Ukraine International Airlines  is pleased to announce the possibility of resuming flights to Baku from March 13, 2021. Restart will resume direct flights between the capitals of Ukraine and Azerbaijan, and will also provide passengers from different regions of Ukraine with convenient connections in Kyiv.

Until the end of April, UIA plans to operate flights to Heydar Aliyev Airport twice a week on Tuesday and Saturday.

Currently, only citizens of Azerbaijan, employees and heads of diplomatic missions and consulates in Azerbaijan and members of their families, foreigners with a residence permit, family members of a resident (children, parents, spouse / spouse with documents confirming family ties) are allowed to enter Azerbaijan, provided negative result of a PCR test, which was taken in an accredited laboratory “IMMD” no more than 48 hours before departure. A mandatory requirement is the presence of a printed negative test result for COVID-19, which contains a QR code, which makes it possible to electronically verify the document in accordance with the requirements of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

In turn, travelers from Baku to the cities of Ukraine will need only to have an insurance policy covering the cost of treatment for COVID-19.

WestJet announced it will temporarily suspend operations to St. John’s, N.L., London, Ont., and Lloydminster and Medicine Hat, Alta., as of March 19, until June 24, 2021.

“We have continued to operate in the face of uncertainty as domestic and international travel restrictions and quarantines have caused demand to plummet,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “Unfortunately, with new and increasingly restrictive policies, we are left once again, with no other option than to suspend service to these communities.”

With today’s announcement, flights between St. John’s and Halifax will be suspended as of March 21, while service between London, Ont., and Toronto will cease on March 22. WestJet Link service from Calgary to Lloydminster will end on March 19, and Calgary to Medicine Hat discontinued as of March 21.

“Our ability to return to markets remains directly correlated to government policies and the prioritization of a domestic travel program,” continued Sims. “As we look ahead to contributing to the economic recovery of Canada, the relationship between testing and quarantine must evolve based on data and science.”

In June 2020, WestJet announced organizational changes through its airport transformation program. As a result of the suspensions, WestJet will be working with newly established third-party service providers in St. John’s and London, Ont., and directly with Pacific Coastal Airlines for affected WestJet Link operations in Lloydminster and Medicine Hat.

WestJet continues to operate at more than a 90 per cent reduction year over year. Guests impacted will be contacted directly regarding their options for travel to and from the regions. Service is set to resume to all communities as of June 24, 2021.

Cuthbert Ncube is the Chairman of the African Tourism Board. He said today a natural medicine by the name of BJ 12 developed by a team of researchers under the leadership of Abidjan-based Dr. Diamana saved his life

Cuthbert said on a zoom call today, “It is a syrup drink; you take two bottles a day – one in the morning and one in the evening. I am feeling good and strong; just working on gaining my strength.”

Tourism leaders from around the world came together today on a zoom session organized by eTurboNews and Livestream.travel for the World Tourism Network.

The reason for global leaders, including Dr. Taleb Rifai, former UNWTO Secretary General; Alain St. Ange, former Minister of Tourism of Seychelles; Dr. Peter Tarlow, world-known tourism safety and security expert from Texas, USA coming together with other senior tourism leaders from around the world, was to listen to Cuthbert Ncube. His story was fascinating and may be a breakthrough in the fight against the Coronavirus.

Cuthbert Ncube is the Chairman of the African Tourism Board. He said today a natural medicine by the name of BJ 12 developed by a team of researchers under the leadership of Abidjan-based Dr. Diamana saved his life.Cuthbert received a COVID-19 test on January 12 in Pretoria. He was booked on a flight from Johannesburg to Abidjan on January 13 to meet with the Ivory Coast minister of tourism to discuss the UNWTO election for Secretary General. Ivory Coast is a member of the UNWTO Executive Council.

Even though Cuthbert felt well at the time, his COVID-19 test came back positive. As a result, the ATB Chairman went home to isolate.

Unfortunately, Cuthbert developed serious symptoms including loss of appetite, problems breathing, and a high fever. He completely lost his voice trying to breathe.

When Mr. Ncube had to cancel his trip to the Ivory Coast, Dr. Diamana from Côte d’Ivoire immediately shipped bottles of his COVID-19 syrup to South Africa. When it arrived on January 22 at Cuthbert’s Pretoria home, he was literally fighting for his life

Cuthbert told eTurboNews: “I received the medication on the 22nd of January 2021. I immediately started to take the medicine – the BJ-12 syrup – from Dr. Diamana following the instruction by his Director of External Relations, Mr. Grah. I took the syrup as instructed and in days afterwards I got cured.

“As am relating to you now, my appetite is 75% back. I have started my regular exercises daily, my energy is coming back. Today, I am really feeling much much better.”

In the meantime, Mr. Ncube arranged for some bottles to be shipped to another tourism professional sick with COVID-19. This person is in the Kingdom of Eswatini. He also improved from a very serious situation.

Mr. Cuthbert is convinced this all-natural African product could be the African contribution in the fight against the pandemic.

Tourism professionals in today’s discussion agree. It can be expected that the Big Pharma industry may not like such a development competing with a non-chemical natural product that costs little.

The government has revised its COVID-19 country risk classifications for travelers to Dominica based on changes in the number of COVID-19 cases in neighboring countries.

Antigua and Barbuda was reclassified to the HIGH-RISK classification just a few days ago so that now travelers to Dominica must submit an online health screening form and submit a negative PCR test where swabs were taken within 24-72 hours of arrival into Dominica.

Upon exiting the port of entry, travelers will submit to a quarantine period of up to 7 days where a PCR test is taken on day 5 after arrival and results are expected within 24-48 hours. Travelers must submit themselves to mandatory quarantine and may opt to quarantine at the government operated facility or at a Safe in Nature certified property under a “Managed Experience.”

The Safe in Nature Commitment and Managed Experiences are available to all visitors, including guests from high-risk classified countries visiting Dominica. More information about the Safe in Nature Commitment and Managed Experiences and a complete listing of the risk classification of countries is available here.

Discover Dominica Authority continues to work with health officials to ensure the safety and security of visitors to the island, and with tourism stakeholders to ensure a unique managed experience in a responsible manner.

New procedures for arriving passengers

· Travelers who will be on mandatory quarantine at a Safe in Nature certified property will be assigned a neon green wristband.

· Travelers who will be on mandatory quarantine at the government quarantine facility will be assigned neon orange wristbands.

· Crew and passengers on cargo vessels and yachts who will be quarantined on their vessel will be assigned neon orange wristbands.

· Airline crew who will transit overnight at a Safe in Nature certified property will be assigned a neon orange armband.

· In transit passengers who will be quarantined at a Safe in Nature certified property will be assigned a light blue armband.

· Travelers who will be assigned to in room isolation will be given a neon red armband. Those going to in-room isolation at a Safe in Nature property will also be assigned a neon green armband, the latter signifying mandatory quarantine.

· Deportees, detainees and illegal entrants who will be quarantined at the government run facility will be assigned a white wristband.

Wristbands can only be removed by a designated health worker, or the COVID-19 point person at Safe in Nature properties once the traveler has been medically cleared. A penalty of $2500 shall be applied if wristbands are removed before the traveler has been medically cleared. The general public is asked to report any instances of persons seen in public wearing the wristbands

Oceania Cruises, a culinary- and destination-focused cruise line, announced that the line’s 2023 Around the World in 180 Days voyage sold out within one day of opening for sale to the general public on January 27, 2021.

“The response to our epic 2023 around the world voyage clearly illustrates the enthusiasm that experienced travelers have for immersive and memorable travel experiences,” stated Bob Binder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Oceania Cruises. “Despite the challenges the world faces today, travelers are clearly bullish on the future and are embracing these new opportunities to travel the world and create lifelong memories.”

While world cruises typically attract legions of loyal repeat guests, Oceania Cruises’ 2023 world cruise saw more than one-third of all bookings come from first time, new-to-brand guests. This furthers a booking trend the brand has seen steadily emerging during the past year with some booking periods and promotions recording new-to-brand booking levels of close to 50%. Additionally, a full 20% of world cruise guests opted to extend their voyage up to a total of 218 days.

The line’s 2023 Around the World in 180 Days voyage is the most extensive and in-depth of any world cruise available. Calling on 96 ports in 33 countries across four continents, the voyage also includes three full days cruising in Antarctica and affords guests access to more than 60 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Seychelles will be welcoming vaccinated visitors from any part of the world. To be recognized as “vaccinated”, visitors must be able to show that they have taken the complete dose of the vaccine i.e., two doses plus 2 weeks after the second dose for the four vaccines currently receiving heavy media exposure. Visitors need to submit an authentic certificate from their national health authority as proof of COVID-19 vaccination alongside a negative COVID-19 PCR certificate, obtained less than 72 hours prior to travel.

The Indian ocean archipelago reviews its entry requirements procedures so as to be more accessible for potential visitors as part of the restart of its tourism activities for 2021 and beyond. The new measures are to be implemented in two phases.

The news, much anticipated by the tourism industry, was announced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr Sylvestre Radegonde during a joint press brief with his counterpart from the Health Ministry, Mrs Peggy Vidot on Thursday, January 14, 2021.

The review follows the recent launch of the immunisation campaign in the small island nation. The campaign expected to have just under three quarters of the local adult population vaccinated by mid- March 2021.

With immediate effect, Seychelles will be welcoming vaccinated visitors from any part of the world.

Vaccinated Visitors:

To be recognized as “vaccinated”, visitors must be able to show that they have taken the complete dose of the vaccine i.e., two doses plus 2 weeks after the second dose for the four vaccines currently receiving heavy media exposure.  Visitors need to submit an authentic certificate from their national health authority as proof of COVID-19 vaccination alongside a negative COVID-19 PCR certificate, obtained less than 72 hours prior to travel.

Non-Vaccinated Visitors:

All visitors currently permitted entry (Category 1 and 2, private jet passengers) will now need to show a negative PCR test obtained less than 72 hours prior to travel.  Prior to the 14th of January, 2021, Category 2 had required a test less than 48 hours.

Visitors that are not vaccinated or not coming from a Category 1 or 2 countries or travelling by private jet, are still unable to enter.  This will be in force until mid-March once Seychelles has vaccinated a large majority of its adult population.

Today, United Airlines was recognized by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) and SimpliFlying for providing a hospital-grade standard of cleanliness and safety during the travel journey. United is the first airline among the four largest U.S. carriers to receive the highest possible certification – Diamond – in the new APEX Health Safety audit powered by SimpliFlying. This new scientifically-based certification is designed to create a recognized, global standard for health and safety across the aviation industry.

“Since the start of this pandemic, United has been committed to pursuing industry leading safety measures to protect the wellbeing of our customers and employees,” said Sasha Johnson, United Airlines‘ vice president of Corporate Safety. “This recognition from APEX and SimpliFlying underscores that United will continue to innovate and raise the standard when it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19.”

To achieve this certification, United submitted detailed responses for audit against a 58-point checklist covering ten categories, including things like testing, contact tracing, on-the-ground procedures, in-flight measures, and strategic partnerships. For each cleaning and safety measure noted on the checklist, United shared proof points for further review by the APEX and SimpliFlying experts. United’s certification as a Diamond airline means that the company’s initiatives were at least 200 points above the gold-standard baseline APEX and SimpliFlying established as the minimum required to ensure passenger safety and well-being.

“United Airlines’ tremendous customer-centric investments definitively merited the Diamond level of health safety across a broad scoreboard of categories focused on passenger wellbeing,” APEX CEO Dr. Joe Leader said.  “We applaud United’s thought-leadership across key initiatives that have benefited both customers of United Airlines and the airline industry. Passengers and airline team members should be proud of United Airlines’ continuous advancements for customer wellbeing.”

The United CleanPlus program, which includes its partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic and Clorox, was one of the many efforts APEX and SimpliFlying cited when granting the airline this certification. Medical experts from the Cleveland Clinic have helped ensure United’s policies and protocols reflect the latest scientific guidance, and Clorox has helped the airline redefine disinfection procedures to support a healthier environment. Other efforts APEX and SimpliFlying called out when granting United this certification include:

• Use of Ultraviolet C (UV-C) light to disinfect sensitive components in the flight deck
• Installation of hand sanitizer dispensers onboard aircraft
• Application of Zoono Microbe Shield, an EPA registered antimicrobial coating, to United’s entire mainline and express fleet

United was also the first major U.S. airline to mandate masks for flight attendants, quickly following with all customers and employees. United was also among the first U.S. carriers to announce it wouldn’t permit customers who refused to comply with the airline’s mandatory mask policy to fly with them while the face mask policy is in place. United was also the first U.S. airline to roll out touchless check-in for customers with bags, and the first to require passengers take an online health assessment before traveling.

Emirates SkyCargo has notched yet another milestone by flying in COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech to the UAE for the first time for the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). The vaccines were transported from Brussels on Emirates flight EK 182 on 22 December 2020, arriving at Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 22.15 local time.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Group said: “Emirates is proud to be transporting the first batch of Pfizer vaccines for COVID-19 into the UAE for the Dubai Health Authority. Our healthcare ecosystem has played an absolutely critical role in every step of the fight against COVID-19. I would like to thank everyone who has worked unceasingly over the last year to protect the lives of those most vulnerable against the disease. In recognition of their immense contribution for the wellbeing of everyone in the UAE, it has been our honour to transport these vaccines free of charge on our flight.”

Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo said: “At Emirates SkyCargo we are doing our part to join Dubai’s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the effective management of the pandemic by Dubai’s visionary leadership, the city has retained its position as a global logistical hub for connecting vital cargo including PPE, medical supplies, vaccines, food and other essential items. Emirates SkyCargo has set up the world’s largest airside hub dedicated to distributing COVID-19 vaccines and we stand ready to support not just Dubai, but countries around the world, including markets with limited cool chain infrastructure with our advanced capabilities. By transporting COVID-19 vaccines across our extensive network, we look forward to helping people around the world get back on their feet after the devastating impact of the pandemic.”

On arrival at DXB, the containers with the vaccines were unloaded on priority from the aircraft and then taken to Emirates SkyCargo’s dedicated pharma facility Emirates SkyPharma to await clearance for delivery.

Emirates SkyCargo is no stranger to transporting vaccines and other temperature sensitive pharmaceutical cargo. The carrier has more than two decades experience in transporting pharmaceuticals on its aircraft and has set up state of the art EU GDP certified facilities dedicated for storing and handling pharma cargo in Dubai. Emirates SkyCargo has also established a global Pharma Corridors programme working with ground handlers and local airports at major pharma origin and destination stations for enhanced cool chain protection. The current pharma network covers over 30 cities across the world including Brussels.

More recently, Emirates SkyCargo has set up the world’s largest dedicated airside storage and distribution hub for COVID-19 vaccines in Dubai with the capacity to store up to an estimated 10 million doses of vaccine at the 2-8C temperature range at any one point of time. With its advanced infrastructure, extensive network and modern all wide-body aircraft fleet, Emirates SkyCargo can transport COVID-19 vaccines rapidly and securely from manufacturing locations to destinations across six continents. Emirates SkyCargo has already commenced distribution of COVID-19 vaccines from a range of manufacturers and geographies.

In November 2020, Hawaii hotels statewide reported substantial declines in revenue per available room (RevPAR), average daily rate (ADR), and occupancy compared to November 2019 as tourism continued to be impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Hawaii Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s (HTA) Research Division, statewide RevPAR decreased to $51 (-75.4%), ADR fell to $230 (-12.0%), and occupancy declined to 22.1 percent (-57.0 percentage points) (Figure 1) in November. The report’s findings utilized data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands.

Beginning October 15, passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing and Travel Partner. However, a new policy went into effect on November 24 requiring all trans-Pacific travelers participating in the pre-travel testing program to have a negative test result before their departure to Hawaii, and test results would no longer be accepted once a traveler arrives in Hawaii. The counties of Kauai, Hawaii, Maui, and Kalawao (Molokai) also had a partial quarantine in place in November. In addition, Lanai residents and visitors were under a stay-at-home order from October 27 to November 11.

Hawaii hotel room revenues statewide fell to $70.6 million (-78.8%) in November. Room demand was 307,600 room nights, or 75.9 percent lower than the same period a year ago. Room supply was 1.4 million room nights (-13.8%) (Figure 2). Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April. If occupancy for November 2020 was calculated based on the room supply from November 2019, occupancy would be 19.1 percent for the month (Figure 7). All classes of Hawaii hotel properties statewide reported RevPAR losses in November compared to a year ago. Luxury Class properties earned RevPAR of $95 (-74.6%), with ADR at $543 (+5.9%) and occupancy of 17.6 percent (-55.8 percentage points). Midscale & Economy Class properties earned RevPAR of $47 (-64.4%) and occupancy of 29.0 percent (-52.6 percentage points).

All of Hawaii’s four island counties reported lower RevPAR, ADR and occupancy compared to a year ago. Maui County hotels led the counties in November RevPAR of $76 (-72.1%), with ADR at $375 (+4.2%) and occupancy of 20.2 percent (-55.0 percentage points). Maui’s luxury resort region of Wailea had RevPAR of $130 (-72.0%), with ADR at $523 (-5.3%) and occupancy of 24.9 percent (-59.3 percentage points). The Lahaina/Kaanapali/Kapalua region had RevPAR of $51 (-76.3%), ADR at $345 (+15.6%) and occupancy of 14.8 percent (-57.3 percentage points).

Oahu hotels earned RevPAR of $38 (-79.8%) in November, with ADR at $167 (-26.7%) and occupancy of 22.6 percent (-59.4 percentage points). Waikiki hotels earned $34 (-82.1%) in RevPAR with ADR at $162 (-28.5%) and occupancy of 20.8 percent (-62.3 percentage points).

Hotels on the island of Hawaii reported RevPAR of $44 (-76.0%), with ADR at $217 (-11.0%) and occupancy of 20.4 percent (-55.3 percentage points). Kohala Coast hotels earned RevPAR of $57 (-79.0%), ADR at $388 (+11.4%) and occupancy of 14.7 percent (-63.1 percentage points).

Kauai hotels earned RevPAR of $60 (-67.5%), with ADR at $215 (-13.2%) and occupancy of 28.0 percent (-46.8 percentage points).

Tables of hotel performance statistics, including data presented in the report are available for viewing online at: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/research/infrastructure-research/