To add your posts to Featured Posts Slider you need to edit your post and set it as featured for slider in Post Settings box.
' ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Show Featured Posts Slider on homepage", "id" => "blog_enable_homepage_slider", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "You can mark posts as featured in post edit screen at the bottom settings box to display it in slider in homepage header.", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Featured Posts Slider width", "id" => "blog_homepage_slider_fullwidth", "std" => "0", "options" => array( "1" => "Fullwidth", "0" => "Boxed", ), "desc" => "", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Featured Posts Slider height", "id" => "blog_homepage_slider_height", "std" => "530", "field_options" => array( "min" => 250, "max" => 800, "step" => 5, "dimension" => 'px', "animation" => true ), "desc" => "Drag to change value. Default: 530px", "type" => "slider", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Featured Posts Slider items per row", "id" => "blog_homepage_slider_items", "std" => "1", "options" => array( "4" => "4", "3" => "3", "2" => "2", "1" => "1", ), "desc" => "", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Featured Posts Slider post details layout", "id" => "blog_homepage_slider_post_details_layout", "std" => "horizontal", "options" => array( "horizontal" => "Horizontal", "vertical" => "Vertical", ), "desc" => "Select where to show post details (title, description, category, etc) in blog posts inside slider. 'Vertical' value will work only if you set 1 items per row in option above.", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Featured Posts Slider posts titles style", "id" => "blog_homepage_slider_posttitle_font_decoration", "std" => "italic", "options" => array( "none" => "Normal", "italic" => "Italic", "uppercase" => "UPPERCASE", ), "desc" => "", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Merge slider slides", "id" => "blog_enable_homepage_merge_slider", "std" => false, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "Check if you want to see different slides widths in one row.", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Center active slide", "id" => "blog_enable_homepage_center_slide", "std" => false, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "Check if you want to see current slide centered and near slides cropped. Work best with slides per row set to 2 or 4.", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Featured Posts Slider autoplay", "id" => "blog_homepage_slider_autoplay", "std" => "3000", "options" => array( "10000" => "Enable - 10 seconds", "5000" => "Enable - 5 seconds", "3000" => "Enable - 3 seconds", "2000" => "Enable - 2 seconds", "1000" => "Enable - 1 second", "0" => "Disable", ), "desc" => "", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Featured Posts Slider navigation arrows", "id" => "blog_homepage_slider_navigation", "std" => "1", "options" => array( "1" => "Enable", "0" => "Disable", ), "desc" => "", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Featured Posts Slider pagination buttons", "id" => "blog_homepage_slider_pagination", "std" => "false", "options" => array( "true" => "Enable", "false" => "Disable", ), "desc" => "", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "EndSection" ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Welcome Block settings", "type" => "StartSection", "field_options" => array( "show" => true // Set true to show items by default. ) ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Show Welcome Block on homepage", "id" => "blog_enable_homepage_welcome_block", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "You can display any HTML content in this block below your slider or header.", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Homepage Welcome Block content", "id" => "blog_homepage_welcome_block_content", "std" => '
To add your posts to Editor's Picks Block you need to edit your post and set it as Editors Pick post in Post Settings box.
" ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Show Editor's Picks Block on homepage footer", "id" => "blog_enable_homepage_editorspick_posts", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Editor's Picks Block title", "id" => "blog_homepage_editorspick_posts_title", "std" => "Editor's Picks", "desc" => "Change default Editor's Picks Posts block title. Leave empty to hide title.", "type" => "text", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Editor's Picks Block subtitle", "id" => "blog_homepage_editorspick_posts_subtitle", "std" => "Featured posts from Camille", "desc" => "Change default Editor's Picks block subtitle. Leave empty to hide title.", "type" => "text", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Editorss Picks Block posts limit (rows)", "id" => "blog_homepage_editorspick_posts_limit", "std" => "1", "options" => array( "1" => "One row", "2" => "Two rows", ), "desc" => "", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Editor's Picks Block posts category slug", "id" => "blog_homepage_editorspick_posts_category", "std" => "", "desc" => "If you want to show popular posts only from some category specify it's SLUG here (You can create special category like 'Picks' and assing posts to it if you want to show only selected posts). You can see/set category SLUG when you edit category. Leave empty to show posts from all categories.", "type" => "text", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "EndSection" ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Single Post page settings", "type" => "StartSection", "field_options" => array( "show" => true // Set true to show items by default. ) ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Use smaller content width on single posts and pages without sidebar", "id" => "blog_enable_small_page_width", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "This option add left/right margins on all pages and posts without sidebars to make your content width smaller.", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Show author info and avatar after single blog post", "id" => "blog_enable_author_info", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Show comments and share links in Single Post header below post title", "id" => "blog_enable_singlepost_header_info", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Enable Drop Caps (first big letter) in single post pages", "id" => "blog_enable_dropcaps", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Show Post Views counters in Single Post", "id" => "blog_enable_post_views_counter_sp", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "This option will enable post views counter display on single blog post page.", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Show related posts on single post page", "id" => "blog_post_show_related", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Hide post featured image on single post page", "id" => "blog_post_hide_featured_image", "std" => false, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "Enable this if you don't want to see featured post image on single post page.", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Show prev/next posts navigation links on single post page", "id" => "blog_post_navigation", "std" => true, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "EndSection" ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "EndTab" ); /** * FONTS TAB **/ $ipanel_camille_tabs[] = array( 'name' => 'Fonts', 'id' => 'font_settings' ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "StartTab", "id" => "font_settings" ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Headers font", "id" => "header_font", "desc" => "Font used in headers. Default: Playfair Display", "options" => array( "font-sizes" => array( " " => "Font Size", '11' => '11px', '12' => '12px', '13' => '13px', '14' => '14px', '15' => '15px', '16' => '16px', '17' => '17px', '18' => '18px', '19' => '19px', '20' => '20px', '21' => '21px', '22' => '22px', '23' => '23px', '24' => '24px', '25' => '25px', '26' => '26px', '27' => '27px', '28' => '28px', '29' => '29px', '30' => '30px', '31' => '31px', '32' => '32px', '33' => '33px', '34' => '34px', '35' => '35px', '36' => '36px', '37' => '37px', '38' => '38px', '39' => '39px', '40' => '40px', '41' => '41px', '42' => '42px', '43' => '43px', '44' => '44px', '45' => '45px', '46' => '46px', '47' => '47px', '48' => '48px', '49' => '49px', '50' => '50px' ), "color" => false, "font-families" => iPanel::getGoogleFonts(), "font-styles" => false ), "std" => array( "font-size" => '26', "font-family" => 'Playfair Display' ), "type" => "typography" ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Headers font parameters for Google Font", "id" => "header_font_options", "std" => "400,400italic,700,700italic", "desc" => "You can specify additional Google Fonts paramaters here, for example fonts styles to load. Default: 400,400italic,700,700italic", "type" => "text", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Body font", "id" => "body_font", "desc" => "Font used in text elements. Default: Merriweather", "options" => array( "font-sizes" => array( " " => "Font Size", '11' => '11px', '12' => '12px', '13' => '13px', '14' => '14px', '15' => '15px', '16' => '16px', '17' => '17px', '18' => '18px', '19' => '19px', '20' => '20px', '21' => '21px', '22' => '22px', '23' => '23px', '24' => '24px', '25' => '25px', '26' => '26px', '27' => '27px' ), "color" => false, "font-families" => iPanel::getGoogleFonts(), "font-styles" => false ), "std" => array( "font-size" => '14', "font-family" => 'Merriweather' ), "type" => "typography" ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Body font parameters for Google Font", "id" => "body_font_options", "std" => "400,400italic,700,700italic", "desc" => "You can specify additional Google Fonts paramaters here, for example fonts styles to load. Default: 400,400italic,700,700italic", "type" => "text", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Additional font", "id" => "additional_font", "desc" => "You can select any additional Google font here and use it in Custom CSS in theme. Default: Merriweather", "options" => array( "font-sizes" => array( " " => "Font Size", '11' => '11px', '12' => '12px', '13' => '13px', '14' => '14px', '15' => '15px', '16' => '16px', '17' => '17px', '18' => '18px', '19' => '19px', '20' => '20px', '21' => '21px', '22' => '22px', '23' => '23px', '24' => '24px', '25' => '25px', '26' => '26px', '27' => '27px', '28' => '28px', '29' => '29px', '30' => '30px', '31' => '31px', '32' => '32px', '33' => '33px', '34' => '34px', '35' => '35px', '36' => '36px', '37' => '37px', '38' => '38px', '39' => '39px', '40' => '40px', '41' => '41px', '42' => '42px', '43' => '43px', '44' => '44px', '45' => '45px', '46' => '46px', '47' => '47px', '48' => '48px', '49' => '49px', '50' => '50px' ), "color" => false, "font-families" => iPanel::getGoogleFonts(), "font-styles" => false ), "std" => array( "font-size" => '12', "font-family" => 'Merriweather' ), "type" => "typography" ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Additional font parameters for Google Font", "id" => "additional_font_options", "std" => "400,400italic,700,700italic", "desc" => "You can specify additional Google Fonts paramaters here, for example fonts styles to load. Default: 400,400italic,700,700italic", "type" => "text", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Enable Additional font", "id" => "additional_font_enable", "std" => false, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "Uncheck if you don't want to use Additional font. This will speed up your site.", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Disable ALL Google Fonts on site", "id" => "font_google_disable", "std" => false, "field_options" => array( "box_label" => "Check Me!" ), "desc" => "Use this if you want extra site speed or want to have regular fonts. Arial font will be used with this option.", "type" => "checkbox", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Regular font (apply if you disabled Google Fonts below)", "id" => "font_regular", "std" => "Arial", "options" => array( "Arial" => "Arial", "Tahoma" => "Tahoma", "Times New Roman" => "Times New Roman", "Verdana" => "Verdana", "Helvetica" => "Helvetica", "Georgia" => "Georgia", "Courier New" => "Courier New" ), "desc" => "Use this option if you disabled ALL Google Fonts.", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "EndTab" ); /** * COLORS TAB **/ $ipanel_camille_tabs[] = array( 'name' => 'Colors & Skins', 'id' => 'color_settings' ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "StartTab", "id" => "color_settings", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Predefined color skins", "id" => "color_skin_name", "std" => "none", "options" => array( "none" => "Use colors specified below", "default" => "Camille (Default)", "black" => "Black", "grey" => "Grey", "lightblue" => "Light blue", "blue" => "Blue", "red" => "Red", "green" => "Green", "orange" => "Orange", "redorange" => "RedOrange", "brown" => "Brown", ), "desc" => "Select one of predefined skins or use your own colors. If you selected any predefined styles your specified colors below will NOT be applied.", "type" => "select", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Body background color", "id" => "theme_body_color", "std" => "#FFFFFF", "desc" => "Used in many theme places, default: #FFFFFF", "field_options" => array( //'desc_in_tooltip' => true ), "type" => "color", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Body text color", "id" => "theme_text_color", "std" => "#000000", "desc" => "Body text color, default: #000000", "field_options" => array( //'desc_in_tooltip' => true ), "type" => "color", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Theme main color", "id" => "theme_main_color", "std" => "#F37879", "desc" => "Used in many theme places, buttons, links, etc. Default: #F37879", "field_options" => array( //'desc_in_tooltip' => true ), "type" => "color", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Header background color", "id" => "theme_header_bg_color", "std" => "#FFFFFF", "desc" => "Default: #FFFFFF", "field_options" => array( //'desc_in_tooltip' => true ), "type" => "color", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Category menu background color", "id" => "theme_cat_menu_bg_color", "std" => "#FFFFFF", "desc" => "This background will be used for main menu below header. Default: #FFFFFF", "field_options" => array( //'desc_in_tooltip' => true ), "type" => "color", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "name" => "Footer background color", "id" => "theme_footer_color", "std" => "#1E1C1C", "desc" => "Default: #1E1C1C", "field_options" => array( //'desc_in_tooltip' => true ), "type" => "color", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "EndTab" ); /** * BANNERS CODE TAB **/ $ipanel_camille_tabs[] = array( 'name' => 'Ads management', 'id' => 'banners_management' ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "StartTab", "id" => "banners_management", ); $ipanel_camille_option[] = array( "type" => "info", "name" => "Click ads position name to open settings box.
We recommend you to read Theme Documentation before you will start using our theme to building your website. It covers all steps for site configuration, demo content import, theme features usage and more.
If you have face any problems with our theme feel free to use our Support System to contact us and get help for free.
Theme Documentation Support SystemAmerican Airlines reported in a regulatory filing Friday that it will issue $1.1 billion worth of new shares. The move comes as the carrier’s stock has surged this week — buoyed by retail investors taking aim at institutional investment firms, including hedge funds, that routinely short stocks.
The extraordinary volatility of American stock in recent days also led the trading app Robinhood to include American on a list of 13 stocks for which it is limiting purchases Friday.
Robinhood’s trading customers are now limited to purchasing no more than 55 shares of American, and they can open no more than 50 purchase option contracts. Those caps are aggregate. Investors who already hold positions at or above those caps won’t be allowed to buy more American shares via Robinhood.
Robinhood is the favored investment platform of the small investors who have run up share prices this week for GameStop, AMC and other companies in which institutional investors were highly leveraged in short positions.
On Thursday, the investment platform took the extraordinary step of blocking all purchases of GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry, Bed Bath & Beyond, Express, Naked Brand Group, Nokia and Koss. GameStop, in particular, was up nearly 3,000% for January before Robinhood imposed the purchase block. The move caused a backlash from investors and drew attacks from legislators on Capitol Hill. Robinhood has now replaced that ban with purchase limits.
Robinhood didn’t halt trading of American shares Thursday. But the airline was also caught up in this battle between retail and institutional investors. American stock jumped as much as 30% overnight and in early morning trading Thursday, before finishing the day up 7%. The carrier’s stock price was unusually volatile once again in the overnight hours of Friday morning. It was trading down approximately 2% by mid-morning.
Driven by social media sites, most notably Reddit, retail investors have targeted GameStop and others in an effort to undercut hedge funds that routinely short stocks. Shorting is a process under which investors gamble that a stock price will drop: Investors borrow shares of a company for a set period of time, then sell those shares with the expectation that they’ll be able to buy them back at a lower price before the borrowed share must be returned.
As of Thursday morning, approximately 25% of American shares were held by investors with short interests, investment analyst Helane Becker of Cowen Research wrote in a report, among the highest proportion for the airlines Cowen follows.
American stock rose 20% between the opening Monday and the opening Friday.
With the new stock issuance, American seeks to improve the company’s Covid-ravaged balance sheet. On Thursday, American reported a net loss for 2020 of $8.89 billion.
Source: travelweekly.com
]]>The Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach, Florida, has officially unveiled its highly anticipated, multi-million-dollar renovation.
Managed by Davidson Resorts , the top-to-bottom renovation embraces its 93-year history as a beloved Gulf Coast icon while seamlessly fusing modern amenities, sleek design and world-class experiences to set the tone for generations of visitors to come.
“We’re excited to usher in the Don of a new era while maintaining our resilient legacy as a global hospitality leader,” said Thomas Fraher, general manager of the Don CeSar.
“Through the decades, the Don has been a luxurious respite from life’s many challenges.
“We’re thrilled to revive and honour this prestigious landmark, and also offer a stunning gathering place for visitors to reconnect at a time when rejuvenation is most important.”
The transformative redesign of the pink palace began in 2018, when Florida-based design studio, Edge of Architecture, brought a fresh look to meeting spaces, guest corridors, the Don’s palatial exteriors, and the 71-room, all-suite Beach house suites by the Don CeSar.
In 2019, the Don partnered with Boston-based Parker-Torres Design to transform the Don Boutiques retail experience, the Lobby Bar, Uncle Andy’s Market and Maritana, the property’s fine dining restaurant helmed by executive chef Emily Ferrari.
The final phase, unveiled this month, showcases the transformative redesign of the beachfront resort’s 277 rooms and suites and introduces a new pool bar with a rooftop deck, new full-service restaurant and a complete restoration of the iconic, palm tree lined front drive.
The newly appointed guestrooms incorporate a beach-inspired aesthetic using elements such as wicker, whitewashed headboards and airy, blush tones reflective of the hotel facade’s signature pink.
Source: breakingtravelnews.com
]]>The Don CeSar resort in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., has completed a three-year renovation, including the addition of a recently opened pool bar with a rooftop deck, a new full-service restaurant and the restoration of its palm tree-lined front drive.
The historical beachfront resort has also redesigned its 277 rooms and suites, using wicker, whitewashed headboards and airy, blush tones reflective of the hotel’s signature pink facade.
Boasting bird’s-eye views of the Gulf of Mexico, the new Beacon Pool Bar & Lookout offers poolside bites like a grilled mahi sandwich and a pulled chicken tostada as well as a selection of beach-inspired cocktails.
The resort said its new restaurant, Society Table, serves “all-day Florida Gulf fare in a sophisticated setting,” offering “delectable savory handhelds, fresh coastal filets and inland ranch chops.”
A new package to mark completion of the work starts at $299 per night and includes waiver of the resort fee and breakfast.
Source: travelweekly.com
]]>Tauck recently completed its first tour since the pandemic shuttered travel last March and said it is looking forward to restarting operations in the coming months.
The company said its first trip was a January “Wonderland: Yellowstone in Winter” departure and that additional Yellowstone trip departures are scheduled in February.
CEO Dan Mahar said the return to travel followed considerable preparation, including the mandatory use of masks, social distancing wherever possible and enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures developed in close cooperation with its hotel, restaurant and transportation partners.
Additionally, guests are required to sign its Travel Well Pledge, a health screening form that confirms guests have tested negative for Covid-19 within five days of departure, are free of virus-related symptoms and have not been in close contact with anyone diagnosed with Covid-19.
Jeremy Palmer, senior vice president for Tauck Land Journeys, said the added precautions did not dampen the spirit of the Yellowstone travelers.
“Even with our robust Covid-19 precautions, our guest satisfaction scores for ‘Yellowstone in Winter’ have been consistent with our tour scores from prior years,” he said. “It’s clear that we’re fully capable of delivering a Tauck-level experience while remaining diligent about our guests’ health and safety.”
Mahar declined to speculate on when Tauck would fully resume operations, but said he was upbeat about the future.
“Well over 60% of our 2021 capacity is already reserved, we’re poised and ready for the upcoming year and we continue to look ahead with great optimism as reservations are coming in for 2022 and even 2023,” he said.
“As a 96-year-old company, we’ve endured many, many challenges before, and without exception, every downturn or disruption has fueled huge pent-up demand. We know that our guests can’t wait to travel with us, and we’ll be ready to host them when the time is right.”
Source: travelweekly.com
]]>Faced with the constraints, many tourism sites have been able to show their inventiveness. Some projects, which could be perceived as too innovative or too atypical, were thus able to see daylight and achieve interesting success. Virtual reality (VR), which models an environment in 3D so that you can walk around it virtually, or 360° films, recorded via a camera with several lenses to get a complete view, are good examples. Will post-Covid tourism be more virtual?
Prior to the outbreak of the global pandemic, the use of virtual tours was still an object of study and experimentation for tourist sites or travel companies. This technology was still essentially used as a promotional tool for the physical site, as a complementary tool during the actual visit of a site or as a commercial promotion tool.
With the confinement regulation, virtual tours quickly became widespread. In spring 2020, for example, the Louvre Museum attracted 10 million online visitors (free) in two months, compared with 14 million physical visits (paid and free) in 2019.
While experts are pleased with the continued interest in the Louvre, there are many questions about the economic model of these visits. There is a real demand (certainly forced by the confinement but existing), hence the possibility of creating a new form of visit (and tickets) to keep the site alive.
However, the principle of free access on the Internet comes up against the economic approach that a public museum could put in place. These virtual visits adopted by default during the confinement open the way to a new type of cultural services and some twenty of the world’s largest museums have embarked on the adventure of online visits. The technical choices remain very diverse: not all of them use immersive solutions, but large-scale experimentation is making it possible to democratize the use of this technology.
Four elements, however, can argue in favor of a new form of tourism based on virtual tours:
– The perception of the risks associated with the visit will take time to fade from the minds of tourists. Several studies have shown that the resilience of tourists towards “sensitive” destinations is long. Egypt, for example, has never recovered its tourism economy from before the geopolitical turmoil. Now, health risks, real or perceived, may therefore encourage virtual tours of sites, as this is a risk-free solution.
– The ecological impact of tourism. Regularly criticized, the ecological impact of tourism has mainly materialized by the absence of pollution during the confinement. Many tourist sites, such as Venice, have seen nature regain its place. Just as archaeologists use VR to visit sites that have disappeared, doesn’t the preservation of existing sites involve, in part, virtual visits?
– The reappropriation of places by the inhabitants. “Overtourism”, a word created to denounce the massive industrialization of certain tourist sites, has been a recurring problem for the last 10 years. Faced with a drastic choice of balance between the local economic fabric and the uncontrolled influx of tourists, several municipalities (Venice, Split, Barcelona, Phuket, etc.) are trying to bounce back to build a new economic model for tourism that is less dependent on the mass of visitors, therefore less subject to future problems of displacement, less impacting on the environment and better accepted by local residents.
– Finally, virtual tours have the power to democratize a luxury hitherto reserved for a minority: the private visit of a site. Who has never wanted to spend some time capturing the Mona Lisa’s gaze or the perspective of the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles?
Virtual tours will not replace real visits in the post-Covid tourism times, any more than television has killed the cinema. It concerns only a part of the visitors, the most technophile, the most curious of explorations or those who do not have the financial means and/or the time necessary for certain trips. But it offers a high-quality alternative solution for accessing sensitive sites.
In an environment where the over-consumption of tourism has led to the appearance of tolls (at the entrance to Venice, for example), tourist quotas (as in the Güell Park in Barcelona), or even draws in the morning for a visit during the day (on the Coyote Buttes North site in Colorado, USA), the virtual tour offers a realistic and socially acceptable option.
It is also a tool for the democratization of knowledge and learning, allowing access to world-famous places and works with a minimum of material. In 1995, the Internet and its databases allowed democratization of knowledge. Provided that we succeed in proposing a sustainable economic model, we can guarantee that virtual tours will democratize access to the culture and beauty of major sites for a greater number of people and make the tourists enjoy the destination without harming the sites.
Source: tourism-review.com
]]>The U.S. Travel Association praised most of the new administration’s travel-related executive orders, saying they will encourage safe travel and help restore the millions of travel lost last year.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Thursday requiring that people wear masks during interstate travel, including on airplanes, buses, trains and boat or ferry services as well as in airports. The order also requires quarantines for individuals entering the U.S.
“We strongly support the president’s mask mandate for interstate travel, which is in line with the industry’s health and safety guidance and consistent with what countless travel businesses are already doing to protect travelers and workers,” said CEO Roger Dow.
As expected, the association said the order’s mandatory quarantine requirement for international travelers “could be extremely difficult to enforce — and unnecessary in light of required testing and the many other protections now in place. In the domestic environment, where there aren’t defined ports of entry for travelers, mandatory testing and other requirements are also impractical and could divert scarce public health resources away from other priorities.”
U.S. Travel has spoken out several times since the pandemic started in favor of testing over quarantining. During remarks Thursday, the president did not specify how long people will be required to quarantine upon U.S. arrival. The executive order says only that the quarantine period will be in accord with CDC guidelines. On its website, the CDC recommends that in most cases individuals stay home for seven days after arriving from abroad.
U.S. Travel also praised the potential flexibility given around the CDC’s inbound testing requirement, which Dow called “the key to reopening international travel,” and which he said should pave the way to easing travel restrictions on the E.U. and the U.K. as well as countries such as Brazil.
“If the testing requirement is going to work on a global scale, it has to be flexible and reflect where testing resources are available and where they’re not,” he said. “The executive order would allow for flexibility if it’s needed.”
Travel industry leaders have said that the testing mandate could create “a logistical crisis” given the different varying availability of in-destination testing.
Dow also called the repeal of the travel ban from certain Muslim-majority countries “the right move.”
“We look forward to working with the Biden administration to develop realistic and effective risk-based policies,” Dow added, “and to educate travelers on additional recommendations, to help continue the safe reopening of travel.”
Source: travelweekly.com
]]>Around half of all U.S. hotel rooms are projected to sit empty this year, according to a new report released by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).
In its annual State of the Hotel Industry forecast, the trade group said it expects nationwide hotel occupancy to average 52.4% for 2021. Although that figure is above 2020’s annual average occupancy level of 44%, it remains well below 2019’s average of 66%.
Likewise, U.S. hotel room revenue for 2021 is predicted to remain 34% below 2019 levels, at around $110.5 billion.
The AHLA’s report also draws attention to the industry’s high unemployment rate, which was nearing 19% as of December. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the pandemic is estimated to have erased more than 10 years of job growth within the accommodations sector.
“Job losses have been massive,” said AHLA CEO Chip Rogers during a web forum hosted by the organization on Thursday. “And even though we’ll see an uptick in jobs in our industry [this year], we’re not going to be anywhere close to where we were in 2019.”
While the AHLA expects the hotel sector to add 200,000 direct hotel operations jobs in 2021,
the industry will still remain nearly 500,000 jobs below its pre-pandemic employment level of 2.3 million workers.
In terms of demand, the group projects that business travel for 2021 will be down 85% compared with 2019. Rogers called this year’s expected dearth of business travel “the most damaging part of the economic impact we have seen so far.”
On the leisure travel front, however, the forecast is significantly brighter. The report cited recent AHLA consumer survey results indicating that 56% of Americans say they are likely to travel for leisure or vacation in 2021. That figure is roughly on par with the 58% of Americans who reported they stayed in a hotel at least one night a year for leisure in 2019.
“If everyone follows through with their intent, leisure travel is going to come back in 2021,” Rogers said.
Source: travelweekly.com
]]>Norwegian Cruise Line has reorganized its sales team by incorporating a team of subject matter experts (SMEs) to consult agencies on their areas of specialty.
The introduction of SMEs is part of what Norwegian’s chief sales officer, Katina Athanasiou, says is a strategy to add resources and training for travel partners that will help them drive incremental demand as they enter the post-shutdown world.
“We realigned the teams to be able to have experts in all of the areas in which our travel partners need successful partners and great partners,” Athanasiou said. “So we can hone in on giving them best marketing strategies, best support for operations, the best support for systems, sales strategies, training.”
The SMEs have been both plucked from Norwegian’s existing team and newly hired. Athanasiou said that rather than having business development managers (BDMs) be expected to be experts on all facets of the business, they can connect SMEs with their accounts. For example, a BDM can connect an agency to the marketing strategy SME who will “share wins and lessons to help grow their incremental business.
“If we look at every advisor as their own business, how can we support their business in the best way possible? It’s all marketing, it’s all about demand. If we look at the full-funnel approach, we have to be able to give them our success stories on how we market to fill,” Athanasiou said.
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“I’m really looking to bring a true holistic business partner approach to how we support travel agencies,” she added.
The reorganization means that some BDMs are shifting accounts, something that will be done over a process of months to give agencies time to adapt.
Athanasiou said that the cruise suspension allowed her the opportunity to look more closely at Norwegian’s strategy and see if it matches what she thinks the line’s travel partners will need as the industry comes out of the shutdown.
“I said, let’s figure out how we can provide that incalculable value to our partners,” she said. “Let’s be the ones that give them the business, the marketing, the support and the training so that we are the No. 1 in all of those areas, and ultimately provide a win-win.”
Source: travelweekly.com
]]>Canada’s aviation regulator will allow airlines to resume operating the Boeing 737 Max beginning Wednesday.
Transport Canada said Monday that it has spent more than 15,000 hours reviewing the Max, which has been grounded in that country for more than 22 months.
“Canadians and the airline industry can rest assured that Transport Canada has diligently addressed all safety issues prior to permitting this aircraft to return to service in Canadian airspace,” Canada’s minister of transport, Omar Alghabra, said Monday.
WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, will put the first of its 13 Max back in service immediately. Beginning Wednesday, the carrier will fly the Max on three weekly roundtrips between Calgary, Alberta, and Toronto. WestJet said it will keep that schedule for four weeks before potentially adding more Max service.
Air Canada said it will begin putting its 24 Max aircraft on commercial routes from Toronto to Halifax, Nova Scotia; Montreal; Ottawa; Edmonton, Alberta; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, beginning Feb. 1.
Transport Canada’s lifting of the Max grounding follows the Nov. 20 ungrounding order by the FAA. Brazil’s regulator has also allowed the plane to return to service. And according to an Associated Press report on Tuesday, Patrick Ky, head of the European Aviation Safety Agency, told reporters Tuesday that the agency will unground the plane next week.
On Dec. 29, American became the first U.S. airline to put the Max back in service.
The aircraft was grounded globally in March 2019 following the second of two crashes over five months that killed 346 people. The crashes were both the result of a faulty sensor, which transmitted erroneous information to the plane’s automated flight control system, causing a nosedive.
Transport Canada’s ungrounding order has many of the same conditions as those imposed by the FAA. Most notably, aircraft must receive a software update for the automated flight control system.
But the order goes beyond the FAA’s by requiring that flight crews are able to disable the stick shaker from continuing to vibrate once it has been erroneously activated by the flight control system, a measure intended to reduce distraction of the crew. (A stick shaker is a device the vibrates the flight controls in order to alert a pilot that a plane is approaching a stall.)
Transport Canada is also requiring that airlines incorporate the Angle of Attack Disagree Alert as a standard function. The alert warns pilots when the readings taken by the aircraft’s angle of attack sensors differ.
Source: travelweekly.com
]]>Carol Cabezas, president of Azamara, wants travel advisors to know that the line’s acquisition by a private equity firm will not mean any changes in terms of the line’s relationship with the trade.
Royal Caribbean Group said today that it will sell its Azamara brand to private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $201 million in cash.
“Nothing will change in terms of how we work with them,” said Cabezas, referring to travel advisors. “Our entire team is in place, they will continue to work with all the same people they are used to having great business-building conversations with. I think some folks are a little confused that things are going to change. They will not.”
Cabezas said that Sycamore understands the importance of the industry’s relationships with agents.
“It’s been a part of the education process as they were working with us to get this deal to the finish line,” she said. “They’ve taken a lot of time to understand how this business works — the cruise business and this very involved relationship with travel advisors, which is different from other industries.”
Cabezas acknowledged that there is a benefit to being in a family of cruise brands but said Azamara “can stand on its own in terms of what we offer.” And while leaving Royal Caribbean Group is “bittersweet,” she said Sycamore loves the product and plans to grow it.
“Our team is in place, we’re happy about what’s coming, we’ll have great opportunities for the brand and for all of us,” Cabezas said. “It’s a fantastic day for our brand.”
Source: travelweekly.com
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