Holiday & Travel

Disney Cruise Line has hired Leslie Lopez as a human resources manager to support its employment efforts in The Bahamas.

In his new role, Lopez, a long-time HR professional, will build relationships with key business partners and recruit Bahamians for positions both on board the cruise line’s ships and at its premier destinations in the country.

Fred Lounsberry, one of the driving forces behind the development of tourism in The Bahamas, is retiring this month after a stellar 17-year career leading the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board. He makes room for the experienced Joy Jibrilu, a native Bahamian, who recently served as Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.

British Airways (BA) has announced two brand new routes to its transatlantic network: Oranjestad, Aruba (AUA) and Georgetown, Guyana (GEO).

The new London Gatwick (LGW) flights will begin operating in late March 2023 on the Boeing 777-200 aircraft, bringing the total number of Caribbean destinations served by the London carrier to 17.

Virgin Galactic has pushed back the opening of its commercial flights for three more months, citing delays due to refurbishing of its carrier aircraft.

Virgin Galactic declared that the commercial service is being delayed to the second quarter of 2023. It has been explained as the latest obstruction for the inaugural of its space tourism business.

With much discussion in the media about the end of the staycation boom, Pembrokeshire based Bluestone National Park Resort is delighted to report a very strong August, with 97 percent occupancy. 

Yvonne Buckingham, Director of Commercial at Bluestone said: “The staycation boom is certainly not over for us. 

Due to ongoing demand for the destination, ultra-luxury cruise operator, Scenic has unveiled an expanded Japan programme for 2023 on board the ultra-luxury Discovery Yacht, Scenic Eclipse.

New sailings have been added to the programme, including three brand new itineraries, visiting more than six new ports of call including Hachinohe, Shimizu, Muroran, Sakaiminato (all Japan) and various spectacular ports across The Aleutian Islands (United States of America).

Research from YouGov commissioned by Three, the UK’s fastest 5G network, has revealed the state of the nation’s holiday packing habits, as over a fifth (22%) of Brits say that a phone charger is the item most likely to be forgotten from their suitcase – which could be a costly blunder for parents of young children!

The potential growth difference for the cultural tourism market between 2020 and 2025 is $3.76 billion. In addition, the growth momentum of the market will accelerate at a CAGR of 16.41% during the forecast period. 

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Cultural Tourism Market Growth, Size, Trends, Analysis Report by Type, Application, Region and Segment Forecast 2021-2025.

Classical music based, with a strong literary and visual arts element, the Autumn in Malvern Festival has presented professional concerts, talks and exhibitions for over 30 years. After a two year break, owing to Covid 19, the festival returns in October with sixteen distinctive events. 

Wales’s Bluestone National Park Resort has been named one of the top best value holiday resorts in the UK by Which?, the independent consumer organisation.

Bluestone, located near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, was ranked fourth out of 19 UK resorts and was named as one of just four Which? Recommended Providers on the list – a top accolade.

Dominica, known as “The Nature Island” of the Caribbean, is stepping up its efforts to deliver a truly unspoiled Caribbean product, with a world-class hospitality experience to boot. On the heels of Secret Bay being named Travel + Leisure’s No. 1 Resort Hotel in the Caribbean, Bermuda and The Bahamas, its parent company is setting up initiatives to uplift tourism and linkage sectors.

Qatar Airways, Official Partner and the Official Airline of FIFA, is showcasing a specially-branded Boeing 777 aircraft painted in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ livery, at Farnborough International Airshow 2022. The airline has delighted thousands of attendees by offering tours onboard the state-of-the-art aircraft, equipped with the World’s Best Business Class, Qsuite.

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, has announced a new route from Birmingham to Lisbon in Portugal which will take off this winter. The new route comes following new services from the airport to Nantes, Faro, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca, which took off for the first time earlier this summer. 

The latest figures from the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) show that 39,890 visitors from the UK travelled to Costa Rica between January and June 2022 – a number very close to pre-pandemic levels. This positive figure has made the UK become Costa Rica’s largest source market in Europe. 

Passport holders with the greatest global access are currently the most restricted and reluctant to enjoy their travel freedom, according to the latest results from the Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). 

A major cruise line executive is saluting the Dominican Republic for positioning itself as a global player in the tourism sector.

Speaking during a new Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) webinar series hosted by FCCA president Adam Ceserano, Norwegian Cruise Line’s President & CEO Harry Sommer praised the Dominican Republic for its tourism vision and noted the destination’s stellar attributes, including: