The theme this week was the continued reduction of COVID-19-related protocols, both on cruise ships and on land. The announcements will surely be seen as a boon as the industry moves past its “recovery” and fully onto “normal” if not busy levels of travel.
The Latest Trends
To that end, Airlines Reporting Corp. shared data showing ARC-accredited travel agency air ticket sales totaled $6.8 billion in July 2022, a 69 percent year-over-year increase from July 2021. Total passenger trips settled by ARC in July increased 18 percent year over year from 16.8 million to 19.9 million, led by a 50 percent year-over-year increase in international trips, which totaled 7 million. U.S. domestic trips increased 6 percent to 12.8 million over the same period.
Looking towards the end of the year, Virtuoso says travel advisors can expect the pace of travel to keep up. Hotel bookings for fall and festive travel (September 1 to January 15) made through July of this year are at 173 percent of where they were at the same point in 2019. The luxury travel network also said that islands and beaches are topping travelers’ lists for holiday travel, followed by trips with a wellness component, ocean cruises and cities outside the U.S.
Elsewhere in the luxury space, Aman Group has secured $900 million of investment to accelerate its global expansion of hotels and branded residences, putting the valuation of the company over $3 billion. Aman currently comprises 34 hotels across 20 countries (12 of which include Aman Branded Residences), with nine further hotels and residences projects under construction. In recent weeks, the hotel group has opened Aman New York, located right on Manhattan's Central Park; added five new Residences and four new Villas at its Vietnamese property, Amanoi; and launched private jet journeys across North America in partnership with Remote Lands.
Reduced Protocols
That brings us back to the cruises. Celebrity Cruises is dropping vaccination requirements and simplifying testing guidelines for guests sailing from U.S. and European ports. Starting September 5, all guests, regardless of vaccination status, departing on most sailings from the U.S. and Europe can cruise as long as they meet local testing requirements for embarkation. The line will also accept any commercially available test, including unsupervised self-tests, in many destinations.
Carnival Cruise Line made a similar announcement this week. In addition to lab administered tests, self-testing is now accepted for unvaccinated guests on cruises 15 nights and shorter (some exemptions apply, based on countries visited during the voyage). Regardless of the type of test taken, unvaccinated guests will be required to present their negative test results via VeriFLY or as part of the embarkation process. Among those countries that these cruises may visit is Bermuda. Although it recently announced that the island is now accepting unvaccinated travelers, so long as they are tested for COVID no more than two days before arrival. Note: Visitors must have valid travel health insurance to enter Bermuda and must upload proof of travel health insurance to their “Travel Authorization” application for approval.
In other cruise news, Uniworld announced it will no longer require guests to be vaccinated on sailings starting in 2023. At that time, guests will be required to follow the entry requirements specified by each country visited along their itinerary—by river, land or rail. Entry guidelines for travel to each destination can be found on Uniworld's "Travel Requirements" page and guests are responsible for ensuring they meet the travel entry requirements of each country visited during their river cruise.
Chile, last week, further relaxed its protocols. Starting September 1, tourists over the age of 18 must present a complete vaccination certificate issued by their country. If the person traveling does not have a vaccination certificate, they must present a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of departure. A Mobility Pass will no longer be required to enter hotels, restaurants, theaters and public transportation. In further good news from the destination, Explora Rapa Nui—a 30-key lodge on Easter Island—will reopen after a two-plus-year closure on September 24. Travelers can choose from over 30 explorations with guided hikes, bike rides, snorkeling and scuba diving. All Explora tours are enjoyed in small groups and range in levels of difficulty from easy-going to expert and challenging for a half- or full-day outing.
Beyond "Pivoting"
Travel advisors we have spoken with tell us they are beyond talking about how to recover their business, or pivot, and are rather entirely busy and trying to keep up with business, so long as suppliers (who are also slammed) cooperate. The laxed protocols are sure to keep the business flowing. And, on that same front, it is why we, at Questex, have updated our “Pivoting Back to Travel” virtual event series, now operating it as “Navigating Your Travel Business.” You've pivoted, and pivoted again, and again. In our new world, it's all about navigating the landscape with the expertise we've garnered from the past few years. The next event—"Selling Tropical Getaways”—will be held September 20.
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