Madeira Opening up to Vaccinated Tourists – Last Week In Travel
Madeira Opening up to Vaccinated Tourists – Last Week In Travel
Last updated: Mar 8, 2021 · 3 min read

Week 9 in Travel

Even though not many of us are traveling, a lot is going on in the industry. The changes that travel and tourism have undergone in the past year are enormous and many things took a turn from one day to another.

This week’s highlights include Madeira opening up to vaccinated tourists and travel bookings surging as Cyprus and Portugal reopen to UK tourists. The world of travel is looking even better than last week and some of the latest news are giving us all hope that we could in fact expect to travel this summer.

The importance of the return of travel is evident through some of the latest news and people seem more eager than ever to explore the world and everything they have been missing out on.

 

 

week 9 in travel

 

 

Travel interest picks up as vaccinations continue

Business for travel agents is starting to pick back up and they are determined not to allow a pandemic ruin the careers they have been building all their lives.

People with the vaccines are feeling more comfortable,” Miller said. “We call it post-vaccine travelers, and, you know, they’re ready.”

She said most of the trips her agency is booking are to destinations within the U.S, though some travelers are heading to Mexico and Caribbean countries.

“Those would be our No. 1, 2, 3 destinations in a normal year,” she said. “Of course, it doesn’t really compare to what 2019 or 2018 was, but it’s a whole lot better than 2020.

Read the full story here.

Belgium Rejects Proposal to Suspend Non-Essential Travel Ban

Last Tuesday, The Belgian State Council has rejected a proposal to suspend the non-essential entry ban  and has instead decided to extend it until April 1, 2021, at least, after Tweres, a non-profit organization that supports the interest of second residency owners, asked for milder restrictions on entry to the country.

Our country will point out that the measure is strictly temporary, proportional as it concerns only non-essential travel and does not discriminate between our own and EU citizens. The four freedoms are fundamental and remain inviolable for Belgium,” De Croo said.

Read the full story here

 

Travel bookings surge as Cyprus and Portugal reopen to UK tourists

There has been a huge surge in interest and bookings for holidays abroad since Cyprus and Portugal announced last week that they would be open to British tourists this summer, according to travel agents.

Most recent holiday bookings are for July and August, however, with a very few in May, which is when Cyprus has said it will start to welcome UK visitors again.

Cyprus has always been a favourite for our customers and we’ve seen a real uptick in bookings,” said a spokesperson for Tui, the package holiday company.

Thomas Cook saw a quarter more searches for Cyprus on Friday than on Thursday and people were spending 40% longer on hotel pages, suggesting they were more likely to book, according to a spokesperson. “So far, Portugal has not had as many bookings as normal. I think we will see an increase in interest this weekend.

Read the full story here

Madeira to open up to vaccinated tourists

Madeira has been considered throughout the pandemic as one of the safest destinations to visit because of the way they handles the crisis.

Madeira is now receiving tourists vaccinated and recovered from Covid-19 (with proof up to 90 days of validity) who want to enjoy the region, with testing for these cohorts no longer required.

To be eligible, tourists who fall under these new conditions must prove their status through one of two documents:

  • Proof of Covid-19 recovery in the last 90 days, validated by the respective country of origin, stating the name, date of birth, health number, type and date of the test and explicit mention of ‘recovered’.
  • The official vaccination certificate for each country is accepted which includes the date of the two doses taken and respect for the immunization period according to instructions for each vaccine.

Read the full story here

* A lot happens in travel every week, in this post we simply highlight some of the stories that we found interesting throughout the week.

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