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British Airways’ August schedule sees return to more destinations

By
Peter Blach
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British Airways' August schedule sees return to more destinations
Holiday destination Malta (Photo: British Airways)

Throughout August, British Airways is resuming flying to more destinations, albeit with continued low frequencies while the impact of Covid-19 remains felt across the globe.
In Europe flights will resume to the holiday destinations of Bari, Bastia, Bodrum, Bordeaux, Catania, Figari, Frankfurt, Genoa, Kefalonia, Lyon, Luxembourg, Malta, Paphos and Pula, while further afield Antigua, Islamabad and Nairobi join the long-haul line-up.
Flights currently start from as little as £31 each way to Europe. Customers whose flights were affected over recent months and who claimed a voucher can use it towards the flights. Alternatively, Avios can also be used towards Reward flights, upgrades, hotels and car rental. When using Avios part payment, customers can pick from a range of savings by destination and cabin and they still collect Avios and Tier Points on their booking.
There is also the option to pay a deposit for a BA Holidays trip and change the dates and destinations for a flight, or receive a voucher if they prefer not to travel. British Airways’ insurance, which is provided by Allianz Assistance also covers for epidemics and pandemics. Customers should check ba.com for full details.
Alex Cruz, British Airways’ chairman and CEO, said: “We’re gradually returning to more of our network and will be flying to some great holiday destinations over the summer with seats from as little as £31 each way. We know people want to be able to book with confidence, so we’ve introduced a range of flexible booking options to set their minds at rest, such as being able to change a booking free of charge or cancel and receive a voucher for travel at a later date.”

ITB Virtual Convention will launch next round of online sessions

By
Peter Blach
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Picture: Fair Berlin

The hospitality industry is facing turbulent times: On 11 August (2 – 4 p.m. CET) ITB Berlin will launch its next round of online sessions as part of the virtual ITB Berlin Convention. Under the heading ’ITB Virtual Convention Hospitality Update – Trends & Cases’, the three sessions and interviews on the global platform itb.com will focus on the topic of hospitality. The events will be streamed live in English and available shortly afterwards to anyone interested as videos on demand.
Kicking off the three-part series will be the session ‘Smart Hotel – Future Scenarios and Current Practice in the Crisis’ at 2 p.m., in which Prof. Dr. Ing. Vanessa Borkmann of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO will provide valuable insights into technological scenarios and cognitive environments. She will highlight ways in which digitalisation can help the hotel industry in these challenging times and provide examples of how hotels are integrating smart solutions and new technologies to overcome the crisis.
This will be followed at 2.30 p.m. by ‘Ready, Set, Listen: Staying Fit in a Hotelier’s Race to Recovery’, an exclusive interview with Ben Jost, the CEO of TrustYou. In conversation with Iris Steinmetz, Senior Director of Operations EMEA, HRS International, he will discuss how hoteliers can maximise the potential of the Travel Health Index and why listening to guest and staff feedback will be the key to success during and after the pandemic.
Rounding off the series on 11 August at 3.15 p.m. will be a discussion round titled ‘How to Create a Comeback – Practical Learnings from the Crisis Period’, also moderated by Iris Steinmetz, Senior Director of Operations EMEA, HRS International. Together with other panel members, Andreas Westerburg, Head of Development, BWH Hotel Group, Stefan Matthiessen, Chief Brand Officer, Koncept Hotels, and Julie White, VP Commercial EMEA Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will outline the thorny road to recovery for all the various types will outline the thorny road to recovery for all the various types of hotels around the world. What direction are hotel brands taking? How are new, smaller brands positioning themselves, and how are the major established hotel companies finding their way? The practice-oriented panel discussion at this session will focus on sharing practical advice and experiences with representatives of different hotel brands.

Lindt Home of Chocolate will open on September 13, 2020

By
Peter Blach
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Lindt Home of Chocolate will open on September 13, 2020
Lindt Home of Chocolate (Photo: Lindt)

The longingly awaited Lindt Home of Chocolate will open its doors on September 13, 2020. This unique Chocolate Competence Center will feature an interactive exhibition, a research facility with show production, a spectacular 9-meter high chocolate fountain, and it will also allow visitors to take a glance over the shoulders of the renowned Master Chocolatiers. The first Lindt Café, a Chocolateria for chocolate courses and the largest Lindt Chocolate boutique in the world will provide visitors with chocolate delight.
More than 100 million Swiss francs have been invested into this extraordinary building project at Lindt & Sprüngli’s historic headquarters in Kilchberg. Located in the immediate vicinity of Zurich and with connections to the city, the new attraction is set to become an exciting destination for around 350,000 national and international chocolate fans every year.
Besides the multimedia and interactive exhibition with its various focal points, the Lindt Home of Chocolate will also include a research facility with a show production. The exhibition covers around 1,500 square meters and covers themes such as the cultivation of cocoa, the history of chocolate, Swiss chocolate pioneers and chocolate production. Young and old Chocolate fans can learn fascinating information about Switzerland as a chocolate country and discover a number of secrets about how chocolate is produced.
At the end of the information-packed tour through the museum, another highlight awaits visitors: endless fine Lindt creations can be tasted and enjoyed in the “Chocolate Heaven” tasting room. The Lindt Home of Chocolate also hosts the largest Lindt Chocolate boutique in the world and the first Lindt Café in Switzerland. In the new Chocolateria, visitors will be able to create their own chocolate masterpieces under the expert guidance of the Master Chocolatiers. But the heart of the Lindt Home of Chocolate is the chocolate fountain with over nine meters in height in the entrance area.

Germans want to travel abroad despite the coronavirus pandemic

By
Peter Blach
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ITB Berlin is to publish a special study by IPK on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on international travel behaviour.

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TUI Blue opens newly built hotel in Montafon

By
Peter Blach
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TUI Blue opens newly built hotel in Montafon
TUI Blue Montafon (Photo: TUI)

The growth of TUI Blue in the Alps continues with a newly constructed building. TUI Blue Montafon is already the third hotel of the lifestyle brand in Austria. On 24 July 2020, TUI Group opened the hotel for its guests for the first time. Residents from the region were also able to experience the lifestyle concept during an ‘open day’ and to convince themselves of the comprehensive hygiene measures for hotel operations.
“The opening of the TUI Blue Montafon is an important milestone for the tourism region. With the completion of our new building we want to show that responsible growth as well as safe and relaxing holidays are possible even in times of Corona”, says Artur Gerber, Managing Director of TUI Blue. “The Austrian hotel of our lifestyle brand are currently very popular with our guests. We are therefore delighted that a further attractive destination, the TUI Blue Montafon, can start into the 2020 season.”
The new building has been constructed on the property of the Austrian communities of Schruns/Tschagguns. The mountain hotel in an ideal location for active holidaymakers has 149 rooms, restaurant with buffet area, bar, conference rooms, fitness, wellness and sauna area. In the peak season, TUI Blue Montafon will employ around 60 people.
As TUI Blue ‘For All’, the hotel will in future target holidaymakers who value quality and want to combine their stay with authentic experiences in the region. The TUI Blue Montafon’s culinary offer combines the traditional cuisine of Vorarlberg with a sustainable diet. The hotel relies on local suppliers and organic products. With 140 kilometres of slopes, the Silvretta Montafon ski area is a popular destination for skiers and snowboarders. Families get their money’s worth on the Golm adventure mountain. In summer the mountain landscape of Vorarlberg delights hikers, mountain bikers and outdoor fans. The largest adventure pool in the region is right next door and admission is included for TUI Blue guests in 2020.

 

Routes Asia and World Routes postponed until 2021

By
Michael Seipelt
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After careful consideration, and in close consultation with their hosts, Airports of Thailand and SEA Milan Airports respectively, it is with regret that Routes announce that Routes Asia, scheduled for 8-10 October 2020 in Chiang Mai, Thailand and World Routes, scheduled for 14-16 November 2020 in Milan, Italy, will now be postponed until next year.

Routes understands that there is a real desire from the route development community to meet and work together to navigate the unprecedented challenge that COVID-19 presents. Routes Asia will now take place on 2-4 June 2021 and World Routes on 5-7 September 2021.

Armando Brunini, CEO, SEA Milan Airports said: “It is with regret that we have had to support the Informa markets decision to postpone to next year the World Routes 2020 and look forward to giving the route development community the most unforgettable experience in Milano next year.”

Airports of Thailand, Hosts of Routes Asia 2020, commented: “We have been in regular communication with the Routes team, our partners and stakeholders, throughout this period. This has been a difficult decision to make but we feel that it is important that the entire Asia-Pacific region are able to engage in conversations that will support the recovery and are hopeful that hosting Routes Asia in Chiang Mai in June 2021 will facilitate this.”

Steven Small, Director, Routes, which is an Informa Markets business, stated: “The innovation, resilience and cooperation demonstrated by the route development community throughout this unprecedented period will continue to be paramount in its road to recovery. We are committed to working with all our industry partners to facilitate conversations that will make a meaningful difference in restoring and reshaping the world’s air services in the post pandemic era.”

He added: “It is for this reason, we will be launching a brand-new initiative for 2020 that will support the community in collaborating, negotiating and navigating this new era of partnerships. Watch this space.”

Aviation is a vital component of the global economy, supporting 28.8 million jobs and accounting for $1.8 trillion of global GDP in 2019 alone. It will be critical in enabling future economic recovery from the short and long-term effects of COVID-19. Routes forums will play a pivotal role in supporting airlines, airports and aviation stakeholders, as they seek to rebuild the world’s air services.
Source: Routes

Tourism Business Plan in an Age of Pandemics

By
Michael Seipelt
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Traditionally, the summer months are a great time to see where one’s business is headed and what future challenges it will have. In this period of rebuilding after so much of the tourism has closed down, the need for a new and updated tourism business plan is more important than ever. Perhaps the number one reason why a tourism business fails, be that business a place of lodging, an attraction, a place of dining, or a form of transportation, is the lack of a well-thought-through business plan. All business ventures are risky, but as we have seen in this period of pandemics, tourism businesses often have special challenges.  Some of these business challenges include: high levels of seasonality, a changeable market, difficulties in developing customer loyalty, needs to serve multiple-cultures and languages, a wide range of tastes, the fact that the public frightens easily and does not have to travel, and multiple expectations by clientele as to time schedules.

Although no brief summary, such as that found in this month’s Tourism Tidbits, can give you all of the answers to your business plans questions, the information found below should help you to ask some of the right questions about a tourism business plan. Asking good questions prior to the start of a business venture or a business expansion might lessen your problems and save you a lot of money. Given the volatility of the tourism industry, we might say that all businesses each season are new businesses, and in this time of rebuilding travel, what was perhaps true is now certainly true. In preparing an overall tourism-oriented business plan, asking good questions is as important as knowing the correct answers. Here are several things to consider:

– Who is giving you financial advice and how successful have those persons been? Make sure that you have a team of experts backing you and that these experts have a proven track record. Among the people who should back you are: a good lawyer, accountant, health care professional, marketer, and tourism/travel industry expert. Ask the people whom you are inviting to be on your team about their background. What tourism/travel industry experience do they have? On what projects have they worked? Remember wrong advice is worse than no advice!

– What are the security needs that your business will require?
Even a decade ago, many tourism businesses had minimal security needs. Today, it is essential to know where your business’ soft or weak spots are and to develop a security priority list that touches on everything from robberies to customer and employee pilferage and from acts of terrorism to a lone gunner. Make sure that you consider sanitation and health as part of your security plan.

– Think about your geographic location.
Part of any good tourism plan is taking such things as geographic and climate considerations into account. Is your locale and business seasonal or year-round? Are you hurricane or earthquake prone? Do you have an economic survival plan in case there is a geographic or climatic crisis?

– What are your regions’ demographics and how might they change?
 Just as in real estate, the magic word can often be “location, location, location!” What are your community’s development goals?  Who else plans on moving in or out of the area?  Does your location have a stable or changeable demographics situation? Is your location going through a populations shift? Make sure that you understand the impact on tourism of not only in those areas where the demographic changes that are occurring but also in your feeder markets.

– Make sure you know the laws, customs, and rules of where your business is located and from where your clients come.
Not taking the time out to know/understand a law, statue, building code, change of code, etc. can be very costly. It is wise to ask local government officials to keep you up-to-date on how legal changes may impact your business.

– Don’t rush.
Take the time to have two or three people review your business plan, your health management plan, and your financial plan. Do your homework first. That means it is a good idea to have outside experts look at the possibilities of success, make sure that there is an adequate supply of skilled employees in your region, know something about climatic conditions and also potential health hazards.  Do not forget that there are many more places with seismic problems then generally believed by the public at large. In developing a business plan, consider the following:

– State your idea for the new business or its expansion and the reasons that you think it is a good idea. Do others like the idea or is this a project based on the “if I build it, you better come” principle?

– What are the problems in your plan, what can go wrong, can your ideas be tested prior to investing hard cash?

– Determine if you are asking the right questions about your business plan. Right answers to wrong questions lead to bankruptcy. Are your internal business assumptions valid? What conditions might change the validity of your assumptions about the success of your business. For example, are you assuming no demographic changes or a stable political environment?

– Determine what and whom are your best sources for accurate information. Do not ask people who are afraid to tell you the truth. Get both professional and personal (friends, relatives, neighbors) opinions. Write these opinions down on a simple chart/list so that you can determine common themes and concerns.

– Figure out a way to test of your ideas.
Before investing a great deal of money, try to determine a methodology that will allow you to pretest an idea. Tests might be conducted with questionnaires or a sample of the product you hope to sell.

– Determine if the investment is worth the effort.
All too often tourism businesses are based on hopes, rather than realities. Think about such things as:

– he time that you will need to recover your investment
– your ability to recruit and train personnel
– what the opportunity costs will be
– what the cost of added insurance and advertising will be
– how long it will take you to earn a profit
– what the consequences are of investing “X” amount of your capital in this new project

Working together and gaining accurate information the summer of 2020 can be the tourism industry’s rebirth – a time not to mourn but a time to plant the seeds for tomorrow’s successes.

The year 2020 will be the most challenging in the history of tourism.

In these trying times, the travel and tourism industry will need to be both creative and innovative not only to survive but also to thrive.

The author, Dr. Peter Tarlow, is leading the SaferTourism program by eTN Corporation. Dr. Tarlow has been working for over 2 decades with hotels, tourism-oriented cities and countries, and both public and private security officers and police in the field of tourism security. Dr. Tarlow is a world-renowned expert in the field of tourism security and safety. For more information, visit safertourism.com.
Source: eTurboNews

 

 

UNWTO Official Visit Italy

By
Michael Seipelt
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World Tourism Organization

Against the backdrop of the re-opening of borders across Europe, a high-level delegation from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has arrived in Italy to begin a first official visit to a Member State since the COVID-19 pandemic brought international travel to a standstill.

The closure of tourism operations for several months has had a devastating effect for many businesses and millions of livelihoods across the world. To kickstart recovery, countries within the Schengen Zone (26 countries in Europe) are now reopening their borders to tourists.

Following an official invitation by Italy, the UNWTO Secretary-General started an official visit (1-4 July), and met the Minister of Culture, Cultural Heritage and Tourism Dario Franceschini, to learn more of the country’s plans for the steady and sustainable restart of a sector that is a leading employer and helps preserve the country’s unique cultural heritage.

UNWTO is leading the restart of tourism, and Italy has demonstrated its commitment to harnessing the power of the sector to drive wider societal recovery

Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Strong domestic leadership and a commitment to cooperating across borders are imperative for the responsible return of tourism and the many benefits it offers, both within the Schengen Zone and worldwide. UNWTO is leading the restart of tourism, and Italy has demonstrated its commitment to harnessing the power of the sector to drive wider societal recovery.”
Guiding tourism’s restart

Mr Pololikashvili commended the Italian Government on their efforts thus far and emphasized his continued support for making sure that all tourism related activities can gradually restart. He also presented the resources that UNWTO has developed to help guide tourism’s restart, including the Recommendations for Recovery, a roadmap for both governments and the private sector. Over the next four days of the visit, the Secretary-General will visit Rome, Milan and Venice, where he will get a close insight into how tourism sector and various destinations have been responding to the devastating impact of the COVID-19.

This is the first official trip undertaken by UNWTO since restrictions on travel were introduced in response to the pandemic. During the lockdown phase, the United Nations specialized agency has been working closely with its Member States and the private sector to mitigate the impact on jobs and economies while also preparing for tourism’s restart.
Source: UNWTO

Hotel Closings Due to COVID-19

By
Michael Seipelt
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“With a sharp decline in travel demand, nine times worse than September 11 and with lower room occupancy than during the Great Depression, our small business owners are struggling to survive,” said American Hotel and Lodging Association President and CEO Chip Rogers, commenting on massive hotels closings that may be the future of hospitality because of the wave of financial catastrophes due to the coronavirus.

“The human toll on our industry has been equally as devastating. Right now, many hotels are struggling to service their debt and keep their lights on, especially those with Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) loans as they have been unable to obtain urgently-needed debt relief. Without action to shore up commercial debt, especially CMBS loans, the hotel industry will experience mass foreclosures and permanent job losses which will snowball into a larger commercial real estate crisis impacting other segments of the economy,” Rogers added.

The last few months have been met with an unprecedented rise in delinquencies in the CMBS market. Like the broader market, the majority of the delinquent balance for these MSAs is on account of the delinquent loans in the lodging and retail sectors, according to TREPP, June 25, 2020.

Last week, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), Asian American Hotel Association (AAHOA) Latino Hotel Association (LHA), and National Association of Black Hotel Owners and Developers (NABHOOD) called on the Federal Reserve and Treasury to adjust the creditworthiness evaluation requirements for the Main Street Lending Facility to ensure that hotels and other asset-based borrowers are able to utilize this vital liquidity to keep people employed and survive the COVID-19 crisis.

In a bipartisan congressional letter to the Federal Reserve and Treasury on June 22, 2020, it states: “Without a long-term relief plan in the face of an elongated crisis, CMBS borrowers could face a historic wave of foreclosures starting this fall, impacting local communities and destroying jobs for Americans across the country. Further, surrounding property values and state and local tax revenues will plummet, worsening the recession, and removing critical revenue from local communities…We request the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve urgently consider targeted economic support to bridge the temporary liquidity deficiencies facing commercial real estate borrowers created by this unforeseen crisis.”

U.S. Congressman Van Taylor (R-Texas) said in a June 23, 2020 press release: “Millions of jobs depend on keeping these properties open. For example, 8.3 million jobs throughout the United States and more than 600,000 in Texas are supported by the hotel industry alone. These industries don’t need a bailout, but they do need flexibility and support to keep their doors open, provide millions of jobs in communities across the country, and drive their local economies.”

“Nearly half of commercial rents were not paid last month, and many businesses will not be able to pay their rent for the foreseeable future. History shows us this will likely result in a wave of foreclosures, massive layoffs, and less revenue to already cash-strapped state and local governments. We must do everything we can to protect the broader economy from this devastating chain reaction,” said U.S. Representative Denny Heck (D-WA) in a June 23, 2020 press release.

U.S. Representative Al Lawson (D-Fl) said in a June 23, 2020 press release: “COVID-19 is causing many of our industries to experience major financial hits, and the commercial real estate is no exception. Without immediate action from our financial institutions, we may see unrecoverable losses to these businesses. We are asking Secretary Mnuchin and Chairman Powell to take necessary measures to ensure this industry has the capability to survive this global pandemic.”

According to the Wall Street Journal (June 4, 2020), hotel owners seeking a break on their monthly payments say they haven’t had much success negotiating with Wall Street firms, which have an obligation to recover as much money as possible for investors. Just 20% of hotel owners whose loans had been packaged and sold to investors have been able to adjust payments in some form during the pandemic, versus 91% of hotel owners who borrowed from banks, according to a survey by the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

The Associated Press reported the same on June 25, 2020, saying that commercial mortgage-backed securities loans like the one Gaekwad has for the Holiday Inn are packaged in a trust. Investors then purchase bonds from the trust using properties like a hotel as collateral. The loans are attractive to borrowers because they typically offer lower rates and longer terms. About 20% of hotels across the U.S. use these loans and they represent close to a third of all debt in the hotel industry, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Unlike banks, which have been more flexible in renegotiating loan terms to help them through the tough times, hotel owners like Gaekwad say it has been much more difficult to get any forbearance from representatives of bondholders, and they worry that their businesses may not survive because of the lack of relief.
Source: eTN

Alliance member airlines unite around common standards and planning tools

By
Michael Seipelt
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0

To support efforts in restoring public confidence in air travel, Star Alliance and its member airlines have been working on a series of measures to ensure health & hygiene safety of customers when they fly across the alliance, and to provide health & hygiene-related information at their fingertips, all to help provide peace of mind when they plan their travel.

Commitments on Health and Hygiene Safety

The 26 member airlines of Star Alliance have agreed to a common set of health and hygiene safety measures intended to provide customers the comfort of knowing that whenever they are onboard any Star Alliance flight, they can expect consistent care on access to hygiene amenities, protective wear by fellow passengers and crew, special procedures for handling unwell passengers and crew, and enhanced processes and disinfectant products for aircraft cleaning.

Star Alliance Travel Information Hub

Star Alliance is cutting through the ever-changing information maze in an effort to provide customers with a deeper level of journey information on what they may expect at each point of their travel.

Starting today, customers can access its newly developed Travel Information Hub that has the most relevant health and hygiene measures adopted by all its member airlines and an extensive range of airports in the Star Alliance network. The information resource is intended to help customers prepare for their journey and to fly with confidence, with enhancements for a more personalized experience and in multiple languages due to be available in July.

Jeffrey Goh, CEO of Star Alliance, said “It goes without saying that safety of our customers is the No.1 priority. We have been working with our member airlines to adopt measures that assure the well-being of our customers so that, when they’re ready, they can fly with confidence.”

He added, “The commitments from our member airlines and the Travel Information Hub are two first steps we are taking to reassure customers of their health & hygiene safety when they travel across the Alliance. We are also working on a number of initiatives to both reaffirm that assurance and enhance the seamless experience of a Star Alliance journey.”

The aviation industry is facing the greatest challenge in its history. Working with stakeholders in the industry, Star Alliance and its member airlines are united in helping to restore and maintain confidence in air travel, and in connecting people and cultures once again.
Star Alliance

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