Germans win the Battle of the Sun Loungers

[picture: Gallo]

German beach tourists who have long been whipping boys for such crass behaviour as placing their towels on sun loungers – sometimes before dawn – to reserve them, and sparking a long-running low-intensity European conflagration, have won.

Thomas Cook, the travel company, is now – at 3 euros a day – offering German tourists the option of paying ahead for their loungers when they book package holidays. A beach umbrella is included in the price, says The Telegraph.

Thomas Cook says the idea is to stop the “beach towel wars” that often spill over into name-calling and frequent bouts of xenophobia, and we all know how things turned out in Europe the last time that got out of hand.

Anyway, times are tough in the travel business, the Germans have more money than most Europeans these days, so why not go after your market with something they cherish. Clever.