Eliana Willis

American Express Global Business Travel has acquired Ovation Travel Group.
The purchase includes all Ovation Travel Group brands, including Lawyers Travel. 
Ovation Travel Group clients and travellers will continue to receive the outstanding, high-touch service for which the business and its people have become so renowned over the last 36 years.
They will now also have access to the global reach, technology and expertise that comes with the powerful backing of American Express GBT (GBT).
Paul Abbott, GBT chief executive, said: “Since 1984, Ovation Travel Group has built a well-deserved reputation for providing leading travel management services to professional enterprises.
“In addition to the personalized service to which their clients and travellers have become accustomed, there will be new benefits that come with being part of the GBT family.

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“These include access to GBT’s proprietary technology platform and Supply MarketPlace, as well as our industry-leading products, data privacy, cyber security, and environment, social and governance standards.”
Ovation Travel Group and its employees will become a division of GBT’s Global Customer Partnerships organisation, led by the same management team. 
Paul Metselaar, Ovation Travel Group chief executive, said: “Extraordinary people and a culture of excellence have served as a solid foundation for providing our valued clients and travellers with a truly high-touch, personalised experience.
“These intrinsic qualities have enabled us to earn their business as their trusted travel partner for more than three decades.”
The existing Ovation Travel Group brands will remain in place.
The terms of acquisition will remain undisclosed.
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Master developer Nakheel hosted a company-wide Covid-19 vaccination drive for employees and their families.
The effort is part of a commitment to prioritise staff wellbeing and safeguard public health.
More than 1,200 staff and family members signed up for the scheme, with 150 people receiving the inoculation every hour.
Kieran Scott, executive director, Nakheel Human Resources, said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our workforce is always our priority.

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“Our Covid-19 vaccination drive was open to all staff and their relatives, highlighting our commitment to putting employees first, and to supporting the tireless efforts of the UAE government in rolling out the vaccine across the country.”
Nakheel – which is the master developer of the Palm Jumeirah and other mega projects in Dubai – partnered with Tamouh Healthcare for the event, with 14 medical staff administering the Sinopharm vaccine.
Fahmi Omar, a general manager at Nakheel and one of the first to register for the vaccine, said: “I believe that we must all support the overall directives of the UAE.
“Getting vaccinated is a key element in the fight against Covid-19.”
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Jamaica tourism minister, Edmund Bartlett, has welcomed the opening of the first satellite centre for the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC).
Situated in Kenya, it will be located at the Kenyatta University.
“The establishment of this satellite centre at the Kenyatta University will expand the global reach of the Global Resilience Centre,” explained Bartlett.
“I am particularly excited as it will be a critical asset in enhancing tourism resilience and sustainability among east African destinations.”
Additionally, the Kenya satellite centre will be a focal point for developing, coordinating and supporting resilience-building and response efforts, Bartlett explained.
The centre was opened alongside Lloyd Waller, the executive director of the GTRCMC.
He added: “The eastern Africa satellite Centre itself forms part of a wider global network of centres around the world that collectively function as a global think tank to tackle global and regional challenges to the tourism sector through the sharing of information.
“Already, our joint efforts regarding tourism recovery have demonstrated the utility of such an approach to tourism resilience.”

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Established in 2017 and housed at the University of the West Indies, the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre has a mission to assist global tourism destinations with destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises.
It is focused on those incidents that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally.
The GTRCMC has offices in the Caribbean, Africa, and the Mediterranean and affiliates in over 42 countries.
Bartlett also highlighted: “Tourism in east Africa is now in a better position to bounce back quickly after disruptive events.
“The need for tourism resilience has become more critical as threats become more common and the GTRCMC eastern office presence will further enhance the capacity of the tourism sector across 16 African countries.
“Ultimately, this centre will become a key catalyst for sustainable tourism development and ensure that global tourism can adapt and respond to the uncertainties of its internal and external environment.”
The satellite centre will focus on regional issues and will share information with the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre.
It will then function as a think tank to develop possible solutions.
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Contiki has introduced Detour, a new series of 18 locally hosted, short break adventures to its range of 2021/22 worldwide trips.
In a recent survey of its UK youth audience, over 90 per cent of respondents cited unique experiences as something they wanted to do to make their 2021 holiday count, following a year of ongoing lockdown and travel restrictions.
The same survey also showed over 40 per cent saying the biggest lesson they have learnt from the pandemic is to appreciate travel more.
Detour Mini Adventures by Contiki is a new travel style comprising small group, immersive breaks, often with an opportunity to learn something new.
The trips will bring together an average of just eight people and have one of a range of themes, from active and adventure to foodie and wellness.

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Each one is hosted by a local who will invite travellers into their lives or homes and share their passions, allowing them to ‘detour’ beyond the ordinary.
Donna Jeavons, sales and marketing director for Contiki UK & Europe, said: “This new range of mini adventures is all about travel that connects you, teaches you and changes you, and it’s another example of Contiki innovating to anticipate and meet the needs of our diverse millennial and Gen Z audiences.
“Called Detour as it is designed to be a ‘detour’ from the ordinary, it’s immersive travel at its very best as each one is hosted by a local and has been carefully curated to showcase a different side to the destination, one that appeals to different passions or interests from food to photography, or wine to wellness.”
There are 18 new worldwide Detour trips, bringing to life some of the unique experiences available in Austria, Botswana, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Italy, Morocco, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Uganda.
The short breaks have been created to form easy add-ons to some of Contiki’s longer holidays, enabling travellers to combine the epic with the immersive, and extend their stay in destination, as well as being a great alternative to individual day tours.
There are also a number of new short domestic breaks in the UK, aimed at Brits who want to explore on their own doorstep, in the hands of a local.
Some 71 per cent of its surveyed UK audience said they are making more plans to travel domestically in 2021 with 38 per cent of these respondents naming Scotland as a destination they planned to visit, and almost 15 per cent wanting to experience the English National Parks such as the Lake and Peak Districts.
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The Pacific Asia Travel Association has predicted, that even in the base case scenario, visitor numbers to the region will still be below 2019 levels in two years’ time.
The finds are included in the just-released Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2021-2023 report.
The document includes three growth prospects for international visitor arrivals into and across the 39 Asia Pacific destinations between 2021-2023 and cover mild, medium and severe scenarios.
The report shows that even under a mild scenario, the Asia Pacific region in 2023 is likely to still have around four per cent fewer arrivals compared to 2019.
The medium scenario suggests that foreign visitor numbers in 2023 could be only three-quarters of the 2019 volume, while under the severe scenario, that proportion is predicted to reach less than half of the 2019 volume of international arrivals.
The results are very uneven as well, not just under each scenario but also for the major destination regions of Asia Pacific.
The Americas for example, after reaching a total of 45.36 million foreign arrivals in 2020 into the four destinations covered by this region, is unlikely to see any annual increase in international visitors until 2022.
Calendar year 2021 in particular, is projected to be another difficult year for the Americas.
A further annual decline in foreign arrival numbers is expected, with annual losses ranging from 3.59 million to as much as almost 23.76 million, depending upon the scenario conditions at the time.

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Visitors into and across Asia on the other hand, are expected to show an increase in 2021 over the 70.64 million received in 2020, but only under the mild scenario.
From 2022 onwards however, annual increases are forecast to gradually improve in volume under each of the three scenarios.
The only differing characteristic is the volume of the annual increase in each case.
PATA chief executive, Mario Hardy, explained: “While growth in international visitor arrivals into and across Asia Pacific remains difficult in 2021, there are promising signs for 2022 and 2023.
“A return to near pre-Covid-19 levels of arrivals, while possible by 2023, appears now to be feasible, at least if conditions as they are now, abate quickly and permanently.
“Much however, will depend on events during this present northern winter and the arrival and management of the more traditional flu season.”
He added: “Given the speed with which conditions can change, the PATA forecast report this year does not have the same destination-specific detail as previously published in the past, but rather focuses on regions and sub-regions.
“They are however more flexible as they will be updated twice over the coming 12 months, to factor in developments, as and when they occur.”
The Pacific is expected to be in a similar position as the Americas in 2021, with visitors falling from the 5.85 million received in 2020 under each of the three scenarios.
While that decrease may be relatively minor under the mild scenario, it could still represent a contraction of almost five million visitors under the severe scenario.
Calendar years 2022 and 2023 however, show some return to annual growth under each of the scenarios.
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Saga will require cruise and holiday customers travelling in 2021 to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the company has confirmed.
Potential customers must have received both shots of a vaccine at least 14 days before departure.
A spokesperson said: “The health and safety of our customers has always been our number one priority at Saga, so we have taken the decision to require everyone travelling with us to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
“Our customers want the reassurance of the vaccine and to know others travelling with them will be vaccinated too.
“To allow our customers time to get vaccinated, we are moving the restart date for our travel businesses to May.

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“Our new vaccination policy will be in addition to the detailed arrangements we have already put in place for when cruises and other holidays restart.”
The British government is currently hoping to offer everybody over the age of 50 at least one shot of vaccine by the end of April, with the second to follow within two weeks.
Currently, Saga hopes to return to service with Spirit of Adventure’s inaugural voyage continuing as planned on May 4th, with Spirit of Discovery to return on June 2nd.
The Saga holidays programme will begin on May 1st with hotel stays, escorted tours and river cruises.
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WTTC forecasts return of 100m tourism jobs in 2021

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More than 100 million jobs could return to the global tourism sector during 2021, as the world recovers from the crippling Covid-19 pandemic.
That is according to the latest research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
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.
The revival is backed by the latest economic forecasts from the WTTC, which give further hope for the year ahead to businesses and millions of people employed in the sector worldwide.
Last year, during the height of the pandemic, WTTC warned 174 million global tourism jobs were at risk.

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However, in its latest analysis, the body’s most optimistic scenario predicts as many as 111 million jobs could be revived – but this would still be 17 per cent below 2019 figures, accounting for 54 million fewer jobs.
This best-case scenario, with travel recovery starting from late March, factors in widespread vaccination programmes and a swift adoption of comprehensive test-and-trace regimes, together with continual, strong international coordination from the private and public sectors.
However, the forecast’s more conservative outcome would still see a return of 84 million jobs, but this would be 25 per cent below 2019 levels, with 82 million fewer jobs recovered.
Under this scenario, the recovery of international travel is pushed to the second half of 2021.
Vaccines would be rolled out more gradually, slowing down the removal of worldwide travel barriers and restrictions currently in place, while depressing demand to travel and reducing consumer confidence.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC chief executive, said: “We are looking forward to a strong summer of travel, thanks to a combination of mask wearing, the global vaccination rollout and testing on departure unlocking the door to international travel once more.
“Our latest research supports this and shows there is definitely hope on the horizon for the global tourism sector in the year ahead, with the possible recovery of up to 111 million jobs.”
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