Paris floods close tourist hotspots

THANKS to almost a week of heavy rain and massive #flooding, tourists in #Paris have not been able to visit all the sights they would normally see. 

Authorities have closed popular tourist attractions such as The Louvre museum, Musée d'Orsay and the national library. Railway and subway stations in the city centre have been closed, too.

The flooding has left four people dead and 24 injured throughout France.

The water level of the River Seine has gradually begun to fall, but it’s believed it could take 10 days for the river to return to a normal level.

There have also been serious floods in Germany, Romania, and Belgium.

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Picture Credit: Louvre</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin

Support flood-hit regions, urges Prince Charles

WRITING in the Daily Telegraph about English Tourism Week (March 5-13), Prince Charles urges Brits to book holidays in areas affected the winter floods and thereby help to prevent ‘vital’ local businesses going under. He talks about the ‘devastation and heartbreaking losses’ caused by the floods. 

‘I happen to know,’ he writes, ‘that it takes a special kind of resilience to live and work in the countryside, coping with both shifts in the wider economy and the ever more extreme vagaries of the weather, thanks to dangerously accelerating climate change. But in the same way that gardens and entire landscapes can amaze us with their ability to recover relatively quickly from floods and storms, so too can their people.

‘The way that local communities have pulled together to ensure a speedy recovery – even after the devastation and heart-breaking losses we have seen in recent months – has been truly remarkable. I know from the work that my Countryside Fund has been doing to help in these stricken areas that even those that were hardest hit are once again ‘open for business. There is no doubt in my mind that the best way to help flooded areas recover is by people continuing to visit and stay in these beautiful places in order to keep the vital local businesses going.

‘I can only encourage you to enjoy the best of what Great Britain has to offer this spring.’

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Cameron announces support for flood-hit north as bookings dive

BRITAIN’S prime minister has announced a package of measures to boost the north of England’s tourism industry and encourage holidaymakers to visit the region over the Easter break. Part of Cumbria, Lancashire, and Yorkshire were hit by serious flooding in December.

The aid package will include £2 million of government funding which will be used to fix bridges, re-build walls and restore footpaths in the Lake District National Park.

David Cameron said: ‘From York Minster to Honister Mine, Carlisle Castle to the Leeds Armouries, the north has some of the most iconic tourist attractions the UK has to offer. So it is absolutely right that we do everything we can to make sure these businesses feel supported and ready to receive visitors.

‘The measures we’ve announced today are an important step, showcasing the best the region’s tourist industry has to offer while helping one of its key attractions in the Lake District National Park get back on its feet.”

The government’s support comes after some businesses in affected areas reported a drop in bookings of up to 60%.

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York steps up post-flood marketing drive

YORK’S tourism bosses have revealed plans for their ‘biggest and best annual tourism campaign yet’ for York and North Yorkshire. 

Kate McMullen, head of consumer products and marketing at Make It York – the city’s destination marketing organization – said: ‘After the Boxing Day floods, it is now more vital than ever that our marketing reaches audiences worldwide. There truly are more reasons to visit York and Yorkshire than ever before, and we’ll make sure the city is put firmly on the must-visit list this year for new and repeat customers both at home and abroad.’

Marketing initiatives include a focus on social media for York across Twitter and Facebook; adding Instagram @visityork as a visual marketing tool; a blogger campaign to increase online content for York; increased international marketing targeting the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, and China; and a UK marketing campaign.

There are also plans for a smartphone app to guide visitors to attractions based on real-time information.

Highlights for this year include the homecoming of the Flying Scotsman at the National Railway Museum; the re-opening of York Theatre Royal; the newly-opened Living Heritage Centre at the Bar Convent; and the return of York Mystery Plays to York Minster in May.

Michelle Brown, marketing manager at Make It York, said: ‘We’re working full steam ahead to target the travel trade, tour operators, conference organizers, and consumers to shout loud and proud about York. From award-winning attractions to our year-round festival programme, our success depends on surpassing expectations.’

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53253461@N00/6226646170">York Minster from the walls.</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">(license)

Flooding in the JORVIK Viking Centre

SEVERE flooding in York has hit the city’s JORVIK Viking Centre in Coppergate, where the world-famous ride around a recreation of a Viking-age street is under 20 inches of water.

Says Sarah Maltby, director of attractions for York Archaeological Trust: ‘When we first became aware of water leaking into the basement, we immediately transported all of the historic artefacts within JORVIK up to the first floor, and they have now been moved off-site to a safe location. However, around half of the attraction is currently submerged, with water under the raised floor upon which the remainder sits. We are devastated by the scale of the water incursion in what until now had been a watertight basement.’

The team from York Archaeological Trust, owners of the JORVIK Viking Centre, is implementing plans to get the water pumped out and repairs complete as soon as possible.

The other attractions owned and managed by the JORVIK Group in York remain open to the public during this period and plans are still underway for the 32nd Viking Festival in February. The centre will remain closed until further notice.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24842486@N07/3805285687">England ~ York</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(license)

Northumberland to get tourism boost with £26 million flood scheme

A TOURIST destination in #Northumberland, affected by severe flooding in 2008, will benefit from a £26 million scheme. 

The Morpeth flood scheme will protect residents by storing millions of gallons of flood water upstream – one of the largest projects of its kind built by the Environment Agency. 

The scheme will benefit more than 1,000 homes and businesses in the town and is the largest flood protection project completed in the North-East. The upstream reservoir on the town’s Mitford Estate works by storing water – enough to fill more than 560 Olympic-sized swimming pools – when river levels are high.

The scheme has also created a new habitat for wildlife. More than 3,000 endangered white-clawed crayfish have been re-located upstream of the River Wansbeck – one of the last places in the UK where the native species has a stronghold.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/20337911@N06/8059123130">Morpeth and Ulgham</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)