We in the travel industry know better than anyone that storm clouds often bring happy endings—and this year is full of them. From ships large and small, mega and charter, to all-inclusive resorts and ultra-luxury destinations of every ilk, at home and abroad and in places customers never before ventured, 2024 really has been that year we all dreamed of during The Long Pause. And indeed, at the annual conferences of Signature Travel Network in Las Vegas and Dream Vacations/Cruise One on Celebrity Ascent, I heard story after story of how that break gave travel advisors and suppliers a little respite that many used to improve their knowledge base, to plan for the future, and to build a foundation that served them well when the industry finally caught the ball and ran with it. (More on those stories in a future column.)

File under “One more thing for travel advisors to remind their clients about.”

Beginning January 8, travelers to the United Kingdom from non-European nations, including the United States and Canada, will need to take an extra step, as the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system rolls out.

Whether just passing through a UK airport or planning a stay of six months or less—for tourism, family visits, business meetings, conferences, or study abroad—visitors will have to fill out an online form (available here: How to apply – Apply for an ETA to come to the UK – GOV.UK) and pay a £10 fee (about $12.75). Then as you prepare to board a plane, gate agents will verify your ETA status via digital link to your passport.

The Home Office says the system, like all biometrics in the travel industry, is designed to speed up the process and increase security.

While applications might be approved in a few hours, the site suggests allowing at least three days for them to come through. But why wait? Applications already are being accepted.

Once issued, an ETA is valid for two years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first.

On April 2, the requirement to have an ETA will roll out to EU nationals as well. Only citizens of the UK and Ireland, and those with valid UK visas, will be exempt.

Joyeux Noël from Tauck. With Christmas Market river cruises largely sold out for this year and much of next, interest has been growing in a new destination for holiday sailing and shopping: The River Seine. Jumping on the trend, Tauck this week announced its first-ever Christmas markets river cruise in France for 2025.

The five eight-day “The Seine: Holiday Magic” itineraries begin in Paris, on Tauck’s ms Sapphire riverboat, for three nights and two full days. On tap is hot mulled wine, along with roasted chestnuts, sausages, cheese and chocolate at the Tuileries Garden and other local Christmas markets.

From there Sapphire will sail to Rouen, Les Andelys and Vernon. Highlights include excursions to Gothic Sainte-Chapelle, home to Louis IX’s personal collection of holy relics; a cocktail party at the beautifully decorated Château de Bizy; a private lunch at Château Vaux-le-Vicomte; and a guided tour of Normandy’s D-Day beaches (all included in the price).

Prices range from $4,490 per person plus airfare, including all shore excursions, gratuities, all onboard beverages, meals, taxes and fees and airport transfers.

Onboard Sapphire, most cabins have French balconies, and all have flat-screen televisions, Molton Brown toiletries, cushy bathrobes and free Wi-Fi.

“The Seine: Holiday Magic” is Tauck’s fifth Christmas-market river cruise. It also offers two holiday cruises on the Danube (including a family-friendly Tauck Bridges journey, plus one on the Rhine and one on the waterways of Belgium and Holland.

I am bumping the column I had written for this week because I just can’t wait to share this one.

I was just about to upload an interesting one, I think, about the Dream Vacations/CruiseOne annual conference held on Celebrity Ascent the week before Thanksgiving. It’s all ready to go, and I’m on deadline today. But just as I was about to enter it into the TRO system, I listened to a noon webinar by Kha Ly, the AI guru who caused such a stir at the Signature conference in Las Vegas just the week before Dream Vacations.

And I had to write that up and file it right this minute. Read the rest of this entry »

Online passports have taken a step forward with the broad rollout of a Google Wallet application. Travelers now can upload a passport and just show their phones  as ID at TSA checkpoints across the United States.

Even Google cautions that the technology, which went into beta in September and rolled out on Friday, is still “in its early stages.” And there are a few caveats: Online passports are acceptable as ID at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel only, and do not replace paper passport books for international travel. For now, even Google advises carrying a paper passport book as backup just in case. And the Google wallet is available only on Android phones, not iPhones.

Still, though, it’s a step toward a digital future that finally will let us stop asking that last question as we get into our Ubers to the airport: “Does everyone have their passport?”

To try the new system, open the Google Wallet app on your Android phone and select the prompt that reads “create an ID pass with your US passport.” Then just scan the security chip in your passport and take a selfie video to verify your identity. In a few minutes, you’ll get a notice that your ID pass is ready.

Digital IDs increasingly are being used on the state level; more than half of all states (27 states and Puerto Rico, with New Mexico joining the list this month), and airports including JFK International Airport in New York, Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International, currently accept digital IDs in Google Wallet and/or Apple Wallet. And in September, the State Department rolled out online passport application processing.

Facing strong pushback from the travel industry in general, and the cruise lines in particular, Mexico has postponed a new $42 tourist tax on cruise passengers by six months, from January to July 1.

Mexico has long taxed hotel guests but exempted cruise passengers, who sleep on their ship. But a new bill that passed the Mexican Congress in December calls for a $42 tax on every cruise ship passenger entering Mexican waters, whether they disembark or not.

According to a statement issued by The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, which represents 23 cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian, Mexican officials have agreed to delay the new Federal Law of Rights tax on cruise passengers from January 1 until July 1, 2025. Among other things, the cruise lines had argued that just a 15% drop in calls to Mexico would result in a financial impact that would offset any gains from the tax.

In a statement, FCCA CEO Michele Paige emphasized that the temporary delay is helpful, but does not go far enough. “We thank the Mexican government for listening to our concerns and proposing a delay in the implementation of the tax that will fall mainly on American citizens. However, the removal of the in-transit tax exemption – which was provided to our industry over a decade ago for valid reasons that still apply today – was done without our prior input and after the legislation was passed. It is ironic that until this law was abruptly announced the industry was looking to grow business in Mexico, and now the opposite will occur.”

Designed to address Mexico’s enormous debt—and, some argue, to support its military rather than its tourism infrastructure—the tax will affect the more than 10 million passengers on 3,300 ships arriving in the ports of Cozumel—one of the world’s busiest ports, with 4 million visitors—as well as Costa Maya and Cabo San Lucas.

The cruise industry had strongly lobbied against it. The FCCA said in December that it was “completely caught off guard with last week’s unilateral decision to eliminate the long-standing in-transit exemption and efforts to fast-track this policy change without any dialogue with the industry.”

The group noted that the tax was a “staggering more than 213% increase over the average cost of a Caribbean port” that “could also jeopardize the cruise industry’s investments in the country, including billions in planned developments and other projects”—a serious threat given such planned projects as Royal Caribbean’s new private beach club in Cozumel and Perfect Day Mexico, for example.

Every cruise ship passenger entering Mexican waters soon may be charged a $42 tax, whether they disembark or not.

Mexico has long taxed hotel guests but exempted cruise passengers, who sleep on their ship. But a bill working its way through the Mexican Congress now would target cruise ships beginning in 2026.

Designed to address Mexico’s enormous debt, the tax would affect more than 10 million passengers on 3,300 ships arriving in the ports of Cozumel—one of the world’s busiest ports, with 4 million visitors—as well as Costa Maya and Cabo San Lucas.

The cruise industry, of course, is opposed to the new tax. Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association president Michelle Paige said in a statement that they “were completely caught off guard with last week’s unilateral decision to eliminate the long-standing in-transit exemption and efforts to fast-track this policy change without any dialogue with the industry. This gives us and our partners virtually no time to prepare and creates confusion and uncertainty for our guests because the majority of our cruises have already been sold for 2025.”

A public letter from the Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), which represents 23 major cruise lines, said it would make Mexico more than double the price of the average Caribbean port and “could also jeopardize the cruise industry’s investments in the country, including billions in planned developments and other projects.” The Mexican Association of Shipping Agents said in a statement that “if this measure is implemented, it would make Mexican ports of call among the most expensive in the world, severely affecting their competitiveness with other Caribbean destinations”—a serious threat given Royal Caribbean’s plan to open a private beach club in Cozumel in 2026 and Perfect Day Mexico in 2027.

It started with an article in Queens Jewish Link with the incendiary title Cruise Company To Kosher Travelers: Stay Off (queensjewishlink.com) and quickly spread across the tight-knit religious Jewish community.

Here are the facts as we know them.

The article asserted that a group of 140 Jewish cruisers on the Costa Toscana had been canceled just days before departure because “the ship’s crew refused to cooperate with the provision of kosher food” and refused to allow the use of kosher china, pots, frying pans, etc.”

No recourse was possible, the article quoted Costa as saying. “We simply will not do this,” tour operator Yossi Zablocki was told, even though he already had purchased $22,000 worth of kosher food, bought tickets to Europe for his staff, and had a history of running more than 40 high-end kosher cruises in the past, many of them with Costa Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Cruise Line.

“I thought the days of ‘No Jews and dogs allowed’ were over,” the article quoted Zablocki as saying. “I don’t think they realize what they have walked into. I will keep fighting until the world understands what they have done. The Jewish People have faced enough discrimination.”

Costa responded that it is “very familiar with Kosher meal requirements, and we have successfully supported Kosher meal requests onboard Costa ships multiple times per year for decades and will continue to do so in the future. Unfortunately, last July, Destination 631 Tours failed to reach the minimum cabin booking thresholds (50 cabins) necessary for us to provide Kosher meal service. Costa was fully transparent with the tour operator, communicating with them well in advance of departure that if the tour did not meet the required minimum cabin reservations, it would be impossible for us to provide Kosher meals.”

But Zablocki insisted the group had 140 attendees and anti-Semitism was the real issue.

Costa Replies to TRO

Approached by a travel advisor after the original story broke, TRO reached out to Costa Cruises for a comment. They replied,

“We regret that the facts of this situation have been misrepresented by Mr. Yosef Zablocki, who we have ceased doing business with as a result of his breach of our business terms and unprofessional business behavior. Each year Costa welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests from all different religions, backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures, and with proper notice and coordination, we happily accommodate a variety of special requests, including dietary requirements. We are very familiar with Kosher meal requirements and successfully support Kosher service requests onboard Costa ships multiple times per year.

“Unfortunately, for two July sailings, Destination 613 Tours and Mr. Zablocki failed to reach the minimum cabin booking thresholds required for us to provide Kosher meal service at the strict levels specified for this tour. These requirements ensure we have the adequate operational set-up to fulfill the special meal requests, as we will do this summer for two other Kosher groups organized by other long-standing reputable tour operators, who met the necessary terms without issue.

”Costa was fully transparent with the tour operator, communicating with them well in advance of departure that if the tours did not meet the required minimum cabin reservations, the full Kosher service could not be provided.

“The business decision to terminate our business relationship with Mr. Zablocki and Destination 613 says nothing of the company’s dedication to and proud service of our many Jewish guests across all our cruise lines, and to our many Jewish travel partners and employees.”

Correction: The original version of this story mistakenly stated that it was retracted by the author, Jeffrey Helmreich. This was incorrect; we inadvertently mistook him for someone else in the story. We sincerely apologize for any embarrassment this has caused Mr. Helmreich and/or The Jewish Link.

I’ve always loved learning something new. So for me, the best part of my job is attending different annual conferences, hearing many different smart executives and interesting guest speakers, and chatting with travel advisors who are following their passion with an amazing assortment of unique business models. This month, with back-to-back Signature Travel Network at the Venetian in Vegas and Dream Vacations/Cruise One on Celebrity Ascent in the Caribbean, I have so many stories to tell that I honestly don’t know where to start.

I’ve always loved learning something new. So for me, the best part of my job is attending different annual conferences, hearing many different smart executives and interesting guest speakers, and chatting with travel advisors who are following their passion with an amazing assortment of unique business models. This month, with back-to-back Signature Travel Network at the Venetian in Vegas and Dream Vacations/Cruise One on Celebrity Ascent in the Caribbean, I have so many stories to tell that I honestly don’t know where to start. Read the rest of this entry »

As if record crowds and anticipated storms aren’t enough trouble for the Thanksgiving rush, airport workers at Los Angeles and Charlotte are threatening labor actions that will add to the turmoil.

At LAX, 100 members of members of the SEIU United Service Workers West—ground workers who clean planes, handle baggage, maintain airport safety, and assist wheelchair passengers—are scheduled to rally and march today. They are demanding an increase in the minimum wage to $25 an hour, and $30 an hour by 2028, and access to affordable health care.

The rally is the result of the LA City Council’s postponing a vote on a proposal to raise the minimum wage for tourism workers until December 11.

SEIU says LAX generates $126 billion for Southern California—a number sure to grow when Los Angeles hosts the World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028.

In Charlotte, meanwhile, ground workers of the Service Employees International Union and Prospect Airport Services held a 24-hour strike today at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, an American Airlines (AA) hub. The two companies provide services such as cleaning airplane interiors, removing trash and escorting passengers in wheelchairs for AA. They, too, are demanding higher wages; most workers earn $12.50 to $19 an hour, the union said.

American said in a statement that it doesn’t expect “any significant disruption” this week from the strike, and only about 30 American flights—about 4%—were delayed on Monday afternoon, according to FlightAware.

Joining a growing number of countries fighting back against overtourism, The Maldives will usher in the new year with a sizeable increase in tourism taxes (The President ratifies new amendments to three taxation acts – MIRA – Maldives Inland Revenue Authority).

Effective December 1, the departure tax for foreign passengers will increase to $50 from $30 for foreign travelers in economy class, and to $120 from $60 in business class. The tax will remain unchanged for first class ($90) and private jet ($120).

Then on January 1, the Green Tax will double, from $6 to $12 per night per person (not counting children under two).

And on July 1, the tourism tax will increase to $17 from $16.

Most resorts plan to collect the $6 Green Tax at check-in, reports Koveli Travel.

The changes come as many destinations take a second look at how the surge of new tourists is impacting their quality of life. Last month Bali began charging international visitors an entry tax of 150,000 rupiah (£7.50); Venice recently imposed a fee of up to €5 for day visitors; and Hawaii is considering a bill suggesting a $25 “climate tax.”

There’s no better gift than the gift of travel; give me a ticket to anywhere and I’m in. But if your budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, here are a few suggestions for holiday gifts that incorporate a vision of faraway places.

After failing to merge with Frontier Airlines and then blocked from merging with JetBlue by the Department of Justice, Spirit Airlines this week  ended up in bankruptcy. But the airline says travelers shouldn’t worry; “you can continue to book and fly now, and in the future.”

The biggest US budget airline filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition after losing more than $2.5 billion since 2020 and facing debt of more than $1 billion in 2025 and 2026.

Spirit’s 90 daily flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport will continue as usual, the company said, and travelers “can [continue] to book and fly without interruption and can use all tickets credits and loyalty points as normal.”

The company’s 21,000 employees and all their vendors also will continue to receive regular paychecks.

In an open letter to customers, Spirit said, “We expect to complete this process in the first quarter of 2025 and emerge even better positioned to deliver the best value in the sky. Other airlines that are operating successfully today have undertaken a similar process. For more information about our financial restructuring, please visit www.SpiritGoForward.com. We’re grateful you continue to choose Spirit for your travel needs. As we head into the holiday season and beyond, we look forward to welcoming you on board again soon.”

“I am pleased we have reached an agreement with a supermajority of both our loyalty and convertible bondholders on a comprehensive recapitalization of the company, which is a strong vote of confidence in Spirit and our long-term plan,” said Spirit president and CEO Ted Christie said in a statement. A new $350 million equity investment from bondholders plus $300 million in other financing “will materially strengthen our balance sheet and position Spirit for the future.”

I love a good idea for growing your travel business—and this week I came across two. I was doing what I like to do best, talking to smart travel advisors, this time at the Signature annual conference in Las Vegas. I’m working on a story about what advisors are planning to do differently in 2025, so I’ve been asking attendees here what they’re up to.

I’ll include a few of those stories in a future column. But the one I heard from Amy Westerman and Dave Hoffman, of The Curated Travel Collection, was so good it deserves a story all its own. And the tips on growing your Facebook ranking made me want to marry AI guru Kha Ly so I could have his tech support 24 x 7.

Like all the best stories, Amy and Dave’s begins in a bar, where Amy got to chatting and “swapping stories” with another customer, as travel advisors are wont to do Read the rest of this entry »

There’s an interesting new luxury option in the UK next summer, as Belmond rolls out its newest sleeper train, The Britannic Explorer.

Debuting in July 2025, the train offers fine British gastronomy, an onboard wellness suite and exclusive access to unique sites as they ride the rails on a leisurely journey through the British countryside. Its 18 cabins include three Grand Suites and 15 Suites.

The train’s “elegant interiors with unmistakable British charm” are being designed by London-based Albion Nord, while its menu is being created by Chef Simon Rogan, whose restaurants (including L’Enclume) hold eight Michelin stars and two Michelin Green stars. The afternoon tea, lunch and dinner menus will highlight seasonal, sustainable ingredients, sourced locally to showcase Britain’s diverse regions.

The Britannic Explorer will depart London, offering three different three-night journeys through Cornwall, The Lake District and Wales. Optional guided excursions in each destination include a private tour and dinner at Hauser & Wirth Somerset and on-site restaurant Da Costa, guided hikes through Wales, wild swimming in the Lake district and a visit to Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens in Cornwall. In the evening, passengers can mingle in the train’s botanically-inspired Bar.

Guests also can combine routes, pairing The Cornwall or Lake District routes, which run from Friday to Monday, with a Wales trip from Monday to Thursday. And Belmond’s boutique hotel, The Cadogan, just 20 minutes from London’s Victoria station, can offer a seamless pre- or post-rail stay. For those traveling through the Cotswolds on the Lake District route, the Britannic Explorer offers an exclusive stop at the Michelin two-star manor house hotel and restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, Oxfordshire.

Gary Franklin, Belmond’s Vice President of Trains and Cruises, said the train will “further enhance Belmond’s global portfolio of market-leading luxury rail experiences. The Britannic Explorer offers something truly unique; an opportunity to discover the rugged Cornish coastline to Snowdonia’s untamed National Park and the vast expanses of the Lake District like never before.”

Belmond’s fleet of luxury trains also includes the British Pullman in England and the Royal Scotsman in Scotland.

A three-night itinerary, including excursions, meals, wine and alcoholic beverages on board the Britannic Explorer starts at £11,000 based on a double cabin. For more information or to book, visit the web page here.

I’ve never met a cruise I didn’t like. On a yacht that holds 35 or a megaship with 6,000, shaking across the Drake to Antarctica or drifting through the Caribbean, I’m happy to eat chicken and salad if the pickings are slim, or sit by the pool with a book if there’s nothing to do. As long as there’s sea air, a balcony and a cup of coffee, I’m in.

I was fine with ignoring the mixed reviews I’ve heard and read about MSC, which range from five-star raves to absolute pans, from both travel advisors I trust and posts on social media. I wanted to give MSC a try and see for myself. So we booked a quick five-night Caribbean trip out of Port Canaveral and brought along a couple of friends for a long weekend in the sun.

Viking this week placed a bet on the Middle East, officially naming two new river ships, the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, in Luxor, Egypt.

Following its cost-conscious tradition, Viking repurposed the design of the existing Viking Aton and Viking Osiris, following the pattern exactly in these two new ships. All four vessels will carry a maximum of  82 guests in 41 staterooms, on a 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

Despite troubles in the Middle East, the neutral Egypt expects about 15.3 million tourists in 2024, up 5% over 2023, according to Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy. And it’s a fascinating destination for tourists. Just this week, an Egyptian-American mission unearthed a 4,000-year-old tomb near the Temple of Hatshepsut on the West Bank of the Nile in Luxor.

Viking’s itinerary begins with three nights in Cairo and a flight to Luxor before the eight-day roundtrip cruise on the Nile, including visits to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, plus excursions to the Temple of Khnum in Esna, the Dendera Temple complex in Qena, the temples at Abu Simbel and the High Dam in Aswan, and a village elementary school.

Guests can add Pre and Post Extensions, such as a five-day British Collections of Ancient Egypt extension that begins in London, where guests will visit the British Museum’s Egyptian Collection before it opens to the general public, and then the collection of Egyptian antiquities in the home and personal museum of Sir John Soane.

Viking plans to add four more ships—growing its Nile fleet to 10 altogether—over the next two years. Viking Amun and Viking Thoth will debut in 2025, and Viking Sekhmet and Viking Ptah in 2026.

(Of course, we know there are two sides to every story. This is the “con” side. For the many reasons some travel advisors do choose to sell air, see “Earning an Extra $50K: Travel Advisors Who Sell Air Say It’s Worth the Effort | Travel Research Online.”)

Liability issues. Time wasted. Late night calls. And the new DOT ruling about refunds that takes effect this week just adds one more reason to the litany of why many travel advisors hate to sell airline tickets.

“Selling air? Don’t.” That’s the succinct advice from Rich Greenway, owner of Greenway Travel Group-Dream Vacations. And he is not alone. Read the rest of this entry »

British Airways has canceled all 103 of its scheduled trips between London Gatwick and New York JFK from December 12, 2024, to March 25, 2025, citing delays in the delivery of Trent 1000 engines from Rolls-Royce. Other routes also are being affected, including flights to Kuala Lumpur, where service is being suspended until April of next year.

BA said it cannot be sure the engines will be delivered as scheduled and does not want to inconvenience travelers at the last minute. “We’re disappointed that we’ve had to make further changes to our schedule as we continue to experience delays to the delivery of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce – particularly in relation to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines fitted to our 787 aircraft,” it said in a statement.

BA normally flies one flight a day from Gatwick and eight from Heathrow. Passengers also can fly direct from New York to London on Air France, Delta, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Jet Blue or Norse Atlantic.

Adding insult to injury, the British flag carrier also today announced that it will end its traditional three-course dining experience in business class, scrapping some appetizers and cutting the number of options for mains and desserts.

On departures after 9 pm, BA will offer customers a “goodnight” that no longer includes an appetizer and a set dessert rather than a choice, as well as paninis, soup and salads as the main course.

In addition, a new and lighter brunch menu will be served on flights departing between 8:30 and 11:29 pm.

Even in an AI world, competition for really smart, knowledgeable and experienced travel advisors is stiffer than ever—not just among high-end customers but apparently among host agencies as well. At its annual conference last week, Avoya Travel Network announced upgrades to the commissions it will be paying its independent advisors (IAs)—and a $5,000 sign-on bonus to newcomers bringing in a book of business of their own.

Avoya traditionally has paid its advisors 30% of the commission on bookings obtained through its Avoya Live lead program, or 80% on bookings of their personal customers. Last year, it began testing an Elite 100 program that raised commissions with preferred suppliers to 100% on bookings of personal clients. Read the rest of this entry »