Web watch

Every time a set of annual results plops on to the Caterer news desk lately you can be guaranteed of one thing: if the company hasn't done too well, it has a list of disasters to blame that reads like God trying to convince the Pharaoh to let His people go.

Floods, foot-and-mouth, train crashes, US slowdown, petrol crisis, rioting, strong pound - you name it, they're blaming it. It hasn't been a very enjoyable 12 months for a lot of people in this industry, but one interesting spin-off has been the sudden plethora of tourism Web sites that have come, or are coming, online as a result.

The London Tourist Board and Convention Bureau (LTB), for example, is making a lot of changes with its site, www.londontouristboard.com, launched on 1 July.

It has appointed a dedicated head of Internet marketing as well as a new IT boss to govern the LTB's online future. The site itself is very comprehensive, full of useful information and links to accommodation, restaurants, bars, attractions and sport. The only complaint is that it's very static and text-heavy - unavoidable, perhaps, with so much information - but I imagine that will change with the new strategies.

There are also plenty of more commercial sites turning up. Launched in May, www.theuktourist.com is a simple, searchable database of UK and Ireland accommodation grouped by price, location and type. It claims to have more than 1,000 hotels and guesthouses listed already, although that might have something to do with the fact that, in response to foot-and-mouth, the first six months' listing is free.

The Professional Association of Selected Hotels (PASH), which was launched last October, has just got its Web site online, www.selectedhotels.com. More of a consortium than an association, PASH has more than 390 independent hotels online from the USA, UK and Ireland. It's a nice-looking site with plenty of information.

Away from tourism sites, www.indicater.com is my pick of the month. Simple and easy to use, it's an excellent resource of information and advice for hospitality professionals. It covers subjects such as training, sales and advertising as well as dozens of others. Excellent.

Speaking of excellent, a brand new www.caterer.com is launching on 1 August. We've spent £1m rebuilding it from scratch, and it'll have loads more news, information, advice and jobs than ever before. Don't miss it.

by Andrew Davies, reporter, Caterer.com