Holiday & Travel

The appointment of British supermodel Naomi Campbell as Kenya's tourism ambassador has caused a Twitter storm in the East African nation. Many queried why it had not been given to a prominent Kenyan like Hollywood actress Lupita Nyong'o. Others leapt to her defence, saying the debate already justified her role. Kenya's tourism sector has been badly hit by coronavirus, with visitor numbers down by 72% between January and October last year.

Kenya's Tourism Research Institute reported: "The sector hence lost over 110bn Kenyan shillings [$1bn, £738m] of direct international tourists' revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic." The country is famous for its wildlife safaris and beach resorts. Kenyan Tourism Minister Najib Balala said the deal with Ms Campbell was done over the weekend after he met the model, who is currently on holiday in Kenya.

The 50-year-old style icon and philanthropist has been posting images of her stay on Instagram, where she has 10 million followers. Mr Balala said: "We welcome the exciting news that Naomi Campbell will advocate for tourism and travel internationally for the Magical Kenya brand." But the statement, posted on Twitter on Tuesday, prompted instant outrage from some, and the supermodel's name has since been trending in the country.

One tweeter cited other Kenyan celebrities better suited to the ambassadorial role, including models Ajuma Nasenyana and Debra Sanaipei, as well as Nyong'o. Another tweeter said the backlash revealed an unhealthy attitude in Kenya: "At the end of the day, it's all about who will get the job done. This mentality is what causes nepotism and tribalism in Kenyan institutions, it should be about the most suitable candidate not 'one of our own' thing."

Ms Campbell's defenders praised the Londoner for visiting Kenya several times and said it was not only the model's social media following that made her the perfect appointment. Her circle of friends was equally important as she would attract wealthy tourists willing to spend money. The tourism industry usually contributes about 8.8% to Kenya's annual Gross domestic product (GDP), according to Kenya's East African newspaper.

Qatar Airways has announced that it has achieved Diamond Standard in the Airline Passenger Experience Association’s (APEX) Health Safety Powered by the SimpliFlying audit. The ‘Diamond Standard’ status, which is the highest level attainable, was announced by APEX and global aviation marketing consultancy, SimpliFlying, following a meticulous assessment of the airline’s robust COVID-19 hygiene and safety standards.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “As an industry leader, we welcome the further recognition of Qatar Airways’ commitment to providing the most rigorous and stringent virus monitoring, detection and COVID-19 safety programme throughout our end-to-end passenger experience, in existence within the global aviation community.

“The awarding of the APEX Health Safety ‘Diamond Standard’ was the result of a thorough and extensive independent audit of the airline’s comprehensive COVID-19 protection and prevention measures, both on board and at Hamad International Airport, and reinforces the fact that air travel does not need to be a source of concern to passengers.

“As commercial aviation continues to deal with the challenges and impact of the global pandemic, we welcome the introduction of this and other relevant COVID-related hygiene and safety reviews, and would encourage other airlines to continue to build passenger confidence and assist with the recovery of the industry by participating wherever possible.”

APEX Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Joe Leader, said: “Qatar Airways’ COVID-19 protocols definitively met the highest marks for the Diamond certification level backed by their extraordinary steps for customer safety.  The actions taken by Qatar appear centered around a singular philosophy: how can we innovatively maximize both our customer service and passenger safety hand-in-hand.

“Having flown recently on Qatar Airways with my family to the Maldives after negative COVID-19 PCR tests, the level of health safe service both in-flight and on-the-ground surpassed my highest expectations and even surpassed our best-ever pre-pandemic experience on the airline.”

SimpliFlying Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Shashank Nigam, said: "Qatar Airways has raised the bar for health safety standards in the industry by initiatives such as providing a face shield to all passengers, using Honeywell’s UV disinfection systems and advanced biosafety measures at its hub in Doha. Taking such hospital-grade in ensuring health safety will help bolster trust among travellers."

Qatar Airways’ onboard safety measures include the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a complimentary protective kit and disposable face shields for passengers. Business Class passengers on aircraft equipped with Qsuite can enjoy the enhanced privacy this award-winning business seat provides, including sliding privacy partitions and the option to use a ‘Do Not Disturb (DND)’ indicator. Qsuite is available on flights to more than 30 destinations including Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London and New York. For full details of all the measures that have been implemented onboard and in HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety.

In addition to this, the airline also uses the most advanced HEPA air filtration systems on board all aircraft, and recently introduced Honeywell’s state-of-the-art Ultraviolet Cabin System, operated by Qatar Aviation Services, as a further step in the cleaning of its aircraft.

Qatar Airways currently operates more than 800 weekly flights to over 110 destinations across the globe. By the end of March 2021, Qatar Airways plans to rebuild its network to 129. Many cities will be served with a strong schedule with daily or more frequencies.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times. 

The world travel and holiday industry are still in mourning following the announcement of the death of one of the industry’s greatest figures. Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, the founder and chair of Sandals Resorts International (SRI), died in Miami, in the United States, after suffering from an undisclosed illness. A native of Jamaica, he is best known for creating his all-inclusive world-renowned Sandals Resorts International – which, in turn, ‘houses’ one of the pearls of his homeland, Sandals Resorts, as well as the equally loved and respected Beaches Resorts, Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, Fowl Cay Resort as well as several private villas.

Stewart, who lived in Kingston and Montego Bay, initially bought two derelict hotels in Mo Bay, in 1981 before spending some $4 million in renovation and reopening it as the Sandals Resort Beach Club - later to be known as Sandals Montego Bay. It would become the first to popularise the sale of all-inclusive holidays in the Caribbean. And, as such Sandals Resorts was born. Many travel experts credit Sandals for making the all-inclusive market in the Caribbean as lucrative and successful as it has been.

Credited with several innovations in the hospitality industry, most notably building the Caribbean's first swim-up bar, at Sandals Montego Bay Resort, under his creative stewardship, the amiable Butch is responsible for resort development, and is now known for creating SRI properties throughout the Caribbean, which also includes; The Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Antigua, Turks & Caicos, and most recently Barbados, and Grenada with sixteen Sandals Resorts, three Beaches Resorts, one Grand Pineapple Beach Resort, one Fowl Cay private island resort and four villa properties in Jamaica. A region-wide powerhouse, his brands include Sandals and Beaches.

Married to wife, Cheryl, he had eight children including; Brian Jardim, who sat on the board of The Jamaica Observer and was the owner of Rainforest Seafoods, daughter Jamie Stewart-McConnell co-founded the Orijin of Jamaica juice company, son Bobby held various leadership positions at Sandals including running the company's online division and UK operations, Adam was deputy chair of Sandals, CEO of The ATL Group and founded the Sandals Foundation while serving as CEO of Sandals Resorts from 2006 to 2012. Another one of his sons, Jonathan, was killed in a car crash in 1990. His younger three children include twins, Kelly and Gordon, and a daughter, Sabrina.

In a statement, Adam said: “Our father was a singular personality; an unstoppable force who delighted in defying the odds by exceeding expectations and whose passion for his family was matched only by the people and possibility of the Caribbean, for whom he was a fierce champion. Almost nothing, perhaps, except maybe a great fishing day, could come before family to my dad. And while the world understood him to be a phenomenal businessman – which he was, his first and most important devotion was always to us. We will miss him terribly forever.”

Despite his illness, Mr. Stewart had continued to work long hours until the end of his life, his son said. Only recently he (Butch) created the Sandals Refused, which was set up to refund patrons who were scheduled to arrive just as the resort shutdown due to the prevalence of the coronavirus pandemic. Adam said his father’s death was related to a recent medical diagnosis that he kept private because he did not want to “be anyone else’s burden. He didn’t even want his closest friends to worry for him.”

Butch was 79 - Adam Stewart has since become chair of Sandals Resorts International.

According to a survey of 1,500 people, commissioned by AccuraCast, 41.5 percent of respondents said they did not plan to travel in 2021. The survey asked consumers what was the most important aspect of a travel insurance policy and the majority of respondents said they did not plan to travel in 2021, so wouldn’t have any need for travel insurance.

While this is good news for health officials, it spells continued trouble for the travel industry, which has globally suffered a loss of 75 million jobs and $2.1 trillion in revenue, according to estimates from the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The top priority for travel insurance – for those who were planning to travel – was ‘cancellation due to Covid restrictions’ (21 percent), followed closely by ‘medical cover, including Covid cover’ (11.5 percent). It would seem that delays were no longer such a worry for consumers, with only 3 percent of respondents stating it was the most important aspect of a travel insurance policy.

Those in the 65 year plus age group were most likely to say they would not travel in 2021, (50.5 percent). In contrast, only 36 percent of 18 to 24 year olds surveyed said they would not travel – making this group the most likely to travel in 2021. Respondents aged between 35 and 44 years were most likely to rank ‘cancellations due to Covid restrictions’ as their priority. Respondents aged 45 and over weren’t as worried about cancellation cover, presumably because health concerns take priority for travellers in this age group.

With the travel industry already taking a massive hit in 2020, the results of the survey show that 2021 isn’t going to be an easy ride back to normality for the industry. Marketeers in both the travel and insurance industries need to continue conserving resources, improving the experience for current customers, and focusing on the unique service proposition that differentiates the business from competitors.

Jamaica has this week reported its highest seven-day cumulative arrival figures since reopening borders on June 15th.

Preliminary statistics from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) show that for the period December 22nd-28th, just over 21,000 passengers arrived on the island.

Jamaica has this week reported its highest seven-day cumulative arrival figures since reopening borders on June 15th. Preliminary statistics from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) show that for the period December 22nd-28th, just over 21,000 passengers arrived on the island.

The Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay welcomed 16,841 and 4,203 additional passengers arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. Between December 1st-28th, Jamaica welcomed over 98,000 visitors, an increase of more than 30,000 compared to the previous month. Sangster International Airport continues to account for the majority of arrivals. Between June 15th and December 28th, a total of 376,044 passengers arrived on the island.

The JTB recently announced tourism sales and marketing strategies that will deliver on the Destination Assurance promise of a safe, secure and seamless visit.

Destination Assurance prioritizes health and safety, while positioning Jamaica as the premiere holiday choice for GEN-C, the generation that transcends demographics and reflects the shared psychographic of living through the pandemic.

The U.S. Virgin Islands is welcoming new flights from Minneapolis to St. Thomas this winter from Delta Air Lines and Sun Country Airlines.

Delta is offering thrice weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while
Minneapolis-based carrier Sun Country is operating weekly Saturday service between
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Cyril E. King Airport.

“Airlift expansion continues to be a major priority for the Department of Tourism and we are pleased that our efforts over the last couple of years are paying dividends,” said Joseph Boschulte, U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism.

“With the new Delta flights and the return of Sun Country’s service between
Minneapolis and St. Thomas, we are able to provide a gateway for visitors
from the midwestern market to experience and enjoy all the U.S. Virgin Islands
has to offer.

"The timing of these flights, during the peak winter season, will help to fuel economic activity as we focus our efforts on protecting and promoting the bread and butter tourism industry," Commissioner Boschulte affirmed.

The Department of Tourism continues to focus its attention on increasing airlift capacity to St. Croix and St. Thomas in 2021. St. Thomas has recently welcomed new service from New York on JetBlue Airways, and Frontier Airlines will inaugurate new
flights from Orlando in February. Both islands have recently experienced an
uptick in American Airlines traffic from several gateways.

Pandemic-related guidelines for traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands include the requirement for every traveler aged five or older to submit a COVID-19 test result through the secure online USVI Travel Screening Portal.

The traveling public is encouraged to stay abreast of the Territory’s COVID-19 travel protocols by visiting www.usviupdate.com.

Qatar Airways continues to expand its portfolio of strong, globally strategic partnerships by signing an expanded code-share agreement with Oman Air that will boost connectivity and provide more flexible travel options for both airline’s customers. The expanded code-share agreement is the first step in further strengthening strategic cooperation between the two airlines that first began in 2000. Sales of the additional destinations will commence in 2021.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are pleased to further expand our code-share cooperation with Oman Air, one of the leading airlines in the Gulf region. Now more than ever, it is important to strengthen strategic partnerships across the industry to optimise our operations and provide seamless connectivity to hundreds of destinations across the globe for our passengers. Since 2000, both airlines have seen the benefits that commercial cooperation has brought, providing our passengers with unrivalled service and more flexibility to travel when they want. I look forward to further strengthening our commercial cooperation with Oman Air to provide even more benefits to our customers.”

Oman Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Abdulaziz Al Raisi, said: “We are delighted to expand our commercial cooperation with Qatar Airways, which will streamline flying for leisure travellers from around the world to enjoy Oman's culture, scenic beauty and hospitality, and facilitate travel for those who visit the Sultanate of Oman for abundant, fast-growing business opportunities across a diverse range of sectors. The expansion of our code-share agreement is just the first step, and we look forward to working with Qatar Airways to further strengthen our strategic partnership to enhance the business and leisure travel experience for our customers in Oman and throughout the world.”

The code-share expansion will significantly increase the number of destinations available to Oman Air passengers from three to 65* on the Qatar Airways’ network across Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, India, and the Middle East. Qatar Airways passengers will also benefit from additional connectivity, with the ability to book travel on an additional six destinations across Africa and Asia in Oman Air’s network. Both airlines will also explore a number of joint commercial and operational initiatives to further optimise their partnership.

Qatar Airways’ strategic investment in a variety of fuel-efficient, twin-engine aircraft, including the largest fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft, has enabled it to continue flying throughout this crisis and perfectly positions it to lead the sustainable recovery of international travel.

The airline recently took delivery of three new state-of-the-art Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, increasing its total A350 fleet to 52 with an average age of just 2.6 years. Due to COVID-19’s impact on travel demand, the airline has grounded its fleet of Airbus A380s as it is not environmentally justifiable to operate such a large, four-engine aircraft in the current market.

Qatar Airways has also recently launched a new programme that enables passengers to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions associated with their journey at the point of booking.

The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 110 destinations with plans to increase to 129 by the end of March 2021. A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite.

The Qsuite seat layout is a 1-2-1 configuration, providing passengers with the most spacious, fully private, comfortable and social distanced Business Class product in the sky. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times.

Jamaica has welcomed the arrival of the first direct flight from Nigeria, opening up new tourism opportunities for the Caribbean destination.

Onboard, Nigeria minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said Jamaica could be “the next big thing” for travellers from the African country. Around 140 passengers were on board the first flight, which touched down at Sangster International Airport.

“We really expect to see tourism take off in a big way,” said Onyeama, “we believe that Jamaica is the next big thing for us as far as tourism is concerned.”

In turn, Jamaica minister of tourism, Edmund Bartlett, lauded the historic arrival of the flight.

In stressing its significance, he said: “Historical and cultural ties between Nigeria and Jamaica date back to the days of slavery and many Jamaicans today have their ancestral roots in that African country.”

He added: “We have been working together to bring this to fruition for some time and I am pleased that we have opened yet another gateway, which provides scope for the added growth of our tourism sector and the forging of greater bonds between both countries.”

The U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism has cautioned that while a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is on the horizon, protocols and guidelines implemented to protect lives and livelihoods in the Territory should not slacken. Speaking on a recent Condé Nast Traveler virtual panel discussion, Commissioner Joseph Boschulte said while he understood the real effects of pandemic fatigue, “we're getting closer to the finish line with a vaccine and we've done so well for nine months; we don't want to mess it up in the last three or four months.”

Maintaining a heightened state of vigilance is essential since the lion’s share of the Territory’s visitors arrive from the United States mainland, where the number of daily new COVID-19 cases continues to rise in many states. Addressing participants during the “New Standards in Safety and Health” online session, the tourism leader highlighted a recent partnership with American Airlines which enables travelers to be tested before boarding, allowing them to comply with the Territory’s five-day window for being tested, receiving test results and submitting results through an online portal.

The pre-flight testing option, which is conducted via an at-home sample collection kit, is critical because it was increasingly difficult for travelers to get test results back on time: “So any way that we can allow the testing to happen and happen quickly is important.” COVID-19 testing requirements for traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands require that prospective travelers aged five or older submit travel details, contact information and coronavirus test results to a secure, online Travel Screening Portal. “It's all about making sure we have the data to ensure that if there is an unfortunate situation, when somebody is positive, we can reach out to them, contact trace, and isolate anybody that is positive so that we avoid community contamination,” the Commissioner commented.

Ensuring the health and safety not only of visitors, but also of the Territory’s residents remains one of the highest priorities for the Department of Tourism. Commissioner Boschulte believes that especially in times of crisis, being responsible for one another is crucial. “Everybody has to make sure that everybody is being personally responsible to not only themselves, but to everybody around them,” he noted. As the pandemic has progressed over the past months, the Department of Tourism has observed that, increasingly, visitors want to vacation privately. “One of the biggest trends we've seen with people is that they really want to stay away from other people, and they are willing to pay a premium for that.

“So instead of going on a catamaran with 25 other people, they'll go on their own smaller excursion on a powerboat with just their family,” said Commissioner Boschulte.

The increasing prevalence of remote work and tighter social distancing measures has created a new travel trend; instead of working from home, wellness enthusiasts are taking holidays abroad where they can work remotely while pursuing healthy activities. Health and Fitness Travel, the wellness holiday specialists, has seen an increase in new bookings for clients who want to leave the living room and carry on working remotely from a luxury destination.

The rise in popularity is with good reason as studies suggest that productivity is enhanced; many destinations like St Lucia and Madeira are safer havens from COVID-19; both work and personal life become more flexible. As the winter intensifies and recent lockdowns mean those that can are once more working from home, with this we can only expect the work wellnesscation trend to continue to grow. The lead up to Christmas and January in particular is likely to be popular as remote working from holiday can be supplemented with annual leave for an even better getaway experience.

Out of the many possible retreats for remote work, Mindful Triathlon™ holidays are particularly popular with health-conscious, remote workers as they offer an entirely flexible programme which covers all aspects of health: activeness, mindfulness and wellness.

Clients can engage with their health and fitness programme which is built around their work schedule with these super flexible holidays. They can attend morning or evening activities, spa treatments and personal training scheduled around their working day. Mindful Triathlon holidays provide the variety and flexibility necessary for a work wellnesscation.

St Lucia, Turks & Caicos and other Caribbean destinations are popular for their sparce population, secluded luxury resorts and sunny winter climates. Dubai, Croatia, Estonia and Barbados are also attracting remote workers as they offer ‘digital nomad visas’. These new visas allow people to spend up to a year at a holiday destination while working remotely. Within these countries, resorts which offer villas are the most popular as this style of accommodation is ideal for those looking to work remotely and maintain their social distance from others. Work Wellnesscations are not exclusively to these destinations as they can be taken anywhere visa and restriction permitting with strong Wi-fi and a good phone signal.

The phenomenon is likely to have a lasting impact on a variety of industries, not just travel. With a higher number of remote workers, demand for office space will be smaller. Public transport may suffer a substantially reduced revenue due to a lack of commuting. Air pollution and congestion in major cities may decrease substantially with fewer people working in urban centres. Work Wellnesscations may be a much-needed revitalisation of the wellness travel industry with a post-lockdown boom in the length of average stay and a rise in the number of guests. All of this is indicative of a radical change in the UK’s work and holiday culture. As more people leave the office and begin remote work, there will be a substantially large group looking abroad, a season at a time, for new healthier lifestyles.

As the pandemic continues on around the globe and many borders remain tight or completely closed to foreign travellers, tourism industries are feeling the pinch—but two of its major players have found a way to navigate through this tough time.

Back in April, home-sharing giant Airbnb pivoted slightly during the pandemic and began virtual versions of its Experiences portfolio with their new Online Experiences offerings, a move that aimed to give hungry travellers a taste of travel while also helping to support struggling tourism providers large and small around the globe. In August, Airbnb partnered with NYC's famous Broadway theatre district to help create a collection of virtual experiences that bring the theatre to fans through cast meet-and-greets, sing-a-longs, story times, and more.

Now, Airbnb has teamed up with the Singapore Tourism Board to help travelers immerse themselves in the Lion City's unique culture and tourism offerings without ever leaving their homes.

This new partnership, which was announced on Oct. 21, highlights Singapore as a top Online Experiences destination, giving the country a first-of-its-kind dedicated Singapore Virtual Trips page on Airbnb's website, where guests can easily book affordable “trips” to Singapore and experience everything “from Michelin-starred heritage fusion to crazy rich experiences” hosted by top-notch Singaporean tourism operators. 

“I have personally enjoyed Airbnb’s Singaporean cooking Experiences and know that such Experiences unlock new ways to discover Singapore through its greatest natural resource—its people,” Chris Lehane, Airbnb's Senior Vice President of Policy and Communications, in a statement. “And it is through using the Airbnb platform to showcase the incredible people of Singapore to the world that, working in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board, we can help support the recovery of international tourism.” 

Current virtual offerings include a bingo-themed exploration through Singapore, a visit to one of the city's unique Peranakan homes, cocktail and cooking classes, a guided sound bath meditation, and a sustainability-focused tour at the Cloud Forest in Gardens by the Bay.

“This is an exciting new way for Gardens by the Bay to continue to delight people, enabling us to connect with friends and fans around the world,” said Online Experience host Chad Davis, who is also Deputy Director of the Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay. “I look forward to sharing my passion for our Cloud Forest and helping virtual visitors rediscover the region’s most extraordinary cooled conservatory through this unique virtual format.”   

The two organizations are planning to expand the partnership to include in-person Airbnb Experiences that will immerse travellers in local dining, nature, wellness, and arts experiences. The hope is that more and more local tourism businesses will be able to take their businesses online and offer virtual visits, ideally getting people psyched on visiting Singapore in the flesh—and maybe taking a ride on the world’s longest flight to get there—once borders reopen.

Travel rules have been relaxed for people arriving in England to work on poultry farms to ensure there is enough turkey available for Christmas dinners.

Seasonal workers from abroad can now start work straight away during their 14-day quarantine. The transport secretary said the new measures will ensure food producers can "keep up with the Christmas demand".

Industry groups had previously warned of turkey shortages without enough skilled workers to process the meat.

Under the new rules, seasonal staff must still self-isolate from the rest of the public for the first 14 days. To avoid any potential spread of coronavirus, they also have to form "cohorts", or live and work with a group of the same workers during their time in England. They will not be allowed to mix with other employees.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "Christmas dinner is the highlight of the year for many families and this year it will be particularly significant."

He added that the new measures would support businesses who "have faced unprecedented challenges from coronavirus".

The boss of the British Poultry Council (BPC) had urged the government to exempt seasonal workers from quarantine rules in October.

Richard Griffiths warned that 1,000 workers from the European Union were needed to stop Christmas supply from collapsing. He said he hoped that the new exemption would be "helpful" in the run-up to Christmas.

"Industry is determined to deliver Christmas to households across the nation. If the exemption helps us deliver a fantastic Christmas and helps our smaller seasonal producers out, then it can only be a good thing."

About 5,500 seasonal workers arrive on farms in England each year to help during the festive period, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The type of skills turkey production requires are not available among UK workers, the BPC has previously said.

Workers need to have been trained specifically in Watok - Welfare of Animals at Time of Killing - and licensed to kill or slaughter animals, which means holding a certificate of competence from the Food Standards Agency.

"The UK meat industry needs access to reliable skilled workers wherever they come from in order to keep the flow of food from our farms to our plates," said Tony Goodger of the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers. He added: "What we need now is a clear steer that the system will be in place much earlier in 2021 should we need it."

This year, all non-UK seasonal poultry workers are required to leave England by 31 December, at which point the exemption will no longer be in force.

Data from a leading travel insurance comparison site confirm that demand from U.S.-based travellers for visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands has increased significantly.

Based on all travel insurance policies purchased through Squaremouth.com between March 12 and October 19, 2020, for all future travel, the USVI experienced an increase of more than 200 percent compared to the same period in 2019.

“The analysis from Squaremouth.com corroborates not only the findings of Travelzoo’s survey of American travellers in August, which showed that the Territory is the destination those travellers would most like to visit in the Caribbean over the next two years, but it also lines up with our observations and key indicators of exceptionally strong demand from the U.S. mainland for travel to the USVI,” said Joseph Boschulte, Commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism.

Heading into the winter season, as public health concerns and travel restrictions coming out of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continue to impact international travel, Americans are increasingly seeking options for exploring and experiencing domestic destinations, especially those that demonstrate a commitment to comprehensive health and safety protocols and guidelines. According to Squaremouth.com, the year-over-year change in purchases of travel insurance policies for the U.S. was 319%, while the U.S. Virgin Islands registered an increase of 207%.

“This is the first time the U.S. Virgin Islands has been identified as among the most popular destinations by this award-winning company, and we are deeply grateful to all our partners in the Territory’s tourism ecosystem - from hotel and tour operators to taxi drivers and the many entities engaged in our diverse marine tourism sector,” said Commissioner Boschulte.

The Commissioner also attributed the positive findings of the data analysis to the Department of Tourism’s coordinated marketing, public relations and communications initiatives, which include promoting and supporting the Territory’s COVID-19 public health practices widely to both residents and visitors.

Alluding to the Department’s strategic approach to marketing the Territory during the global health crisis, Commissioner Boschulte noted: “We have been proactive and vigilant in maintaining close and constant contact with our airline partners, wholesalers, travel advisors and meeting planners and their associations, members of the media and travel trade, as well as the general traveling public.” 

Besides the USVI, other Caribbean destinations making Squaremouth’s list of Top 10 Destinations (and their corresponding change in travel insurance policies purchased) include: Turks and Caicos Islands (303%); The Bahamas (-32%); Jamaica (27%), and Aruba (2%). Several carriers are expected to increase air service to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Prior to traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, all travellers aged five or older must submit a COVID-19 test result through the USVI Travel Screening Portal to avoid processing delays, enhanced health screening upon arrival in the Territory, and/or mandatory self-quarantine.

The international travel trade showITB Berlin 2021 will be taking place next March in an entirely virtual format, providing the industry with an online platform for global networking, business and content.

Set to take place from March 9-12, ITB Berlin 2021 and the accompanying ITB Berlin Convention will be open to trade visitors only.

Explaining the move, David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin, said: “The situation surrounding the pandemic remains difficult, particularly for the travel and tourism industry. Our decision to hold ITB Berlin 2021 as an entirely virtual event now provides exhibitors and trade visitors with maximum planning certainty.”

He added: “The event will be highly relevant in terms of content. In these challenging times, business meetings, exchanging specialist information and orientation are of special value for the industry.”

Among other features, the virtual concept of ITB Berlin 2021 will include numerous live-streamed high-level panel discussions and lectures as well as digital networking opportunities, an intelligent matchmaking event and a virtual exhibition area. On November 16, ITB Berlin will provide further information on exhibitor and sponsorship packages, tickets and booking options.

People in parts of the UK with high rates of Covid-19 will be banned from travelling to Wales under plans announced by Wales' first minister.

Mark Drakeford said he would go ahead if the prime minister did not impose travel restrictions in England. It is expected the ban will cover all of Northern Ireland, England's tier two and three areas and the Scottish central belt.

The UK government said the decision was "disappointing". And the head of the Police Federation in Wales warned the rules could be "unenforceable".

"There will also be plenty of individuals travelling legitimately from areas which are not high risk, and this will only add to the other difficulties officers face when policing the existing regulations," Mark Bleasdale said.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she fully supported Mr Drakeford's move. She said she would write to the prime minister seeking urgent talks over UK-wide travel restrictions and called for a "sensible agreement" between the four nations.

Mr Drakeford had written twice in recent weeks to Boris Johnson asking for travel to be restricted in and out of areas with high levels of transmission in England.

The UK government has repeatedly refused to do so, instead asking people in the Liverpool City Region to avoid non-essential travel.

UK government ministers plan to write to Mr Drakeford to raise their concerns about the travel ban and some of the language being used. Mr Drakeford said: "Evidence from public health professionals suggests coronavirus is moving from east to west across the UK and across Wales.

"As a general rule, it is concentrating in urban areas and then spreading to more sparsely populated areas as a result of people travelling."

He said the law will be "essentially designed to prevent people going to those holiday parts of Wales, the far west and the far southwest of Wales, where the virus is still in very low circulation".

The rules are planned to come into force on Friday at 18:00 BST.

Travel to and from the 17 local lockdown areas in Wales - covering most of the population - is already restricted. People can already only travel to places like Cardiff or Swansea if they have a reasonable excuse like work or education.

But travel is possible between areas that are subject to restrictions in England and the parts of Wales not under lockdown rules, such as Powys and Pembrokeshire.

The Welsh Government's plans would effectively restrict travel to those places, and also cover anyone from a low-Covid area of Wales travelling to high-Covid areas elsewhere who then return to Wales. Similar exemptions will apply to those that exist for Welsh local lockdown areas. Enforcement details are not been confirmed but it is likely breaking the law could attract a fixed penalty notice, or a fine if it goes to court.

A Welsh Government source stressed fines would be a last resort.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says people should use their common sense when travelling around the UK.

The first minister said it was "absolutely possible" to enforce the ban, "we did exactly this for many many weeks earlier this year".

He warned anyone planning to "evade" a police officer "trying to prevent people from travelling onwards".

"When they arrive in the far west of Wales, I'm afraid they will meet a local population that are fearful, that are anxious and are on the lookout for people who shouldn't be in those areas.

"So your difficulties aren't over by evading the police, there'll be other checks in the system."

Midcounties Co-operative, one of the UK’s largest independent consumer co-operatives, has finalised an agreement with award-winning, independent travel agency, Carrick Travel to transfer seven of its branches to the society’s retail travel division, Co-operative Travel.

The agreement sees the Carrick Travel branch in Cheylesmore, West Midlands and all colleagues employed there, join Co-operative Travel, effective 2 October 2020. The move takes the society’s portfolio of Co-operative Travel shops across England to 78.

Located at 161 Daventry Road in Cheylesmore, the travel agency remains open to customers and will complement Co-operative Travel’s existing West Midlands branches.

The shop will continue to trade as Carrick Travel but will be part of the Co-operative Travel family. 

Rad Sofronijevic, Chief Operating Officer of Co-operative Travel, said: “Despite the challenges of Covid-19, Travel remains core to Midcounties’ long-term strategy. The transfer of Carrick Travel gives us the opportunity to grow the Co-operative Travel operations for the benefit of our members, with shops that are located in the heart of their communities and to serve an additional customer base that complements our own.

“We look forward to nurturing and supporting the former Carrick Travel branches and their staff. Their welcome addition will strengthen the position of Midcounties Co-operative’s Travel division for the future”.

Eight-time winner of Travel Weekly’s “Agent Achievement Award for Central England - Small Agency”, Carrick Travel’s shops supported 10,000 customers with their travel arrangements over the last 12 months.

Tina Nason and Tracey Carter, owners of Carrick Travel, who will not be joining those staff transferring to Co-operative Travel, as part of the agreement, said: “It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Carrick Travel. However, we are incredibly happy that the journeys of our valued customers and many of our talented colleagues will continue under Co-operative Travel. The protection of our staff and clients has always been our highest priority. By agreeing a transfer with The Midcounties Co-operative, particularly with the security that being part of a diverse business provides during these tough times in travel, we are ensuring the protection of our clients and as many of our colleagues’ jobs as possible.

“We have operated Carrick Travel very much as a family business with our stores playing an important role in the communities they serve. Co-operative Travel’s community-focused mindset and principles of care and compassion match our own ethos and we know that our team members and clients will be passed into very safe hands.”

The seven branches that have transferred to Co-operative Travel are in Kenilworth (Warwickshire), Stratford Upon Avon (Warwickshire), Leamington Spa (Warwickshire), Cheylesmore (West Midlands), Pershore (Worcestershire), Grantham (Lincolnshire) and Newark (Nottinghamshire).  The four Carrick Travel branches that are not included in the transfer agreement closed their doors at the end of September 2020.