It’s probably fair to say that no single city in the world has taken a bigger hit from COVID-19 than New York. But this is one of the greatest cities on the planet (and toughest), and they’ve laid out a plan to pull themselves out of it with a newly-unveiled group called The Coalition for NYC Hospitality & Tourism Recovery. I also have news about the re-instatement of flights around the world by Emirates, American Airlines, Korean Air, Qatar Airways and others. I also have an update on how Los Cabos, Mexico plans to open for tourism on June 1. Here’s the latest roundup for my Future of Travel blog.
Big Plans for Big Apple Tourism Rebound
New York City and Bryant Park. JIM BYERS PHOTO
NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City, today announced the formation of The Coalition for NYC Hospitality & Tourism Recovery. The Coalition will focus on messaging, marketing and promotion to restore New York City’s brand locally and beyond, and to safely engage, mobilize and champion all sectors of NYC’s tourism economy once the City begins to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Coalition will support the work of Mayor de Blasio’s Arts, Culture & Tourism Sector Advisory Council and will work collaboratively with the New York Forward Re-Opening Advisory Board and the New York State Division of Tourism.
The Coalition will be led by five co-chairs appointed by Charles Flateman, NYC & Company Board Chairman and Executive Vice President of the Shubert Organization. The co-chairs are: Ellen Futter, President of American Museum of Natural History; Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem; Danny Meyer, Chief Executive of the Union Square Hospitality Group; Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer, lyricist and actor; and Peter Ward, President of the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council, AFL-CIO. NYC & Company will be responsible for coordinating and executing Coalition plans, and managing work streams.
“New York City’s tourism, hospitality and cultural communities reflect our unmatched energy and optimism,” said Flateman. “New York City is also the world capital of coexistence. Even though we’ve had to create distance, with our world-famous toughness, immense heart and boundless compassion, New York will not stay down. As government leaders announce new social distancing guidelines, it is time to consider how we can begin to reopen our doors and safely reconnect with our city and with each other, and with the visitors who will one day again flock to New York.”
“NYC & Company’s mission has always been to maximize travel and tourism throughout the City, build economic prosperity, and share the dynamism of New York City with the world,” said Fred Dixon, NYC & Company President and CEO. “The Coalition will do this with new energy and vision for a changed world. Together, when the time is right, we will help our businesses reopen and inspire New Yorkers and visitors alike to safely explore and interact with the five boroughs once more.”
International Airlines Bumping up Schedules
Emirates has announced its plan to operate scheduled flight services starting May 21 from Dubai to nine destinations: London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne. The airline will also offer connections in Dubai for customers travelling between the UK and Australia.
These flights will be available for booking on emirates.com.
Travellers will only be accepted on these flights if they comply with the eligibility and entry criteria requirements of their destination countries. This includes an approval from the Federal Authority for Identify and Citizenship (ICA) for UAE residents who wish to return to Dubai.
Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said: “We are pleased to resume scheduled passenger services to these destinations, providing more options for customers to travel from the UAE to these cities, and also between the UK and Australia. We are working closely with the authorities to plan the resumption of operations to additional destinations. We have implemented additional measures at the airport in coordination with the relevant authorities in respect to social distancing and sanitization. The safety and well-being of our employees, customers and communities, remain our top priority.”
I didn’t think Australia was open to foreign visitors, although I’ve seen stories about how they might allow flights in from New Zealand, which seems to have the COVID-19 virus very much under control.
My friends at TravelPulse in the U.S. are reporting that American will relaunch flights from Dallas to Amsterdam and Frankfurt on June 4, and in the second phase of bringing back the carrier’s international presence, it will begin offering service to Dublin, Tokyo, Seoul, Lima and Sao Paulo on July 7.
Southwest Airlines is also getting back into the international game after the carrier announced it would relaunch service to Cancun from Houston, Denver, and Baltimore/Washington on June 7. In addition, Southwest will resume service to Los Cabos (from Houston and Denver), Havana (from Tampa), Montego Bay (from Baltimore/Washington and Orlando) and Nassau (from Baltimore/Washington) on June 7.
An item on the TravMedia website says Korean Air will be restarting dozens of international routes in June. Routes include Washington, DC, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Frankfurt, Singapore, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur, the company said in a statement. By June, the airline hopes to reinstate 146 flights on 32 international routes.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is set to resume regular passenger flights on 16 May contingent on factors such as status of community quarantine in certain areas, government-imposed travel restrictions, passenger demand, and health situation in the countries the airline serves.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways said it will begin, in phases, to “expand its network in line with passenger demand evolution and the expected relaxation of entry restrictions around the world”. The gradual expansion will focus on adding connections between its hub in Doha to other hubs of its partner airlines, including London, Chicago, Dallas and Hong Kong as well as key cities such as Madrid and Mumbai.
This month, Qatar resuming services to cities such as Manila, Amman, and Nairobi.
Four Seasons and Johns Hopkins Combine on Health/Safety Program
Sunset at the Four Seasons Bora Bora. PHOTO COURTESY FOUR SEASONS HOTELS
Several hotel chains, including Marriott and Hyatt, have introduced new health and safety standards to ease concerns about COVID-19 among travellers. Now, it’s Four Seasons turn.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world’s leading luxury hospitality company, has entered into a collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine International, the global division of health care and research leader Johns Hopkins Medicine, to validate its new global health and safety program, Lead With Care, and provide ongoing, real-time guidance on the evolving COVID-19 situation. Grounded in the principles of care, trust and service, the Lead With Care program will be reviewed and validated by Johns Hopkins Medicine experts and implemented by dedicated teams at Four Seasons properties around the world.
“Within this new environment, our singular goal is to provide guests, residents and employees with the confidence and assurance that their health and safety is our first priority,” said John Davison, President and Chief Executive Officer, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “We are incredibly proud to work alongside the renowned experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine International, leveraging their global expertise to strengthen our already stringent health and safety measures through our new Lead With Care program.”
Continues Davison: “For nearly 60 years, Four Seasons has set the global standard for excellence in hospitality and service. Lead With Care is a continuation of this high standard, building upon the strong foundation of trust and confidence that we have established through decades of experience. This new program is about offering genuine care and the highest levels of service, enhancing procedures to protect our guests, residents and employees, while also ensuring that they feel safe and reassured.”
Los Cabos, Mexico Opening June 1
Los Cabos says it will re-open for tourism on June 1, 2020. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Los Cabos Tourism Board announced a transformative five-phase approach to reopening Los Cabos tourism sector and released strict health and safety protocols that will apply to all travel sectors and service operators once the reopening begins on Monday, June 1st, 2020.
The way we travel might have changed, but Los Cabos’ unique experiences remain the same. The goal of the phased reopening is to systematically allow hotels, timeshares, and some travel operators to resume activities while protecting the health and safety of the community and travellers, and limiting the resurgence of new COVID-19 cases. The tourism board also confirmed that 62% of the hotel inventory will resume operations while internationally airlines like Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest, and Delta have already announced the return to the destination.
The following outlines the phases and projected timeline to return to normal occupancy levels in the new post-coronavirus era:
Phase I: June: Resume travel activities with limit international and national arrivals. Properties and operators to focus on the implementation of health and safety guidelines.
Phase II: July – Reopening of the international terminal at the airport and slow recovery of international arrivals.
Phase III: August to September – Recovery of national and international arrivals, especially reservations that were previously postponed.
Phase IV: October to December – Return of luxury travellers along with groups and travellers from Canada and the UK. Recovery of 60% of bookings projected by EOY.
Phase V: Q1 of 2021 – Restore of 60% of air connectivity along with 80% of bookings.
In addition to the reopening plan, Los Cabos says it is implementing strict health and safety measures across the destination to ensure a safer travel environment to all visitors.
Hope for the Hotel Industry?
A corner room at the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto. JIM BYERS PHOTO
This report comes from my friends at Skift, a great travel website you should check out.
Economies around the world are on life support, but Marriott executives see initial signs the worst from coronavirus may be in the rearview mirror.
A quarter of Marriott’s hotels around the world are temporarily closed due to depleted occupancy and limited revenue per room in the coronavirus era not justifying continued operations. The hotel giant’s worldwide revenue per room was down 90 percent in April. But the recovery already underway in China is expected to continue in other parts of the world, most likely arriving in Europe last.
“China does appear to be recovering and holding. I know there is lots of debate on if there’s a resurgence of the virus in China,” Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson said Monday on a first quarter earnings call. “By and large, what we hear there is reassuring.”
Europe: Ready For Business But a Bit of a Mess
Emirates says it will begin flying to London on May 21, 2020. JIM BYERS PHOTO
European countries are talking about getting ready for summer tourism, but it’s a bit of a mess. The UK has withdrawn from the EU and is requiring visitors to quarantine for 14 days. Spain is talking about or has instituted a similar quarantine rule, I saw today, which is a real problem for a country so reliant on tourism.
Here’s a report from CNN:
Scenic Group Suspends Cruising Through Aug. 31
Following the lead of other cruise companies, the Scenic Group today announced the suspension of all river and ocean cruises, and land tour operations on its Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Emerald Cruises and Evergreen Cruises & Tours brands until August 31, 2020 as part of its ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Scenic Eclipse sailings will be suspended through September 30, 2020.
Rob Voss, COO for The Scenic Group, explains, “Our top priority is to ensure that our guests and crew are able to travel safely before we resume operations. Although we see some easing of national lockdowns and progress being made on COVID-19 measures, the restrictions on travel still vary considerably from country to country, making it difficult to navigate. There is also a need for the further development of industry-wide health protocols that will truly work. Suspending operations through August 31, 2020 just makes sense as it allows more time for those protocols to be developed and gives our guests enough notice to better plan for their future travels.”
The Scenic Group is offering booked guests flexible Future Travel Credits valued at 110% of monies paid on any affected river and cruise booking and 100% of monies paid on any affected land tours, including Egypt. Guests will be able to apply the Future Travel Credits on any new or existing booking on any of the brands (Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Scenic Eclipse, Emerald Cruises and Evergreen Cruises & Tours) thru June 30, 2023 and the Future Travel Credit is fully transferrable to another guest. Should a guest be unable to travel by June 30, 2023, they will be given a cash refund equal to the amount that was paid.
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