Tourism in Hyndburn - an unusual response

Acrylic-bob · 31-03-2005, 08:48

Being a naturally optimistic and trusting sort of person, I had thought to enquire of the HBC website regarding the preparations being made to accomodate and entertain the vast numbers of tourists which NWRDA and ELP along with HBC believe are on their way here to enjoy high quality leisure experiences and retail opportunities.

You may imagine my consternation when, on locating the part of the HBC homepage which dealt with Liesure and clicking the link marked "Tourism in Hyndburn", I was greeted with the following terse and authoritarian message:

"FORBIDDEN! You do not have permission to access the requested file on this server."

Two possible scenarios suggest themselves as explanations for this message. Firstly, there is no file to access, which would imply that HBC have not developed any strategy to deal with the expected influx of visitors. Though given the frequency with which this subject is mentioned in official pronoucements and press interviews by members of HBC and it's officers this would seem to be unlikley, wouldn't it?

The second scenario is worrying in the extreme and stems from the use of the word "Forbidden". Can it be that there is something here that HBC does not wish us to know?
And if there is, what might it be? This use of the word "Forbidden" conjures up in the minds of those schooled in the dark dealings of quango's and unaccountable local government bodies images of nights of sybaritic excess and opulent indulgence by the few at the expense of the ignorant and unsuspecting many. We have long wondered about the real purpose and use of the Globe Centre. What epic scenes of consumption and indolent luxury lie concealed behind that facade of rough sandstone, red brick and darkened windows? I think we should be told!

Of course there is always the possibility that the first scenario is the more likley of the two and that HBC, true to form, do not have a strategy for dealing with tourism at all, and the stentorian message is nothing more than a rather officious way of saying that there is nothing to see. A lesson I have learned when dealing with the inexplicable deeds of bureaucracy is that when faced with more than one possible explanation, it is often wisest to choose the the one that is the most banal - or is it.....?

garinda · 31-03-2005, 08:53

Lol, another option is that your reputation precedes you and it's just you who is denined access!

You've got 'em running scared A-b, keep up the good work!

Acrylic-bob · 31-03-2005, 08:56

I hadn't thought of that !

garinda · 31-03-2005, 09:05

Re: tourism in Hyndburn.
l'm always amazed at how much backing Owaldtwistle Mills gets from various bodies. Signs on the motorway, road signs all over Hynburn, free advertising in various Council produced leaflets, the list is endless. Not saying there's anything under hand, but.... makes you wonder, about pockets/ linings etc. though!

I'll be happy as long as they don't offically change the town's name to Oswaldtwistle Mill.

entwisi · 31-03-2005, 09:22

403-Forbidden is a standard HTTP error message when the file on the server does not have the correct permissions to be served by the web server.

So much that I'd like to think there is a conspiracy at foot I'm afraid it is just a web master error(The file must exist as a 404-File not Found has higher importance so would be served before a 403)

Acrylic-bob · 31-03-2005, 09:26

It is as I expected, incompetance! And immediately following an expensive site upgrade and revision too!

JohnW · 31-03-2005, 12:04

I really wouldn't worry about this for another second A-B. There will never be, in our lifetime anyway, any noticeable number of tourists in Hyndburn, so, there is no influx to deal with; hence a blank tourism page. Even recognised centres of tourism in England are having trouble attracting home-bred visitors because of the cheapness of finding the sunshine a little further S.E. on the globe. I doubt you will be having many international visitors due to the fact that none of them know about all those fabulous facilities offered to the traveller by your wonderful council. Apart from that, how many hotels are there in the borough? Where are these 'pie in the sky' visitors going to stay? Are there now campsites in the neglected parks around Accrington?