The number of Britons visiting the Caribbean fell by 12 per cent in the last quarter of 2009, compared with the same period in 2008. In November there was an increase in Air Passenger Duty (APD), which was particularly harsh for travellers wanting to fly to the Caribbean. Fears that the rise in APD would affect visitor numbers to the Caribbean from Britain appear to have been realised. There was a decline of just 1 per cent in international visitors to West Indies over the same period. APD is due to rise again this November. 

Kent flights

Flybe is to begin flights from Kent to Edinburgh, it has been announced. It is the first daily service from the airport in Manston since the collapse of EUJet five years ago. Infratil, the airport owners, claim that passenger numbers will rise from 50,000 in 2010 to more than 500,000 by 2014.

New routes

Air Europa (www.aireuropa.com) is to launch a new service from Gatwick to Lima (via Madrid) on February 22; easyJet (www.easyjet.com) is to launch new flights between Liverpool and the Isle of Man from May 21; Kingfisher Airlines (www.flykingfisher.com) is to launch new flights from Heathrow to New Delhi from March 28; Flybe (www.flybe.com) is launching two new services from Bournemouth to Manchester and from Humberside to Belfast on May 27; Scandinavian Airlines (www.flysas.com) is to launch two new routes from Heathrow to Bardufoss (via Oslo) and to Visby (via Stockholm) from May 31; Norwegian is launching flights from Gatwick and Edinburgh to Stockholm Arlanda from April 29.

Comparison site

Cheapflights has launched a new website called Zugu.co.uk – which represents the latest "meta-search" flight comparison website. It claims to offer a simpler, more efficient and more accurate tool for finding flights from Britain to destinations worldwide and will compete with Travelsupermarket and Skyscanner.

By Charles Starmer-Smith

British Airways crew have voted to strike and could throw the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers into chaos as early as next week.

Union workers at the countrys national air carrier voted 81 per cent in favour of industrial action over pay and conditions.

As many as 700,000 travellers could be affected if a strike, which is expected to last as long as ten days, goes ahead. A strike would be the first national walk out of BA cabin crew for a decade.

It is the latest twist in an increasingly bitter dispute between the unions and BA, which has been running since last summer, with the airline determined to cut its staff costs to compete in the recession.

The cabin crew insisted the fight was over keeping BA "a premier airline". Len McCluskey, Unites general secretary, said: "This is not a mindless bunch of workers who are determined to bring BA down. They have a real sense of grievance."

Executives at BA said it would not allow the union "to ruin this company" and promised it would "do everything we can" to keep a basic service flying. Experts estimate that the company could lost as much as £25 million a day if the strike go ahead.

Last night it was unclear how long, when, and how widespread any strike would be, leaving hundreds of thousands of travellers with little idea how they will be affected.

Unite is expected to set the dates of action later this week, when it holds a mass meeting on Thursday. It has promised not to call for a walk out during the Easter school holidays, which start in most parts of the country on Good Friday, April 2.

Any walk out will have to be, therefore, during March, because, under industrial relations law, any action has to start within 28 days of the ballot result and the union has to give seven days notice of any start date.

BA has promised to keep as many planes flying as possible, and has spent the last two months frantically training up ground crew and pilots to cover for any striking cabin crew. It is understood that hundreds, possibly close to 1,000, have received enough training to take on the roles.

However, BA would not reveal whether it would be long-haul or short-haul it would keep flying and how much of its fleet would be grounded.

Bob Atkinson, travel expert at website Travelsupermarket, said: "Customers are in a double limbo. Not only do they have to wait to find out when any strike might be, but will then have to wait and see whether their BA flight is grounded.

"If you are a business traveller, flying on an expense account, you might be able to afford to be flexible. But for ordinary consumers this will be very frustrating. They can afford to chop and change their plans."

The dispute revolves around BAs decision to reduce the number of staff on long-haul from 15 to 14, by forcing the cabin service directors – the most senior crew – to no longer just oversee the staff, but to start serving meals and drinks as well.

BA argues the average take-home pay of a cabin service director on a long-haul flight is £56,325, making them some of the best paid staff in the industry and that it has a crippling pension deficit and a global recession to contend with.

Staff have also been forced to accept a pay freeze this year.

In a sign that Willie Walsh, the companys chief executive, is prepared for a fight, he has threatened to withdraw, permanently, the generous travel perk enjoyed by all staff. Any full-time member of staff who has worked for the company for more than six months can fly anywhere, on standby, for just 10 per cent of the cover price of the ticket, plus taxes. This perk is extended not just to staff, but also to their family.

"For many this is the main reason they work for BA," said one company insider. "I would not be surprised if many cross the picket line, rather than risk losing this."

Mr Walsh admitted earlier this month that BA was no longer in a “fight for survival” but stressed that the airline was still heading for record losses this year and had no option but to change.

The carrier had pre-tax losses of £342 million in the first nine months of its financial year on revenues down 12.9pc to £6.14 billion and City analysts believe the full-year loss could reach £600 million – dwarfing the previous year’s £401 million.

The airline also has to tackle its £3.7 billion pension deficit – one of the biggest in corporate Britain.

Travel experts said that even if no strike went ahead, BAs reputation was damaged and it would lose customers. Since the strike ballot was announced last month, people clicking on BA flights on the Travelsupermarket website have fallen by 19 per cent, as percentage of all the websites clicks.

Both sides have promised to continue negotiating at the TUC headquarters. Mr McCluskey said: "This can only be resolved through negotiation."

BA stressed that the High Court had ruled on Friday that the introduction of new working practices did not break any employee contracts and noted that “the vast majority of crew who voted in this ballot will have done so before the High Court decision”.

The news capped a bleak day for airline passengers in Europe, with pilots at German carrier Lufthansa beginning a four-day strike and French air traffic controllers due to begin industrial action today.

The actress, model and television presenter Terri Seymour, a former girlfriend of X Factor and American Idol judge Simon Cowell, talks about the joys of laid-back Australia – and the embarrassment caused by a swarm of Thai mosquitoes.

Great holidays . . .

Which was your best holiday?
The one I had most fun on was in Australia in 2001 with a group of friends. I went to Sydney and visited the Northern Territory and Byron Bay – which was incredibly hippy. It was my most varied holiday because usually Im really lazy – I love lying on the beach and experiencing all the local cuisine – though I always try to go riding as there is nothing nicer than a ride along a beautiful beach surrounded by hills. I even tried camping, which was really unusual for me as Im not really a camping girl. The Aussies are just so laid-back; nothing is a problem. Everyone finishes work early, barbecues are great and you feel so different because everything is so relaxed.

And the best hotel youve stayed in?
Las Ventanas in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, because you e right on the beach and service is unbelievable. I remember the first time I walked into reception, I was hit with this amazing view of the ocean. Its all white, turquoise and simply beautiful with an infinity pool that is probably my favourite. Simon [Cowell] and I used to spend weekend breaks there as its just a two-hour flight from LA and really easy to get to. I also love Barbados, where Ive always been lucky enough to stay in the Sandy Lane Hotel. Its décor is English classic and the same people go back year after year. At Christmas, the atmosphere is always fun and buzzy because everybody knows everybody. Whenever we were there we would be with Philip Green and Michael Winner because Simon is friends with both, and Hugh Grant was there last time.

What do you need for your perfect holiday?
I hate bad weather because Im such a sun queen, and if it rained every day it would ruin my holiday. I go for good company, location and lovely sunshine.

What do you always take with you?
I go armed with bug spray because Im allergic to mosquitoes and react really badly. For books Ill take the latest chick lit and a thriller. Last time I read a biography on Coco Chanel. I also take a favourite holiday necklace: a gold chain with coloured beads that hangs down between my breasts. It looks great with beach dresses and bikinis and was a present from a girlfriend.

Whats your best travel advice?
Always check with the locals to find out the best restaurants, bars and food. When I was in Mexico at Christmas, I visited this bar in a random little fishing village and if I hadn been told by the locals I would never have stumbled across it. It was one of those fun discoveries that I kept going back to.

Where do you want to go next?
The Whitsunday Islands, off Queensland, where the beaches look amazing. My three months in Australia were the best experience, so Id definitely go back.

. . . and disasters?

Which was your worst holiday?
Seven years ago in Phi Phi, in Thailand, on my first night I was bitten so badly by mosquitoes that I ended up in hospital. I had to go back every day for injections because my bites got infected. My legs were awful and the bites merged into one big red blob. The main topic of conversation by the pool was my bites. I was so embarrassed.

And your worst experience abroad?
In 1998, I was modelling in Cape Town and drinking in a bar with Kerry, my Welsh model friend, and a guy wouldn leave us alone. He kept trying to chat us up and in the end Kerry told him, "Get lost". He took real offence and pulled out a gun. He didn wave it around but dropped it in his lap. We stood up, ran out and jumped in our car. He walked outside calmly behind us and stood watching us. Then he climbed into his car and followed us. Luckily he drove off in the end and the police arrived at our house, but it was terrifying.

Whats the biggest packing mistake youve made?
Not wrapping my shampoo bottle in a plastic bag inside my toiletry bag. It leaked everywhere, including all over my favourite Alexander McQueen cream cocktail dress.

Which is the worst hotel youve stayed in?
When I was 17, I had a modelling shoot up north and had been booked into a ropy bed and breakfast. There was no hot water and the place was flea-ridden with no lighting. I went hysterical. At the beginning of my career I stayed in some terrible places.

What do you avoid on holiday?
I try to stay off emails, faxes and mobiles, but it never happens. It doesn bother me at all if X Factor fans come up and sing. I still get that, even though Simon and I are no longer together. They come up, sing and ask: "Put in a good word for me with Simon!" On one occasion we were driving down Rodeo Drive and a guy pulled up alongside us, stuck his head out of the window, tried to lean in ours and did his best rendition of something absolutely terrible. Usually, they do a hit by Rihanna or Whitneys I Will Always Love You, which always amazes me. Why would you attempt to sing a Whitney song to impress? We just laugh and its always fun.

What do you hate about holidays?
Packing. Im just not one of those organised people who start packing two weeks before. I am always rushing, so I throw everything in and arrive only to think, "Why did I bring this?"

Interview by Lorraine McBride

Which was your best holiday?

The one I had last year in Ibiza, where I threw my 50th birthday party, was probably one of my best ever. I rented an amazing house and had 16 guests to stay – a mixture of very close friends and new friends. We had a brilliant time. David Walliams stayed almost two and a half weeks; Matthew Williamson was an amazing guest; and Pete Tong deejayed. I would also have Ben de Lisi back a zillion times because he cooks like a trouper. My birthday meal was meant to be dinner for 30 but ended up a party for 250 after my daughter, Natasha, pulled it all together. It was just brilliant and went on until 7am.

And the best hotel youve stayed in?

The Scalinatella in Capri, where Ive been going since I was 12, when my parents took me. It is a small, unpretentious hotel, run by the Morgano family, with the same staff as when I visited all those years ago. I meet great people there and the same people go year after year. It is terribly traditional, typically Italian with a real cross section of the most hideous and modern furniture, and although nothing works, it works.

What do you need for your perfect holiday?

I prefer sun over cold and love soft white sand, friends and laughter. It has to be relaxed because I hate anything pretentious. I also hate big hotels, which is why I prefer to rent villas so I can control when I eat and what I do. Its really about the environment, weather, great beaches and fabulous beach bars. I do like a nice hotel room and Im quite particular. For example, with the villa in Ibiza, I sent my PA down beforehand to organise everything.

What do you always take with you?

My personal trainer, who is a great friend because I like to train and have done ever since I was 17. I also take my iPod, which has 7,000 tracks, and I love a good autobiography. Last time, I read Alan Carrs – hes a great friend of mine.

Whats your best piece of travel advice?

Make sure you know where you e going and that it ticks all the boxes. If you e busy, as I am, a holiday is really important. Also, take enough clothes. I spent years trying to take less, but as I get older, I realise that I never know what Im going to get up to, so I might as well just take a big suitcase.

Where do you want to go next?

I really want to spend a bit of time in Brazil and Argentina. Everyone says both countries are extraordinary and its a part of the world Ive never been to. Im not interested in the Rio Carnival. Im talking about going, seeing the place and travelling.

... and disasters?

Which was your worst holiday?

In 1997 in Krabi, Thailand, I got food poisoning that no doctor could help with. I lost a stone and a half in a week, had injections every day and nearly had to be airlifted out.

And your worst experience abroad?

A client lent me a house in Florida, which I accepted. The children, Savannah, Sienna [Miller] and Natasha, were then 12, 11 and 10. The whole house was very minimalist and white, but I thought, "Oh it will be fine, well be on the beach all the time." We arrived with bikinis and it rained the entire two weeks. We had to spend the holiday in the house and I was running around panicking: "Don eat their chocolate!" or "Don touch that and make a mess!" It was the worst holiday of my life.

Whats the biggest packing mistake youve made?

Not taking enough clothes. On one family holiday in Mexico, I was advised that Id just need bikinis and wraps, and it taught me a lesson. Now, I always take a long dress, high heels, jeans and a sweater. I didn realise that every night I could go to the most incredible parties.

Which is the worst hotel youve stayed in?

About seven years ago, I was working in Westchester, outside New York, where I had built a 40,000sq ft house. It was a massive installation, so I took seven of my team out, but the only hotel we could find was the Holiday Inn. It was the worst hotel Ive ever stayed in. When I got into bed, the polyester sheets gave off what felt like electric sparks. The service was awful and the rooms and bathroom were hideous. The window looked on to a wall and everything was chocolate brown, including the sheets.

What do you avoid on holiday?

I can bear clubs or crowds. I go away to be away and Im not interested in big nightclubs and going where everyone else goes. Im always striving to find things undiscovered by other people. Luckily my friends are all the same, so we e always passing on tips – "Youve got to try so and so."

Interview by Lorraine McBride