Travel News November/December 2020 Balearic Islands ‘2021 Season


Kicks Off’ on the Road to Recovery B


ALEARIC Islands has highlighted their new ‘Road to Recovery’ at a briefing which took place on the first day of World Travel Market 2020. The Balearic Islands Minister of Tourism together with the island’s representatives (from Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera) highlighted their confidence in the return of British tourism to the islands ahead of 2021. The Balearic Islands are a favourite destination


for British visitors with the archipelago’s Minister of Tourism, Iago Negueruela stating “British tourism is essential”. In 2019, the Balearic Islands was the second most visited region in Spain for British travellers with tourism accounting for 35% of the islands’ GDP”. Negueruela continued: “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have focused our efforts on safety, as well as seeking agreements for regulated international tourist transit under a special health regime, to resume the flow of tourists between the United Kingdom and the Balearic Islands… Access to the Balearic Islands needs to be restored so that the tourism industry can recover.” To achieve this, Negueruela stressed the importance


of bringing together the public and private sector; including businesses and trade unions to discuss and debate initiatives to allow the tourism sector to restart its activities as soon as possible emphasising how the 2021 season will be “absolutely vital” for the local economy. “The pandemic has not halted one of our biggest objectives; we will continue developing a tourism proposition that goes beyond the traditional sun and beach product through the defined ‘Strategic Tourism Segments’ (SET) to illustrate the range of activities that visitors can enjoy when visiting our islands”, concluded Negueruela. Throughout the briefing the island representatives addressed their individual priorities: Menorca: The President and Minister of Tourism


for Menorca, Susana Mora, commented that Menorca has long believed in eco-tourism and this lies at the heart of their tourism strategy; putting the destination in a privilege position amongst its competitors on the road to tourism recovery. Menorca which is recognised by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve, is focusing its efforts of developing its eco-tourism proposition. Ibiza: Director of Ibiza Tourist Board, Juan Miguel


Costa, commented on the special relationship between the island of Ibiza and the UK. Costa stressed that the private and public sector are working together intensively to restart tourism and welcome British


Manchester Airport Moves


All Flights to Terminal 1 MANCHESTER Airport has confirmed that it is moving all operations to Terminal One from Wednesday, 11 November, until further notice. The move is in response to the ban on international


travel as part of the current lockdown measures in England. From Wednesday, all passengers will depart and


arrive from this terminal and should not use Terminals Two and Three. Passengers returning to Manchester after this date


whose vehicles are parked in the Terminal Three multi storey car park will be contacted about the change.


UPDATES 3


Irish Company Ready to Provide Pre-Travel Covid-19 Screening


IRISH genetic science specialist Plusvital has announced that it is able to provide pre-travel Covid-19 screening after boosting its capacity to handle 1,000 virus tests a day and provide results in six hours. The company has been providing coronavirus tests


to hospitals and other organisations since late April, using the PCR system also used by health services, which detects Covid-19’s genetic material. Mike Shelly, Plusvital’s Chief Executive, said: “If


the PCR method is going to be agreed for travel, that’s going to take a lot of capacity and a lot of effort. “It does not all need to happen at the airport, but it can happen in collaboration with airports.”


Etihad Makes Bold Changes to Organisational Structure


Balearic Islands highlights their confidence in ‘Road to Recovery’


visitors once more in the safest possible way. Costa highlighted that the Ibiza Tourist Board will continue to tackle the stigma surrounding the island’s nightlife and continue to invite holidaymakers to discover the ‘real Ibiza’ in a post-COVID era. Formentera: Manager of Formentera tourist board


Carlos Bernús commented that Formentera is one of the areas in Europe least affected by COVID-19 and this makes the tiny island one of the safest destinations to visit since it offers maximum conditions of safety and hygiene. Visitors can only reach this paradise by ferry, which makes it easy to control the flow of tourists. Formentera is the perfect destination for water-sports lovers and Bernús emphasised that there is no better way to discover the island’s fascinating marine life with the Posidonia seagrass prairies, recognised by UNESCO as an important site of natural heritage. Mallorca: The Minister of Tourism for the Mallorca,


Andreu Serra, explained that the current scenario has provided an opportunity to reflect on tourism strategy and consolidate the island’ positioning as a safe tourist destination. Mallorca was the first region in Spain to welcome international travellers after the first wave of the pandemic thanks to strict protocols implemented across Mallorca’s hospitality and tourism industry. Serra hopes that the protocols in place, the island’s robust health system, and the newly created infrastructure, ideally positions the destination for dealing with any


THE World Golf Awards, established in 2014, are result of a year-long search for the world’s top golf tourism and hospitality brands, as voted by golfers and professionals working in the golf industry. Chris Frost, Managing Director, World Golf Awards, said: “Our winners represent the very best of the global golf tourism and hospitality sector and my congratulations to each of them. They have all demonstrated remarkable resilience in a year of unprecedented challenges”. GolfKings was one of five Scottish companies put forward to win the award and are were delighted to


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IN reports from Sky News, British Airways is restricting operations as England faces further lockdown; the airline are reported to be putting more staff on furlough during this time as they wether the ongoing storm that is hitting the industry. In a letter to staff, seen by Sky News, an airline management spokesperson said: “We have made the difficult decision to further reduce our operation for the rest of November. “This means far fewer flights than we hoped for in November and means grounding more of our aircraft, including pausing all flights from Gatwick until


EASYJET has announced that it has completed the sale and leaseback agreement for 11 more aircraft in a £130.7 million deal. In a statement, easyJet said: “Following the UK Government’s announcement, as well as similar announcements in Germany and France recently,


EXPERT body, Eurocontrol (European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation), says that in a worst case scenario, it could take up to nine years for the European aviation sector to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the group says that aviation would be able to recover as soon 2024, if a vaccine is rolled out next year.


eventuality related to the pandemic and will contribute to restarting tourism activity. Minister of Tourism, Iago Negueruela said the


Baleric islands need to come together in a joint effort to restore tourism from the UK to the islands. Speaking at the virtual World Travel Market, he described how 2021 will be crucial is the restoration of tourism: “We’re ready for it, the island councils are ready for it,” Negueruela said. “In active collaboration with the sector as a whole,


we’re busy getting ready for the hugely important 2021 season and we have every faith in a recovery for the British market which is so important for our islands. “We’re getting ready in coordination with the


different island councils and we need to work together and act as one when engaging with the sector. “This includes working jointly with the main British


agents to ensure a recovery of the tourism sector in this crucial 2021 season. “For us, 2021 begins today. For each one of our islands, today marks the beginning of how we intend to bring tourism back to the Balearic Islands.” The safety precautions were highlighted during


the call, and confidence given for future travel to the Balearics: “It’s clear that each of our islands is important to the British market and each one caters to a different type of tourism,” he added. “That’s why each island is developing its own strategies.”


GolfKings voted Scotland’s Best Outbound Golf Tour Operator


claim their third win in five years. “The importance of this award to all of us at GolfKings


cannot be overstated,” said Head of GolfKings, Gary McIntyre. “It has been such a disruptive year for the travel industry, and not least for our fantastic customers, many of whom have had their golf holiday cancelled due to the pandemic. Our team have worked tirelessly to assist, re-book and reassure our clients. It’s a massive boost to the team to see those efforts rewarded. A huge thank you to all that voted for us, and we hope that many more will be encouraged to experience our award- winning golf holidays in 2021 and beyond”


Suspension of BA Gatwick Flights as More Staff are Furloughed


December.” “Our focus is on keeping crucial air links open –


bringing home the thousands of customers currently abroad, transporting vital goods, and ensuring people who are permitted to travel in and out of the UK for work, education and other reasons stipulated by the UK Government, can continue to do so,” the spokesperson added.


British Airways are now repeating the process of contacting customers who are affected by cancelled flights as Gatwick Airport reported during the week that it will stay open during this most recent lockdown.


EasyJet have Completed £130.7 Million Agreement


easyJet now expects to fly no more than 20% of planned capacity for Q1 of Financial Year 2021. “We remain focused on cash generative flying over


the winter season in order to minimise losses during the first half and retain the flexibility to ramp capacity back up quickly when we see demand return.”


Experts Warn Europe’s Aviation Sector May Not Recover Until 2029


In a new report, Eurocontrol explores the potential recovery-time for European aviation in three scenarios: if a viable coronavirus vaccine made widely available for travellers next year the sector would benefit from renewed passenger confidence, allowing airlines to re-invest and re-hire, as demand for flights return and aviation would return to 2019 levels by 2024


ETIHAD has announced a new organisational structure that will position the business to deliver on its mandate in the wake of COVID-19 and meet the challenges of the global downturn in aviation head on. The restructuring sees the airline continuing its transformation into a mid-sized, full-service carrier concentrating on its fleet of widebody aircraft, with a leaner, flatter and scaleable organisational structure that supports organic growth as the world returns to flying. By embedding the new structure, the airline will strengthen its focus on its core offering of safety, security, service; continue developing its industry- leading health and hygiene programme Etihad Wellness, and prioritise innovation and sustainability, which are essential to the future of the airline. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer,


Etihad Aviation Group, said: “After our best-ever Q1 performance, none of us could have predicted the challenges that lay ahead in the remainder of this year. I’m extremely proud of the way my leadership team and the whole Etihad family have navigated the COVID-19 crisis so far, and I must express my gratitude to each member of the team for continually proving our adaptability to the most unexpected of circumstances. “As a responsible business, we can no longer


continue to incrementally adapt to a marketplace that we believe has changed for the foreseeable future. That is why we are taking definitive and decisive action to adjust our business and position ourselves proudly as a mid-sized carrier. The first stage of this is an operational model change that will see us restructure our senior leadership team and our organisation to allow us to continue delivering on our mandate, ensuring long-term sustainability, and contributing to the growth and prominence of Abu Dhabi.” The new operational model will result in a number of


changes to the executive leadership team to streamline the organisational structure. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, has


decided to leave the business, and following his departure, the business units within Commercial will be separated and transferred under the leadership of Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer, and Terry Daly, who will assume the role of Executive Director Guest Experience, Brand & Marketing. Mohammad will assume responsibility for Network Planning, Sales, Revenue Management, Cargo & Logistics, Commercial Strategy Planning, and Alliances, in addition to his existing portfolio. Duncan Bureau, Senior Vice President Sales


& Distribution, will also be leaving Etihad. Reporting directly to Mohammad, Martin Drew will take on Duncan’s portfolio alongside his current responsibilities as Managing Director for Cargo & Logistics. As part of his new role, Terry will lead the Marketing, Brand & Partnerships department, and Etihad Guest, the airline’s loyalty programme, while continuing to oversee the Customer Experience & Service Delivery department.


Norwegian Air Hit Hard as Government Rules Out More Support


THE Norwegian government has announced that it will not be providing additional financial support for Norwegian Air. The announcement, made by the Industry Ministry


and the Ministry of Transportation, leaves the carrier in a precarious situation. Industry Minister Iselin Nyboe said: “Norwegian


Air has asked for billions of crowns in additional support and the government has concluded that this would not be a responsible use of public funds.” Norwegian Air has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis and grounded most of its fleet. Chief Executive Jacob Schram said: “That the government has decided to reject the request for funds is disappointing and feels like a punch in the gut for everyone at Norwegian.” “Norwegian is evaluating the effects of the current


situation with the aim of safeguarding the interest of all stakeholders.”


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