Destinations
The Key To The Revival
If there is a key to reviving international travel, then that key is vaccinations according to new research from ForwardKeys. It notes that two destinations, Greece, and Iceland -- which have announced that they will welcome vaccinated visitors this summer -- have seen inbound flight bookings pick up dramatically from the moment of their announcements. And three origin markets, Israel, the US and the UK -- where vaccination campaigns are particularly well advanced -- have seen outbound flight bookings climb more steeply than elsewhere. ForwardKeys points out that Greece -- whose...
Save The Date For ACTA 2021 Summit
ACTA will host a two-day Virtual Travel Industry Summit on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2021. The summit is open to travel agents, travel agency managers, senior leaders, consortia groups and host agencies. All are all invited to attend on a complimentary basis. Wendy Paradis, president, ACTA, said: “It’s a very different world today than it was less than 2 years ago and the impact on the travel and tourism industry has created unprecedented challenges. We are inviting the industry to join us as we reconnect, reset and rebuild a whole new world of travel.” Paradis continued:...
Air Canada By The Numbers
In releasing the details of Air Canada’s first quarter 2021 financial results, the carrier’s president and CEO, Michael Rousseau said that: “The persistence of COVID-19 and its resurgence in Canada are weighing heavily on the Canadian airline industry, as reflected in Air Canada's first quarter results. Still, through the hard work and dedication of our employees, we are operating a limited schedule for necessary travel and to ship essential cargo. I thank our employees for their professionalism and assure them, as well as our investors and all stakeholders, that better times lie...
No Plan, No Recovery
ACTA is warning that unless there is a plan for the recovery of this country’s travel and tourism industry, Canada will be left behind. The industry association has been outspoken in urging the federal government to develop a recovery plan, outlining what needs to be part of that plan in its 2021 Travel & Tourism Recovery Plan. And it also pointed out that while the travel industry is putting health and safety measures in place, it needs the government to work with industry on rapid testing, contact tracing, vaccine documentation and protocols -- in order to ease travel...
Mixed Prospects For Summer 2021 Europe Travel
While Europe works to accelerate vaccination programs over the coming months, as well as controlling the spread of COVID-19, the expected easing of restrictions provides some hope for travel in summer 2021. That’s one of the messages in the European Travel Commission’s (ETC) quarterly report ‘European Tourism Trends & Prospects.’ The report outlines that despite vaccine hurdles in recent months, the inoculation programs are vital to enabling the restart of travel. And it states that this cause for optimism is backed-up by the significant amount of pent-up demand which...
Just What’s Needed, A Good Push
IATA is welcoming the agreement between G20 tourism ministers to support the safe restoration of mobility by following the G20 Rome Guidelines for the Future of Tourism. The airline industry association is urging G20 governments to quickly follow up their endorsement of the guidelines with actions, particularly the five-point agenda to safely restore mobility: Sharing information among industry and governments to inform policies and decisions to ensure safe mobility. Agreeing common international approaches to COVID-19 testing, vaccination, certification and information. ...
Holland America Sets A Course For Greece
Holland America Line is set to sail from Greece beginning in August. Working in close coordination with the government of Greece, Holland America confirmed that it has received approval to restart cruising from Piraeus (Athens) in August with four departures aboard Eurodam. Bookings for these cruises will open today (May 6). The line-up for sailings include: The Idyllic Greek Isles which departs Aug. 15 and Aug. 29, and featuring calls at Kotor, Montenegro, as well as the Greek isles of Kékira (Corfu), Thíra (Santorini) and Mykonos. “Ancient Wonders” departs Aug. 22...
Testing Costs Could Stall Recovery
According to IATA, the high costs of COVID-19 testing could put travel out of reach for individuals and families and the airline industry association is calling on governments to ensure that this doesn’t happen And IATA makes it clear that COVID-19 testing must be affordable – as well as timely, widely available and effective – in order to facilitate an efficient restart of international travel. In sampling the costs of PCR tests -- the test most frequently required by governments -- in 16 countries, IATA found wide variations by markets and within markets. The findings...