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Cultural Co-operation are putting on free concerts featuring 300 musicians from 25 countries. The concerts are scheduled as follows:

• Kew Gdns on 29/30 June.
• Regents Park on 6/7 July
• Greenwich Park on 13/14 July.

For full details and a voucher to enter Kew Gdns for free on those days, you can either:

• Ring the hotline on 020 7456 0404; or
• e-mail them
• A website will soon be available.

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Thomas from Munich wrote in to say that he read the Beetle’s story about the confusion between Oman and Amman. The same thing happened to an African friend of his who went back to his home country with his family of 4 people. He booked a flight to Dakar in Senegal or so he thought, instead he received, five days before his departure, four tickets getting him to Dhaka, Bangladesh. Imagine the hassle to change the booking of four people 5 days before the intended departure. Madness!

Funded by the United Nations Development Programme, The Secretary General of the World Tourist Organisation, Francesco Frangialli, has signed agreements in North Korea, to help develop North Korea's tourism potential.

The World Tourist Organisation has been involved in projects with North Korea since 1989 – including giving the Communist state assistance in developing the Mount Kumgang, or Diamond Mountain, resort. Mt Kumgang is now open to foreign visitors, including tour cruises from neighbouring South Korea. New tourist sites, such as Mount Chilbo in the country's northeast, are likely to be earmarked this time. But the tourist organisation says its efforts will largely focus on capacity development and training.

Only about 200,000 tourists visited North Korea last year, although officials believe the country's tourism potential is huge – despite current problems with access, infrastructure, lack of training and its rigid centrally planned economy. Ecotourism and cultural tourism are two areas that experts believe could be developed, bringing the country much needed hard currency, as it opens its doors a little more to the outside world.

Voting has finished in Sierra Leone and political pundits believe that for the first time in 10 years, peace will ensue. Perhaps now, tourism will return to a country with a beautiful unspoilt coastline, mountains and national parks. Watch this space!

Ferry accidents are very common in Bangladesh, a country criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers. Two large rivers dissect Bangladesh in two, east and west, the River Meghna and the River Padma and there are hundreds of off shoots. In a country where travel by boat is a daily part of life, and the main means of getting about, another tragedy occurred on May 4th, when a passenger ferry travelling in stormy weather collided with another boat and capsized near the south eastern port of Chandpur. Officials say that the number of people on the ferry amounted to about 150, but survivors say that this was more like 300-400. No number has been placed on the number of fatalities, but it is thought to be in the 100s.

Apart from restricting the numbers of passengers, the tragedy could have been avoided if the nearest rescue boat had proper equipment. Most Bangladeshi ferries travelling on local routes do not keep passenger lists or issue tickets. Most accidents are blamed on overloading or on unskilled skippers, correspondents say. Nearly 200 people were killed when a ferry sank in the Meghna river early last year, and there have been many more smaller ferry disasters.

Under 24? A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?

Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?

Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we'll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!