MARCH 3 - 4, 2021 | WWW.AVIATIONGHANA.COM

Kotoka Airport AdjudgedBest Airport in Africa for2-5m Passengers

PAGE 02

PAGE 04

PAGE 09

PAGE 02

From Bad to Worse:JanuaryPassengerDemand FallsFurther

5 Ways We’llPlan OurTravelDifferentlyNow

Even as the COVID-19pandemic hascontinued to pause

travel around the world, it hasnot stopped people fromdreaming about where theywant to take their next,somewhat off-schedule,vacation. While UNWTO’sPanel of Experts foresees arebound in internationaltourism in the latter half ofthis year, what awaits on theother end of this static periodis a more prudent traveller ina far more evolved travelecosystem.

For travellers, theaftermath of COVID-19lockdowns will cause asignificant shift change inperception of holidaydestinations, caution aroundair travel, increase inpreference for ‘safe andtrusted’ destinations, andhygiene concerns.

AirportsCompanyVaccinatesFrontline StaffAt KotokaAirport

� � � � �� � ��

By Dominick Andohinfo@aviationghana.com

News

Kotoka Airport Adjudged BestAirport in Africa for 2-5m Passengers

Ghana’s KotokaInternational Airport hasbeen adjudged the Best

Airport in Africa that handles 2m-5m passengers per anum byAirports Council International(ACI).

The ACI’s Airport ServiceQuality awards, which highlight theworld’s best airports as judged bytheir customers, is based on theviews of customers in 2020. Itmeasures passengers’ satisfactionacross 34 key performanceindicators.

Giving the challenging situationposed by the COVID-19 pandemic,the Kotoka International Airportwas recognised for listening to itscustomers and adapting the servicesand experiences it offers to meetchanging needs and expectationsunder the current very tryingcircumstances.

The airport operator, GhanaAirports Company Limited, sincethe outbreak of the pandemic,

intensified its cleaning routine andhas undertaken fumigation exerciseof the entire facility twice.

Again, though the airport wasclosed to scheduled passengertraffic for about five months, theability of the airport managers,working with government agencies,to institute a antigen test in time forthe re-opening of the facility onSeptember 1, 2020, was lauded bypassengers and governmentsaround the world and served as amodel for others.

The KIA is also among the firstfew airports in Africa that havereceived ACI’s Airport HealthAccreditation Certificate.

ACI World Director GeneralLuis Felipe de Oliveira said: “ACI’sAirport Service Quality awardsrepresent the highest possibleaccolade for airport operatorsaround the world. This year morethan any other, the awardsrecognise those airports that havelistened to their customers andadapted the services andexperiences they offer to meetchanging needs and expectations

under very trying circumstances.

“I am proud of the achievementsof all ASQ award winners whichshows their focus on deliveringexcellence in customer experienceand setting an example of excellencefor their peers. As we come togetheras an industry to meet thechallenges of the COVID-19pandemic, the focus on customersthat the ASQ programme provideswill help guide the way.”

On his part, Bruno Spada, EVP,Airport IT, Amadeus said: “We atAmadeus congratulate all the ASQaward winners for their ongoingcommitment to delivering anexceptional customer experience inthe face of adversity caused byCOVID-19. Amadeus shares thiscommitment, which is why we’vebeen investing for many years tobring an integrated platform for allaspects of passenger services to theairport industry, incorporatingapplications, hardware andservices.”

“With a modular cloud

platform, airports can better connectto airlines to bring new passengerservice innovations like biometricsor contactless to market. They canbase operations on a consistent flowof data throughout the entire airportjourney, which is the key todelivering a truly smoothexperience for passengers. And theycan do all this with minimal effort ordelay because we’ve taken care ofthe complexity in the cloud.”

More than half of the world’stravellers pass through an ASQairport. ACI adapted the rigorousquality control process for the ASQawards programme to ensure thebenchmarking and findings fromthe ASQ surveys remained of thehighest quality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other winners include: MoiInternational Airport - Mombasa,Kenya (<2million passengers); JomoKenyatta International Airport -Nairobi, Kenya and NnamdiAzikiwe International Airport -Abuja, Nigeria (5-15million)

Airports Company VaccinatesFrontline Staff At Kotoka Airport

Ghana Airports CompanyLimited (GACL) hasbegun vaccinating all

frontline staff at the KotokaInternational Airport.

On Tuesday, March 2, 2021,members of the GACL Board, led bythe Chairperson, Madam OboshieSai Cofie, received the first jab of theAstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine atthe Airport Clinic.

Other senior management andfrontline staff of the Company werealso vaccinated. The exercise isexpected to continue until all otherstaff are covered.

This comes 48hrs after thePresident of the Republic, Nana

Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo andother Senior government officialstook turns to receive the vaccine.

It would be recalled that onFebruary 24, 2021, Ghana becamethe first country in Africa to receive600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine produced by theSerum Institute of India vaccine.

The UN-backed COVAXvaccines is part of the ACTAccelerator, which WHO launchedwith partners in 2020. COVAX, thevaccines pillar of ACT Accelerator,convened by CEPI, Gavi and WHO,aims to end the acute phase of theCOVID-19 pandemic by supportingthe building of manufacturingcapabilities; and working with

governments and manufacturers toensure fair and equitable allocation

of the vaccines for all countries – theonly global initiative to do so.

By Dominick Andoh info@aviationghana.com

NEWS

Rolls-Royce completes taxing of its‘Spirit of Innovation’ electric aircraft

Rolls-Royce has successfullycompleted the taxiing of its‘Spirit of Innovation’

aircraft, the latest milestone on itsjourney to becoming the world’sfastest all-electric plane.

For the first time, the planepowered along a runway propelledby its powerful 500hp [400kw]electric powertrain and the latestenergy storage technologydeveloped to set world speedrecords and enable a new generationof urban air mobility concepts.

The taxiing of the plane is acritical test of the integration of theaircraft’s propulsion system, aheadof actual flight-testing. The firstflight is planned for the Spring andwhen at full power the combinationof electrical powertrain andadvanced battery system will powerthe aircraft to more than 300mph,

setting a new world speed record forelectric flight.

Minister for Business Paul Scullysaid “The taxiing of Rolls-Royce’s‘Spirit of Innovation’ forms part ofan exciting new chapter in aviationas we move towards its first flight inthe spring. Set to be the world’sfastest electric plane, this pioneeringaircraft highlights the value of closecollaboration between industry andgovernment.

“The UK is committed toachieving net-zero carbon emissionsby 2050. Through governmentgrants for research anddevelopment, we’re championinginnovation in the aerospace sector tomeet this ambitious target as webuild back greener from thepandemic.”

The ACCEL programme, short

for ‘Accelerating the Electrificationof Flight, ’includes key partnersYASA, the electric motor andcontroller manufacturer, andaviation start-up Electroflight. TheACCEL team have continued toinnovate while adhering to the UKGovernment’s social distancing andother health guidelines.

Rob Watson, Director – Rolls-Royce Electrical, said:“Electrification of flight is animportant part of our sustainabilitystrategy as we aim for net zerocarbon by 2050. Taxiing of the ‘Spiritof Innovation’ is an incrediblemilestone for the ACCEL team as weprogress to first flight and theworld-record attempt later this year.For the first time, the planepropelled itself forward using thepower from an advanced batteryand propulsion system that isground-breaking in terms ofelectrical technology. This systemand the capabilities being developedwill help position Rolls-Royce as atechnology leader offering powersystems to the Urban Air Mobilitymarket.”

Half of the project’s funding isprovided by the AerospaceTechnology Institute (ATI), inpartnership with the Department forBusiness, Energy & IndustrialStrategy and Innovate UK.

Gary Elliott, Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the Aerospace Technology

Institute, said: “The AerospaceTechnology Institute is proud to co-fund the ACCEL project. The aims ofACCEL align with the long-termobjectives of the ATI strategy: tofund exciting and innovativetechnology development thatsecures a lead for the UK in next-generation zero-emissionpropulsion, and to continue tosupport highly-skilled jobs andgenerate economic return for thebenefit of the UK. Ourcongratulations to the ACCEL teamfor reaching this latest milestoneagainst a very challengingbackdrop.”

The characteristics that ‘air-taxis’require from batteries are verysimilar to what is being developedfor the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ so thatit can reach record-breaking speeds.Rolls-Royce will be using thetechnology from the ACCEL projectand applying it to products for themarket. We are bringing a portfolioof motors, power electronics andbatteries into the general aerospace,urban air mobility and smallcommuter aircraft sectors as part ofour electrification strategy.

The ACCEL project is part ofRolls-Royce’s journey towards netzero carbon by 2050 and thecompany is looking to inspire youngpeople, through the ACCEL project,to consider careers in STEM(Science, Technology, Engineeringand Mathematics).

The International AirTransport Association(IATA) announced that

passenger traffic fell in January2021, both compared to pre-COVIDlevels (January 2019) and comparedto the immediate month prior(December 2020).

Total demand in January 2021,as measured in revenue passengerkilometers or RPKs, was down72.0% compared to January 2019.That was worse than the 69.7% year-over-year decline recorded inDecember 2020.

Total domestic demand wasdown 47.4% versus pre-crisis(January 2019) levels. In December itwas down 42.9% on the previousyear. This weakening is largelydriven by stricter domestic travelcontrols in China over the LunarNew Year holiday period.

International passenger demand

in January was 85.6% below January2019, a further drop compared to the85.3% year-to-year decline recordedin December.

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’sDirector General and CEO said:“2021 is starting off worse than 2020ended and that is saying a lot. Evenas vaccination programs gatherpace, new COVID variants areleading governments to increasetravel restrictions. The uncertaintyaround how long these restrictionswill last also has an impact on futuretravel. Forward bookings inFebruary this year for the NorthernHemisphere summer travel seasonwere 78% below levels in February2019.”

African airlines’ traffic dropped66.1% in January, which was amodest improvement compared to a68.8% decline recorded in Decemberversus a year ago. January capacity

contracted 54.2% versus January2019, and load factor fell 18.4percentage points to 52.3%.

Asia-Pacific airlines’ Januarytraffic plummeted 94.6% comparedto the 2019 period, virtuallyunchanged from the 94.4% declineregistered for December 2020compared to a year ago. The regioncontinued to suffer from the steepesttraffic declines for a seventhconsecutive month. Capacitydropped 86.5% and load factor sank49.4 percentage points to 32.6%, byfar the lowest among regions.

European carriers had an 83.2%decline in traffic in January versusJanuary 2019, worsened from an82.6% decline in Decembercompared to the same month in2019. Capacity sank 73.6% and loadfactor fell by 29.2 percentage points

to 51.4%.

Middle Eastern airlines sawdemand plunge 82.3% in Januarycompared to January 2019, whichwas broadly unchanged from an82.6% demand drop in Decemberversus a year ago. Capacity fell67.6%, and load factor declined 33.9percentage points to 40.8%.

North American carriers’January traffic fell 79.0% comparedto the 2019 period, up slightly froma 79.5% decline in December year toyear. Capacity sagged 60.5%, andload factor dropped 37.8 percentagepoints to 42.9%.

Latin American airlinesexperienced a 78.5% demand dropin January, compared to the samemonth in 2019, worsened from a76.2% decline in December year-to-year. January capacity was 67.9%down compared to January 2019 andload factor dropped 27.2 percentagepoints to 55.3%, highest among theregions for a fourth consecutivemonth.

From Bad to Worse: JanuaryPassenger Demand Falls Further

TOURISM

The tourism sector is whatwe call the rough diamondof Ghana. As said by Alba

Kunadu Sunmprim, “Ghana is ahuge grindstone, and dependingon what you are made of, cangrind you down or polish youup.” So, the big question is, whatare we made up of in the tourismindustry?

For years the tourism industryhas been highly patronized byforeigners and due to thispandemic, there have been a bigblow on the industry leading to amajor loss in revenue. But onequestion that keeps lingering onmy mind is, where are theprofessionals of the land? Whereare the people to polish up thetourism industry? Must we lose alot of revenue because foreignersare not coming in?

It’s time to take domestictourism on a different level, it’stime to make more profit from theindustry domestically. It’s time tosell what we have to ourselves andenjoy what we have as well aspolish up what we have. Thecountry’s dazzling andbreathtaking tourist attractions,hospitable people, and deliciousfood add to the sublimity of theindustry which is fast becomingone of the foremost backbones andcapstone of the economy.

Comparatively, statistics indicatethat international tourist arrivalsincreased from 956, 375 in 2018 to1,130, 307 in 2019 and withdomestic tourism, arrivalsincreased from 635,194 in 2018 to669,311 in 2019. This indicate that,irrespective of the increase indomestic tourism from 2018 to2019, international tourismsurpasses domestic tourism. Theseare equal indications that citizenscan help to put domestic tourismin Ghana on a much higherpedestal

The need to cushion up

domestic tourism emanate fromthe fact that evidence exists allover the world, and particularly insome African countries, theindustry is overflowing with theprospect of transforminglivelihoods through employmentand wealth creation. There arestrong indications that thepotential tourism flourish intransforming economies andempowering livelihoods ismaximized through a vibrantdomestic tourism. Comparatively,Ghana can do more and achievemore if we take the tourismindustry serious by first promoting

domestic tourism.It is pivotal to note that,

domestic tourism as a tool caneliminate poverty, generateemployment and upgradeinfrastructure in the an economy.In a quest to promote domestictourism, various campaigns havebeen outlined by the GhanaTourism Authority under theauspices of Ministry of Tourism,Arts and Culture. These includeSee Ghana, Eat Ghana, WearGhana and Feel Ghana, GhanaGuru, Stay Home Know Ghana,Travel See Snap and Win, just tomention a few.

In view of that, the GhanaTourism Authority appointedthirty Ghanaian celebrities asTourism Ambassadors under theauspices of the Ministry ofTourism, Arts and Culture tospearhead the “See Ghana, EatGhana, Wear Ghana and FeelGhana” campaign. The campaignconcept draws on re-orientingGhanaians on a new sense ofnational pride in its heritage,culture, and way of life.

Notable among theseambassadors are: Supt. KofiSarpong, D-Black, Nana Ampadu,Okyeame Kwame, Fancy Gadam,Agya Koo, Lucky Mensah, Reggyand Bole, Van Vicker, Sena Degaduand others. The Ambassadors, cutacross different creative artssectors including musicians, actors,radio presenters, disc jockeys andbloggers, to promote tourismdomestically and internationally.

Be A Guru In Domestic Tourism

By Evelyn Foli

TOURISM

The need to be Gurus of ourland, can’t be dependent ononly the citizens. As such,

the Ghana Tourism Authority hasreiterated its commitment toboosting local tourism in theCountry. Moreover, according tothe Ag. Corporate Affairs Directorof the Ghana Tourism Authority(GTA), Mr. Jones Nelson, in aninterview granted to Citi BusinessNews, his “outfit is confident thatwhen more attention is given todomestic tourism stakeholders inthe industry will stand a betterchance of thriving.

The kind of situation we findourselves indicates that we need tointensify our domestic tourism toget the yield because the times arerough. If you travel to Asia, forinstance Japan and China, you willrealize that domestic tourism is thebackbone of their tourism. It fetchesthem a lot of money. They don’tthink about international tourism,they rather focus on domestictourism. So, we are trying tointensify efforts, and we are alsosaying that we have to go virtual inaddition, so we can boost domestictourism.” On the other hand, thePresident of Ghana HotelsAssociation, Dr. Edward Ackah –Nyamekye believes that thegovernment have a major role toplay in boosting local tourism inorder to sustain their businesses.

Did you know that, patronizingGhana’s cocoa products contributeto promoting domestic tourism?The light in this is that, it introducesGhanaians to numerous businessopportunities to boost the industryand attract investors into theCountry. According to Mr. AkwasiAgyeman, Chief Executive Officerof GTA in an interview granted

during a presentation of cocoaproducts and PPEs to the GhanaMedical Association as part of theNational Chocolate WeekCelebrations ‘there is the need tohave a mind shift starting from thehospitality industry. Serving cocoaor chocolate products; and asconsumption goes on and improves,demand increases as well, investorswould find the need to invest in theprocessing of cocoa.’ However, itcan be proved beyond reasonabledoubt that, for investors to moveinto the industry its highlydependent on how we patronize theindustry and become Gurus of theindustry.

It’s time to discover Ghana witha different lens in this period ofCOVID-19, as a result, one need notto travel now to know about ordiscover Ghana, to boost domestictourism. In view of that, the GhanaTourism Authority’s initiativecalled “Stay Home Know Ghana”.Campaign was introduced topromote domestic tourism amidstthe spread of COVID-19. Thecampaign is programmed withexciting outlines such as: OnlineContests. Which involves aPictionary Contest whereParticipants identify images ofattractions, Ghanaian symbols(Adinkra) and artifacts on Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram. Games willbe run on the GTA social mediapages (@VisitGhanaNow and@GhanaTourismAuthority.

Participants with the mostcorrect answers will win a cashprize of 100gh and 2nd and 3rd willwin Airtime. Not only but also,another outline for this campaign isKnow & Eat Ghana Contest, whereparticipants will share four imagesof different Ghanaian dishes they

have tasted. The picture with themost comments or Likes & RTs willwin cash prize or airtime. Also,with the Stay Home, Wear GhanaContest: Participants would show a‘before and after’ picture ofthemselves in any normal clothingand switch up to their traditionalGhanaian clothing.

This will showcase the differenttypes of clothes from our variousethnic groups and their way ofdressing. Participants are to talkabout or promote their clothing ontheir status. Participants with themost views, likes and retweets willwin cloth pieces from GTP and alsocash prizes. Some notableinfluencers will be leading thiscampaign. Furthermore, anotheroutline for the campaign is a RadioContest. Partner radio stations willhold radio contests and awardprizes to winners weekly. Partnerradio stations include: HAPPY FM,YFM KUMASI, CITI FM, YFMACCRA, JOY ACCRA, YFMTAKORADI.

One amazing thing to discoveris that, the Beyond the Returninitiative is a fantastic initiative toboost domestic tourism. It is a“Decade of African Renaissance”and a 10-year project building onthe success of the “Year of Return”to grow Ghana’s tourism industryand showcase its investmentpotential, as well as solidify itsDiaspora engagement programs. Itis focal to note that, there are sevenpillars of Beyond the Return. ThesePillars include: Experience Ghana,Promote Pan African Heritage andInnovation, Invest in Ghana,Diaspora Pathway to Ghana, GiveBack Ghana, Celebrate Ghana andBrand Ghana. With all thesemeasures put in place to intensify

domestic tourism, let us not bespectators in the tourism industrybut gurus of domestic tourism.

Interestingly, domestic tourismcan thrive when citizens develop akeen interest in patronizing ourtourists’ sites. It is a well-knownfact that Ghana is blessed with someof the most incredible sites in theworld.

With many of these attractionsin their natural state, lovers ofnature and eco-tourists will find thecountry the best to be for some realtourism adventure. It can be provedbeyond reasonable doubt that, ifGhanaians see the good in domestictourism, the industry will flourishand will be a better place to be. Asgurus of domestic tourism, let ourjourney in the industry end in loversmeeting where we can’t do awaywith domestic tourism. As said byG.K. Chesterton “The whole objectof travel is not to set foot on foreignland; it is at least to set foot on one’sown Country as a foreign land.”

As gurus of domestic tourism,let us travel happily to see the lightin domestic tourism. Remember,Danny Kaye once said” to travel isto take a journey into yourself”. And“yourself” is your Country wherethe love and excitement of yourbirth began. Be a guru in domestictourism where all allegiance to one’smotherland begins. As we contineto fight the COVID-19 pandemic, letus all strive to patronize our own,not forgetting to adhere strictly toall the protocols associated with it.

NATIONAL SERVICEPERSONNEL

CORPORATE AFFAIRSDEPARTMENT

GHANA TOURISMAUTHORITY

Be A Guru In Domestic Tourism

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

FEATURE

At the other end, the travelindustry will continue toadopt an increasingly

digital ‘contact-less’ approach formost things - from travel planningto customer engagement, withgreater assurance for sanitationstandards, and possibly expandingterms of travel insurance. With allthese nuances in play now, here area few ways that people could startplanning travel differently:

1. Meticulous planning Impromptu trips to short-haul

destinations, backpacking across acountry with no concrete plans –those whimsical travel plans thatwere earlier an appealing thoughtmay soon lose a chunk of theiraudience. Travellers are nowexpected to be more wary of wherethey stay, travel, and eat, and willprefer planning their vacationsdown to the last detail. They will tryto ensure that in no case do theyhave to settle for anyaccommodation or transport thatthey haven’t had the time tocarefully vet.

2. Making it an exclusiveexperience

Budget trips that involve cheapflights, hostels and homestays,group tours, public transport, andmore have long been the hallmarksof millennial travel. However, withall human interaction now underthe lens of physical distancing,travel is set to become a moreexclusive experience. We expect tosee an increase in solo/small grouptrips, well-researched and exclusiveaccommodation that allow you tocheck the health and sanitationstandards beforehand, privatetransport (cabs, cycles, walking) -anything that helps one avoidsharing space with too many peopleand strangers.

3. Second City TravelEvery country is known for its

most popular destination - one ofthe key cities, thronging withtourists, crowded with localbusinesses, trying to capitalize onthe vacationers. However, in aneffort to keep a safe distance fromcrowds, travellers are anticipated togive such popular destinations amiss in the post-COVID travelseason, and rather indulge in“second-city travel” – probablyexploring a lesser-knowndestination in the same country.This not only helps reduce over-tourism and environmental impact,

but will also mean travellers canexplore without coming into contactwith too many people.

4. Digitalised Travel PlanningThe travel industry is now

expected to pay even more attentionto digitalising business operations.From travel planning to visaapplications and airports to hotels -the industry is at the cusp ofevolution towards end-to-enddigital solutions. Travellers, on theirpart, will seek out companies thatprovide them the luxury ofcompleting their planning andbooking processes from the comfort.

of their homes, or servicedremotely by their trusted travelagent, and without the stress ofbeing in crowded public spacesavoiding too many human touch-points. Online travel planners,‘doorstep’ visa services, eVisaservices, courier for passport return,self-check-in kiosks at airports willnow become a common sight.Travel companies will now focus oncreating digital touchpoints to createa customer experience that lastsmuch longer than their holiday.

5. A new travel-peakThe summer holidays account

for 60-65% of the yearly business fortravel companies and tourismboards - which is a travel peakperiod across the globe. Having

missed that window in 2020,however, we are likely to witness asimilar peak period wheninternational borders open for long-haul travel and people deem it safeto travel again. For all those last-minute travel planners, this wouldmean making sure they have alltheir bookings and documentsapplied for much more in advance,to make sure air-tickets and hotelbookings are not snapped up by thesea of people who may step outaltogether, itching to get to theirnext travel adventure.

Even with the uncertaintycurrently clouding our traveldreams, the world will definitelyresume travel. However, the face oftravel will inevitably change hereon. Public health, evolved digitaland sustainability standards aregoing to be the new wheels that thetravel industry runs on - towards asmarter, safer and more sustainablefuture.

(Jiten Vyas is the RegionalGroup Chief Operating Officer -Australasia, China, Africa andEurope & CIS, VFS Global. VFSGlobal is the world's largestoutsourcing and technologyservices specialist for governmentsand diplomatic missionsworldwide. It has 3482 ApplicationCentres, operations in 144countries across five continents)

5 Ways We’ll Plan Our TravelDifferently Now

By Jiten Vyas

CONTINUED FROM COVER

NEWS

When can we go on vacationagain? This is what experts say

After reaching an all-timehigh in January 2021,global coronavirus case

numbers are beginning to drop.Vaccination roll-outs are now

underway around the world, butwhen it comes to the recovery ofleisure travel, we're a long wayfrom being out of the woods.

While travel experts areoptimistic that things will slowlybegin to open up again this year,how quickly that happens willdepend on where you are, whereyou want to travel to, and if thevirus and its mutant strains areable to be brought under control.

With so much uncertaintyafoot, the most advisable course ofaction in most parts of the world isstill to stay safe and stay home.

There's no danger, however, inlooking towards the future. Weasked experts to weigh in on thequestion of when the world will beable to go on vacation again andwhen, if ever, travel might returnto normal.

When will I be able to fly long-haul?

"There are some destinationsthat travelers can still book a long-haul flight right now if theywanted to," says Bryce Conway,travel rewards expert and founderof 10xTravel. "For example, thereare flights open to US passengersto destinations like Albania andmany parts of the Caribbean. But I

don't expect the volume of long-haul routes to increase topre-Covid-19 levels until 2022."

Alexis Barnekow, founder andCEO of booking app Chatflights,concurs. "Almost everything is stillbookable with a few exceptions,"he says. "New Zealand/Australia ismore difficult to book becauseairlines such as Qantas havedecreased their inventory to alarge extent.

"Two other airlines that havedecreased bookable inventory areThai Airways and SingaporeAirlines, (although that's) moredue to financial reasons.

"Basically all other airlines arestriving to keep the supply at thesame levels as before in order tokeep their cash flow going. Youcan book but the risk of canceledflights and rescheduling is muchmore prevalent. This way, airlinescan keep selling inventory andhave cash running through theirbooks, and when the travel datesapproach use rescheduling to tryto fill some planes and keep otherson the ground."

The rules for entry, of course,vary from destination todestination and also upondeparture country. Dubai, forexample, is one of the most opendestinations in the world, whileNew Zealand is among the mostlocked down.

Travelers should checkregulations at the time of booking

and again before they travel, andnot go on unnecessary trips whenit is against official guidance.

When it comes to long-haulleisure travel becoming morepermissable and advisable,optimistically, we're talking late2021.

Australian flag carrier Qantas,one of aviation's big-hitters,announced last week that it plansto resume international flights --on a reduced scale -- by the end ofOctober.

Over on the other side of theworld, the government of the UK -- which has had the highest Coviddeath rate in Europe -- has said itwon't be lifting its restrictions oninternational travel until May atthe earliest.

"The lockdown is probably asstrict as it's ever been, particularlyin the Europe, US and so on," saysChris Goater, head of corporatecommunications at theInternational Air TransportAssociation (IATA), the globalaviation trade body. "We'rehopeful that there's light at the endof the tunnel," although "we doexpect long-haul to be the lastthing to recover."

Linking far-flung markets risksexposure to potential new variants,which governments areunderstandably wary about, saysGoater. "A lot of business travel islong-haul and that may take sometime to recover as businesses look

after their cash," he adds.

What about 'travel bubbles'and short-haul trips?

IATA's Goater is moreoptimistic about the revival ofshort-haul flying. Governmentswill face "greater pressure to relaxquarantine restrictions for travel toa neighbor than to a longer-hauldestination, he says. In Europe,"you can imagine that we couldend up with some kind of EU-wideagreement that they will allowborders to reopen if pandemicinfections are low, come thesummer."

Ohio-based Conway says,"Short-haul flights will bounceback quickly, with most resumingby the fall of 2021. While there aredestinations that will accept UStravelers -- some with a negativeCovid test -- I don't anticipatemany travel bubbles to open up toUS travelers until the pandemic isunder control."

Barnekow, based in Stockholm,says: "'Travel bubbles seem to havenot materialized. The UK had onewith Dubai in the summer, but wehaven't heard of other examplesthat have worked. There have beenrumors of it for HongKong/Singapore andAustralia/New Zealand but thesehaven't materialized. We get theimpression that they don't do itbecause it's simply too complex tokeep track of it all."

NEWS

When can we go on vacationagain? This is what experts say

Can I travel domestically?

"Some parts of the world, likeChina, India and Russia, recoveredvery strongly last year, in somecases back to pre-pandemic levels,"says IATA's Goater. Based on thisevidence, he's optimistic that asrestrictions relax, domestic travelwill be quick to recover. "Whenlockdown is not that strong, thedemand to travel domesticallysoars."

Says Conway of the US,"Domestic travel has alreadystarted to rebound quickly and wewill see this trend continue asvaccines become widely availableto the public. We're seeing a hugedemand for trips to USdestinations in California, Floridaand Nevada for summer travel. Asof now, it appears there will not beany additional travel restrictions inplace on domestic travel with thenew administration."

James Turner, CEO of globaltravel service 360 Private Travel,says that for his company's officesin Singapore and for Hong Kong,domestic "staycations" will be "abig part of their business goingforward." In the UK however,while staycations were popularlast summer, "this year I thinkmost of our clients really want toget away."

Can I take a road trip?"Road trips have become

incredibly popular in the last yearbecause they seem to be the safestform of travel during a pandemic,"

says Conway of the United States."There is an extremely low risk ofCovid-19 exposure if you take aroad trip and stay in an AirBnBwith those who live in your samehousehold or a hotel that isfollowing proper safety protocols."

What about cruising?"Cruising is by far the most

impacted travel segment, and it'sgoing to be quite sometime beforecruising returns to 'normal,' if itever does at all," says Conway."The cruise industry dropped theball by trying to come back toofast, and they lost a lot of publictrust by doing so. People will alsolikely be more health conscious ina post-Covid-19 world, and Iexpect this is going to causeirreparable damage to the cruiseindustry."

Turner, of 360 Private Travel,has a more optimistic view. "Ithink certain types of cruises willbe one of the first ones to (recover),contrary to what some peoplemight think." Boutique-styleexperiences on small ships, withstrict conditions of entry andcarefully tailored itineraries, willappeal to clients "because theenvironment is more controlled."

Does it matter if I'mvaccinated?

"Not yet, but it will," predictsConway. "This will be one of thebiggest issues facing the travelindustry in the next 12-24 months."

"Vaccine passports," whichcould place travel restrictions onanyone who's not vaccinated, areone of the most hotly debated

topics in the travel industry rightnow.

Some destinations -- includingthe Seychelles, Cyprus and Poland-- have already lifted quarantinerequirements to visitors able toprove they're vaccinated.

However, fears remain overwhat protection vaccines actuallyafford, how inoculationdocumentation might be abusedand what it means for those stillawaiting their jabs, or unable orunwilling to receive them. TheWorld Health Organization(WHO), for example, does notsupport the "vaccine passport"concept.

"We anticipate some version ofvaccine 'proof' in order to re-entersociety (think: board a flight, go toa concert, eat at a restaurant)," saysRoderick Jones, executive chair ofSan Francisco-based riskconsultancy firm ConcentricAdvisors. "Although the vaccinemay never become 'mandatory' itmay become too disadvantageousto not have it."

Will travel ever get back tonormal?

"Absolutely, yes," saysConway. "I expect to see a hugespike in travel in late 2021 asvaccinations become available on alarge scale. There will be somehiccups as the travel industryrebounds and figures out how toaddress the long-term strategy ofaddressing Covid-19, but overall Iexpect things to return to arelatively normal state by mid-2022."

"We believe business travel willbe lower than before, especiallyamong white-collar workers inlarge corporations," saysBarnekow. "Large corporationshave many reasons other thanCovid to have people travel less:environmental reasons, costs andmorale. Even though nothing beatspersonal 'IRL' meetings, thepandemic has shown that manyproblems can be solved usingother means of communication.But I still think it will bounce backto almost the same as before. If Ihad to guess, I'd say businesstravel will have a long-termreduction of 10%."

As for leisure travel, Barnekowthinks it will have "a short-termboost, and then we'll see the samelevels as before. We've never hadas much traffic to the app as now;it seems people really are cravingto book travel. Ninety percent ofwhat we're selling now is fordeparture after the summer, sopeople seem to be thinking it'll besafe to fly by then."

Turner concurs, pointing to thelarge volume of interest fromcustomers. "We've got evidencethat there is a huge pent-updemand; people want to go." Hisclients are thinking long-term anddreaming big. There's been a trendtowards people interested inbooking longer, luxury trips withcarefully curated itineraries. SaysTurner, "2022, even 2023 -- they'relooking at booking those now."(Source: CNN)

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE