Fuller's CEO Simon Emeny anticipates a significant boost to summer trade from the World Cup's evening kick-off times, which he believes will not cannibalize normal trading hours. The pub and hotel chain is also benefiting from a rise in domestic tourism and strong advance bookings for the tournament.
Aviation leaders gather in Rio for the Iata AGM as the industry faces high jet fuel prices (over $140/barrel) despite no current shortage in Europe, with costs impacting airlines and potential for consolidation.
Morocco is promoting tourism in Western Sahara, marketing it as its own territory. This practice raises concerns among rights groups and legal experts regarding international law and the indigenous Sahrawi people's right to self-determination, as the UN classifies Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory.
Australia's immigration detention centres face scrutiny over security failures, while US-Iran peace talks advance and Donald Trump faces Republican backlash. Other news includes a fatal shark attack, rising Australian travel to Vietnam, Russia's use of a hypersonic missile in Ukraine, and UK police investigating Prince Andrew.
Australian immigration detention centres face security failures, leading to detainee escapes and staff injuries. Meanwhile, US-Iran peace talks progress, Donald Trump faces Republican criticism, and Australian politics becomes a target for prediction market bets. The EPL concludes with Arsenal winning the title.
French police have temporarily suspended extra EU border checks at Dover port, following two-hour delays for thousands of holidaymakers. The EU's new entry-exit system (EES) has caused significant disruption.
Ryanair CFO Neil Sorahan expressed confidence in avoiding summer jet fuel shortages, despite Middle East conflict fears. However, he warned late bookings could lead to higher fares, with prices expected to be flat this summer. The airline reported record profits but suspended 2027 guidance.
Travel firms including EasyJet, Jet2 and On The Beach are offering guarantees against fuel surcharges and same-day refunds to reassure jittery summer holidaymakers. The moves come as rising oil prices driven by the US-Israel war on Iran threaten to push up jet fuel costs and potentially lead to flight cancellations, particularly if the standoff around the Strait of Hormuz intensifies.
Travel companies including EasyJet and On The Beach are offering guarantees against flight cancellations and fast refunds to reassure summer holidaymakers, as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East drive up jet fuel costs. EasyJet has pledged to run its full summer schedule with no additional fuel charges, while On The Beach promises same-day refunds for cancelled flights. The moves come as consumers book later amid uncertainty following the US-Israel war on Iran, with some European airlines already cancelling thousands of flights.
French holidaymakers are scaling back summer 2026 travel plans due to geopolitical tensions, energy crisis and inflation. Only 37% are certain they'll take holidays, down from 50% in 2025, while 71% will stay within France. Average holiday budget has dropped €150 to €1,530, with 60% planning to cut on-site spending.
Eurail, the Dutch company selling Interrail passes, suffered a data breach in December exposing personal data of over 300,000 European travelers. This week Eurail revealed that stolen data including passport numbers, names, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses and dates of birth is being offered for sale on the dark web, with a sample published on Telegram. Affected customers in the UK and Denmark are being told to cancel and replace their passports at personal expense, with UK replacement costing £102 and Danish over £200. Customers are demanding compensation under GDPR Article 82.
Firm had to repatriate almost 12,000 guests and staff, including from two cruise ships in Abu Dhabi and DohaThe Iran war has cost the travel company Tui €40m (£34.7m) so far, including repatriating almost 12,000 holidaymakers and staff, and forced it to cut its profit forecast for this year.Europe’s biggest holiday operator said that it had taken the hit in March owing to the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, as it was forced to bring home 5,000 guests from two cruise ships anchored in ports in Abu Dhabi and Doha. Continue reading...
