The winner – in this case Liverpool – takes it all

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [The Independent]( October 11, 2022 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( In a perfect world, next May the 2023 Eurovision song contest would be held in Odessa. The most glorious city on the Black Sea, simultaneously a top Ukrainian seaside resort, is the ideal venue for the annual celebration of multicultural mayhem. Rising star: Liverpool is preparing to host the 2013 Eurovision song contest But Vladimir Putin has put a brutal stop to that prospect – as he has to tourism to Ukraine and, for that matter, most of Russia. Eurovision invited the UK to host the festivities on Ukraine’s behalf, and as you surely know Liverpool triumphed over Glasgow to take the prize – and the money. My colleague Lucy Thackray [reported a room of four bunk beds in the city selling for £1,262]( on the great night, 13 May 2023, with a 10-bed property around £6,000. Profiteering is never a good look, but travel businesses – both airlines and hotels – react to a sudden spike in demand by sending rates through the roof. Decent hotels (which comprise the vast majority) will not cancel and re-price. They will say "Sorry, we can’t host you" only if unexpected circumstances arise. That includes power cuts and extreme weather, but not the sudden arrival of Eurovision. Other accommodation providers, though, may not be so restrained. Booking.com, the leading portal for many, stresses: “When you make a booking, it’s directly with the Service Provider. We’re not a ‘contractual party’ to your booking.” And the terms of booking with Booking acknowledge: “The property may be overbooked. If that's the case, the partner notifies us. Next, we refund you and cancel your booking.” Some people with confirmed reservations in Liverpool on the night of 13 May are being told that an “administrative error” or “planned maintenance” means the booking can no longer be fulfilled. They have a right to be furious. But for everyone else, I believe the market will settle. Demand will ripple out to the Wirral and Southport, then to Wigan, Warrington and Chester, across to Manchester and Preston, and a few lucky Eurovision fans may even discover the joys of Crewe. Also, the entrepreneurial spirit of Merseyside will prevail: were I lucky enough to be living in Liverpool, I would be creating an Airbnb profile for the sofa downstairs right now. Eurovision’s coming home. [Get the most out of a Liverpool city break]( Hang on, you may be thinking, it’s Tuesday; why am I receiving this travel newsletter? Well, it's an extra edition brought to you by The Independent to celebrate Amazon Prime Day, which is happening today and tomorrow. The annual event is known for offering some of the best deals around and my colleagues on the IndyBest desk are keen that you know about some of them. They recommend today as the day to grab a bargain from Philips, LG, Sony and more. Click [here]( for the full IndyBest guide to TV deals. The team has also put together a full guide to help you navigate your way around all the offers, as well as a live blog to keep you up to speed with what is available and when. Click [here]( for the full guide and [here]( for the live blog.   Tip of the week: Transatlantic links coming back to Belfast? Don’t hold your breath, but there could finally be some good news about transatlantic links from Northern Ireland. The airline analyst Sean Moulton reports that a start-up named Fly Atlantic plans to launch in the spring of 2024, operating a fleet of narrow-bodied Airbus A321LR from Belfast lnternational to connect European and North American destinations. However, it's worth noting that similar links were dropped by Norwegian in 2019 "in response to customer demand". [Why Belfast should be your next cultural city break](   Deal of the week: Rail & Sail to Holland Stena Line and Greater Anglia have an excellent train and ship deal from London Liverpool Street or any other station in the Greater Anglia region – including Cambridge, Norwich and Southend – to Harwich and onwards across the North Sea to Hook of Holland. Fares start at £50.50 one-way for the day service, booked online at least a week in advance. In normal times, Dutch Railways offers onward connections to any station in the Netherlands, but these have yet to resume post-Covid. [Read more about the history of Hook of Holland]( STAT OF THE WEEK 49.9% [The proportion of travellers who say they would fly even if they knew they were Covid-positive]( – at least according to more than 160,000 respondents to a Twitter poll by the money saving expert Martin Lewis. Among respondents identifying as male, there was a 57:43 majority in favour of flying when Covid positive; for females, a minority said they would do so, with a 41:59 ratio. What you might have missed... - Added extras: [All you need to know about travel surcharges]( - Naff said: [Why a rubbish hotel can be a gift from the travel gods]( - Going viral: [Which countries still have Covid travel restrictions?]( SIMON'S DIARY       Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](.         Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](.         I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder](         I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder](         Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder](         Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder](         Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel](         Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel](   INDYBEST / [TRAVEL BEST BUY]( [8 best travel pillows that give support while snoozing on the go]( Whether you’re camping, flying or on a long car journey, ensure you’re well rested with one of these. [Click here for the full list](     OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [Race Report] The Race Report Fortnightly, 7am (UK time) Written by Nadine White [Join now]( [Health Check] Health Check Every Thursday, 7am (UK time) Written by Rebecca Thomas [Join now]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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