organisations-operators

Subterms

    More stories

    • 100 Shares109 Views

      in organisations-operators

      PATA calls for greater cooperation in Covid-19 recovery

      by

      The Pacific Asia Travel Association is calling upon all industry stakeholders from both the public and private sector to work more closely together towards the recovery of the travel and tourism industry.
      “Covid-19 is the greatest single crisis in the history of travel and tourism.
      “Now, more than ever, the industry needs to work together to provide a coordinated, unified and transparent path forward towards recovery.
      “A fractured approach will leave our industry forfeiting many issues to health and security authorities, and the implications can be disastrous,” said PATA chief executive, Mario Hardy
      He added: “While the current pandemic is first and foremost a public health issue, we must engage stakeholders across all industries and highlight the importance of travel and tourism’s economic contributions to destinations, communities and people, as well as its close links to trade and community development.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      “We must also acknowledge our environmental and social responsibilities, commit to sustainable practices and support every practical measure that seeks to reduce the effects of climate change, while contributing valid and pertinent ideas and activities to assist in the rapid, robust, and responsible renewal of the travel and tourism Industry.”
      Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, PATA has been in regular discussions with various industry organisations, partners and associations to work towards this the goal.
      One such result of these discussions had been the launch of the expanded PATA Crisis Resource Centre, created with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
      Through consultation with other potential partners, PATA hopes to add further resources that will be useful to organisations as they deal with the current situation.
      The expanded CRC provides action-oriented interactive multimedia content that is focused on crisis preparedness, management, and recovery for destinations and other tourism enterprises across the Asia Pacific.
      The various public tools available on the site, including the recovery planner, crisis communication kits, and case studies, provide a unified resource for both public and private industry stakeholders to work together in a more coordinated manner.
      More Information
      For more information about the recovery planner and recovery toolkits available on the Crisis Resource Centre, join destination marketing and crisis management expert Damian Cook for a PATA webinar on ‘Travel Restart: Policy vs Reality’ on Thursday, August 13th at 3:00 PM ICT.
      The webinar will examine if the industry has created a genuinely enabling environment for travel to reopen that will work for both travellers and the trade, or has it simply been a process dictated by policy or strategy.
      Register for the webinar here.
      Older
      Pavilions Hotels signs new property in the Philippines

      Newer
      Dubai to reopen events sector as tourists return More

    • 100 Shares149 Views

      in organisations-operators

      Covid-19 pushes Disney into loss for second quarter

      by

      Entertainment giant Disney lost $4.7 billion (£3.6 billion) in the three months to June, as the virus forced it to close theme parks and delay film releases and production.
      The figure is a sharp fall from the nearly $1.8 billion profit the company reported in the same period last year.
      Disney said the pandemic was largely responsible for a $3 billion hit to its operating income.
      In turn, this was mostly due to the disruption to its theme parks, where revenues plunged 85 per cent compared to 2019, chief financial officer Christine McCarthy said.
      Overall revenue fell 42 per cent compared with last year to $11.8 billion.
      The company said in a statement to markets: “The impact of Covid-19 and measures to prevent its spread are affecting our segments in a number of ways, most significantly at parks, experiences and products where we closed our theme parks and retail stores, some of which have now re-opened, suspended cruise ship sailings and guided tours and have seen an adverse impact on our merchandise licensing business.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      “Lower operating results for the quarter were due to decreases at both the domestic and international parks and experiences businesses and to a lesser extent, at our merchandise licensing and retail businesses.”
      Disney said its domestic parks and resorts, cruise line business and Disneyland Paris were all closed for all of the three months to June.
      Parks in Asia were closed for a portion of the quarter, with Shanghai Disney Resort re-opening in May and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort following in late June.
      However, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort closed again in July.
      Older
      Accor reopens hotels as Covid-19 peak passes

      Newer
      Pavilions Hotels signs new property in the Philippines More

    • 125 Shares129 Views

      in organisations-operators

      WTTC warns of huge job losses in UK tourism sector

      by

      Nearly three million jobs in the UK look set to be lost due to the collapse of travel, according to deeply pessimistic figures from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
      Somewhat implausibly, this accounts for virtually every job in the sector across the country.
      WTTC economic modelling conducted less than two months ago predicted this ‘worst case scenario’ would occur if barriers to global travel, such as quarantine measures and blanket travel restrictions, were to remain in place.
      While some travel bans have been removed, many others remain, with new restrictions likely to come into force to tackle the continuing threat posed by Covid-19 and possible second spikes.
      However, the confusing patchwork of bans, quarantines and uncoordinated international testing and tracing measures, have deterred many people from travelling at all with the peak summer 2020 travel season “all but being wiped out”.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      WTTC estimates the UK now looks close to losing a staggering $186 billion from the tourism sector’s contribution to UK GDP, equating to a 73 per cent percent drop compared with 2019.
      Gloria Guevara, WTTC chief executive, said: “It’s heart-breaking to see our worst fears for the UK and global tourism sector coming true.
      “The jobs and livelihoods of millions of people who work throughout the sector are disappearing by the day, despite our warning this could happen.
      “While we acknowledge the UK government’s efforts to support tourism during this crisis, the UK alone looks set to lose three million jobs in the sector, creating an economic black hole of US$186 billion in the country’s finances.
      “This is due to an international failure to implement proper coordination to combat the pandemic.”
      Context
      In contrast to the scenario presented by WTTC, figures from the Office for National Statistic state the unemployment rate in the UK is currently 3.9 per cent.
      A total of 1.3 million people are currently out of work in the UK – across all sectors.
      While this figure is set to rise as the government tapers the coronavirus job retention scheme, unemployment has some way to go before it reaches levels predicted by the WTTC.
      In a sign the worst may also be past, easyJet yesterday said it was increasing the number of flights it would offer this month by a quarter as demand rebounds.
      Older
      UK government criticised for quarantine decision-making

      Newer
      Accor reopens hotels as Covid-19 peak passes More

    • 88 Shares169 Views

      in organisations-operators

      Hays Travel to consult on job losses

      by

      Hays Travel has begun consultation on as many as 878 job losses as the tourism sector continues to battle the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.
      The company, which took on 2,000 former Thomas Cook employees when it went bust in October last year, currently had around 4,500 employees.
      However, cuts are now likely following a government decision to reimpose quarantine procedures for travellers returning from Spain.
      Owners John and Irene Hays said the restrictions meant hundreds of thousands of holidays had been cancelled.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      They were “devastated” staff would lose jobs “through no fault of their own,” the couple said.
      In a joint statement, the Hays said they had “made every possible effort” to protect the jobs of all the staff, “including those who were employed when Hays Travel took on the Thomas Cook shops last October”.
      The Sunderland-based company said it was now consulting with 344 staff training as travel consultants and the 534 who work in the foreign exchange division.
      The firm said its experienced travel sales staff, apprentices and other head office staff were not affected by the cuts.
      Hays Travel said it had a two-year turnaround plan in place, and that although 2020 “looked really bad,” bookings for 2021 were already up on the same period in 2019.
      Older
      P&O Cruises delays arrival of new ship Iona

      Newer
      Wizz Air calls for end to airport slot use waiver More

    • 113 Shares129 Views

      in organisations-operators

      ABTA seeks to simplify FCO guidance with new website

      by

      ABTA has introduced two new resources to help members understand the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and guide them through what to expect from their holidays.
      The move comes as the landscape regarding country access and restrictions looks set to remain complex for the immediate future.
      To help members navigate the travel advice revisions for British travellers, ABTA has created a new FCO exempt countries guide which illustrates the various mandatory Covid-19 entry requirements, health checks, and quarantine rules for the countries that are exempt from the global advisory against all but essential travel.
      Designed as an easy-to-digest snapshot of the current travel landscape, the guide details the FCO exempt countries in alphabetical order, uses six different icons to illustrate the mandatory destination entry restrictions and sets out whether travellers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempt from quarantine on their return to the UK.
      The six icons indicate whether British nationals are currently permitted to enter that country, whether a negative Covid-19 test is required on entry, what quarantine rules and booking information are required on arrival, any transit rules regarding connecting flights, and other restrictions to consider such the rules regarding face coverings and closed borders between neighbouring countries.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      Angela Hills, ABTA head of destinations, said: “In these unique circumstances, it’s important that we continue to support our Members with the required resources to guide them and their customers through the changing travel experience.
      “The varying rules, regulations and restrictions for overseas destinations can seem quite complicated, and we hope that these new tools will help our members to answer questions from customers so they can book with confidence and look forward to their holidays.”
      The guide is complemented by a new customer information leaflet – entitled “Get ready for travel: customer tips and information for going on holiday or travelling abroad” – which provides handy tips and considerations for anyone who is preparing to travel overseas for either business or leisure, from the research stage through to their return to the UK.
      Hosted on the consumer advice page on ABTA’s website, the leaflet includes the importance of reading the FCO’s travel advice pages for their intended destination for the latest Covid-19 related requirements, as well as taking out comprehensive travel insurance and checking that their passport will be valid for their travel dates.
      Other new considerations include packing a sufficient supply of face coverings and hand sanitiser for the trip, researching any changes to check-in procedures, meal services onboard flights or new measures in the airport terminal, as well as being aware of local policies regarding social distancing or face coverings once on holiday.
      For their return to the UK, holidaymakers are advised that they will need to complete a public health passenger locator form and have an electronic or paper copy on them ready for inspection.
      Older
      Jet2 brings passengers home from Spain early

      Newer
      Lot Polish Airlines to launch connection to Wroclaw from Budapest More

    • 100 Shares119 Views

      in organisations-operators

      Wale appointed chief executive of Abercrombie & Kent

      by

      Michael Wale has been named chief executive of the Abercrombie & Kent Group.
      Appointed by co-chairman Geoffrey Kent and Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, he will take up the role at the start of October.
      Wale joins the luxury travel company from Kerzner International, the owner of Atlantis and One & Only Resorts, where he was chief executive until earlier this month.
      Before joining Kerzner, his career spanned almost 40 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, culminating as president for Europe, Africa & Middle East, directly overseeing the operations of 250 hotels and resorts, for its ten brands, in 60 countries.
      Wale replaces Amerigo Perasso, who has held the role of chief executive with the company for a little under a year.
      “With Michael, Abercrombie & Kent will start an exciting new chapter,” explained Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio.
      “When guests book a holiday with us, they know we will guide them to amazing places, but the destination is a given. 

      ADVERTISEMENT

      “What they expect from us – and what keeps them coming back – is how we go the extra mile.
      “Michael’s extensive experience in guest services and operations will take what A&K is known for to the next level.”
      Wale is currently based in Dubai and will be relocating to Monaco. 
      He will continue his association with Kerzner International as he joins the board of the company.
      “I am thrilled to be joining the team at Abercrombie & Kent at this pivotal time in the company’s history,” said Wale. 
      “I have travelled with A&K before and understand its distinctive approach to luxury experiential travel.
      “I also look forward to working with Geoffrey and Manfredi, two titans of the travel industry, to build a bright future for our guests, partners and staff.”
      Abercrombie & Kent is a luxury and adventure travel company.
      Older
      South Western Railway to retire Isle of Wight fleet More