US Government Shutdown: hurting tourist industry - travel implications

Intl. tourists starting to avoid
 visiting US following Govt, shutdown

Not only in the US, but also in bordering countries, the multi million tourist industry is starting to hurt from the Trump Administration government shutdown.

In the Bahamas local business owners warily eye the Trump U.S. government shut down and any potential impact on the tourism industry, fearing a continuation that could lead to a drop in visitor arrivals to the Bahamas, as around 800,000 federal employees await pay.

With the shutdown entering its 26th^th day and Friday marking the first missed pay period for these workers across the United States, planning future trips to The Bahamas will be the last thing on their minds.

Similar situations can be seen in Mexico and Canada, which usually attract a lot of US tourists throughout the year.

As the lock-down continues, travelers and tourists visiting the US  are also dwindling.

International Airlines around the world are advising their customers traveling to the U.S. that they arrive at airports at least three hours prior to their scheduled departure time, due to increased processing times and other delays and many tourists have cancelled plans to visit the US.

Airline pilots tell @RealDonaldTrump that the #shutdown is jeopardizing national security — air marshals, TSA, air traffic controllers and more.

The largest association of pilots in the US has also expressed concerns over the safety of the nation’s airspace which it said was being threatened due to the shutdown.

There has not been a blanket order yet to clos,  but National Parks across the US are struggling to remain open without funding to pay rangers. Without staff at the gates, parks are also losing a reported $400,000 a day in entry fees. Many campgrounds and walking trails have had to close due to a build-up of litter and other sanitation issues.

Bottom-line: at this point in time, international and local tourists probably should think twice before planning a trips to and in the US.

EU-Digest

Travel Industry - Airlines: Shares Of US Airlines Down As They Face A Glut Of Empty Seats

Share prices of U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, the world's biggest carrier, were off to their worst start of the year since 2011 on Tuesday. The slump is a result of analyst concerns that airlines are offering too many seats, reported Bloomberg News.

The shares of 10 out of 11 U.S. air carriers, including No. 2 and 3 Delta and United, fell on Tuesday, and had the slowest period to open the year since an 8.7 percent drop in 2011. The industry has had rallies of as high as 35 percent in the first quarter of the previous three years.

Analysts Julie Yates of Credit Suisse Group AG and Darryl Genovesi of UBS AG expect the downturn to continue, noting that revenue from each seat flown one mile fell in the first quarter of 2015 and will probably continue to fall.

"It's really easy for investors to extrapolate a little bit of negative through the whole year. Investors are hoping for a little capacity discipline and maybe some cutback in flight schedules. Things like that help shore up the revenue environment," Andrew Meister, an analyst with Thrivent Financials for Lutherans, told Bloomberg.

Airlines are already refraining from adding flights to increase passenger capacity. In fact, the number of commercial flights in the U.S. has fallen by 15 percent since 2005. Instead, airlines are packing more seats into existing planes. Some are also trading smaller aircraft for larger ones, which burn less fuel per seat but also offer more seats, decreasing the occupancy factor. 

As the trend continues, investors fear a surplus of airline seats requiring airlines to cut prices in order to fill planes. “It’s a harbinger of things to come,” said Meister. 

According to Bloomberg, five of the six largest U.S. airlines increased seat capacity in the beginning of 2015; American Airlines was the only one that did not.

Shares Of US Airlines Down As They Face A Glut Of Empty Seats

Banking Fees: How to Avoid Bank Fees While Traveling - by Nomadic Matt

There are a number of things you can do to reduce your ATM fees overseas.

The first thing you should do is set up a checking account at a major bank. ALWAYS PICK A MAJOR BANK! Why? Most major banks have partnership agreements with counterparts overseas that allow for free ATM withdrawals. While they have the highest fees  euro 2 ($5 USD per withdrawal), by using partner ATMs, you can avoid ATM charges.

Below is a list of major banks that have ATM partnerships with other global banks where you can avoid fees:

• Bank of America (United States)
• Barclays (England, Wales, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and certain countries in Africa)
• BNP Paribas (France, Ukraine)
• China Construction Bank (China)
• Deutsche Bank (Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal and Italy)
• Santander Serfin (Mexico)
• Scotiabank (Canada, Caribbean, Peru, Chile and Mexico)
• Westpac (Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands)
• ABSA (South Africa)
• UkrSibbank (Ukraine)

Moreover, you can also pick a global bank that has branches around the world. I use HSBC for most of my international banking. HSBC has ATMs all over the world. Using those ATMs means I don’t have to pay those fees. As of September 2011, HSBC has raised their fee to $2.50 USD per ATM transaction when you use a non-HSBC ATM.
Read more: How to Avoid Bank Fees While Traveling | Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Airline Industry: A free EU smartphone App to know your rights in Europe after flight disruptions and other mishaps

Even though some of us sometimes view the European Commission  as a slumbering giant, spending years to make decisions and implement policy – that is not always true, at least when it comes to travel industry issues.

Passengers stranded at airports or awaiting missing luggage may now use a smartphone application to check their rights immediately on the spot.

The European Commission has launched an application for smartphones which covers air and rail transport and works on four mobile platforms: Apple iPhone and iPad, Google Android, RIM Blackberry and Microsoft Windows Phone 7. The app is available in 22 EU languages. It currently covers air and rail transport to be extended to bus / coach and marine travel soon when these rights come into force.

European Commission Vice President Siim Kallas, responsible for Transport said: "How many of us have stood in an airport and felt the frustration of people telling you that you have no rights when you know you have! With this application millions of travelers can have easy access to the right information about their passenger rights when they most need it, when unexpected situations arise." 

Smart phone users can scan the QR code (left) to access the download pages directly from their smartphone or  click here.:  

EU-Digest

Travel Industry: Europe Travel Down for July; Airlines Struggle; UK Wins - by Jena Tesse Fox

The latest Trans-Atlantic report is in for July, with some interesting results for the UK and the Continent.

Overall trans-Atlantic traffic was down in July, with the leading carriers reporting an average decrease of 1.3 percent. That extended the current period of little or negative growth into a fourth month, which several airlines have blamed on high taxes and fuel prices. The carriers reduced capacity by an average 1.7 percent and maintained a high average load factor of 88.9.

Lufthansa reported a profit of $270 million for the second quarter on revenue of $9.7 billion (+6.0 percent), but this was down 24 percent from last year’s $371 million profit. For the first six months, Lufthansa is still $270 million in the red thanks to a difficult first quarter. The long-ailing Austrian Airlines subsidiary turned in an operating profit for the second quarter.

Of the six leading trans-Atlantic carriers, only Star Alliance partners United and Lufthansa reported profits for the second quarter. Air France/KLM, Delta and American reported losses last month.

Read more: Report: Europe Travel Down for July; Airlines Struggle; UK Wins | Travel Agent Central

European Tourism: Loren Christie on cool European destinations for 2012

'Tis the season to start booking your European holiday. I recently returned from a week in the United Kingdom and it certainly reminded me of just how many wonderful destinations are just across the pond. It truly is hard to go wrong in Europe, but here are five spots that you should consider in 2012.

For more: Loren Christie on cool European destinations for 2012 | CTV News

Avoid going to US and Mexico if you don't have to says EU health chief

eu-digest

Avoid going to US and Mexico if you don't have to says EU health chief

(Reuters)Androulla Vassiliou, the European Union's health chief advised travelers on Monday not to go to areas affected by swine flu. Asked for details, she said: "They should avoid traveling to Mexico or the United States unless it's very urgent for them." The warning came as health officials in Spain confirmed that a man hospitalized in eastern Spain had tested positive for swine flu, becoming what appeared to be Europe’s first case of the disease. Health authorities were also testing 17 other suspected cases across Spain, a major hub for travel between Mexico and Europe.

The EU did not issue any formal instructions to travelers but said the bloc's health ministers would discuss ways to prevent the spread of the virus later this week and that EU foreign ministers would discuss the situation later on Monday. As Mexico struggled to contain its outbreak, the World Health Organization reported that the number of confirmed cases in the United States had doubled, rising from 20 to 40. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters in Greece: "It's too soon to speculate about the situation. We are following the situation very closely, together with the member states."
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Mirror.co.uk: France: Cheapskate skiing - by Helen Beaty

For the complete report from the mirror.co.uk click on this link

France: Cheapskate skiing - by Helen Beaty

Want to take the family on a ski holiday in Europe but worried about the cost? Helen Beatty shows you how to have a great time in the snow for a bargain price

Sun Sentinel: US Travel industry invites Europeans to come a-callin' -- by Doreen Hemlock

For the complete report from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com click on this link

US Travel industry invites Europeans to come a-callin' -- by Doreen Hemlock

Europeans are flocking to the New World flush with strong euros and pounds sterling, and the travel industry in the Americas is rolling out the welcome mat to attract even more. La Cumbre, an annual travel industry show now under way in Miami Beach, this year for the first time invited European wholesalers to attend and talk deals with suppliers from destinations, hotel chains, tours and bus companies. The invitation comes as European travel to the Americas soars. Last year, nearly 11 million visitors from Western Europe alone came to the United States, up 13 percent from the previous year.

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