People living in England are rushing to book foreign holidays on Friday after the UK announced changes to Covid-fighting travel restrictions to and from the country.
Some travel companies reported bookings had risen by more than 200 per cent, especially for the period including the October half-term school break.
Airline stocks rose last week in anticipation of an easing of restrictions.
Ryanair and the owner of British Airways, IAG SA, both rose about 9 per cent, and EasyJet was up 11 per cent.
A “red list” of countries from which quarantine on return is mandatory has been retained, but the “amber list” has been scrapped.
Some conditions remain even for countries on the green list.
People who are fully immunised with a Covid-19 vaccine recognised by the UK – those of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen – will no longer need to take a pre-departure test before arriving in, or returning to, England from non-red list destinations.
From the end of October, the PCR test on day two will be replaced by a cheaper lateral flow test.
The changes were announced on Friday.
Eight countries will move from the red list to the green one on September 22. They are Turkey, the Maldives, Egypt, Oman, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya and Sri Lanka.
Alan French, chief executive of travel agency Thomas Cook, said half-term bookings were up 200 per cent compared with those in August.
“I would expect this weekend to be the biggest of the year so far as people take advantage of the great deals on offer, the new easier rules on testing and the simplified system for international travel,” he said.
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said bookings had soared “by more than 250 per cent” and that Turkey was “exceptionally popular”.
“Thanks to the certainty that [the] announcement has given customers, destinations right across the board are selling well, whether it’s for late-summer sun, winter or next summer. As you might expect, half-term dates have also seen a surge in bookings for families,” he said.
Andrew Flintham, managing director of holiday company TUI UK, said there had been “an uptick in bookings for Turkey in October” and expected a boost in customer confidence with the new rules.
Flight-booking website Skyscanner said it had a 133 per cent spike in traffic in the 30 minutes after the announcement by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Chris Parker, a director at ferry company DFDS, said: “We’ve seen an immediate spike in visits to the website and uptick in bookings for October onwards.”
The devolved nations of the UK set their own entry rules.
The Scottish government said it would drop the traffic light system but would not follow England in removing the pre-departure test requirement for the fully vaccinated returning from non-red list countries. It said it would not change to using lateral flow tests on day two.
The Welsh government said it would consider the UK government’s proposed changes.
Both administrations said they would mirror the changes to the red list destinations.
In Northern Ireland, the traffic light system will change on October 4, with a single “red list” of high-risk destinations and a “simplified process” for travellers arriving from anywhere else in the world.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time
4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t
5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t
7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t
8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t
9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t
10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t
SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Twin-turbocharged%204-litre%20V8%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20625%20bhp%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20630Nm%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh974%2C011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
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