The ‘worst is over,’ say majority of luxury hoteliers
A new report from Forbes Travel Guide indicates that, at least in the world of luxury hospitality, slightly more than half of hoteliers believe the worst of the crisis is over. Although 54% believe the worst of the crisis over, many indicated that recovery won’t be easy. Some 84% of hotels are now fully or partially open to the public compared with 56% in the inaugural July report. Of the remaining that are closed, 63% plan on opening in the fourth quarter; 38% of respondents report delaying re-openings, with most citing not enough demand yet to be worth it (54%) and government travel restrictions (49%).
South Africa market update
With both public and private sector spending in South Africa likely to remain constrained for the foreseeable future, recovery of the country’s tourism industry is only anticipated toward the end of 2022 and early 2023, according to a new report from Horwath HTL. The impact of the pandemic on the health of the South African population appears to be much less severe than was originally feared, while the impact of the government-imposed lockdown on the economy continues to see much worse outcomes than originally expected, the report adds.
Dubai hotels must suspend entertainment by 1 a.m.
Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing has ordered bars and restaurants to suspend all entertainment activities by 1 a.m. Hotels must also cease to provide food and beverage services after 3 a.m., with the exception being delivery and room service. Dubai Tourism told the establishments of the changes at the weekend, imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. Venues have been warned that they must comply with the changes to opening hours “to avoid any consequential procedures and violations.”
The future of travel and tourism: Four trends
A new report explores the impact and implications of COVID-19 on travel and tourism via a data-driven examination of four interlinked trends. These four intertwined trends in the report, published in collaboration with Oliver Wyman, include: Demand Evolution, Health and Hygiene, Innovation and Digitization, and Sustainability.
Thai resort offers online wellness series
Building on an initial launch of online wellness services, the resort, Chiva-Som in Hua Hin, Thailand, introduced an online intensive wellness series. The new service offers interactive sessions designed to enhance participants’ knowledge, strengthen abilities and promote health and wellbeing. Each series includes a virtual health consultation with Chiva-Som’s wellness advisors; the first series consists of a six-week Pilates program.