Here are several snippets of news that could be affecting or influencing your travel plans in the coming months:
The European entry/exit system (EES) saga has taken another twist in its ever-increasing journey to start date. It has been pushed back, yet again and because of that, so has the Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for British travellers.
ETIAS won't happen until EES is in place across the Schengen region. The start date was pencilled in for November 10, 2024, but was delayed by tech issues. The new date has been put back to at least 2026.
New data has revealed that over 14.4 million UK passengers faced disruption last winter, according to AirHelp's latest data, with 27% of passengers facing flight disruptions between December 2024 and February 2025.
While the majority of delays were under three hours, 508,000 UK passengers faced longer delays triggering compensation claims. January 2025 recorded the highest cancellation rate, with 2.7% of passengers impacted.
Foreign travellers to Japan are set to be hit in the pocket as holidays become more expensive.
Japan plans to introduce a dual pricing policy for entry at major tourist attractions this summer. The two-tier system will charge higher prices for foreigners as the country aims to combat over-tourism issues.
However, no prices have been disclosed in detail, except for citing one example: Junguria Okinawa, a nature-themed park which is opening in July. Foreign tourists will be charged 8,800 yen, while locals will pay 6,930 yen.
Virgin Atlantic is on course to launch two long-haul routes. Daily routes from London Heathrow– Riyadh and London Heathrow–Toronto Pearson are planned. The former is the first to Saudi Arabia, while the latter revives Virgin's Canadian presence after a decade-long absence.
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is to launch daily flights from Oslo to New York JFK on March 30, reconnecting the Norwegian capital to New York after three decades.
Korean Air is planning new investments to enhance lounges and in-flight seats at Incheon International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport.
Korean Air will completely renovate the existing lounge at Incheon Airport's Terminal 2 and establish a new lounge in the airport expansion area. The new lounge is the Prestige Garden Lounge, which will be created in the East and West wing area, newly developed as part of the Phase 4 expansion project at Incheon Airport.
Once completed, the number of Korean Air lounges operating at Incheon will increase to six. The area will be about 2.5 times larger, and the number of seats will nearly double.
Vietnam Airlines has announced a number of international route expansions, reinforcing its global presence. The carrier is to resume the Hanoi-Moscow service after three years, introduce a new route to Beijing Daxing International Airport, and launch direct flights to Denpasar, Bali.
Sri Lanka, one of the highly recommended tourist spots to visit in 2025, is setting records. The highest number of tourists arrivals for January in history was reported, the latest data by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) shows.
The data shows 252,761 tourists visited the country in January 2025, surpassing previous records. A total of 208,253 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka in January 2024. Sri Lanka's tourism sector peaked in 2018 with 2,333,796 tourist arrivals, with 238,924 arrivals in January that year.
Swissôtel is opening Swissôtel Guangzhou, a 364-room hotel in Tianhe Intelligence Business District. The hotel is specifically designed to cater to the increasing number of tech executives and business professionals visiting the Tianhe Software Park.
With this new addition, Swissôtel now operates nine establishments. Gary Rosen, CEO of Accor Greater China, described Swissôtel Guangzhou as a significant addition to the Greater Bay Area, a region experiencing swift growth and a surge in business and leisure visitors.
Andy Probert is an independent PR writer and journalist who writes about travel experiences, airlines, airports, new tech and business. His work has appeared on the BBC, in The Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mirror, as well as many newspapers/magazines globally.
