Travel website Trivago has revealed some interesting booking trends after the FCO advised Britons against all but essential trips to Spain.
While enquiries and searches for trips to the Mediterranean country drastically dropped within the UK between July 25-27, as would be expected, our European friends seem to have had a very different reaction to the news.
In comparison, over the same dates, enquiries from other European countries increased by 55 per cent, while searches increased by 28 per cent. It would appear that a destination is more appealing to our neighbours once they know that we will be absent.
The most keen to avoid Brits abroad? The Germans, where enquiries increased by an impressive 50 per cent. The Portuguese followed at 37 per cent, the French at 29 per cent and the Dutch at 10 per cent. It’s good to feel loved.
04:00 PM
Today: What we learnt
A recap:
Greece, Romania, Madeira impose mandatory face masks
Flights to Europe offered for as little as £1
IATA: Air travel won't recover 'until 2024'
Tui extends Spain cancellations
Hong Kong shuts restaurants over new outbreak
Heathrow sinks to record loss as passenger numbers plunge
Greece to lift cruise ship ban from August 1
Thank you for joining us. Scroll down for more, and see you again tomorrow.
03:54 PM
Watch: Will airport testing cut quarantine and save our summer holidays?
The UK’s travel quarantine policy is coming under increasing scrutiny following the Government’s decision to reimpose quarantine restrictions on Spain.
So could airport testing realistically replace it? Watch our new explainer below:
03:47 PM
Michael Portillo on his new rail series – 'Until we can get back on track, travel with me'
Great Continental Railway Journeys begins this evening at 8pm on BBC Two, and Michael Portillo sat down with Adrian Bridge to discuss the show.
"In France I go to Orleans to gain insights into the enduring legacy of Joan of Arc; in Sicily I learn whether the trains really did run on time under Mussolini. In Germany I visit the stadium built for the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the Zeppelin field in Nuremberg where the rallies were held," he says.
The two countries at risk of having FCO quarantine reimposed
Luxembourg and Belgium are at risk of having quarantine reimposed by the Government as their coronavirus rates rise, an analysis by The Telegraph suggests.
As the Government finalises its weekly review of "air bridges", due on Friday, the analysis shows that both countries have seen week-on-week rises in Covid-19 rates to post-lockdown peaks.
At least four other countries have rising rates, with Croatia also on an unofficial watchlist following the travel chaos sparked when the Government reimposed quarantine on Spain at the weekend, upturning the holiday plans of up to 1.8 million Britons.
The seaside in Spain was quiet today, as you'll see from our earlier posts. In Dorset, on the other hand...
weymouth - PA
03:09 PM
German cruise ship sets sail with 1,200 passengers as Britons remain landlocked
A German cruise ship has set sail for the first time since the industry ground to a halt amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
The TUI cruise ship, Mein Schiff 2 took to the North Sea from Hamburg for Norway on Friday, with 1,200 passengers on board, reports Kaye Holland. Pre-pandemic, Mein Schiff 2 could accommodate 2,900.
It spent the weekend at sea with no land stops, before docking back in Germany late last night.
Occupancy was limited to 60 per cent to ensure that passengers could safely keep their distance. During the sailing, passengers and crew were required to wear protective masks or keep 1.5 metres away from one another, and were prohibited from serving themselves at the ship’s buffet. Diners ordered meals using their smartphones in place of traditional menus.
Istanbul's Hagia Sophia museum was last week turned into a mosque; a move that has proved deeply divisive.
It means that portions of the Unesco World Heritage Site, which was the spiritual heart of the Byzantine Empire for 1,000 years, are off-limits to the millions of tourists than usually visit each year, and that the building will be closed during prayer times.
Still, visitors today were busy taking in the sights...
hagia sophia - getty hagia sophia - getty
02:41 PM
Advice: Your rights if you have to quarantine but can’t work from home
With Spain back on the quarantine list, David Sheppard, an employment lawyer at Cardiff and London-based Capital Law, answers some key questions:
Can those under quarantine claim statutory sick pay (SSP)?
At the moment, no. The government has made clear that employees cannot claim SSP if they are self-isolating after entering or returning to the UK as part of quarantine, and for no other reason. As a result, we anticipate that many employees will report even a hint of COVID-19 symptoms displayed by themselves or a member of their household to access payments of SSP.
This will inevitably encourage false reporting of illness, or breaches of their quarantine, to enable a continuation of some form of income – as not all employees will be eligible to claim Universal Credit during this period. It is therefore hoped that urgent legislation is passed, to provide the same entitlement to SSP as to those self-isolating for medical reasons, and offer statutory protection from dismissal to anyone unable to work due to self-isolation, regardless of their length of service.
Could they take it as holiday?
Nothing specifically prevents some or all of the additional 14 days of quarantine from being taken as annual leave, but this will be specific to each employer and depends on the amount of leave an employee has left and planned for the rest of the year. On the basis that many holidaymakers will have taken 10 working days leave before returning to the UK, employers will likely be required to authorise 20 consecutive days holiday to allow for a further two-week quarantine – which wipes out the most employees’ annual holiday entitlement.
The best option is for holidaymakers currently facing the prospect of quarantine to discuss the matter with their employers to see what may be done, and in exceptional circumstances, employers may choose to permit extended periods of authorized, paid leave if working from home is not possible – but there is currently generally no legal obligation to do this.
Could those workers be furloughed?
The option of furlough leave will only be available to employees who had previously been furloughed for at least 3 weeks before June 30, 2020, and the Scheme is in place only until October 31, 2020. Their absence from work is a direct consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, and as SSP is currently not otherwise available during quarantine, it means furlough in these circumstances is arguably a legitimate use of the Scheme. However, employees have no right to insist on being furloughed, and employers may be deterred from accessing furlough as from August 1 they would have to pay the cost of employer’s national insurance on any furlough payments, and from September 1 start contributing further amounts towards any furlough payments to their workforce.
02:25 PM
UK running out of motorhomes as holidaymakers shun foreign travel
Britain is running out of motorhomes to rent to holidaymakers, as trips abroad are this year shunned in favour of a ‘staycation’.
Holiday firms are experiencing a surge in interest in caravans and campervans trips after campsites were allowed to reopen in England on July 4, reports Jack Hardy.
The Daily Telegraph contacted six leading motorhome rental firms and could not find any availability for the next three weeks, as the easing of lockdown inspires the public to seek out rural retreats.
A postcard from Amsterdam: The stoners and boozers are back – much to the annoyance of locals
It was nice while it lasted. But, says our expert Rodney Bolt, peace and quiet is gone from Amsterdam:
Visitors are streaming back into town. In parts of the Dutch capital over recent weekends, numbers in the streets topped 60 per cent of their pre-Covid levels.
People seeking distraction form the largest proportion of those out and about: young people arriving across the borders by car to party, day-trippers coming to shop, and staycationers weary of lockdown isolation.
What Amsterdammers are beginning to term ‘good-time tourism’ means that while many parts of town (such as museums) remain quiet, some quarters – the Dam (Amsterdam’s main city square), the Red Light District, Kalverstraat shopping street, and nightlife hotspots around Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein – become too crowded for comfort, especially over weekends.
Cruise ships will be allowed to dock in Greek ports from this weekend after its government announced plans to relax rules.
Six major ports – Piraeus in Athens, Rhodos, Iraklio, Volos, Corfu and Katakolo – will welcome vessels from August 1, more than four months after it banned them in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus.
Ships will subsequently be able to visit any other Greek port on their itinerary, Tourism Minister Haris Theocharis confirmed.
Rules could be reviewed as epidemiological data changes, he added. Greece has recorded 4,279 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 203 deaths.
Despite the return of cruise to Greece, it’s still not a viable option for Britons looking to get back onto ocean waves.
What are the chances of catching coronavirus on a plane?
As air travel picks up around the world, British holidaymakers after a long-awaited summer getaway are facing questions over whether they feel safe enough to fly.
Hugh Morris reports:
In the early days of the pandemic, aviation was one of the first areas to come under scrutiny, with many believing aircraft were virus hotbeds. Airlines grounded their fleets and routes were scrapped to hinder the spread of Covid-19.
Earlier this month a poll of Britons found that two thirds would not feel safe travelling internationally on a plane, up from 40 per cent in June, according to YouGov.
But as we have learnt more about the coronavirus, flying has the potential to be one of the safest forms of travel.
Iata, the global air travel association, says the risk of catching an infection on an aircraft “is typically lower than in a shopping centre or an office environment”, and as long as demand is recovering it is unlikely planes will be full, enabling some form of social distancing.
Visitors to Costa Rica to buy special insurance on arrival
Nearly 80,000 Britons visited Costa Rica last year - istock
Costa Rica is to reopen its border to British holidaymakers from Saturday after the UK was included on the nation's list of low-risk countries.
The Central American country is planning a phased return to full capacity, with fewer than five international flights arriving a week at first. Tourism Minister, Gustavo Segura, said: “However, these are drops of hope for more than 600,000 people who directly or indirectly depend on the tourism industry.”
Visitors will need to prove they are virus-free with a negative test result no older than 48 hours, then on arrival fill in a track and trace form and purchase special coronavirus insurance that will cover accommodation in case of quarantine and medical expenses.
Costa Rica welcomed 78,562 visitors from the UK in 2019 and is popular for its rainforest, wildlife and relaxed way of life.
01:10 PM
Santorini locals: Lockdown is the best thing that has happened to the island in years
The famed Greek island of Santorini, having registered no cases of coronavirus, has been enjoying lockdown for more reasons than that. Not least down to the lack of cruise ships, which last year could easily number three a day and disgorge up to 10,000 passengers.
santorini - getty
Resident Markos Kafouros, President of Santo Wines, told our reporter Adrian Mourby:
“I believe that the pause of cruise ships – whose programme was completely uncoordinated – gave the island the opportunity to breathe. I think that over the last five years, many visitors to Santorini were not completely satisfied because of all the crowds and traffic. From now on tourism must be more sustainably organised.”
Ski resorts in Colorado have begun to see an influx of summer visitors as lockdown restrictions are lifted in the States.
However, while many local businesses have been able to adapt to new Covid-19 safety measures as temperatures remain warm, The Colorado Sun has reported there are fears the same creative approach will be difficult to maintain during the lucrative winter season.
Bars, restaurants and cafes in the likes of Breckenridge have been able to expand outdoor seating areas onto streets that have been shut for cars. Large outdoor spaces have also been used to host socially-distanced events. When the weather turns colder and the snow arrives, which it does in abundance in Colorado’s ski resorts from as early as November, these measures will be hard to facilitate meaning skiers could lose out on some of the experiences they're used to.
“We can’t push into Main Street in January… So we are going to have to get real creative once again looking into winter and no one knows yet what that might look like,” Margaret Bowes, the executive director of the Colorado Association of Ski Towns, told the Colorado Sun.
12:44 PM
UK holidaymakers warned not to fall for social media scams
Mike Bevens, the Managing Director of popular UK glamping company Canopy & Stars, has issued a warning to people booking last-minute holidays through unreliable sources – predominantly on social media.
“We have noticed some of our popular spaces, already booked up for August, being advertised via what look like scam social accounts,” Bevens told Telegraph Travel. “Guests could turn up to find the holiday they thought they had booked does not exist or already has guests booked in. We are asking guests to be aware and be vigilant.”
As summer availability becomes increasingly hard to find across the UK following uncertainty around overseas travel, people seem to be falling for too-good-to-be-true scams out of desperation.
The company has issued advice to all those looking to book a last-minute break on home soil, including the following key points:
Always pay by debit or credit card, never by bank transfer
Make sure you check availability and book through the official site
Your lunchtime read: Should I stay or should I go? Our writers debate this year's summer holiday
In a war of words, one of our writers makes the case for leaving Blighty behind, and the other for staying on British shores.
stay go
Go, says Annabel Fenwick Elliott:
It’s a hassle to travel at the moment, you might say; what with the exasperating rules, the ever-morphing guidelines, the baffling logistics, and the muzzled transport experience. But have you seen Britain at the moment? These factors are no less messy. I’d rather be faffing around with one-way systems and hand sanitizer in sunny Spain than a camper van in the New Forest.
You are just as safe from coronavirus in most other countries as you are here. It is not ‘less risky’ to have a staycation this summer, with our infection rates, it might actually be more. And it’s not selfish to go abroad; in plenty of destinations, you’re doing them a favour. To that end, I would argue that if you possibly can, there has never been a better time to explore the fine tourist-free countries that have just rolled down their drawbridge.
Stay, says Penny Walker:
If I had just one nation to explore for the rest of my life, it would undoubtedly be our pretty little isles – in spite of the weather.
When you add in the Covid conundrum, for me, it’s a no-brainer. Not just because of the thought of navigating airports and planes in a pandemic-ridden, mask-wearing world – although, really, who wants to go through that right now? – the insurance worries, or the threat of having quarantine unfairly foisted on you at the drop of the hat on your return, but because of the wonderful people in our hospitality and tourism industry.
The pandemic has made us all adapt to a new way of living, and, for a summer at least, we have our glorious isles almost to ourselves. So make the most of it.
Ryanair still refuses to cancel flights to Spain despite travel warning
... what does that mean for your refund?
Ryanair is refusing to cancel flights to Spain, despite the FCO now advising against all non-essential travel to the country.
The airline says that Spain is still open for tourism, and thus it will not be reimbursing anyone who wants to cancel their flights, while those who want to switch destinations must still pay a flight change fee if their bookings were made before June 10.
With holidays to some of the world’s most popular and faraway places still off the cards, global home swapping platform, Love Home Swap, is giving its British members the chance to still earn bragging rights while holidaying on home soil. Sort of.
The platform has launched a series of online guides to its properties in 10 British places that share their names with foreign hotspots:
California, in Great Yarmouth
Bermuda, in Warwickshire
New York, in Lincolnshire
Melbourne, in Derbyshire
Moscow, in Ayrshire
Egypt, in Buckinghamshire
Toronto, in County Durham
Florence, in Staffordshire
Holland, in Surrey
Hollywood, in Worcestershire
Research by the company has found that 64 per cent of Britons are still too nervous to travel abroad this summer. It points out that a seven-day holiday to California, USA, could cost approximately £2,223 per person, whereas a week home swapping in its British counterpart costs just £270 each.
It's just not the same though, is it?
11:56 AM
The view from Palma
It's looking quiet today in the Balearic Islands capital of Palma de Mallorca...
palma - joan mateu/ap palma - joan mateu/pa
11:45 AM
Value of world's biggest airlines plummet by 50%
The value of the world’s five largest airlines fell by more than half over the course of the pandemic, from $77.8bn to $36.9bn. Thud.
The analysis by website buyshares.co.uk found that the combined market capital of Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Lufthansa Group, United Airlines and Air France, as the world’s five largest public airline companies, by revenue, tumbled by as much as 67 per cent at the nadir of the crisis.
The coronavirus pandemic in March and into April prompted airlines around the world to ground entire fleets as countries closed their borders. The resumption of some air travel since the pandemic began to ease has helped the value of the carriers return but it remains a long way down on January’s numbers.
“The value represents a 52% plunge compared to January figures,” a spokesperson for buyshares.co.uk said. “Statistics show the market cap of Delta Air Lines, as the world's largest airline by revenue, stumbled by 54 per cent amid Covid-19 crisis, falling from $35.5bn in January to $16.5bn in the third week of July.” Air France and Lufthansa also saw substantial losses.
11:40 AM
A postcard from Japan, the other country that had no lockdown
Japan got off comparatively lightly in terms of a pandemic that has brought most nations to their knees, and it never implemented a strict lockdown.
This so-called "bullet dodging", according to our expert Danielle Demetriou, was attributed to a speculative range of hypotheses – "from the nation’s famed culture of cleanliness (such as shoes removed inside homes and bowing instead of hand shaking) and its innate respect for authority to misleadingly low testing rates when the pandemic first unfolded."
Since the announcement that Spain was off the FCO's "safe list" on Saturday, Club Med has seen a sharp rise in bookings for October half term – up more than 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
But few are risking Spain. The top destinations searched for on the all-inclusive operator's website this week have been France, Greece and Turkey. And the top destinations currently booked for half term are Sicily, Turkey and Portugal. So now you know.
11:18 AM
Brits are back on the snow
British skiers returned to the slopes of the Alps last week after a four-month hiatus.
The Warren Smith Ski Academy, founded by The Telegraph’s ski technique expert Warren Smith, welcomed 12 guests from the UK for its first week of summer ski lessons in Cervinia, Italy.
The group spent five days skiing on the Matterhorn glacier, which the Italian resort shares with its Swiss neighbour Zermatt and is the highest summer ski area in Europe, reaching 3,900m at its highest point.
Cervinia - getty
“The snow is in great shape and our first guests were desperate to get back on their skis after the last winter season ended so abruptly,” said Smith. “The staff here in Cervinia have been excellent and put everyone at ease, everyone has been super impressed with the safety measures in place, which include the wearing of masks in cable cars and indoor spaces. After they were hit so hard here at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, it’s good to see how much they respect safety here – we have learnt a lot from the Italians.”
Already today, Greece and Romania announced tougher measures on face masks. Now, Madeira has become the first Portuguese region to order they be worn in the street.
As of Saturday August 1, face coverings will be mandatory in all public spaces, even on the beach or in the mountains, reports local news outlet JM Madeira, this despite a large online petition and 'threats of civil disobedience'.
Madeira has recorded just 105 cases of COVID-19 in total, 97 of which have been declared recovered.
Heathrow sinks to record loss as passenger numbers plunge
Simon Foy reports that Heathrow has sunk to a record half-year loss after the pandemic sent passenger numbers plunging at Britain's biggest airport.
The near-global aviation standstill in recent months resulted in a £1.06bn loss for the six months to June in the wake of a 96pc decline in passenger numbers in the last quarter.
The dire figures prompted chief executive John Holland-Kaye to push for a virus testing regime at airports that could reduce the time of the 14-day quarantine.
Holidaymakers hoping to visit France have been offered reassurance by the country's health minister who insists it is not on the cusp of a second wave.
Olivier Veran acknowledged "warnings signs", but added these were partly due to increased testing.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had warned Tuesday of a "second wave" in Europe after a controversial decision to quarantine all travellers arriving from Spain, a move the Government has not ruled out applying to other countries.
"We are not in a second wave of the coronavirus, we are in the wake of an epidemic – more or less at a lower level –depending on the regions and cities concerned," Veran told LCI television.
"Clusters are emerging, we have warning signs from certain hospitals that have seen a trend of increasing admission," he said, adding: "We are testing a lot more."
10:36 AM
Where did all the Brits go?
People enjoy an empty beach in Santa Cruz de Palma. The Canary Islands are the only areas in Spain where face masks are not yet mandatory.
It looks lovely
10:28 AM
Airlines flog 'all you can fly' deals to fill empty seats
Tom Mulvihill reports that airlines in China are taking drastic steps to fill their deserted cabins.
China’s biggest passenger airline has launched a new ‘all you can’ fly deal to lure customers back as it strives to recover from the financial impact of lockdown.
The ‘Fly Happily’ deal by China Southern Airlines – the country’s largest carrier by passenger numbers – lets customers purchase a one-off pass for 3,699 yuan (£408), which they can then use to take as many domestic flights as they like until January 6 2021.
More European countries impose mandatory face masks
More European countries are introducing strict rules on face masks amid growing concerns of a second wave.
Greece has made it compulsory for masks to be worn in all shops, offices and banks from today, having already introduced the requirement in supermarkets and public transport 10 days ago. Churches remain exempt.
It comes as the country, which has one of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in Europe, reported a "small flare-up" of Covid-19 infections in the second half of the month, according to Reuters.
Romania has also announced that face masks will be mandatory outdoors at certain times and in places prone to overcrowding, as more than 1,000 new cases have been recorded daily over the past week.
Elsewhere, Spain's laws mean that in some regions, face coverings must be worn in all public settings, inside and out, with €100 fines for those who breach the rules; Turkey has similar requirements.
Spain is off the menu, as (still) is Portugal, with the Government claiming high infection rates are to blame. It sounds almost reasonable – until you consider the case of Luxembourg, which remains on the FCO "safe" list.
Other countries with higher rates of infection than the UK include France (16), Croatia (27.1), and Belgium (29.1). It is far lower in Italy (5.1) and Greece (3.7).
09:59 AM
'We should lament the loss of spontaneity in our lives'
Unplanned moments are what makes holidays – and, indeed, life – worth living, writes Rob Crossan.
I won’t embarrass the owner of the bed and breakfast where I stayed by naming them as they were clearly trying their best. But being told that I had a ‘strict 25-minute window’ to eat breakfast which I needed to ‘book in’ the night before hardly conspires to create a freewheeling, ‘all hands off deck’ vacation vibe.
All the local pubs and restaurants, naturally, required a couple of phone calls and, in one case, a reassurance that I wasn’t ill, before I could get a table for a simple drink or meal. Day trips were also devoid of the impulse gene. My lifelong breezy assurances that ‘they’ll just let us in’, which have served me remarkably well over the years when it comes to gaining entry to everything from theme parks to National Trust properties no longer applies. These days, even just finding somewhere that’s open for business at all is a victory of sorts.
A couple kiss as they cool off in a mist cloud generated by a public fountain in Bucharest, Romania. The country has just announced plans to make face mask mandatory in some outdoor settings.
Eastern Europe is experiencing a heatwave
09:48 AM
'The infection rate in the Canaries is tiny – so why can't we fly there?'
The CEO of EasyJet Holidays has joined calls for the UK government to overhaul its quarantine rules.
Garry Wilson said:
After months of uncertainty as travel restrictions were lifted we saw encouraging signs of growing demand for holidays. Unfortunately the recent unstructured re-imposition of quarantine for Spain is creating renewed uncertainty and unpredictability for consumers.
We encourage the Government to work collaboratively with the industry to deliver a more targeted and structured approach. We need targeted quarantine requirements for regions where spikes have occurred rather than applied at a national level. In the case of Spain its islands are hundreds of miles from the mainland and have very low infection rates with the Canaries, for example, as low as 2 per 100,000 in the past seven days which is significantly lower than the UK.
We want to work with the government to find a way forward which can help customers plan their next break with confidence. The recent situation with Spain has again demonstrated how difficult it is for both the industry and holidaymakers to plan along with hotel and destinations partners needing to make challenging decisions about their businesses and employees where they so heavily rely on tourism.
For these reasons I urge the government to have an open dialogue with the industry and quickly move to targeted and regional measures so that we can all stay safe and enjoy a much-deserved summer holiday.
09:37 AM
Hong Kong shuts restaurants over new outbreak
Hong Kong is on the verge of a "large-scale" coronavirus outbreak that could overwhelm hospitals, its leader warned today as authorities implemented their toughest social distancing measures yet.
From July 29 all residents in the densely packed city of 7.5 million must wear masks when they leave their homes while restaurants can only serve takeaway meals.
No more than two people from different households can gather in public with fines of up to HK$5,000 ($625) for those who breach the new emergency rules.
As we reported earlier this month, London has never been less crowded. It means a city break in our capital is a far more enticing prospect than usual: no queues, spare tables in the top restaurants, and a warm welcome from hotels desperate for custom.
Now Westminster Abbey is calling on people who have never been inside the church to seize the chance to see it minus the crowds.
Scott Craddock, head of the Abbey's visitor experience, said: "We are a nation which loves to travel and enjoys sightseeing in Europe's great cities, but many of us have never seen the historic attractions on our doorstep.
"It's a brilliant time at the moment to visit places closer to home because there are fewer crowds and queues – you really will have the place to yourself."
Our report Teresa Machan visited the Abbey a few weeks ago; read her report here.
Capacity has been cut at Westminster Abbey
09:26 AM
Are you going away this summer?
Tell us about your plans, please:
We want to hear your holiday plans for this summer.
The Telegraph's Susannah Goldsbrough has unearthed the best outdoor and drive-in cinemas around the UK. Take a peek.
Grease is the word
09:15 AM
Tui extends Spain cancellations
Europe's biggest tour operator has cancelled all holidays to the Spanish islands until August 4, and all holidays to mainland Spain until August 10, following the FCO's warning against trips. Previously only departures up to July 31 and August 9, respectively, had been scrapped.
It has instead added additional flights from August 1-3 to popular destinations in Greece and Turkey, so Brits wishing to travel can still enjoy a summer holiday overseas.
Andrew Flintham of TUI UK and Ireland said: “Following the change in travel advice to Spain our customer feedback is clear, they still want to travel aboard this summer, with over 70% of customers with cancelled holidays moving to another destination over the same period or in the coming weeks. We’ve therefore added seven new flights for this weekend to Crete, Rhodes, Zante and Corfu in Greece and Dalaman and Antalya in Turkey and have changed some flights from the 737 aircraft to 787 Dreamliners to help with the additional demand.
“The summer holiday period is the most important time of year for travel operators and we are therefore doing everything we can to help customers get their well-deserved holiday. The health and safety of our customers and colleagues is always our highest priority and welcome travel advice that protects those that holiday with us and we have worked hard to provide safe and enjoyable holidays this summer.
“Importantly, we also call upon the UK Government to work closely with the travel industry and remove the ‘blunt tool’ approach to quarantine and consider the rapid introduction of regional Travel Corridors. The level of uncertainty and confusion created this week is damaging for business and customer confidence in travel.”
09:08 AM
Air travel won't recover 'until 2024'
Global air travel is not expected to recover to pre-Covid levels until 2024 – a year longer than previously expected.
In an update on the pandemic's crippling impact on air travel, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) cited slow virus containment in the United States and developing countries, and a weaker outlook for corporate travel.
Lingering travel barriers and new restrictions in some markets are also weighing on nearer-term prospects, IATA said, cutting its 2020 passenger numbers forecast to a 55% decline – sharper than the 46% drop predicted in April.
"The second half of this year will see a slower recovery than we'd hoped," chief economist Brian Pearce said. June passenger numbers were down 86.5% year-on-year, the organisation reported, after a 91% contraction in May.
A surprise move by Britain to quarantine arrivals from Spain has created lot of uncertainty, Pearce said. "That is clearly going to be an issue with the recovery."
09:02 AM
A Hajj like no other
Muslim pilgrims wearing face masks and moving in small groups after days in isolation have begun arriving to Islam's holiest site in Mecca for the start of a unique and scaled-down Hajj experience reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic.
The usual Hajj crowds have gone
08:54 AM
British holidaymakers ditch Spain for Greece
Following last Saturday's shock announcement that Spain was off the FCO "safe" list, British holidaymakers scrambled to seek other destinations.
The day following the news (Sunday July 26), data from flight comparison site Skyscanner showed an uptick in searches for the Greek islands, replacing popular Spanish destinations such as Malaga, Alicante and Palma de Mallorca. Nice and Malta have also entered the top 10, but searches for domestic UK cities top the charts.
The top 10 searches for departures from the UK were as follows:
London
Manchester
Edinburgh
Corfu
Amsterdam
Luqa (Malta)
Islamabad
Crete
Birmingham
Nice
08:41 AM
WTTC urges governments to hurry up with airport testing
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is calling upon governments to introduce comprehensive testing at airports in an urgent bid to get the travel industry back on its feet again.
The organisation's president Gloria Guevara stated it was imperative for all international airports to implement "globally recognised testing standards for both inbound and outbound passengers" and threw scorn at the UK's decision to remove Spain from its list of quarantine-exempt countries.
"It risks causing irreparable damage to the Travel & Tourism sector," she said. "It also makes no sense; while Spain as a whole, and Catalonia in particular, has a higher rate of coronavirus cases than then UK, the rate in Andalucía, the Balearics and Canaries is actually lower than the UK."
Ryanair, EasyJet and British Airways are among the airlines now offering cut-price deals in a bid to encourage consumers to keep flying.
BA is flogging seats for as little as £1 under its loyalty scheme, to destinations including Nice, Amsterdam and Vienna. Ryanair has cut its prices on one-way flights from London to Bilbao, Pisa and Valencia to £9.99 on certain dates.
David Skillicorn, commercial director of Prestige Holidays, said such price-cutting was necessary to rebuild confidence:
“It is completely about building up confidence in their customers. They don’t want to be selling cheap seats. There is no way anyone on this planet, even Michael O’Leary can't argue that it is good business practice to charge eight quid for a passenger to go, it doesn’t go anywhere near the cost."
Former New York Yankees left-hander Fritz Peterson died at the age of 82. He is probably best known exchanging wives with teammate Mike Kekich in the 1970s.
This week Boston Dynamics retired its well-known Atlas robot that was powered by hydraulics. Then today it unveiled its new Atlas robot, which is powered by electricity. The change might not seem like much, but TechCrunch's Brian Heater told the TechCrunch Minute that the now-deprecated hydraulics system was out of date.
Victor Wembanyama's rookie NBA season is finished. The San Antonio Spurs will sit him in Sunday's regular-season finale. Where does his first season rank among the league's greats?
It's another edition of 'Mock Draft Monday' on the pod and who better to have on then the face of NFL Network's draft coverage and a giant in the industry. Daniel Jeremiah joins Matt Harmon to discuss his mock draft methodology, what he's hearing about this year's draft class and shares his favorite five picks in his latest mock draft.
Tesla management told employees Monday that the recent layoffs -- which gutted some departments by 20% and even hit high performers -- were largely due to poor financial performance, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The layoffs were announced to staff just a week before Tesla is scheduled to report its first-quarter earnings. The move comes as Tesla has seen its profit margin narrow over the past several quarters, the result of an EV price war that has persisted for at least a year.
