How popular is Airbnb?
Tall order
Two naval cadets were killed and 19 injured when a Mexican sail training vessel, the Cuauhtemoc, crashed into Brooklyn Bridge. How many fully-rigged sailing vessels are there in the world?
— Sail Training International lists 383 such ships which have taken part in races and regattas in recent years.
— The oldest still in use, Constitution, was built in 1797. It is moored in Boston as a museum ship but still undertakes voyages.
— The Australian navy trains sailors on the STS Young Endeavour, a gift from the UK government to mark the 200th anniversary of European settlement in 1988. Other countries which still train naval recruits on tall ships include India, Poland, Germany and Spain. China launched its first naval training tall ship, the Po Lang, last year.
Fish scale
What did EU membership do for our fishing industry compared with neighbouring countries and those with access to our waters?
Tons of fish landed:
1972 | 2022
UK 1.07m | 847,000
France 791,000 | 677,000
Spain 1.56m | 1.19m
Netherlands 348,000 | 367,000
(West) Germany 761,000 | 265,000
Denmark 1.44m | 669,000
Norway 3.12m | 3.76m
Iceland 1.44m | 669,000
Source: FAO
Bed spread
How big is the market for Airbnbs?
— Last year, 90.1m guest nights were booked via Airbnb and other 'online collaborative economy platforms'.
— The most bookings were in August (12.8m) and fewest in January (3.7m).
— 26% of bookings were in just ten local authority areas, with the most popular being Westminster (3.9m), Cornwall (3.4m), Edinburgh (3m) and Highlands (2.6m).
— Kensington and Chelsea had the highest proportion of international guests, at 85%.
— In the third quarter of 2023, the most international guests came from US (1.9m), Germany (1m) and France (763,000).
Betting the farm
How indebted are farms in England?
— In 2023/24 the average value of assets was £2.69m and debt £300,000.
— The average farm earned £57,000 in farm business income, £12,000 of which was swallowed by interest payments.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Car
42 minutes ago
- Auto Car
Transit vans the key to Ford's European sales growth
Close Ford Pro has been the sector leader in commercial vehicles in Europe for the past 10 years, and so far in 2025 it has achieved a market share of close to 20%. 'And that's just the vehicle business,' said Hans Schep, general manager of Ford Pro Europe, Ford's European commercial vehicle arm. Vehicle sales aside, explained Schep, Ford Pro offers 'servicing, our focus on uptime, charging, telematics, software and everything around productivity'. The upshot is that Ford Pro in Europe is growing across the board – 'really fast and really well', according to Schep.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Four European countries 'outraged' over new airline luggage rules passed by EU
Last week, the Council of Europe made two major decisions on the future of commercial air travel. The first was on compensation rights, and the second related to free hand luggage Four European countries are outraged at new rules that could limit how much delayed passengers can claim in compensation and when airlines can charge passengers for carrying hand luggage. Last week, the Council of Europe made two major decisions on the future of commercial air travel. The first was on compensation rights. The Council decided that passengers on short-haul flights would have to be delayed by four hours or more before they could claim compensation, rather than the current three. For long-haul flights, delays will have to be six or more hours. The good news for passengers is that compensation for those delayed on short-haul flights will increase from €250 (£211) to €300. However, compensation for long-haul flights will be cut from €600 to €500. The changes were first tabled 13 years ago and must still be approved by the European Parliament before they become law. The European Consumer Organisation, the BEUC, has argued that the changes will be a huge blow for consumers and deprive 'the majority of passengers from their compensation rights". The BEUC claims that most delays are between two and four hours. While the UK now sets its own compensation rules following Brexit, the changes will impact Brits if they come into force, as it will apply to passengers taking flights with an EU carrier. This means it could affect a passenger travelling to and from an EU country on an EU airline. The second decision relates to baggage allowance. Under the new rules, the concept to free luggage will be limited to 'personal items' that can be placed under the front seat. That will leave other stowed cabin bags exposed to charges. Spain, Germany, Slovenia, and Portugal voted against the changes, warning that they could mean passengers end up paying extra for almost any cabin bag. The Spanish government criticised the new rules as 'too restrictive.' Spain's Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustinduy, described the changes as an 'outrage'. The political agreement, adopted by a qualified majority in the EU Council, was voted against by Spain, Germany, Slovenia and Portugal. Minister Bustinduy argued that the new rules would violate consumer rights and "only strengthen the power and profits of airlines." If the rules are accepted, then Ryanair would have to change its free hand luggage policy. Right now, the budget Irish airline require customers to have a bag no larger than 40x20x25 centimetres, which must fit under the seat in front. Under the new rules, the dimensions will be changed to 40x30x15 centimetres. That means Ryanair would be obliged to allow a bag 10 centimetres wider, but could also reduce the depth currently allowed by 10 centimetres.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Passengers flying with major airlines to face new 4 hour rule at airports
In a huge blow to Brits, EU countries have green-lighted controversial plans to lengthen the wait time before delayed passengers can claim compensation for both short and long-haul journeys Customers flying with some big name air operators on short-haul flights have been hit with a brutal four-hour warning over a controversial shakeup. After 12 years of wrangling, EU countries have green-lighted plans to lengthen the wait time before flyers can lodge claims for delayed flights. Currently, passengers have to be delayed by more than three hours before qualifying for compensation. However, under the new stipulations - which still have to be negotiated with the European Parliament before they become law - short-haul travellers will only be eligible to claim compensation after being delayed by four hours or more, while those on longer journeys will have to sit tight for a six-hour hold-up before they can lodge a compensation claim. It's not all bad news though, as EU nations have also agreed to increase the amount of compensation for those delayed on short-haul journeys from €250 (approx £210.47) to €300 (£252.56). But, passengers hit with delays on long-haul flights could see their compensation reduce from €600 (£505) to €500 (£420). The trade body Airlines for Europe (A4E), which represents companies such as Ryanair, easyJet and Lufthansa, and The European Consumer Organisation, the BEUC, both slammed the rules - arguing it would deprive the majority of passengers from being able to claim compensation. This is because most delays are only between two and four hours. "Europe has been waiting for transparent and workable passenger rights for 12 years and member states have fallen at the final hurdle to deliver," A4E said. "Member states have diluted the European Commission's original proposal and introduced even more complexity." According to Yorkshire Live, German members of the European People's Party have also expressed their disapproval, stating that 'decreasing the rights to compensation for air passengers would be a step in the wrong direction'. "Reimbursement after a three-hour delay has been standard for many years and should remain so," they added. A senior EU diplomat is believed to have said that 'no politician wants to say more than four hours' at risk of dampening Europeans' holiday plans. The news comes amidst accusations by 16 consumer protection associations from 12 Member States against seven budget airlines for imposing unfair charges on passengers' hand luggage. "The European Court of Justice has made it very clear that hand baggage is an integral part of the basic ticket price. Normally, there is no surcharge on the price as long as the hand luggage is of a reasonable size," explained Steven Berger, a solicitor with the European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC). "All we're seeing is a proliferation of airlines charging for this baggage... We're calling for very clear rules. Passengers must be able to take one piece of luggage, a small suitcase or a rucksack." He added: "At the moment, there are two different opposing positions among the member states in the Council. On the whole, you have the camp of the member states that are going to defend the three hours to be able to benefit from the right to compensation and others that are going to ask for five hours and nine hours based on distance. So right now this is really the big source of conflict." *Prices based on EUR to GBP conversions at the time of writing.
