Organisations & Operators,

Tourism Australia has confirmed the country will reopen its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from around the world on February 21st.
The decision builds on quarantine-free travel arrangements with Singapore, which came into effect in November, and for visitors from Japan and South Korea which were launched a month later. 
“The announcement today enabling fully vaccinated travellers from Britain to Australia quarantine-free from February 21st is a significant step in rebuilding international visitation from Australia’s international tourism markets across the globe,” Tourism Australia managing director, Phillipa Harrison, said.  
“Australia has long been a popular outbound destination for British travellers, with more than 700,000 visitors travelling to our country annually pre-Covid-19, and we are really excited that we will have the opportunity to welcome back visitors from the UK, one of our key international markets, as travel resumes.”
She added: “Throughout the pandemic Tourism Australia has maintained an active presence to keep Australia top of mind in the market. ADVERTISEMENT“Now, with the reopening of travel from Britain to Australia, Tourism Australia will be working with its trade and distribution partners on dedicated marketing campaigns to urge travellers to come and enjoy all the incredible tourism experiences that await them in Australia.” 
The Australian government has announced the country will reopen to all fully vaccinated visa holders, tourists, business travellers and other visitors from later this month.
Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.
Tourism Australia will be launching a new tourism campaign to welcome leisure travellers back to Australia in the coming weeks.
As part of this campaign, Tourism Australia will be working with a range of key distribution and airline partners to drive booking and drive recovery for Australia’s hard-hit tourism economy by providing tactical offers aimed at stimulating travel to Australia from the UK.
Image: Destination NSW

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New research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed, as the global tourism sector begins to recover from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, its contribution to the global economy could reach $8.6 trillion this year.
In 2019, before the pandemic struck, the sector generated nearly $9.2 trillion to the global economy.
However, in 2020, the pandemic brought the sector to an almost complete halt, causing a massive 49 per cent drop, representing a severe loss of nearly $4.5 trillion.
Latest research from WTTC shows that as the world finally begins to recover from pandemic, the sector’s contribution to the global economy and jobs could reach almost pre-pandemic levels this year, if the recovery of the sector continues to pick up pace.
Research by the global tourism body shows that if the vaccine and booster rollout continue at pace this year, and restrictions to international travel are eased around the world throughout the year – increasing the number of people who can travel ‘quarantine free,’ the sector’s contribution to the global economy could reach $8.6 trillion, just six per cent down on pre-pandemic levels.ADVERTISEMENTWTTC’s research also shows that the sector’s contribution global employment could reach more than 330 million, just one per cent below pre-pandemic levels and up 22 per cent up on 2020 representing a massive 58 million more jobs.
Julia Simpson, WTTC chief executive, said: “Over the past two years, due to severe travel restrictions around the world, the global tourism sector has suffered tremendous losses.
“Our latest research clearly shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and 2022 is certainly looking more positive in terms of both jobs and the economy.
“However, there is much more work to be done if we are to bring back all the jobs lost and achieve a full economic recovery.
“With so much is at stake, it’s vital we continue driving the recovery of our sector.
“Governments must shift their risk assessment from entire countries to the individual traveller and allow the fully vaccinated to travel freely.”

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Flight Centre Travel Group has announced that long-serving senior leader Tom Walley will take the reins as the new global managing director of small- and medium-sized enterprise specialist Corporate Traveller.
Having joined the group more than two decades ago, Walley has worked across the company’s corporate and leisure divisions in both the UK and Australia, primarily in management roles.
He will also retain his current position of general manager for Corporate Traveller in Australia.
Corporate Travel chief executive, Chris Galanty, said Walley was the perfect candidate to navigate Corporate Traveller through the post-pandemic world and beyond.
“Tom is incredibly well-known across the business as he’s one of our most experienced senior leaders, and most importantly he’s led the Corporate Traveller business in both the UK and Australia so understands both the history and future vision for the brand,” said Galanty.  ADVERTISEMENT“Corporate Traveller is very customer centric, and our people have been the driver of its success for many years.
“Tom’s new role will further our ability to offer the best service, products, and technology possible.”
Walley takes the helm at a pivotal time for the dominant player in the small- and medium-sized enterprise travel space which counts more than 1,500 team members serving over 16,000 customers globally.
Walley commented: “We have an ambitious target of welcoming US$1 billion of new customers in the 2023 financial year globally and there are three things that will help us achieve this goal – our people, the great service they provide, and our investment in technology.
“This is the blended approach that has been part of our winning fabric from the very beginning.”

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Safety concerns and racial discrimination are fundamental constraints on the choices of British Black and Asian travellers, according to research led by the University of Surrey in collaboration with Women in Travel CIC.
Respondents from British Black and Asian communities reported instances of racial harassment, microaggressions and/or discrimination while travelling, experiences which influenced their decision-making behaviour.
The Surrey report, one of the first in the UK to provide a snapshot of the travel characteristics, motivations and decision-making processes of travellers from these ethnic groups, highlights commonalities and differences with other groups of travel enthusiasts, and identifies how ongoing prejudice and stereotyping mean travel companies and destinations could be missing out on a lucrative market.
The research, which included a quantitative online survey, found that British Black and Asian respondents travelled more frequently both within and outside the UK than their White counterparts.
Some 92 per cent of British Black and Asian respondents travelled within the UK at least once a year and 99 per cent travelled abroad, compared with 85 per cent of White respondents saying they travelled within the UK and 73 per cent abroad.
British Black and Asian respondents were also more likely to enjoy multiple trips, although the duration of White respondents’ UK trips was typically longer.
The researchers found that the stereotypical belief that travellers from British Black and Asian communities prefer familiar destinations, visit friends and family, and rarely explore new places is wrong.
On the contrary, leisure and recreation were cited as the primary reason for travelling within the UK and abroad, and adventure was the second most common reason British Black and Asian respondents gave for travelling abroad.ADVERTISEMENTFurther disproving the stereotype, British Black and Asian survey respondents said word of mouth and online information were their leading sources of travel information, whereas White respondents cited past experience as their preferred source of information.
Focus groups delving into these answers revealed that they are largely driven by the need to identify how safe a destination is for Black and Asian travellers and to explore the prevalence of racism.
The report notes the problem of underrepresentation in the travel industry, for example, the lack of diversity in advertising, and scarcity of Black and Asian professionals working at senior levels, and suggests changes to enable the industry to better target this market segment:

Build an independent platform for travellers from Black and Asian backgrounds and create an independent travel-related association to represent these communities’ interests, drive research and share information and data.
Create a research network focusing on UK travellers from Black and Asian backgrounds enabling key stakeholders to better understand and tap into the potential of these communities.
Build networks with Black and Asian communities and co-create travel experiences.
Embrace a culture of diversity and inclusion in leading travel brands, hotel chains, cruise lines, and other major tourism sectors and when commissioning marketing and advertising.
Support, encourage and improve the visibility of travel businesses owned by people from Black and Asian groups.
Start an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) accreditation for travel businesses.
Train staff on issues of diversity, equality and inclusion. The report identifies the need for a training toolkit for organisations that goes beyond the traditional EDI training currently on offer and which focuses, for example, on unconscious bias, casual racism, microaggressions and stereotyping.
Engage online content creators to actively represent different perspectives.
Organise training for destination management organisations and local service providers.

Women in Travel CIC has already addressed some of these recommendations within its multi-cultural network and industry training, and will further develop tools in collaboration with the University of Surrey to help travel businesses understand and engage with the issues.
Albert Kimbu, head of the department of tourism and transport at the University of Surrey’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and project lead, said: “There is a serious dearth of research into this undervalued segment of the travelling public, which means the industry is missing out.
“The time is ripe to integrate more perspectives into mainstream discourses relating to travel and tourism.
“The industry can’t pretend that race has no impact on travellers’ experiences.
“We need collaboration across the industry with a wide variety of active voices to co-create travel experiences through a balanced approach that will ensure equality, diversity, and inclusion in the tourism sector.”
Read the executive summary here  or purchase the full report by visiting the shop on the Women in Travel CIC website here.
Jamie-Lee Abtar, multicultural community lead at Women in Travel CIC, said: “A growing British Black and Asian middle class, who are keen explorers of new destinations and tourism experiences, creates huge opportunities.
“Travel and tourism companies that address the specific concerns of these travellers and help them overcome their barriers to travel will benefit from a large market.
“It makes business sense, as well as being the right thing to do to improve inclusion.”

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The board of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) has appointed Lorine Charles-St. Jules to the position of chief executive.
With more than two decades of tourism and leadership experience, Charles-St. Jules has achieved significant success in the hospitality sector and most recently served as USA account manager for the Anguilla Tourist Board.
She has been chief executive of global marketing agency PEAEYE7 Marketing International for five years, handling business development and luxury resort marketing throughout the Caribbean, the United States and Canada.
Charles-St. Jules has deep expertise in setting and executing business strategy across many facets of the tourism industry, including marketing destinations, developing sales programming for luxury resorts and global travel trade management.
The position brings her back to her roots in Saint Lucia, where she previously held various executive positions at the Saint Lucia Tourist Board for nine years including director of marketing, and tourism planning officer for the Saint Lucia ministry of tourism for two years.ADVERTISEMENT“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Lorine Charles-St. Jules to the organisation and we are in no doubt that her track record as a tourism professional will lead brand Saint Lucia along a sustained growth trajectory.
“Her diverse experience in tourism marketing, sales and strategy will contribute greatly to our mission,” said Thaddeus Antoine, chairman of the board of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.
Charles-St. Jules is a graduate of the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, with a master’s degree in international tourism development and sustainability.

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Airports Council International and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have urged European governments to lift all travel restrictions for fully vaccinated and recovered individuals holding a valid Covid Certificate.
The move has been as advised by the new regime for travel within the EU – which comes into force today.
This new regime, set out by an EU Council recommendation adopted on January 25th, is based on the health status of travellers, rather than the epidemiological situation of their country or area of origin.
Independent research conducted in Finland and Italy provides insight into developing a Europe-wide policy for removing restrictions.
The research made public today confirms the validity of the traveller-centric approach, highlighting the inefficiency of recent travel restrictions imposed by European countries in mitigating the risks to public health and society posed by Covid-19.ADVERTISEMENTNew analysis produced by Oxera and Edge Health reveals that pre-departure testing requirements are likely to be ineffective at stopping or even limiting the spread of the Omicron variant.
The analysis of testing restrictions imposed by Italy and Finland on December 16th and December 28th respectively on all incoming travellers made no distinguishable difference to transmission of Omicron cases in those countries.
Conversely, the impact of these restrictions, and in particular the limitations to the free movement of people, resulted in significant and unnecessary economic hardship – not just for the travel and tourism sectors and their workforce, but for the whole European economy.
Crucially, the report also shows that maintaining pre-departure testing requirements for vaccinated/recovered travellers further will have “no impact whatsoever on the future spread of the Omicron” variant in Italy and Finland.
The fact that both countries are now lifting their pre-departure testing requirements is very welcome, IATA said.
However, concerns remain that both countries could have lifted them much earlier or altogether avoided imposing them in the first place – lessons must be learned to avoid repeated economic damage with no attendant public health benefit.
“The new regime for intra-EU/EEA travel is right to focus on a ‘person-based approach’ and to recognise that both vaccinated and recovered travellers should not be subjected to any restriction.
“But having common EU regimes has so far not prevented States from going their own way.
“This must stop.
“We now have further proof – travel restrictions do have a significant effect – but it’s not on public health, it’s on economic stability and livelihoods. 
“In short: they are causing more harm than good,” said Olivier Jankovec, ACI Europe director general.

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Trafalgar has announced a move into the female-only market with an exciting new range of tours designed and led by women, for women.
Bookable now, with departures from July, the Women’s Only Tours range will feature 13 itineraries across the UK, Europe, Asia and Egypt.
The expert team has designed the new product range from start to finish, combining the tour operator’s most popular destinations – where it sees the highest percentage of female bookings – and destinations uncovered from internal female focus groups within the operations team at Trafalgar.
Guests will be hosted by a dedicated team of all-female travel directors, drivers and wellbeing directors leading them every step of the way.
From the ancient temples of Egypt to the lush vineyards of Tuscany, the team will take travellers to the real heart of every destination, where they can share the joy of travel with like-minded ladies.  ADVERTISEMENTThe 13 itineraries deliver enriching travel experiences and the chance to build deeper connections, including the chance to meet other inspiring women whilst touring, including female artisans, entrepreneurs, and trailblazers across the world.
Travellers will learn about Umbrian weaving in Italy with Marta Cucchia, the woman keeping this ancient tradition alive, visit the village of Demircidere and bake traditional bread with the most liberated women in Turkey, or share a meal with the women of the Iraq al-Amir Women’s Association in Jordan.
The new product range has been built around safety and wellbeing, which are important deciding factors for this target demographic.
Trafalgar takes the stress out of travel by planning all the logistics, from door to destination – allowing guests to truly take in and enjoy every moment, without the worry of where and what next.
Donna Jeavons, sales and marketing director for Trafalgar, commented: “We’ve seen a significant increase in demand for women’s only tours in the past 12 months as more travel destinations around the world open up.
“Trafalgar has years of award-winning experience in creating new products, but it was really important to us that our women-only range was created by women, for women.”

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The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) has called for a concerted effort by Caribbean government and private sector leaders to boost intra-regional travel, while fostering greater parity, clarity and consistency for travel.
The body argues more than US$1 billion was lost in 2021 following a drop in inter-regional travel.
While international travel to the region has rebounded to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, intra-regional business and leisure travel has dropped to around 30 per cent, with smaller Caribbean economies and small businesses hit particularly hard, according to CHTA president Nicola Madden-Greig.
Stimulating intra-regional travel, asserted Madden-Greig, would bring higher local spending, boost trade in local goods and services, increase government revenues and revitalise local economies.
Among the steps proposed for revitalizing sluggish local economies were increasing services to revive regional air travel, reducing Covid-19 testing costs, cutting testing time, and shrinking long isolation periods. ADVERTISEMENTCHTA also recommends an air travel tax/fee holiday or reduction, similar to that which was proposed to Caribbean leaders by Antigua & Barbuda’s prime minister Gaston Browne, who is leading by example with fee reductions for his country.
Additionally, more uniform and consistent regional travel protocols would reduce traveller uncertainty, while health safety diligence and increased vaccinations were key to speeding up the return of local festivals and events, key elements of intra-regional travel.
Regional travellers include Caribbean residents visiting family and friends; attending holiday events, weddings, funerals, reunions and homecomings; conducting business; selling goods and services; participating in training and meetings; and enjoying vacations, festivals, sports and other events.
Reiterating the importance of consistency, CHTA, which speaks for private sector tourism stakeholders, recommended eliminating travel barriers that add significantly to travellers’ cost and uncertainty, and putting into place low-risk protocols to stimulate travel.
Such protocols would include asking all travellers in the region to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 antigen test result 24 hours prior to departure when traveling from one Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to another.
CHTA also recommended the elimination of on-arrival testing – and pre-departure testing (when returning home) – for fully vaccinated asymptomatic travellers within CARICOM jurisdictions, while non-vaccinated travellers would be required to comply with the standard protocols for international travellers.
CHTA president Madden-Greig also cited the broad impact intra-regional travellers have on local economies, spending at a high level on local goods and services and moving around the community more than travellers from outside the region.
“We know that the economic and social linkages are stronger, and the leakages are less as more of the revenue circulates within our countries and territories, benefiting a range of businesses beyond just the accommodations sector,” stated Madden-Greig.

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