WITH the River Thames at its heart and instantly recognisable buildings such as the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral, it is one of the world’s most important business and cultural centres.
More than 300 languages are spoken in this massive city, where tourists can take in the sights from one of its best known attractions, the Eye.
Where is this world-famous destination? That’s right... Aviemore. The same place you go to find well-
known and iconic places like Buckingham Palace, the Tate Modern and the British Museum.
Or at least it is according to an American website which advertises space for owners of holiday homes to promote their properties worldwide for up to £150 a year.
The
alwaysonvacation.co.uk site states that it “strives to be the best place on Earth to find the perfect vacation rental”. But under its destination guides, Aviemore is confused with the UK capital.
It states: “Aviemore; one of the world’s most important business and cultural centres, with worldwide influence in many spheres. Aviemore’s culture is hugely varied with over 300 languages spoken. Aviemore has a huge depth of historic attractions, including four Unesco World Heritage sites, [and] the Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, the Tower of Aviemore, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.”
It adds: “Aviemore also boasts a variety of active attractions and galleries. The Aviemore Eye is a great starting point to get your bearings in this massive city. The Aviemore Dungeons, British Museum, National Gallery and the Tate Modern Gallery are all huge attractions in their fields.
“The River Thames is the heart of Aviemore, and taking a cruise down the river also lets you see many of Aviemore’s most renowned points of interest.”
One property owner who uses the site said: “We have a free listing on the site but are not getting any business. If we do start getting business it will influence the guest’s vision of what they are going to see in Aviemore and we will be the first point of contact for any complaint.”
Anne Leith, manager of Aviemore Holiday Homes, placed five of the cottages she manages on the website for an annual fee of £90 each.
However, she said she would not be renewing the contract and would seek a refund.
She added: “There have been no inquiries and now I have seen the website, I think what they have done is despicable.”
Danny Alexander, the MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said last night: “Travellers wishing to visit the Highlands are being misled and the businesses paying to advertise on this website are being ripped off.
“The advertisers should be given their money back and people need to be aware of websites like this. It is a scam, pure and simple.”
Similar problems were also found with the section on Edinburgh. An inquiry by The Scotsman to the California base of the company which runs the website was not responded to.
However, when told the description of Aviemore appeared to have been confused with London, a spokesman told a local newspaper: “Thank you for your suggestion, I shall send it to the website department.”
The White Cliffs of Dover? Now where might they be …BRITONS do not have a clue where some of the nation’s most famous landmarks are.
The White Cliffs of Dover, Stonehenge and the Angel of the North were among the most commonly misplaced in a new survey. On average, half those questioned had no idea where top tourist attractions and landmarks were situated.
The £89 million National Space Centre was the hardest to pinpoint, with 85 per cent of those quizzed unable to locate it – it’s in Leicester.
And “Nessie” is likely to remain a mystery, as seven out of ten people admitted they did not know where Loch Ness was.
Half of Londoners were flummoxed when it came to finding the £500 million Olympic Village and seven out of ten Geordies could not find the Angel of the North.
The survey found the most recognisable attraction was the seaside town of Bognor Regis, which 93 per cent of respondents placed correctly in Sussex.
Those from Liverpool were most in need of a map, as they consistently got the lowest amount of right answers, while the residents of Edinburgh got the most right. Men got more right answers than woman.
Andrew Smith, of Holiday Inn, which conducted the survey, said:
“All these places are a part of our wonderful country and it is surprising so many people don’t know where they are.
People need to get out more and visit these places.”
The full article contains 794 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
