Hoteliers doubt eased tourist rules will make a difference

Operators say new government plan to open borders to foreigners sets too-tight limits on vaccination requirements

A move by the government to open Israel’s borders to visitors has been met with skepticism by some in the tourism industry, who point out that the scheme’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements greatly limit the list of those who would be granted entry, Reuters reported Sunday.

The vast majority of tourists have effectively been banned from entering Israel since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020. The reopening of borders has been delayed numerous times throughout the year, as COVID infections waxed and waned.

Last week the Prime Minister’s Office said ministers agreed to open Israel’s borders from November 1 to tourists who are vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from the disease.

Guests at the reception desk in a Tel Aviv hotel, April 27, 2021. (Miriam Alster/ FLASH90)

A move by the government to open Israel’s borders to visitors has been met with skepticism by some in the tourism industry, who point out that the scheme’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements greatly limit the list of those who would be granted entry, Reuters reported Sunday.

The vast majority of tourists have effectively been banned from entering Israel since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020. The reopening of borders has been delayed numerous times throughout the year, as COVID infections waxed and waned.

However, there were a number of conditions, such as having received at least one booster shot within the previous six months and that the tourists do not arrive from so-called “red countries,” those with high virus infection rates.

Hotel owners in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, and Bethlehem in the West Bank have not seen a marked increase in bookings, according to the report.

Israel Hotel Association CEO Yael Danieli pointed out that many countries have yet to begin administering booster shots to their populations. Whereas Israel pioneered giving third shots to its population in a campaign that began in August, other countries only followed a two-dose vaccination regime.

“How many tourists out in the world have actually gotten boosters or are sitting in that six-month period following their second dose?” she said to Reuters.

Guests at the reception desk in a Tel Aviv hotel, April 27, 2021. (Miriam Alster/ FLASH90)

A move by the government to open Israel’s borders to visitors has been met with skepticism by some in the tourism industry, who point out that the scheme’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements greatly limit the list of those who would be granted entry, Reuters reported Sunday.

The vast majority of tourists have effectively been banned from entering Israel since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020. The reopening of borders has been delayed numerous times throughout the year, as COVID infections waxed and waned.

Last week the Prime Minister’s Office said ministers agreed to open Israel’s borders from November 1 to tourists who are vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from the disease.

However, there were a number of conditions, such as having received at least one booster shot within the previous six months and that the tourists do not arrive from so-called “red countries,” those with high virus infection rates.

The timeframe means that any would-be tourist whose most recent booster shot was before May 1 would not be able to travel to Israel. Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address By signing up, you agree to the terms

Hotel owners in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, and Bethlehem in the West Bank have not seen a marked increase in bookings, according to the report.

Israel Hotel Association CEO Yael Danieli pointed out that many countries have yet to begin administering booster shots to their populations. Whereas Israel pioneered giving third shots to its population in a campaign that began in August, other countries only followed a two-dose vaccination regime.

“How many tourists out in the world have actually gotten boosters or are sitting in that six-month period following their second dose?” she said to Reuters. Advertisement

A further constraint is that children under the age of 12 are not eligible for vaccination and therefore would not be permitted to enter Israel, even if their parents are, she noted.

Danieli said the government should allow individual tourists to enjoy the same rules that are already in place for small tour groups, which are exempt from the six-month rule, on condition that group members take virus tests every 72 hours during the first two weeks they are in the country.

“We just want to make it easier for tourists, so they come back,” she said. “We can’t say how many will be able to come with these rules.”

Israel’s entry rules also impact the West Bank, as visitors to the area must pass through Israeli border controls.

Joey Canavati, manager of Bethlehem’s Alexander Hotel, told Reuters that although the plans for November are a “great step,” he is not expecting any big change in tourist numbers until next year.

“At the moment, we just want to stop the bleeding, stop digging into our savings,” he said.

Guests at the reception desk in a Tel Aviv hotel, April 27, 2021. (Miriam Alster/ FLASH90)

A move by the government to open Israel’s borders to visitors has been met with skepticism by some in the tourism industry, who point out that the scheme’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements greatly limit the list of those who would be granted entry, Reuters reported Sunday.

The vast majority of tourists have effectively been banned from entering Israel since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020. The reopening of borders has been delayed numerous times throughout the year, as COVID infections waxed and waned.

Last week the Prime Minister’s Office said ministers agreed to open Israel’s borders from November 1 to tourists who are vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from the disease.

However, there were a number of conditions, such as having received at least one booster shot within the previous six months and that the tourists do not arrive from so-called “red countries,” those with high virus infection rates.

The timeframe means that any would-be tourist whose most recent booster shot was before May 1 would not be able to travel to Israel. Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address By signing up, you agree to the terms

Hotel owners in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, and Bethlehem in the West Bank have not seen a marked increase in bookings, according to the report.

Israel Hotel Association CEO Yael Danieli pointed out that many countries have yet to begin administering booster shots to their populations. Whereas Israel pioneered giving third shots to its population in a campaign that began in August, other countries only followed a two-dose vaccination regime.

“How many tourists out in the world have actually gotten boosters or are sitting in that six-month period following their second dose?” she said to Reuters. Advertisement

A further constraint is that children under the age of 12 are not eligible for vaccination and therefore would not be permitted to enter Israel, even if their parents are, she noted.

Danieli said the government should allow individual tourists to enjoy the same rules that are already in place for small tour groups, which are exempt from the six-month rule, on condition that group members take virus tests every 72 hours during the first two weeks they are in the country.

“We just want to make it easier for tourists, so they come back,” she said. “We can’t say how many will be able to come with these rules.”

Israel’s entry rules also impact the West Bank, as visitors to the area must pass through Israeli border controls.

Joey Canavati, manager of Bethlehem’s Alexander Hotel, told Reuters that although the plans for November are a “great step,” he is not expecting any big change in tourist numbers until next year.

“At the moment, we just want to stop the bleeding, stop digging into our savings,” he said. Advertisement

Under the new regulations, only tourists who have been vaccinated during the 180 days before they boarded the plane will be allowed to enter Israel. In the case of the Pfizer vaccine, seven days must elapse between the traveler’s second or third shot and entry to Israel. In the case of Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson (one dose, not two), Sinovac, and Sinopharm, 14 days must elapse.

After announcing the plan last week, the Prime Minister’s Office said the scheme, which must still be approved by the high-level coronavirus cabinet, may be updated to take into consideration any threat posed by fresh variants of the coronavirus. Several cases of the new AY4.2 variant have already been diagnosed in Israel.

Current regulations allowed tourists to begin arriving in organized groups in May, though in a very limited capacity. Additionally, first-degree relatives of Israeli citizens or residents were able to apply for permits to travel to the country.

Under both the current and the new regulations, all travelers to Israel must take a PCR test within 72 hours of their departure and must take a second test when they land at Ben Gurion Airport. Vaccinated travelers must remain in quarantine either for 24 hours or until they receive a negative test result. Those who are not vaccinated must remain in quarantine for 14 days, which can be shortened to seven days with two negative tests, on days 1 and 7.

Israel appears to be at the tail end of its fourth coronavirus wave, as new infections and serious cases have ticked down over the past few weeks.

Tourism numbers dropped 80 percent in 2020, a plunge from record numbers in 2019 that were worth $7.2 billion to the economy.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/hoteliers-doubt-eased-tourist-rules-will-make-a-difference/

How Tech is Helping Revolutionise the Hospitality Industry

Over the past five years, food delivery services have steadily grown in both popularity and most recently necessity, with many restaurants rising to meet the demand. A primary reason is that diners love the perfect melange of restaurant quality and at-home comfort that food delivery offers. About one third of individuals aged between 18 and 24 eat takeaway and delivered food several times a month in the UK alone (Statistica, 2020).

At Deliverect, we’ve seen this come to life as we’ve helped to process an average of more than 1.5 million orders per week this past year. That’s a 750% increase from the year before. But as beneficial as delivery services can be, behind-the-scenes details like last-mile logistics can be expensive and challenging to manage.

It’s clear that digital solutions have helped restaurants better serve their customers and adapt to life in the new normal. Online ordering is here to stay – so implementing the right technology in restaurants is crucial for helping to create an excellent at-home dining experience for your customers.

That’s why this past month we introduced a new suite of products to help our customers enable further growth and empower control within the competitive hospitality landscape.

We’re excited for more restaurants to have access to top technology that enhances day-to-day and delivery operations. Any updates that make our platform operate more seamlessly for restaurants is a win – our team is motivated by helping the hospitality industry continue to succeed and thrive after a tough year.  Let’s take a look at some of the new feature and how they’ll help restaurants to continue thriving:

Deliverect Insights: Deliverect Insights offers upgraded dashboards that allow restaurants to utilise their data more extensively, answering key questions that will enable them to see how their performance is trending on delivery platforms and to spot outliers. Insights offers three sub-sections:

• ‘Menu Item Performance’ allows restaurants to compare products and identify the best and worst performers.
• ‘Location Performance’ enables restaurants to gather insights surrounding the performance of individual locations and generally understand performance over time.
• ‘Channel Performance’ helps compare channels, easily identify best selling items and see how sales fluctuate on different delivery channels.

Pickup Manager: Deliverect’s Pickup Manager permits drivers and restaurants to view the status of their order with the pickup screen, making overall communications smoother.

• Restaurant staff can easily manage order statuses to keep drivers and restaurants well informed.
• A look at the pickup screen will tell drivers when to go to the counter to pick up their order, improving user experience and shortening wait times.
• Through real-time and clear order status updates, orders that are ready are brought to customers faster and more accurately.
• Dispatch: Dispatch enables restaurants to manage the complete delivery experience through their direct channels, helping them to increase customer satisfaction.
• Restaurants can easily offer delivery on their direct channel by assigning online orders to delivery drivers.
• They can also follow orders through the entire delivery, as real-time driver updates and driver details are shared.

Chat: Chat provides conversational support, allowing our customers to reach us directly from our platform tools anytime and anywhere.

In the food service industry, everything restaurants do is for the benefit of diners. They cook delicious food to delight their palates, they offer a variety of dining options to match their needs and preferences, and they craft balanced menus to cater to every kind of eater. Everything is to ensure that the end customer has an excellent experience and returns to dine time and time again.

Incorporating online ordering software to improve delivery capabilities will positively impact diners’ experience, especially how restaurants communicate with their customers. Maintaining stellar customer communication is vital to creating brand loyalty, as it  shows them their experience and opinions are important.

Source: https://www.hospitalityandcateringnews.com/2021/10/how-tech-is-helping-revolutionise-the-hospitality-industry/

Government to deliberate on late night hospitality guidelines

Government officials will resume their deliberations in the morning on how to iron out anomalies in the new plan to reopen the late night entertainment industry, which is due to start on Friday.

It is understood that Minister for Culture and Arts Catherine Martin was in contact with arts and music representatives earlier today.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland and the Licensed Vintners Association say they have not been invited to any talks tomorrow.

Government sources suggest, however, these groups are likely to be contacted in the morning to garner their views on what should happen.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin told RTÉ News that he accepts the need for clarity, adding he also understands that the timelines are short.

As part of tomorrow’s deliberations, there will be a meeting of the Regulatory Forum – a body involving the gardaí, the Heath and Safety Authority and environment health officials.

The Taoiseach said these officials will be charged with working out what is termed an enhanced form of compliance and enforcement, to ensure that people are adhering to the guidelines.

When asked why live venues will be restricted to only seated guests while nightclubs appear to have fewer constraints, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that will initially be the case but hinted that these seating restrictions could be eased over time.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Prime Time, he said the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is trying to get away from “banning normal activities”.

“There are two options, one was pause to see if things got better. They advised against that because things won’t fundamentally change over the next few weeks.

“This is going to be the new normal for the next couple of months.”

Mr Varadkar added that there are no guarantees “this will work out” as he said projections show that cases and hospitalisations are likely to rise.

He said he trusts the projections, and despite the fact that NPHET, NIAC and Government members will not always have absolute unanimity on everything, he believes they share the same view on the way forward today.

Earlier, it was announced that any sectors or businesses due to reopen on Friday can do so but with specific protective measures in place.

At a briefing at Government Buildings, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the progress made over the course of the last year is “real and tangible and has to be protected”.

The Cabinet met at Dublin Castle earlier to consider the advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team in relation to the planned easing of restrictions.

This Friday was due to see an end to the requirement for physical distancing, or mask wearing outdoors, or indoor, in private settings.

NPHET had advised that existing restrictions on hospitality should stay in place until around spring 2022.

The Government’s revised reopening plan includes the return of normal trading hours in bars and restaurants but table service only measures will remain with a maximum of ten adults at a table.

These premises and nightclubs will only be open to those with a digital certificate.

Mr Martin said businesses or any event that allows people indoors must check for proof of vaccination and enforce the rules.

The caps on numbers at weddings and religious ceremonies are also to be dropped and a return to full capacity at sports stadiums has been included under the measures agreed by cabinet.

The Taoiseach said Covid passes will not apply for outdoor events.

He added that fixed capacity will no longer apply for indoor and outdoor activities but protective measures must be put in place. Mr Martin said where groups are mixed indoors, pods of six will apply.

Antigen testing will also play a bigger role in this phase of reopening and tests will be sent to fully vaccinated close contacts.

These new measures will be in place until February 2022. The Taoiseach said there will be sector specific guidance issued.

He asked that anyone who has not been vaccinated or who has not received their second dose to make arrangements for this.

Mr Martin said the changes to the reopening plan give space to make sure the next steps towards normality are safe and sustainable.

He said the Government is not putting capacity limits on national outdoor sporting events, adding that protective measures such as masks will apply.

In relation to booster vaccine advice, the Taoiseach said the National Immunisation Advisory Committee said in its correspondence to Government and to the Chief Medical Officer that it is going to keep the administration of boosters to healthcare workers under review.

Mr Martin said he understands the concerns that are there in relation to healthcare workers, but the Government is not the expert on the issue.

At the same briefing, the Tánaiste said the pandemic is not over yet and “unfortunately we’re going to have to get through at least another winter before we can be safely say it’s behind us”.

Leo Varadkar said: “We’re not where we hoped or expected to be for October 22nd”.

In August the Government thought that Ireland would be past the peak of the Delta wave, but that is not the case and “we’re most likely experiencing a twin peak”.

He said NPHET modelling and projections indicate that cases will continue to rise and peak around the end of October or in November.

The Tánaiste said that modelling also shows that hospitalisations will rise to 800-1,000 peaking around mid-November with ICU numbers peaking at 100-150 around the end of November or early December.

He described the change to the plan as “deeply disappointing”, adding that a lot of sectors who had hoped to be fully open with full capacity “will be crestfallen that we haven’t got out the gap just yet”.

There is no need to reimpose restrictions, Mr Varadkar added, because a high proportion of the population is vaccinated.

He said that if these numbers existed last year, the Government would be announcing that it was reintroducing curbs.

A large number of people including children are unvaccinated, the Tánaiste said, and there is evidence that the immunity is waning particularly among those who were vaccinated more than six months ago.

Mr Varadkar said NPHET had considered a full pause for a few weeks, but it recommended against that “on the basis that the situation will not be much different in a few week’s time and it’s going to be like this for a few months”.

He said the country is going to have to live with Covid-19, this is not going to be easy, and it means adjusting to a new normal for at least the next couple of months.

The strategy has three elements – vaccines, test, trace and isolate, and keeping our economy and society fully open but with protections.

The Tánaiste said that testing will resume of fully vaccinated people who are close contacts and have no symptoms, but this will be done through antigen testing to supplement PCR testing.

People who are going to be in groups or crowds will be encouraged to start self-testing and using antigen tests to do so, Mr Varadkar added.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the advice the Government received from NPHET was a “really serious note of caution” on various areas including epidemiology and hospitals.

Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Mr Donnelly said the five-day case average at the moment is around 1,700.

“I can tell you that the number of cases that’ll be reported later on today will be well in excess of 2,000,” he said.

“So we’re seeing about a 40% to 50% increase in average daily cases over the last month, so this has moved quite quickly.

“The result of that is more people in hospital … and more pressing again is the number of people in ICU.”

The minister said NPHET’s advice was essentially that while reopening can continue, it has to be done “more carefully than we had all hoped to do it”.

He said that up until about two weeks ago, the Government was following the “most optimistic” of the four scenarios that NPHET had laid out.

Mr Donnelly said “several thousand” vaccination certificate checks have been carried out at venues by the Health Service Executive and Health and Safety Authority, and about two thirds of venues are in compliance.

He said that according to new survey results, one in three diners have said they are not being asked for their cert.

“That’s not good enough,” Mr Donnelly added. “We need a much, much higher rate of compliance than that. There’s going to be intense engagement with the sector by the various Government departments.

“What I would say to the sector is – I know you’ve had a really tough year and I fully understand what you’ve been dealing with, and the majority are compliant, but we need to get much higher than a two thirds compliant rate on these Covid passes.

“They keep your patrons safe and they keep your staff safe, and it really is important and it is a legal requirement for you to strictly enforce the Covid pass.”

Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2021/1019/1254540-nphet-advice-government-restrictions/

Marine tourism may boost west coast off-season – study

New research suggests marine tourism could generate additional business during the off-season for counties along the west coast.

Studies carried out as part of the European Union’s Moses Project suggest coastal tourism has the potential to attract people for longer stays, when specific offerings are in place.

Using the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) as a research model, researchers from NUI Galway concluded that sustainable tourism in coastal areas could benefit the local economy, while ensuring that there was no adverse impact to the environment.

The Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit, which is based at the university, stresses that close collaboration with local communities is key to achieving the goal of sustainable tourism.

Its report says that with improved infrastructure and specific offerings outside the traditional holiday season, tourists could be attracted by new, sustainable visitor experiences.powered by Rubicon Project

Effectively this involves a balance between attracting tourism, without compromising the natural amenities in such locations.

Offerings like this are particularly suited to areas away from existing destinations on the Wild Atlantic Way.

They also reduce the attractiveness of day trips for visitors, which can divert spending to established tourist attractions.

The Northern and Western Regional Assembly, which covers eight counties in the area, supported the research project.

It says the development of niche attractions could boost sustainable investment, as well as helping to contribute to the low-carbon economy it envisages.

The Moses Project is part of a strategy to encourage growth in aquaculture, tourism, offshore energy, posts and fisheries, while ensuring any developments undertaken are environmentally friendly.

This research will be used to inform the development of tourist trails elsewhere in the EU.

Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/2021/1018/1254497-marine-tourism-study/

Tourism industry is still on the ropes

Latest tourist accommodation statistics show revenue in the sector is still 60% lower than normal.

While the latest survey of tourism accommodation suggests that tourism and business travel in SA continue to recover strongly, the occupancy rate of hotel and tourism accommodation and revenue earned from accommodation are still way below normal pre-Covid-19 levels.

The latest Statistics SA report on tourism accommodation shows that the number of nights sold in different accommodation types (from hotels and guest houses to caravan parks and campsites, as well as breakaways on farms and other types of accommodation) increased by some 134% in August 2021 compared with August 2020.

This big recovery in bed nights sold follows even larger increases in the preceding months. Compared with a year ago, July clocked up an increase of 225% and June more than 580%.

The increases of over 2 100% in April and 1 750% in May show that the figures are actually irrelevant – travel was banned during April and May 2020.

Likewise, the strong recovery in income earned by hotels and guest houses over the last few months is welcome, but also still only a fraction of normal levels.

“Measured in nominal terms [at current prices], total income for the tourist accommodation industry increased by 88.3% in August 2021 compared with August 2020,” according to the report. “In August 2021, all accommodation types recorded large positive year-on-year growth in income from accommodation.

“The largest year-on-year increases in income from accommodation were reported by caravan parks and camping sites (263,2%) and guest houses and guest farms (257,9%),” says the Stats SA report.

However, a closer look at the figures themselves show that things are not as good as the huge recovery in percentage terms suggests.

Income from accommodation

Total income from accommodation (excluding restaurant and other income, which is still reliant on room occupancy) increased to just less than R890 million in August from R406 million in August 2020.

Total income is still a fraction of what it was in “normal” times. In August 2019, the industry reported income of approximately R2.4 billion.

Annual figures confirm the devastation of the industry during 2020. Total income from accommodation increased steadily year after year, from R27 billion in 2016 to R29 billion in 2019. It fell to only R11 billion in 2020, as hotels, guest houses and nature reserves earned very close to nothing for four months, and very little in the other months of 2020.

National chair of the Federated Hospitality Association of SA (Fedhasa) Rosemary Anderson also points out that while total income for the tourist accommodation industry increased significantly, we know that in August 2020 tourism and hospitality had not been opened up after the pandemic first hit to the same extent as it opened up in August 2021.

Anderson notes that when more travel was allowed there was a good uptake of caravan, camping, self-catering and guest house type accommodation, because “tourists gravitated towards accommodation settings which did not involve many other people and where they could stay within their own bubble”.

“The UK experienced very similar trends in accommodation when it opened up – where self-catering was up significantly on other accommodation sectors. This has been good for some sectors, but damaging for the larger hotel groups,” says Anderson.

Government assurance needed

While Fedhasa acknowledged the big recovery in income in the hospitality industry, it added: “What we really need now, is to be able to have government assurances that any increase in Covid-19 cases or a so-called fourth wave will be controlled through a big vaccination push, as they have done successfully in the UK, and not by any more shutdowns – or restrictions on the very basics of what tourists enjoy while being on holiday, like their favourite wine, beer or malt, and being able to enjoy the night life and freedom to travel inter-provincially.

“As Fedhasa we urge government to put a tremendous push on the vaccination programme as the way to either prevent or control the fourth wave and not even contemplate introducing restrictions again, which will make tourism and hospitality simply financially unviable.

“We simply can’t take any more knocks than we have had,” says Anderson.

“There needs to be some form of guarantee and assurance from government that they will allow hospitality and tourism to continue to recover, without setting us back again.”

Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of SA (TBCSA), also finds the possibility of restrictions during the upcoming holiday worrying.

TBCSA, describing itself as the umbrella organisation representing the unified voice of business in the travel and tourism sector, says the figures in the Stats SA report illustrate the effect of the lockdowns during 2020 clearly.

International tourists

“There has been recovery, but the tourism industry is still suffering due to the absence of international tourists. An increase in local travel during the holiday period will definitely help, but the industry is still reliant on foreign travellers spending dollars.

“The truth is that establishments need to make money to survive and pay their staff and other costs. Most employees in the sector are still working only a few days per week, and temporary seasonal workers not at all,” says Tshivhengwa.

He hints that hotels and guest houses are currently offering discounts to local travellers, just to earn a bit of income. “We need overseas travellers. We must be mindful of what people pay,” he says.

The difficulties of the tourism industry can be seen in any town that is dependent on tourism such as Cape Town, and it even affects Johannesburg, he adds.

It is noticeable to the casual observer. Restaurants aren’t full, it’s easy to get a room (for a good price) in a guest house, and shops in tourism hot spots are standing empty.

Meanwhile, potential holidaymakers are holding off booking a holiday this year – after they were forced to pack up halfway through their break last year and head home.

Source: https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/tourism-industry-is-still-on-the-ropes/

UAE: World’s first Warner Bros hotel to open in November

Guests will be able to ring up their favourite Looney Tunes characters for room service brought to them by Bugs Bunny himself.

The WB Abu Dhabi hotel is all set to open its doors to guests on November 11 this year. Located on Yas Island, it will allow visitors to see their favourite stories and characters brought to life through unique hospitality experiences.

Featuring one of the finest collections of Warner Bros archives, guests will be treated to a journey of discovery through film and television, enjoying the entertainment group’s rich history and library of timeless productions at every touchpoint from arrival to check-out.

Visitors can listen to familiar piano tunes from Westworld while dining in one of five restaurants on the property — or ring up one of their favourite Looney Tunes characters for a room service treat brought to them by the Wascally Wabbit, Bugs Bunny himself.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Miral, said: “We are proud to be launching another first with the opening of the only Warner Bros hotel in the world.”

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Guests will be able to ring up their favourite Looney Tunes characters for room service brought to them by Bugs Bunny himself

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The WB Abu Dhabi hotel is all set to open its doors to guests on November 11 this year. Located on Yas Island, it will allow visitors to see their favourite stories and characters brought to life through unique hospitality experiences.

Featuring one of the finest collections of Warner Bros archives, guests will be treated to a journey of discovery through film and television, enjoying the entertainment group’s rich history and library of timeless productions at every touchpoint from arrival to check-out.

Visitors can listen to familiar piano tunes from Westworld while dining in one of five restaurants on the property — or ring up one of their favourite Looney Tunes characters for a room service treat brought to them by the Wascally Wabbit, Bugs Bunny himself.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Miral, said: “We are proud to be launching another first with the opening of the only Warner Bros hotel in the world.”

What to expect

The experience begins right from the time guests of The WB Abu Dhabi hotel pull up to the property, where they are greeted by digital screens that span the height of the building and that play original content created for the hotel.

Before entering the hotel, they can make a quick stop at the iconic “Friends” fountain, while the storytelling continues after they cross the lobby, with guest room corridors displaying a curated gallery of artwork.

The curated guestroom artwork will be inspired by three themes. The first theme, “From Script to Screen”, highlights standout moments from Warner Bros’ movies and shows and documents the journey from the written page to the final shot. The second theme, “Artist Confidential”, celebrates a variety of talent in front of and behind the camera in some of Warner Bros’ favourite productions. The third theme, “The Vault”, features rarely-seen images from the Group’s most memorable archives.

Some of WB’s world-renowned characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others will participate in entertaining activities throughout the hotel, providing memories that will last a lifetime.

The WB Abu Dhabi is located adjacent to the award-winning Warner Bros World™ Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest indoor theme park which features six immersive lands, including DC’s Metropolis and Gotham City, Cartoon Junction, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch and Warner Bros Plaza.

Source: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/uae-worlds-first-warner-bros-hotel-to-open-in-november

Thailand to reopen for some vaccinated visitors on 1 November

Thailand plans to end Covid quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers from at least 10 low-risk nations from 1 November, officials say.

PM Prayuth Chan-ocha admitted that “this decision comes with some risk” – but it is seen as a key step to revive the country’s collapsed tourism sector.

The 10 nations seen as low risk include the UK, China, Germany and the US.

The country has been recording more than 10,000 positive infections daily since July.

It has fully vaccinated around 33% of its almost 70 million people. Half the population has received one dose.

Mr Prayuth said Thailand would also allow entertainment venues to reopen on 1 December and permit alcohol sales.

He added that the authorities were planning to open Thailand for more countries on that date.

Mr Prayuth’s comments came in a televised address on Monday.

Referring to visitors from 10 low-risk nations, he stressed that “when they arrive, they should present a [negative] Covid test… and test once again upon arrival”.

If the second test is also negative, any visitor from those countries “can travel freely like Thais”, the prime minister said.

But he warned that the government would act decisively if there were to be a spike in infections or an emergence of a highly contagious variant of Covid-19.

It is estimated that Thailand – popular for its sandy beaches and non-stop nightlife – lost about $50bn (£37bn) in tourism revenue in 2020.

The economy suffered its deepest contraction in more than two decades as a result of the pandemic.

Thailand was the first country outside China to record a Covid-19 case in January last year.

It took the drastic step of sealing its borders in April, effectively killing off a tourist industry accounting for perhaps 20% of GDP, but managed to cut new daily infections to just single figures, one of the best records anywhere.

This year though, with the arrival of the Delta variant, infections have soared, from a total of less than 7,000 at the end of 2020, to 1.7 million today. The argument for keeping out foreign visitors to contain Covid became much less persuasive, especially with tourist-related businesses pleading for restrictions to be eased.

The success in containing Covid last year had another unforeseen consequence; it led the Thai government to believe it had need not rush to order vaccines. The result has been a tardy and at times confused vaccine programme, and a public outcry.

The need for some economic good news is in large part what has driven it to start reopening, well before reaching its own declared target of getting 70% of the population vaccinated.

It is proceeding cautiously though, with only 10 countries on the list until the end of the year. Like other countries in the region Thailand’s health system has limited ICU capacity; in August ICU units in Bangkok were quickly overwhelmed by the number of serious Covid cases.

In any case, even with an end to the two week quarantine requirement, a recovery to the 40 million tourists who came in 2019 is unlikely next year, or even the year after.

Just over 70,000 visitors came into the country in the first eight months of this year, compared with 40 million in the whole of 2019.

Thailand has reported more than 1.7 million confirmed Covid cases since the pandemic began, with nearly 18,000 deaths, according to America’s Johns Hopkins University.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58838189

Vietnam to fully reopen by June

Hanoi — Vietnam is planning to reopen key tourist destinations to vaccinated visitors from countries deemed a low COVID-19 risk from December, the government said on Wednesday, October 6, ahead of a full resumption targeted for June next year.Vietnam imposed tight border controls at the start of the pandemic in an effort to keep out COVID-19, with some initial success, but that harmed its burgeoning tourism sector, which typically accounts for about 10% of gross domestic product.Last month, the country announced it would reopen the resort island Phu Quoc for vaccinated travelers from November.

Fom December, Vietnam will also allow tourists from approved countries to visit UNESCO world heritage site Halong Bay and Hoi An, the highlands town of Dalat and beach destination Nha Trang. It is not yet clear which countries will meet the criteria.”We are only open when it’s truly safe,” the government said in a statement.”We are moving step by step, cautiously but flexibly to adapt to real situations of the pandemic.”The move follows similar steps taken by neighboring Thailand, which will next month expand locations in its pilot scheme to allow vaccinated visitors.

Foreign arrivals to Vietnam fell to 3.8 million last year down from 18 million in 2019, when tourism revenue was $31 billion, equivalent to 12% of GDP.The country is trying to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations, with just 13% of its 98 million people inoculated so far, one of the lowest rates in Asia.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/vietnam-reopening-vaccinated-tourists-intl-hnk/index.html

Australia won’t welcome foreign tourists until at least 2022

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Foreign tourists won’t be welcomed back to Australia until at least next year, the prime minister said Tuesday as he outlined plans for lifting some of the toughest and longest COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed by any democracy.

The country will instead prioritize the return of skilled migrants and students after it hits Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s benchmark for reopening its external borders: the full vaccination of 80% of the population aged 16 and older. It is expected to reach that point Tuesday.

The news comes just days after Morrison announced plans to allow vaccinated citizens and permanent residents to fly overseas from November for the first time since March 2020.

The severe travel restrictions, which have trapped most Australians at home and kept most foreigners out, have led to the lowest level of immigration since World War II. Australian universities, which rely heavily on fees paid by international students, have been particularly hard hit, and many fear students will go elsewhere if they are not allowed in soon.

While many countries imposed strict lockdowns that shut down large portions of the economies, Australia’s travel restrictions have kept life fairly normal for much of the pandemic — though it is now experiencing shutdowns in the biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as the capital Canberra.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Foreign tourists won’t be welcomed back to Australia until at least next year, the prime minister said Tuesday as he outlined plans for lifting some of the toughest and longest COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed by any democracy.

The country will instead prioritize the return of skilled migrants and students after it hits Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s benchmark for reopening its external borders: the full vaccination of 80% of the population aged 16 and older. It is expected to reach that point Tuesday.

The news comes just days after Morrison announced plans to allow vaccinated citizens and permanent residents to fly overseas from November for the first time since March 2020.

The severe travel restrictions, which have trapped most Australians at home and kept most foreigners out, have led to the lowest level of immigration since World War II. Australian universities, which rely heavily on fees paid by international students, have been particularly hard hit, and many fear students will go elsewhere if they are not allowed in soon.

While many countries imposed strict lockdowns that shut down large portions of the economies, Australia’s travel restrictions have kept life fairly normal for much of the pandemic — though it is now experiencing shutdowns in the biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as the capital Canberra. ADVERTISEMENT

The rules imposed a high emotional burden in a country where half the population was born overseas or has at least one immigrant parent. Families were separated, and some grandparents have been barred from meeting grandchildren in Australia who are now approaching 2 years old.

After lifting restrictions on Australians, Morrison said the next priority would be skilled migrants and international students — before tourists. He did not specify when those groups would be allowed in.

“We will get to international visitors as well, I believe next year,” Morrison said.

The Australian Tourism Export Council, which represents a sector that made 45 billion Australian dollars ($33 billion) a year from international tourists before the pandemic, wants international visitors to return by March.

Australian tourism operators — which have suffered not only from the ban on international tourism but also frequent internal pandemic border restrictions — are frustrated that there aren’t more details of how leisure travel will resume.

“International tourist arrivals have to be part of the plan,” said Daniel Gschwind, chief executive of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council, Queensland state’s peak advocacy group. “Even if they’re not the first priority, we’d like to see how this is going to be worked out. There are many businesses that are just hanging on.”

Gschwind that his sector needed to plan for how the COVID-19 risk could be managed, perhaps through rapid testing and self-isolation.

There are a few exceptions to Australia’s travel ban — and tourism has never been accepted as a reason to cross the border. Those who have been able to enter must spend two weeks in hotel quarantine. That would represent a major obstacle if it remains even after tourists are allowed.

Morrison said last week that his government would work toward “complete quarantine-free travel for certain countries, such as New Zealand, when it is safe to do so.” He did not elaborate on the timing.

Australia and New Zealand briefly shared a quarantine-free travel bubble when both countries were essentially free of COVID-19 transmission.

But New Zealand reintroduced quarantine after Australian authorities lost control of an outbreak of the highly-contagious delta variant, which was brought to Sydney in June by a U.S. air crew.

The delta variant has changed the game in many countries that previously were able to largely keep the virus at bay with very strict travel rules, including New Zealand. On Monday, that country’s government acknowledged for the first time that it can no longer completely get rid of the coronavirus.

Australia is continuing to battle outbreaks, while also racing to inoculate its population. Its vaccination rollout was initially slow but has picked up.

Victoria state on Tuesday reported a national record 1,763 new local infections. Australia’s second-most populous state also reported four COVID-19 deaths.

The previous national record of 1,599 infections in 24 hours was set by New South Wales when its outbreak peaked on Sept. 10. Hospitalizations peaked in Australia’s most populous state in mid-September.

New South Wales leads the other states in vaccination rates and Sydney’s airport is expected to be the first to reopen to vaccinated travelers.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-business-scott-morrison-travel-0e0dea481cefe0952e19f6315b6955ee

Creating change agents of hospitality

There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed the hospitality industry and its people. It was a change in which we ended up being mainly passive observers – powerless to change the course of the pandemic, government decisions, and the impact that the pandemic was having on travelling and purchasing decisions of our guests.

The impact of this change financially in the UK is estimated by UKHospitality at £80.8bn of lost sales in the first 12 months of Covid. However, we are yet to see the full impact on the staffing levels, industry staff retention and the health and wellbeing of those who have stayed loyal to hospitality and worked all the way through these challenges.

Hospitality response – makers of our own destiny

Once we had gone through all the stages of the Kubler-Ross change curve (a model used by individuals and organisations to help people understand their reactions to significant change or loss), we could see the hospitality spirit waking up and businesses and individuals taking the change processes in their own hands.

We could see amazing Michelin star takeaway menus, hotel premises being repurposed, teams that have never worked remotely being amazingly agile and finding ways to efficiency in the new circumstances.

We could see amazing Michelin star takeaway menus, hotel premises being repurposed, teams that have never worked remotely being amazingly agile and finding ways to efficiency in the new circumstances.

Agile change management approach

The key in the survival and the faster recovery for some of the organisations Umbrella Training has been working with is the choice to be an active player with a holistic approach to change management.

Rather than mothballing the development programmes and investment plans, these organisations decided to support their people through the change curve and apply concepts like resilient leadership, agile communication, stronger partnering with stakeholders and utilising blended learning models.

This comprehensive set of actions is outlined by Deloitte management consultants in their comprehensive report “Combating COVID-19 with an agile change management approach” that was recently published as one of the pathways to success in keeping the organisation competitive.

Why do we need to continue to change in an agile manner?

The world around is not waiting for us to settle in our new working environments. Just as we think we have settled on a course of action – things evolve and require us to adjust.

Melanie Franklin, a highly respected thought leader in change management and firm advocate of agile change management techniques, explains that the frequency of change generated by agile approaches is far higher and that, when adopting this, we create mini waves of change.

These mini waves of change all contribute to successful adaptation to new ways of working. The most important part is supporting people whilst riding on these waves of change, and allowing them to be part of it from the very beginning. Hospitality can embrace this.

Issues with change and change initiatives

Despite change being the only constant we can rely on, humans have not taken easily to this definition. Change brings with it fear of losing status, fear of being able to use the new technology, being able to learn new ways of working. The majority of people dislike change because of the perceived uncertainty that it brings with it. We’ve seen this across business over the course of the pandemic period. Managing change successfully has become one of the key leadership skills in the hospitality industry today.

Making change management more effective

It is paramount for the organisations involved in the change to support their stakeholders by providing the following:

• Information – at every stage of the process and in a format relevant to their audience.
• Involvement – asking for feedback and input; working on hearing all the voices who will be impacted by the change.
• Support – open doors policy for people to be able to explore their personal challenges with change.
• Structure – clarity on how the change will work, who to speak to if they have issues, how to get involved, what the desired outcome of the change should be.

Role of the apprenticeships in managing change

Author and entrepreneur Seth Godin, has said: “Our job is obvious: We need to get out of the way, shine a light, and empower a new generation to teach itself and to go further and faster than any generation ever has.”

Apprentices are perfect change agents. They have capacity to be critical friends, they bring different perspective to a business and by developing future-fit skills like agility and autonomy – we are building future leaders who are not afraid of agile change.

Apprentices can support businesses with horizon-scanning and scan the external environment to help predict changes in the labour market. Apprenticeship programmes can be a perfect platform to support changes to processes, performance expectations and culture in general. Apprentices can be emissaries of change, sharing their experience and engaging others in the organisation that might have a more stagnant view.

There is always a temptation to go down the route of a path well-travelled. What if we empowered our apprentices to be change generators? Talent attraction, recruitment days, training – these are great examples where your apprentices could help you create new waves of change by hearing their voices.

Source: https://www.hospitalityandcateringnews.com/2021/09/creating-change-agents-of-hospitality/