With all the talk about the UK skills shortage, and the need to smarten up this country's front-line staff in time for the London Olympics 2012, it's good to see the government might finally do about unwelcoming airport border staff.
There's nothing worse than getting off a knackering flight, having passed through long and tedious security controls, to be greeted by a rude and sarcastic immigration official. Surely it can't be that much to ask for a cheeky smile when they stamp your passport?
That's why Margaret Hodge, the tourism minister at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is to offer immigration and border staff to charm lessons, according to yesterday's Sunday Times.
The training will tell officials to basically cheer up - to be more welcoming to visiting foreigners whilst drawing the balance between security and friendliness.
Apart from concept of training people to be simply be more friendly being a little odd, the move is part of a new Welcome to Britain campaign, and closely echoes tactics used by Germany in the run up to the 2006 football World Cup.
As well as more welcoming staff, airports will be equipped with posters and films all about Britain's heritage and culture - to make it more obvious to the tourist exactly where they are when they get off their planes (rather than being stranded in some grey, drabby airport).
Although of course you could go too far. When I went to America one year the chirpy official drew a moustache in black marker pen on my passport picture, laughing raucously before wiping it off. Hmm... that's exactly what I needed after a ten hour flight.
