Foot-and-mouth still major concern for Lake District hotels

Hotels in the Lake District are still more worried about the knock-on effects of foot-and-mouth disease than the US terrorist attacks.

The region's hotels continue to be affected to varying degrees by the fall-off in trade following the outbreak of the disease earlier this year and do not expect the US situation to have a large impact.

While the Lake District is popular with US travellers, most of them visit in the summer, while this time of year is more popular with walkers, mainly from the UK.

Hotels are reluctant to be seen as capitalising on the American attacks, but some have already taken guests who were either stranded in the UK in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist strikes or others who have cancelled their overseas holiday plans.

"There will be people not going to America and having their holidays cancelled, so we may see more people as a result of that," said the chairman of the Keswick Tourism Association, Duncan Miller. "But this is not the time of year that the Lakes would expect a lot of Americans to visit."

Miller, who owns the 10-bedroomGrange Country House Hotel in Keswick, said foot-and-mouth was still a major factor affecting the region with towns and villages such as Keswick and Grasmere faring better than country locations.

He claimed business had improved during the year with a "very good" August and strong bookings for September and October. But he predicted that hotels would finish the year between 15% and 35% down on 2000.

"We have now learnt to live with this disease. It is still about and may linger through the winter," he predicted.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>

With some foot-and-mouth restrictions still in place, hotels such as the Applethwaite Country House hotel, on the slopes of Skiddaw, are still suffering as nearby footpaths remain closed.

Owner Tom Ryan said business had been patchy and this week the 12-bedroom property was expecting up to six guests at a time of year when it would normally be 85% full.

"We have seen a few foreign visitors, but it is the end of the American season up here," he said.

"Generally, people seem to have been more comfortable staying in Keswick and other urban environments rather than out in the country. The town does not appear to have suffered as much as rural locations."

by Sara Macefield