1 July 2020

Dear all

Welcome to the latest edition of VisitScotland’s round up of data and intelligence related to Covid-19 and tourism, from our network of global contacts and data sources.

As we approach easing of restrictions for tourism businesses in Scotland, VisitScotland has been able to activate its plans to encourage visits to Scotland, whilst still being very mindful that some communities may not yet be ready to welcome visitors. Find out more about our approach and media strategy from my webinar last week, and the links in the marketing response section.

Our weekly tracker shows that people are still cautious about a ‘return to normal’, however there are ongoing indications that they will take short breaks into autumn and beyond, and promoting breaks into autumn and winter is part of our strategy.

Around the global markets, restrictions continue to ease in overseas markets, and we include examples of Covid-safe measures and marketing campaigns thatare being introduced.

As always, follow us on #VisitScotNews for the latest updates and check out Malcolm’s weekly blog on LinkedIn.

Stay safe

Vicki

The severe impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry is not a secret. Many however wonder what changes the situation will bring, what are the tourism trends for the post-COVID-19 era. Like Scotland, many destinations are looking to the domestic market as the initial source of visitors. Greenland, with its population of 56,500 is launching its very first domestic campaign. “Nunarput Nuan - our Wonderful Greenland” - which is targeted at locals who can find experiences, introductions to the regions of Greenland. An overview of package trips that make it easier and cheaper for locals to take a staycation, especially when historically domestic tourism was perceived as a more costly option for travel.

There are some constant trends that reappear among the travelling consumer, many of which are forming the basis of marketing and tourism recovery innovation around the world.

Exploring locally, with an expected rise of domestic travel underappreciated gems will have increased opportunity for exposure, and less frequently visited tourist destinations may benefit from the demand for less crowded places. Nature Tourism will allow travellers to combine social distancing and discovery and contact with nature, which in recent weeks many travellers have been unable to benefit from. Activity Breaks with walking, cycling and back packing along with other physical activity forming tours. Capitalising on the growth in cycling and running during lockdown we may see growth in this new found fitness to roam and follow long distance routes. Interestingly, Sports England report a fall in activity after the relaxation of strict lockdown as retail, education and workplaces reopen and reduce peoples time to exercise. Going on micro-holidays - considering the impossibility to make long-distance trips, which usually have a longer duration like the typical big annual trip - will be replaced by small ones, closer to home throughout the year.

Vicki MillerDirector of

Marketing & Digital

1 July 2020

Please find below the latest summary of the UK Covid-19 Consumer Tracker Report for week 5, based on fieldwork from 15-19 June.

Little has changed mood-wise, with the UK public remaining somewhat pessimistic things will be returning to normal anytime soon. This is the second consecutive week the proportion expecting ‘normality’ by September has dropped significantly – currently at 18% it is just over half that reported in the Week 1 report. Confidence in the ability to take an overnight domestic short break or holiday is largely stable, with 12% confident in July, doubling to 25% in August and achieving 40% in September. However, just 20% expect to take a trip by September, which is the second consecutive week this figure has declined (and significantly lower than the 23% reported for week 3).

Other points of note:

• 30% now believe the worst has passed regarding Covid-19 which is virtually unchanged from last week. A third, however, still believe the ‘worst is yet to come’.

• There continues to be little expectation things will be returning to normal anytime soon, with significantly fewer expecting ‘normality’ by September (18% versus 23% last week). Extending the period to December also yields a significant decline in expectations of ‘normality’ (41% compared to 49% in week 4).

• The ‘Appetite for Risk’ score has inched up to 2.35. Levels of comfort are clearly related to proximity to people, with travelling on public transport remaining the activity people are least comfortable doing in the current circumstances.

• Confidence in the ability to take a domestic short break or holiday continues to be subdued, at 12% for July, 25% in August, rising to 40% by September. Positively, the majority (54%) are now confident they’d be able to take a domestic overnight trip by the end of the year.

• Main reasons driving this relative lack of confidence are similar to previous weeks, although ‘fewer opportunities to eat or drink out’ (46%) has narrowly overtaken ‘restrictions on travel by government’ (45%).

• When asked to compare to last year, 39% of U.K. adults expect to be taking fewer domestic short-breaks and holidays respectively. These proportions remain stable week-on-week.

• The proportion expecting to go on a domestic short break or holiday by this September declined for the second successive week to 20% (versus 22% last week and significantly below the 23% reported in Week 3).

• In terms of region/nation likely to be visited between now and September, the South West extends its lead (from 19% to 21%) followed by Scotland which is stable at 12%. As per last week there’s little to separate the places ranked 2-5. The South West and Scotland also lead for visits planned from October onwards.

1 July 2020

• For the summer period, countryside/village and traditional coastal/seaside town destinations continue to lead with 33% and 32% shares respectively. Cities are again promoted into joint second place for trips scheduled from October.

• For the June-September period, we continue to see a broadly even split between the leading four accommodation types, although from October, hotels/motels/inns are significantly more likely to attract visitors.

• Of the reassurances people are seeking in order to feel comfortable staying in a hotel, measures to reduce contamination (e.g. hand sanitisers and enhanced cleaning regimes) lead, although the single most cited factor is for them to offer the provision of free cancellations.

• As restrictions lift, outdoor areas and activities (e.g. beaches, trails, theme parks) look set to attract higher than usual levels of visitors than normal, while predominantly indoor activities/venues (e.g. restaurants, spas, museums, galleries) are likely to face a lengthier period of subdued demand.

The full results as well as analysis on those intending to take holidays/short breaks in Scotland (based on fieldwork between 1-12 June) can be seen at https://www.visitscotland.org/research-insights/trends/uk-holiday-intentions

1 July 2020

Barcelona is preparing itself as a safe city to visit and promoting itself as such with its new ‘BCN Safe City’ campaign. It highlights the city’s implementation of hygiene and health measures to offer confidence and reassurance to consumers. A website is being set up to enable complementary access to current health and safety information and requirements for visitors, including hotels and beaches.

Across the wider region of Catalonia, the tourist board is launching its restart campaign. Called ‘Catalonia is your Home’, it primarily targets domestic tourism but will also include some cross-border promotion in Europe. €7.4m is being dedicated to the campaign and related activity, the biggest ever investment in tourism promotion by the Catalan government. The campaign has been delivered in partnership with a range of provincial authorities and tourist boards, and will lead Catalonia’s initial recovery phase into 2021, when a more international focus will be added.

These efforts are being supported by a new online platform to foster recovery-focused exchange and cooperation between the public and private sector. The platform will gather info from across sectors on key restart topics such as opening hours, infection prevention, health measures, booking requirements, capacity limits and other specific conditions required to deliver a safe restart.

In France, the Brittany region has put in place a similar range of measures to support the recovery of the tourism industry, including €80,000 for a new platform on health and sanitary measures which tourism businesses can consult for guidance; €150,000 to support business membership of regional tourism associations; €300,000 for direct support to 10 key destinations within the region; and €500,000 for marketing, again with an initial focus on domestic visitors.

1 July 2020

Market Business type Company Activity

Abu Dhabi Government

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

In anticipation for returning international tourists, Abu Dhabi has launched its hygiene standards for the tourism sector. The new certification, 'Go Safe' will be awarded to hotels, attractions and venues across the emirate that meet the global standards of safety and cleanliness. The first step of the programme is guided self-assessments, which will then be verified through thorough site-inspections.

Germany AirportsFrankfurt Airport

At Frankfurt airport, departing and arriving passengers can visit a Covid-19 ‘Walk-in Test Centre’ near the terminal building and the main train station. The current capacity is around 300 tests per hour. This is likely to be in place until the end of July 2021.

Italy Tour operatorPortaleSardegna

Italian incoming tour operator Portale Sardegna is offering Sardinian residents the opportunity to save up to 60% when booking their holidays on the island through the website. The tour operator negotiated special rates for the locals after conducting a survey last March. The survey, of over 1,200 Sardinians, revealed that three quarters spend their holidays in the island and this year 91% would do it again to sustain the local economy. In addition, locals who book their holiday on the website would be given a booklet that resembles a passport and can be stamped in each region of the island by collaborating businesses. Once they have collected the 8 stamps (one for each region) they will receive the title of Sardinia Ambassador, which entitles them to a holiday weekend in the island and the access to a special online community to be the first to receive certain offers and discounts.

USA Airlines United Airlines

United Airlines have partnered with Clorox (cleaning product company) to launch a health and safety campaign called ‘CleanPlus’. The initiative sets a new standard for the airline’s health and safety protocols, including using electrostatic spraying on aircrafts before departure for enhanced cabin sanitation. United promises industry-leading standard of cleanliness and aim to meet, or exceed, guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

1 July 2020

• The ‘R’ rate in the UK is reported to be between 0.7 and 0.9 and in Scotland, reported to be between 0.6 and 0.8, consistent with the previous week. Covid-19 alert for the UK is level 3.

• The UK Government (England) are in phase 2 of easing lockdown and will move to phase 3 from 4 July. In phase 3, hospitality businesses like restaurants, pubs and accommodation can re-open.

• Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland administrations have outlined their own phased plans to easing lockdown. Scotland is in phase 2 of recovery which is being introduced in stages. From 29 June, street access retail and zoos/gardens can reopen for local access only (5 miles). From 3 July, travel distance restriction (5 miles) will be relaxed and self-catering accommodation can begin to reopen. From 6 July outdoor hospitality can reopen and the Scottish Government have set a provisional date of 15 July for tourism businesses to resume operations (dependent on public health advice and progression to phase 3).

• Reminder, the Scottish Government has published guidance for tourism businesses, outlining steps to reopening safely.

• A UK-wide industry standard and consumer mark ‘Good to Go’ has been developed to provide confidence for visitors, communities and tourism businesses. To obtain the mark businesses must complete a self-assessment including a checklist confirming you have put the necessary processes in place. Once complete, you'll receive certification.

• Reminder face coverings are now mandatory on public transport in England and Scotland.• Reminder, the UK Government (England) will introduce a ‘one metre plus’ rule for physical

distancing from 4 July and the Scottish Government are currently reviewing the 2m rule (more information by 2 July).

• Reminder, NHS Test and Trace service has been implemented allowing anyone who develops Covid-19 symptoms to be tested and contact tracing to be carried out.

• The UK Government are currently still advising against all non-essential travel abroad, however blanket restrictions could be relaxed from 6 July.

• From 8 June all passengers arriving into the UK have been required to complete a contact locator form and self-isolate for 14 days (Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man are exempt due to the common travel area). This has been in review and on 29 June the transport secretary announced the UK Government will shortly begin to ease the health measures at the UK border, allowing passengers to be exempt from self-isolation requirements in certain circumstances on arrival to the UK. In place of the quarantine arrangements will be a traffic light system, with officials placing countries into green, amber and red categories based on the prevalence of coronavirus within each nation’s borders. International Air Corridors are in discussion.

• OTA insight is showing increased domestic searches for Scotland for the coming months.• UK airline routes; Loganair began relaunching UK routes from 1 June and easyJet from 15

June. Ryanair are planning for 40% of normal schedule to commence from 1 July and BA domestic routes are planned to recommence in July.

• Increased hygiene measures are being implemented across transport operators (air, rail and ferry) including limited capacities, enhanced cleaning and mandatory face coverings.

• The Coach Tourism Association continues to liaise with UK wholesalers and coach operators with advice and support.

• UK travel media is focused on domestic travel and interested in Scottish businesses plans for reopening.

1 July 2020

Social Listening UK - Global English (predominantly UK)VisitScotland is monitoring social media conversations using Brandwatch social listening tool. This gives us an understanding of discussion points, sentiment towards holidaying and view of holiday intentions. This tool does not monitor all social media conversations therefore insight should be understood as a guide or indication of main topics and trends on a subject.

• Between 22nd and 28th June, we identified more than 6,500 relevant conversations about holiday intention from the UK. General chatter about this topic increased by 30% compared to the previous week.

• The main conversations were around people feeling confused about whether holidays abroad in July will go ahead; asking travel agents & airlines about rebooking holidays and refunds; booking holiday accommodation in the UK and asking about airbridges with other countries.

• Most of conversations take place on Twitter (74%) where users express their views and feelings about the current situation and their desire to book a holiday for next year (2021) or go on staycation in the UK.

• Trending hashtags about holiday intention in the UK: #staycation, #holidayathome & #camping.• Chatter on forums has increased from 18% to 20% since the previous week. Users turn to

forums to ask questions about refunds, whether to book a holiday to airbridge countries and if they should cancel upcoming holidays and rebook for later in the year. The top forum for conversations on holiday intention is mumsnet.com.

• Online sentiment about holiday intention in the UK is neutral (40%). Positive conversations (32%) are driven by users being excited about late summer holidays in the UK and planning their holidays for 2021; whilst negative chatter (28%) is driven by users expressing their disappointment over missing a summer holiday and poor customer service from airlines and travel agencies.

• A zoom-in into online conversations about travelling to or holiday plans in Scotland showed that people are talking about the tourism industry opening again in July and booking a self-catering holiday in Scotland. There is also concern regarding too many tourists coming to Scotland.

• Reminder, the Irish Government accelerated their roadmap to recovery plans from 5 phases to 4.• Ireland entered phase 3 of easing lockdown restrictions on 29 June. Cafés, restaurants, pubs and

hotel bars can reopen with guidelines (e.g. must serve food), as well as hotels, hostels, caravan parks and holiday parks. The stay local message has been eased and residents can now travel anywhere in Ireland (including tourist travel to offshore islands). Museums, galleries, theatres, concert halls and other cultural outlets can also open, subject to mass gatherings permitted up to 50 people indoors and 200 people outdoors.

• Messaging is now to ‘Stay Safe’ and people are urged to use judgement and take personal responsibility. 2m physical distance is still in place and it is now mandatory to wear a face covering on public transport.

• Phase 4, the final phase is planned for 20 July. Pubs, bars and hotel bars can re-open fully (no requirement for food service). If the presence of the virus remains low, mass gatherings will rise to 100 people indoors and 500 people outdoors.

• Irish Government advise against all non-essential travel overseas and a 14-day quarantine period is mandatory for all passengers arriving at Irish ports and airports (until 9 July).

• Airlines are beginning recommencement of domestic routes with increased hygiene measures.• Travel media is focused on domestic trips / holidays.

1 July 2020

• Germany’s R rate was reported 0.74 on June 29.• After the local outbreak in a meat processing plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, 650,000

residents are affected by new contact restrictions. Testing hubs have been opened, offering free Covid-19 tests to the public.

• Airline carrier Lufthansa managed to get approval from its shareholders and from the EU Commission to receive state aid of £9 billion. On June 29 Lufthansa published its new flight plan including connections to Edinburgh and Glasgow from August onwards.

• From June 24, long-distance coach travel has resumed services. “Blablabus” is starting off by connecting German cities, and from July 9 also European destinations like Prague and Amsterdam. As a safety measure, only every second seat is bookable.

• The DMOs of all 16 German states partnered with Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) to boost domestic tourism for the summer season. The joint activity was launched on June 22 and will run until the end of August. It is part of the national #entdeckedeutschland (Discover Germany) campaign and plays off locals’ longing to travel by highlighting a wide range of unique regional attractions and experiences which can be easily accessed with Deutsche Bahn, emphasising the fact that you don’t have to travel abroad to have a great holiday. The media buy includes TV, print, social media and other digital ads. More info (in German).

• German tour operators remain positive for the autumn season 2020 and 2021. Some have even seen an increase in future bookings compared to the same period last year. This includes FIT and group operators.

• From July 1 member states of the EU are easing travel restrictions for 14 non-EU countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Restrictions for China will be lifted if China allows unrestricted entry for EU citizens in return. Restrictions for the USA remain in place due to higher numbers of new infections per capita.

Social listening – GermanyVisitScotland is monitoring social media conversations using Brandwatch social listening tool. This gives us an understanding of discussion points, sentiment towards holidaying and view of holiday intentions. This tool does not monitor all social media conversations therefore insight should be understood as a guide or indication of main topics and trends on a subject.

• Between 22nd and 28th June, there were 932 relevant conversations about holiday intention from Germany. Chatter on the subject increased by 14% compared to the previous 7 days.

• Germany reopened its borders and travel warnings for 27 EU and Schengen states were lifted on 15th June, which had a significant impact on the topics discussed online.

• The main conversations were about people looking for holiday inspiration and sharing their travel plans for the summer; seeking advice and sharing concerns regarding upcoming trips abroad and sharing their frustrations over refunds on previously cancelled bookings.

• Online sentiment is neutral (35% of total chat) to negative (also 36% of total chat) as the conversation is dominated by users' concerns over future holidays and frustrations over cancelled trips and refunds.

• The trending hashtags are: #urlaubindeutschland, #urlaub, #staycation indicating holidaymakers desire to travel local for the time being.

1 July 2020

• Airline carrier Air France is offering voluntary redundancies for approx. 400 pilots between mid-August and December. As part of its recovery, Air France is also in talks with the unions to come to an agreement around the reduction of an additional 1,700 of its staff.

• IFTM TopRésa, France’s prime travel trade fair, has been postponed to November 17-20. The decision to move the fair was primarily based on the fact that gatherings of more than 5,000 remain prohibited until August 31 in France and November was seen to give international exhibitors a higher chance of travel restrictions being lifted. A short survey sent out to previous exhibitors highlighted that some extra time to work on product propositions was welcomed as work on this had been slowed down by reduced hours, furloughed staff and lockdown restrictions. The event format is yet to be published.

• Enquiries of French tour operators are predominantly around re-openings of hotels and attractions in Scotland. Operators are eager to resume with their tour programmes once quarantine restrictions have been lifted.

Social listening – France• Between 22nd and 28th June, there were over 2,000 relevant conversations about

holiday intentions in France. Conversations on the subject remained on the same levels compared to the previous 7 days.

• The main conversations were people talking about national parks, planning or booking a trip and discussing their ideal holidays.

• Road trips remain a popular choice for holiday in France. Other destination trending hashtags in the conversations include Canada, New-Zealand, Luxembourg and Scotland.

• Mentions about Scotland as a holiday destination increased by 23% compared to the previous week. This increase is driven by users reminiscing about past holidays or sharing their eagerness to travel to Scotland.

• Online sentiment remains positive on weekly basis with more than 50% of positive chatter.

ITALY• The Italian city of Turin decided to suspend the tourist tax applicable to each visitor staying in

the city. This measure will be applied as one-time measure during the summer months to encourage tourism. In addition, the local tax that accommodation establishments have to pay to the council (regardless of bookings), has also been suspended for a few months to ease business recovery.

SPAIN• Spanish authorities are currently managing 51 active Covid-19 outbreaks throughout the

country, with many expected to leave the “red list” when more than 14 days of no new infections have passed. The Health Department is in particular monitoring two outbreaks in the Huesca and Lleida provinces, the latest affecting seasonal workers (fruit pickers).

PORTUGAL• Residents of the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon (AML) will have to revert back to staying at home

between July 1-14 as Portuguese authorities deal with a new wave of Covid-19 infections in the city's outskirts. Those living in the affected areas around the capital - this does not include downtown Lisbon - will be allowed to leave their homes only to buy essential goods such as food or medication, and to travel to and from work.

1 July 2020

• Tour operators remain eager to resume with their tour programmes once quarantine restrictions and travel warnings to the UK have been lifted. Many have cancelled tour programmes up until mid-/end of July only. Some are still encouraging bookings via an incentive (discount) for travels in August, September and October.

• The North European market team remains to proactively share Scotland’s phased route to recovery with the travel trade and has received positive feedback for its informational and inspirational communication.

Social listening – Dutch speaking countriesVisitScotland is monitoring social media conversations using Brandwatch social listening tool. This gives us an understanding of discussion points, sentiment towards holidaying and view of holiday intentions. This tool does not monitor all social media conversations therefore insight should be understood as a guide or indication of main topics and trends on a subject.

• Between 22nd and 28th June, there were 525 relevant mentions about holiday intentions in the Dutch speaking countries. Online chatter decreased by 8% compared to the previous week.

• The main conversation topics focus on users planning their upcoming trips, mostly staycations, having issues with refunds for cancelled bookings and some reservations about the safety of travelling abroad.

• Online sentiment is neutral however, there is an increase in positive conversations. Positive sentiment (31%) is driven by users planning their holidays, either abroad or locally.

• Belgian and Dutch holidaymakers prefer driving as opposed to flying for safety reasons (as to avoid or reduce contact with others).

• Negative chatter (18%) is driven by travelers’ frustration with travel and flight operators regarding cancellations, refunds and having to rebook planned holidays at a higher price.

1 July 2020

• Reminder: The US Government is still advising against all international travel.• Citizens from the United States will continue to be banned from entering E.U. countries

because of COVID-19 infection rates. Citizens from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, and more, will be allowed to enter and travel freely within Europe

• All 50 US states have begun to reopen their economies however approaches vary on a state by state basis. Infection rates are increasing again for a number of states.

• Analysis by Tourism Economics shows national weekly travel spending grew by 5% to $10.6 billion last week (again marking its highest level since March), but growth is showing signs of tapering as some states slow the easing of lockdown measures.

• Reminder: MMGY Global has launched its new Travel Safety Barometer — a sentiment tracking tool created for the travel and tourism industry — to monitor American travellers’ perceptions of how safe it is to engage in specific travel behaviours as the country embarks on its reopening and recovery efforts. International travel currently holds a score of 22/100.

• Reminder: The US CARES Act directed $58 billion to US airlines out of the $2trillion economic stimulus package. Airlines must not cut pay or jobs through Sept 30 as a condition of the grants.

• The leading tour operator associations in the US, Canada, and Europe have collaborated on a set of health and sanitization guidelines specifically for their tour operator members called TOURCARE Guidelines for Tour Operators. The guidelines establish recommended procedures for tour operators to provide protection for travellers against the transmission of COVID-19.

• American Airlines will resume booking its flights to capacity starting July 1st. American Airlines started limiting bookings to around 85% of a plane’s capacity in April. Although American Airlines and United Airlines will return to booking full capacity, Delta is capping seating at 60% in the main cabin and 50% in first class through September 30th, along with blocking middle seats according to news reports.

• Reminder: Major US airlines members in the industry group, Airlines for America, have announced they intend to more strictly enforce mask wearing aboard their planes, including potentially banning passengers who refuse to wear a mask.

• Increased interest from US tour operators requesting information on when Scotland will be open for business.

1 July 2020

• Update: The EU has added Canada to their list of 15 countries they are allowing visitors to travel from and within freely. However, the Canadian Government has announced the 14-day quarantine ruling for travellers entering Canada will be extended until 31 August. No update from UK Government yet.

• Reminder: PM Trudeau announced on Tues 16 June that the CA-US Border will remain closed for a further 30 days, until 21 July to all but essential travel. Those arriving in Canada must provide basic information using the ArriveCAN mobile app, an accessible web-based form or paper form and undergo screening by a border services officer or quarantine officer to assess symptoms.

• Reminder: It's estimated that Canada's R rate is currently below 1 and has been for the last 3 weeks suggesting that the public health measures in place are being effective.

• Update: Transat progressing with plans to relaunch of Toronto – Glasgow service on 25 July but being reviewed in line with border restrictions.

• Update: Canada’s four Atlantic provinces have confirmed a travel bubble that will begin on July 3;

which has been announced by the Council of Atlantic Premiers on 24 June. This means that interprovincial travel will be allowed between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Travellers will not be required to self-isolate. However, travellers from the other provinces and territories will have to abide to guidelines as outlined in each specific Maritime province. Other Canadian visitors to the Maritime provinces that have self-isolated for 14 days may travel within the Maritime region.

• Update: Canada’s two largest airlines are ending their on-board seat distancing policies starting 1 July. Air Canada earlier blocked the sale of adjacent seats in economy class, and WestJet has done the same throughout the entire plane, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, the carriers will revert to health recommendations from the United Nation’s aviation agency and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) trade group. American Airlines also announced Friday that it will start booking flights to full capacity starting next Wednesday.

• Update: In line with the above Air Canada (AC) is introducing touchless processes at airports and enhancing its inflight service and amenities. It will inform customers booked in economy if the flight they are booked on is close to capacity and will provide rebooking options for customers booked on such flights based on next available or within 3 days free of charge. The airline is reintroducing in-flight services, including meals, CleanCare+ kit, bar service & pillows and blankets wrapped and sealed. AC is also introducing touchless bag check as well as offering a virtual queue should customers need the service of a check-in handler.

• Update: WestJet announced last week it is restructuring its operations which will lead to over 3000 lay offs. The airline has implemented immediate cost-cutting measures and has yet to announce a return of its international schedule.

• Update: Travel Agency store fronts. As Canadian provinces start to ease restrictions, a number of Travel Agencies with store fronts have announced they are making plans to reopen. The Canadian Automobile Association is looking to have all 36 stores opening somewhat by 26 June. Flight Centre have drafted measures to reopen 40 stores across Canada. Transat Travel (TDC) are reopening more than 25 agencies in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, and implementing the Transat Traveller Care program. Direct Travel (formerly Vision Travel) will reopen 41 leisure travel stores by the end of the summer.

1 July 2020

• Residents of Melbourne and its suburbs are now back in lockdown following a spike in Covid-19 cases that are a result of community transmission. This means that earlier stay at home orders are now back in effect, residents can only leave the house for essential reasons. From 1 July all international flights will be diverted elsewhere to get the outbreak under control.

• It has raised concerns in Australia around the potential of a second wave of infections and has led to the re-introduction of some of the social distancing restrictions that had been in place. It has also delayed, in some cases, the re-opening of internal borders between states.

• Australia continues to plan for Trans-Tasman travel bubble, albeit currently not willing to commit to a timescale on this, with both countries requiring a sustained period of zero infections before quarantine free travel can be allowed.

• Globally more and more countries are targeting Australian visitors due to their Covid -safe status. The EU has included Australia on its initial list of countries that are clear to travel to the EU. However, the outbound travel ban in place in Australia only allows for essential travel, which does not include tourism.

• Middle East Carriers will start to fly direct into Scotland in July. Qatar Airways will restart their Edinburgh Flight on 1 July whilst Emirates will begin operating to between Glasgow and Dubai with reduced schedules from 15 July.

• Qantas has announced they will axe 6,000 jobs due to the pandemic, this equates to around a fifth of the airline's workforce prior to Covid-19. With the Australian government increasingly indicating that the international border would most likely remain closed until next year this has prompted Qantas to cancel all international flights except those to New Zealand.

Intermediary• Thomas Cook will launch their new travel lifestyle & booking app on 18 July in China. They

are moving from a traditional travel agent to digitising their offering and moving to an OTA format.

• Trip.com Group have acquired Dutch OTA group Travix• Caissa have taken a 21.1% share in Tuniu and appointed a representative to the Tuniu

board.

Aviation• Lufthansa has upgraded their services in China with the launch of WeChat online customer

service for Chinese customers and agents.• Virgin Atlantic will resume their Heathrow – Shanghai Pudong route from 4 August. • British Airways will restart their Beijing Daxing to LHR route from August 1st flying once per

day. • On 18 June, China Eastern Airlines introduced a “fly when you want” programme whereby

passengers can pay a flat fee of CNY3322 (GBP £380) which allows them to fly any domestic routes at the weekend an unlimited number of times until 31st December 2020. The airline sold more than 100,000 packages in 24 hours causing the airline’s app to crash.

1 July 2020

Over the last 7 days there has been ~334k site visitors, a rise of 28% over the preceding 7 days. This also represents a rise of 27% compared with the average of the preceding 4 week, so traffic levels appear to be increasing. However, compared year on year, the past 7 days are down -42% on the same time period last year.

1 July 2020

The past week saw sustained engagement on Facebook, with the Coos day post in Stirling gaining the most reach and engagement. The overall average for the week was brought down by the Sketching Scotland content which went out as part of a test and learn on the channel, and achieved only 30% of the engagement of our top performing post of the week.

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England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

1 July 2020

As restrictions ease and we move towards the domestic recovery phase of our Covid-19 response, we launched our approach and media strategy last week. To complement this, we have fully updated our marketing activity pages on VisitScotland.org, where we will continue to update information about our planned activity.

Revised sections are as follows:• Marketing: Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)• Our marketing activity - Respond, Reset and Restart – activity that has taken place across teams,

with links to the PDFs• Domestic recovery• International recovery – this page will be added to as we finalise international activity• Your digital to-do – a round-up of tips for businesses preparing to reopen

1 July 2020

VisitScotland has published this report in good faith to update stakeholders on its activity. VisitScotland has taken all reasonable steps to confirm the information contained in the publication is correct. However, VisitScotland does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy of any information disclosed and accepts no responsibility for any error or omissions.Images: © VisitScotland

VisitScotlandOcean Point One94 Ocean DriveEdinburghEH6 6JHT: 0131 472 2222business.communications@visitscotland.comwww.visitscotland.org

VisitScotland.org | Visit our dedicated advice page for up to date information and advice on Coronavirus (COVID-19) for tourism businesses, including:

- Latest COVID-19 information and resources- Tourism industry FAQs- VisitScotland's response to COVID-19

Dedicated tourism industry advice | Our experienced team of Industry Relationship Managers can be reached at business.advice@visitscotland.com to help with any questions you have about business operations or marketing at this time.

Financial support advice | 0300 303 0660 | Contact the dedicated Scottish Enterprise business support line. Open Monday - Friday between 8.30am and 5.30pm or go to findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/coronavirus-advice

Industry newsletter | Stay up to date with the latest regional and national news by signing up to VisitScotland's Tourism Insider newsletter at visitscotland.org/news

Social media | Stay in touch with the latest from VisitScotland on Linkedin or Twitter

• Contact business advice team: business.advice@visitscotland.com

• Travel trade enquiries: traveltrade@visitscotland.com

• Sharing virtual tours or web cams: content@visitscotland.com

• Information on new experiences you’re developing: marketing@visitscotland.com

• Advice regarding insights: research@visitscotland.com