confident

BRITS are not confident in identifying some of the UK’s most famous landmarks – including Hadrian’s Wall, the White Cliffs of Dover and the Angel of the North.

A poll of 2,000 adults found 59 per cent struggled to name well-known sites across our native country, compared to 41 per cent who identified them correctly.

While 94 per cent could correctly recognise the Statue of Liberty in New York, 36 per cent were not able to name iconic landmarks closer to home, such as Hadrian’s Wall or St Paul’s Cathedral (35 per cent).

Angel of The North (20 per cent) and the White Cliffs of Dover (18 per cent) were also among those left unidentified.

However, 62 per cent admitted they want to learn more about British landmarks and local history.

The research was commissioned by Travelzoo, which is celebrating all the great places to see in the UK.

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The club for travel enthusiasts has teamed up with TV personality and keen explorer, Julia Bradbury, who said: “I have been lucky enough to visit almost every corner and coastline of our amazing country.

“From rugged peaks to gently rolling hills, fairy tale villages and vibrant cities.

“We have so much diversity packed into our island, I can’t imagine ever being bored exploring it, and I encourage others to discover the incredible places right on their doorstep too.”

The study also found cost was the biggest barrier to exploring local landmarks (43 per cent), followed by lack of time (34 per cent) and transport logistics (30 per cent).

Three in 10 (31 per cent) believe people are more likely to visit international attractions over UK landmarks.

When asked to place landmarks geographically, 38 per cent were unsure where Stonehenge was located, whereas 66 per cent could not correctly identify the region for Hadrian’s Wall, and 33 per cent struggled with Giant’s Causeway.

More than four in 10 respondents who had children (43 per cent) did not think their child could correctly name well-known UK landmarks off the top of their head.

Parents believed their children would be more likely to recognise the Statue of Liberty (74 per cent) and the Eiffel Tower (75 per cent) over Stonehenge (63 per cent) and The Angel of The North (42 per cent).

In addition, 81 per cent believe children need to learn more about UK landmarks and local heritage.

More than a third (34 per cent) said they would not know where to begin when it comes to exploring what is on their doorstep.

Almost three in 10 (29 per cent) believe they have visited more countries outside of the UK than they have counties across the country.

That may be set to change, as a fifth said they are planning to spend more time holidaying in the UK this year compared to previous years.

Ease and reduced stress compared with travelling abroad was cited as the main driver behind choosing a UK trip this year (27 per cent), followed by shorter travel times (25 per cent) and cheaper to stay in the country (22 per cent).

The coast topped the list of staycation destinations, chosen by 61 per cent, according to the OnePoll.com figures.

As a nation, Brits are willing to travel for short-break destinations, with journeys averaging almost four hours for a one to three-night getaway.

Cat Jordan, for Travelzoo, said: “These findings show there’s a real appetite to connect with what’s on our doorstep, but many people don’t always know where to start.

“In a country with so much to discover, it’s easy to overlook just how much is at our fingertips.

“With so much history, coastline, and culture spread across the UK, you don’t need a passport for it to feel like a proper break.”

Fans are frustrated with LA28. City Council members are battling over billions of dollars and overdue contracts. But in front of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee board of directors, LA28 found support for the private organizing committee’s progress with a little more than two years remaining before the Games open in L.A.

Despite pushback from locals, LA28 leadership, including chief executive officer Reynold Hoover and chief executive officer responsible for revenue John Slusher, spoke to the USOPC on Wednesday about the ticket sale process, explained the superbloom-inspired look of the Games and celebrated the committee’s recent commercial success that surpassed more than $2 billion in sponsorship agreements.

“We were quite encouraged to hear from them,” USOPC chair Gene Sykes said during a conference call Wednesday after a board of directors meeting, “and quite confident in the direction of LA28 from an operational standpoint.”

The private group responsible for bringing the Games back to L.A. for the first time in four decades opened ticket sales this month after attracting a record number of interested fans. The first week of sales — reserved for locals in Southern California and Oklahoma City near competition venues — “significantly exceeded first-week sales for any previous Olympic Games,” LA28 said in a statement.

But many fans were shocked to see opening ceremony tickets topping $5,000. They complained about a shortage of options for the most in-demand sports and were surprised to see a 24% service fee. Global sales opened on April 9 and many of the problems, including website glitches and unavailable tickets, persisted.

The USOPC board discussed the fee with LA28, and recognized that it is “part of a framework that is a framework they accept,” Sykes said, “as opposed to challenging it or trying to make it something different.”

The fee is included in the listed price of the tickets, which start at $28. There will be 1 million tickets sold at $28 each, and nearly half of the Olympic tickets are under $200. More than 75% are under $400 and about 5% of tickets are more than $1,000.

“I know they’re thinking very, very seriously about how to manage the ticket activity so that it satisfies everybody,” Sykes said.

LA28 will have 14 million tickets available between the Olympics and Paralympics, which would break Paris 2024’s record of 12 million tickets sold. The current ticket drop, which is open to fans worldwide, ends April 19. LA28 expects to have a second drop this year, but has not released specific details about when.

Ticket headaches have added to a controversial run-up to the Games for LA28, which also faced backlash after chairman Casey Wasserman was mentioned in the Epstein files released in February. The LA28 executive committee backed Wasserman after a review with the assistance of outside counsel. Wasserman announced that month he would sell his talent agency but planned to continue working with LA28.

When asked Wednesday what the USOPC board believed Wasserman’s role with LA28 should be moving forward, Sykes said the organizations have had discussions and are monitoring the “impact on our community.” But it is ultimately the LA28 board’s decision to select its chair. Wasserman was appointed by former Mayor Eric Garcetti to lead the Olympic effort in 2014.

“Separate from the LA28 board … LA28’s leadership Reynold Hoover and John Slusher, but many other people among the hundreds of people who work for LA28 have continued to assemble a very strong team,” Sykes said, “and show measurable progress on all the fundamental things that they need to do to make the Games a very, very strong Games, and have a remarkable experience. We remain very confident that that progress is both evident and very solid and that [it] will involve the planning with partners, athlete engagement, public support and corporate interest, all of which remain very strong, and I think, very encouraging. The ongoing committee is executing effectively, and we’re very happy to work with them.”