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This week’s travel news kicks off with renewed calls by trade body International Air Transport Association (IATA) to ensure employees in the aviation industry are considered essential workers during the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

IATA highlighted the importance of aviation workers in distributing the vaccine, with IATA CEO and Director General Alexandre de Juniac saying it is “essential that we have a qualified workforce in place to ensure a functioning logistics chain”.

As the debate continues over whether to allow non-vaccinated passengers on future flights, the World Travel & Tourism Council has called for the immediate restoration of international travel without waiting for COVID-19 inoculation. The WTTC claims the vaccine “must not be a requirement to travel as this will further delay the revival of the already ailing travel and tourism sector”.

Meanwhile, a survey by CNBC found nearly half (48.6%) of senior executives from some of the world’s leading companies, including Visa and Vonage, expect business travel to return to pre-pandemic levels within the next two to three years. Just over 17% expect this to recover fully in 2021, however, 20% believe previous business travel levels will never return.

With the number of coronavirus cases fluctuating around the world, national governments have been taking action. Australia has imposed new border restrictions after 28 Sydney beachgoers tested positive for COVID-19. The Civil Aviation Administration of China will also now issue two-week route suspensions for airlines carrying five or more COVID-19 positive passengers. Bucking the trend, Thailand announced it is relaxing travel restrictions for citizens from 56 countries to help stimulate the local economy.

And finally, a filmmaker who dropped his phone from an airplane was shocked to find the device in near perfect working condition. Ernesto Galiotto dropped the iPhone 6 while filming above Peró Beach in Brazil. Miraculously, not only did the phone survive the 984 feet fall, it also recorded a video of its stunning plummet to Earth.

As this will be the last The Week in Travel of the year, we at Templemere PR would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!