Ryanair Boeing 737 Diverts To Paris After Engine Failure

A Ryanair Boeing 737 has been forced to divert and perform an unplanned landing at Paris-Beauvais Airport.

The aircraft apparently experienced problems with its right hand engine and had to shut down in order to continue flying. No one was injured.

This 737-800 was a third generation aircraft and not the troubled fourth generation MAX from Boeing.

Ryanair flight FR7411 was en route from Faro Airport in Portugal, one of Ryanair’s hub airports to Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands when the pilot noticed something wrong.

The flight deck noticed that the oil pressure in their right-hand engine had dropped to dangerous levels. Whilst above Paris at the time, they decided to shut down the aircraft and divert to a closer airport.

They deemed the situation to not be dire though only operating on one engine and landed 43 minutes after starting their descent at the closest airport, Paris Beauvais.

After landing and given the all clear, passengers and crew were disembarked. Passengers flew on a replacement plane that soon arrived, and engineers have scoured the plane looking for the cause of the malfunction.

Fortunately, there were no injuries in this incident.

Some aviationists have questioned why the aircraft landed at Paris Beauvais, when the original destination, Eindhoven Airport, was equally far away 45 minutes.

Ryanair has been blamed for not reporting the situation to passengers until they had landed, causing undue panic.


Tourism Observer

BELGIUM: Ryanair Cabin Crew Union Reject Airline's Offer, Swear To Go On Strike As Planned

Ryanair Belgium cabin crew have rejected an offer from the Irish airline in regards to their recent complaints of local contracts. Strike action is still to go ahead later this month.

Ryanair cabin crew union CNE in Belgium have rejected the offer from the airline.

The airline offered to follow the employment law in Belgium until 2020 for any employees contracted.

This addresses one of the key concerns regarding the current policy which employs staff members according to Irish law, not contracted in their own country.

Ryanair has not yet issued an updated statement in regards to the recent claims.

They claim that the offer would only be good for half of the workers involved.

CNE union spokesman Yves Lambot told Irish Times: “It’s a deception on the part of Ryanair.”

If it goes ahead, the 24-hour walkout is to take place on 28 September.

Cabin crew members across all of Europe are expected to strike later this month in regards to complaints put forward.

Disagreements over hours and pay are some of the key issues put forward by the cabin crew unions.

Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands will also be on strike alongside Belgium on the 28 September.

They will strike once a month until their demands are met by the Irish airline.

The last cabin crew strike was the worst in Ryanair’s history, which resulted in hundreds of flights cancelled and 50,000 passengers affected.

Customers affected also reported their cheques regarding cancelled flights compensation bouncing, resulting in missed compensated fees.

Ryanair has experienced a wave of pilot strikes, mostly Irish pilots, in 2018 which lasted for many weeks.

Up to 20 flights a day were cancelled every Saturday for three months during the strikes in Ireland.

In a recent press conference, CEO Michael O’Leary warned that strike action would continue to happen to keep low fares for the airline.

He stated he would not back down against complaints: We will not be paying a 22 per cent pay increase to German pilots as we still pay more than other airlines such as Norwegian.

We want to reach agreements with our pilots but in some cases we have unions who have over promised and now can’t deliver.


Tourism Observer

ST MAARTEN: Winair Goes To St Maarten

Regional carrier Winair has announced the launch of several additional services from Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) in St Maarten.

First, the successful launch of the CN-Express, a flight operated by Winair in partnership with the Netherlands to connect St Maarten, St Eustatius and Bonaire.

This flight was made a reality through partnership between Winair and the Netherlands.

These flights will operate Mondays and Fridays connecting St Maarten, St Eustatius and Bonaire with direct air service, which will prove to be beneficial for tourism, business development and the employees of RCN.

Winair also relaunched services to Curacao, Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince utilizing the ATR-500/600 state of the art aircraft.

Winair will offer daily direct service to Curacao, five direct flights per week to Santo Domingo and two direct flights per week to Port-au-Prince.

These flights will fill the current void and lack of service in these markets. Winair is reintroducing service to these important markets from its hub in St Maarten at Princess Juliana International Airport.

These flights will enhance tourism, business development and have offered employment to our people after the devastating effects of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Winair thanks their shareholders, its employees, PJIAE, the various Civil Aviation Authorities and most of all our customers by offering safe and dependable air transportation to these vital markets, said M.D. Cleaver, president and CEO of Winair.


Tourism Observer

NETHERLANDS: Pizzas Most Popular, Dutch Spend €440 Million On Food Deliveries

In the second quarter of this year, Dutch ordered a total of 440 million euros worth of meal deliveries.

Pizza is the most popular delivered food, followed by grill dishes, fast food and sushi.

On average, Dutch spend 11.40 per person per order.

Sushi and other Japanese dishes are most expensive, at 17.96 euros per meal.

Ordering a pizza for delivery costs an average of 9.57 euros per person.

The meal delivery sector in the Netherlands is growing explosively, partly thanks to the growing economy.

Revenues for this year are expected to reach between 1.3 billion and 1.4 billion euros. And ABN Amro expects that the industry will grow by 20 percent next year.

Thuisbezorgd is the biggest player in the Netherlands' meal delivery market.

A massive 420 million euros in meals were ordered from their site last year.

Competitors like Deliveroo and Foodora are much smaller, and also face stiff competition from restaurant chains like Domino's and New York Pizza which offer their own delivery options, according to the bank.

The vast majority of delivered meals are still ordered over the phone. Only 35 percent of orders were made online.



Tourism Observer

NETHERLANDS: Court Bans Smoking In Restaurants And Bars

Restaurants, bars and cafes in the Netherlands may no longer have smoking areas.

A court in The Hague ruled on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by non-smokers association Clean Air Nederland (CAN).

The Netherlands banned smoking in restaurants and the like in 2008, but added an exception for specially designated smoking areas that must comply to certain rules.

The court now ruled that this exception for smoking rooms is contrary to the World Health Organization's rules on combating tobacco use.

The ruling is a hard blow for the catering industry, which used smoking rooms to still attract smokers to their cafe or restaurant.

CAN is satisfied with the ruling, chairman Tom Voeten said, according to the broadcaster.

He points out that the entire catering industry in the Netherlands is now smoke-free.

Smoking is still allowed on terraces, which are considered public spaces.



Tourism Observer

RAAF’s Major Multinational Large-Force Employment Exercise Begins

RAAF’s major multinational large-force employment exercise, Pitch Black, is under way.

Up to 115 aircraft and 2,500 personnel from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and the US are participating in the three-week long Exercise Pitch Black 2016, which officially began on July 29 and continues through to August 19. Flying operations began on Monday with aircraft operating out of RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal in the Northern Territory to utilise the Northern Territory’s vast Delamere Range Facility and Bradshaw Field Training Area.

Major exercises such as Pitch Black are essential in ensuring Air Force remains ready to respond whenever the Australian Government requires Air Commodore Christopher Sawade, Head of Special Events, said.

Fast jets participating in Pitch Black include Thai and Indonesian F-16As, Singaporean F-15SGs and F-16Ds and RAAF Hornets and Super Hornets. Transport aircraft include Canadian and USMC KC-130 Hercules tankers, a Royal Thai Air Force C-130H Hercules and a New Caledonian-based French air force CN-235, as well the RAAF’s KC-30A tanker transport.

The general public can get a taste of Pitch Black with an aircraft handling display over Darwin’s Mindil Beach on Thursday August 11 and an open day at RAAF Base Darwin on Saturday August 13. There is also a publicly accessible viewing area located off Amy Johnson Avenue on the eastern side of RAAF Base Darwin.

UNITED KINGDOM: UK Must Stay In Europe To Protect Brighton's £750 Million Tourism Industry

THE boss of Brighton's i360 viewing tower has come out in support of remaining in the EU.

Chief executive Eleanor Harris claimed leaving would cause huge damage to the city’s tourism industry as she firmly nailed her colours to the Remain mast in warning that Brexit would leave many potential EU visitors less inclined to visit the city.

Ms Harris said: “As an organisation which has been marketing the i360 and Brighton and Hove to international travel buyers, I am a strong advocate of remaining in the EU.

“The EU is by far our most important market.

"Two thirds of all of our international visitors in the UK and Brighton and Hove are from the EU and our most important markets are Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain."

Ms Harris said that during her 20 years’ experience in the industry, which has seen her work for the London Eye and British Airways, she had seen the huge benefits of EU membership for UK tourism.

She said EU membership had brought many benefits to British tourism including the ability to travel without a visa while the open skies agreement had made it both cheaper to fly to Europe but also made it cheaper for Europeans to fly to the UK.

The i360 boss said Brighton and Hove particularly benefited because of its proximity to Gatwick.

She also pointed to a recent survey of 6,000 international travel buyers by online travel website Travelzoo which found that one third said a Brexit vote would make them less likely to visit the UK as they would feel less welcome.

A Liberal Democrat published report released earlier in the campaign claimed that leaving the EU would harm the city’s £750 million tourism economy and the more than 19,000 jobs it supports.

The report’s authors warned that Brexit could result in higher flight costs and higher mobile data roaming charges putting off some of the 8.5 million annual visitors to the city.

Brighton and Hove City Councillor Tom Bewick dismissed the concerns about Brexit’s impact on the city’s tourism sector and said the claims were just the latest example of Remain scaremongering.

Cllr Bewick said: “This is just another example of Project Fear.

“Travel is a global industry and the price of flights is more affected by changes in the price of oil than the EU or the threat of Brexit, I don’t accept that our tourism industry would be affected.

“In fact our tourism industry has been hampered in recent years because Chinese and Indian visitors find it very difficult to come to Britain and prefer to visit Schengen countries on a single visa.

“It was EU law that the Channel Tunnel operators tried to use to close down the Newhaven to Dieppe ferry service.”

UNITED KINGDOM; Secret Escapes Announces More Global Expansion

Secret Escapes, the London-based flash sales site for affordable luxury travel, has expanded into Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The move follows a $60 million investment in 2015, led by Google Ventures and Octopus Ventures, and forms part of the company's ongoing international expansion plan.

In the last 12 months, Secret Escapes has begun operating in additional markets in Europe (The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Italy), and is planning further openings later in 2016. In addition, it will continue to grow its operations in North America.

Since launching in 2011, Secret Escapes - which offers its members exclusive deals on hand-picked hotels and holidays at up to 70% off - has established itself as a major player in the travel scene, reporting an average year-on-year growth of 230% and securing over $650 million cumulative global turnover.

Its membership base has grown from four million in January 2014 to over 28 million members worldwide and has now sold over 3.6 million room nights across the world.

Chief executive Alex Saint said: "Last year's $60 million cash injection is helping us to realise our ambition to become a truly global brand, enabling us to open up opportunities in Asia, continue our expansion throughout Europe and capitalise on our good start in the US.

"We want to be the number one destination for customers looking to book affordable luxury holidays, and it seems pretty clear to us that there is a strong desire for our kind of product in Asia."

INDIA: European Tourists Rise In Kerala

Tourist arrivals from Europe have registered a remarkable 4.8 per cent increase in 'God's Own Country' Kerala during the year till October despite the Eurozone recovery losing steam.

A total of 4,20,247 European travellers arrived in the state between January and October this year as against 4,01,063 during the whole of last year amid many West European countries struggling to protect their economies in the aftermath of the Greek debt crisis and the downturn in China, an official release said today.

"Europe remains the number one traditional market for Kerala while we have been able to create strong markets in several countries abroad along with finding new ones," state Tourism Minister AP Anilkumar said in the release.

"This is evident from the fact that more number of tourists from European countries have visited our state so far this year compared to last year in spite of their economies encountering hurdles in a full recovery," he said.

More tourists continued to arrive in Kerala last year even from countries like Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany, whose less than expected economic growth is worrying financial analysts.

"The tourism industry in our state, which has been built over the last many decades by the strong commitment of the governments, the participation of the common people and the lasting will of the private sector, will always strive harder to achieve higher growth," the Minister said.

The marketing campaign by Kerala Tourism over the years to create a spread of strong markets while continuing to explore new markets has significantly contributed to the situation where there was no over dependence on any particular country.

As per the statistics pertaining to this year, arrivals from Europe showed an overall increase across the continent with United Kingdom, the state's number one market, accounting for 1,25,795 tourists this year as against 1,19,605 in the whole of last year, it said.

The number of tourists who visited the state from France and Germany stood at 75,216 and 61,962 respectively till October compared to 73,368 and 59,225 last year.

From Italy, one of the countries affected by sluggish economic recovery, 20,489 tourists have visited the state up to October against 19,740 last year. Even from countries like Spain, severely affected by the financial meltdown, the number of visitors to the state so far this year has been more than last year's, at 9,912 compared to 9,411 in 2014, the release said.

Traditional attractions like ayurveda and the backwaters have remained popular among foreign tourists, especially those from Europe, while new tourism products like Village Life Experience have been attracting more and more visitors to the state.

The marketing campaigns by Kerala Tourism in countries like Belgium besides the UK and Germany, are expected to be significant in boosting foreign tourist arrivals from Europe in the coming years, the release added.

NETHERLANDS: Tourism In The Netherlands Surges – 40% Increase in 15 years

The number of tourists and business travellers visiting the Netherlands has soared by 40% over the past 15 years, the tourism board NBTC said on Thursday.

The 14 million visitors last year spent a total €10.2bn on their visits, of which €2.1bn went on food and drink and €1bn on souvenirs and clothes.

The figures are included in a new report which will be presented to economic affairs minister Henk Kamp. The NBTC expects the total number of visitors to reach 16 million in the next five years. Of last year’s 14 million, 9.6 million were tourists.

Despite the popularity of the Netherlands, more than half the foreign visitors spent fewer than three nights. Amsterdam was the most popular location, with five million visitors.

Other city and beach trips were also on the up. The NBTC is now trying to increase the interest in less well-known parts of the country. ‘That will help us ensure the Netherlands continues to profit from the growth in tourism,’ director Jos Vranken said.

FINLAND: Tourism In Finland

FINNISH TOURISM YEAR 2014

In 2014, the number of nights spent at accommodation establishments in Finland totalled close on 19.8 million, which was 2.3 % down on the year before. Overnight stays by resident tourists decreased by 2.1 % and accommodation establishments recorded nearly 14.1 million of them. Overnight stays by foreign tourists numbered almost 5.7 million, which was 2.8 % less than in 2013. The largest markets for overnight stays were the neighbouring countries of Russia and Sweden, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom.
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Please visit our Statistics Service Rudolf to download accommodation statistics monthly and annually.
FOREIGN OVERNIGHTS IN 2014 BY COUNTRY, ACCORDING TO ACCOMMODATION STATISTICS

Russia 1.3 million
Sweden 534,000
Germany 498,000
United Kingdom 446,000
France 215,000
USA 203,000
Estonia 198,000
Japan 191,000
Norway 179,000
Netherlands 159,000

The structure of tourism from all main markets each has their own characteristics related to travel season, area and preferred activities.

Southern Finland and the archipelago are the number one area for most tourists (59% of overnights). The Lakeland area has become increasingly attractive over the years (21% of overnights). Finnish Lapland has maintained its popularity (20% of overnights).

Source: Statistics Service Rudolf, Statistics Finland
7.6 MILLION FOREIGN VISITORS IN 2014

According to Visit Finland Visitor Survey, Finland received 7.6 million foreign visitors in 2014. They brought €2.5 billion to Finland.

Source: Visit Finland Visitor Survey 2014
TOURISM’S SIGNIFICANCE TO FINLAND’S NATIONAL ECONOMY

In 2013, a total of €14.4 billion was spent on tourism in Finland. This includes the consumption expenditure of Finnish and foreign tourists. Foreign travellers accounted for 31% (EUR4.4bn) of total tourism consumption.
TOURISM’S SHARE OF GDP

In 2013, the value added generated by tourism amounted to €4.3 bn, i.e. 2.5% of Finland’s GDP. This was larger than the food industry and almost twice as high as agriculture.
EMPLOYMENT IMPACT OF TOURISM

Total employment in the tourism sector was 140,000 people in 2013.
OUTBOUND TRAVEL

Finnish residents’ favourite destination countries for leisure trips with overnight stay in 2014

Estonia 1,325,000

Sweden 768,000

Spain 756,000

Italy 265,000

Germany 256,000

Russia 237,000

Turkey 211,000

Greece 203,000

United Kingdom 203,000

France 164,000

Source: Finnish Travel 2014, Statistics Finland