Eliana Willis

The government has published amended regulations that explicitly reference retail travel agents as businesses that are required to legally close in tier four areas within England.
Trade body ABTA argued the confirmation was a welcome step in ensuring agents in England are eligible for grant support under the localised restrictions support grants regime.
The previous exclusion of travel agents from the regulations had resulted in agents being denied much needed funding from local authorities under the scheme.
Following lobbying from ABTA, the devolved nations had already clarified that grants support for businesses in the highest levels of restrictions would be extended to retail travel agents, but the UK government had previously failed to provide this clarity for businesses in England.

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ABTA has been having ongoing discussions with officials in the government to argue that this approach must be matched in England.
Luke Petherbridge, ABTA director of public affairs, said: “Securing grant funding for travel businesses has been a key focus of ABTA’s work in recent months.
“The confirmation from the UK government today builds on actions by the devolved administrations on this matter and should bring an end to the postcode lottery of grants experienced by agents.
“We are pleased to see the government has listened to our calls for clarification and acted on it today.
“We also believe it should mean that travel agents are eligible for the retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses grants, although we are still awaiting the specific government guidance on this.”
All areas of England entered the revised tier four under the latest national lockdown.
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Virgin Holidays has become the latest travel firm to cancel holidays after new Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were imposed in part of the UK.
The tour operator said refunds would be offered to travellers due for departure before mid-February.
Rivals Tui Group, Jet2 and Thomas Cook have announced similar moves in recent days.
The recently relaunched Thomas Cook said it would call customers to offer refunds or rebooking.
Tui added it was “cancelling all holidays in line with international travel restrictions”.

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The travel giant added that customers due to depart from England, Scotland and Wales would be contacted to discuss options.
The company said that customers due to travel from an English airport before mid-February, or from a Scottish or Welsh airport up to January 31st, would not be able to do so.
In a statement, Virgin Holidays said: “In line with the new national lockdown restrictions we have reviewed the upcoming holiday schedule and will be cancelling all holidays up to and including February 14th.
“To simplify the options and to provide immediate peace of mind for customers whose holidays will no longer be going ahead, we are automatically providing a digital voucher for the value of their trip, redeemable up until September 30th, which they can use to rebook a holiday, departing any time before December 31st.”
Virgin added that customers “may also request a refund”.
However, the company has been criticised for failing to issues timely cash to passengers in the past.
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TUI Group has finalised a €1.8 billion financing package led by the German government as the company battles the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The deal, originally announced in early December, involves cash from the German Economic Support Fund (Wirtschaftsstabilisierungsfonds or the WSF), a syndicate of underwriting banks, Unifirm Limited, and the German state-owned development bank KfW.
Fritz Joussen, chief executive of TUI, said of the deal: “Before the Covid-19 pandemic, TUI was a very healthy company.
“The market is intact; the demand is there.
“But we have not been able to generate any significant revenues since March.

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“Our integrated business model allows us to react very flexibly to short-term changes in the pandemic situation, just as we successfully ramped up our travel programme for a few weeks in July after the first wave.
“People want to travel; tourism remains a growth industry and an important sector for stabilising the southern euro area.”
The package consists of silent participations of the WSF, a further credit line of the KfW, guarantees and a capital increase with subscription rights.
The Mordashov family, owners of Unifirm, have made a long-term strategic investment in TUI and has agreed to participate in the capital increase with its company.
Joussen added: “The financial package provides the security to look consistently ahead and to prepare the group strategically and structurally for the time after the pandemic.”
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The president of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) has predicted the Caribbean will see a return of tourism to the region “faster than many parts of the world.
Pablo Torres said this was thanks to the protocols and partnerships implemented throughout the region to help lessen the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Averring 2021 would be a year of recovery, Torres declared: “Tourism is our key to recovery, to restoring the livelihood of thousands of employees in our industry, to reopening our doors, and welcoming our guests.”
In addition to replenishing tax revenues to cash-strapped governments, Torres noted that a tourism revival would refresh and renew “the minds, bodies and spirits of millions of travellers who will discover that the Caribbean is the best place on earth to recover from the ravage of this pandemic”.
Describing Covid-19 as an unprecedented challenge, he applauded the Caribbean’s rapid response to the pandemic, which helped to contain the spread of the virus more effectively than many other parts of the world.

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He saluted the “countless health heroes” whose dedication and sacrifices had averted a great deal of human suffering and have helped to set the stage for the economic recovery the region will be experiencing in the coming months.
Torres commended not only health care professionals but also front- and back-of- house workers across many industries, including tourism, airports and airline personnel, immigration and customs officers, and ground transportation workers: ”You have led by example, providing exemplary services while adhering to essential health safety protocols. We are all in debt to your service.”
From territory- and country-specific Covid-19 testing requirements and stringent cleaning and sanitisation protocols in place at accommodations providers to social distancing and face mask policies and rules limiting capacity at restaurants and other gathering places, Torres noted that the Caribbean hospitality sector has gone to great lengths to protect and ensure the health and safety of both residents and visitors.
Recalling that the Caribbean and its tourism sector has weathered many crises over the years and has always rebounded, Torres described 2020 as a year when CHTA members were challenged to do more with less, including significant revenue shortfalls.
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