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    What’s new in The Bahamas in May

    With the busy summer travel season fast approaching, The Bahamas is gearing up to welcome visitors with deals and promotions, the return of highly anticipated festivities and brand new cultural events. With increased airlift to the destination, visiting this summer is easier than ever.
    Grand Bahama Island Launches a New Cultural Experience – Catch the new Port Lucaya XPERIENCE at Port Lucaya Market Place in Grand Bahama from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday through 10 June of this year, which will feature Bahamian cooking demonstrations, Junkanoo performances, local music, and more.
    The Walker’s Cay Invitational Fishing Competition Returns – The state-of-the-art Walker’s Cay Marina will host its second annual Walker’s Cay Invitational from 18 to 21 May, a tournament in which up to 45 boats will compete for the biggest catch.
    The Annual Backyard Festival Returns to Harbour Island – Locals and visitors are invited to attend the Annual Backyard Festival on 21 May, to be held on the historic Bay Steet in Harbour Island. Cultural festivities include Bahamian cuisine and a celebratory Junkanoo rushout.
    Coral Vita Now Open to the Public – The Earthshot Prize winning coral restoration farm Coral Vita is now open to the public. Starting at $15, visitors can book an interactive tour to learn more about the importance of ocean conservation. ADVERTISEMENTTropic Ocean Airways Partners with Wheels Up – Tropic Ocean Airways and Wheels Up are providing travellers with a larger selection of bookable flights from Fort Lauderdale to destinations across The Bahamas, including Nassau, Bimini and The Berry Islands.
    Western Air Launches New Daily Flights Between Fort Lauderdale and Nassau — Western Air will introduce a daily flight to Nassau from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, beginning 19 May 2022. Travellers can book now without facing any change fees.
    The Bahamas is considered the Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Island Destination 2021 by World Travel Awards.

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    US Travel calls for extension of REAL ID Act

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    US Travel calls for extension of REAL ID Act

    U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to delay the implementation of the REAL ID Act, which is set to take full effect one year from May 3, 2023:
    “U.S. Travel supports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s push to educate individuals on the need to acquire a REAL ID, but we also recognise that the pandemic created a significant hurdle to the widespread adoption of REAL ID. As we look ahead to next year’s deadline, it is clear that Americans will not be ready for full implementation.
    “We are calling on DHS to delay implementation or develop an alternative screening process for travelers with a legacy ID to ensure that air travelers and the industry’s recovery are not impeded. The delay should last until measures are in place to prevent a scenario in which travelers are turned away at airport security checkpoints.”

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    Successful season opening: TUI offering more holidays to Turkey

    TUI’s summer season has officially started in Turkey with around 180,000 guests flying into Turkey in April and May. TUI has grown its capacity for this summer and will bring over 1.5 million guests to Turkey from its 13 source markets in 2022. Around one million them will be holidaying across the resorts of Antalya and around 500,000 in the resorts of Izmir, Bodrum and Dalaman.
    Members of TUI’s Executive Committee met hundreds of Turkish hotel partners to discuss its plans to grow further its holiday programme across the destination for Summer 2023. It aims to bring significantly more customers to Turkey next summer, compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. TUI is also looking to focus on developing its winter programme and extending the season in Turkey.
    TUI also shared information on trends it is seeing amongst guests. It has seen guests upgrading their holiday, booking longer durations, room upgrades and activities as people have missed their breaks in the sun.
    “Over 90% of TUI’s capacity to Turkey is a package holiday, so our hotel partners are guaranteed beneficiaries when one of our flights land,” said David Burling, CEO Markets & Airlines, TUI Group. “We work with a thousand hotel partners across Turkey, who are key to our holiday strategy. We are in Turkey to meet our hotel partners face-to-face to discuss growing our capacity further and want to work together to bring even more holidaymakers here in 2023.”
    TUI has been operating holidays to Turkey for over 40 years and it offers over 12,000 flights to and from the destination from all its source markets – via its own TUI airlines or partner carriers.ADVERTISEMENT“We have seen strong demand for holidays to Turkey as customers are attracted by the mix of beaches and culture, as well as the great range of hotels and quality service. People want to travel after two years of pandemic, they are literally sitting on packed suitcases for spring and summer. Tourism will have a very good summer in 2022 and countries which were hit particularly hard by travel restrictions during the pandemic, will benefit from this. Things are looking very positive for hotels, for family businesses and for the many local partners who work with us to make guests’ holidays successful,” said Sebastian Ebel, TUI Group CFO, who joined the events held at the TUI BLUE SENSATORI Fethiye and at the Rixos Premium Belek.
    TUI also used the opportunity to present TUI BLUE Palm Garden in Antalya with their TUI Global Hotel Award. The hotel won the category for Best Hotel – TUI Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland.
    Based on customer feedback, the TUI Global Hotel Awards recognise hotels that have received outstandingly high satisfaction scores from TUI customers and have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability. The TUI Global Hotel Awards winners were announced a few weeks ago in a virtual ceremony, with local presentations happening to personally congratulate hotel partners.
    Two other hotels were also congratulated at the event for achieving fantastic feedback from TUI customers. Concorde de Luxe Resort in Antalya and Kirman Sidera Hotel Luxury & Spa in Antalya were shortlisted in the Top 5 for some categories.
    As a key destination to TUI’s growth strategy, TUI also named one of its newest aircraft Antalya. The official name-giving ceremony took place at Antalya airport at the beginning of the month, with World Champion gymnast, Ayşe Begüm Onbaşı selected as godmother of the aircraft.
    www.tuigroup.com

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    Royal Caribbean and World Wildlife Fund recommit to partnership

    Royal Caribbean Group announces its new commitment to the next phase of its ongoing partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for guidance and counsel in establishing bold environmental goals and sustainable business practices.
    “Healthy, sustainable oceans are paramount to our mission of delivering the best vacations responsibly,” said Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty. “Our partnership with WWF encapsulates our belief in continuous improvement and our commitment to advancing our environmental, social and governance (ESG) work. The support and assistance of WWF will be invaluable to realising this mission as we work to set and achieve our sustainability goals.”
    Royal Caribbean Group first partnered with WWF in 2016. Since then, WWF has advised Royal Caribbean Group to embed sustainability into the core of the company’s business and across the industry, promote responsible tourism in priority coastal destinations and help protect the oceans by investing in conservation programs globally. This included establishing bold 2020 sustainability goals that the company has met or exceeded, with the exception of the sustainable seafood sourcing target, which was impacted by global suspension of service from the pandemic.
    The next five years of the partnership will focus on setting ambitious, measurable sustainability targets around the reduction of carbon emissions, the sustainable growth and development of the business, sustainable commodity sourcing and tourism, the elimination of single-use plastics and waste management, among other areas.
    “Scale matters, particularly in the face of global challenges like climate change and ocean conservation. We’re grateful for the progress Royal Caribbean Group has made toward achieving its sustainability goals since 2016, and we’re energised by an ambition for even greater things to come,” said Carter Roberts, President and CEO of WWF-US. “Our work together is grounded in the reality that people everywhere – from local communities and Indigenous peoples to urban residents and tourists – rely on the ocean for food, livelihoods, and enrichment. We’re committed to doing everything possible to keep ocean ecosystems thriving for the benefit of all people, as well as the many other creatures for whom the ocean is their home.ADVERTISEMENTThis year, WWF and Royal Caribbean Group will work together to establish sustainability goals across three key areas of Ship, Sea and Shore:
    Ship — Continuous improvement of operational sustainability, including emissions, marine mammal protection, seafood sourcing, plastics reduction, and food waste.
    Sea — Investing in ocean health through targeted philanthropy; engaging with a global science-driven agenda and consumer-facing education and fundraising campaigns.
    Shore — Embedding principles of sustainable development in projects and increasing sustainability and certification of tour operators.
    Royal Caribbean Group will also continue to provide financial support to WWF’s global ocean conservation work through a $5 million philanthropic contribution and collaborate with WWF to build global awareness about ocean conservation issues among Royal Caribbean Group’s millions of guests.
    The renewal of the partnership with WWF builds on Royal Caribbean Group’s broader decarbonisation strategy, focused on establishing Science-Based Targets (SBT).

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    Memberful announces keynote participation at TravelCon 2022

    Memberful, a membership software that helps creators, entrepreneurs, podcasters, and educators create sustainable businesses, announces its keynote participation in this year’s TravelCon being held in Memphis, Tennessee.
    emberfulM has selected current customer and CEO of El Camino Travel, Katalina Mayorga, and Jen Matichuk, Strategic Partners Lead at Memberful to deliver Memberful’s keynote address. Together, Katalina Mayorga and Jen Matichuk will deliver first-hand insight into the power of membership.
    The keynote will delve into the ways membership can help creators establish a genuine connection with their audience while monetising their passion. Matichuk, who has been helping entrepreneurs launch membership programs for over two years, will show travel content creators how to improve their quality of life by implementing membership as a revenue stream. The audience will learn of the symbiotic relationship between Memberful and the travel industry and how the software enables creators to form authentic relationships while sustaining their passion for travel.
    “So many travel creators exchange their time for money, unaware of the resource that membership can be in their lifestyle. I’m eager to show them how to utilise Memberful to take control and ownership of their content,” said Jen Matichuk, Strategic Partnerships Lead at Memberful.
    Memberful is excited to offer globetrotting professionals the opportunity to acclimate to the current state of the travel media landscape with its best-in-class software. As TravelCon is the conference to improve one’s craft while learning about the latest advances in travel media, Katalina Mayorga and Jen Matichuk are enthusiastic about providing travel creators with a resource they will be pleased to embrace.ADVERTISEMENT

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    UNWTO members vote to suspend Russia

    Russia has been suspended from the UNWTO, following a vote by members of the General Assembly, and will lose its membership rights with immediate effect.
    Meeting for a first extraordinary UNWTO General Assembly, members debated the suspension of Russia from the organisation, as decided by the UNWTO Executive Council at its emergency meeting last month. The Russian delegation declined to step up and defend its position, and instead announced its withdrawal from UNWTO before the debate took place.
    The Assembly voted in favour of suspension, exceeding the two-third majority required. The decision is effective immediately, while voluntary withdrawal is only effective one year after a member submits an official communication through the appropriate channels.
    UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “UNWTO’s Members have sent a clear message: tourism is a pillar of peace and international friendship, and members of UNWTO must uphold these values or face consequences, with no exceptions. This emergency General Assembly shows that Russia’s actions are indefensible and contrary to the very principles of UNWTO and of international governance.”
    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the decision to quit the UNWTO would not affect the sector in Russia.ADVERTISEMENTHe said: “The tourism sector, especially domestic tourism, will continue its development. The external directions for tourism are also open, hinging on questions of competition in terms of quality and price.”
    Loss of rights and privilegesIn total, 99 countries were represented in Madrid. According to Article 3 of the Statutes, all Members commit to developing tourism with a “view to contributing to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity, and universal prospect for, and observance of, human rights”.
    The Russian Federation will not be able to exercise the rights or enjoy the privileges of UNWTO membership. This means it will not be able to receive services from the organisation, including technical assistance, nor will the Russian Federation be able to participate in any UNWTO meetings or events, be permitted to put forward any candidates to serve on UNWTO’s statutory bodies, or to vote in UNWTO elections or to propose a candidate to serve as Secretary-General.

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    Germany to kickstart tourism drive at ATM 2022

    The German National Tourist Board is set to return to Arabian Travel Market (ATM) next month by unveiling of two campaigns to the GCC market, which will run throughout 2022. Germany’s presence at ATM, which takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 9-12, will feature a strong focus on local culture and its various cities.
    Positioned in the Europe Hall at stand EU1235, GNTB’s participation will reinforce Germany’s efforts of enhancing sustainable travel and enjoy the support of six delegated partners: Baden-Baden Tourism Board, Breuninger, Frankfurt Tourism Board, Düsseldorf Tourism Board, Hotel Palace Berlin and visitBerlin.
    Positioning Germany as a leading cultural and environmental destination, the two campaigns span nature, sustainability, and traditional culture. In essence, each highlights Germany’s key objectives of promoting enjoyable, sustainable travel with a focus on diverse local culture accessible throughout the country.
    “We will be celebrating the Golden Jubilee of our long-standing friendships with the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman next month,” said Yamina Sofo, Director of Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office (GNTO), the regional office of GNTB. “Our relationship with the region has seen monumental growth as travellers from across the GCC have been exploring Germany’s vast itineraries for years. The appetite of GCC nationals to visit Germany’s cultural sites, national parks, and urban destinations remains undiminished, and we look forward to the continuous growth of our campaigns and regional appeal.”
    Baden-Baden Tourism is set to highlight its latest accomplishment of being awarded UNESCO world heritage status as part of the ‘Great Spa Towns of Europe’. Despite travel restrictions within the past couple of years, GCC visitors remains a top market in terms of arrival numbers for the area. And the same goes for Frankfurt, situated two hours further north.ADVERTISEMENT“The GCC market is one of the most important source markets for Frankfurt because of its central location in the heart of Germany, numerous excursion possibilities, an extensive range of shopping facilities, and a relaxed atmosphere,” added Leona Flach, Manager Tourism Marketing, Frankfurt Tourism Board. “Frankfurt is a multicultural metropolis that offers an ideal holiday destination for Arab travellers, and we are keen to further expand our network within the travel industry, as well as strengthen the image of Frankfurt as a travel destination.”
    With the GCC region being one of the top three overseas market for Breuninger, the leading European department store looks forward to welcoming GCC travellers back to the region to a world full of luxury and service. “We have been active in this market for several years and look forward to establishing and expanding business contacts in the market at ATM 2022.” Said Christian Witt Director Corporate Communications, E. Breuninger GmbH & Co. Berlin, meanwhile, is looking to the Arabian Travel Market as the perfect opportunity to grow its foothold in the Gulf.
    “We look forward to our contribution at ATM 2022,” Ralf Ostendorf, visitBerlin’s director market management and media relations, said. “With last year’s successful participation, we see the event as an ideal platform to communicate and engage with potential regional partners, as well as strengthen our existing relationships.”
    The Hotel Palace Berlin, the privately run luxury business hotel, will also be presenting more than 100 remodelled guest rooms as part of its renovation project. With the GCC region being a top priority for the hotel, ATM is an essential platform for the business, particularly prior to the summer holidays. “I am looking forward reconnecting with existing associates and to meet new potential partners in order to mutually benefit from each other” says Mr. Michael Frenzel, General Manager The Hotel Palace Berlin.
    Dimitri Belov, head of health marketing, Düsseldorf Tourism Board, added: “The GCC region is very important for Düsseldorf. Many of our guests from the Gulf visit the city during the summer break and are known to appreciate the luxurious infrastructure of the state capital. We are prepared for guests from the Middle East and our participation at ATM will stress that sentiment as we are expecting 20 per cent growth in arrivals from the region this year and hope to reach 100,000 overnight stays in 2023.”
    ATM this year will take a hybrid approach with an in-person four-day event at Dubai World Trade Centre from May 9-12, followed by virtual webinars and video meetings from May 17-18.
    GNTB will be hosting an official press conference during ATM at 1pm on May 9 at the Al Ain B on the first floor of Concourse 1 to provide further updates.

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    Aurora Expeditions appoints new CEO

    Aurora Expeditions has announced that Michael Heath will join the company, taking on the role of CEO effective June 1st.
    Heath, a highly respected executive with 25 years of broad and extensive international experience, has been CEO of Surf Hardware International since 2014 and previously held key leadership and top management positions for global active outdoor brands including O’Neill, Hurley and Nike. 
    “It is a privilege to take on the role at such an important time in the businesses’ history and lead Aurora into the future,” commented Heath.
    Having recently returned from his first trip to Antarctica, Heath continued “I have experienced first-hand the Aurora Expeditions difference and was incredibly impressed – not just by the awe of Antarctica, but by Aurora’s outstanding expedition experience and highly talented expedition team. I’m looking forward to joining the Aurora family, building on Aurora Expeditions’ pioneering heritage, actively pursuing growth with purpose and capturing the expanding opportunities ahead”.
    Voted ‘The World’s Leading Polar Operator’ at the 2020 World Travel Awards, Aurora Expeditions has been delivering life-changing expeditions to the most remote, unique, and biodiverse destinations on the planet for over 30 years. Aurora Expeditions recently celebrated a successful return to operations in Antarctica this year and Heath joins at a time when the business is well-positioned for continued growth, with a deep commitment to sustainable travel and the imminent debut of its second ship, the Sylvia Earle, due to launch in Antarctica in November 2022. ADVERTISEMENTThe company’s new ship, the Sylvia Earle, is named after renowned marine biologist, oceanographer and explorer Dr Sylvia Earle, with decks dedicated to Dr Earle and six other leading female conservationists: Dr Carden Wallace AM, Jo Ruxton, Sharon Kwok, Bernadette Demientieff, Hanli Prinsloo and Dr Asha de Vos.

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