Leading UK travel company, Barrhead Travel, plans to have a “wellness champion” in every store by the end of the year. The initiative, which was originally launched two years ago, is accelerating to deal with the knock-on effects of the pandemic. 

The rollout of the key plan to help the company’s people follows the valued experience of existing champions in the business’s stores and offices. The business launched their original Wellness Steering Programme in 2019 as it pledged to prioritise the health and wellbeing of its employees across the business. 

The streets of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, have been lit up with colourful lights for the 3^rd Light Festival on August 13-15^th. The event, which attracted 200K spectators last year, this time has created an illuminated route from the New to the Old Town, with almost 20 light installations by Lithuanian and foreign artists along the way.

The colourful light art highlights the allure of city squares, red-roofed buildings, and green spaces.

Of the millions of people clogging airport security lines, passport control and gate areas, one crowd is still largely missing: business travellers. Their absence is noteworthy because they are a key source of revenue and profit, underpinning a record-breaking stretch of financial gain for airlines that ended with the coronavirus.

Business travellers tend to pay higher fares, and that is especially true on international flights, which are also still deeply depressed by the pandemic and travel restrictions around the globe. Because their fares subsidize other passengers, experts say their absence is leading to higher leisure fares on many routes.

AMResorts has signed two new resort brand management deals: Zoëtry Casa Del Mar Los Cabos and Zoëtry Marigot Bay St. Lucia. The two properties are conversions from independent resorts and will expand the Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts portfolio to seven branded properties.

“Demand for boutique resorts is at a high, as travellers crave more intimate experiences in a setting that prioritizes luxury, personalization and safety. Understanding how to optimize this segment for profitability can be a challenge, especially in a volatile market,” said Javier Coll, Group President of Global Business Development, Apple Leisure Group.

Turks and Caicos will be the latest country to require adult travellers to be vaccinated. All visitors 16 and over must be fully vaccinated to enter the Turks and Caicos, effective Sept. 1. Accepted vaccines are Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Travelers must show proof of vaccination through the TCI pre-travel portal. Handwritten vaccination cards will not be accepted; the vaccination proof must come from an electronic vaccination database or through a letter signed by a physician or registered nurse and include medical license number.

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism is making inroads into the Denver, Colorado market, drumming up support and earning engagement from travel agents, meeting planners and media representatives during a special USVI presentation last month.

Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte led the USVI team, which included Assistant Commissioner of Tourism-Marketing Alani Henneman-Todman and Virgin Islands cultural ambassadors, in encouraging travel professionals to “Reconnect with Paradise” and to experience “St. Croix: a vibe like no other”, the marketing tag line for the “Big Island”.