Eliana Willis

OECD ministers have endorsed a new initiative to promote safe international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The initiative involves a safe travel blueprint and a temporary international cross-sectoral forum for knowledge sharing.
The forum will allow governments and stakeholders to share information in real time on plans and approaches facilitating travel.
The blueprint promotes greater certainty, safety and security in travel as reopening takes place.
It builds on existing initiatives and aims to increase interoperability among travel regimes.ADVERTISEMENTInternational air passenger transport dropped around 75 per cent in 2020 and international tourism fell by around 80 per cent.
For the average OECD country, pre-pandemic, international tourism contributed 4.4 per cent of GDP, 6.9 per cent of employment, and 21.5 per cent of service exports, but with much higher shares for some countries, including Greece, Iceland, Mexico, Portugal and Spain.
The halt in international travel and tourism is having a dramatic knock-on impact on the entire, interlinked global economy.
“The OECD is in a unique position to help countries coordinate international action in the context of reopening global travel,” said OECD secretary general, Angel Gurría, at a ministerial meeting in Paris.
“This initiative will help reduce uncertainty and complexity and enable countries to prepare more effectively for a return to safe international travel and tourism.” 
Without an international framework for travel policies, a patchwork of national and regional rules, inconsistent with each other, will continue to be confusing and costly for travellers and transport and tourism companies, discouraging travel due to the uncertainty and complexity.
It could also increase the incidence of use of fraudulent certificates and so undermine the ability of authorities to mitigate public health risks.
The blueprint is a flexible and voluntary set of guidelines not a legal text.
It consists of a traffic-light system to classify risks; guidance on how vaccination should be certified for travel to those countries that decide to take vaccination status into account; protocols for testing travellers in different circumstances; and principles to be followed in generating electronic certificates for travel that ensure privacy protection and security and promote interoperability among systems.
More Information
The full blueprint can be seen here.

Older
AHIC to return to Dubai in September

Newer
Saint Lucia loosens restrictions for vaccinated travellers More

The Competition & Markets Authority has said it will take Teletext Holidays to court if it fails to meet a new deadline for customer repayments.
The government body opened an investigation into the brand and its sister travel operator, Alpharooms, in February after receiving hundreds of complaints.
This showed that people were not receiving refunds they were owed within 14-days, as required by law, for package holidays cancelled by the company due to the pandemic.
On April 30th, the CMA informed Truly Holdings, the company that operates Teletext Holidays and Alpharooms, that it was preparing to take court action against the firm for over £7 million in outstanding refunds owed to its customers.
Truly Holdings has now signed formal commitments, known as undertakings, that ensure affected customers still owed a refund will get their money back.
This includes a repayment schedule that prioritises refunds to customers with the longest-standing claims.
Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said: “There’s no excuse for travel firms to delay refunding customers what they are legally owed, even in these extraordinary times.
“Companies should be doing the right thing without the threat of court action.ADVERTISEMENT“As a result of our work, customers who have waited many months for their money back from Teletext Holidays and Alpharooms will now receive a full refund.”
He added: “With international travel resuming and many people considering long awaited trips abroad, all package holiday firms must give refunds within 14 days where these are due, and should also provide clear cancellation information, so that no one else is unnecessarily put through this ordeal.”
Having carefully reviewed Truly Holdings financial information and how quickly it can realistically make the repayments, the CMA has accepted its commitment to pay back all customers owed refunds by August 31st the latest.
The timeframe that has been agreed balances the challenges experienced by the travel sector as a result of the pandemic with the need to get customers their money back in full as quickly as possible.
The company has also committed in its undertakings to refunding in full within 14 days any package holidays it cancels due to the Covid-19 pandemic going forward.
To ensure that the company adheres to its commitments, it has agreed to provide the CMA with regular reports on the progress of its repayments.
If the firm fails to repay customers according to the undertakings, the CMA said it was prepared to take it to court.
Rory Boland, Which? travel editor, welcomed the news.
He said: “It’s right that Teletext has finally committed to paying back the millions it owes in refunds, and as some customers have already waited many months, it must now do so without delay.
“If it fails to uphold this promise, the regulator should not hesitate to take strong action against the company.
“Other holiday companies should take this as a reminder that refunds for any cancellations from the past year, as well any future refunds, should be paid swiftly and within the legal time frame of 14 days.
“While there is still a chance of further disruption to travel, there can be no more excuses for the kind of lawbreaking on refunds we have seen over the course of the pandemic.”

Older
New Seoul property takes Luxury Collection into South Korea

Newer
IATA warns of border chaos over vaccine passports More

TUI Group has cancelled trips to a number of red and amber list destinations out of the UK until late next month.ADVERTISEMENTThe holiday giant will no longer be offering departures to Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Turkey, Egypt, Cape Verde, Morocco, Tunisia and Bulgaria until at least June 27th.
A statement explained: “We want to offer our customers flexibility and choice this summer, so where borders are open and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advice allows travel, we will operate to those destinations as planned.
“We are constantly reviewing our holiday programme and cancellations in line with the government updates every three weeks, with the next update due in early June.”
TUI said all customers impacted by the latest cancellations will be contacted directly and will be able to request a full cash refund, or to change to a later date or alternative holiday and receive a booking incentive.
“We would like to thank our customers for their understanding at this time,” the statement concluded.

Older
New research suggest vaccine tourism trend in United States

Newer
SMBC places new Boeing 737 Max order More

Insight Vacations has welcomed guests to the first USA trip since the pandemic – Enchanting Canyonlands – introducing the new role of the wellbeing director for the first time.
The group was made up of travellers from the domestic market discovering the natural parks and open spaces of their own country, such as the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Bryce and Zion National Parks.
With the USA typically accounting for over half of Insight Vacations’ UK business, the trip was an important step toward reopening.
The trip was Insight Vacations’ first with a wellbeing director in place, a new role that has been created by the Travel Corporation to provide an additional reassurance and logistical support around health and safety in a post-pandemic world.
At the same time, it allows the travel director to focus entirely on delivering a seamless guest experience.ADVERTISEMENTWellbeing director Carol Kendrick, who is also one of Insight Vacations’ most experienced travel directors, described it as “awesome” being back on the road and added: “Rules can vary from state to state, city to city and establishment to establishment, so it’s our responsibility to ensure that we know what’s required, and that guests know what to expect.
“Everything from porterage, to the way meals are served and how venues are operating can change daily.
“It’s these details that might seem small but can be confusing or contradictory, and we work behind the scenes to ensure that the guests don’t have to think about anything other than having a good time.”
Starting in Scottsdale, the seven-day Enchanting Canyonlands trip heads to the Grand Canyon – staying inside the national park itself and with dinner overlooking the South Rim – before travelling on through Monument Valley to Lake Powell, with accommodation in lake or marina rooms at the Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas.
Chris Townson, managing director, UK & Ireland for Insight Vacations, said: “Hearing from the fantastic Carol Kendrick in her role as wellbeing director really reiterates the value of travelling with an escorted touring operator like us, because we have both an on-the-road and an office-based team who are entirely dedicated to making the holiday experience as hassle-free and enjoyable as possible for our guests, who can just sit back and relax as we navigate the changing nuances for them.”

Older
Banyan Tree launches new property in Bali, Indonesia

Newer
Patel unveils plans for UK ESTA-style system More