At a tourism conference in Phuket last month, Thailand’s prime minister looked out at attendees and posed a question with a predictable answer. “Are you ready?” Prayuth Chan-ocha asked, dramatically removing his mask and launching what’s hoped to be the country’s economic reset after more than two years of coronavirus-driven restrictions. When the crowd yelled its answer — yes, according to local media — it might have been speaking for the entire pandemic-battered world. Tourists visit Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) But a full recovery could take as long as the catastrophe itself, according to projections and interviews by The Associated Press in 11 countries in June. They suggest that the hoped-for rebound is less like a defini...
Read MoreTag: summer holidays
Greece lifted COVID-19 restrictions on Sunday for foreign and domestic flights, its civil aviation authority said, ahead of the summer tourism season that officials hope will see revenues bouncing back from the pandemic slump. To fly in or out of the country, travellers were previously required to show either a vaccination certificate, a certificate saying they had recovered from coronavirus or a negative test. FILE PHOTO: People visit the ancient Parthenon Temple atop the Acropolis hill archaeological site in Athens, Greece, February 26, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi From May 1, passengers and crew will need only to wear a face mask, the civil aviation authority said. The summer tourism season typically begins after the Greek Orthodox Easter, which was on April 24. Greece is exp...
Read MoreShould international travel resume this summer, projects WTTC The latest research compiled by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), reveals that more than two million jobs could be created if international travel reopens before the busy summer period. However, if current restrictions continue and international travel is not allowed to resume at a greater capacity over the next few months, WTTC warns that the potential U.S. job recovery will be cut in half, to only one million generated. WTTC’s latest economic modeling found that $105 billion in the U.S.’s Travel & Tourism sector contribution to the national economy is at stake should travel not resume. WTTC fears that if immediate steps are not taken for the U.S. to re-establish international travel now, the i...
Read MoreSailing holidays may well be one of the best ways to avoid any crowds this summer and Croatian yacht charter companies say they have seen a strong increase in bookings from July to September after the pandemic brought some of them close to ruin. General view of the Kastel Gomilica marina, Croatia, May 29, 2021. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic Jelena Matkovic, head of bookings at Croatia Yachting, said two months ago some firms like hers were facing ruin due to the slump in tourism amid the pandemic. “If we witness another year like the last one, many owners of the boats and charter companies would have difficulties to survive,” Matkovic said as she stood in a marina in the Bay of Kastela surrounded by dozens of sailing yachts. “However, although May was practically lost and June is sti...
Read MoreDemand for multi-currency cards and e-money apps has “significantly spiked” over the last month due to the pent-up demand for international travel, reveals one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory and fintech organisations. deVere Group reports a month-on-month jump in enquiries of 72% for deVere Vault, the pioneering global e-money app and multi-currency card launched in 2017. It comes as ahead of the summer holiday season and as countries around the world begin to ease international travel restrictions put in place due to the pandemic. Nigel Green, deVere’s chief executive and founder, says: “There’s always an uptick ahead of the start of peak summer travel season. Passengers wearing protective face masks arrive from Paris at Eurostar terminal at St Pancras sta...
Read MoreAnantara in Spain, Portugal reopen in time for a luxurious Mediterranean summer
Anantara has announced the reopening of its resorts in Southern Europe with new gastronomic journeys, wellness programs and exclusive experiences. Anantara Villa Padierna Palace in Spain welcomes guests with a series of brand-new experiences that reconnect visitors to Andalusian allures whilst Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort entices with glamourous, family-friendly Portuguese escapes. Enticing Andalusian allure Anantara Villa Padierna Palace welcomes back guests with a series of carefully created journeys and experiences centred on the traditions, flavours and rituals of Southern Spain. New mindfulness experiences invite guests to live consciously and disconnect from the daily routine. From cruising the coastlines on a sailing boat with a guided meditation instruct...
Read MoreHoliday company TUI Group expects a strong 2021 summer season and will operate 75% of pre-pandemic capacity, with rising levels of vaccinations set to fuel last-minute bookings, it said on Wednesday. The pandemic has hammered TUI, the world’s biggest holiday group, and while it sunk to a 1.3 billion euro ($1.6 billion) loss for the six months to the end of March, it said that the worst was behind it as European resorts start to reopen. FILE PHOTO: TUI logo is seen at the TUI travel center following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Britain, July 28, 2020. REUTERS/Carl Recine New bookings have doubled since April, with customers from Germany and Belgium driving demand for holidays after winter lockdowns, and the group expects UK bookings to ca...
Read MoreBritons rush to book trips to Portugal ahead of up-in-the-air summer season
The mailbox of a well-known hotel in the heart of Lisbon was bombarded with queries as soon as Britain announced it was including the country on its travel “green list” this summer. Manuel Pinto, Mundial Hotel director, is over the moon that British holidaymakers, who are essential to Portugal’s tourism industry, will be able to return after a five-month travel ban, providing a much-needed boost to the struggling sector. A woman takes photos in Cais das Colunas amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Lisbon, Portugal, May 11, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes “I was delighted, not only on a personal level but for our country,” Pinto said, standing in Mundial’s rooftop bar, adding that British visitors had already booked around 4,000 room nights at the hotel this year. Port...
Read MoreHolidays abroad are “extremely unlikely” for most Britons this summer due to the risk of importing new variants of COVID-19, a scientist who advises the government said on Saturday, leaving airlines and travel companies bracing for a second lost peak season. Britain has banned travel for most people during the current lockdown and has said overseas holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest. FILE PHOTO: Two tourists walk near Puerto Rico beach, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Gran Canaria, Spain, March 16, 2021. REUTERS/Borja Suarez But Mike Tildesley, a scientist on a government advisory body, said the risk of importing vaccine-resistant variants back into the UK would likely scupper the nation’s annual getaway. “I think international ...
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