Eastern europe and the 'palin effect'

Eastern European tourism has surged as a result of a BBC TV series…

Former Monty Python star Michael Palin recently launched a new series depicting his travels across countries behind the old Iron Curtain, including Bosnia, Slovakia and Albania.

This prompted Daniel Pawlyn of adventure holiday website Intrepid to predict that this will heighten interest in these countries among Britons.

He commented: "The great thing about the way Michael Palin travels is that he really gets under the skin of a country; travelling on local transport, staying in traditional accommodation and generally doing what the locals do."

Mr Pawlyn cited the broadcaster's previous expedition to the Himalayas, which contributed to a surge in the number of people visiting the Asian mountain range.

Many of the destinations covered by the TV programme include areas that have already become emerging hotspots for overseas investors, including Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic.