After the 2 difficult summers of 2020 and 2021, TUI can confirm that the wanderlust among Belgians is back. For the departure months of July and August, TUI noted a 53% increase in the number of holidaymakers compared to last summer and no less than 70% more Belgians booked a flight holiday. This brilliant achievement is the result of a greatly increased confidence, a much wider range of products due to the reopening of the non-European destinations and the removal of almost all restrictions. Due to the slightly lower number of scheduled flights, the figure for the top summer of 2019 was just not reached.

Quite contrary to the trend in other European markets, however, the Belgian booked his trip very late. Due to the uncertain climate surrounding travel, a trend has emerged during the corona crisis to book very close to the date of departure. Although this risk is no longer an issue this year, this trend has not been broken: no less than 40% of bookings were made after 15 June, just a few weeks to a few days before departure. Many last-minute bookers were surprised to find that most of their preferred hotels were now fully booked. The European market, with the important British market in the lead, has responded much more quickly to current events this year, when hopeful signals came in mid-January that corona would not leave a mark on the summer holidays. From the most popular holiday regions such as the Greek Islands, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and the Costa del Sol, the first reports followed a few weeks later, mainly from family hotels that were sold out for the summer. Travellers should certainly not count on nice last-minute promotions. As a result, the average budget for a last-minute flight holiday this year was 26% higher than during the same period in 2019: €1248 versus €987.

Neither the high temperatures in their own country nor the heat waves in the Mediterranean prevented Belgians from moving south. Hotels or resorts right by the sea or with good infrastructure in terms of swimming pools and slides were by far the most popular and therefore the fastest booked up. In terms of destinations, the Belgian again opted for the classics: a third flew to Spain, followed by the Greek islands with 22% of the bookings. Turkey made a strong comeback, welcoming 17% of the travellers. The Turkish Riviera (Antalya), known for its very high-quality all-in hotels with an excellent price-quality ratio, was also by far the most popular holiday destination in the entire range. With a load factor of more than 95%, the flights of TUI fly were again very well filled this summer.

Car holidays also had an excellent season. TUI records 38% more travellers than last summer. The traditional top destinations are back here too: France remains the undisputed top country with 35% of bookings. Austria follows with 20% and Tyrol is even the top region for car holidays. Spain follows with 18%. As with the air holidays, the destinations for car holidays were fully booked much faster than usual and there were hardly any last-minute discounts. Here too, the average budget per person is, therefore, higher: €542 per person compared to €446 in 2019.

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With regard to city trips, the southern cities of Rome, Barcelona, Valencia and Lisbon invariably remain in the top 5. The frontrunner this summer was Paris, which continues to steal market share from eternal competitor London, which has become less accessible due to Brexit.

The travel office, a highly valued link to which travellers could turn with all questions during the uncertain corona period, has also maintained its strong position this summer. Two out of three travellers called on the professional service of their travel agent, although more and more bookers first looked up their favourite holiday on the TUI website. Making and processing the booking online is the most efficient option for 35% of customers.

Top 5 flying holidays

• Spain
• Greece
• Turkiye
• Tunisia
• Egypt

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Top 5 flying holidays by region

• Turkish Riviera
• Mallorca
• Tenerife
• Crete
• Rhodes

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Top 5 car holidays

• France
• Austria
• Spain
• Germany
• Italy

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Top 5 car holidays by region

• Tyrol
• Costa Brava
• Languedoc-Roussillon
• Lake Garda
• Costa Dorada

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Top 5 city trips

• Paris
• Rome
• Barcelona
• Valencia
• Lisbon

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L’article Revival of holidays by air in 2022, with large share of last-minute bookings, says TUI Belgium est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Amazon is proud to be an early adopter of green hydrogen given its potential to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors like long-haul trucking, steel manufacturing, aviation, and ocean shipping.

Kara Hurst, vice president of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon

“We are relentless in our pursuit to meet our Climate Pledge commitment to be net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040, and believe that scaling the supply and demand for green hydrogen, such as through this agreement with Plug Power, will play a key role in helping us achieve our goals,” said Kara Hurst, vice president of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon.

As the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, Amazon continues to invest in a range of technologies because no single solution can fully close the emissions gap to net-zero carbon. When it comes to hydrogen, the challenge is that over 95% of supply is currently made from fossil fuels. Amazon wants to help change that. Large purchase agreements like this one help foster the growth of green hydrogen, which is produced through a zero-carbon pathway using water and renewable electricity.

“We already have more than 70 fulfillment centers outfitted with hydrogen storage and dispensing systems, which will allow us to start using green hydrogen to replace fossil fuels. Today, we use that system to power over 15,000 fuel-cell propelled forklifts, with plans to grow that number to 20,000 across 100 fulfillment centers by 2025. That’s just the start,” said Dean Fullerton, vice president of Global Engineering and Security Services at Amazon.

Across Amazon’s operations, we’re exploring and testing the use of other hydrogen applications, such as fuel-cell electric trucks and fuel-cell power generation stations providing electricity to Amazon buildings.

Dean Fullerton, vice president of Global Engineering and Security Services at Amazon

Forklifts are just one use-case for scaling hydrogen, and many more potential uses are under development. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel similar to natural gas or diesel through a combustion process. It can also be used in “fuel cells,” where hydrogen and oxygen mix in a reaction that creates electricity with no direct emissions of pollutants or greenhouse gases at the point of use. However, to help power Amazon’s operations and meet our net-zero commitment, more hydrogen-powered equipment needs to be made commercially available.

Amazon’s supply agreement for green hydrogen not only reinforces its commitment to urgent climate action, but signals to the industry a need to expand the hydrogen economy.

“Plug is fully committed to a green hydrogen future, and we are building a complete hydrogen ecosystem – from molecule to applications combined with a resilient network of green hydrogen plants around the world – to make hydrogen adoption easy for companies looking to reach net-zero carbon emissions,” said Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug. “Securing this major green hydrogen supply deal with a customer like Amazon affirms our multi-year investment and strategic expansion into green hydrogen. We are honored to help Amazon meet its ambitious sustainability goals and look forward to possibly expanding our relationship through the use of other hydrogen applications, such as fuel-cell electric trucks and fuel-cell power generation stations that could provide electricity to Amazon buildings and the deployment of electrolyzers in fulfilment centers.”

In addition to the supply contract with Plug Power, Amazon recently announced that it has invested in two companies developing electrolyzer technology to increase green hydrogen production. The investment is part of the Climate Pledge Fund, Amazon’s $2 billion venture investment program that supports the development of sustainable technologies and services.

Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019, committing to reach net-zero carbon by 2040—10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. The Pledge now has more than 300 signatories, including Best Buy, IBM, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Siemens, Unilever, Verizon, and Visa.

To reach its goal, Amazon is already on a path to power its operations with 100% renewable energy, by 2025, five years ahead of the original target of 2030. The company is also delivering on its Shipment Zero vision to make all Amazon shipments net-zero carbon, with 50% net-zero carbon by 2030, and purchasing 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian, the largest order ever of electric delivery vehicles.

L’article Amazon bets on green hydrogen to help reach its goal of net zero by 2040 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

SBTi shows companies and financial institutions how much and how quickly they should reduce their emissions in order to achieve the goals agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement to combat global warming. More than 3,000 companies worldwide are already working with the initiative.

#Sustainability update
Leading with climate science – #TUI has submitted its environmental targets for scientific validation by @sciencetargets. pic.twitter.com/wnQjDNhA9D

— TUI Group (@TUIGroup) August 23, 2022

Our focus on emissions is clear: We are committed to avoiding and reducing emissions rather than offsetting them.

Sebastian Ebel, future TUI Group CEO

TUI Group has set itself the goal of achieving net-zero emissions across its operations by 2050, at the latest. An important step towards this are the ’emissions roadmaps’ for its airline, cruise and hotel business areas. They represent 99% of the Group’s emissions. For each of the three business segments, detailed studies have been carried out and action plans have been developed to realise significant reductions in emissions by 2030. The action plans contain comprehensive packages of measures – from the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the expansion of renewable energy sources for power generation in TUI Group hotels, to the latest technologies to reduce emissions in the cruise business. The plans are part of a comprehensive TUI Group Sustainability Agenda, which will be presented shortly.

“We want to set the standard for sustainability in the market and live up to our commitment as market leader,” says Sebastian Ebel, future TUI Group CEO. “Our airlines are already among the most carbon-efficient in the world. We have continuously invested in new aircraft and today fly a very modern and carbon-efficient fleet by German, European and international standards. Our cruise ships use the latest technologies to reduce emissions. We are operating solar power systems in some of our hotels. What is clear, is that we want to and we will speed up and do more,” he concluded.

I am convinced that sustainable transformation is not a cost factor, but that sustainability pays off – for society, for the environment and for business.

Sebastian Ebel, future TUI Group CEO

Further details on TUI Group’s plans and targets for emissions reduction will be announced after accreditation by SBTi.

L’article TUI group priorizes ‘real emissions reductions’ rather than offsetting them est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The ‘hortus conclusus’ or enclosed garden resembles a museum gallery, albeit one without a ceiling, in the heart of the city. The corridor with deciduous trees and two arcades with vistas create an impression of denser growth, drawing the visitor’s gaze in, to the garden and the house. The new Baroque garden is a garden for all seasons, resplendent with colour 365 days a year. A total of 8,835 plants have been selected, including 39 trees, 4,170 perennials, 612 climbing plants, 3150 bulbs and stinzen plants, 346 shrubs, 438 hedge plants; 30 orangery plants and 50 water plants.

1. Help Rubens garden grow

When Rubens purchased the land for the house in 1610, he relied on Willem and Jasper, his gardeners, to tend to his garden and on several other people who lived nearby to plant the garden with flowers and plants. His maid Willemyne used the fruit and vegetables as ingredients for the food that she cooked for the Rubens family. The garden of the Rubens House was a garden of the people and will remain thus in the future. To plant the new museum garden, the Rubens House, like Rubens, is counting on helping hands, who want to see the garden thrive. Everyone can help Rubens’s new garden grow. Interested parties can purchase flower bulbs, perennials, shrubs and trees for the garden of the Rubens House, starting from 10 euros.

2. Ecological and sustainable garden

The garden was designed by Ars Horti, in collaboration with the Flanders Heritage Agency, based on new archival research, with advice from Dries Van Noten on colours and plants. The garden design takes into account sustainability, future-proofing, energy efficiency and inclusive access. Thanks to the layered vegetation, the garden becomes an ecological stepping stone in the city, mitigating higher temperatures, flooding during heavy rainfall, urban noise and large amounts of CO2 and particulate matter in the air.

The garden design is a crucial element of the master plan as it connects the artist’s dwelling with the new reception building, facilitating the changed routing. The current garden, which was planted in 1933, will be recovered as much as possible. The box hedges and perennials of the parterre will be transferred to Schoonselhof cemetery. The wood of the few pollarded lime trees that will be felled will be used to build furniture for the Rubens House. ​The majestic yew, which is 250 years old, will continue to watch over this exceptional garden. ​ ​

3. How to get involved?

Work on the new garden is expected to start from October, at which point the current garden will close to visitors. The Rubens House will remain open up to and including 8 January 2023. Visitors are advised to book their ticket in advance.

Help the garden of the Rubens House grow. And fund a flower in Rubens’s new garden. Discover their packages on www.rubenshuis.be or www.hofleveranciervanrubens.be

L’article Rubens House in Antwerp is about to get a new garden and you can help plant it est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

We’ve never seen anything like this and it is a reflection of the labour difficulties that airlines and airports are having right now, making them unable to return to 2019 capacity levels.

Carlos Cendra, Director of Sales & Marketing at Mabrian

“It is highly unusual to see airlines cancelling scheduled flights at such short notice, literally weeks before take off, right at the peak of the summer season. Just looking at the top ten by cancellations based on this data, we can see over 2,000 flights cancelled across Europe just for the 1 to 15 July period, ” explains Carlos Cendra, Director of Sales & Marketing at Mabrian.

However, whilst easyJet’s overall number of flights cancelled is 1,394, as a percentage of their air capacity it is fair to point out that this is just 5.5% (or one in 20 flights) and that, perhaps surprisingly, it is Turkish Airlines that has the highest ratio of cancelled flights, at nearly 7%.

When looking at the overall numbers in terms of percentage of the air capacity of an airline, what Mabrian’s notices is that in many cases the cancellations in relative terms are very low – the lowest rate of the top 10 being Air Europa with under 0.5% of flights cancelled, which means that 199 out of 200 are still scheduled to fly. “Still every cancellation represents a holiday nightmare for someone and a loss in revenue for the airline: no one is winning here and clearly as an industry we’re a long way from solving the problem,” concludes Cendra.

L’article Top 10 airlines by flight cancellations in Europe est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourism saw a 182% year-on-year increase in January-March 2022, with destinations worldwide welcoming an estimated 117 million international arrivals compared to 41 million in Q1 2021. Of the extra 76 million international arrivals for the first three months, about 47 million were recorded in March, showing that the recovery is gathering pace.

1. Europe and Americas lead the recovery

UNWTO data shows that during the first quarter of 2022, Europe welcomed almost four times as many international arrivals (+280%) as in Q1 of 2021, with results driven by strong intra-regional demand. In the Americas arrivals more than doubled (+117%) in the same three months. However, arrivals in Europe and the Americas were still 43% and 46% below 2019 levels respectively.

The Middle East (+132%) and Africa (+96%) also saw strong growth in Q1 2022 compared to 2021, but arrivals remained 59% and 61% below 2019 levels respectively. Asia and the Pacific recorded a 64% increase over 2021 but again, levels were 93% below 2019 numbers as several destinations remained closed to non-essential travel.

International tourist arrivals (% change over 2019)

By subregion, the Caribbean and Southern Mediterranean Europe continue to show the fastest rates of recovery. In both, arrivals recovered to nearly 75% of 2019 levels, with some destinations reaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

2. Destinations opening up

Although international tourism remains 61% below 2019 levels, the gradual recovery is expected to continue throughout 2022, as more destinations ease or lift travel restrictions and pent-up demand is unleashed. As of 2 June, 45 destinations (of which 31 are in Europe) had no COVID-19 related restrictions in place. In Asia, an increasing number of destinations have started to ease those restrictions.

Evaluation and Prospects of tourism performance by the UNWTO Panel of Experts

Despite these positive prospects, a challenging economic environment coupled with the military offensive of the Russian Federation in Ukraine pose a downside risk to the ongoing recovery of international tourism. The Russian offensive on Ukraine seems to have had a limited direct impact on overall results so far, although it is disrupting travel in Eastern Europe. However, the conflict is having major economic repercussions globally, exacerbating already high oil prices and overall inflation and disrupting international supply chains, which results in higher transport and accommodation costs for the tourism sector.

3. Export revenues to recover faster as spending rises

The latest issue of the UNWTO Tourism Barometer also shows that US$ 1 billion were lost in export revenues from international tourism in 2021, adding to the $1 billion lost in the first year of the pandemic. Total export revenues from tourism (including passenger transport receipts) reached an estimated US$ 713 billion in 2021, a 4% increase in real terms from 2020 but still 61% below 2019 levels. International tourism receipts reached US$ 602 billion, also 4% higher in real terms than in 2020. Europe and the Middle East recorded the best results, with earnings climbing to about 50% of pre-pandemic levels in both regions.

However, the amount being spent per trip is on the rise – from an average US$ 1,000 in 2019 to US$ 1,400 in 2021.

4. Stronger than expected recovery ahead

The latest UNWTO Confidence Index showed a marked uptick. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the index returned to levels of 2019, reflecting rising optimism among tourism experts worldwide, building on strong pent-up demand, in particular intra-European travel and US travel to Europe.  

An overwhelming majority of tourism professionals (83%) see better prospects for 2022 compared to 2021, as long as the virus is contained and destinations continue to ease or lift travel restrictions. However, the ongoing closure of some major outbound markets, mostly in Asia and the Pacific, as well as the uncertainty derived from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, could delay the effective recovery of international tourism.

A higher number of experts (48%) now see a potential return of international arrivals to 2019 levels in 2023 (from 32% in the January survey), while the percentage indicating this could happen in 2024 or later (44%) has diminished compared to the January survey (64%). Meanwhile by end April, international air capacity across the Americas, Africa, Europe, North Atlantic and the Middle East has reached or is close to 80% of pre-crisis levels and demand is following.

When do you expect international tourism to return to pre-pandemic 2019 levels in your country?

UNWTO has revised its outlook for 2022 due to stronger-than-expected results in the first quarter of 2022, a significant increase in flight reservations, and prospects from the UNWTO Confidence Index. International tourist arrivals are now expected to reach 55% to 70% of 2019 levels in 2022, depending on several circumstances including the rate at which destinations continue to lift travel restrictions, the evolution of the war in Ukraine, possible new outbreaks of coronavirus and global economic conditions, particularly inflation and energy prices.

L’article International tourism continues to recover at a strong pace with Europe leading est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Many countries around the world have shown their support for Ukraine by lighting important buildings and monuments with the colours of the Ukrainian flag. Portugal was no exception, with the façade of Lisbon’s and Oporto’s Town Halls joining the wave of solidarity.

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Yesterday night, the facade of the Russian embassy in the Portuguese capital was illuminated with the colours of Ukraine. The unusual moment occurred shortly after 10 pm, local time, with a group of young people projecting the Ukrainian flag from a van.

Despite lasting only a few minutes, the protest was widely shared on social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter.

Embaixada da Rússia em Lisboa. Há instantes. pic.twitter.com/HgJmQjDJ9k

— Carlos Nunes Lopes (@carlosnlopes) March 7, 2022

Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine in the early hours of February 24 which, according to the Kyiv authorities, has already caused more than 2,000 deaths among the civilian population and more than 2 million refugees.

The Russian invasion was condemned by the international community in general, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and strengthening economic sanctions against Moscow.

L’article Protesters project Ukrainian flag on the building of the Embassy of Russia in Lisbon est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.