Trumpeter Carlos Sanchez serenaded tourists in Old Havana for 30 years, earning handsome tips - until the coronavirus pandemic hit and Cuba closed its borders a year ago on April 1. Now the 57-year-old ekes out a living repairing fans. The global vaccination drive is sparking hopes worldwide of a tourism rebirth this summer, yet Cubans like Sanchez are not holding their breath as the Caribbean island goes through its worst outbreak yet and enforces tight travel and lockdown restrictions. Instead, they are practicing the Cuban philosophy of “resolver” - finding a way to get by despite all the obstacles - used mostly in relation to the burden imposed by U.S. sanctions and a state-run economy but also, now, the pandemic. Trumpet player Carlos Sanchez announces his fan reparations se...
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Global Travel & Tourism sector suffered a loss of $4.5 trillion in 2020 due to COVID-19
-Travel & Tourism sector’s contribution to GDP plunged a staggering 49.1% in 2020-Job retention schemes look to have saved millions of jobs - but the threat remains-Swift action could see lost jobs and GDP contribution return by 2022 The World Travel & Tourism Council’s annual Economic Impact Report (EIR) on Thursday reveals the full devastating impact of COVID-19 had on the global Travel & Tourism sector last year, which suffered a massive loss of almost US$4.5 trillion. The annual EIR from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, shows the sector’s contribution to GDP dropped a staggering 49.1%, this compared to the overall global economy which dropped by just 3.7% last year. Vast losses run up d...
Read MoreMore than 100 countries, alongside international organizations and leading business groups have agreed to adopt harmonized standards for assisting tourists caught up in emergency situations. The Committee for the Development of an International Code for the Protection of Tourists has agreed on the text of the first two Chapters of the Code, containing seven key principles for a landmark legal code aimed at restoring confidence in international travel in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of harmonization of protocols, balance, coordination, cooperation and accessibility, are among the seven core principles agreed by the Committee tasked with advancing the “Assistance to International Tourists in Emergency Situations” code. Published by the World Tourism Organization ...
Read MoreSignalling a trend of things to come in not just UK but in travel industry at large across the globe, holiday company TUI said it would shut 48 retail stores across Britain, adding to the 166 it has already closed there during the pandemic. A woman walks past the TUI travel center, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Harpenden, Britain, March 24, 2021. REUTERS/Paul Childs The shop closures will mean additional cost savings for TUI, which is headquartered in Germany and has relied on state-bailouts to help it survive the travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The travel industry and the British high street are both facing unprecedented pressure. We can therefore confirm that we are proposing to close 48 retail stores,” TUI said in a statement o...
Read MoreWhile German tourists are travelling to Mallorca and reviving struggling Spanish tourism industry, its own tourism industry is in crisis. The German tourist industry has warned of layoffs and bankruptcies if authorities further tighten lockdowns meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus including by enforcing quarantine for those returning from holidays abroad. FILE PHOTO: People queue to reach the summit cross on top of the highest German mountain, the Zugspitze, in Grainau near Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany August last. REUTERS/Michael Dalder National and regional leaders meeting on Monday evening to decide the next round of measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic are mulling requiring quarantine for all returning travellers, not just those who were in high-risk areas. ...
Read MoreAs Germans return to Mallorca, Spain hopes tourism rebound is not short-lived
Spain hopes foreign tourism can rebound to half its pre-pandemic levels this year, the government said on Monday, as a wave of German holidaymakers hit Mallorca’s white-sand beaches after Berlin eased restrictions on returnees. Influx of German sunseekers to Spain’s Balearic Islands is providing a welcome boost to the local economy, however businesses and holidaymakers fear the revival could be cut short if Berlin reintroduces quarantine for returning tourists. Christian, Uruguayan waiter and co-owner of the terrace bar "Zu Krone" serves customers in Playa de Palma beach in Palma de Mallorca following Berlin's lifted quarantine requirement for travelers returning from the Balearic Islands, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Spain March 22, 2021. REUTERS/Enrique Calvo ...
Read MoreFines of 5,000 pounds ($6,900) will be introduced from next week for people from England who try to travel abroad without good reason under new COVID-19 laws which last until the end of June. In the UK, foreign holidays are currently banned under “Stay at Home” legislation which will be replaced by the new COVID-19 laws next week. The government has said holidays could be allowed again from May 17 at the earliest. FILE PHOTO: Passengers wearing protective masks are pictured after arriving at Birmingham Airport following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Birmingham, Britain. REUTERS/Phil Noble But new warnings from the Prime Minister about a third wave of COVID-19 infections in Europe on Monday has placed the peak holiday season in jeopardy. Sources told the...
Read MoreChristina Kelly did not picture marrying her American sweetheart in the Peace Arch Park - a 42-acre (17-hectare) stretch of manicured lawns and neatly trimmed garden beds at an otherwise unremarkable border crossing in the Pacific Northwest. Kelly, a 28-year-old Canadian legal assistant from Vancouver, had been crossing back and forth between British Columbia and Washington state to see her boyfriend without a hitch for two years. The start of the coronavirus pandemic, and the closure of the Canada-U.S. border in March 2020, forced a change of plans. Where many couples have reluctantly put off weddings, Kelly and her now-husband, who is in the U.S. Navy, decided to proceed anyway and tied the knot two months ago in the one place where they have been able to see each other during ...
Read MoreTens of thousands of Germans are planning last-minute Easter getaways to Spain’s sun-kissed islands, leaving many Spaniards, who are not allowed to do the same because of a travel ban, upset. “It makes absolutely no sense that in Spain we can’t move between regions but any foreigner can come in ... and spread infection,” said Emilio Rivas, 23, who lives in Madrid. The young tax assessor wanted to get out of town for the holidays but must instead stay home because Spain banned travel between regions over Easter to avoid a repeat of a spike in contagion seen after an easing in restrictions over Christmas. FILE PHOTO: People sunbathe and swim on El Arenal beach, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. REUTERS/Enrique Calvo But tourist...
Read MoreIn the border district of Xishuangbanna in southwest China’s Yunnan province, the global pandemic has put residents of the small ethnic minority village of Mandian under pressure to change old habits. Behind a traditional homestead with a small garden of medicinal herbs and a veranda lined with beehives, a sign posted on the edge of the forest says, “Do not enter the protected zone without authorisation.” “Because of environmental protection, we aren’t allowed to go in anymore,” said local resident Yu Yao. She said inspectors come and visit every month to ensure the new restrictions are being enforced, adding that permission is needed even to fell a tree. Residents sit by a house at Mandian village in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province. REUTERS/David Stan...
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