EU’s welcome to vaccinated Americans doesn’t extend to travelers with Chinese-made jabs
>> The European Union seems unwilling to welcome travelers who’ve gotten Chinese-made shots, which will keep an all-important segment of tourists from the bloc. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times that Americans and other travelers vaccinated with EU-approved vaccines will be able to freely travel in Europe starting this summer. But the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is not considering approving any Chinese-made jabs at the moment.
Hong Kong reportedly seeking travel bubble with Australia, New Zealand
>> Hong Kong Commerce Secretary Edward Yau, in announcing details of the delayed bubble with Singapore, said the scheme's framework would also be the basis for quarantine-free travel with Australia and New Zealand, and indicated discussions with those respective governments would take place.
China expects 250 million domestic trips during holiday
>> China expects to see around 250 million domestic trips during the upcoming Labor Day holiday, with bookings of air tickets, admission tickets and hotel rooms significantly surpassing that of the same period in 2019.
Chinese CDC issues health recommendations for May holidays
>> As the travel frenzy during May Day holidays approaches, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that citizens returning from a trip should isolate for 14 days and must take precautions to prevent infecting others. The Chinese CDC points out that China still needs to continue focusing on prevention of COVID-19 during holidays due to the high risk of imported COVID-19 cases during this period.
Delta's US-China flights signal recovery
>> Delta Air Lines, a major Atlanta-based carrier, said its cash burn that averaged USD 11 million per day earlier started to turn positive in March with cash generation of USD 4 million daily. For its US-China flights, making middle seats available again for passengers will increase the total capacity of US-China flights operated by Delta by 19%. Wong Hong, Delta Air Lines' president in China, said that demand has generally been high on the US-China direction since the US carrier restarted services last June.
China Duty Free Group leads global travel retailer rankings for 2020
>> Driven by the surging offshore duty free business in Hainan, China Duty Free Group (CDFG) became the world’s largest travel retailer measured by turnover in 2020, according to data compiled by The Moodie Davitt Report. China Tourism Group Duty Free Corp, parent of CDFG, revealed recently that revenues climbed by 8.1% year-on-year to RMB 52.6 billion.
Lagardère Travel Retail revenue falls sharply in Q1 but China recovery continues
>> Lagardère Travel Retail reported €341 million in first-quarter revenue, down by 57.6% on a reported basis and 56.1% like-for-like. Revenue in Asia Pacific was down 31.9%, with the Pacific region (Australia and New Zealand) and Singapore all experiencing sharp declines in sales as a result of border closures. However, revenue in China was up 37.1%, amid a recovery in traffic in Mainland China. China represented 14% of revenue in Q1, compared to 4% a year ago.
