Travel Agent

BRACE YOURSELF FOR the publicity surrounding the new James Bond flick, Skyfall, coming to an advertising medium near you

BRACE YOURSELF FOR the publicity surrounding the new James Bond flick, Skyfall, coming to an advertising medium near you. Having already scored a major coup at the Olympics this summer, interest in the forthcoming instalment is at fever pitch, which is why UK tourism authorities are capitalising on it with a secret agent competition.

Agent-UK, launched by Visit Britain ( visitbritain.com), invites players to become online secret agents, solving cryptic clues based in various parts of the country that lead to the location of a rogue agent.

Targeting Visit Britain’s Facebook, Twitter and email subscribers, the game gives users a series of missions, with each successful task unlocking the next stage of the game. The winner bags return flights to Britain, a three-night luxury hotel stay, a trip in an Aston Martin, designer luggage and tickets to the city’s top attractions. Even if you don’t win, you can still be a secret agent for a day.

Lastminute.comis offering the perfect day out, at a secret location, which includes training on how to conduct surveillance operations, the firing of various (replica) weapons, information on how to deactivate bombs, lessons in knife-wielding, axe-throwing, safe-cracking and unarmed combat.

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For £225 (€279), learn valuable life skills such as how to jump from a speeding car – and roll with aplomb. Driving is a big part of the day, including laps round a stadium with rollers attached to the car so you can skid to your heart’s content, carry out handbrake turns and learn anti-ambush drills.

Handy if you’re ambushed by a traffic jam on the way home.