Holiday & Travel

Tourism came back with a vengeance to France this summer, sending revenues over pre-pandemic levels, according to government estimates released this week.

Crowds packed Paris landmarks and Riviera beaches, notably thanks to an influx of Americans benefiting from the weak euro, but also British and other European visitors revelling in the end of pandemic restrictions.

St. Kitts and Nevis has removed its travel restrictions for tourists, and the Atlantic island of Bermuda has eased some of its travel restrictions for unvaccinated travellers from this week.

Firstly, St. Kitts and Nevis eliminated all Covid-related entry restrictions for international travellers and the Caribbean getaway destination is ready to welcome back tourists.

With cooler temperatures, warm seas and fewer crowds – to say nothing of quieter airports - October makes a perfect month for a walking getaway with leading self-guided walking specialists Macs Adventure. 

From the gentle Tuscan October sun to the rich colours of Montenegro's Lovcen National Park, magical misty morning views in Saxony to the off-the-beaten Algarve make the most of the autumn on a self-guided walking adventure. 

With only months to usher in the next round of climate negotiations at COP27 in Egypt, former Grenada cabinet minister Simon Stiell has been appointed the new Executive Secretary of the Germany-based United Nations Climate Change Secretariat.

Home to the second largest carnival in the world and the largest in Spain, the annual Tenerife Carnival has just announced that it will take the theme of ‘New York’ for its 2023 edition. Those who got a taste for music, dancing and colourful parades at the recent Notting Hill Carnival can scale up in 2023 with a visit to Tenerife for increased extravagance.

At the 2022 Victorian Tourism Accommodation Awards for Excellence, designer hotel collection, Ovolo Hotels, was acknowledged for 'Excellence in Innovation' for Ovolo South Yarra's innovative micro rooms. This year, Ovolo was nominated for 11 awards further crowning Ovolo South Yarra's rockstar General Manager, Amy Moylan, as Executive of The Year at Melbourne's Crown Towers.  

The San Francisco Travel Association, the official destination marketing organisation for the City and County of San Francisco, forecast marked increases in visitor volume, visitor spending, group business and hotel occupancy this year compared to 2021 at its Annual Visitor and Lodging Forecast Forum held today at Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts

The Curaçao Tourist Board goes into the winter 2022-2023 season with two new executives leading its marketing charge. Muryad de Bruin has been named Counterpart Statutory Director, and Jacqueline Sybrandy-Held has been appointed Regional Manager for North America.

Following covid-19, holidaymakers expected flying to return to normality, but now that travel restrictions have been lifted, cancelations and delays in the UK are especially hard. But which airports are the worst for delays, and what are the odds of your flight being cancelled?

The experts at CasinoSource.co.uk have revealed the worst UK airports for delays and cancellations – also revealing the airlines causing the most issues, which includes Ryanair, EasyJet, and Jet2.

Puerto Rico tourism continues to register remarkable results, with the accommodations industry generating US$1 billion during the first seven months of 2022. The industry achieved this milestone three months earlier than in 2021, a year that ended with about $1.3 billion in accommodations revenue.

Qatar Airways Holidays is celebrating its role as Official Fan Travel Packages Partner of Paris Saint-Germain by launching all-inclusive travel packages for fans to attend any 2022-23 season home match live at the Parc des Princes stadium.

The flexible and personalised packages allow fans to book their complete trip, including guaranteed match tickets, hotel accommodation and return flights all in one place, with no minimum stay.

A new Lights, Camera, Action trail will give visitors the chance to follow in the footsteps of Hollywood A-Listers at Blenheim Palace.

The Oxfordshire UNESCO World Heritage Site has been used as a filming location for movies and television for many years now and the new experience brings the movie palace to life.

Tourists arriving in Cancun will now automatically receive 180 days to stay in Mexico, after a frustrating piece of paperwork was removed from the immigration process.

The decision has been made to drop the FMM or Forma Multipla Migratoria in the Cancun airport. It should be noted that only Cancun International Airport is piloting the program, so anyone visiting through other airports in Mexico will still be expected to abide by the old protocol and may receive far less than the 180 days.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has underscored that the outstanding performance of the tourism sector as outlined in the latest report by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) highlights the fact that tourism is driving Jamaica’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

This as he welcomed the PIOJ’s report which indicates that the tourism sector has contributed significantly to the country’s economic growth in the second quarter of the year.

The largest collection of independent, luxury hotels, The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) has appointed specialist communications agency Mason Rose to manage its public relations strategy for key European markets UK, DACH and Italy. The Leading Hotels of the World is a collection of more than 400 independent luxury hotels in 80 countries.

The countdown to World Tourism Day 2022 is now underway, with every part of the sector invited to be an active part of the annual celebrations.

With the theme of ‘Rethinking Tourism’, the International Day of Observance will this year focus on re-imagining the sector’s growth, both in terms of size and relevance.