No cruises until summer 2021, says Cunard

It's been almost nine months since Queen Mary 2 and Cunard's other ships welcomed passengers on board - JAMES D MORGAN
It’s been almost nine months since Queen Mary 2 and Cunard’s other ships welcomed passengers on board – JAMES D MORGAN

British cruise line Cunard has extended its pause in operations until May 2021, blaming pandemic-related travel restrictions across the globe.

The Southampton-based operator has repeatedly pushed back its return, and until this morning was expecting to welcome back passengers from March 25, 2021.

However, voyages on Queen Mary 2 departing before May 29 next year have today been axed, as well as those on Queen Elizabeth departing on or before June 4. Itineraries on Queen Victoria are scheduled to resume on May 17, 2021. 

“Our extension to the pause in operations is the result of the ongoing restrictions on cruising in the UK and around the world,” said Cunard president, Simon Palethorpe.

The decision to push back the restart date has also been affected by “the significant lead times [that cruising requires] to return to service, once those restrictions are lifted,” Palethorpe added.

Those who have had their voyage cancelled will automatically receive a future cruise credit worth 125 per cent of money already paid, which can be used against the cost of a future voyage.

Scroll down for the latest updates.

05:22 PM

What happened today?

That’s it from us until tomorrow. Here are the main stories:

  • ‘Test to release’ delay puts Christmas travel plans at risk

  • Singapore’s ‘cruise to nowhere’ turns back after Covid-19 case aboard

  • A Boeing 737 MAX returns to service in Brazil

  • Hospitality and tourism figures say Tier 3 would be a “kick in the teeth” for London

  • British Virgin Islands, Thailand and Oman reopen for tourists

  • BA announce new summer flights from Southampton

You’ll find all the updates below. We’ll be back in the morning with the latest news.

05:12 PM

Tier 3 in London will put businesses in ‘an unrecoverable position’

Plunging London into Tier 3 restrictions would be “catastrophic” for pubs and restaurants in the capital and force many firms to close for good, hospitality bosses have warned. 

Millions of Londoners have been urged by MPs and the Mayor of London to follow rules around social distancing, mask wearing and other Covid-19 precautions in an effort to prevent the capital from being placed under the toughest restrictions from next week.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said putting London in Tier 3 would be “absolutely catastrophic”.

Hospitality has taken on a disproportionate burden, having been forced to close to ‘save Christmas’ for the rest of the economy. Moving into tier 3 would be the last straw for many businesses, which simply wouldn’t recover.

Luca Costa, general manager of Italian restaurant Terra Terra, said:

The impact of a new closure of restaurants, pubs, bars, et cetera, prior to Christmas – the busiest time of the year for hospitality – will be immeasurable, forcing them to an unrecoverable position.When these companies go out of business, along with them go their employees’ ability to support themselves and their families. Things get worse when you add Brexit uncertainty to the equation.

05:04 PM

Look to the skies

A geomagnetic storm could mean that the Northern Lights will be visible over the UK tonight.

This stargazing treat follows the UK earning the accolade of more dark sky reserves than anywhere else in the world. Seven areas of the country are now designated as such, following the addition of North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales this week.

Now this solar storm, known as a coronal mass ejection, is set to bring the Aurora south.

Aurora Watch UK said:

NOAA NWS Space Weather Prediction Center has issued Geomagnetic Storm Watches for [December 8–11] due to the anticipated arrival of a Coronal Mass Ejection. This means a possibility for aurora sightings across [the] UK.

Clouds may impede the views for many of us, but those in north-east Scotland and Shetland may have the best chance of catching the show.

Emma Featherstone has the details.

04:59 PM

Saga sees spike in those looking for ‘once in a lifetime adventures’

Saga Holidays, which specialises in travel for those aged over 50, has reported a jump in interest following the breakthrough of a Covid vaccine.

When successful trials of the jab were reported last month, the following week saw a 78 per cent increase in traffic to Saga’s Traveller’s World website, which features long-haul tours. The most visited webpages include trips on the Trans-Siberian Railway, tours across India’s Golden Triangle and voyages across New Zealand.

Chris Simmonds, the managing director of Saga Holidays, said:

We know just how much our guests have missed going on holiday this year. As our recent web traffic shows, it seems many have spent this time daydreaming about the exciting adventures that they want to go on as soon as they are able to do so. 

In the summer Saga added treatment abroad for Covid-19 and repatriation to the UK to its travel insurance policies as standard, one of the first to do so.

04:50 PM

Tourists exempt from Istanbul lockdown

Residents of Istanbul are currently under a weekend lockdown, requiring them to stay at home between 9pm each Friday until 5am the following Monday – but foreign tourists are exempt.

According to the New York Times, many attractions stayed open, such as the Topkapi and Dolmabahce palaces, and near-empty ferries shuttled holidaymakers across the Bosporus.

Turkey’s lockdown comes as the country reported Covid-19-related deaths had more than doubled in less than three weeks. The country has seen more than 15,000 deaths due to coronavirus during the pandemic.

04:43 PM

‘Difficult to maintain affordability’ if ski businesses close

Reacting to the news that UK ski tour operator Alpine Elements has ceased trading, travel writer Kate Leahy shares her concerns about the future.

04:39 PM

Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Canada has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, days after Britain became the first country to greenlight and roll it out.

“Today, Canada reached a critical milestone in its fight against Covid-19 with the authorization of the first Covid-19 vaccine,” Health Canada said in a statement.

The vaccine, it added, had undergone a fast-tracked review, which concluded that it met “stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada.”

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians would start receiving their first doses of Pfizer’s vaccine before the end of December.

04:24 PM

‘Cruel’, ‘hammer blow’, ‘gratuitous kick in the teeth’

Figures from the hospitality and tourism industries have been speaking to Telegraph Travel about the potential of London being moved into Tier 3.

Stuart Procter, the chief operating officer of The Stafford Collection, which includes The Stafford hotel and Norma restaurant, said: 

We all know this year has been a mess for hospitality but this constant, open-close, open-close is exhausting. It takes so much time, energy and work to get our restaurants, bars and hotels trading again so to be threatened with another closure mere weeks after reopening is crushing.

The only glimmer of hope for 2020 was a bit of Christmas trading in London so for that to be potentially removed is like the rug being pulled from under your feet again. We’ve got festive dishes and drinks ready to be served by staff who are desperate to be at work, it’s cruel. I guess we wait and see what happens once again, I’m getting whiplash from these twists and turns every couple of weeks.

Cokey Sulkin, the co-founder and chief executive of Dirty Bones restaurants, said: 

You can’t put a price on people’s lives but moving London into Tier 3 will be a hammer blow to all hospitality businesses in the city. We have all been working incredibly hard, doing what we can to focus on a productive and profitable December.

Putting London into Tier 3 is essentially a third lockdown. Each time this happens we are talking about significant losses, as well as more valuable time eaten up dealing with suppliers and landlords for further concessions, when we should be looking forward – putting our post Covid-19 business plans into motion.

Waiter - DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP / Getty Images 
Waiter – DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP / Getty Images

Des Gunewardena, the chief executive and and co-founder of D&D London, said:

In the context of the complete lack of evidence that there are significant Covid  infections happening in restaurants, to close restaurants and cancel bookings in what is normally the busiest week of the year would feel like an almost gratuitous kick in the teeth to London restaurants.Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. And if government does want to treat the hospitality industry as its Covid whipping boy it should at least step up and fully compensate us – as, for example, the French and German governments are doing.

04:12 PM

Make hub airports exempt from quarantine restrictions, urge UK airlines

Airlines have appealed for the UK Government to grant a quarantine exemption for major hub airports in countries that don’t have a ‘travel corridor’ with Britain.

Currently, passengers transiting through the likes of Schiphol (Amsterdam) and Paris Charles de Gaulle – both of which are in ‘red zone’ countries – must quarantine on their return to the UK, even if they never left the airport. 

The requirement renders many of the UK’s quarantine-free ‘travel corridors’ redundant, as they are impossible to reach without transiting through an affected airport. For example, both Namibia and Rwanda have been added to the list – yet cannot be accessed without changing planes in a red-list airport (Brussels, for example). 

Writing in Business Travel News, Dale Keller, the chief executive of the UK’s Board of Airline Representatives, said:

There is no measurable increase in risk posed by a passenger travelling from a travel corridor country via a secure airside transit at a non-exempt country hub airport, than travelling via any other hub airport in an exempt country.

Keller added that key airport hubs “deliver an incredibly diverse global connectivity from the UK regions and major hubs, drive the vital inbound market via the strength of their overseas networks, and provide choice and competition benefiting UK consumers”.

03:56 PM

Thousands of British ski instructors face a bleak future if Brexit deal isn’t reached

The hopes and careers of thousands of Britons could be left in tatters if existing agreements aren’t honoured, reports Lucy Aspden, Telegraph Travel’s online ski editor.

The British Association of Snowsport Instructors (BASI) is calling on the Government, as it enters last-ditch talks with the EU, not to forget ski instructors in their discussions. 

 Jim Lister, chairman of BASI, said:

It’s important that the Government reverses its decision to withdraw from the scheme under which the highest level British qualifications for snow sports instructors are recognised throughout the EU.By doing so, without ensuring there is another mechanism for mutual recognition of qualifications between the UK and the EU, they are taking a wrecking ball to the hopes and careers of thousands of hard-working Britons.

Read the full report.

British ski instructors can teach across Europe after passing a Common Training Test - GEORGE ROBINSON
British ski instructors can teach across Europe after passing a Common Training Test – GEORGE ROBINSON

03:44 PM

Outlook for cruise is positive, says head of industry body

Dave Monk, one of Telegraph Travel’s cruise experts, has been following the CLIA Virtual Cruise Showcase.

03:40 PM

Moving London to Tier 3 will ‘compound the issues’ facing tourism industry

With the threat of Tier 3 looming over London, Telegraph Travel asked tourism and hospitality businesses in the capital how it would affect them.

Sunny Jouhal, the general manager at the lastminute.com London Eye, said:

We have first-hand experience, along with many other businesses, of the huge impact this year has had on the London tourism sector and recognise that there is a long road to recovery ahead. This has been a challenging year, as we were temporarily closed between March and August missing out on our busiest and most crucial trading periods. We have put industry-leading procedures in place, which exceed the government guidelines, and we know that we can deliver wonderful days out for our guests while observing social distancing guidelines.

If further restrictions are introduced in the capital, especially during the important festive season, it will compound the issues faced by an industry already in the midst of a very challenging situation. Instead, we ask the Government to continue supporting our businesses and work collaboratively with us to get the capital back on its feet.”

Sven Goosen, the senior vice president of global operations at Yotel hotel group, said:

As with all leisure and hospitality businesses, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been unprecedented, resulting in the full closure of our hotels across the UK and during peak periods of our usual trading. In addition, international tourism to London remains at exceptionally reduced levels. So, our hotels in the UK, particularly London, will continue to be significantly impacted over the upcoming weeks by the potential Tier 3 announcement and more uncertainty.

Darren Henaghan, the managing director of Borough Market, said:

As an essential food retailer, Borough Market has been able to remain open throughout the pandemic providing high quality produce to our local community. However, there is no doubt that easing restrictions has been a very welcome step for our traders who are the lifeblood of the Market. We hope that London can remain in Tier 2.

03:30 PM

Ban booze on trains during Christmas travel period, says ex-WHO advisor

Trains should have a temporary alcohol ban to protect social distancing during the Christmas bubble travel window, a former advisor to the World Health Organisation has said.

Prof Paul Hunter warned drunk passengers were more likely to break distancing rules and speak loudly on carriages, increasing the risk for people heading home to see relatives.

The expert in public health and microbiology said it would be a “tragedy” if passengers caught and spread coronavirus to vulnerable people so close to the widespread rollout of a vaccine.

His call comes as government guidelines say people have to do all their travelling within the five day period between December 23 and 27, when up to three households will be allowed to mix. However, this leaves only three days for train passengers to make their journeys as there are no services on Christmas Day, and hardly any on Boxing Day.

The 10 stations set to be busiest over Christmas
The 10 stations set to be busiest over Christmas

03:21 PM

Boeing 737 MAX returns to the sky

Brazilian low-cost airline GOL has today become the world’s first to resume Boeing 737 MAX flights with paying customers.

The planes were grounded by aviation authorities around the globe in March 2019 following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. They were only cleared to carry passengers again by the US Federal Aviation Administration on November 18, and so far Brazil is the only other country whose aviation regulator has cleared the plane to fly passengers.

GOL, Brazil’s largest domestic airline, plans to use the aircraft on routes to and from São Paulo. It said passengers will be informed that their flight now will be flown on the 737 Max, and any passengers who do not want to fly will have their tickets exchanged for flights using other planes.

A Boeing 737 MAX lands after a test flight at in Seattle - KAREN DUCEY
A Boeing 737 MAX lands after a test flight at in Seattle – KAREN DUCEY

03:06 PM

Oman drops visa required for 103 countries

Travellers to Oman from 103 countries will be exempted from requiring an entry visas for stays up to 10 days, the Royal Oman Police have announced.

Taking to Twitter, the organisation wrote that the move was “in support of the tourist movement and to facilitate the tourists wishing to visit the Sultanate”.

Conditions will be attached to entry, including  a confirmed hotel reservation, health insurance and a return ticket.

However, there have been no further details about which countries are among the 103 whose residents are exempt.

02:55 PM

Two-week lockdown planned for Ukraine

Ukraine is to introduce a two-week lockdown from January 8, which will close schools, cafés, restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues.

Prime Minister Denys Shmygal made the announcement this afternoon, which will also see a ban on mass gatherings. The new rules are expected to remain in place until January 24.

The country previously entered a partial lockdown at weekends, with only supermarkets and pharmacies open, but that system ended last week.

02:50 PM

Merkel urges tougher curbs as daily deaths reach record level

Chancellor Angela Merkel has demanded tougher curbs to halt coronavirus infections, as the German death toll reached a daily record of 590 people today.

Germany has imposed far less stringent shutdown rules than other major European nations after coming through the first wave of the pandemic relatively unscathed, but Europe’s biggest economy has been severely hit by a second wave with daily new infections more than three times that of the peak in the spring.

Merkel said she believed guidelines agreed two weeks ago with the leaders of Germany’s 16 states that kept shops open but banned indoor dining were no longer enough.

In an emotional speech to the German parliament, she said: 

When mulled wine stands are being built, when waffle stands are being built, that’s not compatible with what we had agreed of only takeaways for food and drinks

I am really sorry… but if we’re paying the price of death tolls at 590 people daily then that’s, in my view, not acceptable.

02:44 PM

2020 in Google search terms

Britons unable to travel due to the pandemic took to Google to plan their next holiday, with Spain the destination searched for the most.

In Google’s 2 end of year search data, the top holiday search was     “travel in Spain”, followed by “travel to Italy” and “Travel to France”.

In what might be the least surprising news of the year, “coronavirus” was the top trending search in the UK throughout 2020.

Here are the top 10 travel and holiday searches from this year:

  1. Travel to Spain

  2. Travel to Italy

  3. Travel to France

  4. Where can I go on holiday

  5. Travel to Greece

  6. Boris Johnson holiday

  7. Travel to Portugal

  8. Can I travel to Wales

  9. Travel to Turkey

  10. Is it safe to travel to Thailand

02:31 PM

Lapland UK review: ‘Our visit to Father Christmas was genuinely magical’

Whether you attend before or after Christmas, Lapland UK is very much a tinsel-fairylights-and-elves version of the holiday, with gift shops at every turn. However, for Abigail Blasi – and her eight-year-old daughter – it was just the tonic after this tumultuous year:

We arrived at Lapland UK, in Ascot, half an hour late, after a stressful journey of wrong turns and traffic. My eight-year-old daughter was at the wobbly-voice stage: “What are we going to miss, Mummy?”

As suggested in the pre-Lapland publicity, she had diligently read up on elf characters in my newly downloaded ‘Wishing Glass’ app, and was on-the-verge-of-tears excited about this ‘immersive’ Christmas experience. In 2020, it felt extra important, and now we were late.

Unlike many of the UK’s big Christmas family events, Lapland UK is open for festive business, with added social distancing measures. I had completed an online form confirming our lack of Covid symptoms, and we had our temperatures taken in the car park. We were all given facemasks (only compulsory for over-11s), either a smiling husky or a reindeer, half-jolly, half-Joker…

Read the full piece.

Unlike many of the UK’s big Christmas family events, Lapland UK is open for festive business  - GORDON SCAMMELL
Unlike many of the UK’s big Christmas family events, Lapland UK is open for festive business – GORDON SCAMMELL

02:12 PM

Airline offers at-home Covid tests when booking

When booking a flight (remember that?), the optional add-ons are often multifarious: Would you like excess baggage? Priority boarding? Car rental? Now, American Airlines has added a new service for passengers travelling on domestic services: the option of an at-home Covid testing kit, delivered to their address before the trip. 

Different states have different testing requirements – but the testing kit enables those who need a negative Covid certificate to get the paperwork before they fly. It costs $129, or £95.

We’re seeing increasing numbers of travel brands working closely with testing providers. Many European airlines, such as Easyjet and Wizz Air, currently offer discounts with selected testing services – while tour operators including TUI have also partnered with companies. 

01:58 PM

Harry Redknapp: ‘Football players are hopeless travellers and I was hopeless, too’

They’re surely one of the best-travelled professionals in the world – yet most football players have ‘no clue’ when it comes to navigating an airport, remembers Harry Redknapp:

We all just followed the leader. Someone takes our bags, takes the passports off us, hands them all in together, we just all follow each other. We could get on a plane going to anywhere, really.

The one at the front, if he got on the wrong plane, about 40 of us would all follow him. It’s that bad. The Irish footballer Liam Brady once said to me that even though he’d been through a million airports during his football career, once he was back in the real world, he didn’t have a clue what to do. 

Read the full interview.

01:47 PM

Three in ten Britons ‘won’t travel’ in 2021

A third of Britons say they don’t intend to travel at all next year, according to a survey by YouGov. 

Both international and domestic holidays are off the table for 29 per cent of respondents. The majority (67 per cent) say that the current restrictions have stopped them from travelling this year, while 58 per cent have blamed health concerns.

The survey collected responses from 17,000 people across 25 countries. Along with Singaporeans, Britons are the most put-off by current travel restrictions. The United Arab Emirates has the highest proportion of people willing to travel: 48 per cent said they would definitely be making a trip next year. 

01:28 PM

Slight easing of Norway’s hotel quarantine policy

New rules for travellers to Norway will allow them to choose where they undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine.

At present, all arrivals must self-isolate in a hotel chosen by local authorities if they are unable to prove they own a home in the country.

Under revised conditions, if travellers are able to prove they rent a residence, or are able to use one, they can avoid staying in a hotel. They are still required to show a negative Covid-19 test that was taken in the 72 hours before arrival.

01:14 PM

‘We were caught by police driving out of Tier 3 – and made to feel like criminals’

What happened when two women were caught driving from Tier 3 to Tier 1?

We were caught just as we entered Cornwall. I have no idea where the police vehicle came from – we’d relaxed because we were almost at our destination, the end was in sight – but then there were flashing blue lights, and we were motioned to go into the lay-by.

I pulled the car over, and the officer came over to ask us the purpose of our trip. I just came clean and told him everything; it was as if I was in a confessional, I needed to just get it all off my chest. 

I told him that, yes, we were travelling from Birmingham – which is currently under Tier 3 restrictions, meaning that we shouldn’t be travelling anywhere for a non-essential reason. And that we knew we shouldn’t be going to Tier 1 Cornwall, which is the lowest risk area of mainland Britain. But since March I have been following the rules to the letter, and this was my only slip-up – because I’ve been driven to distraction by my husband and our two grown-up sons during lockdown, who have turned into cavemen over the course of this year.

The full story is here.

'The sheer relief of not being carted off in handcuffs was overwhelming' - EMMA GLASBEY
‘The sheer relief of not being carted off in handcuffs was overwhelming’ – EMMA GLASBEY

01:03 PM

‘Test to release’ delay puts Christmas travel plans at risk

Christmas travel plans could face disruption as details of the Government’s ‘Test to Release’ programme still have not been revealed – with less than a week to go before its launch.

From December 15, anyone arriving into England from a ‘high risk’ destination will be able to reduce their 14-day quarantine period to five days if they pay for a Covid test after the fifth day.

However, the promised list of government-approved test providers is still yet to be announced, with the ‘Test to Release’ website stating only that they will be published online “soon”. The lack of information at such a late stage was described as “disappointing” by Clive Wratten, the chief executive of the Business Travel Association.

Brian Strutton, general secretary of pilot union Balpa, said that although the programme as “laudable in its intent” it should be “up and running urgently”.

He told City AM:

Rishi Sunak, Matt Hancock and Grant Shapps all lined up to trumpet the Government’s ‘Test to Release’ scheme but here we are two weeks later and only a week before the scheme is supposed to go live, to find that passengers can’t actually use it.How can passengers plan Christmas visits to family and friends abroad, if they can’t book the promised tests to reduce quarantine?

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said that a full list of approved providers for ‘Test and Release’ will be “made available shortly before [December 15]”.

12:55 PM

UK ‘third most generous country’ after £450m charity donations

The UK has been named the third most generous country in the world after donating more than £450 million between March and August. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, UK residents have made more than nine million donations to people affected by the health crisis, using online giving platform GoFundMe. Derry was named the most generous city, followed by Cambridge and Edinburgh.

The charity sector has been hit hard this year, with many seeing funding dry up almost overnight as lockdown came into force and events had to be cancelled and shops closed. Charities have also come under increased pressure for services, with more people turning to them for help.

John Coventry, GoFundMe’s senior international director, said: “The depth and breadth of kindness shown across the UK in 2020 has given us all some inspiration in a year to forget.

12:52 PM

‘I needed to see my dying mum in New Zealand – but getting there is like breaking into a prison’

As a New Zealand national living in the UK, there are certain calls you dread, writes Michael Brown. When he found out his mother was gravely ill, he did all he could to get to home to see her.

My sister called me one dark morning last month. It was not good news. My mother, who had been treated for cancer and given the all-clear, had been admitted to hospital as an emergency and was deteriorating rapidly. At that stage she had a 40% chance of improvement with treatment, and my sister said, if I could, I should try and get there as soon as possible.

My English wife and I always had an agreement – if the need arose, I should just drop everything and go, and not worry about the cost or the extended time away from her and our two sons, aged 12 and 15. But that was pre-Covid. Getting to New Zealand (which is largely Covid-free) these days is like trying to break into a high-security prison. 

You can read the story here.

12:45 PM

Branson’s cruise line won’t sail until May 2021

Virgin Voyages, a new cruise line dreamt up by Sir Richard Branson, has moved the launch of its first ship to May 9, 2021 – more than a year after the vessel was originally scheduled to depart.

The Scarlet Lady was meant to debut with a cruise from Miami on April 1, but this was cancelled as coronavirus spread across the world, and health authorities banning cruises in US waters until next year.

 Tom McAlpin, the chief executive of Virgin Voyages, told USA Today that the news was “heartbreaking”.

The cruise line also pushed back the planned May launch of its second ship, the Valiant Lady, until Nov. 14, 2021, and, instead of sailing in the Mediterranean as planned, the ship will spend its inaugural season in the Caribbean. 

12:30 PM

The secret to happiness, according to science?

The answer: Plan a big holiday, and then cancel it, says Ed Grenby.

You read that right. Because a recent spot of research at two of the world’s top universities reveals that merely planning a trip could be just as good for your health, wellbeing and happiness as actually going on one.

Booking a holiday for 2021 could be exactly what you need to improve your 2020, according to the experts. That may seem counter-intuitive, but since we’re all now supposed to ‘follow the science’ — as if The Science were some celebrity on social media — let’s scroll that timeline.

So here’s all the horrible stuff that happens when you actually have to go on a damn holiday, according to Jessica de Bloom, Fellow at Holland’s prestigious University of Groningen: “Physical complaints within the first few days away seem to be a widespread problem — it even has a name, ‘leisure sickness’. The start of a holiday is for many people spoiled by high blood pressure, poor sleep, bad mood, migraine and even fever.”

She adds: “The causes are not clear, but it is probably to do with the body still feeling very much ‘activated’ after the strains of preparing for the trip and the journey itself. Imagine the reaction of your car engine if you changed from fifth gear directly to first. In the same manner, a stressed human body working full-speed in the weeks preceding a holiday has trouble with downshifting, and the sudden deprivation of stress hormones.”

Here is Ed’s full story.

12:23 PM

Airline executive fired over flight route

Russia’s top budget airline has sacked one of its senior bosses and formally admonished its director after one of its passenger planes traced a phallic route in the sky during a commercial flight.

Pobeda, the low-cost arm of Aeroflot, came under scrutiny when one of its Moscow-Yekaterinburg flights, with 102 passengers on board, veered from its path on November 11 in what an official report described as irregular manoeuvres.

12:11 PM

Record Covid-19 cases in Cyprus mean new restrictions

Shopping centres and restaurants in Cyprus are to close from Friday as the country attempts to push down the number of Covid-19 cases.

People will also be unable to attend church services, the health ministry said. The restrictions, which will remain in place until the end of 2020, come a day after a record 419 new cases of coronavirus were recorded, with five deaths.

Health minister Constantinos Ioannou said:

There is no such thing as good or nice restrictions, these are necessary, and mainly unpleasant, but we have to safeguard life. Our health comes first.

11:59 AM

Can I visit Wales? Latest advice as quarantine is slashed

The length of quarantine required for travellers entering Wales from high-risk countries has been cut from 14 days to 10, but other restrictions have been tightened in the run-up to Christmas.

People required to self-isolate in Wales will be able to do so for 10 days from Thursday, December 10. This applies to people who have Covid symptoms, test positive, were in close contact with someone who displays symptoms or tested positive, or people who are returning from a non-exempt country. 

You’ll find the answers to your travel questions here.

Llyn Idwal and the peak of Pen yr Ole Wen - ALAN NOVELLI
Llyn Idwal and the peak of Pen yr Ole Wen – ALAN NOVELLI

11:51 AM

Trains between Italy and Switzerland grind to a halt

Cross-border rail services between Switzerland and Italy will come to a halt tomorrow because there isn’t enough capacity to carry out the Covid-19 safety checks ordered by the Italian government, reports Lucy Aspden.

New measures insist on all passengers’ temperatures being checked and the Swiss Federal Railway (SBB) have said there isn’t the staff to do this.

SBB said the cancellation of all services will be in place indefinitely from Thursdays – it affects dozens of routes, including commuter links for people who travel daily across the border from northern Italy to Switzerland for work, as well as long-distance trains between Milan and Frankfurt.

The news comes after Italy announced a travel ban over Christmas and the continued closure of ski resorts in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. There is a particular focus on stopping Italian skiers from crossing the border to ski in Switzerland or Austria, where lifts are open. France, Italy and Germany have called for a continent-wide ban on skiing until the new year, but their Swiss and Austrian neighbours are determined to open slopes for the festive season.

11:41 AM

BA announce new summer flights from Southampton

British Airways will operate a summer schedule from Southampton Airport between May and October next year, connecting England’s south coast with 11 destinations in Europe.

The airline is planning 17 flights each weekend in that period, with return fares starting from £66 and available to book from today. The new service will fly to Malaga, Faro, Ibiza, Florence, Mykonos, Palma de Mallorca, Bergera, Limoges, Nice and Berlin.

Tom Stoddart, managing director of BA CityFlyer, which will operate the flights, said:

We are delighted to announce the extension of our services to Southampton Airport next summer.

This is an exciting opportunity for the British Airways family. The ideal location of the airport and excellent facilities on offer will hugely benefit our customers along the south coast as they plan to take to the skies again and book a well-deserved holiday in the sun.

11:32 AM

Australians banned from overseas travel until March 2021

The majority of Australians will be banned from travelling abroad until at least March 17, 2021, after the federal government extended their “biosecurity emergency period”.

The restrictions on overseas flights and cruise ship voyages, which have been in place since March 18 and were due to end this month, will see the country go a full year with borders slammed shut and limited options to leave – in the last nine months only 95,000 Australians residents have left after receiving exemptions.

Greg Hunt, Australia’s health minister, said:

The international world remains a challenging and dangerous environment. The risks abroad are enormous, and if we don’t maintain these important protections, then we won’t be protecting Australians.

11:20 AM

French Covid-19 cases not linked to minks

A mink farm in France that saw an outbreak of coronavirus last month did not involve a mutated strain of coronavirus.

The French agriculture ministry confirmed the news this morning. The cases of Covid-19 led to a cull of all the animals at the mink farm in the Eure-et-Loir region, to the south-west of Paris. No coronavirus cases have been detected at France’s three other mink farms, it added.

Denmark’s discovery of a variant form of the novel coronavirus that passed from humans to mink and back to humans led the country to slaughter all of its 17 million farmed mink.

11:13 AM

Farewell to the Pacer

It’s the end of the line for Britain’s last bus-trains, writes Christopher Beanland. The Pacer – a bonkers hybrid between a bus and a train – took its final paying passengers on a typically wobbly run between Kirby in Merseyside and Manchester Victoria on November 27, and is now heading for the great siding in the sky.

Despite their terrible ride quality (good job top speed was a pathetic 75 mph), combined with seats and folding doors straight off a bus, they have inspired a highly unlikely level of cult devotion among some trainspotters. You can pay £200 to drive Pacer 144017 around the old British Steel works at Scunthorpe – the Appleby Frodingham Railway has been so inundated with takers that its current slots have sold out, but they’re scheduling more next year. Their rescued Pacer is a slightly later version featuring a Scottish Walter Alexander bus body nailed onto a train’s wheels.

Purists prefer the original Class 141 – a Leyland National bus piggybacking on top of a train. Italian sportscar designer Giovanni Michelotti’s almost-sleek styling of the bus chassis created something genuinely distinctive on tracks up and down the UK from Accrington to Yeoford.

You’ll find the full story here.

A Pacer train on the Solway Coast, Cumbria - ANDREW FINDLAY
A Pacer train on the Solway Coast, Cumbria – ANDREW FINDLAY

10:58 AM

London closer to Tier 3 as coronavirus surge grows

Boris Johnson has singled out London as a hotspot of rising coronavirus cases, fuelling the prospect of the capital being plunged into Tier 3 next week.

While London is currently in Tier 2, ministers are set to review the current tier allocations throughout England on Wednesday next week. Any changes will be announced the day after and take effect on the following Saturday.

Highlighting increasing Covid-19 case numbers in the capital, the Prime Minister warned:

We haven’t defeated this virus yet. It’s very important for people to understand… that the virus is, alas, still rising in some parts of the country.

It’s rising, for instance, in London. We’ve got it down hugely as a result of the measures we took in November, which have just come off. People made a huge huge effort. We can’t afford to relax now.

10:45 AM

Social media call for ‘Test to Release’ information

On Twitter, plenty of people are asking the UK Government about the details of ‘Test to Release’, which starts from next Tuesday.

10:31 AM

Thailand opens up to tourists – with tough quarantine measures

Thailand has announced it will allow tourists from any country to visit on a Special Tourist Visa (STV), reports Greg Dickinson.

Previously, only residents of certain countries, such as China, could apply for an STV. Now, however, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that people can apply for STVs at Thai embassies worldwide.

But this does not mean British holidaymakers have the ‘green light’ for a hassle-free Thai escape. All foreigners entering the country must quarantine for 14 days at a registered hotel. Other documentation includes insurance covering you for £100,000, evidence of your itinerary and health certificates to fly.

The hopes are that the STV will help to kickstart Thailand’s beleaguered tourism industry. In November the country only welcomed 829 tourists. In 2019, 3.35 million holidaymakers visited Thailand in November.

10:23 AM

Dartmoor in winter: A place of melancholy and malevolence

Dartmoor in the milder seasons can seem bland and forgettable, writes Chris Moss. Wintry weather, on the other hand, adds an edge.

Dartmoor’s expanse of level height, a meeting point for the damp winds of the oceanic southwest and the chill inland air masses, makes it a factory for wintry weather. The peat bogs turn blacker. The tors crack and crumble. If the mist thickens, the whole world, land and sky, can become a kind of icy blur. Everything is leached of colour. The cleft of the Erme is darker than ever. Black thoughts are inevitable.

This isn’t only my fancy. Dartmoor’s fame as a site of melancholy and malevolence is the work of centuries and many minds. Tales of nasty death and vile beasts inhabit every quiet hollow. Old place names murmur their moody poetry: Deadman’s Bottom. Evil Coombe. Blacklane Mire. Mount Misery. It is somewhere around the latter that I stop to rest, drink some hot tea and think.

Psychologists say sad music cheers people up, or at least provides comfort. It makes a lot of sense, certainly for those of us who find happy songs depressing. Wintry landscapes work in a similar fashion, providing a natural objective correlative of our sadder thoughts. If sunshine and beaches cry out for sociability and other kinds of exposure, Dartmoor, wrapped in its grey December overcoat and its scarf of leaden cloud, whispers: you want to be alone? I sympathise. 

Read the full piece here.

Dartmoor - GETTY
Dartmoor – GETTY

10:13 AM

Cunard extends cruise pause again due to ‘ongoing travel constraints’

British cruise line Cunard has extended its pause in operations until May 2021, blaming ongoing travel restrictions across the globe.

The Southampton-based operator has repeatedly pushed back its return, and until this morning was expecting to welcome back passengers from March 25, 2021.

Cunard president, Simon Palethorpe, said:

Our extension to the pause in operations is the result of the ongoing restrictions on cruising in the UK and around the world and recognises the significant lead times to return to service, once those restrictions are lifted.

We are extremely sorry for the disappointment we know this will cause. We know how much careful consideration goes into planning a holiday and apologise that our guests now have to wait a little longer to travel once again with Cunard.

Those who have had their voyage cancelled will automatically receive a future cruise credit worth 125 per cent of money already paid, which can be used against the cost of a future voyage.

10:01 AM

Covid-19 has caused greater anxiety about foreign travel, study shows

Almost 70 per cent of Britons feel anxious about travelling abroad in the wake of coronavirus, according to new research. A study by travel insurance firm Medical Travel Compared, who survey 2,000 holiday makers, shows that 69 per cent of people now feel anxiety over travel – up from 44 per cent prior to the pandemic.

The most common fear was catching Covid-19 abroad, closely followed by having to quarantine on arrival or being stranded if their destination won’t let people leave due to lockdown restrictions.

The research also found that 80 per cent of Britons expect holidays to become more expensive and 48 per cent think they won’t be able to travel as often as they would like due to the virus.

09:50 AM

UK ski tour operator collapses

Alpine Elements, which also operates under the names Elements Holidays, IgoSki and Ocean Elements, has announced it has ceased trading, reports Lucy Aspden. It’s the latest independent UK ski tour operator to fall victim to the pandemic.

But there is some hope for the loyal fans of the company, which was set up by James Hardiman when he was a 21-year-old university student in 1997. It is reported that Hardiman is hoping to resume trading in the near future after reaching a ‘pre-pack’ deal with the administrator.

“I worked hard to find an investor and one came through at the eleventh hour so I hope to keep the brand and restart the business in the near future,” Hardiman told Travelmole. “I am deeply sorry for what has happened, but we aim to bring back the brand, if our customers will have us,” he added.

Alpine Elements takes up to 25,000 skiers and snowboarders to the slopes each winter and Hardiman has stated unpaid refunds to thousands of customers who had their holidays cancelled last winter as one of the causes of the company’s financial decline. As an Abta and Atol bonded operator all customers will now get their money back through these schemes.

09:43 AM

Swedish government wants vote on lockdown powers

The government in Sweden is looking for temporary news powers to tackle coronavirus, which would make it easier for authorities to enforce the closure of shops and gyms as part of lockdowns.

Under the proposals, the government would be able to limit the number of people in stores, as well as control opening hours, and if necessary call for closures across the board.

A vote on the legislation is expected early next year and will create rules that would last for just over a year, the governing coalition said in a statement.

Sweden has been seeing a second wave of coronavirus in the past month, with record daily infections.

09:35 AM

The British Virgin Islands reopens with strict rules in place

Winter sun, anyone? The British Virgin Islands have officially reopened to international travelers, with strict entry measures in place in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

All travellers need to apply for a BVI Gateway Travel Authorisation Certificate within the five days before travelling, completing it at least 48 hours prior to arrival. Once landed, you must present a negative PCR test from within five days of arrival, as well as travel insurance that covers the costs of the treatment, and possible medical evacuation, of Covid-19.

Once at Terrance B Lettsome International Airport, a further test will be undertaken before arrivals are given a wristband monitoring device and required to turn on a tracing app on their phones. Then it’s quarantine for four days at a hotel or villa, with another test on the fourth day – if it’s negative, you’re free to move around the islands as you please.

If it’s positive, the quarantine period is a minimum of 14 days. The cost of the tests, use of the mobile phone app and the monitoring bracelet must be paid for by the traveller.

British Virgin Islands -  Walter Bibikow
British Virgin Islands – Walter Bibikow

09:16 AM

Early end to first Royal Caribbean cruise in nine months

A high-profile return to cruising in Asia for Royal Caribbean had to be aborted early on Wednesday after a passenger was found to be positive for the coronavirus, reports Nicola Smith.

Quantum of the Seas returned to port on day three of a four-day “cruise to nowhere” after the captain confirmed that a guest had a Covid-19 infection despite strict checks before boarding.

All leisure activities were suspended following the positive test, and the ship isolated all guests and crew who had close contact with the infected man, an 83-year-old. All of them subsequently tested negative for coronavirus.

Cruise holidays have largely been suspended globally since early this year after several mass Covid-19 outbreaks left hundreds of passengers sick or stranded as borders closed to keep the pandemic at bay, although river cruises across Europe successfully resumed during the summer.

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas - Danial Hakim
Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas – Danial Hakim

09:08 AM

‘Third wave’ sees Covid-19 cases rising in South Korea

South Korea reported 686 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday – its second-highest daily figure of the pandemic.

The East Asian nation is battling a third wave of the infection that, according to reports, is threatening to overwhelm the health system.

Earlier this week the country raised its alert level, banning gatherings of more than 50 in the capital, Seoul, and closing gyms and karaoke bars.

08:55 AM

Japan to allow limited inbound tourism next spring

International tourism could return to Japan from next spring ahead of Tokyo’s hosting of the delayed Olympic Games, according to reports.

But it will be limited to countries where infection rate are low, such as China and Taiwan, and the Japanese government is leaning towards allowing in small tour groups.

The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that under the new plan, tourists would have to test negative for Covid-19 before being allowed into Japan, and would be required to submit detailed itineraires of their holiday plans. They would only be allowed to travel around by coach, and would be kept separate from other guests at hotels.

08:31 AM

Yesterday’s headlines

Good morning.

Here’s a reminder of Tuesday’s main stories:

  • Two thirds of Britons say restrictions are stopping them from travelling ​

  • Britons arriving in Greece will face 10-day quarantine 

  • China removes Tripadvisor from its online stores

  • Mount Everest higher than thought, say China and Nepal

  • Cathay Pacific to offer free Covid-19 travel insurance

Follow this page for the latest travel news.

Source Article

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