10 UPDATES WTTC Says Testing and Tracing


Key To Tourism’s Recovery TESTING and contract tracing passengers for Covid-19 will be key to a recovery in tourism around the world, according to new guidelines set out by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).


Gloria Guevara, WTTC Chief Executive, said: “The


safety and hygiene of travellers is paramount which is why our new guidelines for safe and seamless travel, including testing and tracing, are designed to assist in the recovery of travel and tourism through the identification and/or isolation of infected travellers.


“This is consistent with advice from WHO (World Health Organisation) and other leading health authorities that the best way to control and reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus, is through early identification of carriers to ensure they don’t travel.” The WTTC hopes its guidelines will be used by governments to replace the current “confusing mix of different measures including highly-damaging quarantines”.


Egypt Reopens Airport and Tourist Attractions


EGYPT has now reopened its airports, the Egyptian museum, the iconic Giza Pyramids in Cairo, the ancient temple of Karnak and the famous Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut in the southern city of Luxor for the first time in more than three months.


Holidaymakers Urged to Maintain Eco-Friendly Focus


HOLIDAYMAKERS are being urged to maintain their eco-friendly focus when travel access improves. A new study by dealchecker.co.uk confirmed that countries around the world have seen pollution rates dropped as governments altered lifestyle and travel patterns amid coronavirus.


However, as some countries around the world are reopening and travelling restrictions are being lifted some places are starting to register a decrease in their air quality.


Travellers can help keep air pollution levels low by following simple tips such as paying to offset the CO2 emissions caused by your journey, considering train travel (it only produces around 50% of the emissions of a plane journey to the same place) or avoiding taxis and buses where possible and instead using your feet to explore your holiday destination.


The study measures the amount of particles in the atmosphere with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5).


From the cities in the study, average PM2.5 readings in April 2019 sat at 72.8 compared to 57.2 in April 2020. In fact, 83% of the cities analysed have actually shown an improvement in air quality since governments introduced lockdowns.


Top five cities with biggest change:


1. Canberra, Australia: -83.1% 2. Kabul, Afghanistan: -68.9% 3. Stockholm, Sweden: -62.7% 4. Tbilisi, Georgia: -48.1% 5. Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan: -46.7%


However, at the other end of the scale Serbia actually has had one of the shortest lockdown periods of lockdown and has one of the largest air pollution growth in the study – a 27.8% rise. Serbia isn’t the only country to see increases with other countries seeing rises.


Virgin Secures Additional Funding


VIRGIN Atlantic has secured £200m in additional funding from parent company Virgin. The airline is also set to cut a third of its workforce to survive the crisis. The transatlantic carrier was founded by Sir Richard Branson in 1984 and is 51 per cent owned by the Virgin Group and 49 per cent owned by US airline Delta. Virgin Atlantic’s proposal for a £500m package of commercial loans was rejected by the Treasury in April after failing to impress the government.


A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said: “Virgin Atlantic has been working on a comprehensive, solvent recapitalisation of the airline to ensure that we can continue to provide essential connectivity and competition to consumers and businesses in Britain and beyond.


“We greatly appreciate the support of our shareholders, creditors and private investors and by working together, we will ensure that Virgin Atlantic can emerge from the crisis a sustainably profitable airline, with a healthy balance sheet.”


EU Bans Pakistan Airlines Over Fake Pilot Licenses


THE European Union has banned Pakistan International Airlines from flying to Europe for six months after it was discovered that up to a third of PIA pilots have obtained fake pilot licenses.


Authorities claimed that the pilots paid others to take the pilot exam on their behalf.


The investigation found out that as many as 270 of 860 pilots in Pakistan had cheated. Four aviation officials have been fired and criminal charges are being considered.


August 2020 Travel News


DAILY SERVICE FROM BELFAST B


RITISH Airways’ subsidiary, BA CityFlyer, is set to launch a new daily service from London City to Belfast City Airport from September. This route was previously operated by Flybe. A single daily service will commence in September and we understand there are plans to further increase frequency. The route will be served by a 98-seat E190 jet aircraft and is on sale now.


Brian Ambrose, Chief Executive at Belfast City Airport, said: “London City was an important route in the Flybe network providing connectivity between the heart of Belfast and the heart of London’s financial district.


“Belfast City Airport is just a five minute drive from the city centre and this convenience is mirrored for passengers landing at London City Airport from which Canary Wharf can be reached on the Docklands Light Railway in less than 15 minutes and Bank within 22 minutes.


“British Airways has been a longstanding partner of Belfast City Airport and the arrival of BA CityFlyer further enhances its commitment to Northern Ireland.”


British Airways subsidiary BA CityFlyer will launch a new daily service from Belfast to London City Airport this September


Portugal is Open for Foreign Visitors BUT Was Omitted from the UK Air Bridge Deal


PORTUGAL is prepared and open to receive foreign tourists once again. The situation is evolving very positively and the majority of the country opened on July 1 with minimum restrictions imposed on the population. Thanks to the control and increase of tests (Portugal is the sixth country in Europe in number of tests, having already completed more than 1.1 million, which accounts for more than 10% of the population) it was recently considered essential to apply some contingency rules to some areas on the outskirts of Lisbon – such as the closing of some commercial establishments at 8pm and the prohibition of gatherings with more than 10 people.


However, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, health services, gas stations and sports equipment maintain normal opening hours. The same applies to all museums, cultural facilities, etc. There is also no limitation on the movement of residents or tourists and all transport is fully operational. There is no situation of closure or quarantine in Lisbon.


The application of these rules is part of the procedures that Portugal has taken since the beginning of the crisis, which has allowed for exemplary control over the progress of the pandemic and has resulted in international praise. These measures also allow all tourist and cultural facilities to be open and functioning in full, ensuring the necessary security of those who wish to visit the Lisbon region.


Other popular tourist regions in Portugal such as the Algarve, Madeira, Porto and Northern Region, continue their path of continuous reduction of cases. Other regions such as the Azores, Alentejo and Centre Region are already being increasingly sought after by national and foreign tourists.


Portugal is the third safest country in the world (Global Peace Index 2020) and the entire sector, from companies and private operators to the various public sector agents, is appropriately prepared so that the resumption of activity can generate maximum confidence in visitors and tourists, fulfilling all hygiene and safety conditions.


The creation of the Clean & Safe seal was decisive. The initiative, which already has more than 17,000 voluntary memberships from the various companies and activities in the sector (and others that are directly or indirectly linked to it), is consolidated every day through its digital platform – portugalcleanandsafe. com. Available in two languages (Portuguese and English), it gathers information about all participating establishments, allowing tourists themselves to classify the developments regarding compliance with sanitary conditions. The training necessary for companies to implement the associated measures was also ensured, with more than 20,000 people already trained. This project for the resumption of the national tourist activity won Portugal the invitation of the OMT (World Tourism Organisation) to present, in the organisation’s world assembly, the good practices of the sector. This contributed decisively towards Portugal being recognised as the first European destination to be distinguished with the “TravelSafe” seal by the WTTC (World Travel & TourismCouncil). Also, the fact that Portugal was the country chosen to hold the final phase of the Champions League is already a huge demonstration of international confidence. The reopening of airlines between Portugal and several European destinations is underway. In the short term, a 45% recovery of air routes is expected in July and around 60% in August, with all equipment, activities, and companies in the sector open and prepared to receive visitors and tourists. Portugal, the ‘Best Destination in the World’,


remains authentic, diverse, attractive, inclusive, and safe. It maintains the purpose and the commitment to guarantee everyone that they can travel around the country, safe and with confidence.


All useful information about the destination can be found at VisitPortugal.com. This platform is constantly updated with tips and suggestions on travel and tourism in Portugal.


Portugal Speaks Out Against UK’s Decision to Leave them Off Air Bridge List


Portugal was omitted from a list of confirmed global destinations participating in an ‘air bridge’ agreement between the UK government, an official statement has been issued by Mr. Luis Araújo, President of Turismo de Portugal. He said: “We are extremely disappointed to hear that the UK government has made the decision to omit Portugal from the air bridge agreement. The reality in Portugal is totally different from the one portrayed by this decision. We fully maintain and stress unwavering confidence in the safety of the nation to welcome back international visitors. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Portuguese government and tourism industry has worked tirelessly to implement a carefully strategised and thoroughly actioned protocol for the tourism industry and wider society. From our viewpoint, the entire national territory should have been appropriately included in the UK travel corridor owing to the successful containment of the outbreak. “We recall widespread praise from across Europe as recently as May for the handling of the pandemic in Portugal, in which time the situation has only improved. As of 1st July, the majority of the country took a positive step reducing to the minimum level of public restrictions, thus mirroring the improved situation. Since the beginning of May, the number of hospitalisations in Intensive Care Units has halved, overall hospitalisation is down 60%, deaths down 70%, and active cases at just 13,060 for the entire nation. “Safety measures and adequate control saw Portugal


become the first European destination to receive the ‘Travel Safe’ stamp by the World Travel & Tourism Council. Our Clean & Safe hygiene protocol has been decisive in accounting for more than 18,000 voluntary memberships from various establishments in the sector and more than 20,000 staff across the hospitality sector trained to meet professional devised practices. We wish to place on record that Portugal is the 6th highest country in Europe for the number of people tested and traced for COVID-19. Having already completed more than 1.1 million tests, which account for more than 10% of the population, the virus has been controlled in a safe manner. Naturally, logic would suggest that if other nations followed such a measure, statistics may have been reflected differently.


“In addition to the “Best Destination in the World” accolade for three consecutive years (World Travel Awards 2017, 2018 and 2019), Portugal is also the 3rd safest country in the world (Global Peace Index 2020). It has even recently been chosen to host the final phase of the Champions League, which denotes international confidence in the country. All of these arguments justify the frustration with which we received the decision from the United Kingdom because we believe that the decision could and should have been different, especially given the improvement in the pandemic control indicators that Portugal is experiencing. “It’s important to understand that the Portuguese


tourism industry has been in operation for several weeks now, welcoming guests from around the world – entirely safely. British citizens are still able to visit Portugal. Madeira hasn’t recorded a single death


since the beginning of the pandemic and has not seen an active case reported since 21st June. The Azores Islands represents just 0.4% of Portuguese cases since the beginning of the pandemic and has only three cases in total. Both the Madeira and Azores Islands are 100% ready to welcome British guests and have almost no risk of infection – yet remain on the list of destinations requiring quarantine upon return, when destinations proven to have higher infection rates are included. “Despite this, the FCO have removed Madeira and


the Azores Islands from a list of countries and territories for which advice against ‘all but essential’ international travel is issued. We have to remain completely honest when voicing our bewilderment at such a decision and confusing message.


“The minimal impact can also be referred to when discussing the Algarve (1.5% of Portuguese cases since the beginning of the pandemic) and Alentejo (1.1% of Portuguese cases since beginning of the pandemic). Lisbon was the European city with the most flight bookings during the first half of June, according to a study released on 29th June by Forward Keys. “The British public, who have been our primary source of inbound visitors for many regions in Portugal, have celebrated our culture, traditions, landmarks, and history for decades, by our side.


“We will continue to implement strict safety protocol with the cross-sector cooperation of multiple establishments. We can only reiterate our full commitment to welcome all British tourists who choose to have their vacations in our country by providing them with safety, warmth, and the kindness of the people of Portugal.”


Balkan Holidays Cancels ALL Bulgaria Flights and Holidays


BALKAN Holidays have sent a letter to customers advising them that the tour operator has taken the “heartbreaking” decision to cancel the remainder of their Bulgaria charter flights and holidays.


The statement reads: “It is with the deepest of regret that I write to inform you that we have taken the heartbreaking decision to cancel the remainder of all our Bulgaria charter flights and holidays this summer.


“Such decisions are never easy, but with the ongoing uncertainty over whether or not we can offer you a holiday this summer, I feel that this is the right thing to do. Your holiday experience with us should be the best possible, but I do not believe that we could deliver that this season with all the restrictions in place. I assure you that the enjoyment of your holiday as well as your health, safety and well-being


remains of paramount


importance to us. “All charter package holiday, flight and accommodation only customers affected by this cancellation will be contacted directly by email/post shortly, with available options which includes re-booking for Summer 2021. If you have booked through a travel agent we will be in touch with your travel agent. Please wait for further information from them. “As we are sure you can appreciate during this


difficult time our call centre and social media teams are extremely busy so please do not contact us unless absolutely necessary. All available options will be clearly explained in the letter sent to you with further details on how to proceed.”


BA CITYFLYER TO LAUNCH NEW


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