Britain has issued a security alert for its nationals, warning of potential terrorism danger in the southern regions of Tanzania near the border with Mozambique.

In an updated travel advisory for Tanzania, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on October 30 warned against “all but essential travel to any area within 20 kilometres of the Tanzanian border with the Cabo Delgado Province of northern Mozambique.”

It said the new advisory was “due to attacks by groups linked with Islamic extremism” and also cautioned that terrorists were “very likely to try to carry out attacks in Tanzania in the near future, including in major cities.”

According to the FCDO, the attacks “could be indiscriminate and occur without warning” with an added risk of “kidnapping for ransom and political purposes.”

“Places frequented by Westerners, including places of worship, transport hubs, embassies, hotels and restaurants, and major gatherings like sporting and religious events, may be targets,” it said.

Around 75,000 British nationals visit Tanzania every year and the FCDO advisory urged them to “remain vigilant at all times” while in the country.

The latest alert comes about two weeks after a similar one issued for “certain areas in Uganda” following the deaths of three people including a Briton in a “suspected” terrorist attack in the country’s Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Also killed in the Uganda incident which occurred in mid-October were a South African national and a local tour guide.

The FCDO said although Tanzania has not suffered a major terrorist incident since the 1998 US embassy bombing in Dar es Salaam “there have been a number of smaller-scale incidents.”

“Most attacks target the local security forces, though attacks against Western interests are also possible,” it added.

It also noted that Tanzanian authorities had successfully made a number of arrests in connection to terrorism, but added that many of the incidents were “of unclear origin and may be conducted by criminal gangs.”

The alert made particular reference to an October 2020 attack in Kitara villagè in Tanzania’s Mtwara region close to the border with Mozambique, stating that the attack was “claimed” by Islamic extremists operating in northern Mozambique.

“Attacks by IS-Mozambique, who are based in the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique, are possible near Tanzania’s border with this area of Mozambique. There is also thought to be some support for Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL),” it said.

It further mentioned that members of Somalia’s Al Shabaab faction were also “thought to be active in Tanzania” as in other East African countries.

Source: The East African

There is a collective effort worldwide to phase out the use and production of single-use plastic. Back in 2002, Bangladesh was the first ever country to ban thin, single-use plastic. Several countries followed suit by either imposing a partial or complete ban on the use of plastic, or levying tax on every single single-use plastic item.

The fight against plastic pollution is not just to make our surroundings look prettier and cleaner, but mainly to save the planet we live in from dying. With rivers, ocean, land and even mountains already all choked up with plastic waste, very recently researchers have found traces of plastic inside our body, in the blood.

The plastic we discard ends up in our land and ocean, two main areas from where we get our food to survive. The lifespan of a normal plastic item is upto 1000 years, plastic bottles upto 450, and plastic bags for about 20 years. Let’s just say our entire lifetime. That’s too much time in our life, living with plastic in our system and that can’t be good.

When the whole world is fighting the good fight for a cleaner eco-friendly life, Africa is taking things one step ahead of everyone and setting a new bar for the whole world. Out of 170 nations that pledged to ban the single-use plastic, around 77 of them have passed full or partial ban, 34 countries are from Africa alone.

Countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Mali, Cameroon, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa, Rwanda and Botswana have strict policies on use of single-use plastic. They are either completely banned or the government levies a very high tax on them.

Taking things one notch higher is Tanzania that, as of 2019, has announced that travellers are no longer allowed to bring in plastic bags when they visit the country. This includes all plastic carriers, regardless of their thickness.

They even make in-flight announcements to surrender any plastic bags. Special counters are set up at the airport and border posts for travellers to surrender any kind of plastic bags. The only exception is ziplock bags used as toiletries, provided they leave Tanzania with you. Travellers are encouraged to bring cloth carry bags instead of plastic.

So now you know what to pack and what not to when you plan for that beautiful African holiday that you have been waiting for. It is always better to be an environmentally conscious traveller.

Source: Times of India

When is the travel industry as a whole going to prioritize sustainability by deed and not word? Time is running out and the complacency and greenwashing around climate action from aviation and cruise, as well as the ongoing lack of better options for the rising conscious consumer are alarming. Most are back to business as usual — and it’s scary as hell.

Sixty-one percent of U.S. travelers want to vacation more sustainably — a 15 percent increase from last year — while 73 percent of global travelers say sustainable travel is important to them, with a majority feeling the need to make better choices as a result of recent climate change news.

That’s the latest data from Booking.com’s 2022 Sustainable Travel Report, released this month, surveyed more than 30,000 travelers across 32 countries and territories. “Sustainable travel is no longer the ambition of the few but of the many,” the report reads. 

It is indeed a compilation of warm and fuzzy consumer intentions and values. But the data belies an alarming ongoing pattern when it comes to consumer data on sustainability: a say-do discrepancy, the industry’s near-decade failure to catch up with the rising conscious consumer beyond marketing campaigns, and the mounting feelings of shame for long-haul flights with nearly one third of travelers now feeling this way.

It all points to the fact that industry leaders as a whole have been saying a lot about sustainability, but they’re not doing nearly enough, fast enough.

The Values-Behavior Gap

Travelers may be more interested in traveling sustainably — who’d disagree about not contributing to burning the planet or exploiting host communities — but in the eight years since Booking.com’s reports and other surveys indicating the same, the data shows they remain unsure of how to do it, where to find the information, or simply lack initiative. 

In spite of some progress from online travel agencies such as Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable search tool, the knowledge is lacking but so is the conviction to dig further to find the few options that exist and put one’s money where one’s mouth is. Cost and convenience continue to trump sustainable travel decisions.

“[I]t’s clear there’s work to be done to evolve perceptions and change behaviors,” said Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel in the 2022 report.

That said, Booking.com said it stands out in its initiatives among its travel peers, including creating a “Travel Sustainable Badge” and an overview of individual property sustainability efforts found on the Booking.com app and website, remaining carbon-neutral in its own operations in 2021, transitioning to 100 percent renewable electricity by the end of 2021, and providing funding and mentorship to a wide variety of sustainable startups and non-profit projects.

Still, back to consumers, we can look back to 2019, when 40 percent also said they didn’t know how to make their travels more sustainable, and a similar amount said they couldn’t afford the extra expense of it. Three years later, more than half don’t look for the property’s sustainability efforts before booking, 31 percent say they didn’t know sustainable accommodations existed, and 29 percent don’t know how to find them. 

Encouraging sustainable behavior by giving some kind of benefit to the traveler in exchange could work in changing behaviors, said Elke Dans, global director of programmes at The Travel Foundation, at Skift Forum Europe, adding that tourism boards are well placed to positively influence behavior through nudging techniques.

Sure, there have been improvements from a handful in global tourism to meet this demand for conscious trips. Small and independent tour businesses are leading the way with low carbon itineraries and stays. Tourism boards’ marketing messaging has made strides with conscious and equity-driven travel choices since the pandemic as they embrace a hybrid model that includes destination management.

Destinations are also taking their role more seriously in steering conscious consumer behavior pre-trip and in the destination. Carbon calculators are proliferating, as are sustainable tour packages. There is even significant effort to grow community tourism experiences. 

Last and not least, the Glasgow Declaration has brought together more than 500 signatories in global tourism to date, an increase of 200 since 2021, all of whom have committed to filing climate action plans by the fall and are prioritizing the greatest crisis facing global tourism.

Yet time is running out, and by and large, there’s a deep complacency across this industry that’s difficult to comprehend as each day passes.

Flight Shame Sentiment Persists

How many travel brands have shifted their business model to place racial equity or sustainability as a primary lens? Tourism Vancouver, a 60-year-old destination management organization, announced days ago that it is turning into a social enterprise.  “We don’t want to sit around a boardroom table and simply talk about responsible travel and sustainability,” said Anthony Everett, president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver now named 4VI, in a release, acknowledging the need to change with the times. Will others follow in casting aside business as usual?

Perhaps the most revealing piece of data for the industry in this latest survey from Booking.com, showing the urgency of time, is this: nearly one-third of travelers “feel ashamed to fly because of its impact on the environment.”

Twenty percent of travelers also said they chose to travel by car or train for long distances, while 57 percent will consider traveling closer to home to reduce their footprint. Who could blame them? Lack of transparency and accountability from the travel industry keeps translating into a lack of trust.  

At the macro level, there’s the lack of global governments’ will to tackle climate change, evident on the heels of the latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. Fossil fuels are the main cause of the climate crisis, the report said, adding that mitigation is still possible and rapid reduction of emissions is a must. Yet governments are increasing their commitments in oil and gas investments, in part under the pretext of the Ukraine war, to the detriment of the planet — a sobering long list that includes destinations that may have seemed pro-climate and pro-green tourism such as Norway, Canada, New Zealand, and Germany.  

At the industry level, there’s the ongoing lack of viable options from major airlines to fly guilt-free amid claims of slow advances on sustainable aviation fuels and ongoing upsells of offsetting as a mechanism, one which has proven to be a questionable practice at best, if not utter hogwash. 

Case in point: mitigating the footprint of this reporter’s roundtrip flight from Punta Cana to London for Skift Forum Europe meant either donating to a reforestation project or making a $1,000 donation towards sustainable aviation fuel research.  

Are consumers expected to trust the aviation industry’s net zero commitment pledges and shell out an extra $1,000 to mitigate their emissions when there are reports emerging that the major airline groups are lobbying to weaken the European Union’s Fit for 55 climate regulations for aviation? The alleged reasoning: the proposed limitations on fossil fuels would weaken European airlines’ global competitiveness and result in the loss of economic benefit to the EU. Profits over planet and people. 

Then there are the megaships of the cruise industry that continue to burn bunker fuel like it’s 1999, among an alarming number of anti-climate and anti-social sustainability practices.

Are consumers to be blamed then for dragging their feet on paying more for sustainability when the bulk of the tourism industry continues to greenwash with promises of halving emissions by 2030 or 2050? Dates which scientists warn are too far off to prevent further warming to a point of no return, and too vague to stir action. 

When a third of travelers in 2022 are saying they want to fly less and stick closer to home — most likely not the one-percent super emitters — because they feel shame from flying, tourism surely is losing the forest for the trees?

Back to 2019 We Go

Two years into the pandemic, global travelers’ carbon footprint is about to reach new records. Summer travel is predicted to rebound more than last year, irrespective of the Ukraine war, irrespective of the ongoing pandemic, inflation or vaccine inequity. Bucket lists are continuing to populate social media, travel blogs and online travel agency offerings. The Earth Day PR machine spend is on fleek to portray intent and interest in a green tourism industry, but tourism appears solely eager to see its revenues mount again — heads in beds, butts in seats, masks away, vaccine equity be damned, and back to 2019 we go. Lest we forget travel is indeed an extractive and profitable enterprise for the few at the expense of the majority.

But what will tourism do when there are but skeletal versions of the ecosystems, communities and cultural heritage this industry needs, and when the list of countries and seasons to avoid grows longer? Shouldn’t this existential crisis inspire G-10 tourism industry leaders to protest alongside the scientists and risk it all?

It’s no surprise that the say-do discrepancy from the traveler continues. In fact, it’s a behavior that mirrors that of the industry — expressing desire for more sustainable travel, pledging change yet failing to act collectively with urgency, all while casting blame on a lack of funding, knowledge, time. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Source: Skift

It is well known by now that the international tourism and the livelihoods dependent on it were greatly affected by the global pandemic. However, as the world opens up, the UAE’s travel industry remains resilient. Governments and private sector partners have ensured destinations stay compelling and confidence increases as people begin to travel again.

Things were already looking up last year as Dubai welcomed 7.28 million visitors. Our mission is to strengthen Dubai’s economy by delivering world-class experiences underpinned by sustainable principles. There is tremendous untapped potential in this area – to engage the private and public sectors and garner support from people who are passionate about sustainable tourism.

Since the launch of our Sustainability Requirements, which were implemented to improve and unify environmental practices across hotels and resorts in Dubai, we have ramped up efforts to strengthen the city’s responsible tourism credentials. The requirements also support the hospitality industry and strengthen the ecosystem, as hotels and resorts across the country progress towards achieving their goals. As part of these efforts, Dubai Sustainable Tourism delivered 18,000 hours of training to its stakeholders and partners last year.

A recent Tripadvisor report, Travel in 2022 – A Look Ahead that surveyed more than 10,000 adults aged 18 to 75, found that travellers are seeking destinations where they can immerse themselves in “authentic local experiences”.

Research commissioned by the Centre for Sustainability through Research and Education for Expo 2020 Dubai has also shown that eco-tourism has an increased significance to those travelling to Dubai as 44 per cent of visitors considered sustainability an “important concept influencing their behaviour”.

Catering to this growing demand for eco-tourism, Dubai offers wildlife observation trips, bird watching, stargazing, wetland exploration and visits to local communities. The same study also highlighted that 22 per cent of visitors surveyed identified themselves as responsible, sustainability-minded travellers who use public transport, consume water sensibly, and are willing to pay more for eco-certified products and services.

Like much of the UAE, Dubai offers a multitude of experiences where tourists have the opportunity to engage with local traditions, experience a cultural exchange and visit historical neighbourhoods to understand Emirati heritage.

One example is the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, a vast expanse comprising 10 per cent of Dubai’s total area and the largest unfenced nature reserve in the UAE. Popular with both domestic and international tourists, the reserve is home to the 3,000 year old Saruq Al Hadid archaeological site. It is also a sanctuary for more than 200 species of native birds, 158 species of migratory birds and endangered species. The reserve is the perfect terrain for horse-riders and cyclists to explore the vast expanse comprising desert, wetlands and lakes.

The UAE boasts one of the largest ratios of protected areas per land mass in the world with 15.5 per cent of the country protected, and in Dubai protected areas include Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary and the Hatta Nature Reserve. However, the city is constantly expanding its sustainable tourism credentials.

The aim of Dubai 2040 Urban Masterplan is for the city to become one of the world’s most sustainable destinations, while reinforcing Dubai’s reputation as a global hub for business, investment and tourism. The plan also emphasises enhancing the quality of life for Dubai’s residents and visitors and preserving the environment.

By 2040, the length of public beaches across the Emirate will be increased by as much as 400 per cent. The expansion of tourism attractions, meanwhile, will increase by over 100 per cent, adding to the diversity of Dubai’s offerings. A 16km cycling track alongside Jumeirah beach will eventually connect to other coastal areas, building on the city’s 520km bicycle network.

Dubai is committed to supporting ecotourism and environmental protection. And as the UAE looks forward to hosting next year’s climate summit Cop28, which will address opportunities to create a more sustainable and progressive economic future, we believe that responsible tourism principles can help fulfil the country’s sustainability goals.

We cannot, however, do it alone. It is imperative for the public and private sectors to continue to collaborate to accelerate moves towards a green economy, to achieve sustainable tourism goals and make the cities of UAE forward-thinking, world-class destinations for sustainable tourism.

Source: The National News

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), aviation is responsible for 3 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. This may not seem like a lot, but while most economic sectors are shrinking their carbon footprint, aviation’s is rising. Without significant action, the contribution to global emissions could soar to 22 per cent by 2050 as passenger numbers rise.

In 2021, global airlines, convened by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), committed to reversing this trend to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. While greener air travel is possible, it will be a challenging task, particularly at a time when airlines are still reeling from the financial losses they have incurred during the pandemic.

Perhaps the most straightforward path to greener flights and more sustainable air travel is to swap out traditional kerosene jet fuel for environmentally friendly alternatives, known as sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). SAFs are produced using cooking oil, household waste or plant matter, and can be blended in with kerosene to fuel existing planes without modifying their engines. Once you factor in production and transport, the use of SAFs can lead to 80 per cent less carbon emissions than the use of kerosene in a single flight.

Figures produced by the IATA show that almost 400,000 flights to date have already been powered by SAF. In 2021, 100 million litres of fuel were produced. The catch? Sustainable fuels currently account for just 0.1 per cent of global consumption, and typically cost three times more than conventional fuels. Although production is ramping up, there is still a long way to go.

In time, and with enough government support, the IATA estimates that more widespread use of SAFs could enable a 65 per cent cut in aviation’s overall emissions, but they are just one piece of the puzzle.

Going electric is an obvious route to making more sustainable air travel. With an increasing proportion of electricity coming from low-carbon sources such as wind or solar power, electric vehicles can dramatically cut the carbon emissions linked to travel. But electric planes face one considerable hurdle: weight. While a kilogram of jet fuel packs away 12,000Wh of energy, a lithium-iron battery only manages 250Wh per kilogram.

What’s more, while a traditional plane gets lighter as it burns up its fuel, batteries offer no such savings. This makes electric long-haul flights a non-starter for the foreseeable future – any plane with sufficient battery power for long-haul flights would simply be too heavy to take to the skies.

Instead, a raft of companies are focusing on smaller planes that could travel on shorter routes, or hybrid models where electricity complements a traditional engine. Budget airline EasyJet, for example, is currently developing a fully electric plane capable of carrying 186 passengers, which it hopes could cover short routes such as London to Amsterdam from 2030.

Elsewhere, hydrogen has been heralded as the clean energy source of the future, with its combustion releasing only water vapour. Hydrogen aircraft can either burn hydrogen directly as a fuel or use it to generate electricity using hydrogen fuel cells. In 2020, ZeroAvia retrofitted a six-seater plane and flew the first passenger flight powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

But hydrogen comes with its own set of challenges. Although by weight, hydrogen holds more energy than jet fuel, it takes up a much larger volume, even when cooled into a liquid state. To generate the same amount of power as a standard plane, a hydrogen jet would need a fuel tank four times the size, leaving less space for passengers or freight.

Additionally, although hydrogen can be produced with near-zero emissions, the majority of hydrogen used today is derived from natural gas, using a process that releases carbon dioxide. The success of hydrogen-powered flight would also be reliant on developing a ‘hydrogen economy’: the wide-ranging global infrastructure required for hydrogen to be produced cleanly, stored and transported around the world.

Source: Science Focus

Even before the pandemic threw the travel industry into upheaval, there was mounting pressure for the sector to change its ways of doing business — specifically to prioritize sustainable and responsible practices. The pandemic has only intensified this proposition: Customers, investors, employees, and government regulators are all sending the message that companies need to strive for a higher standard than ever before when it comes to delivering positive change and reducing their impact on the climate.

New Imperatives for Corporate Responsibility

Simply put, travel companies no longer have the luxury of maintaining business as usual. They need to deliver on the promise of a sustainable travel sector. Fortunately, there are a number of benefits that travel companies stand to gain in doing so. Increasingly, customers are making purchasing and loyalty decisions based on the brands and experiences that align with their sustainability values. According to research from Accenture, some 66 percent of consumers said they are ramping up their sustainable or ethical purchasing, and 74 percent reported choosing where to shop based on values and ethical corporate practices.

Becoming more sustainable has business operation imperatives as well: New ways of thinking about meeting standards often result in innovation and creative problem solving, more optimized business models, and stronger outcomes. Additionally, taking such steps can have a big impact on efficiency and cost reduction, as businesses use less resources and smarter supply chains.

Knowing this, it makes sense that pressure is coming from the C-suite. Seventy-three percent of executives agreed that “becoming a truly sustainable and responsible business” is a high priority in the coming years, and investors are putting the topic of sustainability higher on the agenda than ever before. Accenture found that there was a 28 percent increase in investor signatories in 2020 to the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment.

And it’s not just company leaders that are considering such business practices. Employees are increasingly leaning on their companies to act more responsibly. Sixty-five percent believe organizations should be responsible for leaving their people “net better off” through work.

There’s also rising pressure from governments and regulators on companies to take actionable steps to reduce their climate impact. Regulations are only likely to get stricter and implemented at a faster pace, which means that companies that consider tomorrow‘s regulations today will be ahead of the game.

“The pressure from stakeholders — meaning from the customers, governments and regulators, and investors — is clearly much stronger now than it was,” said Jesko Neuenburg, global lead for travel & aviation sustainability at Accenture. “Whereas sustainability was often a long-tail discussion topic on CEO agendas prior to the pandemic, it’s now in all of the conversations taking place. It’s one of the top three topics for almost any CEO.”

What Makes a Responsible Travel Company?

While the phrase “responsible travel company” has often been tossed around the industry without a clear definition in the past, businesses are being held to a higher standard than ever before. This means that travel companies that want to prioritize sustainability and truly put responsible practices in place must take tangible steps as travelers get back on the road and corporate leaders rethink their priorities.

As Accenture frames it, a responsible travel company is one that has a clear environmental strategy to achieve net-zero emissions and zero waste, a social action plan to increase diversity, inclusion, and community well-being, and a governance structure that embeds sustainability across the core business and links executive compensation to meaningful progress on sustainability metrics.

For example, in the environmental realm, travel companies can put carbon reduction and offsetting programs, circular economy and waste management, water and energy saving, and renewable energy programs in place. Under the social category, paying more attention to issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the social impact travel companies have on the communities they do business in are now a must. And under the umbrella of governance, creating ambitious targets around carbon emissions, improving labor conditions and pay equity, and tying leadership compensation systems to sustainability metrics are ways travel companies can make a concrete difference.

Underlying all of this is putting the right technologies in place and smart data to use. This could mean applying ‘carbon intelligence’ to help companies understand, report on, and actively manage their carbon footprint; migrating business operations toward green cloud operators; using sustainable procurement hubs that identify suppliers with ethical practices; or implementing carbon calculators that can help travelers make informed choices and assist corporate travel planners in sticking to carbon emission targets.

In “A Net Zero Roadmap for Travel & Tourism,” a report created by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Accenture that outlines the current state of carbon emissions in the sector and proposes realistic targets and steps to decarbonization, 42 percent of the travel and tourism businesses analyzed currently had publicly announced climate targets.

While this is a promising start, the report further calls on businesses to increase their ambitions to achieve net-zero by — or even before — 2050. It lays out five steps to do so, which include: setting the right baselines and emission targets to achieve individual and sector goals; monitoring results and reporting progress; collaborating within and across industries; providing finance and investment required for the transition; and raising awareness and building capacities on climate.

Accenture Ramps Up Its Sustainability Commitments

Sustainability is increasingly becoming an indispensable part of any corporate agenda, and companies are taking ambitious steps to confront the threat of climate change.

In October 2020, Accenture announced new commitments to sustainability, including achieving net-zero emissions, moving to zero waste, and develop plans to reduce the impact of flooding, drought, and water scarcity in high-risk areas by 2025. Additionally, in September 2021, Accenture joined 60 companies in the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition, with a goal to accelerate the supply and use of sustainable aviation fuel to reach 10 percent of the global jet aviation fuel supply by 2030.

The near-complete halt of travel for a time, combined with the explosion of digital tools to allow for remote work in its stead, also redefined how the company views its business travel and how it affects the climate. “Corporations are certainly a lot more mindful now about how much they travel, why they travel, and how they arrange their trips,” said Neuenburg.

Helen Hickson, managing director of global mobility at Accenture, agreed that having a clear purpose for travel will be key moving forward: “We’re creating new travel guidelines and tools for our people, enabling them to make responsible and climate-smart travel decisions, making every trip truly worth it,” she explained.

When employees do travel for work, Accenture’s Aviation Carbon Calculator allows them to view the specific carbon footprint for any direct flight, anywhere in the world. Travelers and those planning employee travel can make informed decisions with this type of information at their fingertips. “It’s not just an average emissions number for a flight from Frankfurt to London,” said Neuenburg. “It’s actually that specific flight, on that specific aircraft type, with a statistically likely number of passengers and amount of cargo for that aircraft.”

These more recent goals add to the steps Accenture was already taking to reduce its environmental impact, including signing the UN Global Compact’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C Pledge, reducing its emissions in line with its existing science-based target, and committing to RE100’s global initiative to use 100 percent renewable electricity by 2023.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that sustainability can no longer be an afterthought for travel companies. Being creative — yet pragmatic — in order to put responsible business practices in place is the only way forward. The strategic choices being made and actions being taken now will lay the groundwork for long-term success ahead.

Source: Skift

Global land, sea and air transport lobbies have castigated world leaders for imposing travel bans in the wake of a new Covid-19 variant in what could boost Africa’s argument against restrictions.

The transporters, who include shipping operators, air freighters and cross border hauliers, say the “knee-jerk” reactions to the Omicron strain risk killing an already ailing global supply chain.

In a joint statement on Friday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which represents commercial airliners, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Road Transport Union (IRU), and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), said they reject fresh travel restrictions including those that limit the flow of people and good because they “will do nothing to prevent this while inflicting serious harm to still recovering global supply chains and local economies.”

Representing about $20 trillion (Sh2.25 quadrillion) of world trade share, these groups caution travel bans are putting the jobs of workers in the logistics sector at risk, while also damaging local economies.

Since South Africa first announced a new variant of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, at least five dozen countries across the world have imposed travel restrictions, including the controversial blanket ban on all South Africa’s neighbours by the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

“Now is the time for heads of State to listen to industry leaders and workers, by taking decisive and coordinated action together to ease the strain on the supply chain and support an exhausted global transport workforce during the busy holiday season,” they said.

“Public health officials tell us that we should expect variants to emerge. And by the time they are detected, experience shows that they are already present around the globe,” added Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA, the association of commercial airlines including Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.

Although flight bans have affected air passenger traffic, the lobbies also say it could slow down deliveries by road or sea as countries close borders on foreign arrivals. Umberto de Pretto, Secretary-General of IRU said the sudden halting of commercial travel was hurting workers who were “simply doing their job to keep global supply chains functioning.”

“They, and all of us who rely on their service, deserve much better.”

Last week, the World Health Organisation said Omicron was a variant of concern but asked countries to do more surveillance and study its infection patterns rather than lock borders. Scientists in places like Germany and the Netherlands have since discovered the same variant in people who had had no travel history or contacts with those who had come from southern Africa.

Immoral

South Africa and Botswana have protested what they called “punishment” for revealing the variant. Botswana President Mokgweesti Masisi revealed on Wednesday that the four samples with the variant in his country were found among foreign diplomats who had arrived in the country.

“The response by some countries to our detection of the Omicron variant is unfortunate as it appears to have caused unnecessary panic amongst the public across the world.

“The decision to ban our citizens from travelling to certain countries was hastily made and is not only unfair but is also unjustified,” said President Masisi.

At an event in New York, African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat told an audience that the travel bans were not based on logic or scientific data.

“We have told UN agencies that there is no scientific basis for these travel bans, it has been found that this variant was circulating in Europe before it was identified in South Africa,” Dr Faki at a forum to commemorate slavery.

“We condemn and challenge the travel measures that have no basis in science nor common sense. To condemn a country because its scientists alerted the world of the prevalence of a new variant is immoral. In the face of a common enemy, the life of a human being should be the same.”

The transport lobbies want a guarantee of free movement, priority to vaccinations and adherence to only public health protocols that have worked.

Source: Business Daily

European Union countries’ travel bans on African countries over the Omicron variant is discriminatory and will negatively affect the African aviation sector, the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has said.

AFRAA Secretary General Abdérahmane Berthé said the move by some Western countries amount to stigmatisation of Africa, especially South Africa which is among countries to detect the virus in its land.

Stigma

“Why target Africa when the virus is reported in other regions as well? Any attempts to stigmatise Africa through travel bans will not work. We should not confuse politics with science,” said Mr Berthé.

The secretary general urges all countries that have issued unilateral travel restrictions to revoke them and instead seek collaborative measures that will address the Covid challenge holistically.

“The Omicron variant is now detected in several regions of the world, yet the travel bans seem to be targeted at Africa. This is an affront to the global efforts to find an enduring solution. We will be better off confronting the virus if we work together for solutions and avoid discrimination,” said Mr Berthé.

AFRAA urged African governments to speak out at any attempt to smear the continent with propaganda and medical mischief. Covid-19 can only be defeated when countries work together, not when they are divided, according to AFRAA.

“Besides vaccination, there are tried and tested protocols that have proven effective in curbing the spread of Covid-19. These must continue to apply while we work together towards neutralising or eliminating the virus,” said Mr Berthé.

Restrictions could be counterproductive

The association urged EU countries to commend work done by South African scientists in unearthing and transparently announcing to the world the discovery of the Omicron strain of SARS CoV-2.

Instead of attracting applause, the announcement was met with harsh and uncoordinated travel restrictions, he added.

“Unfortunately, in nearly two years since Covid-19 was first discovered, it appears we have not learned useful lessons that could lead to finding a permanent solution to the pandemic. Restricting travel has never been the solution to curtailing the spread of Covid-19 but has adversely impacted economies and unleashed untold hardship,” said Mr Berthé.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated Omicron a variant of concern because it has numerous mutations in its spike protein, some of which could make it more infectious or improve its ability to evade antibodies.

Some countries have imposed travel bans due to the Omicron variant.

For instance, the United States is barring non-US citizens who have been in selected countries, while Australia requires 14 days of quarantine for its own citizens and residents who have visited selected countries in the past two weeks.

Researchers say border restrictions might deter nations from alerting the world to future variants. They will also slow down urgent research, because few planes transporting laboratory supplies needed for sequencing are now arriving in South Africa.

“The travel ban will paradoxically affect the speed at which scientists are able to investigate,” says Shabir Madhi, a vaccinologist at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Source: The East African

Domestic airfares have nearly doubled ahead of Christmas on increased demand with some routes recording full bookings in the days to December 25.

Ticket prices from Nairobi to Kisumu have risen to a peak of Sh15, 100 from as low as Sh6, 800 during weekdays and about Sh10, 000 on weekends.

Flights to the coastal city of Mombasa from Nairobi are almost fully booked with the cost of remaining seats increasing to Sh17, 000, from an average of Sh7, 200 in November.

Air ticket prices to Eldoret from Nairobi, which is a cheaper route compared to other destinations, have increased to Sh11, 100 from an average of Sh5, 300 during the low season.

The quoted fares are based on Tuesday’s bookings and are likely to continue rising as the Christmas holiday approaches. The prices on all routes are set to come down on Christmas Day as the number of those seeking to travel reduces significantly.

Safarilink CEO Alex Avedi said airfares are up mainly on increased demand for travel during the festive season.

“Demand for air travel has gone up and this is what is pushing the prices up. We are fully booked in the coastal routes from December 20th all the way to December 25th,” Mr Avedi told the Business Daily in an interview yesterday.

The standard gauge railway (SGR) passenger service from Nairobi to Mombasa is nearly fully booked ahead of Christmas in a move set to force holidaymakers to seek expensive alternatives like road and air travel.

The bookings register shows that trains have a few seats remaining in the days leading to December 25, signaling increased travel to Mombasa and offering a boost to hotels.

Lack of space on the SGR service, which charges Sh1,000 for economy class and Sh3,000 on the first-class coaches, looks set to benefit bus owners and airlines as families look to enjoy the holiday in the Coast.

Airfares to Eldoret from Nairobi have been relatively low as the route is still not as popular as Kisumu and Mombasa.

The route remains the cheapest among the major domestic flight routes due to low demand. Flights to Mombasa have traditionally been higher than Kisumu, but the fares to the two cities from Nairobi now nearly match due to pent-up demand from passengers travelling to Western Kenya.

The carriers’ main challenge has been convincing Kenyans to book early, which is vital to the low-cost pricing model.

The cost of the ticket is also determined by the time of travel with morning and evening flights tending to be expensive compared to afternoon planes.

For instance, passengers taking the morning flight on December 24 via Jambojet will pay between 8,100 and Sh11,100 in the morning while those travelling in the evening will pay 9,100 for a one–way air ticket.

Those flying to Mombasa from December 23 to Christmas day through the same airline will pay a low of Sh15,000 and a high of Sh17,000 depending on the day and time for a one-way ticket.

748 Air Service to Kisumu is fully booked between December 23 and 24 with a few seats available on Christmas Day selling for Sh12, 840 one way. Last month, one could get an offer starting from Sh4,000 on the same route.

Airlines have also increased the number of flights to popular destinations in response to high demand for air travel.

Jambojet, a subsidiary of the national carrier Kenya Airways, added Mombasa flights to 56 times a week, up from 48 starting December 20 to January 9.

The carrier is now flying to Malindi from its hub in Nairobi 22 times a week up from 18 flights currently.

It also flies to Ukunda 20 times a week up from 14 times, signalling high demand for domestic flying.

Source: Business Daily