EASTER ISLAND, Chile to Reopen for Tourism

Easter Island will reopen to the world this August after being closed for 2 years. Located 3,500 kms west of the coast of Chile, is world-famous for its ‘moais’ huge stone human statues. Opening is subject to the local community being 80% vaccinated. This figure is currently at 73% of the island's 10,000 inhabitants.

NEW ALL-SUITE LUXURY CRUISE SHIP TO SAIL AROUND THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

A new all-suite luxury explorer ship is ready to set sail around the Galapagos Islands. This August, the National Geographic Islander II will carry explorers around one of the most biodiverse landscapes on the planet.

Owned by Lindblad Expeditions, a US adventure cruising company known for its luxury expeditions, the 280ft sustainable vessel offers the highest standard of luxury. The boutique ship resembles a private yacht and it has capacity for 48 passengers and a 1:1 guest-to-crew ratio.

With 26 suites, huge windows so you do not miss anything the ship also has indoor and outdoor dining options. Sailings are for 7 and 10day itineraries.

CHINA RELAXES SOME COVID TEST RULES

Travellers from the US and Canada will no longer need an RT-PCR test 7 days before flying to China. However, travellers will still need to do two RT-PCR tests within 48 or 24 hours of their flights, plus another pre-flight antigen test.

Travellers who have recovered from a previous infection will still need to go through 6 weeks of isolation before embarking on further procedures.

Travel in and out of China is still very limited and there is mandatory quarantine for most travellers upon arrival. In Beijing the quarantine period at formal facilities upon arrival has been reduced from 14 days to 10 days.

Embassies in the UAE, Serbia and Bangladesh have also removed some testing requirements and shortened the pre-departure quarantine period for employees at Chinese companies flying to China to 10 days from 21 days.

LACK OF STAFF IN GREEK TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY SECTOR

Hangzhou, China

With bookings up and holidays back, despite the high spending Chinese or Russians are not on the scene, it should be smiles all around, but the problem facing many airlines, hotels and hospitality businesses is a total lack of staff. In Greece they are hoping to recover and boost the economy with this year’s tourism season, but at the start of the tourist season, there were approx. 70,000 jobs on offer that could not be filled.