Destinations
Tracking Travellers’ Perception Of Safety
MMGY Global has launched its new Travel Safety Barometer -- a sentiment tracking tool created for the travel and tourism industry -- to monitor American travellers’ perceptions of how safe it is to engage in specific travel behaviours as the country embarks on its reopening and recovery efforts. Designed by MMGY’s Travel Intelligence research and insights division, the Barometer is an informational resource for both business and leisure travellers and the industry as the coronavirus continues to fundamentally change all aspects of our society, including when, where and how we feel...
Hong Kong Update – Last Chance to Register
Baxter Media is sending out a last call for agents to sign up for a webinar happening tomorrow (May 29) at 2 p.m. (EST). There will be five prize giveaways of $200 e-gift cards available to agents who attend the full duration of the webinar. In this webinar, you will hear how Hong Kong has handled COVID-19, and for those who are new to the destination or need a refresher, they will be providing basic destination information, updating you on the newest developments, as well as providing a glimpse of what you or your clients can experience in Hong Kong. The webinar will be presented...
Portugal Planning A ‘Bridge’ For Brits
Portugal is planning to offer an ‘air bridge’ for British tourists to bypass quarantine rules. It’s a concept that will be positively received by destinations in Portugal that are highly reliant on UK tourism such as the Algarve. In 2019, the UK was Portugal’s second largest source market after Spain, with 2.9 million UK visits. “According to GlobalData’s pre-COVID-19 forecast, UK arrivals to Portugal were expected to grow at a year-on-year (YOY) increase of 3.1% in 2020. GlobalData’s COVID-19 forecast now expects a YOY decrease of -34% in 2020. In 2018, the...
Visit California Is Calling All Californians For Now
In a letter to industry partners, Caroline Beteta, president & CEO of Visit California, writes: “As the green shoots of economic recovery sprout here and across the nation, California’s tourism industry eagerly awaits the chance to meet consumers’ palpable pent-up desires to hit the road.” Beteta observes that: “Reopening amid the ongoing coronavirus threat will require dramatic pivots in the way we operate, not only to protect customers and employees, but to guarantee business success. Visit California has embraced that challenge and designed a marketing approach...
Celebrity Hoping Alaska Will Be On Itinerary
Celebrity Cruises is keeping its fingers crossed that it may start an Alaska program in August, confident that coronavirus hasn't put the kibosh on interest in sailings in that part of the world. Brendan Halcomb of Celebrity's Alaska cruise/cruisetour program told a Tuesday webinar for travel agents in this country that the company has staff looking at the feasibility of sending people to Alaska this summer. Celebrity has to date idled its fleet through July because of coronavirus but the company said during an earlier webinar it hopes to begin a gradual restart of operations later...
Tracking The Trends In Italy
According to GlobalData, the general sentiment regarding the impact of COVID-19 in Italy is gradually becoming more positive. In two surveys by GlobalData, one conducted April 28 and the other on May 3, the number of Italians stating that they are ‘extremely concerned’ about the virus dropped by 14%. However, this positive outlook may change as Italy plans to open its borders for international tourists says the data and analytics company. Ralph Hollister, travel & tourism analyst at GlobalData, commented: “Italy is currently planning that inbound visitors won't have to go...
MeetGB Goes Virtual In June
VisitBritain is taking its flagship meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) event, MeetGB, virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual event will now take place virtual on June 17 and June 23. MeetGB Virtual, in partnership with MeetEngland, VisitScotland Business Events, Meet in Wales, Tourism Northern Ireland and London Convention Bureau, will see international buyers from around the world connect online to discover the diverse business event opportunities from across the UK. For this year, the event is being opened up to UK-based event planners, who want to...
Conference Board Looks At Summer Travel Intentions
In its Travel Outlook for the summer of 2020, the Conference Board of Canada reports that summer travel intentions have fallen to the lowest level ever amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic The Conference Board notes that as expected, the proportion of surveyed Canadians planning to take a leisure trip this summer has plummeted to its lowest level ever recorded -- a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated physical distancing requirements and travel restrictions currently in place. Overall, just 45% of Canadians are planning to take a leisure trip in the coming...