Travel Weekly is back after a nice break over the holidays with plenty of excitement for what’s to come in the beautiful world of travel this year.

And during our absence travel definitely did not stop, so we’re here with a quick round up of the highlights that dominated our incredible industry.

China is back!

It’s been a long wait but China is finally back and this major travel market will be a big boost for the industry. However there is a few snags.

Travellers arriving in Australia from China will be required to undertake a COVID-19 test within the 48 hours prior to travel and show evidence of a negative test result. This applies regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status and includes Australian citizens.

China’s internal COVID-19 measures have been scaled down, but to enter China travellers need a nucleic acid test prior to departure. Travellers will be subject to centralised quarantine at the first point of entry to China, with an additional period of home health monitoring that will be determined by the local authorities.

China’s restart may take a bit of time as the CCP suspended passport renewals over the past three years, so there’s a massive rush to renew passports. Similarly, visas will also be an issue as most have expired and many major embassies in China have been closed due to the rising number of COVID cases.

Airlines tackling the holiday spike

The Christmas season sees the popularity of airlines around the globe skyrocket, but this came with a few dramas as well.

A Qantas flight heading from Singapore to London had to make an emergency landing in Baku, Azerbaijan. The flight landed after concerns arose of smoke in the cargo hold, however no evidence of smoke was found. Qantas later said the incident was the fault of a sensor and a second plane picked up the passengers and flew them to London for Christmas morning.

A “miscommunication” saw a Jetstar plane full of holiday-goers heading to Bali turned around and sent back to Melbourne. One passenger told the ABC that the plane was four hours into the flight before it was denied landing and turned around. Jetstar apologised for the experience and provided passengers with hotel rooms and vouchers.

Similarly, a Virgin Australia flight heading to Denpasar from Melbourne on 30 December diverted to Darwin due to an engineering issue. Travellers were rebooked onto another flight the next day and provided overnight accommodation.

NCL returned Down Under

Norwegian Cruise Line made its return to Australian waters on 21 December after three years. Norwegian Spirit sailed into Sydney Harbour for the very first time with guests from over 20 nationalities on board – including from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Australia and New Zealand – while showcasing her USD$100m bow-to-stern revitalisation – the most expensive and extensive ever undertaken by NCL.

MSC Cruises launch sales, new itineraries

MSC Cruises has opened sales for segments of the 2023 MSC Magnifica World Cruise. This features the 21-night Sydney to Singapore segment on 18 March, the 36-night Chile to Sydney voyage and a 43-night cruise from Sydney to Rome.

All fares for the 2023 World Cruise segments include;

• Dine & Drinks package included for Bella and Fantastica experiences
• A selection of complimentary shore excursions
• 30 per cent discount on laundry services

MSC Cruises is also offering travellers the opportunity to discover Japan, Korea & Taiwan in cruise itineraries onboard MSC Bellissima  – departing between June and September 2023.

The cruise line has two Northern Europe itineraries aboard MSC Poesia. Plunge into the culture, cuisine and natural splendour of the Arctic north on a magical cruise around Greenland, Iceland, Denmark and the Northerly coasts of the UK and Germany from July to August 2023.

TravelManagers hit Vegas!

TravelManagers’ chief operations officer and operations manager (Grant Campbell and Troy Coelho, respectively), recently attended Signature Travel Network’s Annual Conference, which brought together more than 2000 global delegates and representatives from more than 540 suppliers at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.

TravelManagers’ Grant Campbell (left) and Troy Coelho (right) discussed progress and future planning during a private meeting with Signature’s President and CEO Alex Sharpe (centre)

The three-day event, which comes as TravelManagers approaches the first anniversary of its partnership with the luxury travel brand, included a two-day supplier trade show, thought-provoking presentations from keynote speakers and opportunities for Campbell and Coelho to take private meetings with key members of Signature’s senior management team, including with Signature’s President and CEO, Alex Sharpe, and VP of member engagement, Kimberly Waters.