Last modified: 2010-04-16 by rob raeside
Keywords: tourist-friendly zones | purple flag |
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Quoting "JetSetCD", "Jaunted - The Pop Culture Travel Guide", 5 February
2010:
"[...] finding the areas that remain as safe to tourists in the day
and at night has become much easier with the introduction of a new purple
flag system to highlight neighborhoods that stay tourist-friendly at night.
[...] it seems to be an extremely new initiative; indeed London's popular
Leicester Square and Covent Garden were the first locations in the city to
receive their purple flags, and they only got them at the end of January.
[...]
And the flags won't just be awarded to small areas like Leicester
Square, but whole town can earn them by keeping crime rates extremely low,
having a healthy and safe nightlife with a mix of offers (not just pubs or
clubs), and installing nice additions like info-boards with maps and helpful
information. In fact, the town of Kingston-upon-Thames is up to receive the
next purple flag, and Birmingham, Manchester, Oxford and Bath are hoping
they'll be next. Sounds like a pretty novel idea, but who's going to go
looking for a purple flag at night?!"
The article has a colour photo
showing the purple flag hoisted on a street lamp, location unspecified
http://www.jaunted.com
http://www.jaunted.com/files/6193/PurpleFlag.jpg
In the "Daily
Mail", 22 January 2010, Jo Tweedy reports the awarding of the Purple Flag to
Leicester Square and Covent Garden, adding that: "The Purple Flag scheme,
backed by the Home Office, wants to encourage more travelers to visit cities
between the hours of 5pm and 6am."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1245231/Leicester-Square-Covent-Garden-win-Purple-Flags-tourist-appeal.html
David Barrett aired the
project in "The Telegraph", 20 December 2008:
"[...]
The most crucial
factor in qualifying for a purple flag will be whether there is a mix of
pubs, restaurants, cafés and entertainment venues such as theatres, cinemas
and galleries rather than a concentration on venues which attract young
binge-drinkers.
[...]
Six areas, Westminster, Birmingham, Manchester,
Oxford, Bath and Kingston upon Thames, have applied to become the first
purple flag areas. The flag could be awarded to the whole of a local council
area or to specific areas within a town centre.
[...]
The purple flag
scheme will bear similarities with the green flag scheme for parks and
gardens, which is also operated by the Civic Trust.
[...]"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3867108/Purple-flags-for-binge-drinking-free-towns.html
Ivan Sache, 7 February 2010