Universal Orlando says it will open doors – with new health guidelines and physical distancing rules – on June 5. In other news, Air Canada says it will no longer put expiry dates on vouchers given out to travelers who had flights cancelled due to COVID-19. They also say vouchers will be fully transferable. Meanwhile, a top travel agent group says cruise bookings are up substantially. A look at what’s new in my regular Future of Travel blog.
UNIVERSAL FLORIDA SET TO RE-OPEN JUNE 5
It may seem a bit early to some, but Universal in Florida is re-opening on June 5.
Universal Parks & Resorts today announced plans to begin a phased reopening of Universal Orlando Resort beginning June 5th. The reopening will be carefully managed and include a wide range of new and enhanced best-practice health, safety and hygiene procedures based on guidelines from the CDC and health officials.
Universal Orlando has been closed since March 16. Universal CityWalk Orlando began reopening May 14 with new health, safety and hygiene procedures – giving Universal experience it will put into practice as it reopens its theme parks.
The reopening will include Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal’s Volcano Bay.
Attendance during this time will be carefully managed and controlled, Universal officials said.
Air Canada
In cases where Air Canada cancels flights due to COVID-19, customers with refundable tickets will continue to have the option of refunds. Since January 1, 2020, Air Canada has refunded nearly $1 billion to customers. Both customers with refundable and non-refundable tickets will have two new options to choose from:
- An Air Canada Travel Voucher for the remaining value of their ticket that has no expiry date, is fully transferable and retains any residual value or;
- The ability to convert the remaining value of their ticket into Aeroplan Miles, with 65 per cent more value versus the normal rate for buying Miles.
For voluntary changes, customers with refundable tickets will continue to have the option of refunds or the above new options. For Air Canada customers with non-refundable tickets making voluntary changes on tickets issued up to June 30, 2020, with an original travel date between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 inclusive, they have the option to choose from the two above new options of an Air Canada Travel Voucher or Aeroplan Miles.
The new goodwill policies and cancellation options are retroactive for customers with original travel between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. Customers whose flights have been cancelled due to the impacts of COVID-19 and who have already received travel credit valid for 24 months, will be able to select one of the applicable options depending on their fare at aircanada.com beginning June 15, 2020. Customers with Aeroplan Flight Rewards can continue to cancel their redemption bookings free of charge through June 30, 2020.
CRUISE BOOKINGS UP, TOP TRAVEL AGENT GROUP SAYS
Virtuoso travel group says river cruise bookings are up 40%.
This may surprise some folks, but a spokeswoman for one of the world’s largest travel agent groups says cruise bookings are up significantly for 2021.
Speaking during a TravMedia luxury travel webinar, Virtuoso global public relations manager Misty Ewing Belles said overall travel bookings are expected to build in the next few weeks. Local and domestic travel will bounce back first, but international travel and cruise trips aren’t far behind.
Belles said Virtuoso’s overall cruise bookings for next year are up 4%, and that river cruise bookings are up a remarkable 30%.
She also noted that there’s a huge number of dedicated cruise lovers.
“You have people who are waiting to get back on the ship as soon as they can,” she said.
Others on the panel said they think luxury travel will rebound quickly, as well-to-do travellers can arrange for private planes and other, intimate excursions. Villas and multi-family trips could be quite popular.
Panelists also said health and safety programs (see below on Club Med’s plan) will be critical.
“Cleanliness is the new marble bathroom,” Belles said.
CLUB MED’S SAFE TOGETHER PLAN AND A FLORIDA OPENING
Club Med, the pioneer of the all-inclusive resort concept, announced today the development of “Safe Together” – new hygiene and safety protocols that will be implemented in all of the brand’s international resorts, including their resorts in Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Club Med Sandpiper Bay in Port St. Lucie, FL will be the first of the North American resorts to welcome guests back to their favorite all-inclusive Floridian property on Friday, June 12, 2020, with an updated Free Cancellation Policy to provide flexibility and peace of mind to anyone booking a Club Med stay up to December 2020.
To ensure health and cleanliness guidelines are well-aligned with the “new normal” as well as recommendations from worldwide health authorities and local regulations, Club Med worked with an International Scientific Committee comprised of a specialized team of doctors and professors, and closely monitored guest sentiment around the world, including in its recently reopened Chinese resorts.
RIVIERA MAYA OPENING DELAYED
WestJet is adding more flights from Canada to Cancun, this winter. – JIM BYERS PHOTO
My colleagues at TravelPulse in the U.S. have a good report on a delayed opening for the Cancun/Riviera Maya region. Tourism officials recently said they had planned to re-open on June 1, but it now appears that will take place later in the month.
Officials were later forced to rescind that statement in light of the state’s continuingly considerable levels COVID-19 contagion. As of May 20, Quintana Roo had reported 1,392 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 271 deaths.
Here’s the TravelPulse story.
