Travel sickness

One in five of all inclusive package holiday makers - where food and drinks are all provided in the package price - reported ill health, according to the latest survey by Holiday Which?, published this week. Two-thirds of these were stomach upsets, giving cause for concern over quality and hygiene of food preparation in these hotels and resorts, where buffet-style service is common. The survey also revealed that the further holiday makers travel, the higher their chances of suffering illness: 15% of long-haul travellers fell ill, compared with 11% on short-haul trips and 5% of those who stayed in the UK. Peru was the highest risk with two-thirds of visitors suffering some sort of illness. In Kenya about 50% of visitors fell sick, and in India with 41%.

Cabin class

A £10 million investment is set to transform and revitalise two of England's favourite forest-cabin holiday sites. Forest Holidays, part of the Forestry Commission, has got the money from the Treasury and will use it to upgrade its sites at Keldy, Yorkshire and Deerpark, Cornwall. All the log cabins on both sites, 106 in total, will be replaced and other facilities will be modernised.

Round the horn

Up to 40 cyclists will take part in the Rhino Cycle Kenya, a 300km ride through the Laikipia region, in northern Kenya this September. The aim is to raise £50,000 for community-based conservation initiatives. The challenge is open to anyone who can raise a minimum of £2,400 in sponsorship and pay a £250 registration fee. Further details contact Neil Bridgland at Save the Rhino: 020-7357 7474 (neil@rhinos.demon.co.uk, www.savetherhino.org). Rhino Cycle Kenya hopes to raise £50,000 for local community projects.

Rural recovery

A long-term recovery plan for developing rural tourism in England in the wake of the foot and mouth crisis was launched this week by the English Tourism Council and The Countryside Agency. Sixteen priorities have been identified in the strategy document, Working for the Countryside, which aims to revitalise a business that was worth £12 billion a year and employs nearly 400,000 people. They include: strengthening marketing, increasing the local impact of visitor information, improving access, promoting local produce and gastronomy, making more of activity-based tourism, increasing networking and strengthening the role of market towns. (Working for the Countryside costs £15, 020-8563 3276.)