210 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
210 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
news
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uknews
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1348459
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-----
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# Once bitten, tourists are staying away
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By Tara Womersley 12:00AM BST 14 Jul 2000
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THE Scottish midge could be the reason why fewer tourists are taking their
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summer holidays north of the border.
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More than 60 per cent of first-time visitors to the Highlands and west coast
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were put off from returning because of the midges and 86 per cent would put
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others off such a trip, say researchers. Tourists said the pleasures of hill
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walking and golf were marred, while locals stayed out of the garden and did
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not have barbecues for fear of being bitten.
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A spokesman for the Scottish Tourist Board dismissed the claim that midges
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were a problem for the industry saying that malaria-carrying mosquitoes in
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Africa were far worse. There were 1.9 million overseas visitors to Scotland
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last year, a drop of 12 per cent from 1998. Overall visitor figures of 12.4
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million showed a one per cent drop for the same period.
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Some people are more affected by midge bites than others as their immune
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system reacts with the insect's saliva stopping their blood from clotting.
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Attacks from midges can also cause horses to lose their manes. The Forestry
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Authority has estimated that a fifth of working days during the summer are
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lost because of the insects.
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About 700 questionnaires were filled in at caravan and camp sites and youth
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hostels last July and August. Six out of 10 first-time visitors said they were
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not aware of midges in Scotland before their arrival. Nearly half of all
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visitors were put off from visiting again.
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## Related Articles
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* [Bloodsuckers breed freely in Highlands][1]
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14 Jul 2000
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Alison Blackwell, an entomologist at Edinburgh University's Centre for
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Tropical Medicines, said good weather in recent summers had enabled more
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midges to survive, although she could not say if they had increased in
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numbers. Dr Blackwell, who carried out the survey, added: "On one evening I
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managed to catch 500,000 midges in a two metre square box. I was not surprised
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that visitors did not want to come back to Scotland because of the midges.
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"There are 37 different species in the Highlands although one is responsible
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for 90 per cent of bites. There is not a lot of investment to deal with them
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and not enough done to raise public awareness." Dr Blackwell wants to see more
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information given to tourists so that they can prevent the midges from biting.
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The STB spokesman said: "We know from a survey earlier this year that 95 per
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cent of visitors would consider coming back to Scotland and they said they
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would recommend it to friends and family, which is one of the most valuable
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ways of encouraging visits. We do not have any findings that show midges do
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discourage people from coming back. It is not nearly so bad as mosquitoes in
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Africa or the South of France."
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1348459/Once-bitten-tourists-are-
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staying-away.html
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Telegraph
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## [UK News][7]
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* ### [News »][8]
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[In UK News »][7]
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[![US President Barack Obama's state visit to Britain: day two in pictures][9]
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][10]
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### [Obamas visit Britain: day two][10]
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[![US President Barack Obama's state visit to Britain: security and
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protests][11] ][12]
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### [Obama: security and protests][12]
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[![Queen Elizabeth II and US President Barack Obama during a State Banquet in
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Buckingham Palace,][13] ][14]
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### [Obamas visit Britain: day one][14]
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External Links
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* ### [Scottish Tourist Board][15]
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Share:
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