Figures from UN Tourism’s latest World Tourism Barometer indicate a “virtual recovery of pre-pandemic levels” as the African continent welcomed 7% more arrivals in 2024 than in 2019.



United Nations (UN) Tourism estimates that 1.4 billion tourists travelled internationally in 2024, representing an 11% increase compared to 2023. The African continent, in particular, welcomed 12% more arrivals during the same period.



“In 2024, global tourism completed its recovery from the pandemic and, in many places, tourist arrival and specially earnings are already higher than in 2019,” UN Tourism Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili said in a statement.



According to the World Travel &amp; Tourism Council (WTTC), in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector–which includes its direct, indirect, and induced impacts–accounted for 10.4% of global GDP or $10.3 trillion.&nbsp;



In 2023, it reportedly contributed 9.1% to global GDP; an increase of 23.2% from 2022.



In April, WTTC President and CEO, Julia Simpson, said, “The future is very bright. We can predict a record-breaking 2024. The sector’s global economic contribution is set to reach an all-time high of $11.1 trillion, which will generate one in every ten dollars worldwide. The sector is also expected to support nearly 348 million jobs, an increase of 13.6 million jobs on its 2019 record”.



North Africa saw 22% more international arrivals than pre-pandemic numbers with Morocco recording a 35% increase since 2019. The nation surpassed Egypt, with a record 17.4 million visitors in 2024, reportedly meeting the target in its roadmap ahead of schedule.&nbsp;



The country’s Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor was quoted as saying that the performance was “as the result of targeted investment by our government in this sector, which is vital to our country’s economy, and of the constant mobilization of professionals in the sector”.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Morocco is set to host the African Cup of Nations in 2025, further bolstering its growth prospects.



Egypt, according to UN Tourism, recorded a 23% increase in arrivals compared to 2019, followed by Kenya and Tunisia, both on 9%. The Seychelles saw an 8% decrease while South Africa saw a 13% decrease.



Statista indicates that the travel and tourism market in Africa is projected to reach revenue of $25.16 billion by 2025.



However, UN Tourism cautioned that higher transport and accommodation costs, economic factors and geopolitical risks remain the three main challenges that international tourism will face this year.



“Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025, driven by strong demand contributing to the socio-economic development of both mature and emerging destinations,” said Pololikashvili.



“This recalls our immense responsibility as a sector to accelerate transformation, placing people and planet at the center of the development of tourism.”

Morocco, Casablanca, Muhammad V Airport

Tourism Sector Recovers As North Africa Records Strong Performance

More than a third of $239 billion luxury travel market is driven by non-millionaires. They’re young, they want to explore the world and, increasingly, they are neither American nor European. 



A new crop of &#8220;aspiring luxury&#8221; travelers with net worths of under $1 million makes up more than a third of the segment.GETTY



Through the rest of this decade, demand for luxury tourism and hospitality will grow faster than any other segment, according to a new report released by McKinsey on Wednesday entitled “<a href="https://mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-infrastructure/our-insights/the-state-of-tourism-and-hospitality-2024" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The State of Tourism and Hospitality 2024</a>.” The study, based on a survey of over 5,000 travelers, shows how the profile of the global luxury traveler is changing.



The luxury traveler—defined by McKinsey as someone who spends at least $500 per night on accommodations—has been around for some time, but the demographics of this segment are shifting on various fronts.



Unsurprisingly, about two-thirds of the $239 billion luxury travel market is powered by the affluent class. What McKinsey defines as “ultrahigh net-worth” folks (worth more than $30 million) accounted for 15% of all luxury travel spending last year. “Very high net-worth” travelers worth between $5 million and $30 million represented 16% of the segment, and “high net-worth” travelers worth between $1 million and $5 million accounted for a full third (33%) of luxury market spending in 2023.



But the report also highlights “a large and expanding base of aspiring luxury travelers” whose net worths are significantly leaner—between $100,000 and $1 million. Last year, 35% of spending in the segment was powered by these “aspiring luxury” travelers, who collectively spent $84 billion on luxury travel—more than any other cohort.



“It’s crucial to understand this non-millionaire segment for two reasons,” write the report’s authors. “First, it is comparatively large. Second, its forays into select prestige elements present opportunities for brands that hope to attract its enduring loyalty—especially as some of its members graduate into higher tiers of income and wealth.”



Spending on travel peaks between the ages of 40 and 50, but younger travelers are showing an increasing willingness and ability to spend at luxury levels, per&nbsp;the McKinsey survey. “Aspiring luxury” travelers are typically under 40. Their salaries may not be astronomical. They may not own their own homes.



So how do these younger, less affluent travelers afford champagne experiences on what used to be called a beer budget? By being willing to devote out-sized shares of their wealth on experiences. More than four in five non-millionaire luxury travelers are motivated to “explore someplace new,” according to the survey, and nearly six in 10 said they were interested in taking a “cultural or historical” trip.



In general, luxury travelers are more likely than mainstream travelers to take a specialty trip. They want novelty. Seventy-two percent of luxury travelers place importance on visiting a new destination, compared with 44% of other travelers, per the report.



The geographic source market for luxury travelers is also shifting, according to McKinsey. “Although North America is still home to the most millionaires, it could be overtaken by Asia by the mid-2030s—largely as a result of growing wealth in China,” write the report’s authors.



Spurred by the growing wealthy class in Asia, the hospitality industry is responding with a boom in hotel construction. Last year, more than 40% of the global luxury-hotel pipeline was in Asia; of those, 43% were in China.



By the end of the decade, McKinsey projects that the biggest spending cohort be high net-worth travelers worth between $1 million and $5 million, a group that will be spending $154 billion by 2030. Still, the next-biggest spending group will remain aspiring travelers, who will pour a not-so-shabby $107 billion into the luxury travel market by the end of the decade.



.

Business travel concept. Man walking on city street with yellow suitcase cabin bag

The New Luxury Traveler Isn’t Who You Think

Traveling for work these days is not as simple as booking a flight, packing a suitcase and heading for the nearest airport lounge.



With the price of airline tickets sky-rocketing and the cost of hotel rooms in the stratosphere, companies are encouraging employees to get better bang for their travel buck.



To cut costs, bosses suggest cramming more meetings into the time away, driving to destinations instead of flying and – yes, you guessed it – sharing a hotel room with a colleague.



Many bosses have tried to dress up shared accommodation arrangements by telling employees that cohabitating is the perfect opportunity to build camaraderie and team work.



Some have been more direct and told staff that room shares might prevent a reduction in head count if they are forced to tighten their belts down the line.



Others have told staff it is not unlawful to ask colleagues to share rooms and recommended that they go with the flow and “buddy up” to save their company dollars.



But just because employees can share a hotel room does not mean they should.



Sharing with a colleague can be bad under any circumstance let alone if you are feeling unwell, experiencing “gassy” conditions, are prone to allergies or experience congestion during the evening.



And it can be uncomfortable to share a room with an early riser when you are a night owl or when you are forced to endure your colleague’s snoring or realize your roommate is a sleep walker.



Besides, being forced to witness your colleague in a towel or their sleepwear, share their soap when you shower and navigate their toiletries in the bathroom all go way beyond the call of duty.



It is important in the modern workplace that we get to know our colleagues though we only want to learn about work- appropriate aspects, not their more intimate or private sides.



Sharing rooms erodes the professional boundaries that we spend considerable time establishing.



You will not view your colleague Anna the same way if you become aware that she downs three shots of vodka each evening to help her to sleep. You will probably have a different view of Alan if you have been forced to listen to his raunchy sleep talking. And you will most likely have an alternative view of Alice after witnessing her 10-step bedtime regime, which includes two hours of reading before retiring but leaving a light on throughout the night.



If that is not enough to seal the case against sharing a hotel room with a workmate, there is more to consider.



Some people have medical conditions they would prefer not to disclose or be forced to manage in front of colleagues.



And of course the risk of sexual harassment is very real when unwanted advances take place behind closed doors in a shared hotel room.



Some employees will get around the problem of shared hotel rooms by paying for their own single room. Yet paying out of their own pockets is neither a reasonable nor fair solution to this escalating dilemma.



What is needed is for more workers to push back and make the point work travel is draining and that it is important to be well-rested to be effective in their line of work.



The more workers oppose shared accommodation arrangements then the greater the chance that employers will listen.



There is also the prospects of employers reducing costs by using cheaper hotel chains, making greater use of day trips without overnight stays and organizing virtual meetings as an alternative to travel.



But if the boss does require room-sharing, secure your employer’s assurance they will cover the expense of booking a separate room if your roommate’s behavior affects your ability to get a good night’s sleep.



Employees who travel for business to benefit their employer should be treated with the respect and regard they deserve.



This includes privacy and safety, a place for downtime away from colleagues and the opportunity to relax without having to worry about the views, emotions, routines and rituals of their colleagues.



Forcing employees to get to know each other in such an intimate way is not appropriate and can end up diminishing or destroying otherwise good working relationships between individuals.



To put this matter to bed once and for all, companies must refrain from asking employees to share rooms when traveling for work.



The risks will always outweigh the savings.

Interior of hotel room with twin beds

Sharing Rooms On Work Travels: The Good, Bad And Ugly

Didn’t get around to taking a summer vacation? It’s time to book your trip, as airfares are dropping fast to pre-pandemic levels.



As demand for summer travel abates, Americans who held out for a late-August or post-Labor Day getaway will be rewarded for their patience.



Domestic airfare will drop to $286 round-trip later in August, down 25% compared to the $400 peak price for summer airfare in May, according to the third-quarter travel index from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hopper.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hopper</a>, the online booking platform. The average airfare will remain at or below $300 through September, before beginning to rise in October &amp; November and eventually peaking over $390 for last minute holiday bookings in mid to late December.&nbsp;



That brings prices back in line with 2019 levels, says Hayley Berg, Hopper&#8217;s lead economist and author of the report. Late-summer airfares typically drop between 10% and 15% between late August and early October as demand declines for back-to-school season in the U.S. But this year’s tumble from the highs of summer is steeper than usual.



So what is driving airfares down so quickly? In large part, this is a market correction. “Prices this summer were elevated beyond normal seasonal airfare increases by high jet fuel prices and pent-up demand coming out of two depressed summer seasons, and by traveler demand peaking earlier in the summer than in a normal year,” says Berg in her report.



Meanwhile, other factors continue to put upward pressure on airfares. Jet fuel prices have risen rapidly this year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. U.S. Gulf Coast jet fuel is averaging 85% higher than in 2019 and 86% compared to 2021, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).



And passenger capacity is also down compared to pre-pandemic levels. “Available domestic seat capacity in July was at about 95% of 2019 levels, averaging 2.7 million available seats per day compared to 2.87 million per day in 2019,” notes Berg.



The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is consistently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">screening 10% fewer travelers</a>&nbsp;than in 2019, exceeding pre-pandemic volume on only a handful of days this year, over the long Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends.&nbsp;



As airfares plummet, beach destinations top the Hopper’s trending list for domestic travel, with all cities in Hawaii (airfares are averaging $500 or less) and Hilton Head, South Carolina ($315 roundtrip) in the top three destinations for fall. Mountain towns are also trending upward, with Jackson, Wyoming ($460 roundtrip) the destination rising the fastest in popularity for this autumn.



By Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes Staff

Mother holding daughter at airport

What Inflation? Airfares Are Plummeting 25% This Month

For a great many of the 16 million people who work in the $2.6 trillion U.S. tourism industry, getting an accurate assessment of travel demand is akin to finding the Holy Grail. For destination organizations and visitor bureaus at the national, state and local level, pinning down where people want to travel is the key to efficiently managing budgets and spending. Airlines gauge travel demand when deciding where to open new routes. Hotels and other tourism-related businesses use demand forecasting to right-size supply and determine how many employees to hire.



But predicting travel demand has become harder over the past decade, and the Covid-19 pandemic has upended traditional forecasting models that rely on recent historical data.



“I used to be able to close my eyes and tell you, ‘Here’s what we’re going do, and this is our audience,’” says Butch Spyridon, president of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmusiccity.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nashville Convention &amp; Visitors Corporation</a>. “And I can’t do that anymore.”



Today, Spyridon and other U.S. tourism professionals are about to get an eyeful from Google. The technology company is launching&nbsp;<a href="https://travelinsights.withgoogle.com/intl/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Travel Insights with Google</a>, a brand new suite of free tools that leverage Google Search data to deliver insights into real-time travel demand.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F60eece71c0c0a16f7b59d7a9%2F0x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale" alt="Google travel trends tool"/><figcaption>Destination Insights lets travel marketers glean quick &#8220;focusing facts&#8221; that highlight major trends.&nbsp;GOOGLE</figcaption></figure>



The first tool,&nbsp;<a href="https://destinationinsights.withgoogle.com/intl/en_ALL/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Destination Insights</a>, gives travel businesses, governments and tourism boards a clear picture of where travel demand is coming from so they can plan accordingly. A second tool,&nbsp;<a href="https://hotelinsights.withgoogle.com/intl/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hotel Insights</a>, has been customized to help hoteliers analyze search trends so they can attract new guests based on where interest is coming from.&nbsp;



“It’s really difficult to find any anchor of data to forecast the future, and so we felt it was a good time right now to share some of our search data with the industry to help travel companies understand what users are looking for. And here’s the kind of queries they’re doing, and here’s the data and information they’re interested in,” says Gianni Marostica, Managing Director of Global Business Development for Google Travel.



Google started piloting the Travel Insights tools last December in the Asian Pacific region, where some destinations were already bouncing back early from Covid-19 and looking for directional data to guide where they should spend marketing dollars.



“The launch is very timely for Vietnam as we are looking at reviving tourism and restructuring destination markets post Covid-19,” says Ha Van Sieu, deputy chairman of&nbsp;<a href="https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vietnam’s tourism organization</a>. “The tool is extremely useful for us to understand domestic, inbound and outbound travel demand based on real-time digital data, and to develop marketing strategies.”



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F60eec53a5c09d5e76d59d7a9%2F0x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale" alt="travel trend data Google"/><figcaption>Which destinations are growing in popularity? Destination Insights pulls data from Google Search.&nbsp;GOOGLE</figcaption></figure>



During the initial six-month pilot in Asia, Google received valuable feedback from the governments and travel organizations that test-drove the new tool. “They provided some great insights as to some additional data or different cuts of data that we should have in the tool,” says Marostica. “And hopefully now, moving forward, as we roll this out in the U.S., we’ll get even more insights and maybe do different cuts of data based on what U.S.-based users would like to see.”



As chairman of the board for&nbsp;<a href="https://destinationsinternational.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Destinations International</a>, a trade group representing over 650 destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus and tourism boards worldwide,&nbsp;Spyridon helped forge a partnership with Google.&nbsp;Now he can’t wait to use Travel Insights to glean insights into where travel demand is strongest for Nashville.



The Music City’s $10 billion tourism industry has traditionally relied on a heavy leisure drive market, says Spyridon, but in recent years it&#8217;s become almost impossible to get a handle on where demand is most concentrated. “The whole country has become our market in the last 10 years. Now it&#8217;s 50-50 fly-drive and just as strong West Coast and Northeast as it is Atlanta,” he says. “That&#8217;s good news for us. But it&#8217;s also hard to retarget that audience.”



Spyridon says his biggest obstacle has been a lack of good intel. “By the time we look at, the data is weeks, months and in some cases, a year old,” says Spyridon. “Putting our arms around current real-time data, we have never had that opportunity.”



The destination tool offers quick insights such as “fastest growing destination globally,” “country with the most inbound interest” and “top city in demand.” Marketers can dive deeper into each data set, and toggle the date range to see how that changes results.



Spyridon sees today’s launch is a game changer for travel marketers. “Google is the best in the business for gathering this data,” he says. “This is the best, most accurate and most real-time data that we will have access to. It will allow us to understand the search trends and meet the demand more effectively and be more current.”



“Responsibly reinvigorating the tourism sector will take ingenuity and effort across the industry,” writes Marostica on <a href="https://www.blog.google/products/ads-commerce/tools-partnerships-help-travel-recover-thrive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google’s blog</a>. “As we make progress toward recovery, we’ll continue to seek to find new ways to support the global travel and tourism sector by sharing data and insights that can help the industry rebound.”



By Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes Staff

Man walking with suitcase at airport terminal

Google Just Unlocked The Mysteries Of Travel Demand—And The Tourism Industry Can’t Wait To Have At It

An annual super and hyper-car event that saw the rich and famous and 68 high-performance vehicles – worth over $25 million – burn rubber on South Africa’s open roads. What’s needed? A cool $7,000 and a lot of va va voom.



Pitched as the “most epic super-car rally in the southern hemisphere”, the 2021 Daytona Rally went ahead with much fanfare this year, seeing 68 luxury car owners completing a six-day trip of 1,500km from the South African port city of Gqeberha to Mossel Bay in Cape Town, from May 20. Drivers were treated to five-star hotel stays and red-carpet treatment every step of the way.



“It really is the best thing, a mind-blowing experience every time,” says participant Ismail Peck, who traveled with two friends in a Lamborghini and Audi R8 V10 Performance Quattro. Drivers were treated to a variety of events, from hill-climbs to ¼ mile drift events and more. Sponsored by New York-based IoT company Justworx, the rally is the intersection of high-speed and the high life, with an entrance fee of around $7,000 to participate and drivers treated to luxury accommodation and experiences during the trip. Originally limited to 50 participants, numbers were upped to 68 drivers due to high demand, with many wanting a freeing experience after a year of pandemic restrictions. “The race draws the cream of the crop in South Africa,” says Killarney International Raceway commentator Gary Fleming. With the total estimated value of participant vehicles being in excess of $25 million, it’s no surprise there were some ancillary benefits, with Mossel Bay Deputy Mayor Dirk Kotzé making clear that the city’s participation was part of a broader plan to stimulate local businesses, and luxury goods worth $20,000 being auctioned to support local charity efforts. Local residents were primarily excited at the opportunity to see many of these rare, high-performance vehicles up close, with many taking to social media to express their enjoyment and share images and videos of the event, which included some previously unseen vehicles in South Africa including the McLaren Senna and Ferrari F8 Tri Turbo.



“I was so lucky to have seen the convoy on the N2 into Cape Town this morning,” one attendee said. “What an awesome spectacle.” While the event was not spectator-driven due to Covid-19 concerns, hundreds of spectators did end up being able to view the rally, with the hope that the next event will be post-pandemic.



“It can become a public spectacle… I think it will be one of the biggest events in South Africa…” says Fleming. Phoenix Events CEO Mark Castell, who co-ordinated the logistics and transport of the vehicles, support and security, ensured that pedestrian and road safety was a priority. Commenting on the extension of the rally to six days for this year’s event, he says: “The feedback is always fantastic but the drivers wish for more time behind the wheel… It’s for the love of racing.” “I can’t say what we did on the roads, but we got there quick,” quipped another excited driver.

daytona

Fast, Furious And Fancy In South Africa: Strapping Up In A Lamborghini Over 1,500Kms

With the social scene slowly crawling back to some semblance of normalcy, entrepreneur Bukky George-Taylor is cashing in with an app for customers keen on curated events and experiences in Nigeria.



If there is one person who knows what is hot and trendy in Africa’s biggest economy and most populous country, it is Bukky George-Taylor.



As the CEO and Founder of Robert Taylor Media Ltd., a boutique communications and events company based in Lagos, Nigeria, she is the force behind some of the biggest brand activations and campaigns in the country as well as providing representation for global brands looking to penetrate the African market. 



And her latest creation, a mobile app named CRAWL Africa, launched in Lagos in March, seems to address the need to adapt to a new social life in ‘a new normal’. She calls it Africa’s first social calendar app on a mission to revolutionize social experiences in Africa by presenting a collection of curated experiences for the discerning and upwardly-mobile African consumer.



“Finding information on where to go or contacting establishments in Nigeria and across Africa can be a chore. With no access to 411 or yellow pages in Africa, CRAWL provides you with all the accurate contact information to contact businesses and to tour your city,” says George-Taylor about the new app, which currently has over 100 businesses listed.



With a degree in African-American history from the University of Massachusetts in the United States, George-Taylor has built a firm that services the corporate, entertainment, lifestyle, fashion, beauty and health sectors. This has always ensured her access to the hottest events and happenings in Nigeria.



But why choose to launch an app when the retail and hospitality sector is still recovering from the effects of a raging pandemic?



“The app launched because our city [Lagos] started to open back up with restaurants and smaller events. One of the major reasons was because of travel restrictions; the app was birthed to promote tourism and encourage people to start exploring their own cities.



“The app also enables CRAWLers to save their favorite locations or experiences for future references with a single tap while making suggestions to users based on the preferences they select,&nbsp;such as budget, location, and more.”&nbsp;



As Nigeria’s social scene gradually reopens, the events listings will be reflected on the app. George-Taylor is now also looking at other cities in sub-Saharan Africa such as Accra, Kigali, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg and Cape Town in which to launch CRAWL Africa.

5A6A8883 1 (1)

Want To Party In The New Normal? This Could Be How

As per this year’s&nbsp;latest&nbsp;<a href="http://wt-mail.henleyglobal.com/c/6/?T=NDQzMjAyNzc%3AcDEtYjIxMTAzLTAxZjY0NTQyY2U0NDRlZmY5ZjY1ZWZjNGIzNTgzMDgw%3AcmVudWthLm1ldGhpbEBhYm4zNjAuY29t%3AY29udGFjdC05YjQ5MGI4M2Y4OTJlNzExOWRiZjAwNTA1NmJjMDdmMy1lM2E0ZGM1ODkxNDQ0ZGQ5OTIyZjhmNmYyZTE1MjhkOQ%3AZmFsc2U%3AMA%3A%3AaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaGVubGV5Z2xvYmFsLmNvbS9wYXNzcG9ydC1pbmRleD9fY2xkZWU9Y21WdWRXdGhMbTFsZEdocGJFQmhZbTR6TmpBdVkyOXQmcmVjaXBpZW50aWQ9Y29udGFjdC05YjQ5MGI4M2Y4OTJlNzExOWRiZjAwNTA1NmJjMDdmMy1lM2E0ZGM1ODkxNDQ0ZGQ5OTIyZjhmNmYyZTE1MjhkOSZlc2lkPTQxZWQ5MGM3LTJkOWMtZWIxMS04YmMwLTAwNTA1NjhkOWExOA&amp;K=vJWLaK0qWC7j9BwnzD83sg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Henley Passport Index</a>&nbsp;— the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa – Japanese passport holders theoretically are able to access a record 193 destinations around the world visa-free. &nbsp;



Singapore remains in second place, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 192, while Germany and South Korea again share joint-third place, each with access to 191 destinations. &nbsp;The index provides exclusive insight into what post-pandemic travel freedom might look like as countries around the world&nbsp;selectively begin to open their borders&nbsp;to international visitors.&nbsp;



 Based on exclusive data from the&nbsp;<a href="http://wt-mail.henleyglobal.com/c/6/?T=NDQzMjAyNzc%3AcDEtYjIxMTAzLTAxZjY0NTQyY2U0NDRlZmY5ZjY1ZWZjNGIzNTgzMDgw%3AcmVudWthLm1ldGhpbEBhYm4zNjAuY29t%3AY29udGFjdC05YjQ5MGI4M2Y4OTJlNzExOWRiZjAwNTA1NmJjMDdmMy1lM2E0ZGM1ODkxNDQ0ZGQ5OTIyZjhmNmYyZTE1MjhkOQ%3AZmFsc2U%3AMQ%3A%3AaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaWF0YS5vcmcvP19jbGRlZT1jbVZ1ZFd0aExtMWxkR2hwYkVCaFltNHpOakF1WTI5dCZyZWNpcGllbnRpZD1jb250YWN0LTliNDkwYjgzZjg5MmU3MTE5ZGJmMDA1MDU2YmMwN2YzLWUzYTRkYzU4OTE0NDRkZDk5MjJmOGY2ZjJlMTUyOGQ5JmVzaWQ9NDFlZDkwYzctMmQ5Yy1lYjExLThiYzAtMDA1MDU2OGQ5YTE4&amp;K=GPVhmx3NNGZER0Qshw6TlA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International Air Transport Association</a>&nbsp;(IATA), and as has been the case for most of the index’s 16-year history, the majority of the remaining top 10 spots are held by European Union countries. &nbsp;



The United Arab Emirates continues its stellar ascent. In 2011, it was ranked 65th&nbsp;with a&nbsp;visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 67, while today, it is ranked 15th&nbsp;with a score of 174. &nbsp;Closer home, Seychelles and Mauritius are in the top 50.&nbsp;



Seychelles, the archipelago country in the Indian Ocean, is Africa’s top-ranking African passport in this regard, at 27 with access to 152 destinations worldwide.&nbsp;



It is followed by Mauritius which is at 30 with a score of 146 destinations passport-holders of this country can visit.&nbsp;



Ranked 53, the number of global destinations South African passport-holders can travel to is 103.&nbsp;



The rest of the African continent dominates the bottom quarter of the rankings with weaker passports than most.&nbsp;

Man holding passport and boarding pass at airline check-in counter

What Travel Freedom Looks Like In The Pandemic World

Animals, adventure, and a pit stop for riders off Johannesburg’s city limits.



It’s sunrise on a Saturday morning in South Africa and I am wide awake. Spring is one of my favorite seasons. With spring, comes the uplifting scent of the Jacarandas as they start to bloom, the smell of the wet earth and freshly-cut grass mixed with the smell of exhaust fumes as I pass the sights and sounds as a pillion passenger on a motorbike.



Just before the expedition, I ensure all necessary safety checks are done and take the winter lining off my jacket. I stand, rubbing my hands together to beat the misty morning cold as my fiancé turns on the ignition, warming up in preparation for our daytime two-wheel adventure.



Helmet on, inhibitions off and we’re on our way. The silence on the roads is rattled by the noise of the engine revving up at each red robot and my ears slowly adjust to the muffled noises of the outdoor world as I wear ear plugs to protect myself from the whistling wind and the screaming engine.



I hold on tightly as the city and red robots fade away and the views begin to unfold of open, uninterrupted roads. We encounter other bikers and a respectful nod is passed between riders in the split second they’re able to glance at each other. There is an assault of fresh air through an opening in my helmet.&nbsp;



Riding around the Cradle of Humankind site northwest of Johannesburg gifts us with sceneries of green rolling hills and sleepy farm life. The long and winding roads are adorned with bikers and cyclists alike, all of whom pause at certain points on this Saturday morning to take in the valleys and knolls that dot the landscape.



The last few kilometers to our destination prove tenuous to me at best as the pot holes and speed bumps are a challenging experience. The Black Horse Brewery &amp; Distillery is a hidden gem nestled away in the rocky green mountains of Magaliesburg. Stopping here is the norm for bikers.&nbsp;



Accompanying the delightful breakfast spread here are the animals who roam between tables looking for nibbles. A stoutly Pekingese and genteel Maltese wait patiently as they receive attention from loyal patrons.



Outside, horses trot around rather majestically as they return to their stables from their morning canter. Meandering through the property reveals a garden and grounds that could be the picture for a postcard.&nbsp;



The rustic feel of the buildings and intimacy of the architecture make this a popular venue, as evidenced by a wedding party preparing for their special day. &nbsp;



Having meandered through the grounds one last time and thanking the warm staff, we don our gear and make our way to the exit. Mounting the bike, I smile because our journey begins again. More adventure awaits.

Visitors center, Cradle of Humankind, Tumulus Building exterior earth covered

South Africa On Two Wheels

Topline: After 20 long and turbulent months of being grounded, the Boeing 737 MAX is ready to take off into the skies as it gets approval to return to commercial service, says the U.S.  Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday, November 18.  This follows after The Boeing Company had to suspend the services of the airplanes due to the crash of Ethiopian Airline’s Boeing 737 MAX in March 2019.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Key Facts</h4>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The FAA released a <a href="https://www.faa.gov/foia/electronic_reading_room/boeing_reading_room/media/737_RTS_Summary.pdf">comprehensive and methodical safety review process</a> report on Wednesday that took 20 months to complete. The report is to address the safety issues regarding the plane.&nbsp;</li><li>Boeing 737 MAX was grounded in March 2019 when 346 lives were lost within a five-month timeline.&nbsp;</li><li>On October 29, 2018, a Lion Air&nbsp; Boeing 737 MAX crashed after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia. 13 minutes after takeoff, Flight 610 crashed killing 189 people.</li><li>Five months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after take-off on March 10 killing all 149 people on board.&nbsp;</li><li>This led to many big airlines having to ground their Boeing 737 Max planes due to safety concerns. This included the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) who ordered all Chinese airlines to ground their Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets a day after the fatal Ethiopian crash. American Airlines, Comair Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines are just to name a few that also made the decision to ground their 737s.&nbsp;</li><li>“Throughout our transparent process, we cooperated closely with our foreign counterparts on every aspect of the return to service. Additionally, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson personally took the recommended pilot training and piloted the Boeing 737 MAX, so he could experience the handling of the aircraft firsthand,” the FAA statement read.&nbsp;</li><li>This stamp of approval allows airlines that are under the FAA&#8217;s jurisdiction to take the necessary steps to resume services.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Crucial Numbers</h4>



According to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/17/business/boeing-737-max-grounding-cost/index.html">CNN</a>, Boeing stated that this longest grounding in commercial aviation history has cost the company $20 Billion. This includes $8.6 billion to compensate customers who had their planes grounded, $5 billion for unusual costs of production, and $6.3 billion for increased costs of the 737 Max program.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Crucial Quote</h4>



&#8220;We will never forget the lives lost in the two tragic accidents that led to the decision to suspend operations,&#8221; said David Calhoun, chief executive officer of The Boeing Company. &#8220;These events and the lessons we have learned as a result have reshaped our company and further focused our attention on our core values of safety, quality, and integrity.&#8221;

US-AVIATION-BOEING

Boeing 737 MAX Gets Approval To Fly Again After Almost 2 Years of Suspended Services

After almost six months of travel restrictions to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced to the nation at 19:00 CAT today, Wednesday, September 16, that from October 1, borders will reopen and restricted international travel will be allowed.



“We are ready to open our doors again to the world, and invite travelers to enjoy our mountains, our beaches, our vibrant cities and our wildlife game parks in safety and confidence,” Ramaphosa said to the nation in a virtual address.



However, international travel is restricted to and from countries that have high infection rates and limited to only South Africa’s big main airports: King Shaka, OR Tambo, and Cape Town International Airport. Furthermore, on arrival, passengers will need to present a negative Covid-19 test result not older than 72 hours from the time of departure.



“Where a traveler has not done a Covid-19 test prior to departure, they will be required to remain in mandatory quarantine at their own cost,” Ramaposa added. “All travelers will also be asked to install the Covid Alert South Africa mobile app.”



Whilst that aspect of Alert Level 1 is only active at the beginning of October, South Africa will officially move to the new level from Monday, September 21.



“Although we have made remarkable progress, we must remember people are still getting infected and people are still losing their lives. By any measure, we are still in the midst of a deadly pandemic,” said Ramaphosa.



More people can attend social, religious, political, and other gatherings like funerals, at Alert Level 1. The number of people cannot exceed 50% of the normal capacity of a venue; up to a maximum of 250 people are allowed for indoor gatherings and only 500 people can be at outdoor gatherings. Furthermore, gyms, cinemas, and theaters will now be allowed to accommodate up to 50% of their venue capacity as determined by available floor space.



At the height of the country&#8217;s pandemic peak in July, South Africa recorded around 12,000 new cases a day. Ramaposa stated that now, on average, the country is recording less than 2,000 cases a day and a recovery rate of 89%. These figures contribute to the cabinet&#8217;s decision to return to some form of economic normalcy.



“We have withstood the coronavirus storm. Now is the time to return our country, its people, and our economy to a situation that is more normal, that more resembles the lives that we were living six months ago. It is time to move to what will become our new normal for as long as the coronavirus is with us,” the president said.

SAFRICA-HEALTH-VIRUS

South Africa To Move to Level 1 Allowing Restricted International Travel From Oct 1

Deep inside Gabon’s forests, under the harsh equatorial sun, the joy of seeing a mandrill in its habitat is a prize that cannot be missed. And one man is helping in the preservation of these vanishing primates.



IN SEARCH OF AFRICA’S LAST EDEN, my recent wildlife expedition to Gabon was organized under the auspices of Antonio Anoro of Gabon Untouched, an NGO dedicated to sustainable development through conservation and community tourism. While planning my foray into several national parks to observe wildlife prevalent in Gabon, the sighting of mandrills (the largest species of monkeys) was indeed a priority. Since the shy and reclusive mandrills are found only in tropical rain forest habitats, thick bush, and secondary forests, it is almost impossible to spot them with an untrained eye.



I therefore got in touch with Dr David Lehmann, a French-born ‘extreme’ field biologist and mandrill expert, who has been working in Gabon for over two years now. An expert in wildlife capture, he is also developing sustainable ecotourism projects, including providing specialized training for international and national trackers, guides, and researchers. He lives in a camp deep inside Lopé National Park, home to the largest ever recorded mandrill horde of over 1,000 in one location at a time.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="599" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-20.13.27-1024x599.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-47643" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-20.13.27-1024x599.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-20.13.27-300x175.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-20.13.27-600x351.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-20.13.27-768x449.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-20.13.27-1536x898.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-20.13.27-2048x1197.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



&nbsp;When he indicated that he was available, I traveled by boat, road, and rail, in order to reach Lopé National Park from Ivindo National Park, home to the world-famous Langoue Baie, where elephants, gorillas, sitatunga and buffalo gather by the dozens at this salt lick. Since Lehmann had just returned from France after four weeks in Europe, he mentioned that his bearings on the mandrill troupe that he had GPS radio-collared were a bit tricky. In light of my arrival, despite jet lag and hard travel, he set out with his GPS-radio tracking antenna to get their relative position for easy access the following day.



Early the next morning, we drove in his battered Land Cruiser several miles into the park and up a small hillock with his assistant, Gabriel, to assess the location of a radio-collared group. As we were gearing up for the trek, the conversation suddenly turned serious when Lehmann turned to me and said, 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“You stay close between Gabe and me at all times. If a male gorilla attacks, look down and stay in a submissive posture close to the ground. If an elephant charges, run in a zigzag pattern and find a large bush or rock to avoid it. It will stop the chase after 30 meters. And lastly, if a buffalo charges, I will let you know what to do at that time.” </blockquote>



I realized that this was not playtime, but a serious foray into Gabon’s largest park at 4,900sqkm in size.



&nbsp;After a good hour’s walk up and down the undulating savannah, we almost reached the forest edge when we heard horrible, shrill sounds. Lehmann immediately checked the GPS tracker and realized that the mandrills we were following had scattered during a chimpanzee attack, one of their main predators during the day (and it is leopards at night). We walked back for nearly an hour to the vehicle after wasting a good four hours trying to find them.



&nbsp;The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is one of the most colorful animals in the world. This monkey species inhabits a very small portion of central Africa and ranges from south Cameroon to the north of Congo. The country of Gabon, therefore, represents 80% of its distribution range.



Wild mandrill males have a technicolor butt and face that glow in the shadows as if they carry their own light sources, while females are typically colorless. But the variation in color is not the only difference between male and female mandrills. Males are typically three times bigger than females (by around 10 kg).



&nbsp;While discussing his research, Lehmann added: “If they have such a difference in morphology, we can expect that they have different lifestyles. Indeed, you might need to feed on more nutritive food sources if you are all beefed up and need to constantly fight for females. Females are part of the troupe of more than several hundred monkeys that always move around the forest to find food, while males are more solitary and are only present in the group during the breeding season. Since the equatorial forest of Gabon is influenced by global warming, we are also investigating if the changes in the health of the forest will impact one sex more than another, and thus, the survival of the whole species.”



&nbsp;After a quick break, we drove through rutted tracks to an area where Lehmann believed these monkeys could have regrouped. Our GPS tracker indicated their presence was reachable by a solid walk through several hillocks and gallery forests about an hour or so away, in the blazing sun. We set about this task, finally reaching an amazing gallery forest with flowing water. Not only were we refreshed by the cool waters, the shade was a good few degrees below the equatorial sun. However, walking along streams in gallery forests can be fairly slow, and keeping up with the ever-moving and feeding mandrills became a foot race. Finally, the joy of seeing an unusual species in their habitat was a prize that could not be missed.



&nbsp;There has been a drastic decline in the mandrill population outside national parks in recent years due to habitat destruction. They are especially vulnerable to hunters because of their loud calls. Mandrills are hunted as a local food source in several areas. Currently, mandrills occupy forests at a very low density and are poorly protected, if at all. As a result, they may be threatened with complete extinction in the wild.



&nbsp;This brought me to the subject of Lehmann’s research.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="522" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.51.45-1024x522.png" alt="" class="wp-image-47654" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.51.45-1024x522.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.51.45-300x153.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.51.45-600x306.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.51.45-768x392.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.51.45-1536x783.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.51.45-2048x1044.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Photo by Ramdas Iyer</figcaption></figure>



“We catch and release these animals after placing a GPS collar around their necks so that we can track the utilization of their natural habitat. Capturing wild primates is extremely challenging; we have thus pioneered new ways to immobilize them while guaranteeing their safety. We also collect biological samples to analyze their diet, correlate it with their movements and with the temporal changes in forest health,” he explained.



&nbsp;After nine hours of mandrill tracking, we arrived at the lodge to find a cold beer and talk about his conservation work and the impact it was having. Lehmann mentioned that the publicity arising from the ecotourism project also increases the frequentation of foreigners to Lopé National Park, providing socio-economic benefits to the local community.&nbsp;



“Our results have shown that our focal group of mandrills spends ninety-five percent of its time roaming within the buffer zone of the park. We provide the Gabonese national parks agency with recommendations in adjusting park boundaries. We will provide habitat management recommendations to the mandrill range state governments for inclusion in their forest national management guidelines. Our detailed analysis of how environmental parameters are influencing mandrill movements will enable us to make first predictions about the vulnerability of the species to oncoming climate-driven environmental change.”



Dr Joseph Okoye, Director of Parcs Gabon (ANPN) whom I met en route from Ivindo where he was on a forest patrol inspection, when asked about mandrill conservation, mentioned: “For a species with such a restricted global distribution, this is of importance for international assessments of the species which is in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List as a conservation priority.”



&nbsp;In choosing to write this article, I wanted to expose the amount of basic research conducted to protect our biodiversity on earth. Lehmann works in a remote outpost with minimal comforts, constantly searching for funding and often interacting with officials like Okoye who provide Parcs Gabon support for his work. Thanks to European Union funding, he is helping in the preservation of one of the planet’s vanishing species.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="555" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.53.03-1024x555.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-47648" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.53.03-1024x555.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.53.03-scaled-300x163.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.53.03-scaled-600x325.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.53.03-768x416.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.53.03-1536x832.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-01-18-at-19.53.03-2048x1109.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Photo by Ramdas Iyer</figcaption></figure>



By Ramdas Iyer

Screen Shot 2020-01-18 at 20.14.22

Thrills, Perils, And Mandrills

A new research paper from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimates that blocking out the middle seat on airplanes could cause the likelihood of passengers being infected with coronavirus to drop by nearly half, just as some airlines are starting to book flights to capacity again.



KEY FACTS



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>According to the MIT paper (which has not been peer reviewed) the chances of catching coronavirus from a nearby passenger on a full airplane when all coach seats are filled is about <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.02.20143826v2.full.pdf" target="_blank">1 in 4,300</a>.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>However, those odds drop to 1 in 7,700 when all the middle seats on board are left empty, the paper states.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Taking into account a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.02.20143826v2.full.pdf" target="_blank">1% mortality rate</a> according to the statistical model, the likelihood of dying from a coronavirus case contracted on a plane is far more likely than dying in a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.02.20143826v2.full.pdf" target="_blank">plane crash</a>, which has odds of about 1 in 34 million, the paper stated. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>In “Covid-19 Risk Among Airline Passengers: Should the Middle Seat Stay Empty?” the author of the study, Arnold Barnett, wrote that his analysis aims to be “<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.02.20143826v2.full.pdf" target="_blank">a rough approximation</a>” of the risks involved in flying during the coronavirus pandemic.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“The airlines are setting their own policies but the airlines and the public should know about the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/filling-middle-seats-nearly-doubles-airline-passenger-risk-of-catching-covid-19-says-mit-researcher/" target="_blank">risk implications</a> of their choices,&#8221; Barnett told ZDNet this week.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The paper comes just as more flight carriers, like <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/06/27/american-airlines-ditches-social-distancing-will-book-planes-at-full-capacity/#654a11ea3b9a">American Airlines</a>, begin booking flights to full capacity despite surges of the virus across the country. </li></ul>



KEY BACKGROUND



The coronavirus pandemic has been disastrous for the travel industry, and has especially hurt airlines. Major American carriers including American, Delta and United have asked employees to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/07/08/united-airlines-warns-that-it-could-layoff-36000-employees/#1f5870d93afb">take buyouts</a> and early retirement, Forbes reported, in a bid to cut costs as the pandemic causes them to bleed cash. United Airlines warned this week that it could be forced to furlough <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/07/08/united-airlines-warns-that-it-could-layoff-36000-employees/#6a9425d73afb">36,000 jobs</a>, or nearly half of its American workers, starting in October if travel doesn’t pick up. In April, the airline estimated that in the first quarter it lost <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2020/04/20/united-airlines-first-quarter-loss/#36db1a0196ef">$2.1 billion</a> pre-tax, Forbes reported, and was losing <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2020/04/20/united-airlines-first-quarter-loss/#36db1a0196ef">$100 million</a> a day in the last half of March. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said in May he expects a major airline to go <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/05/12/boeing-ceo-warns-a-major-airline-will-most-likely-go-out-of-business-this-year-because-of-coronavirus/#660d73342b4b">out of business</a> in 2020 as a result of pandemic pressure.



NEWS PEG



American Airlines announced two weeks ago it would begin <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/06/27/american-airlines-ditches-social-distancing-will-book-planes-at-full-capacity/#654a11ea3b9a">booking middle seats</a> again starting in July, although the carrier will allow passengers to switch from a full flight without any extra cost, Forbes reported. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/06/27/american-airlines-ditches-social-distancing-will-book-planes-at-full-capacity/#370f46303b9a">United</a> is also selling tickets for middle seats. American Airlines took flak earlier this month when Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) tweeted a picture of his <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/SenJeffMerkley/status/1278782271986831360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1279139143117832192%7Ctwgr%5E&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wusa9.com%2Farticle%2Fnews%2Fverify%2Fverify-airplane-safety-coronavirus-major-airlines-policies%2F65-5872a38d-42fe-4940-be04-eb67de1fe0c3" target="_blank">crowded flight</a>. 



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">.<a href="https://twitter.com/AmericanAir?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmericanAir</a>: how many Americans will die bc you fill middle seats, w/ your customers shoulder to shoulder, hour after hour. This is incredibly irresponsible. People eat &amp; drink on planes &amp; must take off masks to do so. No way you aren’t facilitating spread of COVID infections. <a href="https://t.co/PWG5macqgC">pic.twitter.com/PWG5macqgC</a>&mdash; Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenJeffMerkley/status/1278782271986831360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



WHAT TO WATCH



If airlines continue to extend their policy of keeping middle seats blocked off or if they’ll be forced to book to capacity to turn a profit. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/status/1280932162854948866" target="_blank">Southwest</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/Delta/status/1278352078784671744" target="_blank">Delta</a> have both committed to keeping their middle <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/Delta/status/1278352078784671744" target="_blank">seats</a> blocked off until at least the end of September, while <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2020/06/26/airlines-tried-social-distancing-board-many-that-experiment-is-ending/" target="_blank">JetBlue</a> will do the same through July, according to the Washington Post.



&#8211; <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/">Carlie Porterfield</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/business">Business</a>

gettyimages-1224293933-594×594

Leaving Airplane Middle Seats Empty Could Cut Coronavirus Risk Almost In Half, A Study Says

Billionaire entrepreneur&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/richard-branson/#72d1a7ea6ff5">Sir Richard Branson</a>&nbsp;has been criticized by a U.K. politician for airline Virgin Atlantic’s request on Monday for staff to take eight weeks unpaid leave during the coronavirus pandemic.



Labour MP Kate Osborne, the second U.K. politician to be diagnosed with coronavirus, described Virgin Atlantic’s decision as “an absolute disgrace” on Twitter.



Author Liam Young tweeted, “Virgin Atlantic have 8,500 employees and Branson has asked them to take 8 weeks unpaid leave. It would cost £4.2 million to pay all of these employees £500 a week to cover this leave. In total that’s a cost of £34 million for 8 weeks.”



The implication appears to be that billionaire Richard Branson, whose net worth Forbes estimates $3.8 billion, could afford to cover this cost.



Virgin Atlantic confirmed in a statement Monday that it plans to reduce its schedule and prioritize routes based on customer demand. The airline predicts an 80% reduction in flights per day, and adds, “As a direct consequence we will be parking approximately 75% of our fleet by 26 March and at points in April will go up to 85%.” 



Virgin Atlantic describes the changes as “drastic measures” put in place to “ensure cash is preserved, costs are controlled, and the future of the airline is safeguarded.”



Adding, “Staff will be asked to take eight weeks unpaid leave over the next three months, with the cost spread over six months&#8217; salary, to drastically reduce costs without job losses.” The airline confirms its decision has received the support of unions BALPA and UNITE in agreeing to the unpaid leave.



 A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “The aviation industry is facing unprecedented pressure. We are appealing to the [U.K] government for clear, decisive and unwavering support. Our industry needs emergency credit facilities to a value of £5-7.5 billion, to bolster confidence and to prevent credit card processors from withholding customer payments.” 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Bad Times For Branson</h3>



Branson’s business empire has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic.



On March 14 the Virgin Voyages cruise ship operation decided to postpone the launch of its new Scarlet Lady cruise line. “The current global health crisis is understandably making many people rethink upcoming travel plans,” Virgin Voyages confirmed in a statement.



On March 5, British airline Flybe — which is part owned by Virgin Atlantic— collapsed after it succumbed to its financial woes and weakened demand because of the Covid-19 outbreak.



Following the announcement of Flybe’s collapse, Virgin Atlantic said: “Sadly, despite the efforts of all involved to turn the airline around, not least the people of Flybe, the impact of Covid-19 on Flybe’s trading means that the consortium can no longer commit to continued financial support.”



Flybe, which once was Europe’s largest independent regional carrier, narrowly escaped collapse in January, after being bought by Cyrus Capital, Virgin Atlantic and Stobart last year.



Virgin Galactic, Branson’s publicly traded space tourism arm, has seen its shares slump since its mid February high of $37.26 on the NYSE. Having lost another 10% of value as of 4:30 pm U.K. time on Monday, Virgin Galactic is priced at $13.30 and falling. Branson’s Virgin Investment Limited owns 47% of Virgin Galactic through an investment entity, Vieco. 



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddawkins/">David Dawkins</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/worlds-billionaires">Billionaires</a>

gettyimages-1187259137-594×594

Bad Times For Billionaire Branson–Staff At Virgin Atlantic Asked To Take Unpaid Leave As Coronavirus Cripples Air Travel

Topline: As the number of coronavirus cases surpasses <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/coronavirus-maps.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-coronavirus&amp;variant=show&amp;region=TOP_BANNER&amp;context=storyline_menu" target="_blank">110,000 people</a> worldwide, with more reported daily, the federal government has issued a number of travel advisories⁠—here’s where to avoid, and where it’s probably okay to visit: 



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centers for Disease Control</a>&nbsp;has three levels of travel advisories, with Level 1 being the lowest caution and Level 3 being the highest (with China, Iran, Italy and South Korea on that Level 3 list).</li><li>The CDC has designated Japan with a Level 2 advisory due to ongoing community transmission of the disease, which means older people and people with chronic underlying medical conditions should reconsider traveling there, while Hong Kong is a Level 1 advisory, based on its risk of limited community transmission.</li><li>The&nbsp;<a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">State Department</a>&nbsp;also has a four tier travel advisory system, with Level 4 being the most severe warning, and says travel to Level 3 countries Azerbaijan, Mongolia and Turkmenistan should be reconsidered due to the outbreak; the department released a&nbsp;<a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/COVID-19-Country-Specific-Information.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">complete country-by-country advisory database</a>&nbsp;on Monday specifically for coronavirus.</li><li>“I think you can go anywhere [internationally] if you don’t mind being delayed by 14 days,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases scholar at Johns Hopkins University, adding, “it’s not in terms of ‘it’s safe’ or ‘not safe,’ but logistically feasible to get home in time” if a traveler is quarantined.</li><li>Adalja said that domestic travel within the U.S. is safe for most people, (and the CDC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hasn’t recommended</a>&nbsp;travel restrictions within the U.S.) but “if you’re older or have underlying medical conditions, reconsider nonessential travel because we are likely seeing more community spread.”</li><li>“We have to dispel the notion that coronavirus is a travel-related illness,” said Adalja, because the virus has likely been spreading since November, and health officials are catching up to containment and treatment.</li></ul>



Crucial quote: &#8220;We already have community transmission within the United States,&#8221; Shira Doran, an infectious disease specialist at Tufts University, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/06/812650868/coronavirus-travel-tips-to-fly-or-not-to-fly-what-happens-if-you-cancel" target="_blank">told NPR</a> Friday. &#8220;So, at some point, it&#8217;s not going to be any riskier to go to another country than it is to stay right here.&#8221;



Key background:&nbsp;The coronavirus outbreak has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/02/28/updated-here-are-the-destinations-affected-by-coronavirus-flight-cancellations-and-travel-bans/#4b33e377cd68">thrown a wrench</a>&nbsp;into travel worldwide, with numerous airlines cancelling flights, cruise ships quarantining passengers and even domestic trains, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/7/21169393/amtrak-canceling-nonstop-acela-new-york-washington-dc-coronavirus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amtrak’s Acela</a>, canceling service between major cities. Travelers around the world have been quarantined as countries work to contain the disease. Multiple&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/03/811728989/coronavirus-cancellations-and-travel-bans-google-is-latest" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">businesses</a>&nbsp;and corporations have suspended travel for employees. Major conferences and events, like the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/03/06/sxsw-cancelled-amidst-coronavirus-fears/">South By Southwest</a>&nbsp;music and culture festival, have also been called off. The CDC has recommended travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Level 3 countries⁠: China, Iran, Italy and South Korea. (Entry by Chinese and Iranian nationals has also been suspended due to the outbreak). And the State Department has advised against all traveling by cruise ships.



Tangent: 15 countries. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/" target="_blank">That’s how many</a> are designated “Level 4, Do Not Travel” by the State Department. But only one country⁠—China, where the coronavirus is believed to have originated⁠—was designated Level 4 due to the outbreak.



&#8211; <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/">Lisette Voytko</a>, Forbes Staff, Business

Tag: Travel

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