Coronavirus and Travel

The Center for Disease Control has retired its Covid-19 Program for Cruise Ships, effective Monday. Under the program, the CDC monitored Covid outbreaks on cruise ships. Under the program's color-coding…

Covid is still wreaking havoc on many consumers' travel plans, but some companies act like that's not the case, considering the loops they're asking travelers to go through to get a refund.

Everybody in the cruise business suffered during Covid except CEOs, it seemed. As passengers canceled or got sick, and workers got laid off, executive compensation topped 1,000 times the median worker's pay. Including tips.

Heavily-understaffed European hotel brands are now scrambling to hire workers, left with applicants with no experience or even no track record, according to Reuters.

In a quiet week for travel tech fundraising, highlights include a 3 million pound crowdfunding for a service that lets consumers rent a yacht to feel like, well, a yacht owner. Slowing venture capital returns may be a caution flag for deals later this year.

Airlines had been clamoring for the government to drop the pre-departure testing requirement for a long time, since they viewed it as a significant impediment to a complete recovery. Travelers aren't too sad about this development either.

As for future business travel hotspots in China, plenty of gems come up in a new report published this week by Trip.Biz, the corporate travel division of Trip.com. It offers agencies real insight into the minds of business travelers, as well as opportunities to grow in a country that's ready to rebound after strict lockdowns.

Americans are now saying that financial factors trump health and safety worries when it comes to travel decision-making. While some are staying home because they can't afford it, those determined to travel are finding ways to work around higher prices.

The co-working giant posted a $504 million loss for the first quarter of this year, although the figures are heading in the right direction. But has it run out of steam after setting right so many wrongs in the past?