In travel news for May 23, 2022 we have good news from Royal Caribbean, a travel update from Barbados, and a “visitor tax” update from Venice.
Good News from Royal Caribbean
There is no better evidence that the Cruise industry has returned then to see an entire fleet of a cruise line back in service. Royal Caribbean is the most recent cruise line to achieve this with all 26 of their ships having returned to service. This is the first time Royal Caribbean International has had all it’s ships in use since March of 2020.
Barbados Relaxes Entry Restrictions
Barbados is making travel easier for fully vaccinated travelers. Starting May 25 the country will drop the pre-departure testing requirement for all fully vaccinated travelers, unvaccinated travelers will still be required to provide a negative COVID test before boarding their flight. All travelers are still required to fill out a travel form 24 hours before departing. They will do this through the BMISafe app. Vaccinated travelers will need to include proof of vaccination though the same app.
Venice Delays "Visitor Tax"
Venice has been working on implementing a booking system for years to better manage the number of day trippers into the city. The new system, along with the associated fee, was supposed to go live in June, but at the last minute the Venice has announced that they will be postponing the system and fee until early 2023. Once launched the system will require travelers entering the city for only the day to register online in advance and pay a fee of 3 euro during the off season, and 10 euro during the travel season. The fee will not be required for travelers staying in Venice. There is no word yet on why the launch has been pushed back.