Holiday & Travel

Some would-be travellers are considering cancelling or delaying trip plans in response to fresh curbs prompted by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, travel agents said on Monday, threatening an already fragile recovery for the global tourism industry.

Southern Africa, where Omicron was discovered, accounts for only a tiny portion of the world's international travel but Israel and Japan have announced border closures to all foreign travellers and Britain and Australia have tightened rules for all arrivals in response to the new variant. read more

Travellers heading to the UK will now have to take a Covid test before their departure in an effort to limit spread of the virus, the government has said. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the tightened requirements would come into force from 04:00 GMT on Tuesday.

Everyone aged 12 and over will be required to take a pre-departure test a maximum of 48 hours before leaving. Currently people only need to self-isolate until they test negative within two days of arriving.

Jamaica minister of tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has welcomed the return of the cruise sector to the Caribbean destination.

The minister said the arrival of Carnival Glory at Montego Bay Cruise Port would allow the island to “cross a major threshold in its tourism recovery”. The conquest-class cruise ship has a maximum capacity of 2,980 passengers and 1,150 crew members. 

The luxury resort of Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic has broken ground on a $90 million building project designed to enhance the facilities and room options at the resort.

Sixty-four new 76 m2 (818 square foot) junior suite & Presidential suite rooms will be equipped with the latest technology and luxurious amenities. The new rooms will be located in 4 two storey buildings and offer breath-taking views overlooking the golf course.

Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort has announced a rich and diverse range of festive activities for the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations. From 20 December to 2 January guests have the option of enjoying activities such as lighting of the Christmas tree and carol singing.

They can enjoy theme nights, jazz bands, DJ sessions by the pool, rum tastings, sumptuous dining from around the world, and visits by Santa Claus.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Trip.com Group have launched ‘Trending in Travel’, a new report that shows the latest trends in traveler behavior and future booking patterns in the wake of COVID-19.

WTTC, representing the global Travel & Tourism sector, joined forces with leading global travel service provider, Trip.com Group, and its major consumer brands Trip.com, Ctrip and Skyscanner, to analyse consumer trends shaping the recovery of the Travel & Tourism sector.

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is buoyed by investor interest in the Territory and the wider Caribbean.

Attending the recently concluded annual Caribbean Hotel Investment Conference & Operations Summit (CHICOS) in The Bahamas, USVI Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte was encouraged by the strong sense of hope and optimism that permeated the three-day conference.

Tourism in the Mexican Caribbean “is back,” with hotel occupancy last month sitting at a healthy 59% throughout the state.

This is even more significant considering that current hotel capacity in the region is still at 85% of normal conditions, says Laura Nesteanu, Account Manager, Canada at Global Marketing & Sales, Inc., which represents the Mexican Caribbean in Canada.

As Australia’s borders begin to reopen, Visit Victoria is encouraging Britons to adopt a little penguin from Phillip Island; plant trees to support koalas; protect the Great Southern Reef; save endangered species; and support the state’s Aboriginal culture before coming out to get involved with these inspirational tourism experiences in person.

These activities are all included in the Good Natured Victoria initiative launched today giving international visitors and friends of Victoria the opportunity to collaborate in one of Victoria’s purpose-driven tourism experiences and to help to make a difference before and during their visit.

Leading independent travel company, Travel Counsellors, has experienced a very significant sales boom over the last month. The company’s leisure travel trading figures are now at 127% per cent compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels, recording one of its highest trading weeks in the last couple of years.

Travel Counsellors continues to receive an influx in global new leisure bookings, boosted by the recent removal of the ‘amber’ list and changes to ‘red’ list and the re-opening of the US borders.

Phu Quoc City, Kien Giang Province welcomed the first international tourists to Vietnam in the "new normal" after nearly 2 years frozen due to the COVID pandemic. A Vietjet Air flight brought more than 200 Korean tourists to Phu Quoc to experience a 5-day and 4-night vacation at one-stop-destination Phu Quoc United Centre.

The welcome ceremony was held at Phu Quoc International Airport with the participation of the General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh, Deputy Director of Vietnam Civil Aviation Department Vo Huy Cuong, leaders of Kien Giang Province and ministries, as well as representatives of Vietjet Air, Vinpearl Joint Stock Company and Marketing Highland Travel Company.

On Monday 6th December, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew opens a brand-new Family Kitchen & Shop. Situated next to the interactive Children’s Garden, this multi-sensory new eatery not only offers families a place to eat and drink, but also to engage with the natural world and learn more about where food comes from, discovering the important role which plants and fungi play in all our lives. With a capacity to host up to 250 diners, the restaurant is a space where the wonder of nature combines with an interactive food laboratory.

Torrontés has for sure the blue-and-white flag tattooed on it, and this article tells you which destinations to travel to in order to taste the way it must be sipped. The most homemade white wine, the only one born exclusively in the Argentine territory, awarded with prizes and mentions from around the world and with an unmistakable scent. 

EVA Air has targeted reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, demonstrating its commitment to seriously considering the impacts of climate change. The Taiwan-based airline made its case for sustainability at the 65th annual conference of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), held online and cohosted by EVA Air.

Clay Sun, the airline's president, also encouraged his industry colleagues to fully commit to reopening travel and gradually reinvigorating the airline industry.

A deportation flight from the UK to Jamaica left with just four people on board, the Home Office has said. Several last-minute legal challenges meant 33 people did not board the flight as planned.

Home Secretary Priti Patel claimed that some of them were guilty of crimes such as murder and child sexual offences, adding: “It’s absolutely galling that they had been stopped from being deported. Lawyers for some of those due to be on board said it wasted taxpayers' money.

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said that Jamaica will later this month start receiving at least 16 flights per week from the United Kingdom, bringing the island back to approximately 100 percent airline seat capacity as the nation’s tourism numbers rebound.

Bartlett is currently in the United Kingdom (UK) with a high-level team from the Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) participating in the World Travel Market, one of the largest international tourism trade shows in the world.