Direct train service from Amsterdam to London on the Eurostar, the sleek, fast train that connects Britain to northwestern Europe, will be suspended for six months next year, the train company said.
08.11.2023 - 19:51 / breakingtravelnews.com / London
Day two of World Travel Market London 2023 – the world’s most influential travel and tourism event – saw key topics discussed including diversity and inclusion, the future of travel and responsible tourism.
The future of travel: Kicking off with a discussion about the next generation of people to join the travel industry, the Institute of Travel & Tourism Future You session told students how they could prosper in an industry that will have 85 million vacancies globally by 2030.
Anne Lotter, Executive Director of the Global Travel and Tourism Partnership, said 40% of jobs in the industry are at the higher end of pay scales. “This is a sector where you can start at the bottom and climb very high,” she said.
Louie Davis, easyJet Holidays Senior Strategy Manager, described how he had approached 30 travel agencies for work experience. “Twenty-nine said no, one gave me work experience, persistence pays. Keep knocking on doors, eventually one will open,” he said.
The travel outlook: The travel industry faces potential global economic downturns and recession but the outlook from mid-2024 is positive, leading forecasters have predicted.
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A WTM London conference session; Inflation, War and Societal Collapse, What’s Next for the World’s Economies? heard how high inflation, soaring borrowing costs and the Middle East conflict would impinge on buying patterns in many countries.
Dave Goodger, Managing Director, EMEA, Tourism Economics said: “We are looking at a potential recession in a lot of countries. We’re seeing high prices undermining a lot of people’s earning potential and higher interest rates are a real shock. There are a lot of warning signs.”
However, he said there were also positives: “People are diverting spend to essentials and cutting discretionary spend, but within that they are still wanting to travel.”
Andy Cates, Senior Economist at Haver Analytics, said conflicts in Israel, Ukraine and the potential China-Taiwan issue had influenced travel patterns and prices of goods. In addition, higher energy prices could be here to stay, he indicated, with real energy costs now 80% more than 25 years ago.
Destination updates: China was a separate debate on the Discover Stage. Adam Wu, CBN Travel Chief Operating Officer, said Chinese outbound tourism had fallen drastically from 2019’s 155 million to 40.4 million in the first half of 2023. However, he said this was still equal to the population of Spain, adding only 41.6% of international flights from China were operating compared to 2019.
Those Chinese who were travelling were spending 24% more than in 2019, when a total of $254.6 billion was spent – four times the amount spent by UK outbound tourists. The Chinese were now less inclined to travel
Direct train service from Amsterdam to London on the Eurostar, the sleek, fast train that connects Britain to northwestern Europe, will be suspended for six months next year, the train company said.
When is walking in circles a good thing? When following a trail through villages, forests and fields using open-access paths that begin and end at the same train station.
Ryanair operates over 440 routes and carrying over 52m passengers p.a. to/from the UK on its fleet of 107 UK-based aircraft ($10.7bn investment), driving year-round connectivity and inbound tourism which supports over 37,000 UK jobs.
Ah, Christmas in London… the John Lewis Christmas advert, Tesco’s stuffing sandwich meal deals and—more importantly—the sweet sounds of Mariah Carey are some telltale signs the festive season has officially begun. And just like how Cinderella’s carriage turns into a pumpkin at midnight, come November 1, London transforms into a magical hub of yuletide joy. Streets twinkle under the Christmas lights, hotels, and shops are in full-on festive mode and carols ring out in the capital.
The holidays are upon us and so is the chance to stock up on thoughtful gifts for others or, just maybe, treat yourself to something nice on Black Friday. One thing is for sure: Our Traveler editors won't be sleeping on this year's deals. Thousands of Black Friday deals have finally landed, including sales from travel-friendly brands we love like Away, Calpak, Nordstrom, New Balance, Girlfriend Collective, and more. We asked our editors what goods are on their wishlists this year, and luckily, many of them are on sale. Read on for what our editors are shopping this Black Friday, from in-flight tech essentials and kitchen appliances to new bed sheets as comfortable as the ones in your favorite hotel.
Described by BBC Radio as “the best jazz festival on the planet,” the annual EFG London Jazz Festival, created by international music producer Serious, provides the ideal antidote to November’s dreary weather and shorter days. With over 300 shows across more than 70 venues, including some stellar free gigs, this month’s festival attracted a live audience of over 100,000. The ten day, citywide event featured big names and major concert halls like Sergio Mendez at the Barbican and The Symphonic Music of Wayne Shorter at the Royal Festival Hall but perhaps the pure joy for jazz fans was the discovery of rising stars and lesser known musicians at more intimate locations. Here are few of the many highlights from this month’s festival and musicians to seek out at future gigs.
Sphere Entertainment Company, sister company to Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation MSG, is looking for a new location for its second Sphere venue after its London-based plans were blocked by the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan.
History feels very much alive in the art, architecture and crackling atmosphere of the UK’s capital. From the Tower of London and contemporary Sky Garden to tales of the Houses of Parliament’s Gunpowder Plot and Harry Potter filming locations — there are enough famous, infamous and fantastical attractions in London to keep kids entertained for weeks. And many of the city’s most celebrated names can be explored through a raft of innovative tours and experiences aimed squarely at families.
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are chock-full of tempting travel and flight discounts, Travel Deal Tuesday or Travel Tuesday, as it’s become known, has actually become one of the best days of the year to score a travel deal, according to the flight booking site and app Hopper.
A collaboration between three great names in hotels, At Sloane brings the finest in hospitality and design to a prominent address in London.
When it comes to food, London's West End district in the city center doesn’t have the best rap. Many locals will say that you need to venture out of zone one to eat some authentic cuisine. I disagree.
Whether it is the aroma of rich oud or the scent of sweet jasmine, fragrance can immediately transport us to our favourite places, bringing back precious memories of distant lands. The following fragrances are rooted in far flung destinations, and have been inspired by the world of travel–making for the perfect gift ideas for ‘wanderlusters’ everywhere.