News in brief
News in brief:
Virgin Galactic lost US$73 million in the three months to the end of December 2019, but it has seen interest in its first commercial space flights grow, achieving 7,957 registrations of interest and more than 600 firm reservations from customers from 60 countries.
Radisson Hotel Group has pledged to introduce bulk amenity dispensers in all its hotels by 2022, replacing small bottles for bathroom products. This will remove 57 million miniature amenities from circulation, avoiding 500 tons of plastic waste every year. In addition, will get rid of plastic straws and plastic stirrers from its hotels by next year.
Singing legend Lulu will appear live on stage at Warner Leisure Hotels’ Studley Castle on September 18 when she will perform classic hits such as her 1967 number one To Sir With Love, 1969s, Oh Me Oh May and the 1974 Bond theme The Man with the Golden Gun. Three-night weekend Star Break packages are on sale now.
Business travel platform TripActions has raised a debt facility of up to $500 million to launch its travel payments platform, TripActions Liquid, which provides companies with a virtual card for up-front purchases such as hotel and flight bookings plus a Visa credit card that employees can use when abroad.TripActions Liquid delivers real-time visibility and reporting of travel spend, making it a quick and live process rather than employees having to submit credit card receipts when they return from trips, it said.
Staff employed by Manchester Airport-based Premiere Handling, which collapsed last year, have secured a new trade union recognition deal with their new employer Stobart Aviation Services, which took over providing services to a number of airlines including SAS, Norwegian Airlines and Pakistan International. Stobart has agreed that all staff, including supervisors, will be represented by Unite.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025