ITN - Tuesday, June 3 05:04 pmGermany's top-selling newspaper has fired an opening salvo in the annual war of the sun loungers by publishing a guide for its readers to avoid holidaying Britons. The newspaper, Bild, reacted with disbelief to the news that a UK court compensated a British tourist who found his hotel dominated by Germans. The episode subsumed long-running cliches about German holidaymakers getting up at dawn to reserve sun loungers with their towels. Bild responded yesterday with a few choice comments about drunken, sunburnt Britons - and a jibe about England's failure to qualify for the forthcoming European Championships. It said: "Dear Tommies, you don't want to be on holiday with us? No problem. We'll play football without you this summer..." The paper advised German tourists to avoid six European resorts particularly popular with British holidaymakers. They are: the Bay of Palma in Majorca, San Antonio in Ibiza, Playa de las Americas in Tenerife, Ayia Napa in Cyprus, Faliraki in Rhodes and Malia in Crete. Bild pointedly noted that Germans were off to Switzerland and Austria this month to attend the European Championships on a "Holiday without Wayne (Rooney)". David Barnish, of Madeley, near Stoke-on-Trent, was awarded £750 damages last week following a family holiday on the Greek island of Kos. A judge found that tour operator Thomson's brochure did not make clear that the hotel's entertainment and activities were offered in German. Mr Barnish said his family could not understand German, preventing them from taking part in activities. A spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) played down talk of conflict between British and German holidaymakers. He said: "We have been taking foreign holidays en masse for the last 40 years. "Over that period our customers have happily shared their hotels with French, Spanish, Scandinavians and Germans without encountering any problems. "In fact, in terms of hotels providing services in a language apart from their own, we are very lucky that English is the most widely-spoken language on the planet."
'A judge found that tour operator Thomson's brochure did not make clear that the hotel's entertainment and activities were offered in German.'- where was the hotel, sorry? I dont think it said, unless i'm stupid. *prepares to be called stupid*
David Barnish, of Madeley, near Stoke-on-Trent, was awarded £750 damages last week following a family holiday on the Greek island of Kos. not stupid. I read it through twice. I can see wanting to get money back. If I went to Germany I could see it. But to go some place where you expect one language possibly 2 one being your own I can understand the disappointment of not being able to participate. This time I side with the judge.
