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Why COVID-19 means the era of ever cheaper air travel could be over
David Beirman, University of Technology Sydney After its worst two years since the second world war, 2022 is looking brighter for the global airline industry. For passengers, though, the chance to travel at low cost again may prove short-lived. In 2020 international passenger demand was less than 25% that of 2019, according to the International Air Transport Association. 2021 data isn’t yet available, but the hiccups of the Delta and Omicron variants make the association’s forecasts of 50% of 2019 levels look optimistic. With international and domestic routes reopening, airlines are offering a range of special deals on airfares. These deals are partly to entice back uncertain travellers and partly…
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Quarantine hotels: A history of controversy and occasional comfort
We imagine hotels as places of freedom and even anonymity — despite being tracked by eyes and cameras from arrival to departure, our credit cards being on file and each swipe of our key card revealing our comings and goings.
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Post-pandemic travel: the trends we’ll see when the world opens up again
Post-pandemic travel: the trends we’ll see when the world opens up again AlyoshinE/Shutterstock Katerina Antoniou, University of Central Lancashire It’s been a while since the question “where should I travel to next?” has felt within reach. COVID-19 continues to affect travel by forcing governments to impose country-specific bans and restrictions. However, as vaccination programmes roll out, many of us hope to travel again at some point in the near future, even if not immediately. With that in mind, what are the factors that will shape our travel decisions in a post-pandemic era? Post-COVID tourism Although significant restrictions are still in place, travel agency adverts have become more frequent recently. According…
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COVID-19 Travel Update: Important information for international passengers arriving at Indian Airports
Government of India issues new guidelines for international arrivals To reduce the risk of importation of mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2, SOP for International Passengers arriving in India have been updated in supersession of all guidelines on the subject since 2 Aug20. The new SOP will be in effect on 23:59 hrs on 22nd Feb,21 Attention Passengers!To reduce the risk of importation of mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2, SOP for International Passengers arriving in India have been updated in supersession of all guidelines on the subject since 2 Aug20. The new SOP will be in effect on 23:59 hrs on 22nd Feb,21 pic.twitter.com/YoGFkitP2t — MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) February 17, 2021 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Attention Passengers!All…
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Tourism desperately wants a return to the ‘old normal’ but that would be a disaster
Tourism desperately wants a return to the ‘old normal’ but that would be a disaster Shutterstock Susanne Becken, Griffith University With each passing day, the grave future of Earth becomes more stark. The disruption of COVID-19 has not been enough to shift the trajectory, nor has it prompted polluting sectors of the economy to reconsider the harms they inflict on the planet. Nowhere is this clearer than in the global tourism sector. Before COVID-19, international aviation emissions – already a major contributor to global warming – were forecast to potentially triple between 2015 and 2050. Likewise, emissions from the cruise ship industry were also growing. The pandemic itself can be…
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Ah, memories of 2020. Why it’s important to remember our COVID holidays, good or bad
Ah, memories of 2020. Why it’s important to remember our COVID holidays, good or bad Shutterstock Amanda Barnier, Macquarie University In Charles Dickens’ famous 1843 ghost story, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. However, we do not need supernatural powers or a ghostly escort to travel in time to holidays past, present and future, at least not in our minds. The ability to remember our past and imagine our future relies on the uniquely human gifts psychologists call retrospective and prospective memory. What memories are we thinking of as we head towards a holiday season unlike…
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Vaccines may soon make travel possible again. But how quickly will it return — and will it be forever changed?
Vaccines may soon make travel possible again. But how quickly will it return — and will it be forever changed? RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA Joseph M. Cheer, Wakayama University; Colin Michael Hall, University of Canterbury, and Jarkko Saarinen, University of Oulu The COVID-19 pandemic brought the global tourism industry to a screeching halt in 2020. With vaccines starting to be rolled out, there is hope international travel can resume soon, but exactly when — and how — is the million-dollar question. Before COVID-19, there was much concern about whether tourism had grown too big for our planet. There were calls to scale back tourism, make it more environmentally sustainable and help over-touristed…
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COVID19: India extend the temporary suspension of flights to & from the UK till 7 January 2021
India on Wednesday extended the temporary ban on flights to and from UK to January 7, 2021 after cases of the new strain of coronavirus were detected in the country. The development came after testing 20 people who had returned to India from the UK had positive for the new Covid-19 variant, which is 20% more contagious. It was reported on Tuesday that six British returnees tested positive for the new Covid-19 strain. Decision has been taken to extend the temporary suspension of flights to & from the UK till 7 January 2021. Thereafter strictly regulated resumption will take place for which details will be announced shortly. — Hardeep…
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Fewer tourists meant less money for wildlife during the pandemic – but there’s an alternative
Fewer tourists meant less money for wildlife during the pandemic – but there’s an alternative Joseph Hamm, University of Leeds “Nature is healing” read social media posts at the outset of the pandemic, as birdsong replaced the drone of traffic during lockdown. But for wildlife conservation in Africa, the reality was very different. Anti-poaching operations in protected areas were paused or restricted to limit the spread of the virus, leaving populations of threatened species like the African lion vulnerable. Now these areas are confronting COVID-19’s economic fallout, and research suggests that illegal hunting, mining, deforestation, and bushmeat consumption all tend to increase during downturns. Safari tours and other forms of…
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Sun, sand and survival: a short history of the beach in Australia
Sun, sand and survival: a short history of the beach in Australia Shutterstock Anna Clark, University of Technology Sydney Summer’s here again. After months of lockdowns, travel bans and uncertainty, that first crunch of warm sand between the toes brings a sigh of relief that, all being well, lasts at least until the end of January. Walking by the waves finally feels like a bookend to what’s been a testing year. If you’re like me, days at the beach mean watching the tides, walking the clifftops and poking in the dunes. I love shimmying my feet in the wet sand to catch a feed of pipis and gather bait for…
