The decision to reopen comes after health authorities reported that the peak of Omicron cases in the country had already passed.

The government, however, failed to reveal the specifics of the restrictions it will impose on international visitors.

“To accompany the implementation of this decision, a technical commission will be set up to assess the needs of border posts in terms of requests for formalities and the conditions required for travelers, which will be announced at a later date,” MAP reported.

However, according to the UK Foreign Office’s travel advice for Morocco, “when flights resume,” travelers will be required to provide a vaccine certificate as well as a negative PCR test result.

“The result must show that the PCR test itself was undertaken no more than 48 hours before boarding. For travel by ferry, you will also need to take a Covid-19 test during the journey. Children under the age of six years old are exempt from the PCR testing requirement for entry into Morocco,” it reads.

Whatever the restrictions will be, the decision is unquestionably good news for the Moroccan tourism sector, which has been seriously affected by the continuous border closures.

“The last two months have been incredibly difficult for the many people who depend on tourism for their income in Morocco,” says Zina Bencheikh, the Managing Director of Intrepid Travel EMEA, a Moroccan travel agency. 

“Domestic tourism cannot compensate for the fall in the number of foreign visitors and many businesses have struggled to stay afloat.” 

Morocco’s tourism industry accounts for 19 percent of the country’s GDP. But, with the ban in effect for the past two months, Morocco missed the profitable Christmas and New Year’s tourism seasons.

“We were very optimistic with the arrival of the New Year, but these decisions took us by surprise,” said Khalid Moubarak, secretary-general of the National Federation of Travel Agencies of Morocco. “We were on the edge of bankruptcy.”

The decision will not only benefit international tourists and the local tourism sector but also the thousands of Moroccans who were locked out and unable to return to their country.

The post Morocco Plans To Reopen for Tourism Again on February 7 appeared first on Traveling Lifestyle.

Like all tourist industries worldwide, Canada’s tourism sector has suffered because of travel restrictions.

Right now, the nation’s entry restrictions are some of the most stringent on the continent. Aside from a few exemptions, unvaccinated travelers may not visit at all.

Even fully vaccinated individuals must currently get tested before visiting.

Air Canada and WestJet are the two biggest airlines encouraging the government to drop arrival testing. Toronto Pearson airport is doing the same.

Air Canada, WestJet, and Toronto Pearson sent a message to the provincial governments of Ottawa and Ontario. The letter states that workers handling tests are having difficulty acquiring tests and managing test processing.

The airlines and the airport behind the message have also suggested that testing travelers upon arrival interfere with appropriate resource allocation. When symptomatic Canadians are already struggling to get tested, it might not make sense to use tests on asymptomatic visitors.

The airlines and Toronto Pearson said that tests should go to high-risk patients and people in settings with a high risk of transmission.

Between Nov. 28 and Dec. 25, slightly over 1% of fully vaccinated visitors had positive COVID-19 results. That amount is lower than the percentage of positive tests among Canada’s population.

The omicron variant, which has spooked many governments, might not be a compelling reason to test travelers. The variant has already spread widely throughout the nation.

Currently, Canada’s rate of new COVID-19 cases per day is going down after a spike in early January. Death rates have risen sharply since the beginning of the year, but they’re still relatively low, hovering under 200 per day.

The post Multiple Airlines Urge Canadian Government To Ease Covid Entry Restrictions appeared first on Traveling Lifestyle.

The waivers only apply for flights to and from three cities: Detroit, Seattle, and Salt Lake City. The airline will waive any price difference between the original flights and rebooked flights.

Delta has created slightly different qualifications for waivers related to each city. Additionally, waivers will only be applicable for passengers who rebook seats in the same cabin as their earlier flight.

Detroit waivers will apply starting Jan. 1, 2022. Only flights that take off by Jan. 4, 2022, will be eligible for waiver usage.

Seattle waivers apply for flights canceled between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, 2022. They can only be used for rebooked flights that occur by Jan. 6, 2022.

Waivers for Salt Lake City flights go into effect on Dec. 30. They’ll only apply to travel occurring by Jan. 3, 2022.

The waiver policies are subject to change depending on anticipated weather issues. Delta’s Operation and Customer Center’s meteorology team regularly monitors weather forecasts, allowing the airline to adjust waiver policies as often as necessary.

Passengers can stay updated about their flight status by visiting Delta’s website or mobile app. They can also sign up for mobile or email updates.

Weather-related flight cancellations are unsurprising during the winter, but the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problems they cause. U.S. airlines, including Delta, have had to cancel thousands of flights since the arrival of COVID-19.

All U.S. airlines have seen staffing shortages of varying levels of severity because of required COVID-19 quarantines among employees.

The post Delta Issues Travel Waivers for 3 U.S. Cities Due to Winter Weather appeared first on Traveling Lifestyle.

Travel agencies reveled in the news, noting an uptick in vacation bookings. They expect an ongoing surge in ticketing sales.

Travelers returning from eight countries will not need to quarantine after travel or take a PCR test two days after their return. Instead, they can take a rapid test and provide results to the government.

In addition, officials removed Bangladesh, Turkey, Pakistan, Maldives, Oman, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Kenya from the red list. These changes make international travel less complicated and more cost-effective.

Mr. Shapps cited the UK’s high vaccination rate as the reason behind these changes. Business owners in the travel industry expressed enthusiasm and noted double-digit increases in individual, couples and family holiday bookings.

These changes arrive in time for the upcoming holiday season and will allow families to reunite.

While economists, business owners and transportation officials laud these changes, a few people expressed concern. Labour officials raised concerns over the burgeoning number of coronavirus variants and the ability of rapid tests to detect such infections.

Welsh, Scottish and Irish officials will consider England’s changes for COVID-19 testing, but they’re not guaranteeing the same benefits for their citizens. However, all of the government leaders agreed to mirror the changes for the eight formerly red-listed destinations.

The current COVID-19 situation in the UK shows slow improvement. New infections have plateaued from the delta variant’s incredible numbers in early July but remain 10 times higher than the new infections from March through June.

The post Vacation Plans Surging Among Britons After Government Eased Travel Restrictions appeared first on Traveling Lifestyle.

The intent behind this move, according to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, is to “reinforce the importance of voluntary adherence.” He added that it was also done to “maximize the protections for those who use and work within the transportation system.”

President Joe Biden has also voiced concern over the number of times that maskless passengers have shown anger towards flight attendants who have been enforcing these regulations, saying that “it’s wrong” and “it’s ugly.” He added in reference to this fine increase, “If you break the rules, be prepared to pay.”

Masks must be worn by travelers riding buses, trains and airplanes and while inside train stations and airports. Updated signage, at least in airports, will communicate this fine increase to travelers. The requirement for passengers to wear masks while traveling on public transport will be in place until at least Jan. 18; that timeline was extended in August from an original expiration date of Sept. 13.

Plane travelers should note that these penalties are separate from any that may be handed down by the Federal Aviation Administration for unsafe or unruly behavior shown on flights. In July, the FAA stated that nearly three-quarters of the citations that it had issued for unruly passengers this year up to that point were related to mask mandates.

Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, has said that “we will continue to enforce the mask mandate as long as necessary to protect public health and safety.”

The U.S. is experiencing one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the world. Over the past seven days, the country is averaging 44 confirmed positive cases per 100,000 people. To compare, the corresponding number for France is 15, for Germany is 13, for Spain is nine and for Japan is eight.

In addition, the U.S. is last amongst the Group of 7 nations, which also includes the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada, by percentage of people who have been at least partially vaccinated: 63%.

The post TSA Increases Fines Up To $3,000 For Air Passengers Refusing to Wear Mask appeared first on Traveling Lifestyle.

Most notably, visitors will not need to have a recent negative COVID-19 test result to show upon entry into the country. However, they should expect to be vaccinated, to be asked if they are showing any symptoms related to that virus, to have their temperature taken and possibly be required to take a random diagnostic test.

This announcement is coming on the heels of the country suffering from high daily COVID-19 infection and death rates of around 7,000 and 80, respectively, the highest that those numbers have been since March 2020. And many believe that those figures may be significantly undercounted due to a shortage in PCR tests in the country and inconsistencies with how related information is reported across Cuba.

Also, the country’s current vaccination rates have not yet reached a significant level. Currently, 52% of Cubans are at least partially vaccinated while 41% are fully vaccinated, meaning that the pace will need to pick up significantly for this 90% goal to be reached by Nov. 15.

The country had been desperate to reopen to visitors earlier in the year, doing so in March while promoting Cuba as a safe destination before imposing greater restrictions once again a few days later.

Tourism accounts for about 10% of the country’s economy during non-pandemic times, and the middle of November is the usual start of Cuba’s high season, likely much of the reason why that is the new goal date.

As a result of these factors, would-be travelers to Cuba should keep themselves updated on the status of this goal as the date nears.

Currently and possibly until Nov. 15, those who travel to Cuba must take multiple PCR tests. At a minimum, these include one within 72 hours prior to the trip and one at the airport. A multi-day self-isolation period at a hotel may be required as well.

The post Cuba Planning To Remove Testing Requirement For Visitors From Nov. 15 appeared first on Traveling Lifestyle.

Conversely, it could be further extended. However, it could also be shortened. That latter option is possible if at least 80% of Aussies have been fully vaccinated prior to Dec. 17. However, there is a long ways to go for that to be achieved. As of Thursday, just 29% of Aussies are fully vaccinated with an additional 20% partially vaccinated. With that said, Australian officials are confident that the current vaccination pace will allow this to be reached before this extended deadline expires.

Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier, is planning to immediately take advantage of a hopeful Dec. 17 end date to this ban as it has already listed daily flights operating from that country to cities such as Los Angeles and London on Dec. 18. Additional flights to Tokyo and Honolulu are set to start later that month.

Alan Joyce, Qantas’ CEO, said that Australian government officials had indicated to him that it was “reasonable” for him to expect to be able to comfortably operate those types of routes at that time.

It is also possible that country-specific travel may be made available prior to the ending of this travel ban. Travel lanes have been considered between Australia and countries such as Fiji and Singapore.

At the moment, Australian citizens and permanent residents are by and large the only ones who may enter Australia. Those who are eligible to do so must, in nearly all cases, take a COVID-19 PCR test within the 72 hours prior to their flight’s departure and have a negative test result to show when checking into their flight.

Upon arrival in Australia, they must complete a 14-day quarantine at a designated hotel. This costs up to 3,000 Australian dollars ($2,200) per adult with an additional up to 1,000 Australian dollars ($700) for each additional adult and an additional up to 500 Australian dollars ($400) for each additional child who has reached at least 3 years of age who will be housed in the same room or apartment.

The post Australia Extends International Travel Ban Until December 2021 appeared first on Traveling Lifestyle.

Amanda Hite, the president of STR, a hospitality research firm that released these numbers and forecast, said on Wednesday that she and her company had expected business travel, which encompasses a significant portion of those who normally travel to San Francisco during non-pandemic times, to start returning after Labor Day. However, that was before the delta variant caused the city’s recovery to plateau instead of continuing to improve.

The occupancy rate within the city is up to 50%, which is a significant improvement over a year ago but still a notable decrease over the 80% figure from two years ago. The average room rates have also experienced similar fluctuations, going from $240 in July 2019 to $100 in April 2020 to $175 in July 2021.

As far as visitor numbers go, they went from 26 million in 2019 to 10 million in 2020 to an expected year-end total in 2021 of 16 million. Also, spending has gone from $9 billion in 2019 to $3 billion in 2020 to an expected $4 billion in 2021.

Hotel room stays have dropped precipitously, from 1.2 million in 2019 to 120,000 a year ago to 50,000 so far in 2021.

Also harming the recovery was the Moscone Center, where most of the city’s largest conventions are held, being completely closed to them for more than a year so that it could house COVID-19-related activities instead. Six events are scheduled there between now and the end of 2021 with 35 more scheduled in 2022.

One set of numbers has unquestionably placed San Francisco at the top of the country as it relates to economic damage: passenger numbers through San Francisco International Airport. No other American airport has lost more passengers. Normally, 44 airlines operate through the airport; that dropped to four in 2020 and is currently at 28.

Through Thursday, San Francisco has 20 confirmed cases per 100,000 people per day. That is less than half of the corresponding figure for the United States as a whole: 47. The city also has a vaccination mandate related to many indoor activities, including going to restaurants and gyms.

The post San Francisco visitor spending drops 58% in 2021, full recovery not likely until 2025 appeared first on Traveling Lifestyle.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic’s arrival, many had been resistant to this change for several reasons, but they have since discovered its benefits through forced use of remote work. It is likely that it will now remain to a significant degree.

On Thursday, Microsoft announced its release of Viva, an “employee experience platform” intended to assist with this new world.

Viva will help unify employee and employer experiences for those who are mostly connected with each other via the internet and may never meet their co-workers, supervisors or staff in person.

Its focus will be on improving the intranet – internal sites and tools – that tend to be used in these situations. Simply put, Viva is designed to help those who are remote feel just as much a part of the company as others do.

This platform is separated into four main parts.

Viva Connections provides internal communications, such as policies and resource groups.

Viva Insights is intended to give those at these companies insights into how everyone can thrive while protecting employees’ privacy.

Viva Learning provides learning courses, primarily designed to help employees develop themselves.

Viva Topis is similar but focuses more on company-wide information sharing.

Those at Microsoft likely saw how companies such as Limeade and Qualtrics have started offering these types of tools to employers and employees and wanted to ensure that it was not left behind and would be able to offer something themselves, something that, in their mind, would also be an improvement on those earlier offerings by their competitors.

Viva has not been rolled out completely, but it will be made available in phases, the first of which were released on Thursday. It should be available in its entirety over the coming months.

Microsoft is a company that has benefited greatly on a financial scale from this pandemic as so many have turned to its already existing resources to help them work from home and oversee employees who are doing so. For example, its profits increased 33% during the final quarter of the 2020 calendar year. However, it also knows that it is going to continue to experience competitiveness within its industry.

Many of the reasons why employees and employers have both started to embrace working from home, meaning including once this pandemic is not impacting our lives to the degree that it has, is due to how productive employees tend to continue to be. By some reports, they are even more productive in these settings. Meanwhile, employees are also enjoying aspects such as greater levels of flexibility.

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