Covid robbed Kyoto of foreign tourists – now it is not sure it wants them back

City that had 8 million overseas visitors in 2019 – including free-spending parties of Chinese people – is getting used to the peace and quiet.

Until a couple of years ago, negotiating the hill leading to one of Kyoto’s most popular temples would have tested the patience of a Buddhist saint. The arrival of yet another coachload of sightseers would send pedestrians fleeing to narrow paths already clogged with meandering visitors on their way to Kiyomizu-dera.

That was before Covid-19. Today, the cacophony of English and Chinese, and a smattering of other European and Asian languages, has been replaced by the chatter of Japanese children on school excursions. Shops selling souvenirs and wagashi sweets are almost empty, their unoccupied staff perhaps reminiscing about more lucrative times.

Two years into the pandemic, some of the ancient capital’s residents admit that they have learned to embrace life without foreign visitors, who were once welcomed for the money they ploughed into the local economy and resented for their cultural faux pas and, in some cases, staggering bad manners.

The global boom in Japanese pop culture and cuisine, a weaker yen and fading memories of the March 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima turned the country into a tourism success story. In 2019, a record 31 million people visited from overseas – an estimated 8 million of them including Kyoto in their itinerary.

Buoyed up by its successful bid to host the 2020 summer Olympics, the government set an ambitious target – to which it continues to cling – of 60 million overseas visitors by the end of this decade.

But after two years of the toughest borders restrictions in the world, Japan’s tourist boom feels as if it belongs to a different age.

By last year, the gains of the previous decade had been wiped out, first by the arrival of the coronavirus, then by new waves that forced the government to abandon plans for a gradual opening up to tourists and other people from overseas. Just 245,900 foreign visitors arrived in Japan in 2021, according to the tourism agency, a drop of 99.2% from pre-pandemic levels.

“It feels very different now,” said the owner of an ice-cream shop near Kiyomizu temple. “There used to be lots of foreign tourists, but now it’s almost empty.”

Despite the loss of revenue, Kyoto residents are divided over the eventual return of significant numbers of overseas visitors.

It wasn’t long ago that the city was at the centre of a backlash against “tourism pollution”. Signs were erected in the Gion district warning visitors against trespassing and – a common complaint – pestering passing geiko and maiko entertainers for selfies as they walked to their evening teahouse appointments.

Traffic clogged popular sightseeing spots, while locals struggled to find space on buses crammed with tourists and their luggage. Restaurateurs railed against tourists who made group reservations but failed to turn up.

For now, Kyoto’s tourist economy is dependent on domestic visitors, whose presence ebbs and flows in lockstep with measures to contain the latest wave of coronavirus infections.

Mari Samejima is among the local businesspeople who are eager for the return of the bakugai – explosive buying – unleashed by free-spending parties of Chinese tourists who descended on Kyoto before the pandemic.

“They spent a lot of money here,” said Samejima, who runs a gift shop. “I understand why some people are hesitant about a return to those days – and I have my own doubts – but I’d prefer to see foreign tourists again.”

The number of customers at Yoshinobu Yoshida’s shop, which sells Kyô sensu folding fans, has slumped by as much as 60% over the past two years. “I don’t know what we’ll do if it carries on like this,” said Yoshida, whose shop has stood on the same spot near Kiyomizu for a century. “If I’m honest, I can’t see it returning to normal for another few years.

With the Omicron surge yet to reach its peak, and Japan’s government showing little enthusiasm for lifting its travel ban, few expect foreign tourists to return to Kyoto soon. And when they do, the numbers are expected to be a fraction of those before the pandemic.

That may not be a bad thing, according to Tomoko Nagatsuka, who remembers hearing more Chinese than Japanese being spoken in her cafe, where weary tourists recharge with green tea and traditional sweets.

“Kyoto isn’t a particularly big city, so too many foreign tourists put pressure on things like public transport,” she said. “They were great for business, but it was difficult to live a normal life with so many of them milling around. Part of me really wants them back, but another part of me loves the peace and quiet.”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/02/covid-robbed-kyoto-of-foreign-tourists

Historic hotel that hosted royal visitors sold

It is the ninth consecutive year that Britannia has come bottom of the pile in the annual survey by consumer group Which?

Britannia and Mercure have been ranked the UK’s worst hotel chains after being rated poorly for categories such as cleanliness, bathrooms and value for money.

It is the ninth consecutive year that Britannia has come bottom of the pile in the annual survey by consumer group.

The chain has 61 hotels across Britain, including Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel and Scarborough’s Grand Hotel. It received an average customer score of only 49%. More than half (51%) of Britannia guests surveyed said they ran into a problem during their stay, with cleanliness being the most common issue. The chain was rated one star out of five for bathrooms, and two stars for seven other categories such as cleanliness, customer service and value for money. One customer said: “It was terrible. The room was dirty. The bathroom was dirty. The carpet was terrible, stains everywhere.” Others complained about hotels being “run into the ground” and “in need of a drastic makeover”.

The average price paid of those surveyed for a one-night stay was £99. Mercure’s average customer score was only slightly better at 52%, with many guests observing that its standards have fallen. One consumer said the chain’s hotels are “not as smart as they used to be” and it has “some poor quality properties”. It was rated just two stars for cleanliness, rooms, bathrooms, communal areas and value for money.Mercure guests surveyed paid an average of £114 for one night.

Premier Inn, with an average price per night of £66, was the best performing large hotel chain with a customer score of 79%.It was topped by the best small chain, Hotel du Vin, which scored 80%. Its guests paid an average of £150 for one night.

The research features 24 large hotel chains and six small ones. A total of 2,371 members of the public and Which? members who stayed in a UK hotel in the 15 months to October 2021 were surveyed. This included 57 who had visited a Britannia hotel and 73 who had spent the night at a Mercure property.

Travel editor Rory Boland said: “Year after year, guests are let down by Britannia’s run-down hotels and often dirty rooms. “This year saw some slight improvements to the chain’s score – but not enough to drag it off the bottom of our rankings. “Until the company ups its game further we would urge guests to look elsewhere. “The impressive, budget-friendly Premier Inn is our pick of the large chains, and Hotel du Vin offers high quality stays in interesting locations.”

A spokesman for Mercure said: “We are surprised to see our position in this survey.“It does not reflect the high standard of guest experience which we strive for, and we will take action to address these comments. “The experience and wellbeing of our guests at each and every property is our highest priority.” It added that it was ranked “amongst the top mid-scale brands” in the latest annual hotel guest survey by research consultancy BDRC.

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-01/worst-hotel-chains-in-the-uk-mercure-and-britannia

Prime Minister declares UK one of the most open countries in Europe and ready for an international tourism boom

UK is safe and open for visitors with no testing for fully vaccinated tourists

• 2022 to be a blockbuster year for the nation, with Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Unboxed: Creativity in the UK
• PM rallying cry comes as VisitBritain launches £10 million campaign to encourage international tourists to visit

Prime Minister Boris Johnson today calls on international tourists to visit the UK and enjoy the sights and sounds of one of the most open countries in Europe.

As testing and quarantine restrictions end for fully vaccinated visitors, the UK is ready to welcome visitors from around the globe for a blockbuster year of events showcasing the breadth of culture, creativity and innovation on offer, including Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Unboxed: Creativity in the UK.

It comes ahead of a new VisitBritain £10 million international marketing campaign targeting the UK’s most valuable visitor markets of Europe and the USA which will launch in February.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Thanks to the phenomenal success of our booster campaign and the extraordinary efforts of the public, the UK is officially one of the most open countries in Europe and ready to welcome visitors from across the globe.

The UK is home to thousands of world class attractions, unbeatable hospitality and incredible history and culture. 2022 also promises a host of unmissable events – from Her Majesty’s Jubilee to the Commonwealth Games.

Now is a fantastic time to book a trip and enjoy the best the UK has to offer.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

There is huge pent up demand from international tourists to visit the UK and my message is clear: our brilliant tourism, hospitality and leisure businesses are ready and waiting to welcome people back.

2022 is set to be a blockbuster year with an unmissable opportunity to see world-class sports in the Commonwealth Games, culture and creativity through the Unboxed events and royal pageantry as we mark the Queen’s 70-year reign.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

We made the right calls at the right time and thanks to our vaccine and booster rollout it’s paying off – allowing us to safely remove nearly all COVID-19 travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers.

We already have one of the most open economies in Europe with the least restrictions, and because of these changes we now have a travel sector to match it.

This final step in our stable and safe full return to international travel is a major boost for UK tourism, setting Britain free ahead of the crucial half term and spring holiday season.

VisitBritain’s multi-million pound campaign will spotlight cities across the UK including London, Edinburgh and Cardiff which have been hit hard by the lack of international visitors.

It will encourage visitors to see another side of Britain promoting new and exciting experiences such as kayaking on London’s iconic River Thames, Edinburgh’s famous Fringe Festival and sampling some of the world’s finest gins at Cardiff Distillery.

VisitBritain CEO Sally Balcombe said:

We know there is pent up demand for travel and our priority is to build back demand for Britain and visitor spending as quickly as possible, competing hard for international visitors who contribute billions to our economy.

As well as messages of welcome and reassurance, we’re shining the spotlight on our vibrant and diverse cities. Telling the stories of our renowned heritage with a modern twist, our buzzing contemporary culture and innovative food and drink scene, we are showing that Britain is packed full of fresh and exciting experiences to come and see today.

This year’s landmark events, set to be global tourism draws, also present exciting and timely opportunities to highlight once-in-a-lifetime experiences that visitors can only have here, and to promote our welcome and creativity to the world.

VisitBritain’s campaign will build on the government’s ambitious Tourism Recovery Plan published in June 2021 which aims to get domestic and international tourism back to pre-pandemic levels a year faster than independent forecasts predict.

The government has backed tourism, hospitality and leisure organisations through the pandemic with more than £37 billion in funding and support.

This includes the ongoing cut to VAT, furlough and 100 per cent business rates relief for leisure, retail and hospitality businesses which have saved thousands of jobs and prevented many business closures. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme at its peak supported 87 per cent of hospitality and entertainment businesses and a UK-wide VAT cut for the tourism sectors from 20 per cent to 5 per cent was in place until September 2021. It will remain at 12.5 per cent until the end of March 2022 to provide ongoing support for businesses.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-declares-uk-one-of-the-most-open-countries-in-europe-and-ready-for-an-international-tourism-boom

Travelodge hotel chain announces huge recruitment drive with 600 job vacancies

Travelodge has launched a huge recruitment drive with 600 positions to fill across the company.

With more people opting for a staycation in the UK during the Covid pandemic, Travelodge say there has never been a better time to change careers or to even start a new career within the UK hospitality sector.

The budget hotel chain has continued to grow at pace, welcoming millions of business and leisure customers every year.

And now the company, which employs over 10,000 colleagues, is looking to fill vacancies at its 582 UK hotels, as well as its headquarters in Thame, Oxfordshire.

Travelodge is one of the UK’s largest and most iconic hotel chains and operates hotels across the length and breadth of the UK, as well as 11 hotels in Ireland and five in Spain.

The company is immediately looking to fill full and part time roles with flexible working hours.

Hotel positions include Hotel Manager, Assistant Hotel Manager, Bar Café Team Member, Housekeeping Team Member and Receptionist.

There are 40 roles available at Travelodge’s headquarters in Thame, Oxfordshire, the central network that provides support to the company’s hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain.

Positions are currently available in the following departments: Customer Services, Finance, HR, IT, Marketing & Sales, PR Property, Procurement, Revenue and UK Operations.

The company is also recruiting for 13 full time Maintenance Engineers to join its field team.

Travelodge say it is the only UK budget hotel chain to have a dedicated in-house maintenance team of experts to support its hotels across the UK, and each Engineer is given their own network of hotels to service.

Engineers receive a branded, fully-equipped vehicle to enable them to travel across their network, as well as a comprehensive personal package including a branded uniform and high quality tools.

Travelodge offers a great range of employee benefits available from the first day of employment.

These benefits include 50% off Travelodge’s UK hotels, room discounts for family and friends and a work anniversary complementary booking voucher.

Further benefits include a pension scheme, discounts at a range of retailers, an Employee Assistance Programme and Life Assurance.

Craig Bonnar, Travelodge Chief Executive, said: “The start of a new year is a great opportunity to kick start a new career change and joining the UK hospitality sector can be the best decision that you make.

“Working in the hotel industry is fun and exciting and it opens a door to a world of opportunities. We are currently searching for 600 new colleagues who have a passion, determination and a real desire to look after people and in return we will provide training, coaching and a dedicated career path. https://get-latest.convrse.media/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chroniclelive.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fnorth-east-news%2Ftravelodge-hotel-announces-job-vacancies-22852718&cre=bottom&cip=24&view=web

“Our in-house management development programme, Aspire, has helped thousands of entry level colleagues into a management job.

“Travelodge is also a great choice for mums and dads looking to begin or restart their career. Our ‘Parents Programme’ offers jobs close to home, hours that can match the school run, benefits that suit families and a path into management.

Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/travelodge-hotel-announces-job-vacancies-22852718

World Tourism Won’t Return To Pre-Covid Levels Until 2024: UN Agency

Tourism revenue in 2020 was 72 per cent down on the previous year — which closed with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tourism arrivals around the world are not expected to return to their pre-pandemic levels until 2024 at the earliest, the World Tourism Organization said Tuesday.

The highly contagious Omicron variant, though mild, will “disrupt the recovery” in early 2022 after last year saw four percent growth over 2020, according to the Madrid-based UN agency’s World Tourism Barometer.

Tourism revenue in 2020 was 72 per cent down on the previous year — which closed with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The pace of recovery remains slow and uneven across world regions due to varying degrees of mobility restrictions, vaccination rates and traveller confidence,” the UNWTO said in a press release.

In Europe and the Americas, foreign visitor arrivals surged by 19 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively, last year over 2020.

The statement said tourism professionals “see better prospects” for this year after turbulence in the early months because of the Omicron wave.

The agency predicts a 30 to 78 per cent rise in international arrivals this year over 2021, while remaining far below 2019 levels.

Most experts say they do not foresee a return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024, it said.

Many countries are highly dependent on tourism and are eagerly awaiting a return to normal.

“The economic contribution of tourism in 2021 (measured in tourism direct gross domestic product) is estimated at $1.9 trillion (1.68 trillion euros), above the $1.6 trillion in 2020, but still well below the pre-pandemic value of $3.5 trillion,” the statement noted.

Soruce: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-world-tourism-wont-return-to-pre-covid-levels-until-2024-un-agency-2716088

3 Trends That are Shaping the Hospitality Industry

After a difficult few years, things are beginning to look up for the hospitality industry.

After a difficult few years, things are beginning to look up for the hospitality industry. Travel bans are lifting. More than 30 million Covid vaccines are administered worldwide each day. Airlines are getting busier by the day.

And while there are several reasons to be optimistic, here are a few that will be defining trends for the industry’s future:

Pent-up demand

After almost two years at home, many consumers are eager to get away. Because of high levels of personal savings and credit and loyalty program points, they are willing to splurge.

According to a survey from American Express, 57% of travelers are willing to spend more on a “once-in-a-lifetime” vacation than they were before the pandemic. In addition, nearly half are more likely now to book lodgings that offer luxury experiences and amenities.

Hotels and resorts — many of which closed in the early days of the pandemic or operated at reduced capacities — are more than happy to accommodate them. Some brands are so bullish on luxury travel that they’re investing heavily in the market. This summer Hyatt spent $2.7 billion to purchase Apple Leisure Group, doubling the company’s global resorts footprint and making it the largest operator of luxury hotels in Mexico and the Caribbean. The acquisition also expanded Hyatt’s presence into 11 new European markets.

There’s even an ultra-high-end hotel that will be opening in space in 2027. The views, in particular, will be out of this world.

The rise of technology

While technology was becoming an increasingly important part of hospitality before Covid (ex. complimentary wifi or the ability to book easily online) the pandemic took things to the next level.

Now, a hotel’s digital offerings play an important role in attracting guests and enhancing their on-site experience. For example, virtual and augmented reality are increasingly being used to offer tours of properties before booking. This gives prospective guests a view of a hotel’s amenities beyond anything previously available.

User-friendly apps now provide a seamless experience from booking rooms, to reserving services on the property, to checking out. These services are now the industry standard.

The pandemic has also increased consumer appetite for, and familiarity with, contactless service experiences. This allows hotels to digitize some of their standard processes, like check-in or concierge services. As we continue to navigate Covid-19, this could be key to protecting guests and staff from virus exposure.

Source: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4108367.html

Virgin Hotels set to open its first UK sites in Scotland

Virgin Hotels has announced plans to open its first hotels in the UK, with both of them based in Scotland.

The ‘lifestyle hotels’ are coming to Edinburgh in the spring, followed soon after by another in Glasgow.

The capital site will be located in Edinburgh’s Old Town, near the Royal Mile, in the India Buildings on Victoria Street.

The 225-bedroom hotel will also come with several dining and drinking outlets. The design team plans to work to preserve the historic building, while adding modern touches to the interior.

It will be completed in partnership with owner Flemyn, with assets managed by Siggis Capital.

Its Glasgow hotel will be located at 236-246 Clyde Street, with a view of the river.

The 242-bedroom property will include a meeting and event space, multiple dining and drinking outlets, including the brand’s Commons Club – a restaurant, bar and social club where guests can both work and play.

Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, said: “Edinburgh is such an iconic city and we’re thrilled to be able to say it will be the home of the first Virgin Hotel in the UK and across Europe.

“Glasgow is a dynamic city with a rich history that is extra special to me as my wife Joan is from Glasgow.”

James Bermingham, chief executive of Virgin Hotels, added: “Virgin Hotels Glasgow will have all the brand differentiators such as our innovative chamber design, forward-thinking technology, food and beverage offerings and entertainment.”

Source: Virgin Hotels set to open its first UK sites in Scotland – Business Insider

How Can Hotel Website Design Bring in More Bookings and Revenue?

Do you want to build a hotel website design that can help you increase direct bookings and revenue?

The design of your hotel’s website has a significant impact on travellers’ booking patterns, and it should be a primary concern for you.

Travellers want a website that reflects their demands and expectations; if the website does not engage them, it is unlikely that they will book a room at your hotel. Today, having a strong, appealing, and successfully integrated online footprint is the only way hotels can stay in business.

This article will help you understand the need for a hotel website design and how to make a hotel booking website.

Why Do You Need to Design and Build a Hotel Booking Website?

Building a website for your hotel or property is important since it expands your online reach, enables direct hotel booking reservations and increases hotel revenue. All of these factors are advantageous to your hotel.

However, merely being visible online and providing relevant information about your hotel or property is not enough.

Here comes designing!

Hotel booking design is critical for increasing SEO rankings and creating an impression on travellers.

To get more guests to make reservations through your hotel’s website, you should do the following:

• To make your hotel more discoverable, you need to rank highly on search engine result pages.
• You must visually impress and connect guests with your hotel website design.
• You should be able to provide and display important and relevant information to your potential customers in an easily accessible manner.
• You must make it convenient for travellers to book hotel rooms.
• You should use advertisements, discount deals, and cost-effective packages to entice potential guests.
• You must display excellent visual content that is highly engaging and relevant to your hotel and location.

Unless you build and design a good and appealing website for your hotel, it could be hard to implement all of these elements in a presentable and organised manner.

When you build and design your hotel’s website using a website builder tool, you won’t have to worry about the final output. The technology will cover and take care of everything. Technologically advanced website builders are developed with best practices in mind, making it as simple as possible to increase traffic and convert visitors.

How to Create a Hotel Booking Website?

Developing and designing a new website can be a daunting challenge for hoteliers. Before you get started, you should pause for a moment and review your requirements, resources, and design expertise.

When it comes to hotel website design, there are two primary alternatives:

• Investing in a website builder that is easy to use.
• Investing in a web developer to develop a customised design from the ground up.

Investing in a web developer can provide hoteliers with a stunning, custom design. However, it can also be difficult for operators who are unfamiliar with web design.

Hiring a developer to design a web page from scratch will take far more time and cost more money over time than using a website builder. Furthermore, future updates and modifications to the website could be challenging because the hired website developer must approve all changes.

Investing in a hotel website builder, on the other hand, will allow you to design a customised website that is tailored to your branding. This option can save you a lot of money because you do not have to pay every time you change a minor element of your website.

If you decide to go with this option, choose a website builder designed exclusively for hotels. It will have the functionalities you need to increase your hotel’s direct bookings and sales revenue.

However, if you already have a website for your hotel, you will need to figure out and recognise the necessary elements that are missing and then consider redesigning your website. A call to action such as a ‘Book Now’ button, a safe online payment system, or a handful of high-quality SEO features could all be lacking from your hotel’s website.

Tips for Hotel Website Redesign

Here are five basic tips for you to begin with your hotel’s website redesign:

1. Check the image quality on your website

Adding beautiful and aesthetic imagery to your hotel website design is an important element in creating an impression on visitors. Add pictures of your hotel’s most interesting and unusual places to captivate potential visitors. But make sure that the quality of those pictures is good.

You can begin by assessing the quality of the existing photos on your website. It will help you determine the necessary improvements needed to be made to appeal to potential guests.

2. Going through the information available for your guests on your hotel’s website

Another deciding factor for your potential guests to book rooms with you directly on your website is the information you have provided for them about your hotel and region.

The information and details that matter the most about your hotel are:

• Hotel rooms rates
• Hotel room availability
• Services
• Amenities
• Ancillaries
• Contact details
• Your location
• Proximity to attractions
• Things to do

Most of this information is vital but basic.

Are you wondering how to make your hotel stand out?

Taking a step further and providing a complete overview of what’s interesting in the nearby area might help your hotel stand out from competitors. It will take your hotel one step closer to having the best hotel booking site. Having extensive information about local attractions on your hotel’s website will help keep a potential visitor hooked for much longer.

3. Implement mobile-friendly responsive web design

Responsive design is a fundamental concept that you should implement unquestionably. It is a website design technique that aims to build a viewable and interactive interface that responds to the user’s preferred device.

It ensures that the user experience is seamless and that the website’s features can be seen and operated efficiently.

Note that your hotel website design for mobile hasn’t been developed responsively if visitors have to zoom in to click a button or link.

For the finest user experience, prioritise your users’ requirements, just as you would when they arrive at your hotel.

4. Easy direct bookings

You could have all the great components for a stunning web experience, but the hotel website design is practically flawed if your potential visitors can’t make a reservation.

It is essential to enable direct bookings by integrating an online hotel booking engine into your hotel’s website, such as AxisRooms’ booking engine tool. It helps ensure that your website converts website traffic into customers. Direct bookings increase the sales revenue of your hotel.

The primary step is to ensure that your hotel’s website seamlessly integrates with an online booking engine. It is even more vital to make sure that your booking engine integrates into your branding and website design, convincing visitors that your website is secure.

5. Optimize your SEO

Want to know what makes a good hotel website?

The pinnacle of effective hotel website design is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and attracting visitors through search engines must be a crucial aspect of your online marketing strategy.

Here are a few SEO pointers to get more direct bookings and ultimately increase your hotel’s sales revenue:

• Determine the best keywords for your hotel’s SEO.
• Write unique title tags and meta descriptions.
• Improve your hotel website’s loading time and responsiveness.
• Publish keyword-rich, high-quality blogs about your hotel and location that are interesting and educational for visitors to read and learn.
• Enhance your hotel’s customer experience by localising hotel web pages.

Source: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4108295.html

French tourism bosses tell Macron to scrap his travel ban on UK holidaymakers as they accuse him of punishing the industry over worsening ties with Britain

• Tourism bosses have told French President Emmanuel Macron to scrap the travel ban on UK tourists, which was put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus 
• Industry figures claim French resorts face economic catastrophe this month
• The Omicron variant of coronavirus is now the most dominant in France  

French tourism bosses last night told Emmanuel Macron to scrap his travel ban on UK holidaymakers, accusing him of punishing the industry over worsening ties with Britain.

The French president slapped the tough measures on UK tourists shortly before Christmas, claiming it was to stop the spread of the Omicron variant.

Senior industry figures across the Channel said several holiday and ski resorts face economic ‘catastrophe’ this month unless the ban is lifted. 

It comes as the country’s own public health agency yesterday admitted Omicron is now the most dominant variant in France. Omicron helped drive infection numbers to a record 232,000 new cases yesterday, piling more pressure on Mr Macron to back down.

Francois Badjily, head of the Alpe d’Huez tourist office, suggested France was playing politics with the pandemic. ‘We have the impression that our industry is being made to pay the price for the poor relations between both countries right now, whether it’s about Brexit or fishing or whatever,’ he said.

Mr Badjily said the current rules were incoherent because fully vaccinated tourists from other countries where the Omicron strain is already present are able to visit.

Vaccine passports are needed to enter French holiday hotspots such as ski resorts, as well as restaurants, bars and leisure facilities.

Alpe d’Huez draws a quarter of its visitors from the UK every year, and Mr Badjily added: ‘Why should a Briton who meets these criteria not be allowed to come, but the French and Belgians can?’

Christophe Lavaut, director of the Val d’Isere ski resort, also called on officials in Paris to axe the ‘compelling reason to travel’ directive that has stopped holidaymakers coming to France. ‘This restriction should simply be lifted as it is no longer necessary,’ he added.

At least 42 per cent of Val d’Isere’s customers are British, said Mr Lavaut, who urged his government to act ‘at the beginning of January’. Mr Macron’s travel measures have created chaos and sowed confusion throughout the entire Christmas break.

Earlier this week, border police even prevented Britons who were legal residents in the EU from returning to their homes – French officials at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone said they were not allowed to cross through France on health grounds.

But the EU’s top disease agency said in a report last month that Omicron travel restrictions only ‘help buy valuable time during the first days of detection’, adding that in countries already experiencing community transmission ‘such measures will probably not be relevant for much longer’.

The French government failed to reply to the Mail’s request for comment. Germany will remove Britain from its travel red list on Tuesday after its government admitted Omicron was already widely present in the country.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10359911/French-tourism-bosses-tell-Macron-scrap-travel-ban-UK-holidaymakers.html

Space tourism took a giant leap in 2021: Here’s 10 milestones from the year

From suborbital space to high Earth orbit, space tourism is just getting started. This year saw more space tourists fly to space on a bunch of different systems, and the story has only just begun. Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX each flew their first tourist-focused missions this year, sending aloft several people each with minimal training in professional spaceflight. Meanwhile, Roscosmos (the Russian federal space agency) brought two sets of space tourists into space, including a mission with Space Adventures. With 2022 also set to be busy, between more tourist flights and the expected addition of company Axiom Space (using a SpaceX Crew Dragon), we rounded up some of the main milestones of 2021 below.

1) Axiom Space announces first crew for 2022

Axiom Space revealed its clients Jan. 26 for its first privately-funded and operated mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Called Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the flight is arranged under a commercial agreement with NASA.

Slated to launch on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft are Larry Connor, an American real estate and technology entrepreneur; Eytan Stibbe, a businessman and former Israeli fighter pilot; Mark Pathy, a Canadian investor and philanthropist; and Michael Lopez-Alegria, a retired NASA astronaut with nearly 260 days in space already across four missions.

In June, SpaceX and Axiom announced an agreement to fly three more missions to the orbiting complex after Ax-1. NASA officially cleared the Ax-1 crew for flight on Dec. 20.

2) Starship launches test flight and sticks the landing

After several attempts on previous test landing that didn’t make it safely to landing, SpaceX’s Starship SN-15 prototype launched its own test flight May 5 and made it all the way from takeoff to touchdown. 

The uncrewed test flight coincidentally fell on the 60th anniversary of the United States’ first-ever crewed spaceflight, which saw NASA astronaut Alan Shepard make it to suborbital space. SpaceX has said it hopes to use Starship to branch out in the solar system, especially for crewed Mars missions.

3) Virgin Galactic launches Richard Branson

On July 11, Virgin Galactic launched its first operational tourist flight, featuring founder Richard Branson. It was “the experience of a lifetime,” Branson said during a live broadcast of the flight. 

The four-person crew and two pilots of the Unity 22 test flight mission took off from the company’s Spaceport America facility in New Mexico and flew just above the boundary of space, where everyone experienced about four minutes of weightlessness. 

Future flights of Virgin Galactic, though, have been delayed due to a Federal Aviation Administration investigation into a reported incident that happened during the spaceflight. That said, Virgin has opened up tickets again to paying spaceflyers, now at $450,000 apiece.

4) Blue Origin launches Jeff Bezos to space

Days after the Virgin flight, Blue Origin launched its first crewed spaceflight on July 20, featuring founder Jeff Bezos and a set of other three space tourists, including Mercury 13 aviator Wally Funk. 

Since the system flies autonomously, no pilots were required to be on board (although Funk is highly qualified as an aviator) as the New Shepard system lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One near the West Texas town of Van Horn.

While Bezos and Branson denied their companies were in competition, the broadcast of Bezos’ flight made several cutting remarks about the company flying above the Kármán line, an internationally recognized boundary of spaceflight that Virgin Galactic flights don’t reach. 

Bezos also said in an interview in July that Blue Origin is not focused on competition, but building a “road to space.” The company has adopted that catchphrase as a tagline and repeats it frequently during live broadcasts.

5) SpaceX stacks tallest booster ever with Starship

SpaceX’s newest Starship prototype (SN-20) perched on its massive Super Heavy booster for the first time on Friday (Aug. 6), briefly setting a new record for the world’s tallest rocket during preparations for an orbital mission.

The hour-long fit check brought the stack to 395 feet tall (120 m), taller than NASA’s massive Saturn V moon rocket, which was 363 feet tall (110 m). Super Heavy alone stands 230 feet (70 meters) tall and Starship SN4 includes another 165 feet (50 m) of height. 

The next major milestone for Starship is the orbital launch that may take place in 2022, pending an environmental review by the Federal Aviation Administration and related government groups. SpaceX founder Elon Musk has pushed back launch estimates several times due to the review.

6) Inspiration4 launches 4 civilians on first orbital mission

Billionaire Jared Isaacman’s privately chartered spaceflight launched on Sept. 15, 2021 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, flying high in Earth orbit on a nearly three-day mission. Inspiration4 was the first crewed orbital mission with no professional astronauts on board (as the Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin flights preceding it were all suborbital missions.)

Isaacman, a pilot, commanded the flight and was accompanied by physician assistant Hayley Arceneaux, data engineer Chris Sembroski, and geoscientist and science communication specialist Sian Proctor. Sembroski and Proctor won their seats in contests to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, while Arceneaux is employed at that hospital.

Resilience and its crew circled Earth for three days, splashing down off the Florida coast on Sept. 18. The mission exceeded its fundraising goal for St. Jude.

7) Blue Origin launches William Shatner

A “Star Trek” star boldly went into suborbital space Oct. 13 on Blue Origin’s second crewed space mission, called NS-18. William Shatner, 90, is best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk on “Star Trek: The Original Series.”

“That was unlike anything they described,” Shatner was heard saying via a radio link as the capsule parachuted back to Earth, after carrying him and three other crew members to suborbital space.

Shatner is now the oldest person to have ever flown to space, beating the record set by Wally Funk, 82, who flew on Blue Origin’s first crewed flight July 20. Crew member Glen de Vries died in a plane crash weeks after the flight and Blue Origin dedicated their next crewed mission in December to him.

8) Russian film crew shoots drama on ISS

Just days after Shatner’s ride to space, a Russian film crew including actress Yulia Peresild and producer Klim Shipenko landed with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian federal space corporation Roscosmos on Oct. 17.

“Вызов” (“Challenge” in English) is the movie in production. It follows the fictional story of a surgeon (Peresild) who is launched to the station to perform emergency surgery on a cosmonaut (Novitskiy, who would play the role well given he is a cosmonaut in real life.)

The effort is a joint production of Roscosmos, the Russian television station Channel One and the studio Yellow, Black and White. Given the small crew on hand in space, Shipenko took on several behind-the-scenes roles, including director, make-up artist, sound editor and cinematographer. 

9) Blue Origin launches ‘Good Morning America’ host to space

Blue Origin’s next (and likely last) crewed flight of 2021 filled out all six seats in the New Shepard spacecraft during a successful launch and landing Dec. 11. The starring guest was Michael Strahan, host of “Good Morning America”, who is a retired football player. (The crew threw mini-footballs in space to celebrate his past career.)

Strahan said the experience was amazing. “I want to go back,” he told Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos after returning to Earth. “Touchdown has a new meaning now!!!” he wrote on Twitter after the flight.

Also on the flight was Laura Shepard Churchley, 74, the daughter of NASA astronaut Shepard after whom the New Shepard system is named, and four other individuals who paid for their seats. Blue Origin has not yet released per-seat pricing for customers, and we are also awaiting details on their next planned crew launch.

10) Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa flies to ISS

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, video producer Yozo Hirano and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin launched on Dec. 8 to the International Space Station for a 12-day mission to the orbiting lab.

Maezawa is also planning to fly around the moon on a SpaceX mission that he paid for, tentatively slotted for 2023, but chose to visit the space station as well on a mission brokered by the U.S. space tourism company Space Adventures with Russia’s Roscosmos space agency. It was not revealed how much Maezawa paid for the flight, but single seats in the past have cost up to $35 million. And Maezawa bought two seats, one for himself and for Hirano, who recorded videos of Maezawa in space.

Maezawa, the CEO of Start Today and the founder of online clothing retailer ZOZO, bought the seats for himself and Hirano. Hirano documented the mission and participate in some health and performance research. They also made the first Uber Eats delivery in space on the flight. The trio returned to Earth on Dec. 19.

And that’s a wrap at the biggest space tourism moments in 2021. The year 2022 is expected to bring more milestones as the company Axiom Space plans to launch its first fully private crew to the International Space Station early in the year, with SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic all expected to continue their private spaceflight pace. 

Source: https://www.space.com/space-tourism-giant-leap-2021-milestones