Travel News August 2020


It Feels Good to be Back! Guinness Storehouse Reopens Iconic Gates T


HE Guinness Storehouse reopened its doors on July 11 for the first time since March 13 2020. To


mark the reopening, this summer the Guinness Storehouse is hosting a series of Welcome Back experiences bringing together the very best of Irish creativity, culinary experiences and brewing – because getting together with friends has never felt so special. It takes 119.5 seconds to pour a pint Guinness and this Saturday will mark 119.5 days since Ireland’s leading visitor attraction last poured a pint and the gates were closed. However, while visitors may have paused, the Guinness Storehouse team did not. They were working to ensure an exciting and enjoyable welcome back, when it was safe to do so – and a beautiful pint of Guinness, of course. There has never been a better time


to visit the Guinness Storehouse, as they have announced a very special Welcome Back ticket offer available at just €15 and allows you to explore the ingredients, history and culture of the Guinness brand. Or choose the Guinness Uncovered ticket for €25 which includes a 90-minute experience led by a Beer Specialist, tasting all your Guinness favourites as well as new, experimental beers.


And no tour of the Guinness Storehouse is complete without a visit to the newly revamped Gravity Bar sitting 46 meters high above the city. Both tickets include a pint or soft drink which you can enjoy as you take in the panoramic views over Dublin city against a backdrop of the new art installation from Dublin-based street artist ACHES. Dublin foodies will soon have a


new restaurant to add to their hit list as the Guinness Storehouse is, for the first time, opening its restaurant to the public, without purchasing an experience ticket. To mark this, the Guinness Storehouse are collaborating with Fire & Smoke on a selection of dishes paired with Guinness Draught, Citra IPA, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout but to name a few. Explore the exciting new menu which showcases how stouts and beers can uniquely cut, contrast or compliment foods. This July and August the Guinness Storehouse will become the exclusive exhibition space for Creatives Against Covid-19. The “Soon is Now” exhibition will feature all the artwork


from the poignant campaign, which saw creatives around the world reframe the crisis into a showing of hope by exploring ideas of togetherness, solidarity and resilience under the theme of “Soon”. Anyone who purchases a Creatives


Against Covid-19 print will be offered complimentary admission to the Guinness Storehouse until 31st August. Creatives Against Covid-19 will send print purchasers an email with a code to book your free visit. To say thank you to for all the hard


work and dedication, the Guinness Storehouse is offering free admission to Ireland’s frontline workers. From healthcare, public transport and the postal services, to supermarkets, haulage and utilities – from 11th July to 31st December 2020, this one is on them! To claim your complimentary ticket click here. At the Guinness Storehouse, the


safety of visitors and staff will remain the top priority. As such, there is a reduced the number of visitors allowed at any one time, to ensure comfortable physical distancing and an enjoyable and safe experience for everyone. Online booking is strongly encouraged and will allow visitors to secure an available timeslot for you and your group. The Guinness Storehouse has


also implemented stringent protocol around hygiene, with hand sanitisation points also available throughout the experience. Staff will be both practicing and encouraging physical distancing measures at all times.


Skellig Michael to Remain Closed Throughout 2020


THE Office of Public Works (OPW) has confirmed that the Skellig Michael World Heritage Site will remain closed to visitors in 2020 because of Covid–19 concerns and the consequent risks to both staff and visitors. Having consulted with a number of


parties both inside the OPW’s Heritage Service and externally, officials announced that it would not be feasible to open the famous island site for the remainder of the scheduled visitor season as the risks involved in both the boat voyage and the visitor experience on the island itself cannot be addressed sufficiently to guarantee the safety of both visitors and OPW staff.


UPDATES 11


KLM Welcomes Customers Back to its Lounges


THE KLM Crown Lounge (Non-Schengen) remained open to customers, offering them an opportunity to continue to use the most important facilities. This made KLM the only major European airline to keep its hub lounge open from the beginning of March through to the end of June. The more limited food & beverage services are now being cautiously expanded to the full-service offering. In the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak,


KLM was compelled to close its Schengen Lounge in March. Effective 1 July and in accordance with guidelines published by the Dutch health authorities (RIVM), the Schengen Lounge has again opened to customers travelling within Europe throughout the week from 06:00 until 12:00 hours.


Jet2.com Recognised by CAA


JET2.COM has been recognised as the only UK airline providing refunds promptly without significant backlogs on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic, following a review by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Since May, the CAA has been reviewing the


The Guinness Storehouse has reopened to visitors


refund practices of 18 carriers – both UK airlines and international airlines – looking at how refunds for flight-only bookings have been handled during the coronavirus pandemic. The CAA found that Jet2. com is the only UK airline to have been consistently processing cash refunds quickly and having only a small backlog of refund requests. Jet2.com has been repeatedly recognised by media, consumer organisations and customers for how it has looked after those who have been affected during the coronavirus crisis, offering Refund Credit Notes, full refunds, or the option to rebook with no admin fee if their holiday is cancelled. These latest findings further demonstrate the success of Jet2.com’s approach.


UK Civil Aviation Authority Reports on Airline Refunds Review


THE UK Civil Aviation Authority has been reviewing the refund policies and performance of UK airlines and three of the largest international operators to the UK. A further five international airlines were included due to the level of consumer feedback and concerns that refunds were not being paid during the coronavirus pandemic. The Civil Aviation Authority review is based on its own investigations, as well as information provided to us by consumers across email and social media, as well as through consumer bodies including the Competition and Markets Authority, the Northern Ireland Consumer Council and Which?. At the start of the review, some airlines were not paying refunds,


with others facing potential backlogs of numerous months. We investigated airlines’ policies and practices to establish whether they were placing barriers in the way of consumers requesting refunds, through unclear messaging, difficult to navigate customer services and under-resourced call centres. While we recognise that the coronavirus pandemic was an unprecedented situation for the aviation industry, our consumer team has worked to protect consumer rights and to influence airlines to change their processes and practices in order to improve performance in providing refunds. The Civil Aviation Authority now has evidence that shows that since


it launched its review, and its wide-ranging engagement programme with airlines, all UK airlines are now paying refunds. Call centre wait times have reduced, in some cases significantly, and customer service messaging has provided greater clarity on consumers’ rights to a refund for cancelled flights. Our review found that a number of airlines were not performing adequately. We have gained immediate commitments from these


ABTA Launches New Travel Insurance Product – Travel Sure


THE UK’s foremost travel association, ABTA, is announcing the launch of a new travel insurance product, ABTA Travel Sure, giving agents and operators the opportunity to offer their customers a high quality product from a brand they can trust. It is anticipated that ABTA Travel


Sure will appeal to people with existing bookings or rescheduled holiday bookings to countries exempted from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s current advice against all but essential travel, who require cover for COVID-19 medical expenses whilst on holiday. After this launch, ABTA Members will


have a long-term opportunity to promote ABTA Travel Sure which, depending on their level of involvement, may require them to become either an Introducer Appointed Representative or Appointed Representative. Underwritten by AXA, and reflecting consumer demand and ABTA’s expertise in the travel market, ABTA Travel Sure covers the key areas consumers want from a quality travel insurance product. ABTA Travel Sure offers three different


levels of cover across both Single Trip and Annual Multi Trip options, with prices based on the individual needs of the policyholder. All


cover levels are five-star Defaqto rated, and there is no upper age limit for single trip cover. Ian Hall, Head of Travel Insurance at


ABTA says: “Insurance has an important role to play in giving people confidence to book now travel is restarting. We have known for some time that there is demand in the market for a travel insurance product that consumers can put their trust in and having initially put our plans to launch ABTA Travel Sure on hold because of the pandemic we are now in a position to assist the industry in its recovery. “The consumer awareness and trust in


the ABTA brand means we are well placed to provide this service and we’re confident that after this initial roll out ABTA Travel Sure will provide Members with a long term opportunity to benefit from selling this high- quality travel insurance product.”


EVA Air Voted 4th Best Airline in the World


TAIWAN’S leading independent airline, EVA Air, has been voted as the fourth Best International Airline in the World at Travel and Leisure magazine’s 25th annual World’s Best Awards reader survey.


airlines to improve their performance and the time taken to provide refunds to consumers, without requiring enforcement action. This is the most immediate way of providing benefits to consumers as enforcement processes can take a considerable amount of time to complete given the potential for legal proceedings. We have previously called for stronger, more immediate, powers to act to protect consumer rights.


Other European airlines were not initially within the scope of our


review due to discussions taking place between National Enforcement Bodies, European governments and the EU Commission. Engaging with these other EU airlines at that point would have potentially cut across these other discussions. However, we have today written to a further 30 major European and international airlines that operate services to and from the UK to highlight the results of our review, and to warn them not to deny consumers their right to a refund. We will not hesitate to take further action against any airlines where necessary. Commenting on the review, Richard Moriarty, Chief Executive of


the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “The airlines we have reviewed have responded by significantly enhancing their performance, reducing their backlogs, and improving their processing speeds in the interests of consumers. “Although we have taken into account the serious operational challenges many airlines have faced, we have been clear that customers cannot be let down, and that airlines must pay refunds as soon as possible. “There is still work to do. We have required commitments from


airlines as they continue the job of paying customer refunds. Should any airline fall short of the commitments they have made, we will not hesitate to take any further action where required.”


GREEN LIGHT FOR HOLIDAYS TO NORWAY


WITH holidays to Norway now officially open to British travellers, you can escape to the heart of nature in this beautiful country with specialist tour operator Best Served Scandinavia. Be inspired by Autumn colour, framed by a backdrop of spectacular fjords and steep mountains, enjoy a remote secluded fjordside lodge before venturing out into the Arctic Wilderness or see the Northern Lights while staying in an iconic Ice Dome. Combine the Art-Nouveau architecture of harbourside Ålesund, with the spectacular scenery of Norway’s western fjords on this six-day self-drive holiday. After a few nights exploring the historic streets, open air museums and Atlantic Sea Park of Ålesund, which boasts Norway’s most famous fishing harbour, you then take to the road for the fjords. Travel via the hairpin bends of the famous Eagle Road to the beautiful shores of Geirangerfjord – described as the jewel in the crown of the Norwegian fjords. The mountains are at their most beautiful in autumn, with waterfalls, outstanding views and the rich seasonal colours reflected in the deep blue fjord. Enjoy three days of mountain hikes and fjord- side walks, perhaps forage for blueberries and cloudberries or take in Europe’s highest fjord view from the spectacular platform at Geiranger Skywalk, some 1500m above sea level. The Arctic capital of Tromsø is a perennial favourite for aurora-seekers. Those in search of the Northern Lights can combine the fjord-side delights of Tromsø with a stay at an ice dome deep in the Arctic Wilderness, with range of activities and excursions beyond the city lights. The four- day Tromsø Ice Dome break combines a city stay with a night at the Tromsø Ice Domes – seven carved ice suites


nestled in the Tamok Valley just 90 minutes away from Tromsø. Enjoy a night of adventure with snowshoe hiking and a wilderness dinner cooked on an open fire as well as a thrilling husky safari. Tucked away on the shores of a beautiful fjord, Malangen


Resort is the perfect spot to spend time under the clear blue Norwegian winter sky. Its secluded setting – far from any major settlements – makes it a great spot from which to see the Northern Lights, but it is also just a 90-minute transfer from Tromsø. Choose from hotel accommodation or traditional red Norwegian fisherman’s’ cabins complete with lounges and fjord-side balconies. The snow-dusted surrounds offer the chance to enjoy a full range of optional activities, from cross-country skiing to snowshoeing, bringing you right into Norway’s Arctic wilderness. A husky sledding trip is included, travelling in pairs and swapping drivers at the halfway point before returning to hot drinks and a light snack, served by the campfire.


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