Inbound tourists to get tea and biscuits at Heathrow

People arriving at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 in November may get the unexpected surprise of being offered a free cup of tea and a biscuit.

The provision will be part of a campaign started by Waitrose managing director Mark Price to ensure that people arriving in Britain have positive thoughts rather than worries about bad weather and financial problems.

Mr Price persuaded airport operator BAA to trial the initiative for a week in November, during which time the people arriving at Terminal 5 will be offered some 5,000 cups of tea a day, the Telegraph reports.

Speaking about the thinking behind the plan, Mr Price said: "What could be more welcoming than a cuppa and Jammie Dodger or Garibaldi? When everyone seems so miserable about the economy, I am sure a cup of tea would put things in perspective."

He also offered his preferences for the types of biscuits that should be offered, expressing a fondness for Garibaldis and bourbons but regretting that "neither is a very good dunker".

The initiative reportedly has the backing of VisitBritain and could be extended to airports across the UK ahead of the London Olympics in 2012.

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