Hello, this is bbc news. The headlines india launches one of the worlds biggest Covid Vaccination programmes the government hopes to inoculate 300 Million People in the coming months. President Electjoe Biden sets out plans to speed up immunisations in the United States promising to vaccinate 100 Million People within his first 100 days in office. Calls for more support for the travel and Tourism Sector after the government imposes tougher restrictions on arrivals to keep out new strains of coronavirus. Senior Police Officers say their investigations have been compromised after hundreds of thousands of arrest records were deleted from the Police National computer. Breaking news from germany from the conference of the christian democrats. Party members havejust elected the Prime Minister of the state in germany he has led since 2017. He has a reputation as a moderate in party terms and has been a passionate supporter of Angela Merkel� S Immigration policies and good relations with his own states immigrant communities. The new chairman of the german christian democrats and potentially important and perhaps a candidate to succeed Angela Merkel. These are pictures from the conference as he addresses party members. We will bring you more of that at the top of the error. Now on bbc news, the travel show. This week on the travel show, whats in store for the year ahead . I think a phrase a lot of us can expect to hear in 2021 is documents, please. The worlds tallest mountain. I really hope that the people who want to go and climb Mount Everest really understand the significance of this mountain, the sacredness of this mountain. I thought id seen everything and a detox that is not for the squeamish. Wow, the visual of it is the most shocking part. Hello and welcome to the show. After a dramatic year, i am here in turkey to start my 2021 off on a more restful note with some strange alternative therapies. And if youve not heard of mad honey, stay tuned for that. But first, after a tumultuous year for travel, 2021 has got off to a gloomy start in the uk, with pretty much the entire country being back in lockdown. But with a vaccine just starting to be rolled out, can we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and start to build some idea of what the year ahead might look like for those who are desperate to travel . Rajan has been finding out. Last year, as we all stayed home and talked to our computers, much of the outside world fell eerily quiet. The latest data from the world tourism 0rganisation says that between january and october 2020 global destinations welcomed 900 million fewer International Tourists than in the same period the year before. And they believe that last year as a whole will have set tourism levels back to that of three decades ago. And while that means that we have missed out on tourist holidays, for the travel industry, it spells a loss of an estimated us 1 trillion plus. That is cash that could have gone to the costs and wages of airlines, hotels, local taxes, guides you name it. It all means that 2021 is going to start like no other year. And an awful lot is riding on it. Were going to be looking at a slow and possibly nervous start. The effects of this pandemic is people will appreciate how important travel is to them and the world they live in. Cities will be busy again after the pandemic. So it will turn a whole new generation of people into global nomads. We will probably see prices go up. 2021 is going to be a bumpy year for travel. And now is the time we usually all start making those Holiday Plans for the year. But the way we choose to book may change. Our Research Finds that people are increasingly turning to travel agents to book theirfuture holidays. I think they really value the professionalism and expertise. The higher end will be promoting a more secure and safe environment, with larger, expensive rooms, and everything has been cleaned immaculately well and really pushing that high end, safe aspect. Then you will have these great offers that are super cheap. And dont forget the availability of vaccine should be a game changer. We are rolling out the biggest Vaccination Programme in our history. The places who get their act together and vaccinate the population are going to see a short term boost. We are going to find ways to boost the vaccinations. Crucially, we dont know if the vaccine prevents you from transmitting the disease. That is going to be really crucial for holidays, because even if you have been vaccinated and you can still transmit the disease countries are not going to want to let you in. But for travellers it is going to be an important step towards booking with confidence. When the vaccine news for the Pfizer Vaccine came out in december, we saw a 37 increase in searches and bookings. 0nce travel does open up again, the trips we actually take might also change. People havent taken all their holiday allowance in 2020, and ultimately people are looking to use that in new and different ways. Activity holidays, i think, will benefit very much from the collective experience that people have been through. Higher demand, more passengers seeking to go to fewer places, because airlines will not have as many aircraft to fly to traditional places. All these places from barcelona to dubrovnik to venice that are typically swarmed with tourists are going to say come now, while there is nobody here and, as the fears start to drop, people swarm back in. We will be encouraged to see other places in those countries, go to other beaches, other national parks, other cities. I think that is fantastic. It spreads the wealth of tourism. The covid 19 impact has made many people understand better sustainable tourism. Previously people might have thought about sustainable tourism, and thought about the impact of aviation. Now they are aware that is about communities, conservation, and, within a holiday, it is notjust aviation, | its accommodation, i tourism activities, food procurement, supply chains. And when we do travel this year, what will it be like . I think a phrase lots of us can expect to hear in 2021 is documents, please. That may be your vaccination certificate, or it may be your proof of a test. Using biometrics or facial or Voice Recognition to get you checked, get you on board planes, not touching anybody and not handing documents over, and then you can get into your hotel using biometrics as well. I think that is the one piece of technology that is going to speed up things, reduce congestion, and make people feel safer. Of course, there is one man who has been through this with us every step of the way. Simon, hello. In terms of travel, when it does get going in 2021, what do you foresee . I am braced to pay quite a lot more. While there are certainly some bargains around i am just looking at early march, a one way ticket to athens, £8, its ridiculous but generally, for these sorts of flights and holidays you were getting a couple of years ago, i would be prepared to pay 25 or 50 more. And of course, we have now fully left the european union, the brexit transition phase is over, so lots of restrictions, particularly to do with passport validity. Are there any reason to be cheerfulabout 2021, simon . So many reasons to be cheerful. In Northern Ireland, the game of thrones studio tour is opening up. And perhaps the biggest cultural event of the 2020s, the opening of the new Egyptian Museum outside of cairo, that will be momentous. I cant wait to be there. Neither can i. Lets hope it will happen soon. Thank you, simon. Stick around, because we have some great stuff coming up next. The worlds tallest mountain. Ever since i was a kid, i dreamt of climbing Mount Everest. Look at that and the honey with a sting in its tail. Ive got my mad honey. Delicious next this week, a visit to the worlds tallest mountain. Mount everest was closed for much of 2020 because of the pandemic. But could the lockdown have been a blessing disguise for this ultimate adventure destination . The sherpas are an ethnic group from North Eastern nepal. Ever since i was a kid, i dreamt of climbing Mount Everest. I have been on 13 Mount Everest expeditions. Mount everest is where our goddess miyolangsangma resides. It is a sacred mountain. For me, it is a magical place. I have enormous reverence and respect for Mount Everest. I have seen how beautiful and magic it can be. But ive also seen the tragedy, the death that can result from being on Mount Everest. In the 1950s, there were only like four or five western tourists who came into the everest region. By 2019, we have thousands, more than 35,000 tourists, who came to the everest region. To put that in perspective, this is a region with about 7000 people, so it is five times the population that actually lives there. In 2019, nearly 900 people reached the mountains summit. But bad weather and a short winter to reach the peak made it one of the deadliest seasons on record, with at least 11 casualties. Some of the slower climbers held up those behind them, so the slowest person dictated the pace. Fortunately, because our teams skill level was high enough, we could climb around people who were stuck. So we stayed on schedule, and got to the top, and came back down. I think something was lost there. It became all about whos going to get there, how fast, and what am i going to get out of that experience . And i suspect that it is only going to get worse in the future, unless there is an intervention. Although the nepalese government collected £8,000 fee from foreign mountaineers, until now, there has been little regulation on tour operators or climber skill level. In the last 15 years, the peak has become more accessible to climbers with a lower skill set, or less experience, because companies are offering trips to everest and not requiring a certain level of mountaineering experience and skill to join. And with more mountaineers, another problem has emerged. Some have started calling Mount Everest the worlds highest garbage dump. After the crowded 2019 season, officials embarked on a massive cleaning expedition, bringing over 10,000 kilos of garbage down from the mountain. But theres still more to be done. But nepal is not a wealthy country, so balancing Environmental Issues with everest� s Economic Impact can be difficult. While the government wants to increase the amount of people visiting each year, there are plans to put new rules on who is allowed to summit the worlds highest peak. I think requiring potential everest climbers to have previously climbed 6000 metre peaks is a great idea and also the Guiding Companies i think should be held to some standard. Responsibility lies on the individual who is choosing to go to everest to ensure that they are properly prepared. I feel that the perception of the mountain being so crowded is false. The mountain does not feel like that at all its vast, its open. If anyone is dreaming of climbing everest, i think they should do it. It is notjust a rich persons sport. They should start climbing peaks closer to home and work their way up, climbing bigger and bigger mountains with harder terrain, and eventually find their way to the top of the world. The sherpas in the everest region are ready for tourists to come. I really hope that the people who want to go and climb Mount Everest really understand the significance of this mountain, the sacredness of this mountain. And finally this week, im in turkey, which has mostly remained open to tourists throughout the coronavirus crisis. Travel is big business here, bringing in around 35 billion in 2019 a figure that took a big dent last year. But pre pandemic, there was a particular kind of tourism on the rise. And that is medical tourism foreigners coming here for treatment, lured by the promise of good quality healthcare at an affordable price. Procedures range from the cosmetic to the life saving, from hair replacement to cancer treatment. In 2019, the turkish government said 660,000 people came here for medical reasons 20 more than the previous year. But im not here for surgery. Im here to de stress and unwind after a bumpy 2020 and start the new year in the right frame of mind. So im looking for some alternative therapies that have their roots deep in turkish tradition. Myjourney begins in rize province, the region famous for its tea. Do we zip up . But today, im going to try something just a little bit more potent. Oh, look at that chuckles. Wow its so heavy look at this this is deli bal, otherwise known as mad honey. Imitates a musical flourish. Tell me, what makes this honey different than other honey . Its use has been traced back to ancient times. Here, it is used as a local remedy for hypertension and other conditions. But it has to be taken in small amounts. Too much can drop your Blood Pressure to Dangerous Levels and even cause hallucinations. We are going to do this the safe way and the local way. If im not careful, i could be among the dozens of people admitted to hospital each year with mad honey poisoning. 0ne teaspoon. Right on top. 0oh, im a bit anxious chuckles. 0k. And down the hatch. You should always exercise caution around this stuff in order to stay safe. It tastes great theres a taste. Mmm what is that . More floral than honey. Its really tasty. Thankfully, im not having a bad reaction well, at least not yet. But if the next segment is a bit wonky, you know why. Chuckles. But were fine. Thanks so much. That was great. Over 800 miles away in istanbul, you might stumble across our next therapy at a local bazaar. I thought id seen everything. Its called hirudothera py. Medicinal leeches are placed on a patient� s body to purify the blood. The treatment has been around since ancient egypt and was particularly popular in europe in the early 19th century before it was brought to turkey. Argh chuckles. Well, so, right before they bite, you can see their nose flatten down. You dont feel anything, do you . Because they have anaesthetic a natural anaesthetic. Yes, yes. Just the visual of it is the most shocking part. 0h, theres a little theres a little twinge, a little, like, tickle a little itch. We saw leeches at the market earlier. Yes. These leeches are very harmful because maybe harmful micro. Bacterias, yes. Virus. So these ones all came from a farm . Leeches farm. Where you. Yes, we have a leech farm. So there is a distinction between the legitimate uses of hirudotherapy for medicine which is to stop blood clotting, to clean wounds and from bloodletting. Traditionally, bloodletting was thought to cure illness by balancing the humours, but it has long been discredited by doctors. And so what are some of the things people would come to you for . Generally heart disease, metabolic chronic disease, some contraction of muscles. Like spasms or something . For a healthy adult like myself, there is probably not much this gruesome therapy can do for me. If im going to shake off the stress of 2020, i am going to have to try something just a little bit more soothing. Bowls ring melodiously. Ding sound is a very powerful modality because it brings all of the attention to something which is external. It somehow brings you into a moment, that you actually are experiencing focus. Ding sound healing is deeply rooted in turkish culture because during the ottoman time they kind of combined the tradition from chinese and indian with the ancient turkic understanding which was deeply rooted in the shamanism culture, and they brought everything together and they actually practised it in the hospital. Handpan notes ring out. At one historic hospital at edirne, music and natural sound was used to cure patients. Today, sound therapy is practised in intense one on one sessions or as a group sound shower. And whenever youre ready, you can slowly open your eyes. Hand bells chime. I dont know what it is about those singing bowls but you feel it in your body. And of all the therapies weve done, i think ill take a little bit more of this one, if you dont mind. Just give me five more minutes. Let me lay here. There we go. Ding mike sighs contentedly. Oh well, after all that, im feeling very relaxed so i might go explore the cityjust a little bit more but unfortunately, that will mark the end of our adventures this week. But coming up next week carmen is here with a look back at some of our favourite adventures from southeast asia. From henrys trip on cambodias wireless railway. This is so great . To rajan� s stunning journey through myanmar and my exploration of manila, the back of a jeepney. If you want to tell the driver to stop, you tap on the roof. So thats go . No, thats stop thats stop . So make sure not to miss it. Remember, you canjoin us on social media by following us on all of the regular social platforms. But from me, mike corey, and the rest of the travel show team here in istanbul, it is goodbye. There was some Early Morning snow across Eastern England but it is a changing weather story as we go through the day so i norfolk we have seen a little bit of light snow and that has brought a Winter Wonderland for many children hoping to see some this season however it was a different story further west with milder air different story further west with milderairand different story further west with milder air and temperature sitting around 8 degrees. This is the story as we have been through the morning. Bleeding edge snow moving eastwards and behind it significant rain which is sweeping east and as we go into the afternoon sunny spells in just a few scattered showers chiefly to the far north west. The weather front that brought all those cloud and rain continues to push east. There are still the risk of further snow for a time but that easy is as we go into the afternoon and you can see the clearance behind. There will be some decent sunny spells, a few scattered showers chiefly into scotland and may be drifting down into north west england and we could see Gale Force Gusts of wind but for the remainder it is a case of a relatively quiet afternoon, bright and breezy for many and temperatures down the hall will pick up to nine to 11 degrees, notably cooler across norfolk. As we go through this evening we keep that quiet study as a ridge of High Pressure looks likely to go then from the west for sandy. It is going to be a quiet start, not too cold, low single figures but on the whole above freezing for many. A dry story on sunday with some sunshine coming through and it will be a lovely day with the risk of some showers driven by a westerly wind through scotland may be just cutting the far north of Northern Ireland but on the whole, dry, settled with sunshine coming through. We change gear once again with the weather theme. No two days the same as another area of low pressure brings wet and windy weather during monday and tuesday, so that does mean that there is a risk as we start our new week of seeing more of an unsettled theme to come. They will be some spells of heavy rain and sun Gale Force Gusts of wind. This is bbc news these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. Germanys christian democrats have elected Armin Laschet as their new leader a key moment in the race to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor. A sanitation worker becomes the first person in india to receive a Covid Vaccine as the country begins to vaccinate more than 1. 3 billion people. President Electjoe Biden sets out plans to speed up immunisations in the United States promising to vaccinate 100 Million People within his first 100 days in office. Our plan is as clear as it is bold get more people vaccinated for free. Calls for more support for the uks travel and Tourism Sector after the government imposes tougher restrictions on arrivals to keep out new strains of coronavirus
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