EasyJet holidays has updated its animal welfare policy, ditching all tours that include animal-based attractions. Animal welfare is a key priority of its business operations, it says. After consulting animal welfare charities including World Animal Protection, it has scrapped all animal attraction focused tours. This includes animal rides, zoos, animal performances, and marine parks. These attractions will no longer be promoted by easyJet. The move has been applauded by animal rights group PETA.
Additionally, easyJet says it will encourage hotel partners to follow its animal welfare policy. Matt Callaghan, easyJet holidays’ COO, said: “Our own research tells us that sustainable travel experiences are important to our customers, so we want to make it easy for them to holiday better.”
Katheryn Wise, wildlife campaigns manager at World Animal Protection UK, said: “EasyJet holidays has really stepped up for animals with this strong and ambitious animal welfare policy.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with a company focused on listening to their customers.”
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TRAVEL NEWS in a Nutshell
Political:
ROMANIA & BULGARIA will partially join the Schengen zone on March 31. This includes arrivals by air and sea but not land. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/romania and https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bulgaria
Strikes:
AUSTRIA: Dozens of Austrian Airlines flights cancelled on March 8 ahead of possible strike. Link: https://www.thelocal.at/20240305/austrian-airlines-staff-to-hold-crunch-meeting-ahead-of-possible-strike
GERMANY: Verdi union calls on Lufthansa ground staff to stage fresh strike on March 7 and 8 after rejecting revised wage offer. Link: https://www.xm.com/research/markets/allNews/reuters/union-calls-on-lufthansa-ground-staff-to-strike-again-this-week-53780680
FRANKFURT AIRPORT: will be closed to departing passengers on March 7 due to a strike by security staff. Due to a planned strike by the Union Verdi on March 7-8, flight disruptions and cancellations for Lufthansa flights will occur at Frankfurt Airport.
Link: https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en.html.
Link: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/flight-information.html
ITALY: A public transport strike is scheduled for Mar 8 in Italy. Possible delays and cancellations of buses, metro, trains and trams throughout the national territory.
Link: https://www.trasporti-italia.com/mobilita/scioperi/sciopero-mezzi-8-marzo-2024/128694/
Travel News in a nutshell
TRAVEL NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
23 Feb. 2024
Spain hits Booking.com with record €530 million fine
Booking.com is facing a huge $530 million fine in Spain.
The Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) issued a draft decision over competition law violations.
22 Feb. 2024
EasyJet admits ‘error’ in paying some staff below minimum wage
Leisure airline easyJet is among hundreds of UK firms outed for not paying the national minimum wage to employees.
The airline underpaid nearly 4,000 staff.
It was temporary and impacted each employee by just.
Over a five-year period, some cabin crew were paid less than the minimum wage during the first few weeks of training, it said.
The airline said it fixed the issue quickly.
“This was a genuine error which we immediately rectified and issued back payments to all affected crew.”
Overall, it underpaid staff by a total of £338,876.46
The airline was far from being the worst offender.
The Government released a list of over 500 businesses which failed to pay national minimum wage.
Staffline Recruitment Limited of Nottingham underpaid more than £5 million to over 36,000 workers, while Greggs short-changed almost 5,000 workers by £219,000.
The Department for Business and Trade said a total of 172,000 workers were underpaid,
“Employees deserve to get paid properly for the hard work they put in,” said Kevin Hollinrake, minister for enterprise, markets and small business.
Starting on Feb. 14, all inbound foreign tourists will be required to pay Bali’s new tourist tax.
The tax, which is 150,000 rupiah around ($9.60 USD or $12.90 CAD), will apply to all visitors, including children, heading not only to mainland Bali, but also to any of its surrounding islands including Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Penida. It also applies to all visitors, including those coming via land, cruise ship, or airplane.
Bali says the taxes will go towards “protecting the nature of Bali,” including the environment and the culture on the islands.
the foreign tourist fee will be used to: 1) protect Bali tradition, culture and local wisdoms; 2) supporting sustainable tourism; 3) implementing quality tourism governance; 4) creating cleanliness, safety and comfort for tourist; and 5) build quality public transportation facilities and infrastructure,” Love Bali, the destination’s tourist board, said when it initially announced the tax last year.
Bali has set up a space on Love Bali to pay the tax—credit cards, bank transfers, BPD Bali Channel, and more are all acceptable forms of payment.
Link: https://www.travelmarketreport.com/Destinations/articles/New-Bali-Tourist-Tax-Will-Go-Live-Next-Week?
Crossing the desert is set to become much more stylish with the announcement that Saudi Arabia will be launching its own luxury answer to the Orient Express.
Set to move on the tracks for the first time in late 2025, the Dream of the Desert train will see travellers explore the Kingdom from the capital city of Riyadh to the northern city of Qurayyat on the Jordanian border.
Interiors are expected to draw inspiration from Saudi style and tradition with 40 luxury cabins, accommodating 82 passengers, making up the train. Reservations are scheduled to open by the end of the year for one or two-night trips available to book.
Arsenale Group will be charged with the construction of the train which is already underway after striking a SAR 200 million (Dhs196 million) deal with the state-owned Saudi Arabia Railways. The Italian company is currently collaborating with the Accor Group for the Orient Express – La Dolce Vita that will see 12 deluxe cabins, 18 suites, an ‘Honour Suite’, and a restaurant carriage travel across 14 regions and 131 cities of Europe by the end of 2024.
Dream of the Desert is the latest announcement from the Kingdom as it looks to diversify its economy over the next decade through the tourism and culture sector with Vision 2030. The programme has seen the country already launch giga-projects like Qiddiya City, The Rig, Expo 2030 Riyadh and submit an official bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034.
www.arsenalegroup.com
Headline Image Credit: Arsenale S.P.A. | Saudi Arabia Railways
Image Credit: Shutterstock
Link: https://www.dotwnews.com/focus/dream-of-the-desert-saudi-arabia-to-launch-the-middle-east-s-orient-express?utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sendgrid.com
Beirut – FLIGHTS
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has cancelled flights to and from Beirut on Wednesday due to the security situation in the Lebanese capital.
This content was published on January 3, 2024 – 09:48. January 3, 2024 – 09:48
Link: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-cancels-flights-to-beirut-after-deadly-airstrike/49097574
Venice authorities are limiting the size of large guided tour groups. Over the weekend, the municipal government approved a measure to ban guided groups of more than 25 people starting June 1. Portable loudspeakers used by tour guides will also be banned.
The rules signal to uncertified tour guides that they “will no longer be tolerated,” said commerce councilor Sebastiano Costalonga in the government’s statement online.
The rules will be enforced in Venice’s historic center and on Murano, Burano, and Torcello islands.
Limiting large group tours will preserve Venice’s old infrastructure, reduce overcrowding, and support residents’ quality of life, said tourism councilor Simone Venturini.
Overtourism Puts Venice in Danger
In the spring, Venice will test out a roughly $5.50 (5 euro) admission fee for day-trippers. The fee’s aim is to discourage daily tourism during peak periods.
Venice has faced preservation challenges. Overtourism, climate change-induced sea level rises, extreme weather and construction threaten the historic city and its lagoon – the two together are designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
A July 2023 UNESCO paper recommended Venice and its lagoon be added to the World Heritage’s list of endangered sites. UNESCO ultimately didn’t add them.
Credit: Skift. Dawit Habtemariam, Skift, January 2nd, 2024 at 2:38 PM EST
Link: https://skift.com/2024/01/02/venice-combats-overtourism-caps-tour-group-sizes-and-bans-loudspeakers/
Iceland has declared a state of emergency with an ‘imminent’ threat of a major volcanic eruption.
It ‘could obliterate the entire town of Grindavik’ authorities say.
Rumblings began three weeks ago with thousands of earthquakes recorded since.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office believes there is a ‘considerable risk of an eruption based on the speed of the underground magma buildup.
Grindavik was evacuated on Saturday.
It is located about 50 kilometres from capital Reykjavik.
Authorities also upped the alert level for aviation to orange level, although flights are still operating and the airport is still fully functioning.
A major eruption of the Eyjafjallajökullin volcano in 2010 caused havoc with air travel, grounding more than 100,000 transatlantic and European flights.
However, there is no evidence to suggest this will be at the same level, a Met Office spokesperson said.
Still, volcanic activity could last for weeks, they said.
Thailand based hotel group Minor Hotels announced its upcoming debut in the French capital with a trio of four-star Paris hotels.
The group will launch three NH Hotels in Q1 2024, with one of the properties to be rebranded as NH Collection in 2025 following a renovation.
It debuts with the 207-key NH Paris Gare de l’Est and the 103-key NH Opéra Paris Faubourg.
The third property has 80 rooms and will open as NH Paris Champs-Elysées.
This will then be launched in 2025 as NH Collection following a renovation.
“We believe this is an amazing opportunity to grow with two of our brands in the second most visited city in the world and home to the 2024 Olympics,” said Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotels.
The three Paris hotels will join Minor Hotels’ six properties across France in Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Nice.
COP28 will convene in the UAE in November 2023. COP28 UAE brings the world together at a critical moment for global transformative climate action.
COP28 UAE will be held at Expo City Dubai, a state-of-the-art destination built to promote sustainability and international action.
COP 28 will take place from 30 November until 12 December 2023. Pre-sessionals will take place from 24-29 November.
WHO CAN ATTEND. THE GREEN ZONE? The Green Zone is open to delegates and guests of the Blue Zone, Public and Private Sector, NGOs and the General Public. Further information regarding access to programmed or ticketed events will be shared once finalized and tickets will be available through the COP28 UAE website. https://www.cop28.com/en/schedule
Intertravel will be pleased to offer or tailor-make the COP28 Package to Dubai. We are just an email away.
