African airlines lost a collective $8.6 billion in 2021 due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19

According to an updated report by the African Airlines Association (Afraa), the COVID-19 pandemic continued to hammer Africa’s aviation industry in 2021, resulting in an estimated $8.6 billion revenue loss.

While the figure is less than the $10.21 billion revenue loss recorded by the sector in 2020, it did mark a 49.8% decline when compared to the revenue recorded by the sector prior to the pandemic in 2019.

The report blamed the revenue loss on the stringent travel restrictions placed by governments, in a bid to contain the Coronavirus. While the restrictions were well-intentioned, they also inevitably made it impossibly for African airlines to operate optimally.

As a matter of fact, the traffic volume from January through to December was 42.3% less than what was recorded in 2019.

“Across Africa in general, passenger traffic volumes remain depressed due to the unilateral and uncoordinated travel health restrictions imposed by some governments following the outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

“Airline revenues have remained low with many operators battling with cash-flow issues. Full-year revenue loss for 2021 is estimated at $8.6 billion, equivalent to 49.8 per cent of the 2019 revenues,” said a part of the report.

The Afraa report further noted that the ongoing political upheaval in Ethiopia also contributed to the loss because traffic volumes into the Horn of Africa country contracted, particularly between November and December last year.

Do note that during the year under review, only three African airlines were able to continue with their international routes expansion, the report said.

Source: Business Insider Africa

More countries reopen to travelers, signaling a big shift in pandemic thinking

Another day — another border reopens.      

In the past two weeks, a slew of countries announced plans to reopen or relax border restrictions. These include places that have maintained some of the strictest pandemic-related border controls in the world. 

The announcements come on the heels of a record-setting period of global infections. According to the World Health Organization, Covid-19 cases hit a new peak worldwide in late January, with more than 4 million cases registered in a single day. 

However, many countries are signaling that they can’t economically afford — or are no longer willing — to stay closed.

The pervasiveness of the omicron variant, which started spreading in countries — both open and closed — late last year, led people to question the utility of locked border policies.

In addition, more than half (54%) of the world’s population is now vaccinated, according to Our World in Data. Medical treatments can successfully thwart and treat severe infections. And, many experts are now “cautiously optimistic” — as top American medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has stated — that a new phase of the pandemic may be within reach.

Australia

Arguably the biggest announcement of the past week came Monday, when Australia declared plans to reopen to vaccinated travelers from Feb. 21.

The news signaled the end to “Fortress Australia,” a moniker applied to the country’s controversial closed border policy that locked out foreigners and citizens alike.

The economic toll of Australia’s insular border policy was highlighted in January, when soon after backpackers were granted permission to enter, Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged to refund some $350 in visa fees to those who moved swiftly. As it turned out, the about-face toward “working holiday maker” visa holders was part of an effort to reduce severe labor shortages.

Darryl Newby, co-founder of the Melbourne-based travel company Welcome to Travel, said the pandemic “not only affected the travel sector but every single industry” in Australia.

Pressure mounted when Covid infections skyrocketed in December, leaving an open question as to the purpose of keeping vaccinated and tested travelers locked out.

“Negative sentiment,” which began showing up in market research, may have been another factor, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The article quoted Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison as saying the country went from being “envied” to “ridiculed” over its border policies, with some fearing lasting damage to Australia’s touristic appeal.

The state of Western Australia, home to Perth, is not reopening to either foreigners or Australian tourists yet. It scrapped plans to reopen amid a rise in Covid cases in January.

New Zealand

Another so-called “fortress” announced plans to welcome back vaccinated international visitors.

Unlike Australia, New Zealand last week outlined a five-step phased reopening plan that won’t allow international travelers to enter until July, at the earliest. Vaccinated travelers must also self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival.

With some exceptions, the plan first welcomes citizens and residents to enter later this month, if they are traveling from Australia. Citizens and residents coming from other places, plus eligible workers, can enter in mid-March, followed by some visa holders and students in mid-April.

Vaccinated travelers from Australia and those from countries who don’t need visas — including those from Canada, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel, Chile, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates — can enter from July. Others will be allowed to visit starting in October.

Philippines

After closing its borders in March 2020, the Philippines announced plans to reopen today to vaccinated travelers from more than 150 countries and territories.  

The country suspended its color-coded country classification program in favor of opening to vaccinated travelers who test negative via a PCR test. Facility-based quarantines were also replaced with a requirement to self-monitor for seven days.

Covid cases in the Philippines peaked last month, with more than 300,000 daily cases at one point. Cases dropped as quickly as they rose, with 3,543 confirmed cases in the past 24 hours as at Feb. 10, according to the WHO.

Despite the surge, the Philippines’ Department of Tourism indicated the decision to reopen was related to economic hardship and, possibly, to match the policies of other Southeast Asian countries.

“The Department sees this as a welcome development that will contribute significantly to job restoration … and in the reopening of businesses that have earlier shut down during the pandemic,″ said Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat in an article on the department’s website. “We are confident that we will be able to keep pace with our ASEAN neighbors who have already made similar strides to reopen to foreign tourists.”

Bali 

Despite rising infections, Bali, Indonesia, opened to vaccinated international travelers last week.

“It is known that currently the positivity rate is already above the WHO standard of 5% … the number of people who are checked and tested on a daily basis has also increased significantly,” according to a news release published on Jan. 31 on the country’s Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs office.

Yet the decision to reopen to international travelers — which has been postponed in the past — was made to “re-invigorate Bali’s economy,” according to the website. 

Travelers face a five-day quarantine requirement, though they can isolate in one of 66 hotels, which include many of the island’s well-known luxurious resorts, such as The Mulia Resort and Villa and The St. Regis Bali Resort.

Bali, however, isn’t reopening to foreign tourists for the first time. It opened last October to travelers from 19 countries. Yet few people turned up due, in part, to a lack of international flights and the island’s stringent entrance requirements.   

Malaysia

Malaysia’s National Recovery Council on Tuesday recommended that the country reopen to international travelers as early as March 1, according to Reuters.

Travelers are not expected to have to quarantine on arrival, similar to tourism policies enacted by Thailand and Singapore.

Nearly 98% of Malaysia’s adult population is vaccinated, according to the country’s Ministry of Health, with more than two-thirds using vaccines produced by Pfizer or AstraZeneca, and one-third on the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine.

Malaysia may be on its way toward an omicron-induced case peak. A steep uptick in daily cases began two weeks ago and has yet to decline.

Relaxing travel restrictions

Countries that are already open to international travelers are moving to further relax entrance requirements.

Though Europe is the regional leader in new Covid cases according to the WHO, countries such as Greece, France, Portugal, Sweden and Norway have announced plans to drop incoming test requirements for vaccinated travelers — though some apply only to EU residents.

Last week, the islands of Puerto Rico and Aruba enacted similar measures.

Other places are moving in the opposite direction. After shuttering bars and banning some incoming flights in late January, Hong Kong this week imposed new restrictions, including limiting public gatherings to two people. The restrictions are causing citywide food shortages, inflated prices and a rising public anger, according to The Guardian.  

China also reinstituted strict measures ahead of the Winter Olympic Games, with lockdowns affecting some 20 million people in January, according to the Associated Press.   

Though both relaxed border restrictions, the Philippines and Bali also announced heightened local restrictions this year.

Source: CNBC Travel

Flight Centre trends report: ‘Travel agent is king’

Flight Centre UK’s 2022 report says the “travel agent is king” and bookings through agencies are expected to rise this year because of the complexities of travel in the Covid era.

More than half (54%) of Brits would choose to book through a travel agent, rather than independently, according to the report.

“Though the benefits of booking through a travel agent have long been recognised, the uncertainty of travel in this Covid-age has further cemented the value of an agent’s expertise,” the report said.

“Pandemic-era travel requires more emphasis on pre departure planning than ever before.

“Add to that, unexpected changes and cancellations due to outbreaks, reduced airline capacity and scaled down airline staff, makes having a one-stop shop service with a travel agent invaluable.”

Flight Centre said its UK travel agents have had “thousands of conversations with new customers looking for the help and support they just can’t get elsewhere”.

“This has driven hundreds of Trustpilot reviews, quoting how our Flight Centre staff have helped our customers,” it said.

“Since the pandemic began, the average age of our British customer has dropped from 53 to 51, as younger travellers have discovered that extra help and protection offered by an agent is missing when you book several components online.”

January 2022 has seen Flight Centre’s highest levels of enquiries and UK bookings since the start of the pandemic.

As well as the importance of agents, its 2022 Travel Trends Report highlighted how “flexibility is key” and beach holidays are the most popular type of break.

Reconnecting with friends and family and sustainable travel were other notable trends in the report.

Liz Mathews, managing director of Flight Centre UK, said: “This year is one of revenge travel. Travellers are itching to stick it to Covid-19 and will take great pleasure in boarding a plane and crossing borders in 2022.

“The pent-up demand from the last 22 months is bubbling over as people see an end in sight for this pandemic.

“And they want vengeance. Vengeance for all the cancelled holidays, missed weekends away, and the get-togethers they never got to plan.”

Source: Travel Weekly

Travelport says updated desktop streamlines tasks for travel agents

Travelport says the latest updates to its Smartpoint desktop tool ease the process of comparing and booking complex tickets while facilitating post-purchase servicing by travel advisors. 

The company has also introduced a new portal called Trip Manager on the Travelport Plus platform, which gives travelers the ability to do some tasks, such as ticket exchanges. 

The enhancements, which went live last month, offer improved comparison shopping within Smartpoint’s Intelligent Storefront. Search results, for example, align products by airline, dividing them into five categories: basic, economy, legroom, premium and luxury.

The interface shows prices and also provides travel advisors with the capability to dig into deeper comparison content, where they can see more specifics of the various products, such as WiFi, meal offerings and policies/prices for checked and carry-on bags. 

Kyle Moore, Travelport’s global head of customer strategy and marketing, said Smartpoint’s automated Assisted Ticketing solution was improved. Travel advisors use the tool for post-purchase servicing of clients’ itineraries. The solution, he said, saves more than five minutes per involuntary ticket change transaction versus making those change manually. And refunds can now be processed in less than half the time it would take to process them manually. 

Travelport has also made enhancements to its Trip Quote tool. Moore says it is now easier for travel advisors to store a trip quote and apply mark-ups where appropriate before sending the offers to clients. 

The Trip Manager tool, meanwhile, is an evolution from Travelport’s ViewTrip function. Trip Manager has more self-service capabilities for travelers, including enabling exchanges.

“The self-service option for travelers using the new portal allows agencies to preserve resources while providing travelers an improved experience with the ability to easily add extras to their trip,” Travelport says. 

Moore said all of the recent upgrades are aligned with Travelport’s goal of evolving its merchandising capabilities to keep pace with the increasingly more complex fare products, including NDC-enabled merchandising. Travelport has entered into NDC content agreements with 16 airlines and is live with NDC-supported content from American, United, Qantas and Singapore Airlines.

Source: Travel Weekly

Travel Sector’s Effect on Economy Could Reach Near Pre-Pandemic Levels, WTTC Says

New research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed that the global travel & tourism sector’s contribution to the global economy could reach $8.6 trillion this year, just 6.4 percent behind pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, before the pandemic stopped travel in its tracks, the sector generated nearly $9.2 trillion to the global economy; however, in 2020, the pandemic brought the sector to an almost complete standstill, causing a massive 49.1 percent drop, representing a severe loss of nearly $4.5 trillion.

The latest research from WTTC shows that as the world finally begins to recover from pandemic, the sector’s contribution to both the global economy and employment could reach almost pre-pandemic levels this year.

Research by the global tourism body shows that if the vaccine and booster rollout continue at pace this year, and restrictions to international travel are eased around the world throughout the year, the sector could create 58 million jobs in 2022, to reach more than 330 million—just 1 percent below pre-pandemic levels and up 21.5 percent on 2020.

“Over the past two years, the global travel and tourism sector has suffered tremendous losses,” Julia Simpson, WTTC president and CEO, said in a press release. She continued: “As people start traveling again, governments must implement simplified rules, including the use of digital solutions. Travel of the future should be contactless while guaranteeing safety,” she added.

In 2019, the sector generated 10.4 percent of global GDP and more than 330 million jobs. To reach close to pre-pandemic levels this year, WTTC says governments around the world must continue focussing on the vaccine and booster rollout—allowing fully vaccinated travelers to move freely without the need for testing.

The global tourism body also urges governments to ditch the patchwork of restrictions and enable international travel using digital solutions that allow travelers to prove their status in a fast, simple and secure way.

Source: Travel Agent Central

Kenya Airways to stop transporting monkeys used for medical experiments in US

Kenyan flag carrier Kenya Airways will not renew its contract with an undisclosed breeding farm that paid the airline to ship monkeys from Mauritius to a research laboratory in New York, where they were used in medical experiments.  

The decision comes after a truck towing a trailer with monkeys was involved in a crash on a Pennsylvania highway. 

In an interview with AP News, Kenya Airways CEO Michael Joseph said that following the contract, the carrier flew 100 long-tailed Macaques from Mauritius to New York (JFK) on January 21, 2022.  

On arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the animals were put into a truck trailer for further transportation. However, the truck collided with a dump truck in Pennsylvania later that day.  

Due to the crash, which is currently being investigated by the US Department of Agriculture, some of the monkeys were injured. Several escaped and were caught by Pennsylvania State Police. Unfortunately, some of the macaques were “shot and killed” during the catch, according to media reports.  

Following the incident, American animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) contacted the Kenya Airways CEO regarding the treatment of the macaques.  

In response to the recent event, Kenya Airways announced that it will not renew its shipment contract with the breeding facility. The current contract expires in February 2022. 

Source: Aerotime Hub

Ethiopian Airlines reactivates its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

Ethiopian Airlines has commenced reactivation of its Boeing 737 MAX fleet. The 737 MAX, which is the first of four passenger jets, has returned to the skies for the first time since the aircraft were grounded in spring 2019.  

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8, registration ET-AVI, was spotted on February 1, 2022. According to Flightradar24.com data, the jet took off from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) at 09:21 a.m. (UTC) for a two hour-long reactivation flight and returned to the airport around 11.46 a.m. (UTC).  

The jet was the first of four 737 MAX passenger planes operate by the airline before the type was grounded following two fatal crashes. 346 people died when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed on October 29, 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed on March 10, 2019. 

The MAX reactivation follows Ethiopian Airlines’ initial schedule, which was announced by the airline in December 2021.  

At the time, Tewolde Gebremariam, Ethiopian Airlines CEO revealed that it had taken more than 20 months for the airline to regain confidence in the safety of its MAX fleet.  

“We have taken enough time to monitor the design modification work and the more than 20 months of rigorous rectification process…our pilots, engineers, aircraft technicians, cabin crew are confident in the safety of the fleet,” the CEO said in a statement seen by Reuters, which was dated January 2022.  

Gebremariam also noted that safety is the airline’s “topmost priority” and guides “every decision [it] makes and all actions [it] takes”. 

Source: Aerotime Hub

African Airlines Blame Strict Travel Guidelines For Continued Poor Performance

Stringent travel advisories have continued to depress the performance of airlines’ in Africa with numbers still below 2019 capacity, the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has said.

According to AFRAA, African airline revenues have remained low with many operators battling with cash-flow issues with full-year revenue loss for 2021 estimated at $8.6billion.

This is equivalent to 49.8 per cent of the 2019 revenues.

“As a result of these uncoordinated measures, air passenger traffic from January to December was only 42.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2019,” AFRAA noted.

The capacity improved and reached 52.7 per cent in January 2022, and AFRAA expects it to inch up by 6.3 per cent to 59 per cent in the year.

According to the airline lobby group, the domestic market maintained the biggest share for capacity deployed, though actual passenger traffic saw a dip.

Domestic demand was at 42 per cent and outperformed intra-Africa and intercontinental which remained subdued at 31.9 per cent and 25.6 per cent respectively.

On the actual number of passenger seats offered, domestic, intra-Africa and intercontinental account for 47.3, 24.9, and 27.8 per cent respectively.

As at the end of 2021, African airlines had reinstated approximately 80.8 per cent of their pre-Covid international routes, though frequencies remain low.

The Intra-African connectivity reached 76 per cent of the pre-Covid level in November 2021 and increased to 80 per cent in December.

AFRAA forecast the intra-African connectivity to slide back to 76 per cent in January 2022 because of the closure of some routes.

“Across Africa in general, passenger traffic volumes remain depressed due to the unilateral and uncoordinated travel health restrictions imposed by some governments following the outbreak of the Omicron variant of COV-2,” said AFRAA.

Source: Capital Business

How Dubai became world’s best tourist destination amid Covid

Dubai’s ranking as the No.1 global destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2022 has given the city a milestone moment in the new year.

The ranking will also bolster its drive to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make the Emirate the most visited destination and the best city to live and work in.

Dubai was voted #1 on the global list of Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for Best Global Destination, the world’s #1 destination for city lovers and #4 destination for ‘Food Lovers’.

Winning the three accolades is a significant achievement for Dubai as the awards were determined by the quality and quantity of independent destination reviews and ratings from travellers across accommodation, restaurants and activities over 12 months from November 1, 2020, and October 31, 2021.

Helal Saeed Almarri, director-general, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) said: “Inspired by the visionary leadership of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the city adopted a multi-pronged strategy to deal with the pandemic including a series of initiatives that further enhanced our global competitiveness and attractiveness as a multi-faceted destination. It is truly a proud moment for Dubai to be endorsed as the top global destination, reaffirming the decisive yet prudent measures taken by Dubai to safely navigate and accelerate out of this unprecedented global challenge.”

Almarri added that the achievement is a testament to the “dynamism, resilience and accessibility” of Dubai and its consistence in delivering the highest standards of service to all visitors.

“It also points to the growing collaboration between the Department of Economy and Tourism and its stakeholders and partners, both domestic and international, to position Dubai as a global hub for business and leisure, as well as building on its credentials as an international events destination with the success of Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations,” he said.

As one of the first destinations in the world to close, then open and remain open, Dubai’s effective management of the pandemic and early initiative to lead the global tourism recovery restored travel confidence and positioned the city as one of the safest destinations.

The constant dialogue and cooperation between DET and stakeholders ensured that the ecosystem was aligned in collectively promoting Dubai as a must-visit destination, highlighting the diverse destination proposition and reinforcing the message that that the city is open and safe for domestic and global travellers.

Dubai also launched initiatives to ease barriers to entry for business and leisure travellers, as well as long-term residency initiatives that offer pathways for deeper engagement and longevity with Dubai.

These include the new visas and programmes such as golden visa targeting investors, entrepreneurs and specialised talents, the five-year multi-entry visa for employees of multinational companies, and the Virtual Working and Retire in Dubai programmes.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “Dubai’s ability to evolve and adapt, and focus on a diversified approach to international markets have been critical in ensuring that the city continues to retain its position as the leading business and leisure destination and global liveability hub as envisioned by our visionary leadership.”

Tourism growth in Dubai is gathering pace supported by a robust domestic market and growing confidence within the industry and among travellers, especially with the rollout of vaccinations and booster programmes around the world.

According to the latest data published by DET, Dubai welcomed over six million international visitors between January and November 2021, which surpasses the 5.5 million tourists who visited Dubai for the entire 2020.

During this 11-month period, 743 hotel establishments with over 136,000 rooms also opened their doors to guests, delivering strong occupancy levels of over 60 per cent, which is among the highest occupancy rates internationally.

Expo 2020 Dubai has also made a major contribution towards creating awareness of Dubai and drawing more visitors to the city. Since opening on October 1, 2020, Expo 2020 has attracted over 10 million visits by residents and global travellers.

Source: Khaleej Times

EU wants test-free travel for vaccinated residents

Traveling around Europe may be about to get less complicated for fully vaccinated travelers from countries within the European Union.

The EU is recommending that vaccinated residents should not be required to undergo testing or quarantine measures when entering member states.

Under the new advice, which comes into effect on February 1, restrictions would be lifted for those who hold a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate in a “coordinated approach to facilitate safe free movement” across Europe.

This means that fully vaccinated travelers could be allowed to move freely around the bloc’s 27 member states provided each country follows the guidance.

Individual EU destinations are permitted to issue their own additional restrictions, and many have opted to do so since the bloc’s first recommendations on restrictions were issued at the start of the pandemic.

‘Co-ordinated approach’

While the guidance change would also apply to those who’ve recently recovered from Covid-19, testing requirements would remain in place for the unvaccinated.

“This recommendation responds to the significant increase in vaccine uptake and the rapid roll-out of the EU Digital Covid certificate, and replaces the previously existing recommendation,” a statement from the European Council says.

The update guidance, which was announced on Tuesday, stresses that “a traveler’s Covid-19 vaccination, test or recovery status, as evidenced by a valid EU digital Covid Certificate, should be the key determinant” for travel within Europe moving forward.

However, exceptions may be advisable with regards to “travel to and from dark red areas, where the virus is circulating at very high levels.”

Those who do not hold a digital certificate may be required to undergo a test no later than 24 hours after their arrival.

The news comes after Dr. Hans Kluge, director for the World Health Organization’s European region, released a statement indicating that the emergence of the Omicron variant may lead to an end to “the emergency phase” of the pandemic this year.

“Omicron offers plausible hope for stabilization and normalization,” he said, before warning nations not to drop their guard just yet as, “too many people who need the vaccine remain unvaccinated.”

Source: CNN Travel