June 2023


Aviation Minister and Shadow Transport Secretary to speak at ABTA’s Travel Matters conference


THE Aviation Minister, Baroness Vere of Norbiton, and Labour’s Shadow Minister for Transport, Mike Kane MP, will address senior industry figures at ABTA’s Travel Matters conference this month. ABTA’s annual policy event will take place on Wednesday 14 June at One Great George Street in Westminster and will explore the theme of ‘Travel 2030.’ The Minister and Shadow Minister


will share their vision for the travel industry and its future relationship with Westminster. Also confirmed to speak is Izabella Kaminska,


Senior Finance Editor in Europe, POLITICO, who will give her take ROYAL Caribbean


www.nitravelnews.com International


is giving travel agents something extra to smile about this season, with the return of its popular double rewards incentive


programme.


Agents can now claim double rewards on bookings made up until 30th June for the following sailing & flight combinations:


Explorer of the Seas: 28th May


– 22nd Oct 2023 with flights from London Gatwick airport Odyssey of the Seas: 28th May – 15th


Oct 2023 with flights from Birmingham airport


Symphony of the Seas: 28th May


– 26th Oct 2023 with flights from Edinburgh airport


Any trade partners in Ireland and the UK who claim an eligible booking via the industry-leading Club Royal Platform or Club Royal Plus App will receive double rewards, earning a total


‘Get Serious’- WTTC Calls for Urgent Action on Sustainable Aviation Fuel


THE World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has called on governments around the world to “get serious” on incentivising Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production and set ambitious targets to produce adequate quantities.


on global geopolitical issues, including how mobility is affected by the current state of world politics, and what sanctions and growing protectionism might mean for travel businesses seeking to navigate a path through the coming years. LBC broadcaster Tom Swarbrick will return as moderator and ABTA’s Mark Tanzer will open the conference with a speech to delegates.


ABTA Reminds Trade of Post-Brexit Passport Rules to Share with Customers


Without meaningful quantities of SAF, the global tourism body says the aviation sector cannot decarbonise on a scale that will allow it to reach Net Zero by 2050, as committed to by the industry and supported by ICAO Member States.


SAF is expected to deliver the majority of greenhouse gas abatements needed to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Unfortunately,


SAF production rates are


insufficient to meet demand and prices remain high, despite the recent exponential increase


of £/€10 per Interior Oceanview stateroom, £/€20 per Balcony Stateroom and £/€30 per Suite.


As with any rewards earned through Club


Royal, agents will be able to spend using their Virtual Mastercard. To find out more, agents can head to www.myclubroyal.co.uk or speak to their Royal Caribbean sales team representative.


in production.


The time for action is now. Without SAF, governments will struggle to meet their climate goals as set by the Paris Climate Agreement


and their commitments to


economic growth, which is heavily reliant on aviation for tourism, trade, and connectivity. To address this urgent issue, WTTC calls on governments to • Provide strong incentives to encourage investment in SAF production, including tax credits, grants or other financial incentives


• Work with the sector to set ambitious SAF production targets


•


Coordinate their actions through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the specialised UN agency for aviation, to ensure global uniformity in SAF regulations,


sustainability standards, procedures, and organisation.


Royal Caribbean Brings Make


Much-Loved Agent Incentive for Limited Time Only


TRADE NEWS | 55


CORINTHIA HOTELS SIGNS AGREEMENT TO OPEN A LUXURY RESORT IN THE MALDIVES IN Q4 2025


CORINTHIA has signed a hotel management agreement to operate a luxury resort in the Maldives in 2025. The developer of the luxury resort to be operated by Corinthia is Maarah Pvt Ltd, a Maldivian entity, affiliated with Maarah Holdings Ltd, a United Arab Emirates company registered within the Dubai International Financial Centre, being part of Niro Investment Group, one of the most prestigious investment companies in Romania, which


is further strengthening works on reclamation its


international operations, both in the Middle East and South Asia. Early


and


the first phase of the development of the resort located on the Kaafu Atoll have commenced and will feature two islands hosting a 73-key resort on the larger of the two and a second, smaller private island for exclusive use.


Google and Singapore Tourism Board collaborate to drive immersive AR guided tours in Singapore


GOOGLE and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) launched a preview of two new immersive AR experiences around Merlion Park and Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall in its VisitSingapore app. Powered by Google’s ARCore Geospatial API, visitors will be able to embark on an engaging and immersive guided tour, which will be fully launched by the end of the year, on their VisitSingapore app. Google launched the ARCore Geospatial API in 2022 to help developers create world- anchored experiences.


The API provides


access to Google’s Visual Positioning Service (VPS), which can be used to track the position, orientation, and allows developers to place virtual objects in the real world with realistic lighting and physics. This makes it possible to create a wide range of AR experiences, from games to educational tools.


Tricia Birmingham Joins Fred. Holidays


AHEAD of the busy summer season for European departures, ABTA – The Travel Association is reminding members and the wider industry of the new post- Brexit passport rules to share with their customers so they can check that their passport will be valid for their travel dates.


Now that the UK is no longer in the European Union, British passport holders travelling to countries in the EU (except Ireland), as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City, are now subject to two main passport validity requirements, which are independent of each other. Holidaymakers must have a passport that: • Was issued less than 10 years before the date they enter the country


•


Is valid for at least three months after the day they plan to leave


ABTA is therefore encouraging its members and the wider industry to make sure their customers check both the date of issue and the date of expiry of their passport, ahead of their travel dates to ensure it will be valid. ABTA has an online advice page (abta. com/passports) which includes the following example of the rules in practice: a passenger entering the EU on 21 July 2023 and returning to the UK on 4 August 2023 would need to have a passport that was issued less than 10 years before 21 July 2023 and is valid for at least three months after 4 August 2023. The association explains that checking the date of issue is particularly important for any customers who had extra months added to their current passport when they last renewed, which means their passports could be up to 10 years and nine months old. These passengers need to take extra care


that their passport meets the requirement of being less than 10 years old when they enter the EU.


In addition to the detailed guidance available at abta.com, ABTA has also created a series of social media assets that members are encouraged to share on their channels to help make their customers aware of the rules. These can be downloaded from the marketing toolkit in the Member Zone. Graeme Buck, Director of Communications


at ABTA – The Travel Association said: “With the industry gearing up for a bumper summer of trips to Europe, we’re keen to support our members in making sure it’s as hitch-free as possible. The new post-Brexit passport validity rules have the potential to catch some holidaymakers out, so we’re reminding members of the rules and providing guidance they can share with their customers.”


FRED. Holidays has announced that Tricia Birmingham has been appointed as Director of Tour Operations, a brand new role that was created following a strategy review of the Fred. Olsen Travel business. Birmingham joins from dnata/Gold Medal


and Travel2 where, as Trading Director Tour Operations – B2B Europe, she led the product, commercial and call centre functions and managed key strategic and global partner relationships across land, cruise and touring. She has also held senior positions with Shearings Holidays, Tradewinds and Cresta Holidays.


Within this new role, which she took up on 10th May, Birmingham will lead the Fred. Holidays tour operating and e-commerce business, providing strategic leadership and direction to help shape the company as it enters its next phase of growth.


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