I’m currently producing a daily round-up of news from the travel and tourism industry for a leading travel firm and other clients in this sector. Here are some excerpts from a recent report:

2017 was the safest year for air travel – and Trump takes credit

It’s turned out that last year was the safest year ever for travel on commercial airlines. According to the Aviation Safety Network, which examined incidents involving civil aircraft certified to carry at least 14 people, there were just 10 fatal accidents and 79 deaths in 2017. A separate report, by Dutch consultancy To70, calculated that there was now one fatal accident for every 16 million flights. Adrian Young, from the firm, said: “2017 was the safest year for aviation ever.” US president Donald Trump immediately sought to take credit for this. “Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation,” he declared on Twitter. “Good news – it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!” As ever, his remarks prompted some lively debate on the social media forum, with many contributors doubting his ability to single-handedly prevent plane crashes…

Protests over steepest rail fare rises in five years – Labour blame the Tories

The first working day of 2018 was marked by protests against rail fare increases at scores of railway stations across the country. Fare rises are based on the Retail Prices Index of the previous July, so this time the average ticket hike is 3.4%. According to the Campaign for Better Transport, average season tickets into London rail terminals have gone up by £146 this year. Railfuture, another campaign group, called for the Consumer Price Index inflation measure to be used instead of RPI. The Labour Party blamed the Conservatives, saying rail fares have risen three times faster than wages since the Tories came into office in 2010. But a Department for Transport spokesman insisted: “We are investing in the biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian times to improve services for passengers…”

Storm Eleanor disrupts UK travel – but winds set to ease

Storm Eleanor, the fifth named storm to hit Britain this season, has caused travel disruption in many parts of the country. Overturned vehicles meant that sections of the M5, M6 and A1M had to be closed. A number of major bridges have also been shut because of the high winds, and in London the Thames Barrier will close from 10.15 this morning to protect the capital from flooding. The Met Office recorded 100mph gusts in Cumbria, but the worst of the storm has now moved out into the North Sea. No fatalities have been reported.

Big jump in tourism to Israel – from Britain too

Some good news for Israel. According to the country’s Tourism Ministry, a record 3.6 million tourists came to Israel last year, generating around 20 billion shekels (£4.26 billion) of revenue.  Visitor numbers were up 25% on 2016, with the biggest number of tourists coming from the US, Russia, France, Germany and the UK. Jerusalem – much in the news lately – was the top 2017 destination for visitors to Israel, and Tel Aviv the second most popular. Israel’s Tourism Ministry highlighted the impact of 18 new routes flying into Tel-Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, plus more flights to Eilat on the Red Sea. It said the average tourist spends some $1,600 (£1,175) during their stay. Around 200,000 Israelis work in the tourism industry – making it a big employer in a small country.