Destinations
The Tokyo Brand, Old Meets New
Tokyo Tourism and Baxter Media invite all travel professionals to attend an exciting webinar next Wednesday (Jan. 27) at 2 p.m. (EST). Agents who attend the full duration of the webinar will be given a chance to win one of four prize giveaways. Tokyo is a fascinating destination that reflects a unique combination of Old traditions, customs, architecture and culture, with a new vibrancy that appeals to visitors of all ages. A recent feature article in National Geographic magazine asserted that “Tokyo became a Megacity by re-inventing itself” and this webinar will not only...
US Travel Reacts To Executive Orders On Travel
“We welcome the president’s focus on policies that will encourage safe travel and help restore the millions of U.S. travel jobs that were lost last year,” said U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Roger Dow following the issuing of a number of COVID-related executive orders by the White House this week. Dow observed that: “The CDC’s inbound testing requirement is the key to reopening international travel and it adds another important layer of safety. If the testing requirement is going to work on a global scale, it has to be flexible and reflect where testing resources...
Community Tourism A Priority For Canadians: Survey
What are Canadians looking for from their next vacations? Making a difference, immersing themselves in culture and ensuring their travel benefits local people in the destinations. G Adventures recently surveyed 3,338 travellers, over 1,000 of whom were Canadian, to find out why they want to head out into the world again, what is most important to them when they do, and how they will change their travel behaviours to have a more positive impact on the planet and its people. When asked the main reason why they wanted to travel again, the top answer from travellers was to immerse...
Italy Hits 1 Million COVID-19 Vaccinations
Italy has surpassed 1 million vaccinations, becoming the first country in the European Union to achieve that mark, with a total of nearly 2% of its population having now received the vaccine. The destination currently ranks sixth in the world for the number of vaccinations and second in Europe. The country began rolling out phase one of its vaccination program on Dec. 27 and has already vaccinated all National Health Staff. As part of phase one, Italy is hoping to have all over 80s, and care home residents vaccinated by the end of January, bringing the total number of vaccinated...
New Entry Restriction to South Korea
Due to an increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea and the rise in second waves in many countries worldwide, the South Korean government has imposed new entry restrictions to combat the pandemic. The new requirements took effect on Jan. 8, 2021 and now all international travellers entering South Korea (Korean citizens exempted) must present a COVID-19 negative PCR test result issued a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure as part of the entry requirement. Those who do not have a negative test result will be denied boarding. As well, all travellers...
WTTC Forecasts Job Recovery In 2021
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is forecasting that over 100 million jobs could return to the global travel and tourism sector during 2021, as the world recovers from the crippling COVID-19 pandemic. Already a strong summer of travel is expected as the sector begins its road to recovery from late March onwards, with many major travel companies reporting a significant rise in forward bookings. And the sector’s revival is backed by WTTC’s latest economic forecast, which gives further hope for the year ahead to businesses and millions of people employed in the sector...
Europeans Looking To Travel In Spring 2021
In its latest report, the European Travel Commission (ETC) reports that despite continuing lockdowns, Europeans are progressively interested in trips during the second quarter of 2021 as COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out. The ETC – in Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel – Wave 4 featuring data collected in December 2020 – found that the proportion of Europeans willing to travel during spring 2021 grew by 20% compared to the November 2020 survey, with 1 out of 3 respondents now stating this intention. At the same time, the number of Europeans planning...
Quebec Premier Calls For Non-Essential Travel Ban
Quebec Premier François Legault is calling on the federal government to ban non-essential international travel. The Premier indicated that he wants to avoid reliving the situation linked to the March 2020 March break, which could have disastrous consequences for the provinces health system. While Premier Legault said that it's understandable that some people have to travel for humanitarian reasons, he also made it clear that there is no reason to buy all-inclusive packages in the South as new, more contagious strains of coronavirus emerge. pretty much everywhere in the...