Eliana Willis

Those working in the travel industry are gaining a new way to develop their careers, thanks to the launch of Progressive Travel Training (PTT).
Spearheaded by three experts in training and recruitment, Fi Morrison-Arnthal, Tony Macdonald and James Roberts, PTT is evolving the way agents and other industry professionals learn, and tourism businesses develop their staff.
Initially, PTT is offering agents a programme of 12 highly affordable and effective e-learning courses, authored by travel’s leading experts in their respective fields, and created to elevate the industry from within.
Three of the modules are available for free, including an important stress management course – a valuable asset to travel professionals, who have been working under such tough conditions during the pandemic.
Delivered in easy to consume, bite-sized chunks, accessible anywhere with a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection, and allowing professionals to visit and return to the learning at any time, the flexible training has been created specifically for the travel industry. ADVERTISEMENTPaid courses start from as little as £30, making them affordable to all.
By providing training that is either free or 90 per cent cheaper than traditional one-day courses, PTT’s founding vision is that travel professionals who might now be responsible for their own learning costs after being made redundant or going self-employed during the pandemic are still able to pursue their career development, and that employers who want to invest in their teams but have faced tough trading conditions over the last 12 months can still do so. 
The e-learning modules have been co-authored by senior travel industry experts and Progressive Travel Training co-founder, Fi Morrison-Arnthal.
Her extensive experience managing frontline agents, leadership in training and care for the sector make Morrison-Arnthal uniquely qualified to lead the design and delivery of online educational content that those working in travel really need to succeed and thrive in their careers.
She said: “It’s apparent that formal training and in-house trainers are a luxury many travel businesses and agents cannot currently afford and, while there is plenty of online training available covering destinations, product and GDS skills, travel industry employees are frustrated about the limited soft skills available.
“We have launched Progressive Travel Training to address that need, and to give back to the industry we love – sharing everything we know with a community that is ready to progress and come back post-Covid-19 thriving.”

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ABTA has called on the government to provide additional funding to travel agents following the shock decision to remove Portugal from the list of safe travel destinations.
The move effectively closes the outbound travel market from the UK for at least the next three weeks, leaving many agents nursing substantial losses.
ABTA chief executive, Mark Tanzer, said: “It is clear that the government’s domestic health strategy is continuing to prevent any meaningful resumption of international travel.
“You can’t build the recovery of a multi-billion-pound sector while mass market holiday destinations remain off the green list.
“The removal of Portugal comes on the back on what was already a very short and cautious green list.”ADVERTISEMENTHe added: “Travel agents and tour operators haven’t been able to generate income since the start of the pandemic and have been depending on the return of international travel to help bring in some much-needed relief.
“The government now needs to come forward with tailored financial support for the sector, which recognises that the travel industry’s recovery will be slower than that in other sectors of the economy, and takes account of the unique challenges businesses in the sector are facing.
“Travel companies are desperately worried that at a time when the market hasn’t opened up, they will shortly face increased furlough and business rates costs, with support being gradually withdrawn from the end of this month.
“It’s vital that the government doesn’t leave these businesses behind as it focuses on the domestic unlocking.”
With the next update to the green, amber and red travel lists expected toward the end of the month, ABTA argued for a large-scale reopening of borders.
Tanzer continued: “We need to see the government use the next review of the traffic-light system, on June 28th, to deliver meaningful progress towards restart.
“Ministers must use that review to finally take the steps needed to capitalise on the great progress of the vaccine rollout in the UK.
“For example, many countries have chosen to exempt fully vaccinated individuals from certain travel requirements.
“The government should also treat islands separately in the traffic light system and take steps to further reduce the cost of testing.”

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Hays Travel has acquired Explorer Travel, a homeworking franchise company.
For Hays, the new acquisition is an ideal fit with its homeworking model which has seen many individuals with good ideas progress to become successful independent businesses as part of the Hays Travel Independence Group.
Some 70 franchisees will join the Hays Travel Group from today.
Owner Steve Wood is leaving the travel industry to pursue other interests but wanted to see the business he created in good hands, so approached Hays Travel and discussions began a few weeks ago.
Hays Travel currently has over 350 colleagues working in its home working division.ADVERTISEMENTThe Explorer franchise model provides an excellent stepping stone between the traditional homeworking model and an Independence Group Member.
Dame Irene Hays, owner of Hays Travel, said: “John and I always thought Explorer was a great business and I was delighted when Steve approach me once he decided to leave travel to do other things.
“We have had a very good first meeting with the franchisees and we’re looking forward to helping them grow their businesses and to recruiting more people into our latest franchise model in due course.”

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Tourism arrivals limp through first quarter

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International tourist arrivals were down 83 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 as widespread travel restrictions remained in place.
However, the UNWTO Confidence Index shows signs of a slow uptick in optimism.
Between January and March destinations around the world welcomed 180 million fewer international arrivals compared to the first quarter of last year.
Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the lowest levels of activity with a 94 per cent drop in international arrivals over the three-month period.
Europe recorded the second largest decline, down 83 per cent, followed by Africa (down 81 per cent), the Middle East (down 78 per cent) and the Americas (down 71 per cent).ADVERTISEMENTThis all follows on from the 73 per cent fall in worldwide international tourist arrivals recorded in 2020, making it the worst year on record for the sector.
UNWTO secretary general, Zurab Pololikashvili, commented: “There is significant pent-up demand, and we see confidence slowly returning.
“Vaccinations will be key for recovery, but we must improve coordination and communication while making testing easier and more affordable if we want to see a rebound for the summer season in the northern hemisphere.”
The latest survey of the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts shows prospects for the May-August period improving slightly.
Alongside this, the pace of the vaccination rollout in some key source markets as well as policies to restart tourism safely, most notably the EU Digital Green Certificate, have boosted hopes for a rebound in some of these markets.
Overall, 60 per cent expect a rebound in international tourism only in 2022, up from 50 per cent in the January survey.
The remaining 40 per cent see a potential rebound in 2021, though this is down slightly from the percentage in January.

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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.

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The Riu family has taken complete ownership of the Riu Hotels & Resorts brand in a deal with TUI Group.
The holiday giant had held 49 per cent of the company, but has sold its share for €670 million as it looks to reduce debts built up during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Riu Hotels & Resorts has a portfolio of 19 hotels, with two properties in development.
Riu and TUI continue to have a 50:50 joint venture, with 100 hotels and resorts worldwide.
This joint venture will continue to manage and distribute all Riu hotels – including the 21 properties that will be fully owned by the Riu family.ADVERTISEMENTTUI said the sale means it is “strengthening its core business with holiday experiences”.
“The group intends to grow primarily with its international hotel brands Tui Blue, Riu, Robinson, Tui Magic Life and the management of these hotels, but in doing so will tie up less capital in land and its own real estate in the future,” added a statement.
The international Riu chain was founded in Mallorca in 1953 as a small holiday firm and is still owned by the family.
Cancellations
Also today, TUI has cancelled more trips because of “ongoing uncertainty” around travel restrictions.
Holidays to Aruba, Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, Jamaica and Tanzania have but cut until June 13th.
Trips to Greece, including Crete, Halkidiki, Kefalonia, Preveza, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Thassos and Zante, as well as Spanish destinations including Formentera, Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and La Palma, have also been suspended.
Finally, Tui Lakes & Mountains holidays are cancelled up to and including the same date.
The news comes in addition to a raft of cancellations announced earlier this week.

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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.”

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The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has opened its first regional office for the Middle East.
At a ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, UNWTO secretary general, Zurab Pololikashvili, was joined by Saudi minister of tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb, to officially open the office.
They were also joined by tourism ministers from across both Middle East and from every other global region, as well as by leaders from the private sector.
The first UNWTO regional office will be a centre of conversation, debate and decision-making and bring hope to many people across the region allowing them to enjoy the social and economic benefits only tourism can deliver.
The new office will serve as a hub for UNWTO to coordinate policy and initiatives across its 13 member states in the region.
Pololikashvili said: “The first UNWTO regional office will be a centre of conversation, debate and decision-making and bring hope to many people across the region allowing them to enjoy the social and economic benefits only tourism can deliver. ADVERTISEMENT“Work on the office began after the start of the pandemic, proof of our determination and the strong support of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The UNWTO also contributed expert insights to the tourism recovery summit, organised by the Saudi ministry of tourism and held against the backdrop of the regional office opening.
Al Khateeb added: “We are thrilled to host the new Regional Office in Saudi Arabia.
“This demonstrates our commitment to working with our partners at the UNWTO to develop a strong industry based on the principles of sustainability and opportunities for all, across the region and globally.”

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