Tourism officials are holding out hope that a lifeline to the failed Thomas Cook Group’s subsidiary, the Germany-based Condor Airlines, would be approved so that some 200,000 tourists could still come to the Caribbean during the fall and winter seasons.
This would be about half of the total seats that were scheduled for the region, which is considered a popular destination for many British travellers.
The development has also prompted President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Patricia Affonso-Dass to urge travellers to take up insurance protection for their travels in the future.
The collapse of the UK-based Thomas Cook group late Sunday night sent shock waves through the local and regional tourism industry, resulting in officials springing into action to find a solution to what was considered a potential fallout.
Expressing concern for the thousands of travellers, employees and businesses impacted by the closure of the British travel group, the CHTA commended the region’s and global tourism industry stakeholders for moving swiftly to support impacted travellers.
The trade body also thanked industry partners for the proactive measures to identify alternative opportunities for travellers who were originally planning to travel to the region through Thomas Cook this fall and winter.
Citing the latest developments, the region’s tourism officials hoped that a bridge loan to Thomas Cook’s Germany-based Condor Airlines would be approved, restoring a potential of over 200,000 visitors to the Caribbean in the coming months.
The Caribbean was expecting more than 400,000 travellers from the UK and Europe this winter through Thomas Cook, which the CHTA said represented a significant portion of the region’s 30 million annual overnight visitors.
Through Thomas Cook’s three weekly winter flights to Barbados from Manchester, as well as a direct flight from the London Gatwick airport, the island was expecting some 24,000 seats.
At the same time, Condor provides 12,600 seats through its summer and winter business to Barbados from Frankfurt annually.
It is not yet clear how many of those seats Barbados would be able to secure.
However, the CHTA reported that earlier this week the German government had agreed to provide some €380 million as a six-month bridge loan to Condor Airlines, which would see the restoration of just over 200,000 airline seats to the Caribbean.
“The loan needs final approval by the European Union,” the CHTA said.
“The British authorities are doing their best to limit the inconvenience caused to thousands of travellers affected by the rapid closure of Thomas Cook and getting them home as quickly as possible at the conclusion of their planned holiday,” said Affonso-Dass.
She explained that many of the travellers caught in the Thomas Cook dissolution are protected for some of their expenses through the Air Travel Organisers’ Licencing (ATOL), which was established by the British government to protect most air package holidays sold by UK-based tour operators.
However, the CHTA president lamented that those services do not cover all expenses or the inconveniences caused when plans are disrupted.
As such, she pointed to the importance of travellers’ considering insurance protection for “unforeseen circumstances”.
“CHTA partners with Trip Mate which gives its member hotels the option of making travel insurance available to consumers at affordable rates,” she said.
So far, the British government has promised to get the firm’s 150,000 UK-based customers back home from vacation spots around the world, while Virgin Atlantic has indicated that it would be helping to bring Thomas Cook passengers and staff from Cuba, Jamaica and the United States.
At the same time, reports have emerged that some Thomas Cook travellers were being prevented from leaving hotels in some countries outside the Caribbean because they were concerned about payments.
Responding to those reports, the CHTA said its members were “encouraged to help, and not hinder or distressed tourists”.
“We continue to encourage our members to show maximum compassion for those affected by the collapse, and to work with authorities to ensure Thomas Cook travellers are comfortable as they await repatriation home,” added Affonso-Dass.
Additionally, she said, the CHTA would continue to provide all necessary information to its members to allow them to claim for outstanding payments that may be due for stays where guests have already departed.
The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc(BTMI) had estimated that there are currently only 44 Thomas Cook guests on island, all booked through scheduled airlines and it is likely that they will not be considered as stranded passengers.
While underscoring the seriousness of the loss to the industry, the Barbados-based Affonso-Dass also pointed to the achievements of the world’s oldest travel agency, stating that in these sad days, our hearts go out to those who have suffered from the collapse but at the same time, I would like to recognise how Thomas Cook, for almost 200 years, managed to open up the world to millions of people.
“One could argue that the Caribbean’s success as one of the world’s most desired vacation destinations was made possible because of the business model which they developed years ago,” she said. marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb
