By: Skip Bandele
LAST MONTH, I tried to highlight the positive aspects of the annual interaction, between holidaymakers and the residents of the corresponding host country, but it won’t do to be too nice all of the time to the impending wave of fun-loving, sun-seeking visitors to these and other foreign shores.
The latest trends shaping the travel phenomenon may have been influenced by these less pleasant aspects, occasionally displayed by the Brit abroad (but not necessarily so). Let me begin by taking a look in reverse, something which might help explain certain character traits in those about to leave home and grace us with their presence.
British
The recently published new edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Great Britain is anything but complimentary about its citizens, which account for the majority of Algarve tourists. In fact, it paints a rather bleak picture.
Far removed from afternoon tea, cricket on the village green and good manners in general, the book depicts Britons as obsessed with TV talent shows, junk food, binge-drinking and sex. It derides a society in which celebrity status is everything, a trend that apparently sees more people voting on Big Brother than during general elections.
Bath, according to the authors, features snooty bars, expensive hotels and a series of exhausting hills. Coventry, doomed by post-war planning, is a nondescript concrete centre, while Hull is described as a seaport with a hard-bitten attitude to all things in life and an almost lunatic nightlife.
Birmingham, slated for its regional accent and multi-storey car park, and Nottingham fare little better, while Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is labelled a tourist trap for geriatric shutterbugs. A jaundiced and somewhat myopic account, I am sure, but sadly also peppered with more than the occasional grain of truth.
My memories of growing up in a leafy London suburb do not reflect these bleak assessments of today, yet I do recall a Metropolitan Police Special Patrol group taking up a six-month residency in our area, as youthful alcohol overindulgence was becoming an endemic problem, even then. Still, I am sure that there is another side to Britain which the Lonely Planet simply chose to ignore.
Life, as it once was, continues to exist in dozens of towns and villages in any given county. Here, old ladies can be seen tending the garden, young couples apologising for accidentally bumping into strangers, and stout middle-aged men trying to work up the courage to complain about excessive waiting times in a local restaurant.
In other words, the England of old, the stiff upper lip, modesty, tenacity, humour and almost parodying a reputation held high throughout the world, is alive and well.
If latest surveys are to be believed, on a more global scale, 2007 is going to be very much the year of the individualistic holiday away from the beaten track, be it within the frontiers of one’s own immediate surroundings, Europe or more exotic destinations further afield. Gone are the days of all inclusive package tours based on the lowest common denominators of scheduled flights, fixed dinner times, pool, sun and beach.
The more selective ‘emancipated’ traveller is much more aware of what, when, where and how he or she wishes to spend those precious days away from the daily grind. Relaxation still tops most agendas, but equal importance is being given to pampering, quality time together and the wish to share interesting experiences in the company of like-minded individuals.
Eco-tourist
Cruises, once the low-key preserve of the retired, are currently enjoying unprecedented popularity among younger age groups, especially around Mediterranean destinations. In Spain, rambling along ancient pilgrimage routes, including the Pamlona-Santiago de Compostela northern traverse of the Iberian peninsula, is turning into a major attraction, while Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavik, is the party scene in Europe. Astonishingly Lisbon, too, has been rediscovered and included on this revised 21st Century hit-list. Low-cost direct flights to the other city of the seven hills, combined with a new appreciation of Fado music in its original setting amongst visitors from abroad has seen tourism boom on the Tejo.
Here in the Algarve, the trend also points away from sun, sea and beach, with many travel agencies offering individually tailored excursions, away from the traditional coastal hot-spots. Experts in the field are convinced that the coming years will see a massive expansion of eco-tourism in the country’s central areas, elevating neglected areas, such as the Alentejo, to top travel destinations.
I, personally, seem to have stopped taking holidays. I don’t know if lack of time or money are to blame for this subconscious decision, or if living in the Algarve is just one permanent vacation.
Retro-travel
In my late teens and early twenties, heaven was represented by an inter-rail pass, a rucksack, sleeping bag and little else. The following four weeks would be spent shipping around the Greek islands, sleeping on beaches and forgetting the next school or university year, as well as the world in general.
Strangely, the kind of holidays I remember so fondly are also coming back in vogue. A sort of retro-travel phenomenon is seeing more and more people going back to basics, spending their time away in trailers, camper vans, on canal boats or in tents rather than four or five-star hotel complexes.
Somehow, both trends described here seem to me to have the same root cause. The modern traveller is bored of the standard holiday package, desperate to get away from the masses, and from overpriced restaurants serving sub-standard food, noisy bars and crowded swimming pools.
The Algarve offers all these ‘creature (dis)comforts’ on one level, but it is also a paradise waiting to be discovered by the more introspective visitor in search of peace. The coast to the west or countryside further inland can satisfy every craving for alternatives or solitude – maybe that is why I am still here and not back in the Lonely Planet’s merry England.
