In transit: No monkey business in Gibraltar

19 October 2014 - 02:03 By Travel Weekly
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No vote: Some pesky Barbary macaques have been shipped out of Gibraltar to Scotland Picture: THINKSTOCK
No vote: Some pesky Barbary macaques have been shipped out of Gibraltar to Scotland Picture: THINKSTOCK

Travel news for people on the move

Gibraltar authorities have captured 30 of the Rock's most troublesome Barbary macaques and sent them to a safari park in Scotland.

The macaques - an estimated 200 of which live on the Rock of Gibraltar - have in recent years started breaking into apartments, looting bins and terrorising people, The Telegraph reports.

Officials tagged the worst offenders with GPS collars and monitored their activities. The monkeys were then trapped during a three-week period and were flown to Scotland this week.

Their new home is a large enclosure at Blair Drummond Safari Park in central Scotland. They will have trees, a large rocky mound to climb on and an enclosed heated area where they can take refuge in bad weather.

The macaques are believed to have been brought to Gibraltar from Africa by British soldiers in the 18th century. According to folklore, Gibraltar will cease to be British if the monkeys ever leave.

EBOLA IN EUROPE

THE World Health Organisation says Europe is likely to see more ebola cases after a Spanish nurse contracted the virus after treating missionaries who had been evacuated from West Africa. According to Travel Buyer, the WHO said more cases were likely due to extensive travel between Europe and the affected regions. The nurse, whose condition was said to be slightly improved earlier this week, and people who were in contact with her, are being monitored in isolation wards.

. HELLO, SEAT-CASE

IT may be a gimmick or it might be the next big thing in air travel, much as putting wheels on a suitcase was - a four-wheel suitcase with a pull-out, detachable handle that converts into a chair.

The suitcase, designed by Chicago-based neXstep, could take the pain out of standing in those endless queues at boarding gates, The Telegraph reports. T he chair, with its fabric seat, is more camping stool than Chesterfield sofa, but hey, if it means the difference between standing or sitting, who's complaining?

. VANDAL 'HEARD VOICES'

THE tourist who broke a 12th-century Buddha statue at Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple complex says it was a fake and "didn't belong" there.

The Daily Mail reports that Willemijn Vermaat, 40, told media she had not intended to destroy the statue but "something strange happened to her" and she heard voices when she visited the Bayon temple dedicated to Buddha.

The Dutch woman, who lives in New Zealand, claimed the 12th century temple belongs to a goddess named Inanna - not Buddha -and that a voice told her "I had to clean up the temple because there was too much rubbish, from the monks and other people".

She was discovered by three monks but retreated into the jungle while authorities scoured the grounds for her. She left the country the next day.

The pieces of the statue have been sent to a museum to see if it can be repaired.

. MORE REUNION FLIGHTS

REGIONAL carrier InterAir South Africa has added Sunday flights between Johannesburg and Réunion. Flights will depart the island at 8am, arriving in Joburg at 10.25am. The return flight will depart OR Tambo International at 11.30, arriving at 5.20pm.

. IDEAS FOR IN-FLIGHT FUN

UK-BASED Thomson Airways has plans to re-inject some joy into flying. The airline is considering including social seating areas for four to six people, booths, child-free zones and a "duo-seating" innovation where three pod-style seats would convert into a table for two, The Telegraph reports.

The airline has a five-year plan for its new products and services, which it says will change the face of holiday flying.

The social seating areas would be at the back of its Boeing 737 Max aircraft. There would also be a kids' club for longer flights and an upgraded in-flight entertainment system with dedicated teenage content and a bedtime story channel.

It may also introduce "zoning" seat plans, which would allow passengers to book seats with extra legroom, or sit in dedicated family areas or child-free zones.

Another innovation will be to have cabin crew who are experts on destinations and can advise passengers during the flight about things to do during their holiday.

. CARE IS KEY FOR TRAVEL AGENTS

TRAVEL agents need to become travel experts and must convince clients that they are better than the internet, a recent survey by the Association of Southern African Travel agents shows.

In an age when customers can book their travel online, relationship management, great communication and personality were the key non-negotiable skills needed by 21st century travel agents.

Asata chief executive Otto de Vries noted that the travel industry had become entirely consumer driven by customers who were well-informed and that travel agents should understand that the customer experience not only begins before the time of sale but also extends well after purchase and travel.

 

 

 

 

 

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