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Official Dubai advice: hold your breath if algae attack

It has been a tricky week for Dubai. Hot on the heels of a television documentary’s exposé of appalling conditions suffered by migrant workers, holidaymakers have been warned not to breathe on the emirate’s beaches.

The bizarre advice came from Mohammed Abdul Rahman Hassan, the head of Dubai’s Marine Environment and Wildlife Section. He was responding to concern from local media about a “red tide” of potentially harmful algae that has hit the coast of Dubai, leading to the closure of two beaches, including an area near the ultra-luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel.

“People are advised not to venture onto these beaches,” said Hassan. “They should make no contact with the water, nor consume the dead fishes that are washed ashore. Care should also be taken not to inhale the air after a wave hits the shoreline. This can prove hazardous to health.”

The algae, identified asCochlodinium polykrikoides, can cause respiratory problems and eye irritation in humans, and is lethal to fish. Similar blooms have plagued the nearby emirate of Fujairah in recent weeks.

Kuoni, which features a number of Dubai resorts, said: “It’s very unpredictable; the algae can stay for three hours or a few days. We monitor the situation daily. If a hotel’s beach is closed, we will offer alternative accommodation for the clients.”

The perilous bloom comes on top of recent revelations concerning tourism in Dubai. Last week, BBC’s Panorama uncovered the systematic exploitation of migrant workers on the country’s many tourism construction projects. Some claimed they were forced to work 12-hour days, six days a week, for salaries averaging £120 a month. One company reportedly paid overtime rates of 30p an hour. The programme also found squalid workers’ camps contaminated by raw sewage.

Workers are not the only ones facing sanitation problems: the new red tide has joined an even less savoury brown tide on Dubai’s beaches. Last year, we revealed that the most prestigious beach, Jumeirah, was contaminated with raw sewage due to illegal dumping from septic tanks. City authorities pledged to address the issue, but last week a source in Dubai, who asked to remain anonymous, told us that the situation had not improved. The sewage and algae are now “both in full bloom”.

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CONSERVATIONISTS AND safari lodges have expressed outrage over the construction of a fenced-off “cheetah zoo” at the heart of Kenya’s sensitive Masai Mara wildlife area.

The Kenya Cheetah Foundation, headed by Jorge Alesanco Rodriguez del Castillo, claims to be a rehabilitation project for the endangered predators. However, Riccardo Orizio, of the neighbouring Saruni safari camp, says the 151-acre area will be little better than a zoo, with cheetahs held in 1,000 sq ft pens. The Kenya Tourist Board commented: “A number of leading conservationists have spoken against the project, so it is not clear if it will go ahead as planned.” Castillo has mounted a vigorous defence of the scheme. “It’s a scientific project, not a zoo. Yes, we will have two tents with four tourists, but this is not a major part of the project.”

Antarctic ‘disaster’ a matter of time

In the week following the collapse of a 40km ice bridge in Antarctica, the American and New Zealand governments are calling for tighter regulation of cruise tourism in the region before there is a Titanic-style calamity.

The ice bridge was thought to have been integral to the structure of the Wilkins Ice Shelf, a 13,000 sq km section of ice that is now predicted to disintegrate into thousands of icebergs. Many ships operating in the area are not equipped against icebergs.

New Zealand’s foreign minister, Murray McCully, argues that cruise ships both damage the environment and risk passenger safety. “If nothing is done, it is only a matter of time before there is a disaster in the Southern Ocean. Bigger tourist ships just aren’t suited to the conditions,” he said.

Kevin Griffin, of specialist travel agency The Cruise People, agrees: “Smaller ships are no problem, but if a cruise ship with 2,000 or 3,000 people aboard hits trouble, nobody’s done an exercise to see how they might be evacuated in that environment.”

Celebrity’s 2,046-passenger Infinity and Holland America’s 1,258-passenger Veendam are due to sail the region this winter, but neither company would comment on safety issues. Princess Cruises, whose 2,600-passenger Star Princess will sail to Antarctica in January, defended its procedures and record: “We pride ourselves on the highest safety standards, and have an established safety-management system in place. Princess meets international standards for emergency contingency plans.”

WHERE WAS I?

The answers to last week’s competition are Tidworth and White Horses.

The winner is Peter Oswick of Bath, who wins a luxurious break for two in the Swiss resort of Arosa, as the guest of the Tschuggen Grand Hotel (www.tschuggen.ch), EasyJet (easyjet.com) and the Switzerland Travel Centre (myswitzerland.com/rail).

This week, you can win a week-long watersports holiday on the beach in Halkidiki in Greece, as the guest of Neilson Beachplus

++Late deals++Late deals++

Malaysia - £499
Hayes & Jarvis (0871 664 0246, hayesandjarvis.com) is offering eight nights, room-only, at the three-star-plus Bayview Beach Resort, Penang, for £499pp (saving £315), flying from Heathrow on April 30.

Antigua £699
Thomson Worldwide (0871 664 0273, thomsonworldwide.com) has seven nights, all-inclusive, at the three-star-plus Jolly Beach Resort, Antigua, from £699pp (saving £391), flying from Gatwick on May 9.

Tobago £916
CV Travel (020 7401 1050, cvtravel.co.uk) has seven nights, room-only, in a three-bedroom, plantation-style villa with private pool at Stonehaven Villas for £916pp (saving £1,270), flying from Gatwick on April 15.

FAMILY DAYS OUT FOR TOMORROW

Stirlingshire: Stirling Castle goes 16th century, with falconry, puppets and a comedy show, dressing up in Renaissance garb, egg decoration and - just in case the little ones need a lesson in manners - classes on period etiquette. From noon to 4pm; £9/£4.50.

Cumbria: the Lake District offers the biggest Easter challenge of all. The Great Peter Rabbit Egg Hunt involves 100 specially created pottery eggs hidden right across Cumbria - all 2,600 square miles of it. A tall order, but at www. golakes.co.uk/beatrixpotter, you’ll find clues to narrow the search.

Monmouthshire: Caldicot Castle hosts a band of 17th-century mercenaries. You can have a go at archery, and watch a witch trial and musket demonstrations - plus, there’s a children’s pike drill, too. From 11am to 5pm; £3.75/£2.50. Leicestershire:one of the oldest Easter Monday events, this hardly sounds like one for the kids. Hallaton’s Bottle-Kicking (kickoff 3.15pm) is a notorious battle between neighbouring villages over three small beer barrels. Out of the melee, though, there is plenty of family fun, including a children’s parade at 10.30am and the ceremonial Hare Pie Scramble - a great chance for kids to get mucky.

London: head for Hampton Court, where one of the southeast’s biggest funfairs has been held every Easter for 150 years - all the usual rides and games, a giant big wheel, and Britain’s only wall of death. From noon to 11pm. East Sussex:at Battle, near Hastings, the abbey and battlefield will be staging Easter trails around the grounds for adults and children, with a chocolate reward if you puzzle your way to the end. From 10am to 5pm; £6.70/£3.40. Dorset:Lulworth Castle stages a dragon-egg hunt - find the fiery tokens hidden around the park and win a chocolate prize. Also promised are processions, quizzes, games, newborn lambs and a bouncy castle. From 10.30am to 5pm; £8.50/£4, under4s free. More events:the National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk) and English Heritage (www.english-heritage. org.uk) run dozens of Easter Monday events at properties around the country. Or try enjoyengland.com/easter.