Gradual U.S./Global Restart
“Unfortunately, when we do restart as an industry and as a company, it’s not going to be a light switch,” Donald stressed. “It’s not going to be, ‘the ships, well, now they’re all in.’
Instead, he said: It will be a gradual introduction a layered approach of adding ships back in phases as all the destinations aren’t going to open simultaneously at once,” given differences in regulations and local conditions.
While Donald (shown at right) said he couldn’t predict a restart date, “what I will predict is that certainly by the end of this year, most, if not all, of our fleet, I’m optimistic, will be in action… I think there’s a really high possibility that all of it will be back by early next year, if things continue to progress the way they have.”
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Lush Experiences, a sales, marketing and representation organization, has announced that
The Spain Collection and
Casablanca Tours have become a part of the Lush family of luxury properties and travel experience providers. The countries represented by these experiential travel providers include
Spain,
Morocco.
The Spain Collection creates travel experiences throughout Spain and Portugal, covering areas of traveler interest from nature and sports to shopping and religious heritage. The group, according to Lush Experiences, prides itself on creating authentic cultural and traditional connections for its clients while also supporting local businesses.
The Spain Collection CEO
Abene Mendizabal in a press statement said Lush Experiences “share[s] our passion for the region, its history and what it has to offer and they have the contacts and connections to achieve the business objectives we have set in place to move us forward.”
Share: According to Virtuoso Wanderlist bookings, Italy is the top destination among travelers // Photo by e55evu/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
Virtuoso has concluded its first event of the year, the annual
U.S. and Canada Forum, February 2-4. The live virtual event was sold out with more than 350 attendees, according to the luxury travel network.
Business sessions included more than 2,745 one-to-one networking appointments, professional development courses, a live address from Virtuoso chairman and CEO
Matthew D. Upchurch and presentations on the company’s forward plans from Virtuoso leaders. The event, which brought together the owners and managers from Virtuoso’s travel agency members in the
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Following a change in its business model,
Rail Europe North America Inc. has suspended selling tour packages. As a result, Rail Europe is no longer a
U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA)
Active Member effective January 31, 2021. Accordingly, Rail Europe North America Inc. no longer participates in the
USTOA $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program.
Good to know: Purchases of Rail Europe North America Inc. products made prior to January 31, 2021, shall continue to be protected under the USTOA $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program. Client deposits and payments thereafter will not be covered by the USTOA program.
“Our company has refocused its activity to selling European rail tickets and passes to the B2B and B2C markets and is no longer selling tour packages,” said
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Black travelers particularly those in the
U.S.,
U.K./
Ireland are paying close attention to how destinations and travel service providers approach diversity and have indicated that it has an influence on their travel decision-making. This is according to the results from
MMGY Global s second and final phase of “
The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities” research report.
Further, how Black people are represented in marketing and advertising collateral also plays a key role, with 54 percent of U.S. Black travelers agreeing that they are more likely to visit a destination if they see Black representation in travel advertising. In the U.K./Ireland, 42 percent agreed and in Canada 40 percent agreed. There was, however, far less agreement among Black travelers from