Why now is the best time to visit wild, untamed Sri Lanka July 18, 2023 It has been a tough few years for Sri Lanka but Steve Dinneen finds a country that’s ready to welcome tourists The last few years have been devastating for tourism-reliant countries across the world, but few have had it quite as bad as Sri Lanka. Visitor numbers fell to virtually zero following the 2019 Easter [...]
Live music gives London a £2bn boost – but venues are still battling rising costs July 18, 2023 Economists and melomaniacs alike have reason to cheer the capital’s post-pandemic musical revival with the capital’s coffers given a £2bn boost by large and small concerts alike. Nearly 5m music lovers flocked to the capital last year to attend live music events, according to a report from UK Music, filling hotels, bars and restaurants. The [...]
Tortilla Mexican Grill: Revenues surge by over a fifth after expansion July 17, 2023 Tortilla Mexican Grill raked in revenues of £32.7m during the first leg of the year, up 22 per cent compared to the same period last year, off the back of a string of new site openings. The fast-casual restaurant chain was bolstered by new openings and growing demand, saying like for like revenue also grew [...]
Gatwick boss says airport is prepped to avoid chaos – despite strikes and cancellations July 16, 2023 Gatwick’s boss has said that the airport is not expecting further flight cancellations over the busy summer season. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Stewart Wingate said “I haven’t had any discussions with any other airlines [about cancellations].” He added: “I think that from the perspective of passengers, if there’s a need for an airline to [...]
Rail strikes: Lynch says government hasn’t spoken to RMT since January July 16, 2023 Rail strike misery looks set to continue for commuters after Mick Lynch, the RMT’s general secretary, said the government had not spoken to him about finding a resolution since the start of the year. Speaking on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday Programme, Lynch said that there has been “no contact. They seem to pick [...]
How Balans, the best of the Soho restaurants, is getting even better July 13, 2023 Soho institution Balans, one of the best Soho restaurants, is finally realising how good it is – Adam Bloodworth meets the founder David Taylor is the sort of restaurateur who has no idea how good his restaurant is. You may not either: but Balans on Old Compton Street is open all night on Fridays and [...]
King’s coronation steers UK economy back into red as GDP shrinks 0.1 per cent in May July 13, 2023 Lost work owing to the additional bank holiday to celebrate the King’s coronation has sent UK economic growth into reverse, official figures out today reveal. UK gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 0.1 per cent in May, a much smaller drop than the City expected and down from a 0.2 per cent expansion in April, according [...]
Ask the Expert: Kemal Demirasal’s top London restaurants July 12, 2023 The Counter’s chef-founder Kemal Demirasal on where he likes to eat in the capital on his day off. Brat Brat is one of my top restaurants in London, one that I visit every couple of months. It’s got an excellent selection of fish dishes, and as someone from a coastal city (Izmir), this is a [...]
‘I started this as a hobby’: Cricket star Stuart Broad reflects on his naive start to the world of hospitality July 12, 2023 England cricketer turned pub landlord Stuart Broad has admitted he had a “naive” understanding about what it took to run a hospitality business, as he reopens his pub amid a period of soaring bills and red hot inflation. The 37-year old sports star has recently relaunched his pub and restaurant The Tap and Run in [...]
DART rail system has been a ‘gamechanger’ for Luton Airport, says chief executive July 10, 2023 The launch of the Luton DART rail system has “simply been a gamechanger for the airport,” the boss of Luton Airport said, amid plans to expand its passenger cap to upwards of 19m. Speaking to City A.M. Alberto Martin, London Luton’s CEO, said that the new rail transit system will also play a “pivotal role” [...]