Informe semanal de noticias elaborado por la Oficina de Turismo de Tenerife en Londres
- Tourism industry
Travel Weekly, 8 March 2018: Over-tourism and terrorism fears continue to impact global travel
Over-tourism and the fear of terrorism continue to weigh against global traveller growth, a new study reveals. The forecast for international travel for 2019 is slightly below last year’s performance, which showed a 5.5% rise in outbound trips to 1.4 billion over the previous 12 months. The projection is part of an annual survey conducted by tourism consultancy IPK International. The World Travel Monitor predicts outbound trips to increase by just 4% this year with the Asia Pacific region leading with expected growth of 6% and the Americas 5%, Europe, at 3%, is showing a weakening trend compared to last year, according to the research findings released at ITB in Berlin. Link
TTG, 6 March 2019: Tapping into the travel trends of tomorrow
With the travel industry constantly evolving, it helps to keep your finger on the pulse. The Future Laboratory’s Holly Friend outlines some recent trends in the air travel, accommodation and destination sectors. Link
Travel Weekly, 6 March 2019: Spain overtakes US as world’s second largest international tourism destination
Travel and tourism contributed €1 in every €7 to the Spanish economy last year, demonstrating the importance of the sector to the country. This comes in a year in which Spain overtook the US as the country with the second largest number of international visitor arrivals in a year behind France. The figures come from the World Travel & Tourism Council’s annual review of the economic impact and social importance of the sector. The WTTC predicts the Spanish travel and tourism sector will grow by 2.8% this year – above the European average of 2.5%. Link
- Brexit
BBC, 8 March 2019: One more push to get deal agreed by MPs, says May
Theresa May has appealed to EU leaders for «one more push» to get her Brexit deal through Parliament but warned of a «moment of crisis» if MPs reject it. She said the UK had tabled «serious and detailed» proposals to address the deadlock over the Irish backstop but admitted talks had been «difficult». If the deal was voted down again, she said it could result in a softer Brexit or the UK not leaving «at all» – which would be a «political failure». Link
TTG, 8 March 2019: Government confirms flights will continue in a no-deal Brexit
Abta has welcomed the UK government’s confirmation it will reciprocate the European Union’s arrangements for air travel in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The agreement confirms EU airlines will be able to continue to operate flights between the UK and the EU, even in the event of no deal when we leave the EU on March 29. Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Abta, said: “Today’s announcement provides further assurance that, whatever the outcome of Brexit, travellers can continue to book holidays and business trips with confidence. Link
Travel Mole, 8 March 2019: Passport Office website crashes as Britons rush to renew
The UK Passport Office website crashed yesterday following a surge of applications from Britons ahead of the UK’s departure from the EU later this month. Consumer group Which? had warned those with up to 15 months left on their passport that they could be denied entry to many European countries after March 29 in the event of a no-deal Brexit. It warned that that they would need to apply for new passports by today to guarantee they arrived by March 29. Link
TTG, 6 March 2019: Agents dismiss claims of Easter holiday Brexit price cuts
Claims in the national press of bargain Easter prices due to pre-Brexit uncertainty have been dismissed by the trade as “unhelpful for business”. Link
City A.M, 6 March 2019: No-deal Brexit impact on economy
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) cut predictions for the UK’s economic growth to 0.8 per cent in 2019 and 0.9 per cent in 2020. The organisation, which comprises 36 of the world’s wealthiest countries, had previously predicted growth rates of 1.4 per cent in 2019 and 1.1 per cent in 2020 for Britain in November. It also warned that the economy could contract by two per cent, plunging the country into recession, if Britain quits the EU without a deal and crashes out on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. Link
- Airlines
TTG, 8 March 2019: EasyJet announces four new summer routes from Manchester airport
The no frills carrier will add an additional three aircraft at the airport from June as part of a “significant increase” in investment in the north-west. The new routes for summer 2019 are Jerez (Spain), Kalamata (Greece), Bari (Italy) and Nice (France). Link
- Travellers and travel agents
Travel Bulletin, 8 March 2019: Demand for long-haul breaks up as travellers look beyond Europe
2019 could be the year of the long-haul trip, as long-haul holiday sales to countries around the world are 4% up with people looking beyond Europe for this year’s travel plans, according to travel company Kuoni. Link
TTG, 6 March 2019: Brits would rather ditch takeaways and cigarettes than cut holiday spending, says Abta
Almost twice as many consumers on a budget (25% vs 13%) would spend less on takeaways instead of foregoing their break. People would also sooner reduce the amount they spend on clothing and accessories (18%) and electronic gadgets (17%) over their holidays. Leisure activities such as going to the cinema and concerts were activities people were least likely to cut back on (11%). The association said the findings were evidence «taking a well-deserved holiday would remain one of the nation’s top spending priorities». Link
TTG, 6 March 2019: Why voluntourism is a big deal for younger generations
Young travellers are looking for “meaningful experiences” when booking their trips and are less interested in hedonism than they were 20 years ago, according to research from student specialist STA Travel. Younger holidaymakers are now more interested in experiential travel, “voluntourism” and animal welfare projects, rather than just enjoying themselves. This is demonstrated by the fact that 90% of the 10,000 STA customers surveyed for the inaugural Youth Travel: Past, Present and Future report say they would consider volunteering while travelling. Link
- Competitors
Travel Bulletin, 8 March 2019: Putting on Ras Al-dazzle with big family offers in Ras Al Khaimah
The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) is promoting a range of special offers for its summer campaign, which runs from May 1 until September 30. Link
TTG, 8 March 2019: Tunisia state of emergency extended into 41st month
A state of emergency was originally declared in November 2015 following a suicide bomb attack on a bus. This came after a series of deadly terror attacks, including the Sousse beach massacre. Thirty Britons, all Tui holidaymakers, were shot dead on a beach at Port El Kantaoui in June 2015. Another Briton, meanwhile, was killed in an attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis three months earlier. Prince Harry this week unveiled a memorial in Birmingham to the 31 victims. The Foreign Office updated its travel advice to reflect the one-month extension on Thursday evening (March 7). Link