British Virgin Islands premier and minister of finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie has announced that the territory’s borders will open to international visitors on December 1. The premier, while addressing the launch of the "BVILOVE" tourism campaign on Monday, said that the government is optimistic and is vigorously preparing for the reopening. The premier said that the government intends to reopen the territory in the safest way possible, using science and technology as a guide. “This next phase also comes with a risk factor, where if a case of COVID-19 gets into our territory, then it can go through the whole community very quickly. That is why we must use technology,” Premier Fahie said. “The concentration must be to use the technology through a simulation prior, to
Travel News
Labor Day Weekend Records the Highest Number of Travelers Since Start of COVID-19
After the COVID-19 lockdown, travelers are slowly starting to return to airports — although the numbers are still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported a record-high number of passengers since the coronavirus pandemic shut down travel earlier this year. On the Friday before Labor Day, Sept. 4, 968,673 people passed through TSA checkpoints across the country. It was the first time since mid-March that the TSA screened more than 900,000 travelers in one single day. But that’s still nowhere near the 2.2 million passengers that the TSA had processed exactly one year earlier. A report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), released Tuesday, revealed that there were 73 percent fewer airline passengers in July 2020 than in July 2019. Although
More Travelers are Turning to Professional Travel Advisors
More travelers are likely to book their trips through a travel agent than before the COVID-19 crisis began seven months ago, according to a new study from British-based travel technology company Travelport. The majority of travelers are now ready to consider booking domestic and international trips, but only if airlines, airports, hotels and car rental companies collectively implement 10 different safety measures throughout their journey, including fully flexible or refundable flight tickets. This is according to the results of Travelport’s independent research. The results of the study are based on a survey of 5,000 travelers across the United States, United Kingdom, India, Australia and New Zealand, as well as in-depth interviews with 29 leading travel suppliers. The study found that at all parts of the travel journey, it
The Caribbean Islands Have Amended Their Travel Entry Requirements
Caribbean destinations that have opened their borders to tourism this month are amending travel entry requirements amid a sharp resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. A key market for the Caribbean, the U.S.’s caseload has climbed to over 3.7 million and deaths have reached over 140,000, according to Worldometers. The Bahamas has gone as far closing its borders to American travelers for the time being to prevent the spread of the virus. St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris has closed the country’s borders to travel indefinitely. Many destinations have already updated their policies to require a COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours prior to arrival (see: Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico). The challenge will be for travelers to find testing programs that process a
Coronavirus related backlog of Passports are now being processed again
The State Department has resumed processing U.S. passports to clear a backlog of 1.7 million pending applications before it can start tackling new requests, officials said Friday. Carl Risch, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, said 11 of the 29 passport agencies and centers around the United States that reduced services as the coronavirus began to spread have started Phase 1 on the road to normal. About half the agency’s passport workers have returned to their offices. Passport applications will be processed on a “first in, first out” basis. Risch estimated it will take six to eight weeks to clear the backlog dating from late February. The 1.7 million pending applications represent a little more than the average workload every month. Only then
Get Ready for a Return to Gambling in Las Vegas on June 4th
On Friday afternoon, Gov. Steve Sisolak gave Nevada casinos a tentative date they could plan to reopen: June 4. Seventy-eight days after casinos first closed down to help stem the spread of COVID-19. The move comes as the state has faced an increasing amount of pressure to reopen; Nevada’s unemployment rate hit record highs in April, and casinos in 12 other states had opened their doors ahead of those in Sin City. Virginia Valentine, president and CEO of the Nevada Resort Association, said Sisolak’s announcement is “fantastic news” for Nevada’s gaming industry. “Our members have spent more than two months preparing for this day,” she said in an emailed statement. “They’ve put in place enhanced health and safety plans and protocols … Our
Delta Airlines will Provide Complimentary Care Kits for Flights
Test of complimentary kits include disposable face mask and hand sanitizerKits will be available on request at ticket counters and gates by June 5 Customers arriving at a Delta check-in area without a face mask need not worry – they will receive a complimentary care kit to comply with our mask requirement and enjoy an extra layer of protection throughout their travel. The kits will include: A disposable face mask;Purell hand sanitizer gel pouches;And, an information card detailing measures in place that are helping Delta transform the industry standard of clean "Our survey data showed a clear desire for these kits and we have a bias toward action when we see new trends emerge." said Bill Lentsch, Chief Customer Experience Officer. "As more people
Disney World is Set to Reopen their Gates
Disney World will reopen its gates, ending a multi-month closure of the park that left the Walt Disney Company reeling.The Disney theme park, which employs some 70,000 people, plans to begin a phased reopening on July 11 for its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks and July 15 for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, the company said on Wednesday.Walt Disney World as well as Disney's Disneyland resort in Anaheim, California, closed in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.Disney is implementing several measures to reopen safely and prevent the spread of the coronavirus at its parks Employees and guests will be required to wear face coverings and undergo temperature screenings before entering the parks.Disney will reduce capacity at the parks and the resort will temporarily suspend parades, fireworks
Saint Lucia Reopening to Tourism June 4, 2020
CASTRIES, SAINT LUCIA (May 18, 2020) – The Government of Saint Lucia has announced a phased approach to reopening the island’s tourism sector in a responsible fashion, beginning June 4, 2020. The strategy, which was unveiled by Minister of Tourism Dominic Fedee, protects nationals and visitors from the threat of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) through advance testing; daily screening and monitoring of staff and visitors; sanitization at various points throughout the travelers’ journey; and new social distancing protocols. Phase One of the reopening includes welcoming international flights at Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) from the United States only. Travelers are advised to check with airlines regarding flight schedules and rules prior to booking. In anticipation of these first visitors, some 1,500 hotel rooms in Saint Lucia
Phased Reopening of Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort
This coming Wednesday, May 20 will be a great first step in the phased reopening of Walt Disney World Resort® as Disney Springs begins its initial reopening that morning. With the safety and well-being of its Guests, Cast Members and third-party operators at the forefront Walt Disney World will began to welcome the public back to Disney Springs. While the theme parks and resort hotels remain temporarily closed, the phased reopening of Disney Springs is a welcome milestone as we navigate through this unprecedented time. Many third-party operators will open their doors to Disney Springs Guests. On May 27, three Disney-owned and -operated stores and venues will reopen: World of Disney, D-Luxe Burger (mobile order) and the Marketplace Co-Op. You can visit DisneySprings.com/reopening for the most current information on