Whitbread's Premier Inn Sees Boost From Budget Travel Demand

German airline Lufthansa is expanding its presence in the United States, adding new flights and new cities to its robust lineup of international flights. 

Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands, together making up nearly 70% of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)’s portfolio in India, are going to remain the “driver of growth” in the market, said the company’s South West Asia Managing Director, Sudeep Jain.

A partnership between Wego, the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and VisitBritain, Britain’s national tourism agency, has seen a 25% boost in bookings to Great Britain.

TUI is expanding the season in Turkey. Turkey is one of the most popular holiday destinations for TUI guests from all markets. 1.9 million guests travelled to Turkey with TUI in 2022. The country is not only a sought-after destination in the summer season. TUI Deutschland customers can book holidays in Antalya all year round. The region on the Turkish Riviera is TUI’s fifth largest destination in the winter season. Now the offer is also being expanded for British guests: for the winter season 2023/24, capacities for Antalya will be increased by 30 per cent.

As part of the roll-out, JustPark’s extensive network of on- and off-street parking spaces will become visible and payable through the growing number of UK connected cars that have Parkopedia in-car services and through the Parkopedia website and mobile apps

Cricket is the most popular sport in India and has a huge fan base. Beyond just being a sport, it is deeply embedded in the nation’s culture, evoking intense emotions from the masses over the victories and losses of their favorite teams: 90% of the global cricket fandom consists of Indians, highlighting the cricket craze in the country. 

Ryanair on Monday posted its largest ever after-tax profit for its key summer season and said it expected very strong passenger and fare growth for years to come as customers switch from higher-cost rivals.

Looking to position itself as a leading tourism destination in the Middle East, Dubai has scrapped the 30 percent municipality tax on alcohol for what has been called a trial period of one year, till December 31. Also, tourists and expats will no longer need to pay a fee to secure a personal liquor license to purchase alcoholic beverages. However, an Emirates ID, or passport for tourists, will still be required. The change that came into effect from Sunday, was confirmed by Maritime and Mercantile International, one of the biggest alcohol retailers in the United Arab Emirates and a subsidiary of the state-owned Emirates Group.

The U.S. Travel Association has launched a website to highlight the negative impact of long visitor visa interview wait times—which now exceed an average of 400 days—is having on global travelers and U.S. businesses. Called USVisaDelays.com, the website lists stories of those affected, loss in industry spending, visitor wait times, impacted markets and a policy fact sheet. 

Whitbread’s Premier Inn reported strong third-quarter occupancy figures for its 890 hotels, averaging 85 percent. Executives credited the performance to travelers becoming more cost-conscious during an inflationary period in its key markets of the UK, Germany, and the Middle East and thus migrating away from costlier hotel brands.

Hong Kong leader John Lee unveiled on Thursday a promotion campaign that will include 500,000 free flights to lure visitors, businesses and investors back to the financial hub after more than three years of tough Covid-19 curbs.

Corporate Travel Management is investing in building back up its teams to prepare for the global travel recovery.