Trade talk The review /
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New Zealand opens up The New Zealand Government has announced a five-step phased plan to reopen borders to international visitors with hopes to welcome the UK from July 2022. The phased approach allows for the return of New Zealand citizens, followed by the opening of borders to working holiday visas, Australian visitors, those from visa waiver countries and eventually foreign nationals. The five-step plan has been outlined as follows: Step 1: From February 27 fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens and eligible travellers can travel from Australia to New Zealand; must complete self-isolation. Step 2 - From March 13 fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens and other eligible travellers from the rest of the world can travel to New Zealand; must complete selfisolation. Eligible travellers include critical workers, skilled workers, family members of highly skilled workers. The Working Holiday Scheme will reopen in stages from Step 2. Step 3: From April 12 the border will be open to up to 5,000 eligible international students and eligible temporary visa holders; they must complete self-isolation. Step 4: From July 2022 (latest date anticipated, TBC) - Australians and all other visitors from visa-waver countries (including
the UK) are eligible to enter New Zealand. The Prime Minister indicated that it is likely that this date will come forward. Step 5: From October 2022 (TBC) - New Zealand fully opens to visitors from anywhere in the world and all visa holders. Once borders reopen, visitors can expect new adventure tours like the Glacier HeliHike, a revived cultural scene in Auckland and sport events like the Rugby World Cup (2022) and FIFA Women’s World Cup (2023). A number of new Maori cultural experiences have opened including the Manea Footprints of Kupe cultural experience and the Wairau Māori Art Gallery - the first gallery dedicated to contemporary Māori art. traveltrade.newzealand.com
Shearings takes on Europe Shearings has published a new dedicated European Collection brochure for 2022 and 2023, with experiences priced from £289pp. The 100-page brochure features more than 70 tours with 25 brand-new holidays. This is the first brochure inclusion for Shearings’ expanded selection of river cruises, with eight new tours added, and the four-star MS Arena and four-star A-Rosa Aqua joining the Croisi Europe ships in Europe. The tours range from four- and five-day short breaks, to 16-day adventures, with options for express coach tours, all-inclusive packages, and solo traveller breaks. All holidays include coach travel, with more than 500 joining points across the country.
Home Connect can be arranged for anyone wanting door-to-door transportation. The new tours include: Classical Italy – 12 days from £849pp, includes 11 nights’ accommodation; Imperial Capitals – Prague, Budapest and Vienna – nine days from £839pp, includes eight nights’ accommodation and Romance of the Alsace, Strasbourg and Wine Villages – seven days from £649pp, includes six nights’ accommodation. All include continental breakfast, and evening meals. Leger Shearings Group’s Head of Retail Sales, Ashley Dellow, said: “The timing of this brochure is part of our forward strategy, to continuously offer our trade partners a steady flow of new tours. Shearings.com
NEWS IN BRIEF • New Florida training Amelia Island, a chain of barrier islands on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, has launched a trade training programme for the UK and Irish Markets. Available on the Online Travel Training site (OTT), the training highlights the Islands history of Spanish, French, British and American rule as well as its luxury resorts, golf courses sandy beaches and three-hour proximity to Orlando Airport. onlinetraveltraining.com
• US escorted tour launches Newmarket Holidays has introduced a new Capital Region USA escorted tour for 2022. The 11-day tour is the first exclusive escorted tour in the region and includes the historic triangle of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown; a journey along the Blue Ridge Parkway; time to explore DC and more. newmarketholidays.co.uk
• New Bahrain service Gulf Air is launching a new flight between Manchester and Bahrain. The route will launch June 1, 2022 and will include two flights a week using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. gulfair.com
• Air Canada connects UK Air Canada’s summer 2022 programme includes restored services between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Heathrow (from April 30); between Toronto and both Manchester and Edinburgh (from May 30); between Vancouver and Dublin (from June 1); and between Montreal and Dublin (from June 2). aircanada.com
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