Staycations are expected to boom in 2021 after lockdown ends, UK holiday firms have said.

Bosses at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said the lifting of restrictions would be like "a cork popping from a bottle". Director general Nick Lomas said although coronavirus had hit the industry hard, they were optimistic about the coming season. Other firms said they also expected more people to holiday in the UK.

Mr Lomas said: "2020 was a very difficult year for the tourism and hospitality sector and the Caravan and Motorhome Club had suffered significant financial losses." He did, however, add: "When our campsites were allowed to be open last year we actually saw record levels of bookings, with new memberships up by 14%. Sadly, this surge does not make up for the losses we suffered during nearly six months of lockdown."

But, despite the current restrictions, Mr Lomas said he had every reason to believe this year could finish as one of "the best and busiest yet", due to the appetite for outdoor UK holidays. "In fact, we think that 2021 is going to be like a cork popping from a bottle," he said.

Experience Freedom, which operates glamping holidays in the UK, said bookings for 2021 were already up as people looked to spend more time in the "great outdoors". Smaller operators such as Anne's Vans, based in Lincoln, are also expecting to benefit.

Owner Anne Davies said so far they had no bookings, saying "uncertainty over when lockdown will end" was putting people off at the moment. However, she said: "Based on last years’ experience we are expecting a bumper year in 2021... once this latest lockdown is over."

The chief executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, David Butterworth, said visitor numbers after the first lockdown ended were "unprecedented". He added: "The challenge for 2021 is to capitalise on this trend, and capture the hearts and minds of the people who have experienced the Dales for the first time to make sure they keep coming back."

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. 

Royal Caribbean has extended its suspension in the U.S. through April 2021, with the first sailings from the country now planned for May.

The new adjustments announced by Royal Caribbean Group on Tuesday morning impacts all owned cruise brands including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, and Azamara. 

Royal Caribbean International which is the leading operator was previously planning on returning in March but now that won’t be the case. The cruise line has canceled sailings through April 30, 2021. This means cruises will not resume until the start of May at the earliest.

The cruise company continues to focus on new health and safety protocols to make sure guests and crew remain safe. Royal Caribbean is working with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) on the framework for the Conditional Sailing Order.

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.

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.

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.