Organisations & Operators,

The newly-relaunched Thomas Cook has seen demand for holidays in the Canary Islands leap as searches rise more than 20 times on the previous week for the Spanish holiday hotspot.
Overall traffic yesterday tripled following the 17:00 announcement yesterday, when Grant Shapps confirmed Brits travelling to the Canary Islands, Denmark and Mykonos would not need to quarantine on their return.
Searches continue to accelerate this morning with customers flocking to grab last-minute deals to the main islands of Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura.

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Thomas Cook, which launched last month committing to only sell holidays that are quarantine-free, is expecting to see a bumper weekend of interest – particularly with half-term upon us.
In addition, all holidays booked with Thomas Cook come with a money-back guarantee if quarantine rules are reinstated.
A spokesperson for Thomas Cook said: “It looks like Brits are clamouring to flock south for the winter and demand for holidays in the sun-soaked Canaries has come at just the right time for people looking for a break.
“There are some great deals to be had and all of the islands offer a great choice of holiday, from budget options through to high-end all-inclusive.”
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The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced the ATOL refund credit notes scheme will be extended until the end of the year.
In July, the ATOL scheme announced, following confirmation from the department for transport, that refund credit notes issued for cancelled ATOL protected bookings as a result of Covid-19 would be protected.
Originally, this protection applied to refund credit notes issued between March 10th and September 30th this year.
However, the scheme is today able to announce that ATOL protection for refund credit notes has been extended to cover any issued between the start of October and December 31st.
Consumers are entitled to a cash refund if a refund credit note is not suitable for them and have the right to exchange their refund credit note for cash at any point.

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However, as the ATOL protection for their refund credit note will expire on the September 30th next year they should redeem or exchange for a refund before this date.
Paul Smith, consumer director at the UK CAA, said: “While consumers who have had their holidays cancelled are entitled to a full cash refund, some may choose to accept a refund credit note.
“In light of the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic on travel, the decision to extend ATOL protection for refund credit notes will strengthen consumer confidence and allow for ATOL holders to continue to offer them in good faith to their customers.”
He added: “Travel businesses should ensure that if they offer their customers vouchers or refund credit notes after December 31st they include in the offer clear information as to what protection, if any, applies.”
More Information
Further details of any conditions can be found on the CAA website.
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The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced the ATOL refund credit notes scheme will be extended until the end of the year.
In July, the ATOL scheme announced, following confirmation from the department for transport, that refund credit notes issued for cancelled ATOL protected bookings as a result of Covid-19 would be protected.
Originally, this protection applied to refund credit notes issued between March 10th and September 30th this year.
However, the scheme is today able to announce that ATOL protection for refund credit notes has been extended to cover any issued between the start of October and December 31st.
Consumers are entitled to a cash refund if a refund credit note is not suitable for them and have the right to exchange their refund credit note for cash at any point.

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However, as the ATOL protection for their refund credit note will expire on the September 30th next year they should redeem or exchange for a refund before this date.
Paul Smith, consumer director at the UK CAA, said: “While consumers who have had their holidays cancelled are entitled to a full cash refund, some may choose to accept a refund credit note.
“In light of the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic on travel, the decision to extend ATOL protection for refund credit notes will strengthen consumer confidence and allow for ATOL holders to continue to offer them in good faith to their customers.”
He added: “Travel businesses should ensure that if they offer their customers vouchers or refund credit notes after December 31st they include in the offer clear information as to what protection, if any, applies.”
More Information
Further details of any conditions can be found on the CAA website.
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The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has made significant changes to the design of its organisational governance at the recent board meeting.
Over the past three years, PATA has been reviewing leading organisational models and been in consultation with a wide range of experts to create a design that modifies and refines the association for more efficient outcomes and engaged participation.
The major changes are a shift from an appointed board to an elected board by all members that is also substantially reduced in size, in addition to a reduced and fully elected executive board.
A unique feature of the new design is a shift from an expansive array of committees to ‘expert task forces’ (ETFs), which draw upon the deep knowledge and experience within the PATA network to address issues of interest to the association and the industry.
The ETFs are established to focus on a specific task within a specified time-frame and disband upon completion.

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New ETFs will be formed on new issues as they arise.
The goal is to enable the active engagement of members in dynamic and meaningful activities that support PATA’s purpose of facilitating the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.
As noted by immediate past chair, Chris Bottrill, who oversaw the governance redesign during his tenure as chair: “I believe the meetings last week were a pivotal moment for PATA.
“Through the work of dedicated leaders and the input of members, we have committed to a new design that builds upon the legacy of PATA and sets us up for future growth, impact and success.
“It is a proud moment for the PATA community to have embraced change with the goal of strengthening the association now and for the future.”
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Consistent and harmonised travel protocols, enhanced safety measures and the protection of jobs and livelihoods are the main ingredients needed for the restart of tourism.
The sixth meeting of the UNWTO Global Tourism Crisis Committee reminded participants of the need to work together as the only means of advancing the sustainable recovery of the sector.
The meeting produced a commitment to create a new UNWTO Committee on Common Safety Protocols to increase confidence in international travel, as well as firm plans for enhanced consumer protection for consumers and measures to protect jobs.
Setting the tone for the meeting, UNWTO secretary general, Zurab Pololikashvili, made clear that, with many millions of livelihoods at stake, inaction is not an option, and that the rapid and sustainable recovery of tourism is essential.
“Strong coordination is needed to accelerate the lifting of travel restrictions in a safe and timely manner, to increase investment in systems that support safe travel, including testing on departure, and to sustain and support businesses and jobs.

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“If we fail to address these three priorities, we will fail to restart tourism, and so fail to save millions of livelihoods,” Pololikashvili said.
Just as people are at the driving force of global tourism, so too has UNWTO stressed that recovery policies must recovery be people-focused.
For starters, restoring consumer trust and coherent and standardized international protocols are mutually reinforcing and critical for the return of tourism.
The Crisis Committee meeting saw UNWTO announce plans for a new International Code for the Protection of Tourists.
This will be the first legal framework to protect tourists’ rights as consumers, harmonizing minimum standards across different countries and ensuring the fair distribution of responsibility to tourists affecting by the pandemic among stakeholders across the sector.
A technical committee for the creation of the code is being set up and will meet before the end of the month.
Alongside this, UNWTO is working to protect jobs and help workers affected by the pandemic find new opportunities.
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Saga has launched a new range of special interest tours for guests looking to spend their holiday pursuing their passions or finding a new one altogether.
Each holiday will allow guests to explore special interests including walking, birdwatching, wildlife appreciation and archaeology alongside likeminded travellers.
Guests will be joined by an expert host, and talks, activities and excursions will be centred around the particular interest.
For more intrepid adventures, the tours include cycling in Korcula and birdwatching in Costa Rica, while those looking to remain closer to home can enjoy wildlife spotting on the Isle of Mull and walking the Peak District.
All departures begin from February with further details available on the website.

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As with all Saga Holidays, guests also have access to a host of included extras when booking trips, including travel insurance on all overseas holidays, extended cancellation rights and VIP door-to-door travel service on all worldwide holidays and river cruises.
Chris Simmonds, managing director of Saga Holidays, said: “We’re excited to announce this new range of special interest holidays for our guests for our 70th anniversary year in 2021.
“Whether you’re an avid bird watcher or a history enthusiast, these tours included in our brand new Special Interest collection have something for everyone.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming our first guests on the tours next year to enjoy their favourite hobbies in many new destinations for Saga.”
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The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the ratification of the new executive board.
Soon-Hwa Wong has been formally endorsed as the chair of the body, and replaces Chris Bottrill who was elected chair in May 2018.
The latter remains a member of the executive board as immediate past chair.
On his appointment, Soon-Hwa said: “It is indeed an honour to be given the privilege to serve PATA members, especially in a time like this.
“PATA will celebrate a significant milestone, our 70th Anniversary, next year.

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“We are embarking on a comprehensive organisation redesign that will transform PATA into an association that will lead the tourism industry into the post-Covid future and beyond.
“Together with our industry partners from both the public and private sector, we will commit to sustainable tourism development to benefit the economic well-being of the community at large.
“Come join us in our journey to build a safer and better world.”
Soon Hwa has some 40 years of extensive experience in the Asia Pacific tourism and hospitality industry.
After a long and successful corporate career, he founded Asia Tourism to provide advisory and consulting services to commercial and not-for-profit enterprises.
He recently set up AsiaChina, primarily focusing on the two-way tourism flow between China and the APAC region.
As part of paying it forward, he is also providing pro-bono services in mentoring start-ups and university students in his alma mater in addition to serving in several social committees.
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The government is establishing what it brands a global travel taskforce to seek a safe return of international travel.
The move follows weeks of criticism from the hospitality sector that authorities were moving too slowly in offering assistance to the industry.
The department for transport and the department of health and social care have been working extensively with clinicians, health experts and the private testing sector on the practicalities of testing international arrivals, a statement explained.
However, the current rules around the 14-day self-isolation policy remain in place.
The next step is to develop an operationalised approach, which is why the government is creating taskforce to work at pace with industry on implementation and to identify options to reduce the self-isolation period while protecting public health.
The taskforce will accelerate work to inform proposals on a future testing regime and develop options for how this could be introduced.
This will include looking at the feasibility of proposals based on a single test taken after a period of self-isolation, provided by the private sector and at the cost of the passenger.
Transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “The current measures at the border have saved lives.

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“Our understanding of the science now means we can intensify efforts to develop options for a testing regime and help reinvigorate our world-leading travel sector.
“This new taskforce will not only help us move towards safer, smoother international travel as we continue to battle this virus but will also support global connectivity – helping facilitate more Covid-19 secure travel whilst protecting the population from imported cases.”
The taskforce will work with medical experts to better understand when a test should be taken based on the progression of the disease.
It will also work closely with the private testing sector to ensure that testing for international arrivals does not impact on NHS capacity.
The body will also explore alternative testing models, including pilots with partner countries to ascertain whether self-isolation could be undertaken pre-departure.
The taskforce, which will be jointly chaired by the secretaries of state for transport and health and social care, will also consider other options to boost safe and sustainable tourism and business travel, supporting the sector in its recovery from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “It is vital we do everything we can to control the spread of the virus and our measures at the borders are designed to help keep the country safe, by preventing imported cases of Covid-19.
“We know how these measures have a significant impact on people’s lives and on the travel and tourism industries, so we are working hard across government to explore ways to open up international travel in a safe way.”
The group will consult closely with partners from the aviation, travel, healthcare and testing sectors as well as the devolved administrations to implement measures to support the recovery of the travel sector.
The taskforce is expected to put forward their initial recommendations next month.
Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire/PA Images
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