Entrepreneurs and business professionals in Kenya often have difficulty when traveling abroad due because of a weak passport, and in a globalized world, that can be a hindrance. While more and more Kenyans are looking to get a second citizenship, permanent residence status is also a viable option.

There are benefits through the possibility of a permanent residency visa that gives the benefits of a second citizenship without the costs or commitment, while leaving the option for future citizenship.

Shifts in immigration policies can come quickly and without notice, as seen with the 2019 American instigation of posing a USD10,000 bond for the visa (along with the usual checks and balances). Those restrictions affected some of the East African Community (EAC) members. That should be a warning for not only those who need to travel, but also for anyone who enjoys it as there are more restrictions for Kenyan passport holders.

Globally, the top passports to have for visa free and visa on arrival have been the wealthier countries such as Japan, North America and Europe. The one issue with some countries is that the passport holder is only permitted to have a single citizenship, and for a Kenyan that could mean giving up their passport, which is extremely valuable for travel on the continent.

As anyone from one of the ‘top passport’ countries knows, the trouble with travel within Africa are the numerous visas that are required to go anywhere. For non-Africans this is true, but for Kenyan passport holders, the travel possibilities are virtually unlimited with visa-free travel to almost all of the 54 countries. That is something no businessperson based in East Africa would ever want to lose.

In fact, Kenya has a similar program for attracting investors at a price tag of USD200,000 that gives permanent residency.

There are interesting alternatives to this conundrum with a permanent visa. The Americans have the ubiquitous ‘Green Card’, which is perhaps the most obvious example. There are several ways to obtain it, including a lottery and through investment. Or there is a long waiting list that can take years-with no guarantees.

What these visas offer is a streamlined visa to third world countries. In other words, with residency visa, the passport that the applicant has becomes much less important than the country that the visa is issued in.

So, for Kenyans interested in options such as this should consider where the permanent visa is located. That should mean Europe, for example. With a European visa, there are numerous opportunities for freer travel with it.

With the investment schemes, there should be the chance that the investment will increase, and the funds are not a ‘donation’. Investments in businesses and real estate are the more popular and are something to consider.

Obtaining a second citizenship as an option has always been popular amongst high-net-worth individuals, but that usually comes with a high price tag. In addition, there have been more crackdowns on various ‘passports for sale’ schemes as seen with the recent bad press from Malta.

The results are two-fold, one the increasing costs as the windows close, and the cutting off altogether of the program.

Portugal has had a long history with East Africa, and their impact can still be seen in Mombasa. One reason that they liked it so much was that it reminded them of home as Portugal is similarly compared to Mombasa.

A fitting case study is the Ocean Villas Project leads to the ‘Golden Visa’ for investments in luxurious property in coastal Portugal (an hour from Lisbon). An investment of 500,000 Euros (because it is new construction) gives the investor a new villa that they own and a permeant visa that gives them the right to choose to live there.

This visa option is inclusive of the entire extended family of the investor and his or her spouse. The potential leads to citizenship or permanent visa status in 5 years, though that is not mandatory. It gives Kenyan passport holders immediate ease of travel through the relaxed visas in almost all cases as they are usually then treated the same as Portuguese citizens.

The Portuguese passport is ranked 6th worldwide. Permanent residence, Permanent residence,

The Chinese have a saying that the families should have various homes that they should maintain in case there are problems with the main family base. Visa options such as this are ideally suited, as they offer housing and residency. Something all internationally minded people can find beneficial.

Source: Envsion Magazine

The online travel market is expected to grow 18% in 2022 to $76.7 billion, a figure just shy of 2019 gross bookings, new research from Phocuswright reveals.

According to the U.S. Online Travel Agency Market Report 2021-2025, OTA gross bookings are on track to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2023, though international travel will continue to recover slower than domestic.

For 2021, OTAs delivered $65.2 in gross bookings, reaching 82% of pre-pandemic levels. Overall, OTAs accounted for 24% of gross bookings in the United States in 2021, up from a 20% share in 2020.

Phocuswright’s research reveals that for the U.S. core OTA business (excluding Vrbo and Egencia), Expedia and Booking collectively accounted for roughly 93% of the OTA leisure and unmanaged travel business market in 2021.

Globally, Expedia reported gross bookings of 67% and Booking 79% compared to 2019 levels. Compared to 2020, Expedia nearly doubled its global gross bookings in 2021, while Booking more than doubled its 2020 figure.

Elsewhere, smaller OTAs including CheaOair, Hopper and HotelTonight collectively rose 60% in 2021 from 2020.

OTA vs. supplier-direct

In 2021, OTAs regained share of the total online market, rising from 35% to 37%. However, supplier websites maintained their majority stake in the U.S. online travel market, with a 63% share of online gross bookings.

The hotel segment remains the only one where OTAs continue to outrun supplier websites, though not by much. In 2021, OTAs accounted for 52% of the hotel online market, but share is expected to decline to 48% in 2025.

For air and car rentals, though supplier websites are the preferred booking channel, OTAs gained share in both segments, with online air gross bookings capturing 20% in 2021 compared to 19% in 2020, and car rentals at 35%, up from 32% in 2020.

Mobile

According to Phocuswright, mobile has been a pandemic-era winner, promoting safer and seamless travel, and OTAs are paying more attention to their apps.

In 2021, the majority of Booking’s mobile room nights transacted through its app, while competitor Expedia has expressed its intentions of becoming an app-first company.

Beyond one-time booking interactions, OTAs are viewing apps as a way to foster customer retention and ongoing engagement.

More than half (51%) of OTA gross bookings were transacted via mobile in 2021, 10% more than pre-pandemic mobile share.

“Mobile will continue to gain share in the years to come as OTAs enhance and invest in their mobile product, though at a slower rate than at the pandemic’s onset,” the Phocuswright report states.

“As travel normalizes, desktop will recapture some share lost to mobile since the customer and product mix will be better aligned to desktop bookings (e.g., more international travel, longer trips and air travel).”

Source: Hospitalitynet

34 years ago, a vision was born, known as the Yamoussoukro Declaration, the vision saw a fully liberalized Intra-African aviation industry.

11 years later, the implementation of the decision took flight with the Yamoussoukro Decision.

More than two decades later, the vision remains in the African Union (AU) integration blueprint but time is seemingly running out on the goal for an open aviation market.

The African continental Trade agreement will increase both intro Africa trade and global business.

Restrictions

Pressure to have a liberalised aviation sector has been accelerated over the past couple of years by the emergence of the Covid-19 crisis.

The sector alongside tourism were the first to take damage from the global health crisis and are tipped to be among the last sector’s to fully make recovery from the crisis.

However, air cargo business and aviation logistics increased with vaccine and healthcare products increased cargo trade.

Even so, the impact of the pandemic on aviation has been more profound in Africa than in other parts of the world.

First off, a bias on the imposition of travel restrictions saw travel bans in and out of a majority of African countries.

This heavily impacted continental carriers, which are greatly reliant on the global aviation market with the intra-African market yet to fully mature although budget airlines seem to be growing and making profits.

The lack of a fully mature intra-African aviation industry across the continent, meanwhile returned to bite the continent hard with the limited access of international destinations on the widespread restrictions imposed to greater magnitude on African States.

The African aviation industry would have likely avoided the greater fall out of restriction had it developed its own air travel market and infrastructure and navigation including across the continent having all major airports with global safety standards.

SAATM

The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) as envisioned three decades ago as the first flagship project under AU Agenda 2063 must now come into fruition in the short to medium term.

The implementation of the project is expected to flank the successful operation of African Free Continental Trade Area (AfCTA) increase free movement of people, investors and tourists within the continent.

A free air transport market further complements investment, employment, and entrepreneurship to foster, free movement of people and goods and the roll-out of the regional or African passport.

Further journey and wait times for air transport are set to come down by at least one fifth, air fares will fall, there will be competition for air services even as more jobs are created in the sector.

However, the war in Europe and reversed costs of transport as the oil barrel price hit record high above 115 dollars per barrel and still rising.

Today, Africa represents a mere four per cent of global world aviation traffic.

This figure is tipped to top 10 per cent with a fully operational single African air transport market.

A study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) on the implementation of SAATM by just 12 countries predicts 1.3 billion dollars GDP increment, fare savings of between 25 and 35 per cent, five million additional air passengers and 155,000 new jobs.

In the rest of the world, the liberalisation of air transport markets in the United States and the Europe has deepened the penetration of air transport while creating large and profitable behemoths.

For instance, airlines in the US and Europe are the most profitable while low cost carriers such as Ryan Air have thrived under the liberalised terms.

Despite it’s limited reach, aviation in Africa still supports and estimated 6.8 million jobs while contributing to 72.5 billion dollars to the continent’s GDP.

The potential for aviation nevertheless remains largely untapped for a continent made up mostly of landlocked countries with relatively inefficient road and rail infrastructure.

Cargo air business remains most profitable and will see the private sector partner with public sectors to provide last mile deliveries which will change air/digital efficiencies and outstanding customer experience right yo your doorstep deliveries.

Without the liberalisation of aviation, Africa risks losing out on social-economic benefits and growth due to lack of connectivity.

However, domestic passenger numbers are growing above pre covid statistics in most countries including Kenya.

International passengers are moving towards records numbers however the numbers are unclear with the effects of the war shooting all transport costs to be expensive.

An elaborate intra-African aviation industry would ensure the resilience of the sector amidst shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Governments and bilateral trade agreements and incentives for airlines fly into Africa will greatly improve in Africa.

Airline partnerships and mergers could bring costs down and improve on experience and end to end air solutions.

The creation of a single aviation market will however require the harmonization of national and regional regulations at the continental level.

This would mean creating liberalized air tariffs, unrestricted frequency and capacity and the full liberalization of cargo services.

Profits

The African aviation industry has struggled to generate consistent profits over the past decade with the only profitable year coming last in 2010.

However, Ethiopian Airlines leading a successful business trend with world class aircraft and infrastructure investments.

The industry features a number of financial beleaguered carriers while some national flag carriers have gone under over a combination of underfunding, unfavourable regulation, wrong business modelling and financial misappropriation and some giving poor customer care.

Other factors bedevilling players in the industry cover high user charges, taxes, inadequate airport infrastructure and insufficient management expertise, terrorism and Ebola or health crisis such covid issues reducing travel business.

Countries such as Uganda and Tanzania are only re-establishing their flag carriers following the collapse of what was the East Africa Airways while Rwanda Airlines and Kenya Airways investing in newer aircrafts and airport developments .

While the US and Europe aviation industries thrive off intra-airline agreements, consolidation and partnership, Africa’s aviation market remains heavily fragmented with greatest potential and seeking, well managed airline partnerships.

The picture is however changing going by recent developments such as last year’s Strategic Partnership Framework which seeks to bring together Kenya Airways (KQ) and South Africa Airways (SAA).

This model of business needs a lot of inter government synergy and consistent world class service, seamless connectivity and competitive affordable transport rates.

The pair of unprofitable carriers which have over the recent past survived on State bailouts seek to establish joint operations in 2023 including common business plans and initiatives.

Such a partnership could very well usher in the next phase of growth for Africa’s aviation industry.

The future of air transport will see more stronger technical ,electrical and robotics both in ground and in the air to take the aviation business to the next level.

The private sector which is the highest number of business both cargo and passengers look forward to open skies regionally and globally. Happy flying wishes.

Source: Capital News

In 2022, many travelers are re-prioritizing what they want from their vacations. Yet some brands and content marketers rely on out-of-date criteria when selecting images.

Getty Images, the stock footage agency, surveyed about 7,000 Americans to ask about their travel plans.

The company then looked at the visuals selected by many brands in the past year for TV commercials, online display advertising, and content marketing. Some of the choices were out of alignment with consumer preferences at the moment.

“In the next year, people are twice as likely to consider domestic travel than they are to consider a trip internationally,” said Tristen Norman, director of creative insights, Americas.

More than half of Americans surveyed are not planning a foreign trip in 2022, said the so-called VisualGPS results, which Getty Images released on Tuesday.

Cautiousness about foreign travel is significantly higher, on average, among baby boomers than among millennials. That’s a problem for the travel industry because baby boomers tend to travel longer and spend more.

Only 14 percent of surveyed consumers are planning an expensive dream trip this year.

Yet many brands are still using images that represent lavish international journeys, despite a common interest in staying close to home — and a shift in how travelers have begun to represent themselves on social media platforms Instagram and TikTok.

In the survey, the most-mentioned purpose for travelers in 2022 across age groups was social connection.

About 40 percent of travelers are prioritizing trips to see loved ones and friends this year, the survey found.

Norman recommended that brands opt for people-centered shots rather than people-less landscapes.

“Before the pandemic, people were really focused on what we call ‘Instagram envy,’” Norman said, with a frequent focus on recreating places and experiences they had seen others post on social media.

Now, social re-connection along with cultural discovery are surfacing.

Imagery showing social connection may resonate much better than the pre-pandemic mainstays of images of solo travelers shot from behind with an exotic or food item destination foregrounded instead.

Outdoor-themed vacations also are remaining highly popular in 2022, continuing a two-year boom. But many brands are instead this year showing images in cities.

Norman noted that all types of Americans visit outdoor destinations and that outdoor imagery doesn’t have to be of white families only.

Asian people, for example, are seen seven times less than whites, and Hispanic people are seen 10 times less, in imagery that has an outdoor travel theme.

One bright spot was that marketers were gravitating toward road trips, an idea that is, in fact, top-of-mind with many consumers now.

“We see growth in all types of road trips,” Norman said. “To us, that’s a clear indicator that there is some understanding of the ways in which most consumers are approaching their travel plans.”

But on the downside, there was a decline in the past couple of years of brands choosing travel images that represent what Norman called “micro-cultures,” or diverse activities beyond mainstream attractions like American football.

In positive news, the use of travel imagery including African Americans is up 18 percent over two years, though admittedly that was from a low base relative to population share.

Source: Skift

Covid-19 Presented an Opportunity to Rethink Tourism, Industry Players Say

Various stakeholders in the tourism sector have said that Covid-19 presented a major opportunity to rethink the industry and be more innovative despite the numerous challenges it brought.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion during the rebrand of Express Travel Group (ETG) to Hemingways Travel, Tourism CS Najib Balala noted that the Covid-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for industry players to think out of the box since it wasn’t things as usual.

“Technology innovation and collaboration enabled the tourism sector to ride the difficult Covid period and this should be the trend going forward,” Balala said.

According to Hemingways Travel MD Joseph Kithitu, the pandemic revealed that things can happen outside of your plans and that shows you need a serious travel back up to maintain your movement.

“Covid-19 didn’t come to kill travel or business, it came in to bring a new shift that people want to travel safe, in an organized way and that’s what we are bringing to the table with this rebrand,” said Kithitu.

Balala noted that innovation, digitization, and expansion to leisure travel is a sure win for Hemingways Travel and any other sector players looking to thrive in the tourism and travel sector as the industry continues to recover.

“Covid-19 gave us an opportunity to leapfrog to technology, the Hemingways travel is a testament to what we need to do as businesses, which is to rethink your business model on how to create better connections with your customers,” said Agnes Mucuha, CEO Kenya Association of Travel Agents(KATA).

The tourism industry was one of the most hit sectors by the pandemic with almost 1 million jobs lost according to industry data.

Even so, the industry is steadily recovering with the country’s tourism earnings growing by 65.4 per cent to Sh146.51billion in 2021 compared to Sh88.56billion in 2020.

This has been credited to the implementation of various interventions by the government to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the sector, including a focus on domestic tourism.

Balala noted that despite the improvement, the industry had not recovered properly and much is needed from airline connectivity to affordability of products to ensure a full recovery.

“For 2022, we are hoping to surpass the 2021 revenues we don’t just want numbers,” Balala said.

According to the Annual Tourism Sector Performance Report 2021, new vision strategies such as digitization have supported sector recovery and Hemingways Travel has made significant enhancements to its platform to meet changing industry needs.

Source: Capital FM

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the launch of its Recommended Practice Per-Passenger CO2 Calculation Methodology. This is the first tool of its kind developed by aviation industry actors and uses verified airline operational data to calculate and quantify CO2 emissions per passenger for a specific flight.

Airlines collaborating on calculations

How often are you prompted by airlines to offset your CO2 emissions? Often the choice is hidden away somewhere, and without the customer’s active participation, the little voluntary box to tick can be hard to locate. Even those who include the option on the booking details page do not tell you how much of ‘your’ generated emissions you are actually contributing to offsetting.

For those significantly invested in flying with a slightly greener conscience, there are, of course, already services out there that will allow you to calculate CO2 contributions on everything from dietary choices and daily commute, a long-haul flight to Asia, or a regional hop to go home and see your parents for Easter.

However, the measurements are quite generic and do not take into account the different efficiency of aircraft types, actual weight, cargo in the belly, or the recent addition of sustainable fuels. IATA’s new measurement system takes into account several industry-specific factors. Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, commented,

“Airlines have worked together through IATA to develop an accurate and transparent methodology using verified airline operational data. This provides the most accurate CO2 calculation for organizations and individuals to make informed choices about flying sustainably. This includes decisions on investing in voluntary carbon offsetting or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use.”

Measurable parameters

The methodology upon which IATA‘s calculations are based takes the following factors into account:

• Guidance on fuel measurement, aligned with the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)
• Clearly defined scope to calculate CO2 emissions in relation to airlines’ flying activities
• Guidance on non-CO2 related emissions and Radiative Forcing Index (RFI)
• Weight-based calculation principle: allocation of CO2 emission by passenger and belly cargo
• Guidance on passenger weight, using actual and standard weight
• Emissions Factor for conversion of jet fuel consumption to CO2, fully aligned with CORSIA
• Cabin class weighting and multipliers to reflect different cabin configurations of airlines
• Guidance on SAF and carbon offsets as part of the CO2 calculation
• Tool for airlines, travel agents, and travelers

So more than simply allowing passengers to calculate their CO2 emissions to offset them accurately, the tool could be used to compare different flights of different airlines to see which option is the most sustainable to begin with. Mr Walsh further commented,

“The plethora of carbon calculation methodologies with varying results creates confusion and dents consumer confidence. Aviation is committed to achieving net-zero by 2050. By creating an accepted industry standard for calculating aviation’s carbon emissions, we are putting in place essential support to achieve this goal. The IATA Passenger CO2 Calculation Methodology is the most authoritative tool and it is ready for airlines, travel agents, and passengers to adopt.”

Source: Simple Flying

You can feel it in the air, read it in the newspapers, see it on social media: Travel is back. After nearly two years of stop-and-go travel, with countries banning all visitors and tourists seen as the carriers of the plague, evidence supports that, in the short term, travelers are testing the waters.

Inexpensive airfares, both in economy and business classes, have receded; in fact, business travel between Israel and the United States has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

It’s a combination of both the need to make a personal connection, which Zoom cannot provide, coupled with the huge success of Israeli companies raising unheard-of funds and the compulsion to travel to the US to showcase their products.

A recent sit-down with Tom Lattig, the managing director of EMEA Sales at American Airlines was illuminating. American Airlines has said it is confident business travel will catch up with leisure travelers this year. It now expects a full business travel recovery in 2022. Lattig was grateful for how the airline returned to the Israeli market after a lengthy absence and is confident that when it starts flying from Dallas to Tel Aviv in the spring, the planes will be filled with both leisure and business clients.

El Al, while trying to get authorization to purchase Arkia, Israel’s own low-cost carrier, is returning to Boston next month and expending large amounts of energy in persuading its corporate clients to return to it. Delta already announced its entry into flying from Boston to Tel Aviv, and both airlines seem to believe that targeting Beantown will increase their coffers.

United Airlines is still head and shoulders above the other foreign carriers when it comes to flying nonstop to cities in the US. With twice-daily flights to Newark and flying to San Francisco and Chicago, it will continue to be at the top of the totem pole both in revenue and numbers of passengers, when all the data are compiled.

I WANT to focus, though, on an area that gets short shrift. In Israel we have been hearing about outlawed software and illegal police hacking of phones and computers. Fraud is one thing the pandemic didn’t shut down. Security experts remind travel agencies and travelers to stay on top of protecting their data as travel resumes. So, let’s discuss data fraud.

Most travelers are not even aware of what happens to their travel data when they book business or leisure trips. We shouldn’t assume the trip gets booked at the travel agency and that’s the end of the data journey. In reality, your data may be forwarded to several suppliers, including airline, hotel, rental car, rail, loyalty program providers and others.

For example, when a ticket is booked with a credit card, relevant information is shared with the credit card company and billing office. If you make a duty-free purchase in the airport, the store captures your name, airline ticket information (e.g., departure and arrival locations and times), your credit card number and the description of your purchase. If you’re traveling to a destination where your travel data must be sent in advance so that you may enter, your data are shared with authorities and organizations of the respective country.

The point is your data are being collected, processed, used and stored multiple times, and are vulnerable to attack or compromise in each situation. A best practice for companies and individuals is to always find out how the travel agency protects data against three basic threats: loss of availability, reputability and confidentiality.

Companies and individuals should expect travel agencies to provide a fully integrated and audited security management system for threat protection.

In our company we are well aware of so-called CEO Fraud messages. The sender poses as a member of management and tries to get an employee to perform a certain action, such as transferring a certain amount of money to a certain account. In early 2021, a fraudulent caller pretended to be a CEO and used a phishing email to convince a travel agent to book multiple round-trip flights. 

Often, successful attempts are made to exploit the willingness of an employee to help his boss.

We all need to be on the lookout for phishing or fake emails or messages to trick people into falling for a scam. Detecting the emails has become much harder. The scammers are intelligent, and illicit programs are designed to bypass antivirus detection products. It remains a game of cat and mouse between the scammers and the information security industry.

When taking a trip, keep these four tips in mind:

Don’t log in to your personal bank accounts over free public Wi-Fi hot spots. The information is vulnerable to interception.

1. Don’t divulge travel dates and locations on social media. Go Paperless. Keep itineraries and travel documents on your password-protected mobile device.
2. Don’t talk loudly about your travel plans in public places like the hotel bar or on the train. You would be amazed at how much information can be gleaned simply by listening.
3. Be on the lookout for shoulder surfers, anyone glancing over your shoulder to steal information.

It’s important to understand that the crooks who prey on tourists may be part of major crime rings.

Bound for Europe this spring? Don’t let a crook ruin your adventure by running off with your cash. As travel restrictions ease, people should remain vigilant while abroad.

While tourist scams can occur in any country, here are some of the techniques commonly employed by con artists in Europe to get their hands on your valuables, according to travel experts and law enforcement.

The spill that’s not accidental. Pigeon poop – real or fake – or ketchup, ice cream, coffee, or something else is spilled on you. Or thrown at you. Someone will approach you and offer to help clean you up. Another person then picks your pocket while you are distracted.

The panhandler’s plastic cup. Some beggars place a clear plastic cup in the path of pedestrians, hoping they inadvertently kick over the cup and send coins skittering. The goal: a guilt-tripped donation. Assume beggars are pickpockets.

All over the world, there is the tried-and-true crush-and-grab on the subway. Several people swarm you as they try to get on or off a train car and, as they push you, pick your pockets. Another tactic is grabbing the purse of a passenger sitting by the door and hopping off as the doors are closing. Find a seat away from the doors and minimize access to your pockets and purse.

The list goes on, as some travelers are probably rusty when it comes to trip planning, and those looking to take advantage of that will be out in force.

In the US the Better Business Bureau is sending out a warning: “Unfortunately, during times when we’re more stressed out, especially during the pandemic, there are people that are going to jump right in and take advantage every time,” said Amy Rasor, Better Business Bureau Fort Worth regional director. “Any time you feel that gut instinct, it’s pretty much telling you what to do.”

The No. 1 scam remains third-party booking site scams. If you book your airfare, hotel or other travel through a third-party website, be sure to use caution. BBB Scam Tracker continues to receive reports of scammers pretending to be online airline ticket brokers. In the most common version of the scam, travelers pay with a credit card and, shortly after making the payment, receive a call from the company asking to verify name, address, banking information or other personal details – something a legitimate company would never do.

AS YOU are booking a trip, make sure it is from a site with a web link that has “https” in the address bar. The “s” stands for secure. It will also have a lock symbol displayed in your Internet browser to confirm that any information you type in will be secure. Avoid wiring money or using a prepaid debit card.

Pay for everything with a credit card so you can easily dispute it if anything happens.

Before making a final payment, get all the details of the trip in writing. Details should include the total cost, restrictions, cancellation penalties, and names of the airlines and hotels.

Review and keep a copy of the airline’s and hotel’s cancellation and refund policies and the travel agency’s or booking site’s cancellation policies. I reiterate that if your travel consultant doesn’t inform you before you purchase what the cancellation and change fees are, make sure to ask about them. Knowledge is power.

Do I believe we’ve seen the end of the pandemic? Of course not. Do I believe that more and more individuals and companies and countries are coming to terms with having to live with COVID-19? Yes.

Passover and Easter will see planes heavily booked, hotels bursting at the seams and Israel filled with a menagerie of tourists. And just like in Europe and the US, where the travelers go, the criminals are one step ahead of them.

Travel smart, travel secure; because this spring, travel you shall.

Source: The Jerusalem Post

As we enter the third season of the pandemic, it feels like we have more questions than answers. That’s especially true for travelers.

There was hope that the vaccine rollout would mean worry-free jet-setting and reopened international borders, but the omicron variant disrupted those plans, with cases hitting record highs. Now that COVID-19 case numbers are falling again, there’s a positive outlook on the future.

In fact, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner and a member of the Healthy Sail Panel, told travel agents during a conference call at the invitation of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings that COVID-19 is quickly approaching “an endemic phase where this becomes a persistent issue, but an issue that fades into the background of our daily lives.”

Experts agree that COVID-19 will forever be part of our ecosystem, although the public health crisis will wane. Again, this leaves us with new, unanswered questions.

“I believe that as [COVID-19] becomes endemic, travel will return to something that feels more normal, but not all the way,” Dr. Brad Bowman, chief medical officer at Healthgrades (which is owned by TPG’s parent company, Red Ventures) told TPG.

“Because [COVID-19] is so much more than seasonal influenza, some protective and transmission measures will likely continue to be recommended.”

So, what does that mean long-term for travel as the pandemic morphs into an endemic? Here’s what the experts say.

Proof of vaccination or additional symptom questionnaires could become the norm

Right now, if you want to travel abroad, many countries require proof of vaccination.

After all, we saw the news of tennis star Novak Djokovic getting deported from Australia due to his vaccination status. However, countries like the U.S. don’t require proof when flying domestically.

Some destinations, such as India and the European Union, have created a digital platform that links your vaccination status with your travel information. This is meant to not only make it easier to fly but also help “ensure that restrictions currently in place can be lifted in a coordinated manner.”

That statement suggests there could be a time when vaccination status won’t matter.

Even if that doesn’t come to fruition and proof of vaccination remains a requirement for entry, travelers shouldn’t be that surprised. Currently, multiple vaccinations for everything from yellow fever to malaria are required to travel to certain parts of Africa. So, a world with a COVID-19 vaccine requirement is not that different from the one that existed before the pandemic.

What remains to be seen is if it will vary based on destination, a belief held by Dr. Pia MacDonald, senior director of applied public health research at RTI International. While MacDonald says it’s unlikely domestic travel will require proof of vaccination, she suspects that international travel would differ significantly.

“Lower- and middle-income countries that don’t have those excellent tracking systems or easy access to vaccinations could still have a vaccination mandate to protect their populations,” she said.

Bowman agreed, adding, “It’s not hard to imagine that safety itself could emerge as a premium class (i.e., vaccine passport class). Airlines will likely follow health care’s lead and adopt similar employee requirements.”

For travelers, it could morph into something where “symptom questionnaires could be added to the boarding and check-in process” instead of a vaccine mandate, according to Bowman.

Testing mandates could be seasonal or go away altogether

If you’ve traveled internationally at any point in the last couple of years, you know that COVID-19 testing is part of the process. As new variants have emerged, these requirements have shifted and changed over time, with the latest guidance for entry into the U.S. being a test taken within a day of arrival.

While studies have shown that testing helps reduce the rate of transmission, it will ultimately become “voluntary but strongly encouraged, especially in flight and in common areas,” according to Bowman.

MacDonald notes, however, that there will be a noticeable difference between domestic and international travel. Domestically, she believes a testing mandate is not likely. But, for travel abroad, she expects it to remain in place, though it could morph into something that greatly differs from the current testing requirement.

“The endemic phase is going to include this emergence of variants that are more or less dangerous,” MacDonald said, “so, there will be an ebb and flow of change that we will have to get used to in the same way we have for influenza.”

That means we could be required to test during certain times of the year when COVID-19 spikes, similar to the flu.

Or, testing could take on an entirely new meaning.

Instead of relying on COVID-19 tests, countries could lean more on biometric screening and other illness symptom tracking methods. We see this now in places like China, where your temperature is automatically taken when you enter the country.

“As a global travel community, we’ve built out more infrastructure for testing and monitoring,” MacDonald said. “More of that is likely to come to screen for [COVID-19], future variants and new viruses.”

Masks could remain a part of air travel, whether they’re mandated or not

Mask-wearing has become a point of contention in the U.S., though it’s been the norm in other regions like Asia long before the pandemic.

Right now, masks are required on airlines, but it’s clear many people are eager to see that mandate lifted.

As we move into the endemic phase, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious-disease expert for the White House, foresees mask-wearing as the norm on planes.

“It is conceivable that as we go on, a year or two or more from now, that during certain seasonal periods when you have respiratory-borne viruses like the flu, people might actually elect to wear masks to diminish the likelihood that you’ll spread these respiratory-borne diseases,” he said.

Likewise, Bowman believes “a significant number of staff and passengers will choose to wear masks,” though she does not think it will be mandated in the future.

Others, like MacDonald, envision a future that’s more like the testing mandate, where masks will be required at particular times of the year, with guidance varying by country. There’s the possibility it could eventually become permanently mandated, though that would likely take a long time.

“Look at smoking on planes,” MacDonald said. “That changed over time where certain countries still allowed it and others didn’t until it was permanently banned. Masking will also change over time, especially as travelers become more and more used to it.”

Bottom line

While there is still so much up in the air about the future of COVID-19, it’s likely to continue affecting travel, even after the pandemic transitions into an endemic. Pandemic travel requirements such as masks and symptom screenings are probably here to stay, though they may look different from current measures.

Much like other communicable diseases before it, COVID-19 may never completely go away. Only time will tell just how much measures to combat it will remain a part of our travels.

Source: The Points Guy

Q&A with Lydie Charpin, vice president, customer solutions, corporations, Amadeus

The concept of New distribution capability (NDC) was introduced eight years ago yet development and implementation has been slow. Amadeus’ Lydie Charpin explains why 2022 could see significant steps forward and why IATA changed the way it measures progress.

BTN Europe: How would you describe industry progress on NDC to date? Many would say it’s been a slow journey so far.
Lydie Charpin: It’s been eight years since IATA outlined a vision for the distribution ecosystem. Yes, it does feel like the industry has taken quite some time to put the NDC groundwork in place and, for some time, it appeared that the NDC vision would prove difficult to turn into reality due to the complexity of standardisation and commercial considerations impacting so many different actors. But significant progress has been made in the past years with an increasing number of actors in the whole distribution chain having started their NDC journey.

BTNE: How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected progress?
LC: Despite Covid-19, I’m optimistic that 2022 will be seen as a pivotal year for NDC. We are currently working with more than 30 airlines on the IT side and 17 more to distribute their NDC content through the Amadeus Travel Platform, including IAG, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Etihad. Meanwhile, more than 3,500 travel agencies across 57 markets can book this NDC content through our solutions. Our goal is to make NDC-sourced content available to all Amadeus travel sellers globally in the coming months.

BTNE: Explain why the need for NDC is now particularly pressing?
LC: Modern consumers have the same expectations of travel companies as they do of brands such as Amazon, Netflix and Spotify. As an industry, we must improve how we deliver products across all channels and be more responsive to today’s digital consumers. NDC offers new possibilities for the retailing of travel services that better meet these needs. The potential for NDC – together with IATA’s ONE Order initiative – to help airlines and travel companies conceive, retail and deliver end-to-end services more efficiently is an exciting prospect. The future promises a greatly improved traveller experience for the creation of additional value, driven by further industry-wide collaboration. In September, we published a report on NDC containing insights from airlines, corporations and travel sellers. This was designed to shed light on where we are today as an industry in terms of NDC readiness, the barriers that still exist to reach full industrialisation, and show what can be done to accelerate the journey to modern retailing.

BTNE: Why did IATA recently change the way it was measuring progress on NDC implementation?
LC: IATA recently updated the way it measures progress in the adoption of the NDC and ONE Order standards under the Airline Retailing Maturity index (ARMi), for which Amadeus recently was registered both as an airline and travel seller provider. ARMi is the first official industry index that measures the progress in air travel retailing and is structured around three key pillars: capabilities verification, partnership deployment, and a value capture compass.

Ultimately, as an industry, we need to strive towards richer, more tailored, and more relevant travel offers to speed up recovery. We have so far seen some initial successes selling ancillaries and bundles through NDC, but the ability to sell more personalised offers remains mostly untapped. We see this index as a positive development that can accelerate the transition towards this goal.

Amadeus is committed to innovation, cutting edge technology and leadership on NDC and retailing, and being dually registered in the index is another proof point that we are headed in the right direction. We sit at the centre of the travel industry and continue to drive collaboration among all industry players.

Transitioning from the classic and transaction-oriented way of working to a retail-oriented, next-generation environment based on NDC and ONE Order is a sophisticated process that will require a change in mindset and way of working from both airlines and travel sellers. Working together, we can rebuild travel to be bigger and better than ever before and to deliver more value across the whole industry.

BTNE: How is NDC enhancing personalisation?
LC: Corporations can work more closely with airlines to design bespoke offers that cater to their employees – such as special packages for senior managers. This would mean employees don’t have to book and expense such services separately. For example, we spoke to Neil Geurin, managing director of digital customer experience and distribution strategy at American Airlines, who believes NDC delivers what travellers want, more simply. In the aforementioned report, he said: “We know corporate travellers tend to need wifi, and that pretty much every company is happy to fund it. The corporation also likely wins if its senior managers have speedy boarding and a premium cabin seat so they can be more productive. With NDC our corporate customers will be able to work with us to help define their experience with American.”

In practice, NDC makes it easier to provide additional information to corporate travellers: telling them how many frequent flyer points they would earn by booking certain flights, for instance. Such a message can be a powerful driver to comply with travel policy and could mean the corporation unlocks perks like free WiFi or lounge access. Furthermore, personalisation could extend to offering tall passengers a seat with extra legroom or special meals to those who need them. Such tailored offers can be based on travellers’ preferences, historical and real-time data, or the context.

What’s more, this kind of content can be integrated in the same search and booking flow as before via desktop or mobile. This means travellers can conveniently find NDC content, alongside non-NDC content, view and book seats and ancillaries while maintaining the same approval flow.

TMCs, meanwhile, need to help corporations meet their duty of care towards employees, now more than ever, and are experimenting with NDC to access timely data that transfers from booking systems into downstream systems so they can locate every traveller at any moment.

BTNE: How is NDC going to really get off the ground?
LC: While early adopters have seen some initial success with NDC, real acceleration will only happen once we collectively broaden the appeal of NDC. And to do this, collaboration and experimentation are fundamental. Only with mass adoption will we be able to accurately address performance, scalability, and capability requirements. What’s certain is the future of business travel will require greater flexibility, agility and innovation – NDC is forming a core part of this journey as business travel recovers.

Source: BTN Europe

As the aviation industry restarts after over a year of passenger downturn, the IATA Travel Pass is becoming a crucial initiative in this next chapter. Airlines across the globe have been introducing the mobile app to help travelers store and manage their details during the pandemic, but how does the tool actually work?

A new climate

Governments worldwide have implemented a series of stringent travel restrictions since the rise of the global health crisis last year. The conditions grounded fleets and forced millions to stay where they are, effectively preventing them from seeing their loved ones or traveling for work for months on end.

These restrictions have been slowly relaxing. However, there are still several requirements in place to ensure that passengers move safely amid the current situation. With borders opening up, the spread of the virus needs to be controlled. Therefore, requirements such as testing and vaccinations have to be met in order to fly.

Meeting requirements

To help with the recording of this information, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) introduced its Travel Pass. Airlines initially began testing the app for loading COVID test details and related information. However, trials began expanding the utilization to include vaccination records. Following successful testing, governments have been gaining the confidence to accept the app’s usage for all their passengers.

Notably, recently, IATA announced that it integrated the acceptance of digital vaccine certifications issued by the European Union and the United Kingdom into the app. Therefore, it is now smoother for travelers to prove their vaccination status when flying.

Overall, the platform is an effective way to prove test results and vaccination status than paper processes. Authorities can verify documentation authenticity and the identity of individuals with the pass. Ultimately, travelers benefit by having their core post-COVID travel details in one place.

The core features

There are four primary modules to the IATA Travel Pass:

1. Registry of health requirements -This segment allows travelers to find information on travel, testing, and vaccine requirements.
2. Registry of testing and vaccination centers – Here, passengers can locate centers and labs at their departure and/or arrival locations.
3. Lab app – The feature allows authorized test centers or labs to securely send vaccination certificates or test results to travelers.
4. Travel Pass app – The app gives passengers the opportunity to:
5. Create a “digital passport.”
6. Verify their vaccination and/or test.
7. Share their vaccination or test result through integration into passenger management systems.

Importantly, Travel Pass does not store any data centrally. It solely links entities that require verification with the test or vaccination data when passengers allow it. Altogether, the airline customer has to give the go-ahead to verify. If the traveler opts to do so, the data is sent from their mobile device directly to an airline or government.

The right support

To enhance the digital health pass, IATA is working closely with Raytheon Technologies subsidiary Collins Aerospace. The company is using its wide-ranging presence in the aviation industry to help make integration with Travel Pass streamlined.

As a leader in high-integrity solutions, Collins Aerospace highlights that by using a carrier’s host systems connections to seamlessly send passenger itinerary data to the Travel Pass app. Using the firm’s TransAction Service, this process enables itineraries to be matched against destination conditions and coronavirus health results to determine if a passenger is “OK to travel.” Crucially, the same connections can then be used to update the carrier’s host system with that status.

With this managed service, the ongoing support and maintenance of the integrations are covered by Collins Aerospace. So, the connection process can continue to be relied upon as the challenges of the aviation industry continue to evolve.

IATA notes that Collins’ tool assists operators to catalyze the app’s adoption amid the ease of integration. Ultimately, while the world continues to navigate the impact of the pandemic, additional support from the likes of Collins will go a long way.

“More than half of the world’s borders have some kind of travel restriction in place, but we see the deployment of vaccinations and testing measures as positive steps toward restoring international airline travel,” shares Jennifer Schopfer, president of Connected Aviation Solutions. “With the use of Collins Aerospace’s technology, Travel Pass will enable the secure flow of information to ensure that passengers know the health requirements for their journey, and for airlines to confirm those requirements have been met.”

Looking ahead

Over 60 carriers have registered to use IATA’s Travel Pass. More and more people are returning to the air as borders slowly open in numerous key regions. For air travel to keep going in the right direction, carriers and the broader market need to show that the new governmental conditions can be handled effectively. So, the Travel Pass will hold a vital position in the next stage and beyond.

Airlines and passengers alike would dread another dark age of travel as we saw over the last one and a half years. Altogether, initiatives such as the IATA Travel Pass will prove valuable in the mission to continue safe and efficient operations.

Source: Simple Flying