Forbes has a great item today about what countries in Europe are open for visitors. I’ve also got items on the resumption of cruise ship travel in Canada, passengers behaving badly, the resumption of Transat flights to Italy, a nice story on Ottawa and news about suspended flights between Vancouver and India. WHAT COUNTRIES ARE OPEN IN EUROPE Many European Union countries, including the UK and Ireland, have entirely done away with COVID-19 travel restrictions for non-EU travelers. Others, however, still have restrictions in place. Continue reading the Forbes story here. AND WHAT’S OPEN IN THE CARIBBEAN, TOO Travelweek has Read more
cruise ships
Consumers are optimistic about their 2022 cruise travel plans. That’s the overall sentiment from a recent survey conducted by arrivia, a leading travel loyalty and cruise booking technology platform that works with consumer-facing companies worldwide. The company surveyed 1,453 Americans between November 3, 2021, and January 10, 2022, all of whom are members of a travel club or travel benefits program, about their attitudes and preferences around cruise travel. Initial responses were collected just a few weeks before the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, with responses also being recorded into January 2022 as it became the dominant strain worldwide. Read more
In a move that took some observers by surprise, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dropped its notice of risk for cruise travel. After more than two years of warning would-be cruisers about how dangerous cruise travel could be during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Atlanta-based CDC today dropped its warning entirely. “CDC is removing the COVID-19 Cruise Ship Travel Health Notice,” spokesperson Dave Daigle, spokesperson for the health agency, told USA TODAY. The CDC issues travel health notices to let travellers know about current health issues that could impact their plans. The group had cruise at Read more
Cruise vacations are still a favourite choice among Americans, according to new consumer research from the American Automobile Association. Forty-one percent of U.S. residents say they are considering a cruise in the future. Millennials are even more eager, as more than half (52%) say they are ready to take a cruise. AAA Travel booking data shows that cruising is making a strong comeback, with 2022 bookings nearing pre-pandemic levels. Of those Americans who say they are likely to cruise again, 41% cite a better understanding of the risks presented by COVID-19 as influencing their decision. “The cruise industry has done Read more
There’s good news for cruise fans and lovers of the Caribbean. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lowered its risk assessment rating for cruise ships, as well as for such popular Caribbean destinations as Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and The Bahamas. The CDC’s website says it bumped cruise travel from level three (high levels of COVID) to level two (moderate levels) on Monday, March 14. The centers’ level three warning says travel should be avoided to those destination unless a visitor is fully up-to-date with their vaccines. Level two is much more mild, simply stating that Read more
