It’s been somewhat positive in the travel industry the past couple days. Not so much this morning, however. One of the world’s largest tour companies, Globus, says their Globus, Cosmos and Monograms tours are suspended through the end of August, as are their Avalon Waterways cruises. They’re hopeful of starting up again in September but it’s another blow to the travel and tourism industry. The head of Boeing, meanwhile, is warning that things won’t get better any time for airlines. I also have an update on Disney World, which appears to be accepting hotel reservations in July. So there is some good news mixed in with the bad.
Globus Brands Cancellations
I got a note today to say that the Globus family of brands – consisting of Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways – has announced that it is suspending travel worldwide through August 31, 2020. For travellers affected by this new suspension, the Globus family is extending its Peace of Mind Travel Plan. The company envisions a return to Europe – and likely, additional worldwide destinations – by September. So there is that.
“There is still uncertainty in travel with inconsistent plans for reopening states, regions and countries as well as compromised air schedules and access to the world’s must-see sites,” said Scott Nisbet, president and CEO of the Globus family of brands. “To add some certainty to this situation, we are giving control back to our travellers – and their advisors – by being proactive and looking ahead through August. And, in doing that, we are giving them the right options, adequate time and high levels of attention and consideration to help them to reset and adjust their international vacation plans for a time when the world is ready for them.”
The Peace of Mind Travel Plan provides Globus family of brands’ travellers booked on affected vacations the freedom to reschedule their vacation in 2020, 2021 or 2022, to any destination, on any brand, without incurring cancellation fees. But that’s not all. The Plan also offers travellers a credit of up to $200 per person when they make their new plans. Letters of Credit issued to travellers are also transferable.
Disney World Hotels Taking July Reservations
Disney Hollywood Studios. JIM BYERS PHOTO
My friends at TravelPulse in the U.S. have a good item today on Disney World.
“As theme park fans wait patiently for their favorite facilities to open, the official website of Disney World began accepting hotel reservations for stays in July. According to WFTV.com, Disney officials have still made no announcement on the planned opening for the Orlando theme park, but speculation that it could open in July is now running rampant.
The Disney World website shows dates through the end of June as “unavailable” for all hotels.
Local reports claim reservations for the proprieties are coming quickly, with Disney’s Pop Century reporting at least 158 bookings as of Monday and Disney’s All-Star Movie Resort seeing at least 127 reservations.
Company officials announced Disney Springs would reopen on May 20 with a limited number of shops and restaurants open and altered hours of operation to control crowd size. Disney World has been closed since March 16.
Naples Beach Hotel Re-Opens Friday May 15
The Naples Beach Hotel is a wonderful spot on the Gulf Coast of Florida. PHOTO COURTESY NAPLES BEACH HOTEL
The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club in Southwest Florida is ready to welcome guests back, for stays beginning this Friday, May 15, 2020.
Committed to the health and safety of its employees and guests, and in compliance with CDC and state/federal guidelines, the AAA Four-Diamond beachfront resort will offer many, but not all, of its amenities and services when it reopens.
In addition to its beautiful soft white-sand beach, guests will be able to enjoy the resort’s Jack Nicklaus-designed championship golf course, beachfront pool complex (with two pools), tennis center (with 6 Har-Tru courts), signature beachfront restaurant HB’s on the Gulf (for dinner), Poolside snack bar, The Seminole Store (serving pastries, pizza, sandwiches and desserts), golf pro shop, beach chairs/umbrella rentals, and Beach Store. And, of course, its gorgeous sunsets.
The resort will reopen additional amenities, and expand capacities, when it is safe to do so. This includes the spa, fitness center, The Sunset Beach Bar & Grill, Broadwell’s Restaurant, room service, and the Beach Kids Club child activity program.
I stayed at the hotel a couple years ago and loved it.
Americans Divided on Both Traveling and Reopening to Visitors
According to the most recent Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, 40% of them feel safe traveling outside their communities, 33% do not feel safe taking trips at this time and 27% are undecided. In a new line of questioning about reopening their communities to visitors, Longwoods found that 35% are supportive, 35% oppose the reopening and 31% are undecided.
Given how things are so politically divided in the country of my birth, I guess this shouldn’t be surprising.
“Public support for traveling and welcoming visitors to local communities is fairly evenly split at this time,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. “Obviously, public support both for travel and visitors will have to increase significantly in order for the American travel and tourism industry to fully recover lost jobs and revenues.”
Two trends regarding travel planning and expectations continue to slowly improve, with 77% saying the pandemic has changed their upcoming travel plans, down from a peak of 85% on April 8th. More specifically, 54% say the virus has “greatly impacted” their travel plans for the next six months, down from 67% on April 1. The travel-related information of most interest to American travelers continues to be deals on future travel (54%), local delivery and take-out dining options (48%) and ways to support local business impacted by the pandemic (43%).
The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded May 6, 2020 using a national sample randomly drawn from a consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over. Quotas were used to match Census targets for age, gender, and region to make the survey representative of the U. S. population.
Boeing Pessimistic About Airline Traffic
In a story posted today by the CBC, Boeing Co. CEO Dave Calhoun said he doesn’t expect passenger traffic to reach even a quarter of its levels in September, creating the need for airlines to make “adjustments” as they weather the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with NBC to be aired on Tuesday, Calhoun said: “Traffic levels will not be back to 100 per cent. They won’t even be back to 25 per cent. Maybe by the end of the year we approach 50 per cent. So there will definitely be adjustments that have to be made on the part of the airlines.”
The head of Air Canada has said it likely will take more than three years for his airline to recover to 2019 operation levels.
BC Health Officials Wants US Border Kept Closed
The CBC reports that the top health official in British Columbia wants the province’s border with the U.S. to stay closed a little longer. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, usually a pro-trade, pro-US politician, has been saying the same thing.
Canadian and US officials are chatting about the issue regularly, as the border right now is closed only until May 21.
