DATELINE MONDAY 31ST JANUARY 2022

Monday morning greetings on this the last day of the first month of 2022, hopefully by now your bank balance is looking much healthier as I am guessing you will have been paid for the work you have done over the past four weeks. Oh no what’s this on the door mat or in box? the credit card bill for all the Christmas purchases. Oh well there is always February’s pay cheque (or is it the USA spelling for check I prefer cheque although not for long, soon it will be February’s BAC transfer) and February is a short month.

So how are you? What a beautiful few days of weather we have had in the South of this fair, green and pleasant Island not so clever “up north” Whilst the weather news was not good from Scotland it was great to hear the BBC reporter from Aberdeen who was an Aberdonian report with an Aberdonian accent. I worked in Aberdeen during my Hotel career I have very fond memories of Aberdeen.

Happy Chinese New Year, any plans to celebrate the Chinese New Year The Year of The Tiger? I plan to growl at people all to-day, the celebrations of Chinese New Year traditionally last for 16 days, starting from Chinese New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival. This year that is from January 31st to February 15th, but I am only going to growl for one day I could not keep growling for two weeks, just not my style.

Things at work are definitely looking much better than this time a year ago or even six months ago. Our MM and Company DMCs are being called upon for their local knowledge more and more destination due to the fact that destination knowledge in the UK market place is over two years old, due to COVID so much has changed. hotels have closed. hotels have changed their names. been bought and sold. New hotels have opened. It is also fair to say that according the our DMCs a lot of the hotel personnel have changed a number have moved from one hotel to a different hotel some have left the industry. not many events site inspection or fam trips have taken place in order to refresh local destination knowledge for our agency clients.

More and more Covid common sense is commencing all Covid testing requirements will be removed for fully vaccinated travellers to the UK from next month.

From 4am on 11 February only a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) will be required, with no need to take a day-two Covid test. Rules for unvaccinated travellers are also being loosened. From 11 February, unvaccinated arrivals will need a pre-departure test before arriving in the UK and a PCR test on or before day two after arriving in England.

OK our Prime minister Boris Johnson has been, how can I say this politely, a bit silly of late but on this he is totally on the money when he said: “Although we have to be cautious, we are now moving through the Omicron wave, and you can see the figures are starting to get better. “So what we’re doing on travel, to show that this country is open for business, open for travellers, you will see changes so that people arriving no longer have to take tests if they have been vaccinated, if they have been double vaccinated.” Now hopefully other leaders of other countries will see the sense in what the UK is doing and follow suit, this the world has to open up again and we have to learn to live with COVID end of, full stop! its over! it’s part of life get on with it. Rant over 😊

Congratulations to the Australian Women and Men’s champions, amazing tennis players Ash Barty and Rafael Nadal, Nadal’s come back after losing the first two sets just shows what a champion he is, however buckets of credit to Daniil Medvedev, no doubt the next generation of Champions are rising. You had to feel for American Danielle Collins playing against a home favourite, she did well but it was Ash Barty’s match to loose which she didn’t in fact she had a capacity crowd with her all the way which Danielle did not have.

MM and Company news update

Spain

Eulalia, Mathilde, Graciela and the team at TA Spain enjoyed hosting one of our UK clients to a site inspection last week as well as operating two groups in Spain it felt good to know that we are on our way back There is no doubt about it things are returning slowly but surely returns however nowhere near where they were in 2019 BC ( before COVID) that will take some time.

Greece

Nassos and the AME DMC team also reported heavy snow but not as much a Turkey had and so the ancient and yet traditional rivalries continue.

Snow

Istanbul

Muge and the team at Blue DMC enjoyed the first snowfall of the winter in Istanbul however it was not a light dusting of snow, so much snow fell in such a short time that it forced the closure of Istanbul Airport and grounded flights stretching from the Middle East and Africa to Europe and Asia. As always the snow disappeared as quickly as it arrived once the sun came out.

Morocco

Lina, Habib, Rachid and the team at Visit Morocco DMC are thrilled to inform you that Morocco will reopen its borders for flights to and from Morocco starting from 7th February

That’s it you are now fully up to date