Episode 2 The Travel Show

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start

of the First World War. But with no veterans still living,

is it now OK to call places like THIS a tourist attraction?

Coming up on the show -

we visit the battlefields of Belgium to ask

if there's a fine line between commemoration and cashing in.

We visit a mysterious underwater world off the coast of Mexico.

We head to Rome, to find out why any time is espresso time in Italy.

This is really special.

And we go backstage at the first-ever German production

of box-office smash War Horse in Berlin.

Looking at the grand cathedral spires

and Renaissance-style squares of Ypres in Belgium,

you would never know that this town was razed to the ground

during the First World War.

Today it has become a major centre for war tourism.

In July this year, the world will commemorate

the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the war.

And this place is busy preparing for its time in the spotlight.

Ypres will be a hive of activity throughout this commemorative year.

They are expecting to receive around half a million visitors.

With an influx of tourists THAT big,

for local businesses that means a huge opportunity.

The First World War raged across Europe and the world

from 1914 to 1918.

Both the German and Allied forces dug in

and fought a slow-moving, brutal war from frontline trenches.

Flanders saw some of the heaviest fighting during the war.

And millions lost their lives here.

This is part of a trench system that stretched all the way

from here in Belgium, down to the Swiss border.

So this is a German trench built in 1917.

It's German because, for instance, the wattle-work.

'Archaeologist Marc De Wilde has been involved in the excavation

'of trenches in the region, some of which are now open to tourists.'

Archaeology brings daily life in the trenches much more than,

for instance, in the written material...

So, with all the finds we have,

we really can imagine how they lived.

-A pretty grim reality, I imagine.

-Yes.

If you see the damage done to the trenches by shelling,

and if you imagine that there's soldiers standing over there,

so you almost experience how life was in these trenches.

Is there a danger, do you think,

that it could become over-commercialised, this event?

There is always a danger, I think, but it's all about remembrance

and respect for the soldiers who died.

This should be the focus of this centennial.

Most tourists coming to this region are looking to the past,

but in Ypres, the focus is very much on the present

and the commercial opportunities

that the 100th anniversary will bring.

The In Flanders Fields Museum has been refurbished,

increasing its exhibition space by 50%.

Local hotels are expanding, 20 new B&Bs have opened...

Good morning!

-Hello!

-How are you today?

-Very well, thank you. Gloves off.

'And tour operators like Carl Ooghe are anticipating a major boost.

What we have seen over the last year is a steady increase of visitors.

For a long time it was World War II

that overshadowed the First World War,

and now it is getting the attention that it really deserves.

Here is a typical souvenir shop.

We can see all the cups,

the cats, ashtrays with poppies, gin.

For some, however, the idea of making a commercial enterprise

based on such a tragic event is disrespectful.

It's amazing what people come up with.

Suddenly we see an overload of poppy products

and souvenir products that, to me, is a little bit over the top.

But some local shopkeepers believe selling these products can be

an act of charity.

We sell the poppies because... it's a soft filling of caramel

and chocolate and we do it specially

because it's... part of this goes to charity

so that's a strong symbol

and we like to keep it very respectful.

The question is,

can this town capitalise on the opportunities the anniversary brings

without selling out its important commemorative role?

One group believes they have struck this delicate balance.

Dressing in First World War uniforms,

Jan Verdoodt and his group guide tourists

around sites of key battles in the area.

People nowadays do not know how

a soldier was dressed in that way.

There are a lot of myths about soldiers,

especially young kids come here and want to play Rambo.

We can show them, "No, it was not like that.

"This is his backpack, this is the way he had to cook here,

"to clean his rifle."

The centenary offers a great chance for education,

but the line between remembering and exploiting remains blurred.

Still, it turns out this is nothing new.

In 1917, Michelin already printed a guide of the battlefields,

so it's existing as long as the war is existing.

Well, if you're thinking of coming to Belgium or France

to mark the anniversary, here are some travel tips.

Tip one, if you're hoping to trace a relative who took part

in the Great War, then do some homework before you go.

A good starting place is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission,

which holds the most comprehensive record of war dead.

As well as helping you locate the grave,

sites like this can sometimes reveal new details about the individual.

Tip two, if you are in Belgium in July,

and you are a sporting fan, then head to Ypres.

Stage five of the Tour de France will start in the city

for the first time, to commemorate the centenary,

before finishing back in France.

Tip three, before making the trip to France or Belgium,

see if there are any events happening closer to home.

If you are based in the UK, for example,

check out the Imperial War Museum in London, which reopens in July

after six months of renovations, with new First World War galleries.

Another bonus, entrance is free.

Still to come...

It's got to be one of the natural wonders of the world.

To see those stalagmites and stalactites

that have been there millions of years.

We explore this eerie, cavernous world off the coast of Mexico.

But first, this week's travel update.

Greece is anticipating a record arrival of tourists

for the second year running,

with revenues expecting to reach 13 billion euros.

Income from visitors in 2013 helped the country, which has been ravaged

by recession, post its first surplus since it began keeping data in 1948.

Tourism, Greece's biggest earner, rose 15% last year.

The Altamira cave complex in Spain's Cantabria region

has opened to visitors for the first time in 12 years.

Small groups will be given a tour of the cave,

kitted out in special clothing and masks.

The cave, which is covered in paintings

dated between 14,000 and 20,000 years ago,

was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

Brazilian authorities have asked sports giant Adidas

to stop selling controversial T-shirts

ahead of this year's World Cup,

for fears they promote sexual tourism.

One of the shirts read, "Looking to score?"

next to a scantily clad woman.

Brazil has said it is trying to distance itself from the sexual

stereotypes that have marked the country for decades.

The Burmese government has announced plans to repair

the country's longest teakwood bridge.

Mandalay's U Bein Bridge, which is over 100 years old,

sees heavy foot traffic daily,

and the government believes replacing the rotting wooden pillars

with concrete ones would give the bridge more longevity.

Archaeologist and historians have said the teak bridge is

a major part of the country's heritage.

After weeks on the road, we finally made it to Rome.

A place where food, drink and taking it easy are top priorities.

The Italians seem to have life all figured out.

Ciao!

Ciao!

Pizza bianco, per favore.

Ah, grazie!

Ciao!

Ciao!

My new favourite after-dinner drink.

Come on, come on, please.

Still to come on The Travel Show...

Find out how the award-winning War Horse

was adapted for the German stage.

The Travel Show - your essential guide, wherever you're heading.

They're called Cenotes.

Once living coral reefs,

now underground labyrinths of limestone,

eroded over millions of years,

creating a stunning subterranean wonder

of stalactites and stalagmites.

Mexico's is the largest underwater cave system anywhere in the world.

These Cenotes form part of the very fabric of the Yucatan Peninsula,

extraordinary water-filled caverns

that continue to give up the secrets of Mexico's ancient history,

as well as providing an exciting and growing form of tourism.

'Divers kit up a short distance from the Cenotes.'

Carefully walking down this way, OK?

Don't put the things on here because it's more effort...

'For safety reasons,

'guides are required to have full cave-diving qualifications,

'even though we'll only be diving the larger, less-restricted caverns.'

Dive guides lead the way through a series of openings,

gradually dropping deeper into the Cenotes,

always following the orange guide ropes to avoid getting lost.

In some areas the crystal-clear fresh water

meets the more dense saltwater,

penetrating from the sea,

creating a blurry halocline,

making everything look eerily out of focus.

This is as far as recreational divers are allowed to go.

Beyond this point, the cave systems, which can go on for miles,

are far too dangerous.

Returning through the wider openings,

the stalactites and stalagmites,

some of the largest submerged formations in the world,

give the Cenotes a cathedral-like quality.

Not surprisingly, visitors are left with a sense of wonderment.

It's got to be one of the natural wonders of the world

to see those stalagmites and stalactites,

they've been there millions of years and they're just frozen in time.

It's beautiful, it's gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it, ever.

In recent years the Cenotes have become a major draw for tourists,

as well as cave-divers and scientists.

This in turn has led to more and more discoveries

about the unique history of the peninsula and its people.

Carmen Rojas is an underwater archaeologist

who specialises in the Cenotes.

Among her discoveries in the caves around Tulum

are a human skull,

one of many from the ancient Mayan civilisation,

a people who regarded the Cenotes as a sacred underworld.

Other extraordinary finds

include the skeleton of a boy

believed to be more than 10,000 years old,

one of the oldest found in the Americas -

artefacts which make the cave systems an important national treasure.

We are trying to tell to the rest of the world

why we should protect this.

Not only because it's beautiful and we love it,

but because it contains a lot of history

and, moreover, modern history.

We are like a lab in the present in this area.

It's reckoned there could be

between 5,000 and 7,000 of these cave systems.

No-one knows for sure.

New ones are being discovered all the time,

but there does now seem to be a stronger desire

to put in place better protection for these archaeological jewels

of the Yucatan Peninsula.

# If you gave me a chance I would take it... #

Next up, let's head to Berlin

which, in the past 20 years,

has gone from being a divided city to a reunited capital,

home to a vibrant contemporary arts scene,

and one of Europe's most prestigious film festivals.

But it's a ground-breaking theatrical event

focusing on the First World War

that's been making headlines recently.

The Travel Show had an exclusive backstage pass.

I'm Silke, I'm playing in this theatre right next to us,

in the Theatre des Westens,

the German version of War Horse -

and, as we call it, Gefahrten.

Kavallerist Albert Narracott, Sergeant.

'It's a story in the First World War,

'so you can see the German and English soldiers

'fighting against each other.

'And with this horse

'as an innocent creature

'going through this war.'

This is really special and to make theatre like that -

'we call it event theatre -

'with this subject, this has never happened before.'

'When I saw it in London, I didn't really get

'what this means for Germans.

'Now, as I'm here in Berlin playing this play,

'every day it's really

'something very, very special to me.'

'It is time now, after 100 years,'

that we go back in history

and look at where the wars began

and where this industrially...

Machines started in the war

'that really make it so cruel.

'Because before the First World War it never had so much soldiers dead.'

So these are my costumes,

because I'm not only playing Rose,

I'm also playing three different soldiers -

a German soldier

and two British soldiers.

This is also me. This is...

We call it the Burned Wounded.

'A lot of thought has gone into how people would react,

'how people would see things,

'and trying to be very, very mindful

'of what it means'

to bring an anti-war story into...

a country that has...

a particular history.

To me, it's also about... there are no winners in war.

You don't see the good...English and the bad Germans,

on every side, there are people good and bad.

The interesting thing about this part for me

is that usually in the TV, in the cinema,

we Germans are used to seeing a German guy related to the war

as a really bad guy.

And it was very clever that they changed my part

so that he polarises the public.

He has two faces, he has the bad face, really,

but he also helps other guys in the war.

It surprises to see it in another way.

OK, it's now about five minutes before the show

and I have to get backstage.

Bye.

'People watching this show

'seem to be very moved.'

I've seen a man sitting in the first row and he was about 80,

so he has the experience of a world war

and he was...

He was crying...

Even to me this is...

This is... My father's about 83 now and...

this drama of this...

This trauma of these world wars

is so with us.

With me.

And people can feel that.

That was behind the scenes at the German production of War Horse,

which is booking between now and September in Berlin.

Well, that's it from us in Belgium.

Thanks so much for joining us, and here's where we're off to next week.

Join us next week, when Henry meets a survival expert in Thailand

to get tips on how to get through a night alone and lost in the jungle.

You just have to psych yourself into thinking, "This is OK.

"I'm just camping with not a lot of kit."

THEY LAUGH

So, do join us if you can. And in the meantime,

don't forget you can keep up with us while we're on the road in real time

if you follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

For now, from me, Christa Larwood,

and all of the team here, in Belgium,

including my broken brolly, it's goodbye.