JULY 01, 2021

New travel companies are making it easier for remote workers to live and work abroad without the long-term commitment.

So-called “workcations” are on the rise, with 74% of Americans who are working from home saying they would consider taking one, according to a report published in March by The Harris Poll.

But rather than booking a hotel room at the nearest beach, travel companies are enticing workers to venture farther from home with international itineraries and accommodations that are suited to their work schedules.

Work by day, explore by night

Sojrn (pronounced “sojourn”) designs month-long trips that allow remote workers to work abroad while learning about a topic related to the location. Travelers can explore philosophy in Greece, wine in Italy, wellness in Bali or Spanish skills in Colombia — all while maintaining their regular work hours.

The company arranges lodging and workspaces, as well as logistical items such as SIM cards and airport transfers, the company’s founder and CEO Tara Cappel told CNBC. Every trip includes one theme-based activity per week, with optional activities that can be added if work schedules permit, she said.

Trips of a month or more aren’t just for full-time remote workers, said Cappel. They also work for office workers who are negotiating annual periods of remote work.

“People aren’t going to be happy just going back to where it was before,” said Cappel, adding that they “are going to be more open to traveling differently and bringing their work with them if they can.”

Prices for Sojrn’s month-long Tuscany wine trip range from around $3,900 to $5,800, depending on accommodations. Anna Richey

Sojrn opened bookings in April. The Tuscany wine trip sold out in six hours, while the Bali wellness trip was fully booked in one weekend, she said. Now, around 4,500 people are on the waitlist for 2022 trips, said Cappel.

To keep up with demand, the company is organizing new trips for 2022 with themes such as conservation in South Africa, cuisine in Mexico City, fashion in Paris and history in Rome, she said. The U.S. company is also launching its first domestic trip next year — jazz in New Orleans.

Flexible stays in Europe

If a month is too long — or too little — to stay in one place, remote workers can organize their own trips through companies like Floasis, a website with accommodations that are vetted for remote work.

“Being remote workers ourselves, we knew how frustrating it was to get bad surprises when it comes to booking a stay,” said co-founder and CEO Kristina Kutan. “That’s why we make sure that each of our [locations] is tested and approved by a remote worker.

Lola Casamitjana, the firm’s co-founder and chief commercial officer, said the remote work lifestyle was inevitable.

“The pandemic was only an accelerator,” she said. “It was the kick that brought down the last walls, making it clear ... we were now in dire need for new, more fulfilling ways to live and work.”

Remote work stays in this castle in Manche, France start at 350 euros ($420) per week. Courtesy of Floasis

After a year of planning, the website launched last week, said Casamitjana, with listings that have workspaces, inspiring surroundings and communities for workers to connect with.

Accommodations are in Europe and Morocco and vary from village houses and seaside apartments to a Portuguese winery, French castle and Greek eco-farm. Most places can be booked by the night, week or month, and some include breakfast and yoga classes in the rate.  

“This year we are focusing on Europe and want to reach 1,000 listings by the end of 2021,” she said.

More options for work-travel trips

Companies such as Remote Year have been catering to remote workers long before the pandemic. Launched in 2014, the company has retreats as short as one week as well as its namesake 12-month programs that traverse four continents.

Unsettled organizes semi-structured work-travel trips that focus on connecting like-minded people together. Trips range from one to four weeks.

For people who want to combine work, travel and social good into one trip, there’s Venture with Impact. Its week- and month-long trips are small — about four to 10 people — and the company matches participants’ skills and interests with needs in places, such as Mexico and Thailand. The 2021 itinerary includes trips to Medellin, Colombia and Lisbon, Portugal, though the exact dates haven’t been announced online.

For those who aspire to the “digital nomad” lifestyle, WiFly Nomads is a training program that teaches people how to become a remote worker, while simultaneously getting a small taste of the lifestyle. Five-day programs are held in Bali and cost around $4,000, according to the company’s website.

Due to uncertainty surrounding Covid restrictions, the next program is anticipated to launch in early 2022, said Kate Smith, WiFly Nomads’ founder and CEO. In the meantime, the company is running 12-week online programs that teach people how to land a remote job.

“This has been of particular interest to those who don’t want to return back to the office after working from home,” she said.

JULY 01, 2021

(Bloomberg) --

Emirates expects more than 450,000 passengers to travel through its Dubai hub next month amid a surge in demand over the summer.

The airline’s busiest days will be “the next two weekends,” and it expects to operate more than 1,600 flights over this period. High passenger traffic is expected to start on Wednesday and run through July 12, the Dubai-based carrier said in a statement.

Emirates said close to 100,000 passengers will be arriving on its flights into Dubai -- the Middle East’s trade and travel hub. To accommodate the surge during the Eid holiday, the state-owned carrier is ramping up capacity to about 90% of its pre-pandemic levels. Dubai Airports reopened a terminal and concourse that were shut in March 2020.

Emirates has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, with widespread border curbs preventing travelers to make the inter-continental journeys in which the carrier specializes. The airline has grounded most of its fleet of Airbus SE A380 superjumbos, while its Boeing Co. 777s are struggling with lower passenger loads and are transporting mainly cargo for the time being.

Emirates Group was propped up by the Dubai government with a $3.1 billion cash infusion after a collapse in long-haul travel, the airline’s main business, led to its first loss in decades.

JULY 01, 2021

The federal government has issued a new travel protocol to bar non- Nigerian passengers who have been in South Africa, Brazil, India, and Turkey within 14 days preceding their travel to Nigeria.

On Monday, the FG added South Africa to the list of countries banned from flying into Nigeria due to the surge in the country’s COVID-19 cases.

In a statement on Wednesday, Boss Mustapha, chairman of the presidential steering committee on COVID-19, said that any airline that fails to comply with the ban shall mandatorily pay a penalty of $3,500 for each defaulting passenger.

The protocol, which will take effect on July 2, noted that the ban does not affect those who only transited through the countries as they would not be denied entry into Nigeria.

“Non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited Brazil, India, Turkey or South Africa within 14 days preceding travel to Nigeria, shall be denied entry into Nigeria. This regulation, however, does not apply to passengers who transited through these countries,” the statement reads.

“The following measures shall apply to airlines and passengers who fail to comply with (a) above: airlines shall mandatorily pay a penalty of $3,500 for each defaulting passenger; and non-Nigerians will be denied entry and returned to the country of embarkation at cost to the airline.

“Nigerians and those with permanent resident permits who visited Brazil, India, Turkey and South Africa within 14 days preceding travel to Nigeria shall be made to undergo seven days of mandatory quarantine in a government approved facility at the point-of-entry city and at cost to the passenger.

“The following conditions shall apply to such passengers: within 24 hours of arrival shall take a COVID-19 PCR test; if positive, the passenger shall be admitted within a government-approved treatment centre, in line with national treatment protocols; and if negative, the passenger shall continue to remain in quarantine and made to undergo a repeat PCR test on Day-7 of their quarantine.”

Mustapha explained that the validity period of pre-boarding COVID-19 PCR test for all Nigeria-bound passengers still remains at 72 hours.

Before boarding, travellers must also present a Permit to Travel Certificate/QR code), generated from the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP).

He noted that airlines would be fined $3,500 per passenger for lifting any traveller without the two documents.

“Airlines who consistently fail to comply with the above requirements may be banned from coming to Nigeria,” he added.

JULY 01, 2021

BERLIN, July 1 (Reuters) - Germany expects the Delta variant of COVID-19 to account for up to 80% of infections this month, meaning it could ease travel restrictions from countries like Portugal and Britain where it already dominates, the German health minister said on Thursday.

Jens Spahn told a news conference that Germany could reduce the current 14-day quarantine requirement that it imposes on travellers from countries with high levels of the Delta variant once it is sure that vaccinated people are protected.

New studies suggest that people who have received two doses of vaccine are well protected against the Delta variant, which could mean that the rules could be reassessed soon, Spahn said, without saying when that may happen.

He reiterated the importance of speeding up vaccinations, noting that 37% of Germany's population has now received two shots, while 55% has had their first dose.

Germany last week declared Portugal and Russia to be "virus-variant zones", meaning a mandatory two-week quarantine even if travellers are fully vaccinated or test negative, prompting German tourists there to rush home and airlines to cancel flights. It also classifies Britain as such a zone.

Spahn suggested that such countries could be shifted to a category that allows travellers to be released from quarantine after five days if they test negative.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to discuss travel restrictions when she meets British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday.

The European Commission said on Tuesday that Germany should not impose a travel ban on Portugal but limit itself to imposing testing and quarantine requirements to be in line with the European Union approach meant to ease summer travel.

Reporting by Emma Thomasson and Thomas Escritt; Editing by Maria Sheahan

JULY 01, 2021

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has called on traditional rulers and residents in border communities to be actively involved in safeguarding the borders and discourage all forms of illegal migration.

Engagement of such persons, the Service said is part of new strategies needed in the new drive to scale up effective border control management, which is a critical component of national security architecture.

The move, the Immigration said will checkmate the influx of illegal settlers into the country as the border control agency concludes plans to review its Visa Policy (NVP 2020) and Border Management Strategy documents.

Comptroller General of the NIS, Muhammad Babandede, who disclosed this in Lagos Thursday at the opening of a management retreat organised in partnership with the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said NIS was mulling the idea of replacing the ECOWAS travel certificate packaged as paper document with a bio- metric card to be swiped at the borders for persons travelling frequently within the sub region.

The new arrangement, he said will reduce incidence of frequently stamping of passports, which not only waste paper, but needs overhaul as most countries are now adopting technology for efficient border control.

This is just as Babandede called on all third party custodians of the service’s data information to relinquish it as the NIS’ Technology Building is fully activated with the servers running efficiently ready and all the servers are set.

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Babandede said the three-day senior management retreat was aimed at strengthening migration management through best practices.

According to the CGI, an effective border management system and visa/residency administration policy is key to enhancing the nation’s security architecture with possibility to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) for enduring prosperity.

He said, “As a country with expansive and extensive borderlines, we must be courageous enough to sincerely interrogate our country’s security and migration management cover with a view to discovering our strengths, weaknesses and areas of urgent interventions.

“We need to re-examine our current investment on our relationship with members of border communities and the traditional institutions. I see a need to re-enforce, re-negotiate and perhaps revamp our current approach for meaningful engagements.

He went on, “We have a huge opportunity in this meeting to critically interrogate our current efforts in these areas with a view to bringing about the desired reforms that will not only allow for improved service delivery but also enhance our relevance in the nation’s security and investment ecosystem.

He also said the government of Nigeria is committed to the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) through e-Technology calling on third parties to bring back its data.

“The technology building is a building that will gather real time technology not only for Nigeria but the world so the government of Nigeria has invested massively in technology. With this technology building we want to take our data from third-party, and I urge the honorable minister that we are ready, all the servers are set. Those companies that have our data should bring it back to us because it is our data. If I don’t take it before I go, you take it when I’ve left.”

Speaking earlier, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mr. Frantz Celestin applauded the partnership between the Immigration and the IOM which has enabled the latter support Government of Nigeria to establish a reinforced management information system. According to him, the system: Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) has revolutionized the country’s border management operations which strengthened NIS’ digital data collection and storage capacity.

He said, “Nigeria has the largest and most complex MIDAS architecture in the world. All five international airports in Nigeria have been covered with MIDAS, 29 per cent of the Seaports and 16 per cent of the land borders and 7 state commands. All five airports have online real time connectivity with INTERPOL 24/7 and supported with over 130 work stations and border management equipment.

“The foreigner registration system is another tool that the NIS has at its disposal to effectively account for foreign nationals residing in the country and to regularize them when necessary. First piloted at the NIS HQ and Cross-River State Command, the system is now operational in 36 states.”

JULY 01, 2021

(Bloomberg) -- Electric-plane startup Eviation Aircraft Ltd. unveiled the production version of its Alice commuter aircraft, saying the pioneering model is set for an inaugural flight in the second half of this year ahead of service entry in 2024.

Eviation, whose plans have been delayed for about a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, is pitching a traditional fixed-wing design rather than the vertical takeoff, multi-rotor setup favored by similar startups.

The Alice will also be bigger than such eVTOL planes, carrying nine passengers for 650 miles (1,046 km), making it suited to the U.S. commuter market currently served by a variety of light aircraft. The production model incorporates several changes from earlier blueprints, switching to a T- from a V-shaped tail and repositioning two electric propulsion units from the wingtips to the rear.

The design uses “currently available battery cells and is not reliant on future advancements,” co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Omer Bar-Yohay said in a statement Thursday. Suppliers include Honeywell International Inc., electric motor manufacturer MagniX and the GKN arm of Melrose Industries Plc, which will make the plane’s wings, tail and electrical wiring system.

Eviation, which shifted base to the Seattle area from Israel in December to tap the area’s aerospace expertise, said in 2019 it had a backlog of more than 150 orders from customers including Cape Air, a regional carrier in New York and New England. It declined to say where the order book now stands.

JULY 01, 2021

By Joice Alves

LONDON (Reuters) -Sterling fell on Thursday after Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warned against over-reaction to rising inflation in Britain.

The pound slipped in morning trading to $1.3765 versus the dollar, its lowest level since April, and was down 0.3% at $1.3783 at 1440 (GMT).

Against the euro, it was 0.4% lower at 86.05 pence after falling to its lowest of 86.15 in 16 days.

Bailey said in his annual Mansion House speech that it was important to ensure that the recovery was not undermined by a premature tightening in monetary conditions, as a rise in inflation was likely to be temporary.

"The lack of validation for higher rates any time soon has weighed upon sterling," said Jeremy Stretch, Head of G10 FX Strategy at CIBC Capital Markets, adding that it will be interesting to see if that remains the case in August when official inflation forecasts "will be substantially revised up".

Sterling was one of the worst-performing G-10 currencies last week after the BoE kept the size of its stimulus programme unchanged and said inflation would surpass 3%, but that the climb further above its 2% target would be only temporary.

But analysts said cable was faring relatively well versus a strengthening dollar, after the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled last month it would raise interest rates and end emergency bond-buying sooner than expected.

The market also seemed reluctant to price in a risk premium related to the fast spread of the coronavirus Delta variant in the UK, analysts at ING said in a note to clients.

Daily confirmed cases have been rising for weeks in Britain but a rapid vaccination programme appears to have weakened the link between infections and deaths.

Versus the euro, the pound gained almost 5% in the first half of the year, finding some support this week on the European Union decision to extend by three months an exemption on customs checks on chilled meat shipments to Northern Ireland.

Currency analysts said that the post-Brexit dispute has had little impact on sterling so far, but that might change as political divergences between Britain and the EU are "still quite evident," ING said.

(Reporting by Joice Alves; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise, William Maclean and Jonathan Oatis)

JULY 02, 2021

BY  Solomon Odeniyi and Deborah Tolu-Kolawole

The Federal Government on Thursday has said that contrary to insinuation that the United Arabs Emirates placed a ban on flights from Nigeria, it actually placed a ban on the UAE first due to the terms and conditions laid down by the Emirate.

The United Arab Emirates had June 19 lifted ban on travels between Dubai and Nigeria after a protracted disagreement between the two countries on Covid-19 protocols.

UAE had insisted on travelers from Nigeria undergoing several other COVID-19 tests after the initial test in Nigeria.

Announcing the resumption of flight between the two countries on Saturday, a message from the Dubai Media Office said passengers from Nigeria were now expected to ‘have received a negative result for a PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure’.

However, Emirates in a statement it released on June 21 reversed its initial stance on resumption of flights.

The Emirates statement read, “In line with government directives, passengers flights to and from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) are suspended with immediate effect from 21 June, 2021 until further notice.”

In an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday, the Secretary of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Dr Mukhtar Muhammed, said the Federal Government had placed a ban on the Emirates before an announcement came from the UAE.

He said, “I believe the Minister of Aviation has provided detailed information to Nigerians about all that has happened between Nigeria and UAE.

“There were ongoing consultations and we were engaging them. The ban is not from UAE. Nigeria is the one who didn’t allow them to come in with their flights because of their discriminations towards Nigeria.

“It is not scientifically right and it is quite discriminatory and that was what we wanted them to address.

“We were waiting for them to address that issue when we saw on the news that they had now banned Nigeria.

“So, actually it is not UAE banning Nigeria; it was Nigeria that banned UAE because we were not comfortable with the conditions laid down by UAE and that is why we did not allow them to resume flights.”

JULY 02, 2021

By Adedayo Akinwale

Abuja — The British High Commission in Nigeria has denied issuing travel document to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

THISDAY had reported that the federal government had launched further enquiries into the role of the British High Commission in Kanu's breach of his bail terms, including his escape from Nigeria.

According to the report, the main issue the government and its intelligence agents are probing is how the IPOB leader, whose Nigerian and British passports were in the custody of the Federal High Court, was able to obtain another British passport to travel out of Nigeria and traverse other African countries while he was on the run from the law.

A top intelligence officer had told THISDAY had told THISDAY that Kanu was unlikely to obtain another British travel document without the support of the High Commission.

But following THISDAY's enquires, the British High Commission in an email complaint yesterday by its Political Counsellor, Mr. Jonathan Bacon, denied the report of the involvement of the commission.

"As promised - in response to your question below, we can confirm that the British High Commission in Nigeria did not issue any travel documents for Kanu. We, therefore, reaffirm the categorical denial sent to you yesterday.

"In relation to (b) (in your email of 16:47 yesterday), the scenario you describe refers to a hypothetical situation involving someone with a British passport subject to court proceedings in the UK, and so is not directly comparable to this case," Bacon explained.

THISDAY had quoted an intelligence source on Wednesday as saying: "Following the storming of his parent's compound in Afaraukwu, Abia State, by a detachment of soldiers on 14th September 2017, Kanu 'disappeared' virtually into thin air, the federal government felt concerned. Since both, his Nigerian and British passports were still in the custody of the Federal High Court in Abuja, there were strong suspicions that Kanu got the support of the United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria for his escape. That was later proved to be the case."

However, the British High Commission in an earlier email complaint by Bacon, denied the report of the involvement of the commission.

Bacon's response yesterday reaffirmed the earlier categorical denial.

JULY 02, 2021

(Bloomberg) -- The lucrative North Atlantic flight corridor that links European tourism and business meccas like Paris and London with the U.S. has been starved for traffic for the past 18 months, depriving some of the world’s biggest airlines of revenue from their most profitable journeys. 

Now carriers including  Emirates, United Airlines Holdings Inc. and British Airways are gearing up again, with plans to boost transatlantic seat capacity by 40% collectively in the eight weeks through Aug. 23, according to data from flight tracking firm OAG. 

It’s not a sure gamble. The delta variant of the coronavirus has spread to more countries, clouding the outlook for a further progress toward a reopening of the vital routes. 

Since late June, European Union countries including Italy, Spain and Greece have allowed American tourists to enter again if they’ve been vaccinated or meet other conditions like testing Covid-free. Starting as soon as late July, the U.K. -- home to Europe’s most important transatlantic hub at London Heathrow airport -- separately plans to allow arrivals from the U.S. and other countries rated medium for Covid-19 risk to come in without quarantine if they’ve been inoculated.

But the U.S. hasn’t yet reciprocated, so Europeans still aren’t allowed to vacation in New York, Los Angeles or Miami. With the delta variant adding a new layer of risk, hopes are fading that the Biden administration will act before the summer high season is over. Calls are growing to ignore the rising case loads and allow vaccinated people to travel, since health officials are increasingly confident that they are at little risk of serious illness or spreading the disease. 

“Our two continents have been kept apart during the pandemic by sometimes justified, sometimes unjustified actions by our political masters,’’ Henrik Hololei, director general for transportation at the European Commission, said at a joint event with U.S. officials this week. “Now, when the vaccination process is well underway on both shores of the Atlantic, there should be no excuse not to open up for people who want to travel, see their relatives and friends, or just new and old places.”

The biggest airlines that ply the North Atlantic are all boosting capacity in anticipation of a surge in demand. British Airways, owned by  IAG SA, has set plans to more than quadruple the number of seats it will offer over the coming weeks, according to data from OAG — setting it up for a potential letdown if there’s no breakthrough. The carrier said it continues to review its schedule, and urged the U.K. “to open up more low-risk countries, let vaccinated people travel without restriction, and to urgently provide a realistic date for these crucial steps for the industry to work to.” 

Carriers including Deutsche Lufthansa AG,  Air France-KLM, American Airlines Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. also rely on the corridor for profits. In 2019, North Atlantic flights generated 40% more business- and first-class ticket sales than the nearest contender, according to OAG. 

“The peak of the summer is already here so airlines are pretty desperate to get things moving,” said John Strickland, an aviation consultant.

What’s Happening in Air Travel This Week

Global aviation capacity jumped by 3 percentage points in the past week, and stands at 65% of 2019 levels, according to Bloomberg’s weekly flight tracker, which uses OAG data to monitor the pulse of the comeback. Further improvement was seen in Germany, the biggest source of visitors within the European Union, as well as Croatia, Greece and Belgium. Each country saw capacity surge by more than 20% week-to-week. The bloc has been relaxing border restrictions between member states as well as from outside the EU, and is steadily catching up to other regions as its vaccine rollout progresses. 

Airlines have increased capacity in Canada by 22% as it prepares to implement an easing of border rules. The U.S., powered by its huge domestic market, stands at 87% of 2019 capacity, even as staffing issues slow its rebound. Pilot shortages there could potentially spread to other countries, said John Grant, chief analyst with OAG. 

“The key learning for all airlines is that the recovery has been quicker than many had expected, especially in domestic markets where there are limited travel restrictions,” Grant said. “No airline can afford to enter the recovery phase and be cancelling flights,” though with load factors still soft rescheduling passengers shouldn’t be too much of an issue, he said.

In the Middle East, the annual Eid holiday is expected to generate a surge in traffic, with more than 450,000 people moving through Emirates’ Dubai hub in July. The long-distance specialist said this week that it may ramp up transatlantic capacity even further, depending on changes in the feeder markets in its network. 

Asia continues to be held back by zero-Covid restrictions and its lagging vaccine rollout, which has left the region vulnerable to the delta variant’s spread. 

There is some movement toward targeted reopenings. In Thailand, the government is pushing ahead with plans to jumpstart its crucial tourism industry. Starting Thursday, inoculated tourists from low- and medium-risk countries such as the U.S. and Spain will be allowed to holiday on the popular resort island of Phuket without quarantining. If successful, the experiment could lead to a wider reopening of the Thai tourism industry as soon as October.

At the same time, though, Australia’s strong flight recovery is under threat. Local lockdowns to counter outbreaks have hurt the domestic recovery, while the corridor with New Zealand has now been suspended. 

European Comeback

The degree to which Europe can extend its recovery in July and August hinges on governments’ response to the delta variant, as well as their ability to coordinate on technology. 

As of July 1, digital Covid certificates went live across the EU, allowing for ease of movement between member states for people who can show they’ve been fully vaccinated, recovered or tested negative for Covid-19. But each country has ultimate control of its own borders, and there has been a push led by Germany to close ranks against the delta variant after it spread in the U.K. Over the past week, Germany imposed a quarantine on arrivals from member state Portugal, after the Iberian country was slow to introduce its own isolation rules on Britons.

Malta, Spain and Italy are among the EU countries that have also tightened restrictions on British visitors. That’s stunted the U.K.’s own rebound, and helped to curtail the advantages that were expected to flow from a vaccine rollout that has now reached 67% of the population with at least one dose. For now, airlines such as Ryanair Holdings Plc, Wizz Air Holdings Plc and EasyJet Plc have shifted capacity from Britain into the EU.

Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his German counterpart Angela Merkel will on Friday discuss opening up travel, including vaccine certification coordination. An issue that caused Brits to be turned back from flights to Malta this week was resolved after the Mediterranean island country said it would recognize the U.K.’s NHS health app, which stores vaccination records.

Ryanair remains hopeful, amid the reports the U.K. may loosen quarantine rules for its residents this month. It’s aiming to almost double capacity in July from June’s 5 million passengers, Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary said in a Bloomberg TV interview. He said bookings are strengthening as tourists from Germany, the Benelux and Scandinavia head to the beaches of Portugal, Spain, Greece and Italy. 

“We expect that to continue into July and August, which should make for a reasonable recovery,” he said.