Organisations & Operators,

Barbados Tourism Marketing is bidding farewell to global head of markets and temporary chief executive, Petra Roach.
After nearly two decades with the organisation, the industry veteran is leaving to take up a new opportunity with the Grenada Tourist Board later this year.
In a statement from the board, Barbados Tourism Marketing chairman, Roseanne Myers, thanked Roach for her notable contribution to the local tourism industry over the years.
“On behalf of the board, management and staff we say a sincere thank you to Petra Roach for her years of service and leadership,” Myers said.
“She has been a tremendous asset to Barbados for two decades and her contribution to the growth and development of tourism sector has been outstanding.”ADVERTISEMENTRoach’s tenure with the Barbados tourism authorities began in 2002 with the then Barbados Tourism Authority, where she worked with the United Kingdom team as vice-president.
Following a brief stint as interim chief executive in 2014 during the company’s transition period to Barbados Tourism Marketing, she would then make her mark as director for the United States in 2015, before assuming the role of global head of markets in 2019.
She has held the post of interim chief executive since last year November.
In a personal statement, Roach thanked Barbados Tourism Marketing, adding: “I wish brand Barbados well because it’s been a great experience that has helped me hone my skills.”
In order to affect a seamless transition over the next few critical months, current UK director, Cheryl Carter, will act as head of global markets.
The board, with a new commercially focused marketing mandate, will be expediting its recruitment of a chief executive.

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ABTA has written to officials at the department for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) to protest at levels of grant support being made available to the retail travel industry in England.
The body argues the cash is at odds with those provided to other business sectors. 
Restart Grants, recently announced by the chancellor, are to be allocated to businesses based on the category they are deemed to fall into, such as non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure and personal care.
Retail travel agents fall into the first category, meaning that they are eligible for grants up to £6,000 depending on their rateable values. 
However, as ABTA points out to BEIS, while travel agents can open from Monday, they will not receive any new income for many weeks at least.  ADVERTISEMENTNot only is it currently illegal to travel overseas, government guidance issued earlier this week stated that customers should not book overseas holidays for the time being.
Other businesses are eligible to receive grants of up to £18,000, despite being able to welcome customers and generate new income from Monday.
ABTA has made clear to the department that this is a growing source of frustration and anger among its members and the wider travel industry, and has asked for an explanation of the rationale behind the decision. 
Luke Petherbridge, ABTA director of public affairs, said: “It seems illogical that financial support is being funnelled towards businesses that will not only be open from next week but, in the case of hairdressers for example, are likely to be in very high demand from the off, while travel businesses that will continue to have significant constraints on their trade are offered lower levels of support.
“Unlike in Scotland or Northern Ireland, travel businesses in England have not received any sector-specific support in recognition of the unique circumstances our sector is in.
“Meanwhile, the level of business support offered by the Welsh government has been based on revenue-loss, which has meant better comparative outcomes for many businesses.
“ABTA is continuing to strongly press for tailored assistance for all businesses in the travel industry in England, not least in the light of further ‘don’t book a holiday’ messages from government this week.
“In addition, we are in contact with the devolved administrations around the need to keep financial support under review, and the importance of a four-nations approach to restart.”

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The annual Economic Impact Report (EIR) from the World Travel & Tourism Council reveals that the dramatic collapse of the sector in the UK has wiped out a staggering £148 billion from the economy.
The contribution of tourism to GDP in the UK dropped by a precipitous 62 per cent last year, according to the body.
Tourism GDP fell from £238 billion (10 per cent) in 2019 before the pandemic struck, to just £90 billion (four per cent) – a mere 12 months later – in 2020.
A year of crippling travel restrictions and ineffective hotel quarantines, which have brought international travel to a grinding halt, resulted in the loss of 307,000 tourism jobs across the country.
This is, however, a tenth of the three million jobs, the WTTC was warning could go during the height of the crisis last year.ADVERTISEMENTHowever, WTTC believes the true picture could be significantly worse, if not for government fiscal and liquidity incentives, as well as furlough and job protection schemes. 
Across all sectors they are estimated to be currently protecting more than 11 million jobs, hiding the true extent of the losses, as well as the devastating social impact they could bring.
According to latest figures, the UK government is estimated to have spent more than £46 billion on job retention schemes, with that figure expected to rise to £80 billion by the time the various programs end in October.
These job losses were felt across the entire UK tourism ecosystem, with small- and medium-sized enterprises, which make up eight out of ten of all businesses in the sector, particularly affected.
The report also revealed domestic visitor spending declined by 63 per cent due to nationwide lockdowns.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC president, said: “The loss of more than 300,000 tourism jobs across the UK has had a devastating socio-economic impact, leaving huge numbers of people fearing for their future.
“But the situation could have been far worse if it were not for the government’s prompt action, which introduced job retention schemes to save millions of jobs under threat and helped to halt the total collapse of the tourism sector.”

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The UK Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that, of the 742 ATOL licences that expired in March, 554 have been renewed.
A further 89 still in the process.
This means that, in total, there are now 1,662 ATOL holders overall.ADVERTISEMENTMichael Budge, head of ATOL Licensing at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said “We would like to thank those travel companies that submitted their application and supporting information for renewal in good time as well as engaging constructively with us regarding licensing requirements.
“We have continued to focus on ensuring the appropriate protection of advance customer monies and requiring ATOL holders to maintain adequate liquidity to meet future obligations.
“Where appropriate, certain conditions were required to meet these obligations.”
Travel businesses that were not due to renew their ATOL licence during this renewals period should apply in good time before the September 30th expiry date, Budge added.

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TUI UK has put more than 100,000 extra holidays on sale for next summer.
Customers will have an additional 1,500 hotels to choose from in 62 favourite hotspots, giving more choice for their long-awaited break, whether they prefer a short, mid, or long-haul getaway.
These extra holidays follow increased demand from customers who wants a break to look forward to next year.
TUI UK summer 2022 bookings have increased by 120 per cent compared to 2021, and families in particular want to book ahead, with May the most popular month for travel.
Booking patterns for next summer indicate that the great British public are looking forward to future holidays even more so, if they were unable to take one in 2020. ADVERTISEMENTBased on current bookings, TUI UK’s most popular hotspots for next summer are Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Florida.
Long-haul has increased in popularity with all customer groups, and families in particular want to plan far ahead for their dream holiday. 
Some 24 per cent of TUI customers have chosen to go away for a longer break compared to 2019, indicating their desire to make up for lost time and treat themselves.
All TUI package holidays are ATOL protected.

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ABTA has appointed three new directors to its board.
Ruth Marshall, managing director of RCL Cruises; Garry Wilson, chief executive of easyJet holidays; and Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI Northern Region, will all take up new seats.
ABTA chairman, Alistair Rowland, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ruth and Garry onto the ABTA board for the first time, and to welcome Andrew on his return.
“All three individuals have outstanding backgrounds in travel. 
“RCL, TUI and easyJet holidays demonstrate the wide range of businesses within ABTA membership, and are essential suppliers to many other ABTA members. ADVERTISEMENT“There has never been a more important time for different parts of the travel industry to work together behind a single organisation to carry our case to government, and to shape the future of the industry as we emerge from the pandemic.”
Stuart Leven (RCL) and Richard Sofer (TUI) are stepping down from the board.
Rowland added: “I would like to thank Stuart and Richard for their invaluable contributions to our board discussions over the recent years, as we have worked to steer ABTA members, and ABTA itself, through the biggest crisis the industry has faced.”

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New research from ABTA, which represents the interests of travel agents, has found a growing trend for holidaymakers seeking the security of booking a package holiday with a travel professional.
As consumers wait to hear from the prime minister early next month about plans for restarting international travel, ABTA’s data finds that people are 31 per cent more likely to book a package holiday now than before the pandemic, primarily to be looked after in case something goes wrong (51 per cent) and for financial protection (49 per cent).
Package holidays provide the greatest level of protection for holidaymakers, including the right to a replacement holiday or a refund if the holiday is significantly altered by a change in the situation at their destination.
By booking a package holiday, travellers also get great value for money and have a single point of contact for their travel arrangements, so if they require any advice and assistance before they go on holiday or while they are there, the travel company is there to help.
A ‘package holiday’ refers to how the trip is booked, not where you go or what you do. ADVERTISEMENTAny type of holiday – from a city break to backpacking around the world – could be a package holiday, and packages can be personalised to suit each customer’s preferences.
Holidaymakers are also placing a great deal of value on the services provided by a travel professional such as a travel agent.  ABTA’s figures show that people are also 28 per cent more likely to use a travel professional now than before the pandemic.
The main reasons show once again the importance of feeling protected and reassured, with half citing the security of a package holiday (50 per cent) as why they would book with a travel professional, followed by trusting travel companies to look after them (48 per cent), and the travel professional’s up-to-date advice (42 per cent).
ABTA Members are reporting enquiries coming from new customers who have not booked with them before.
Holidaymakers remain committed to getting away overseas, with 63 per cent of people saying they hope to book a holiday abroad in the next six months or longer.
Graeme Buck, director of communications at ABTA, said: “Travel professionals and package holidays have an important role to play in helping people feel reassured and confident to book and travel this year, and we’re seeing more and more people turning to them as they plan their holidays.
“Over the last 12 months there has been a lot of uncertainty around international travel, with holidays having to be changed or postponed, but there is a lot of pent-up demand for holidays.
“People are increasingly recognising that they can get great value for money, added protection and the benefit of having someone else plan their holiday or make changes if needed further down the line.”
Image: Cultura Creative RF/Alamy Stock Photo

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The devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global tourism has carried on into 2021, with new data showing an 87 per cent fall in international tourist arrivals in January as compared to 2020.
The outlook for the rest of the year remain cautious as the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) continues to call for stronger coordination on travel protocols between countries to ensure the safe restart of tourism and avoid another year of massive losses for the sector.
Following a difficult end to 2020, global tourism suffered further setbacks in the beginning of the year as countries tightened travel restrictions in response to new virus outbreaks.
According to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, all world regions continued to experience large drops in tourist arrivals in the first month of the year.
Mandatory testing, quarantines, and in some cases the complete closure of borders, have all hindered the resumption of international travel.ADVERTISEMENTIn addition, the speed and distribution of the vaccination roll-out have been slower than expected, further delaying the restart of tourism.
Asia and the Pacific (down 96 per cent), the region which continues to have the highest level of travel restrictions in place, recorded the largest decrease in international arrivals in January.
Europe and Africa both saw a decline of 85 per cent in arrivals, while the Middle East recorded a drop of 84 per cent.
International arrivals in the Americas decreased by 79 per cent in January, following somewhat better results in the last quarter of the year.
UNWTO secretary general, Zurab Pololikashvili, said: “2020 was the worst year on record for tourism.
“The international community needs to take strong and urgent action to ensure a brighter 2021.
“Many millions of livelihoods and businesses are depending on it.
“Improved coordination between countries and harmonised travel and health protocols are essential to restore confidence in tourism and allow international travel to resume safely ahead of the peak summer season in the northern hemisphere.”
Image: UNWTO
Based on current trends, UNWTO expects international tourist arrivals to be down about 85 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 over the same period of 2019.
This would represent a loss of some 260 million international arrivals when compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Looking ahead, UNWTO has outlined two scenarios for 2021, which consider a possible rebound in international travel in the second half of the year.
These are based on a number of factors, most notably a major lifting of travel restrictions, the success of vaccination programmes or the introduction of harmonized protocols such as the Digital Green Certificate planned by the European Commission.
The first scenario points to a rebound in July, which would result in a 65 per cent increase in international arrivals for the year 2021 compared to the historic lows of 2020.
In this case, arrivals would still be 55 per cent below the levels recorded in 2019.
The second scenario considers a potential rebound in September, leading to a 30 per cent increase in arrivals compared to last year.
Still, this would be 67 per cent below the levels of 2019.

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