4 UPDATES
From Belfast to the Sunshine State with Virgin Atlantic
VIRGIN Atlantic has welcomed back its direct route linking Northern Ireland and the USA this summer. “Virgin Atlantic is delighted to welcome back its non-stop flight from Belfast to Orlando International Airport.” The Atlantic airline said,
“From theme parks to amazing beaches and national attractions, there is no US state quite like Florida. Discover our flight and head on a trip to the Sunshine State with a ticket to Florida direct from Belfast. Florida offers something for everyone. Book direct flights from Belfast with Virgin Atlantic today.” Virgin Atlantic will be flying non-stop from Belfast International unto Orlando International Airport this Summer, along with other reinstated routes including flights form Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Belfast City Airport are set to join in the Belfast city Marathon BELFAST City Airport’s new charity partnership
with AWARE is off to a flying start, with staff members from the airport lacing up their running shoes to participate in the upcoming Belfast City Marathon. Aiming to raise vital funds for the charity, a group
of 17 staff from Belfast City Airport, including Airport Fire Service and Senior Management, will walk, jog, or run a leg of the relay event, with several staff members running the full 26.2 miles.
Virgin Atlantic prepare for busy summer
Denmark Free from All Covid Travel Restrictions
FROM Tuesday (29 March), Denmark removed the requirement for testing within 24 hours of arrival into the country, making it a covid restriction free zone. Previously, arrivals into Denmark had avoided a pre-departure test, however, did require a negative covid test within 24 hours of arrival- This was the last remaining covid-19 restriction in place for travellers. Denmark are the first EU country to completely eliminate any restrictions regarding Covid-19 after no longer acting on the virus as a social reacting virus.
Multi-Million-Pound Transformation Planned
for Cathedral Gardens AN urban forest, a large multi-use events space and a permanent memorial to the Belfast Blitz are just some of the features included in ambitious plans unveiled today (28 March 2022) for the multi-million-pound redevelopment of Cathedral Gardens. Belfast City Council aims to transform the area between St Anne’s Cathedral and Ulster University’s Belfast campus into a unique world class public space. Building upon the historic Cathedral area, other proposed features in the redevelopment include garden ‘rooms’ located under the canopies of the mature trees in the urban forest, public art, interactive audio-visual water and lighting features, outdoor dining areas and a range of play features for young children. Councillor Áine Groogan, Chair of Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, said “These are extremely exciting and innovative plans which reflect our aim to create an exceptional urban space for families, students and visitors to enjoy all year round, night and day.
“Alongside Ulster University’s investment in its new campus, the landmark £100million Belfast Stories project which we recently announced and other significant projects already underway in the area, this part of the city centre is undergoing a radical transformation. We hope that Cathedral Gardens will play its part in breathing new life into the area.” The council hopes that the proposed tree-lined events space will in time host numerous small and large- scale events ranging from the annual Culture Night, music concerts, children’s festivals, food markets, flower and fashion shows and much more besides, helping to support and boost the city’s annual cultural programme. Councillor Groogan added: “This project will also address the lack of green spaces in the city centre. It supports our strategic ambitions outlined in the ‘A Bolder Vision’ document, by helping to create a more attractive, accessible, safe and vibrant city centre which is greener, more walkable and better connected.
“In keeping with Belfast’s ambitious climate plan, sustainability also lies at the heart of our thinking. There will be a mix of trees, plants and shrubs which we hope will attract urban wildlife. Rainwater will also be captured, stored and used to water the lawn, trees and other planting within the gardens.”
Paula Bittles, from Belfast City Airport, said: “We launched our charity partnership with AWARE in February, with the aim of generating awareness of the often lifesaving work it does for people struggling with mental health issues, as well as raising money to help implement the charity’s programmes across Belfast and beyond.
“The team here at Belfast City Airport is always
keen to get involved in community projects and regularly supports our charity initiatives, so it’s brilliant to see so many signed up for the marathon and really championing our first fundraiser for AWARE. “Taking part in the Belfast City Marathon is just oneAway in which we are helping to support the crucial services provided by AWARE, and I would encourage all businesses across Belfast to get involved in any way they can, whether that be taking part on the day, or by making an online donation.”
Lisa Abell-Farrelly at AWARE, which hosts support
groups for people affected by depression, anxiety and bi-polar disorder, as well as delivering education programmes in schools and businesses, said: “We are thrilled to have Belfast City Airport on board
as a partner, with the Belfast City Marathon being just the first of a long series of planned events and fundraisers that we will be working together on. “Poor mental health can affect anyone, and at AWARE, our vision is to build a future where people can talk openly about their mental health, access the services they need, and have the skills and knowledge to maintain positive mental health.
“With the help of organisations like Belfast City Airport, we can realise this vision, and continue to deliver our training programmes, support groups and mental health services across Northern Ireland”. The marathon, which kicks off on Sunday 1st May
2022 at 9am from Stormont Estate, is open to teams of two to five people, and will follow a route across North, South, East and West Belfast, before finishing at Ormeau Park. AWARE is the only charity working exclusively for people with depression and bi-polar disorder. If you would like to support it in continuing to deliver important services to people across Northern Ireland, you can make a donation today.
Aer Lingus Region Services take Off from Belfast City Airport EMERALD Airlines, exclusive operator of Aer Lingus
Regional, commenced its services from Belfast City Airport, with its inaugural flight from Belfast City to Birmingham departing yesterday morning, 24th March, at 06:50 AM. The first phase of services commenced yesterday, 24th March 2022, to Birmingham, with Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford and Manchester commencing on 27th March. Services from Belfast City to Glasgow and Exeter will commence from early May, 2022. Commenting on the announcement, Ciarán Smith, Head of Commercial at Emerald Airlines said: “Today is a very exciting day for us at Emerald Airlines. With our growing team of Cabin and Flight Crew based in Belfast City Airport, combined with the customer demand to travel again, Belfast has always been an important market for us. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, we want to be the airline of choice for customers travelling, be it for business or leisure, to and from Belfast City Airport – and today is the first of many routes we will be servicing to achieve just that.” Reid Moody, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Aer Lingus, said:
“Today marks another important day for Aer Lingus Regional services. The commencement of these services from Belfast City Airport will be welcome news for customers and for connectivity to and from Northern Ireland. Customers will be able to enjoy the value, convenience and warm welcome that Aer Lingus is
TITANIC Hotels are jointly celebrating winning two prestigious awards in the past 6 months, with Titanic Hotel Belfast having been awarded the most sought-after title of ‘Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel’ at the World Travel Awards 2021, and its sister hotel, Titanic Hotel Liverpool, having been awarded ‘Hotel of the Year’ at the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards.
Titanic Hotel Belfast was delighted to be awarded
as Northern Ireland’s leading hotel for the fourth consecutive year in October at the World Travel Awards, which are the most prestigious in the global travel industry and recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence.
Adrian McNally, General Manager, Titanic Hotel Belfast, said: “This World Travel Award is for the people of Northern Ireland who still believe in us and who have voted for us to win the title of ‘Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel’ for the fourth year in a row. “The number of visitors to Titanic Hotel Belfast last
Belfast Airport
proud to deliver.” Passengers are now able to book flights from City
April/May 2022 Travel News
Belfast City Airport Charity Partnership With Aware Hits the Ground Running
Dalata Hotel Group Announce Three New Charity Partners
DALATA Hotel Group have announced that it
will be supporting the Marie Keating Foundation, Leukaemia Care and Air Ambulance Northern Ireland as the company’s three charity partners over the next three years.
The partnerships are part of the group’s Dalata Digs Deep initiative which sees fundraising activities taking place at all 47 of the company’s hotels across Ireland, the UK and continental Europe.
As an employee driven initiative, it was decided through an employee vote that ‘Health and Wellbeing’ would be a core focus for the next fundraising period. The three charities were selected by Dalata’s dedicated Charity Committee who looked at specific charities focused on improving lives, with each charity representing a different geographical region (Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland). Dalata Hotel Group, which operates Clayton and Maldron Hotels, raised an incredible €1.5 million for its previous charity partners through employee fundraising and matching corporate donations. Dalata Hotel Group’s Chief Operating Officer, Des McCann said the company is proud to be continuing its charity work to support the Marie Keating Foundation, Leukaemia Care and Air Ambulance Northern Ireland over the coming years. Stating that, “Great consideration has gone into selecting our new charity partners for the next three years. Our approach is to engage with our teams to understand the issues they care about which then allows Dalata and the charity to build a more meaningful partnership over a three year period. Our teams get to know the organisations for which they are raising the funds really well and it means we can target our energy and resources to where they produce maximum benefit for the charities and their clients.
“All of our charities are focussed on helping to save lives. We know the pandemic has put health care providers under extreme strain, both in Ireland and the UK, therefore it was important to us to select charities which do so much great work in helping to support our health services.”
Based in Ireland, the Marie Keating Foundation is focused on raising the awareness of cancer, and the importance of early detection. The Foundation also provides a range of support services for patients at every step of a cancer journey. Together, Dalata Hotel Group and Marie Keating Foundation
will to Birmingham, Edinburgh,
Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Glasgow, and Exeter. Passengers will be able to earn Avios points on all Aer Lingus Regional flights, providing continuity and benefits of the current services offered by both Aer Lingus and British Airways at Belfast City Airport. Tickets can be booked through
AerLingus.com and
britishairways.com.
Ellie McGimpsey, Aviation Development Manager
at George Best Belfast City Airport, which is just a five- minute drive from the city centre, said:
“Birmingham has always been an incredibly popular
route from Belfast City so it seems fitting to launch our partnership with Emerald Airlines with flights to Birmingham. We’re certain Birmingham, along with Edinburgh, Manchester and Leeds Bradford all starting later this week, will be successful services used by both business and leisure passengers. This is a long-term partnership, and we very much look forward to further developing the network and providing additional frequency in the coming months.” Aer Lingus and British Airways services to London City and London Heathrow from Belfast City Airport remain unchanged. Aer Lingus Regional flights will be operated by the ATR72-600, the latest generation of turboprop aircraft combining unmatched environmental and economic performance.
Titanic Hotels Celebrates Double Award Win
summer surpassed that of 2019 and, as the number of international visitors was understandably scaled back, it warmed my heart to witness domestic holiday makers visiting Titanic Hotel Belfast, whilst enjoying a newly found love of appreciating what Northern Ireland has to offer.” Meanwhile, Titanic Hotel Liverpool, which is a Grade II listed venue steeped in history and style located on Liverpool’s Stanley Dock, came away triumphant at the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards with its ‘Hotel of the Year’ award. Recognising excellence across the city region’s tourism and hospitality industry, the annual awards are delivered by Growth Platform – Liverpool City Region Growth Company, with an exceptionally high number of entries this year and steep competition.
Brian Connor, General Manager, Titanic Hotel Liver- pool, comments: “Titanic Hotel offers unique accom- modation paired with its extraordinary historic setting on Stanley Dock, and we’re thrilled to win this award.”
Dalata Hotel Group with charity partners
strive to deliver ‘Dalata’s Drive
to Defeat Cancer’. This will involve fundraising to support Marie Keating’s mobile information units to go nationwide and facilitate over 100,000 individual conversations between nurses and members of the public on spotting the signs of cancer. The co-branded mobile units will also visit Dalata hotels across Ireland, with the local community invited to come along, helping save lives.
Leukaemia Care is a blood cancer support charity dedicated to ensuring that anyone affected by blood cancer in Great Britain receives the right information, advice and support. The Dalata partnership will support leukaemia patients aged between 0-25 years old. The hotel group will be providing long stay accommodation close to the hospital that can administer a new treatment called CAR-T. Only 9 hospitals in GB offer this treatment and the locations match conveniently with Dalata hotels, with this project ensuring it is possible for patients to get the treatment they need. Air Ambulance NI operates a helicopter emergency medical service dedicated to responding to serious trauma and medical emergencies in Northern Ireland. Funds raised by Dalata will support any number of costs including helicopter rental, fuel, the airbase, pilots, engineering and maintenance of the aircraft, aviation training or a flight suit for the medics. Dalata’s fundraising efforts this year will include teams seeking sponsorship as they undertake challenges such as the Cork City Marathon 2022 in June and a range of activities for Dalata Digs Deep Week in September, a key week for raising charitable donations across all hotels.
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