A new hope: The U.S. election and vaccine developments amid fresh shutdowns
Welcome to our November media and communications newsletter, designed to help you track travel- and coronavirus-related developments that continue to affect our industry at large.
Thank you for your continued support and readership, and as always, if you can’t access an article due to a pay wall, let us know and we may be able to send it through to you.
Keep well,
Your friends at Bannikin
The month at a glance
Nov 1-7
- CDC says cruises can set sail again but passengers will not be allowed on board
- U.S. cruise industry suspends all sailings through the end of the year
- Mount Everest empties as Covid-19 strikes tourism in Nepal
- The Bahamas now requires a Covid test on Day 5
- Germany starts ‘wave-breaker’ shutdown as Europe locks down
- New mandatory requirements for travellers to Canada via ArriveCAN
- England begins a new lockdown, and Greece will soon follow
- Tensions brew between locals and tourists as Hawaii reopens
- Quarantine rule change welcomed by UK travel industry
- Mexican state of Jalisco enacts restrictions as Covid spikes
- Six Italian regions to go back under Covid-19 lockdown
- Colombia no longer requires negative Covid test for entry
- Airlines’ ‘bait-and-switch‘ strategy lures customers to flights that never take off
- Ontario budget: Doug Ford government may subsidize local vacations
Nov 8-14
- Travel industry already shows signs of perking up after vaccine news, Biden victory
- Tourists are buying fake Covid-19 test results on the black market to travel
- First Caribbean cruise since March aborts voyage after guest tests positive for COVID-19
- Testing options are growing as more people consider traveling
- Travel companies that are thriving amid the pandemic
- Ontario Premier wants Covid-19 testing to help reduce 14-day quarantine
- Now hiring: Cruisers willing to go on simulated voyages for Royal Caribbean
- Airlines join forces, urge quick action for testing protocols & digital pass tech
- South Africa opens its borders to all travelers
- UNWTO Research shows international tourism is down 70%, predicts rebound for end of 2021
- Hong Kong and Singapore form quarantine-free air travel bubble
- Key West’s big ship ban signals a major shift ahead for cruise tourism
- Sweden plays down immunity hopes as second Covid-19 wave gathers force
- ASTA fires back at USA Today article that questions agents’ ethics
- Many snowbirds flocking south despite Canadian government’s plea to seniors to stay home
Nov 15-21
- Pfizer says final data analysis shows Covid vaccine is 95% effective
- A second vaccine against Covid-19 arrives
- Sweden stages coronavirus U-turn, banning public events with more than eight people
- Lawmakers urge CDC to reinstate No Sail Order
- Canada U.S. border closure extended 30 days as American Covid-19 cases rise: source
- Travel companies, big and small, find opportunity in crisis
- Tour operators claim travel ‘victory‘ with early resumption of group trips
- As U.S. coronavirus cases soar toward 200,000 a day, holiday travel is surging
- More cruise lines cancel sailings in 2021
- Relaxed travel restrictions in New Brunswick welcome news for families
- Tourism New Zealand rebrands to celebrate kindness
- Tourism, engine for N.Y.C. economy, may not fully recover until 2025
- With new rapid tests, United sets course for Covid-free flights between New York and London
- Flying, by far, causes the most concern among travelers
- Majority of travellers entering Canada during COVID-19 given OK to not quarantine
- A traveler tested negative for Covid-19 before a flight. He had the virus and infected 4 passengers
What the media is saying…
USA Today — Is it ethical to recommend travel while the world is in the grips of a second COVID-19 wave?
Snippet: The controversy opened my eyes to a travel industry fighting for survival and willing to do almost anything to get you traveling again – including possibly exposing you to a deadly virus. As it turns out, both sides of this debate make valid points. But you have to decide who’s right.
Travel Weekly — How the Covid vaccine news is fueling a new enthusiasm for travel
Snippet: Although the good news is tempered in part by spiking cases around the country, consumer response to the vaccine news appears to both reflect high levels of pent-up demand and herald the nascent return of broad consumer confidence to travel.
National Post — Iceland wants to restart its tourism during the pandemic — but only for the wealthy
Snippet: Earlier this month, Iceland quietly rolled out changes to its remote-work visa program for citizens beyond the European Schengen Area. Americans — and any foreign national not required to have a visa to enter Iceland — will be allowed to stay in the Land of Fire and Ice for six uninterrupted months, even while the country’s international borders remain largely shut.
Washington Post — How the lessons of 2020 may make travel better in the long run
Snippet: The pandemic is making travel better in many ways. It’s forced travel companies to introduce innovative contactless service. They have new booking procedures and a commitment to cleanliness and safety. Many of the positive changes appear to be here to stay.
Travel Weekly — From barges to gulets, small ships a big hit in the Covid era
Snippet: One of the most positive travel trends to emerge from Covid-19 has been the “RV effect.” But traveler responses to the pandemic are also creating a silver lining beyond recreational vehicle road trips and private villas to include yachts, river barges, schooners, even a renovated minesweeper.
SKIFT — This shot of optimism heard around the world
Snippet: For many parts of the U.S. travel industry, particularly the thousands of small businesses that inhabit every part of travel ecosystem, this may have come too late, but not everything is lost. The image of America that has been sullied over the last four years and the keepers of our country’s brand have a giant task ahead, but at least it is the start of the chance to rebuild again.