Holiday & Travel

Major travel and hospitality companies are beginning the year with confidence as COVID-19 cases go down again and major tourist destinations lift travel restrictions. Businesses are already seeing trends and signs of what to expect for the rest of the year, many of which point to the industry going big and green in 2022.

Hilton, as one shining example, believes its third quarter will eclipse the peak of 2019.

The city of Birmingham has moved up to ninth in the world’s top ten destinations for large international meetings within the Northstar Meetings Group Convention Cities Index (CCi).

London is the second-ranked UK destination at 21st, with Frankfurt leading the list.

The luxury travel market size was valued at $22.2 billion in 2021, and it is anticipated to reach nearly $40 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of about 8.4% during the forecast period (2022–2028).

The luxury travel market is expected to be driven by rising middle-and upper-class disposable income and consumer spending, rising demand for accumulating travel memories, and an increase in micro trips.

The impacts of plastic waste on the environment and our health are global, drastic and countries around the world are enforcing plastic bans. As the call to end single-use plastics gets louder, the nation of St Kitts and Nevis is moving ahead with its plan to combat plastic pollution and promote a healthy environment. The world now produces more than 380 million tons of plastic every year, which could end up as pollutants entering the natural environment and oceans.

Luxury hotel brand, The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts has confirmed the reopening of its newly extended all-suite sustainable resort The Pavilions Anana Krabi in Thailand from 1 March 2022, following the addition of 20 brand new Pool Access Suites. First opened in February 2021 on the southern west coast of Thailand's famous Phang Nga Bay, the 79-suite ecological resort puts sustainability, nature and wellbeing centre stage.

The Government of the Virgin Islands has announced that the 70th edition of Carnival Virgin Islands on St. Thomas will be held from April 27 to May 1, 2022.

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism’s Division of Festivals reports that the official version of St. Thomas carnival will be held under the theme “A New Cultural Roogadoo for Carnival 2022”.

A region famed for its tea plantations plays host to Karma Group's new Indian resort. International Karma Group continues to cement its status as one of the world's leading resort companies with its latest acquisition of not one, but two new locations. Joining its new Egyptian-based addition the elegant cruise ship Karma Kanak, is Karma Munnar, a destination nestled among the famously green rolling hills of the state of Kerala in India.

Australia has reopened its international border for the first time in nearly two years, bringing joyful family reunions and a boost to tourism. The country imposed some of the world's strictest travel bans after shutting itself off in March 2020 due to Covid.

Australians and some others were allowed to return from late last year, but most foreigners have had to wait. There were tearful reunions at Sydney Airport on Monday as hundreds of people began arriving on flights.

As the travel industry bounces back, with over 320 Travel Counsellors reporting their best ever selling month in January 2022, the leading independent travel company has announced a major recruitment drive.

This comes as a recent survey from people in the company’s talent pool revealed that almost two thirds are interested in setting up their own travel business within the next year, with over 70 percent of those looking for new career opportunities from outside of the travel industry.

Luxurious holiday resort brand Luxury Lodges has increased its rental capacity of UK-wide destinations following a surge in the demand for staycations. While the international holiday market has been volatile for the past two years, UK resorts have seen a huge boost with many booking up for much of 2022 already.

Travellers who’ve got off at New Street station (or managed to navigate Spaghetti Junction by car) have often been pleasantly surprised with Birmingham’s wealth of cultural attractions.

The city has always quietly bubbled away beneath the surface, and now, with the arrival of the Commonwealth Games in July, Brum — along with the surrounding West Midlands region — is taking centre stage. With a packed calendar of events starting in March, 2022 marks the biggest year Birmingham has seen in a generation.

WTTC research projects sector's GDP contributions could reach $2 trillion, a 6.2% increase from 2019, with Easter and summer travel bookings helping bolster economic recovery

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism sector, announced its latest economic modelling projecting that U.S. Travel & Tourism could rebound strongly this year, reaching $2 trillion in U.S. GDP contribution and exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 6.2%.

Travel Counsellors reports that after the first week of February, bookings show no signs of slowing down, now at the same levels as 2019.  

January saw the company’s biggest booking month post-COVID and second ever most successful month in its 27-year history, with new group bookings of over £71.2m, beating the previous two months combined for both leisure and corporate travel. Furthermore, the business reported that 320 of its Travel Counsellor business owners celebrate their best ever sales month too.

This half term, motorists across the UK are set to drive a total of 1.7 billion miles on long car journeys, reveals new research from breakdown provider Green Flag. The average length people will travel on their journey is 252 miles (126 miles each way). One in six (16 per cent) plan to drive for 200 miles or more to reach their destination.

Half-term holidaymakers sharing highlights from their travels with friends and family on social media are putting themselves at risk – an expert from Birmingham cyber security firm CSS Assure has warned. After the government announced it would be scrapping testing and self-isolation rules for people arriving in England from 11 February, airline Jet2 reported a 30% surge in bookings for Spain, Italy and Portugal, while TUI also saw a spike.

United States Virgin Islands (USVI) Governor Albert Bryan Jr. said restoring intra-regional travel was an integral first step for restoring Caribbean tourism, and that Puerto Rico could be a key player in boosting tourism for the region and beyond.

Speaking in Washington, D.C. where he was attending the National Governors Association winter meeting, Governor Bryan concurred with Caribbean leaders on the importance of rebooting intra-Caribbean travel, while lamenting the inconvenience of needing to transit through Miami when traveling to a neighbouring island.