Eliana Willis

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and major international industry bodies have joined forces to call for the immediate restoration of international travel using proven processes and without waiting for, or requiring, vaccinations.
WTTC has joined with Airports Council International (ACI), the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), to argue the world cannot wait for the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines.
Officials said they recognised that public health is paramount and welcome the recent roll out of the game changing vaccines, which in the long-term will play a major role in combating coronavirus and restoring international travel.
However, they must not be a requirement to travel as this will further delay the revival of the already ailing tourism sector, which needs to restart now to save millions of jobs and help restart the global economy.
Getting people back to work will also provide enormous health benefits to those around the world, whose livelihoods have been affected by the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.

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The safe opening of existing travel corridors such as London Heathrow–Dubai, with appropriate testing and hygiene protocols, demonstrates international travel can already take place at minimal and acceptable risk.
Together the bodies have identified four key measures which need to be implemented to restore international travel safely; globally recognised testing regimes before departure, common health and hygiene protocols that are aligned with globally-established standards set out by ICAO, a risk management regime and internationally consistent and recognised travel passes.
WTTC and the industry bodies warn against the introduction of so-called ‘health passports’ – as opposed to internationally-recognised travel passes currently being considered – which would only further delay the recovery.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC chief executive, said: “WTTC welcomes the incredible developments and hugely encouraging medical advances on COVID-19 vaccines which has seen the beginning of coronavirus vaccinations.
“The vaccines currently being rolled out are truly game-changers, and hopefully just the first of many which could transform the world, mark the beginning of our return to a more normal way of life and see the return of safe and confident international travel.
“Safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines will be critical to combatting Covid-19 and restoring confidence for people to interact with one another.
“However, it will take considerable time to vaccinate the world and for the vaccines to have a significant effect on the global population, and the global tourism sector simply cannot wait.
“Vaccination must not be a requirement to travel but should co-exist with testing regimes and be considered as a progressive enhancement to already safe travel.
“Governments must now demonstrate leadership by opening bilateral travel corridors on key international routes with countries that apply the same robust risk management processes.”
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Travel agents and tour operators have been worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic when compared to any other services sector, according to the ONS figures published today. More

On the Beach has reported total losses of £46 million for the year ended September 30th, as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to take a huge toll on the sector.
The UK-based tour operator saw profits of £19 million the previous year.
Total revenue fell 76 per cent to £38 million.
Simon Cooper, chief executive of On the Beach, commented: “There is no doubt that 2020 has significantly impacted the entire global travel industry and that the effects of the pandemic will have lasting impacts on the way the industry conducts business for many years to come.

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“I am pleased to have witnessed and experienced the professionalism and resilience of our team members in coping and dealing with the many challenges that Covid-19 has presented and I would like to thank them, on behalf of the board, for all of their hard work for our customers.”
He added: “On the Beach continues to successfully build a leading position as more consumers discover the ease of use and vast choice of beach holidays across our platforms.
“The flexibility and asset light nature of our business model together with our recently strengthened balance sheet and the actions we have taken since the middle of March means we are well placed to capitalise on the inevitable structural changes in the market post Covid-19.
“As a result, the board continues to look to the future with confidence.”
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Businesses across Scotland are set to benefit from a new £185 million package of targeted Covid-19 support.
The announcement follows discussions with business groups and sees a wide range of sectors benefiting, from taxi drivers and arts venues to travel agents and hospitality.
In addition, there will be additional one-off payments to hospitality businesses in January to help them deal with the traditional post-Christmas dip in demand.
These will be of £2,000 or £3,000, depending on rateable value.
The package was announced by finance secretary, Kate Forbes, who also said she had written to the treasury calling for Scotland to receive its share of rates relief reimbursed by supermarkets “to ensure this is spent on those areas hardest hit as part of Scotland’s recovery from Covid-19”.

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The move was welcomed by the industry, which argued it should be extended to include the whole UK.
An ABTA spokessperson said: “We are pleased to hear that the Scottish government has listened to our calls for financial support for the travel industry.
“Scottish travel businesses have been struggling since the start of the pandemic – the restrictions on travel meaning they are unable to generate income, so this news will come as a relief to many ABTA members.
“It is also a really important move in supporting the Scottish economy, recognising that the outbound travel industry contributes £2 billion every year to the economy of Scotland and the role travel will play in the country’s economic recovery.”
The spokesperson added: “While this is great news to travel businesses in Scotland, we know that many of our members across the UK are currently still struggling to access the much-needed funds to keep them afloat.
“We will continue to make the case for travel businesses across all the UK with the appropriate administrations.”
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TUI Group has reported a total loss of €3.1 billion for financial 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps across the world.
The figure was a huge decline on the profit of €532 million seen last year.
The travel giant saw revenue of €7.9 billion, down 58 per cent from the €18.9 billion reported in 2019.
However, TUI sought to put a brave face on the results, arguing the corner had been turned at that next summer was looking a lot brighter.
The company said average prices were up 14 per cent for next year, while bookings were three per cent higher than for summer 2019.
Demand for travel is also rising, TUI said, with 50 per cent of the programme for May next year already booked.
TUI Group chief executive, Fritz Joussen, said: “The pandemic is not over, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and the prospects for tourism and for TUI are good.

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“The demand for holiday travel is there – consumers in all age groups say that travelling is one of the most missed activities for them in the Corona year.
“Next year will be a transition year for tourism, and 2022 is expected to see a return to pre-Corona levels.
“In particular, the holiday sector will recover faster than the sector as a whole.”
The first five months of the 2020 financial year (October 2019 to February 2020) were very successful for TUI, with a record booking increase of 14 per cent in January.
In mid-March, the group had to completely discontinue all travel activities due to a series of worldwide travel warnings.
The tourism group was only able to generate revenue again when it was able to fly its first holiday guests to Majorca in mid-June in a pilot project and a limited resumption of operations from July onwards.
Greece was particularly strong as a holiday destination in 2020.
Joussen added: “The rapid measures to cut costs and secure liquidity are important for the group.
“They are a stable foundation for the future.
“TUI was in perfect health before the crisis and we want to return to our former strength as quickly as possible.
“The market is intact, our business model is future-proof and customer demand is there.”
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The UK government and the EU must agree a deal over Brexit to save and secure thousands of jobs, argues the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
WTTC, which represents the global tourism private sector, has urged the two sides to come together to find a way to reach a consensus for a post-Brexit trade deal as talks enter their eleventh hour.
The plea comes as UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, is due to meet in Brussels with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to try to break the logjam.
WTTC says tourism businesses in the UK and across Europe could be in jeopardy and put at risk thousands of businesses and the jobs of those who depend upon them if there was failure to secure a way forward.
Before the pandemic outbreak, WTTC had warned that 300,000 tourism jobs in the UK and almost 400,000 across the EU could be at risk if the UK left without a deal.

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With a no deal Brexit, access to markets and the ability of business travellers and holidaymakers to move freely between the UK and the EU could be lost, creating complexity, cost and confusion and impeding seamless travel.
Flight connectivity is a major issue, with a UK-EU deal needed to replace the Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement which allows UK airlines access to 27 EU states and 17 other countries, due to expire on December 31st.
While contingency measures are expected to enable flights to operate until a long-term deal can be reached, WTTC fears UK airlines could suffer if there is a no-deal Brexit.
Those already reliant upon traffic with Europe, are under huge pressure due to the impact of coronavirus travel restrictions, along with thousands of businesses throughout the tourism sector.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC president, said: “We urge the UK government and the EU to put the interests of the tourism sector, as well as the livelihoods of millions of people who depend upon it, at the forefront of their minds when considering the implications of a no-deal.
“This has been an incredibly difficult year for the whole global tourism sector, which has left many businesses decimated and put millions of jobs at risk.
“WTTC fears if a Brexit trade deal cannot be reached, it could compound the already difficult situation and be even more disruptive to the tourism sector both here in the UK and across Europe.”
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Alpine Elements has ceased trading, with ATOL publishing advice on the next steps for passengers booked to travel.
Around 1,000 trips are currently planned with the company, which is based in Wimbledon.
Also trading as Elements Services London, the company specialised in skiing and winter holiday tours to France, Greece and Austria.
However, following government guidance against foreign travel to some destinations and as a result of a number of flight cancellations, many consumers’ holidays were cancelled and, as a result, there are currently no consumers abroad on bookings with Alpine Elements.
In a statement, ATOL said: “We are aware of a number of consumers whose bookings have been cancelled by Alpine Elements as a result of government advice or flight cancellations.

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“Consumers that have accepted valid refund credit notes or are due refunds for the cancellation of their ATOL protected booking will be able to submit a claim to ATOL through our online portal.”
For ATOL protected consumers that are due to travel after December 8th, flight tickets may still be valid, but this must be confirmed with the airline.
If choosing to travel, consumers are advised they may be asked to pay again for replacement services of the original package holiday.
However, provided the services are covered by ATOL, they are entitled to submit a claim for a refund.
Replacement services may include accommodation, transfers or other services but consumers should confirm what was included in the package holiday on their ATOL certificate or booking documents.
If consumers choose not to travel or their flight tickets are not valid, they will be able to make a claim.
A spokesperson for ATOL said: “This is a particularly sad day for customers and employees of Alpine Elements, and we appreciate that those with bookings will be deeply concerned.
“However, the ATOL scheme exists for exactly this kind of situation and we are making arrangements so that all ATOL protected customers can make a claim, whether they are due to travel or accepted refund credit notes for cancelled bookings.”
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Discover Qatar has announced the launch of its very first expedition cruise series.
It will offer guests an experience travelling in luxury and comfort around the destination’s coastline.
The cruises, which are designed for seasoned and adventurous travellers, provide a unique opportunity to observe the largest gathering of the world’s largest living fish – the Whale Shark – in the Al Shaheen marine zone.
Whale Sharks, often referred to as ‘gentle giants’, are estimated to have existed for 60 million years.
They can live up to 100 years and grow up to 12 metres in length – about the size of a large school bus.

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Between the summer months of April and September, during their annual migration to the region, Whale Sharks are found feeding in groups of hundreds in the Al Shaheen marine zone within the Arabian Gulf, which lies 80 kilometres off the northern coast of Qatar.
The Discover Qatar expedition cruise will give passengers the privilege of accessing the Al Shaheen restricted marine zone – a diverse ecosystem of immense natural beauty – to witness the majesty of the Whale Shark gathering, as well as a unique coastal exploration adventure.
Discover Qatar is the destination management subsidiary of Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar is a unique setting for expedition cruises, and I am hugely excited to launch our first product in this area to show off our country’s beauty to the world.
“Qatar, with its abundance of rugged, untouched nature, surrounded by crystal waters and a unique biodiverse ecosystem, offers exciting adventures that allow visitors to connect with nature and visit areas of Qatar that are only accessible by the sea.
“Also, our guests will have the unparalleled opportunity to observe the biggest gathering of the world’s largest fish – the Whale Sharks.”
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