorous Parisian getaway experience they were hoping for.
Randox
Spare a thought for Randox, which – following the disappearance of Covid travel restrictions – can no longer charge eye-watering sums to holidaymakers for the pleasure of having a swizzle-stick shoved into your face holes before boarding a flight.
Airbnb
The Silicon Valley start-up has endured further regulatory obstacles. Florence, Scotland and New York City are among the latest destinations to clamp down on landlords buying up properties to list on the site. This, plus reports of hidden cameras in Airbnbs, made 2023 a busy year for the firm’s press office.
Covent Garden performers
Our favourite fire-eating jugglers are under threat, with local authorities threatening to clamp down on licensing rules for performers in central London. A public consultation will decide their fate in the new year.
The Jacobite Railway
The UK’s favourite heritage railway in Glenfinnan, made famous by the Harry Potter films, faces an existential threat as health and safety death eaters demand that West Coast Railways updates the door-locking mechanism on its rolling stock.
Saga
It has been quite the (what’s the word…) ordeal for Saga this year. In October, footage emerged of a ship in the Bay of Biscay amid a ferocious storm, during which at least 100 passengers were injured. The firm now faces financial challenges, with mountains of debt threatening to sink the ship.
‘Sustainable flying’
In an ongoing issue for the industry, Air France/KLM, Lufthansa and Etihad Airways had adverts pulled on Dec 6 due to “greenwashing” allegations. The Advertising Standards Authority said they “gave a misleading impression of the advertiser’s environmental impact”.
Hallstatt
Things reached boiling point in the Austrian lakeside village that allegedly inspired the Disney Pixar favourite, Frozen. Hallstatt residents even took to blocking off the entrance to the picturesque village, sending a clear message to the world. Let it go.
Bristol Airport
Everything was going so well for Bristol Airport, flying happily under the radar, until November, when the airport unveiled a bizarre and universally ridiculed prayer zone in the car park, which looked suspiciously like a bus stop or a smoking area. Not long afterwards, a different part of the car park caught fire, damaging 11 cars.
Cuba
While many Caribbean countries have seen a spike in tourist numbers against pre-pandemic figures, Cuba has emptied. The reason, in part, is that the US replaced the convenient ESTA option for all Britons and EU citizens with a Cuban stamp in their passport. Further bad news came in December, when the final direct flights from the UK to Varadero were scrapped (see page 20).
Birch
The private members’ club saw a spectacular fall from grace, after its promises of offering a hippyish Soho House experience disintegrated with the untimely closure of its two suburban sites in Hertfordshire and Selsdon (Croydon).
American Airlines
The US flag carrier fell under the spotlight when a video emerged showing a baggage handler hurling wheelchairs down a long ramp outside a US airport. The TV presenter Sophie Morgan told The Telegraph that the “catastrophic situation” is down to a systemic failure to train people properly.
Amsterdam
“Stay Away!” said Amsterdam (above), in a campaign that targeted boozy British tourists. It was hailed a success after the Dutch capital saw a 22 per cent drop in UK visitor numbers, although – against a backdrop of an overall slump of 26 per cent – it turns out the campaign has, in fact, had little or no effect whatsoever.
Norfolk
The plague of “Up From Londoners” seemingly moved even further east in 2023, from Burnham Market to “NoNo” (North Norfolk), with Wells-next-theSea and Cromer among the communities that are seeing inflated prices and disappearing populations as second-home owners descend.
The Lakes
The Lake District’s long-discussed water pollution problem came to a head this year: wastewater (both treated and untreated), private septic tanks and agricultural run-off were to blame. The battle is centred on Windermere, with two organisations – Save Windermere and Love Windermere – fighting hard to preserve the future of England’s biggest lake.
Vegas
Las Vegas, once a beacon of stage glamour and the American Dream, might have taken things a step too far. A brash new venue, the Sphere, was described by neighbours as being like “a sun on Earth’; somebody was charged $200,000 for a ticket to see Adele; and the F1 saw a series of setbacks after a manhole cover came loose and damaged Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
Canary Islands
This year, Britons received mixed messages from the popular Atlantic archipelago. In March, the president of Lanzarote said she wanted a “higher quality” of tourist. In August, anti-tourism protesters said “the Canaries is no longer a paradise” – but then the new tourism minister urged residents to lose their “tourismphobia”. Do you want your most loyal customers to visit, or don’t you?
Venice
It was announced, after years of delays, that tourists visiting Venice would have to pay a €5 (£4.30) entrance fee during busy periods from next spring. The catch? The money won’t go into helping preserve the city or funding infrastructure services, but will instead simply go back into covering the costs of managing the entry fee.
Pontins
In December, the family holiday park suddenly closed its doors in Camber, East Sussex, and Prestatyn in North Wales. Residents of Camber told The Telegraph they were blindsided by the decision, with the future of the site still uncertain.
Luton Airport
In early October, more than 1,500 cars were destroyed in a huge fire at Luton Airport’s Terminal Two Car Park (below). The incident prompted a total shut-down of the airport which lasted all of that day and overnight, affecting the thousands of passengers attempting to fly into or out of the airport. Luton still hopes to become Britain’s third biggest airport in the near future, and had made progress with the opening of its Dart rail link, which replaced a shuttle bus, in March this year.
Sycamore Gap
There was a pit-of-the-stomach sadness at the sight of the Sycamore Gap tree (above), perhaps one of the country’s most beloved and photographed examples, inexplicably felled and reduced to a stump.
Airport parking
This year saw the continuation of a worrying trend – the proliferation of bogus “meet and greet” parking services at Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester airports, with passengers reporting lost keys, damaged cars and even missing vehicles.
Stacia Datskovska
The New York University student went viral in March for all the wrong reasons, after writing a memorable blog post about her year abroad in Florence, describing the locals as “hostile” and “inconsiderate”. A work of derogatory literary garbage? Or a future travel writing great in the making? You decide.
Wizz Air
It wasn’t the best year for Wizz – ranked bottom in the Telegraph Travel Awards’ short-haul category – which faced thousands of reopened compensation claims after a Civil Aviation Authority ruling, and had to ground some of its planes due to an engine malfunction.