Recently in London 2012 Category

A London tourism boss has been given the old heave-ho after apparently failing to understand the purpose of his job.

Neil McCollum lost his £60,000 a year job as head of tourism for Greenwich after a Twitter post about street crime that mocked part of the borough he was paid to promote, according to the Evening Standard. 

In August, he wrote: "Guest appearance in Woolwich today. Wonder if it has changed. Mental note, make sure wallet is not visible."

McCollum, who was also in charge of Greenwich's Olympic welcome strategy, lost his job after a three month probe into the tweet, which one local described as "honesty and common sense" on an online message board.

"This shows how we allow political correctness to take priority," they wrote.

But another said: "He's an idiot for posting every thought that pops into his head on Twitter but what he said is correct."

The council released a statement: "Greenwich Council can confirm that one of its employees who worked as a tourism officer has been dismissed.

"The reason for this dismissal is that the individual brought the council into disrepute and breached the council's rules of conduct.

"The individual has the right to appeal against this decision."

With the 2010 London Olympics now less than two years away, a new guide for the hospitality industry has been released by Visit Britain. Delivering a First Class Welcome is aimed to help avoid uncomfortable cultural clashes when visitors come to London for the games.

If you thought mentioning the war when talking to German guests was a no-no, then spare a thought for the Mexicans. The Mexican-American conflict between 1846-48 is still pretty raw and a subject that you should steer clear of!

The war saw Mexico lose Texas to the US and despite two centuries on, its still a sore point.

And for you with a flirtatious, cheeky nature, don't wink at anyone while in Hong Kong. It's rather than seen as an affectionate gesture and can be consider rude.

The advice to those in the hospitality industry includes:

MEXICO

It is best not to discuss poverty, illegal immigrants, earthquakes or the Mexican-American war of 1846-48. The U.S. had annexed Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory. Mexico lost.

HONG KONG

Avoid winking - it is often considered rude. Pointing with an index finger is not advisable as this is generally used only for animals. Point with your hand open.
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INDIA

Avoid physical contact when first meeting someone. Be tolerant if Indians at first seem impolite, noisy and impatient. This is partly the result of living in chaotic cities
and environments.

BELGIUM

Don't snap your fingers as it could be interpreted as impolite.

ARGENTINA

Pouring wine backwards into a glass indicates hostility. Don't be offended by Argentinian humour, which may mildly attack your clothing or weight.

CHINA

Avoid saying 'thank you' to a compliment. Instead, politely deny it to show humility. If you compliment a Chinese person, expect a denial.

JAPAN

A smiling Japanese person is not necessarily happy. They tend to smile when angry, embarrassed, sad or disappointed.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Arabs are not used to being told what to do. Visitors from the UAE can take great offence if you appear bossy. They appreciate being looked after by staff who understand Arab culture.
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SOUTH AFRICA

Do not be alarmed if South Africans say they were held up by 'robots' - to them it means traffic lights. Don't place your thumb between your forefinger and second
finger, as it's seen as obscene.

BRAZIL

Don't ask a Brazilian personal questions, especially about age, salary or marriage. And don't talk about Argentina - it's Brazil's fiercest sporting rival, especially in football.

SOUTH KOREA

When accepting thanks Koreans will typically say 'No, no'. This means 'You are welcome'.

Read the full article at www.dailymail.co.uk >>

New tourism minister Barbara Follett is to be interviewed by Caterer, and we are inviting comment from you.

If you have a question for Mrs Follett, then please feel free to enter it in the comment space below.

It could be to do with the amount of money allocated to the tourism industry. Perhaps you feel that it could be better directed, or that insufficient is given over to promoting Britain abroad.

Or maybe you feel there that Mrs Follett will find it hard to improve on the work of her predecessor - how can she keep up the high standards set?

Perhaps you would like to ask Mrs Follett exactly how much time will be devoted to tourism, as opposed to other aspects of her role - culture and the creative industries - for which she is also a minister.

Or you may have reservations about whether the most will be made of the Olympics in 2012.

In summary, we'd like you send us questions, however wide-ranging, sycophantic or critical, and we'll put them to Mrs Follett. This is your chance to have a say - so make the most of it.

Barbara Follett becomes new tourism minister >>

The Government should show industry support, says Good Hotel Guide >>

We visited one of London's less salubrious hotels in our Dec 11th issue last year. Our feature 'The Long Road to 2012' looked at how ready the capital was to receive visitors in four years' time - and the answer was in the case of one play to stay overnight, not at all.

But it seems we're not alone in criticising cheaper hotels. While the branded budget market came out well in our feature by comparison with the less well-known 'Olympic House hotel' others haven't recently. Both Ibis and Travelodge have had problems in some outlets, according to a recent edition of Which? Holiday magazine.

Mould was found on a mattress in an Ibis property on Charles Street, while Travelodge had some dirty bathrooms, said the magazine. Both say they have taken steps to ensure cleanliness to the correct standards.

Comfort Inns and Jurys Inns, meanwhile, performed well in the survey. Let's hope all are up to scratch over the next few years.

Budget hotels in the UK 2008 - Industry data>>

The value of budget hotels>>

When organising a conference called Open To All by 2012 espousing the benefits of making your hotel fully accessible for the Olympics in London it's good to book a venue that's beyond reproach.

Alas, although the London Development Agency (LDA) organised event last week in the capital was inspiring and informative in equal measure, the venue, the Royal Society for Arts off the Strand, was to put it simply, a bit of a pig for the disabled delegates and speakers to navigate.

As the venue for a conference on disability this is about as appropriate as the decision by officials in Australia to dedicate a swimming pool to former Prime Minister Harold Holt who drowned in 1967.

On the day of the conference it prompted Sarah Ebanja, deputy chief executive of the LDA, to apologise unreservedly to attendees just after the morning coffee break for booking the venue in the first place, which is admirable in a way.

This did however throw Kitchen Rat off kilter as we'd been presuming the choice of venue was a deliberate ploy to highlight how far London still has to go to deliver the most accessible Games ever as envisioned by mayor Boris Johnson. Bugger.

Boris Johnson: hardworking mayor of London>>

London 2012>>

Last week's London Development Agency seminar Open to All aimed to dispel some common myths about customers with disabilities ahead of London staging the Olympics in 2012.

Two amusing, but pertinent, anecdotes from the seminar's speakers exposed the day-to-day preconceptions we all carry around with us.

Chris Holmes, a nine-times gold medal winning Paralympic swimmer and now a lawyer at a City firm, spoke of winning a record breaking sixth gold in the pool at the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Having won a breathless final in the outdoor pool at the games, beating the Spanish favourite in the process much to the horror of the partisan crowd, Holmes, who has been blind since the age of 14, was immediately set upon by an excited British media and interviewed for BBC radio.

Still trying to take in the enormity of his acheivment Holmes was put through live to the broadcaster in the UK while at poolside and asked:

"So Chris, how is it competing in a wheelchair?"

Holmes, who had only moments to think of a reply said: "As I can't see, bloody dangerous!"

The second tale is now part of London concierge folklore.