Accor Hotels’ business rebounded significantly in the first half of this year after two years of major pandemic-related disruptions in the tourism and hospitality industry, officials say. “In Q2 2022, activity recovered to levels close to, if not above, the 2019 levels in almost all of our geographies. The only laggards were China, which is impacted by travel restrictions as part of its strict enforcement of a “zero-Covid” policy, and South East Asia, which is highly dependent on Chinese visitors,” officials said. This rebound reflects both the recovery of the number of business and leisure domestic guests, and border reopenings, Read more
July 2022
I found an item on Yahoo News today, and I think it’s appalling. Yahoo quotes the Wall Street Journal as saying some Las Vegas hotels are charging people up to $200 (that’s US dollars) to reserve a chair by the pool. Not a cabana. Oh, no. Those can cost $1,000. This is just for a chaise lounge or chair next to the pool (where it’s probably 100 Fahrenheit, by the way.) It’s disgusting, it’s greedy, and it shouldn’t be allowed. A lounge chair for $200? Why not charge for water from the shower? Or for adjusting the thermostat? Why not Read more
The Israel Ministry of Tourism has announced that tourism arrival numbers, for the first time in over two years, are approaching the same record-breaking numbers of summer, 2019. This upward trend comes on the heels of the country reopening to international travelers regardless of vaccination status in March. “We are thrilled that travelers from all over the world are eager to visit Israel again; ever since our total reopening to all travelers, we are seeing an influx of visitors,” said Eyal Carlin, Tourism Commissioner for North America. “With new hotels, restorations and renovations to many historical sites, new tour offerings, Read more
Two powerful U.S. Senators are demanding better protection for airline passengers hit by cancellations and delays. Amid a spike in the number of flight cancellations and delays, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) this week sent a letter urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to fully utilize its statutory authority to protect consumers, promote competition in the airline industry, and hold airlines accountable for delayed and canceled flights. In the letter, the lawmakers raised concerns about Americans’ air travel experiences, which have grown steadily worse over the past year, and laid out specific actions DOT can take Read more
I was at Toronto Pearson today at 9:30 a.m., and it was like another world. Hardly any cars at the departures level, only a few people in line for the Air Canada U.S. ticket window, and maybe 15-20 people that I could see in line for security. Which made me wonder? Was I just there at the right time, or are things improving at Canada’s busiest – and most vilified – airport? “We’re starting to see improvements on average wait times, both with departures and arrivals, but there’s more work to be done to provide reliability and consistency for our Read more
