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Reported in the Independent.
UK hotel cancellations top 50 per cent
Hotels around the UK are seeing cancellation rates of over 50 per cent as holidaymakers race abroad after this week’s changes to the traffic light system.
Data from hotel technology provider Avvio shows cancellation rates have increased from as low as 4 per cent earlier this year.
Avvio’s Chief Commercial Officer, Michael De Jongh, says: “Guests are cancelling their bookings at the last minute and going abroad instead. Some hotels are seeing cancellation rates of 50 per cent or more."
“If these cancellations are in resort hotels the rooms are often quickly filled again, as there’s a queue of families desperate to have a resort staycation. But cancellations are hitting the city centre hotels hard. Many were at just 30 per cent occupancy before foreign travel opened up again.
“It’s a nightmare for them as most of these bookings will never be filled.”
Boris & Co have decimated the UK tourist & aviation industry. If they want to build back better they could start by not destroying it in the first place. Tests need to be removed for fully vaccinated passengers ASAP.
Comments below taken from Huw Merriman twitter feed.
" Of all the PCR tests from arriving passengers that came back positive in the 3 week period from 1st July, only 5% were then genome sequenced.
So around 500k PCR tests taken over that 3 week period. Of those, 6,977 were positive yet only 354 were sequenced.
Passengers spent £35 million on PCR tests In this 3 week period; equates to around £100,000 per sequenced test."
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-commission-ursula-von-der-leyen-us-travel-ban-europeans/
BA saw bookings from the US surge by 95 per cent last week following the Government's announcement that quarantine would be waived for fully vaccinated US citizens coming to the UK. Flights between New York-JFK and London Heathrow will increase to 21 services per week (up from 17 per week), Los Angeles and Chicago will increase to 10 per week (up from 7 per week), starting from August 16.
Just need Sleepy Joe to wake & open up. GLA. LTH.
"There is a religious type cult ramping up mass hysteria".
Big-blue, I agree. You think we may have localised or personal carbon tax credits/allowances in the near future? Follow the gourd.... no the shoe... its a sign.
Potentially several more Rolls-Royce Trent XWB in the sky?
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/airbus-launches-a350-freighter-2021-07-29/
From the Evening Standard.
"Now it has been confirmed US and EU travellers who have had both vaccinations can enjoy quarantine-free travel to the UK.
The decision was made after a discussion among the government’s Covid Opernations committee on Wednesday.
These new plans will be a boost to the aviation and tourism sectors.".
LTH. GLA.
No not sidelined at least not yet....patience needed. Gove has been sent to Scotland, think he is pushing the Scottish Gov to adopt vaccine passports for large scale events & suchlike.
Further to the Times story Sky news political correspondent Jon Craig said that Boris (in the absence of Gove) will chair a travel meeting on 28th July to discuss/rubber stamp the UK removing restrictions for EU & American travellers who have been fully vaccinated. Presumably the EU app & US vaccination card will be now be accepted, (note England only ATM).
Tomorrow should be a positive day for the travel sector. GLA.
Found the Times story below here (dated 27 July 21),
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-quarantine-for-americans-who-enter-the-uk-with-a-vaccine-card-xwc6qxls3
"Americans will be allowed to enter the UK and avoid quarantining if they produce vaccine cards proving they have been double-jabbed, as part of a drive to open up transatlantic travel.
Ministers are expected to sign off plans this week for US citizens arriving in the UK to be able to present the cards they were given when they were vaccinated as sufficient proof.
Britain is prepared to make the concession because the US has yet to develop a consistently used digital form of proof for vaccinations. It contrasts with the EU’s plans for a digital Covid certificate and the NHS Covid-19 app, which is used by Britons travelling abroad."
Inferno, agree with you. Maybe now looking at a late Sept early Oct US-UK launch now. I was expecting an earlier opening sometime late Aug/early Sept but the cases in America are on the rise & the US vaccination rate is levelling off. Hopefully the downward trajectory in the UK cases continues & follows a similar course in Europe. GLA. LTH.
Disappointing news, citing delta variant as the reason.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/2021/07/26/travel-restrictions-us-keep-ban-european-schengen-uk/8034481002/
Interesting results from Canada on the effectiveness of the vaccines on beta variant here,
https://www.gridpoint.consulting/blog/amber-plus-whys-and-wherefores
Did the UK gov put France into a new category to suppress UK travel abroad? LTH. GLA.
AZ have a beta variant vaccine in phase 2/3 trial, link below. Presumably the other manufacturers are following a similar course of action. Covid will soon be a mild flu like virus which we will accept to live with for decades to come. GLA.
https://pharmaphorum.com/news/az-starts-phase-2-3-trial-of-new-variant-covid-19-vaccine/