Tag: holidays

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Health

How one can Rejoice the Spring Holidays Safely With Your Household

How to Celebrate the Spring Holidays Safely With Your Family

Suppose there are two healthy families of four. If the children are not vaccinated in any household but all the adults are vaccinated, you can consider inviting people out while the windows are open and everyone is wearing masks, said Dr. Asaf Bitton, a family doctor who runs a public health research laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. If the children were not vaccinated in any household and only a group of adults were vaccinated, he and other experts said meeting outdoors with masks and distancing would be safest.

You may also be wondering if your unvaccinated kids can finally get a hug and kiss from their healthy, vaccinated grandma. Experts differed on this issue. But in general, a hug or kiss is probably okay if everyone is healthy and you want to take some risk.

“The likelihood that my child will transmit a virus that will cause serious illnesses to my vaccinated parents is very, very small,” said Dr. Barocas.

It is also unlikely that a vaccinated adult will transmit the virus to a child. However, the experts advised doing what feels right for you and your family.

“I think anyone attending this visit needs to understand that we are balancing risks and benefits,” said Dr. Adam Ratner, director of the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at NYU Langone’s Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital. But, he added, when the grandparents are vaccinated, “I hug and kiss.”

Jennifer Rogers, 46, a Philadelphia lawyer, said her husband and two children, 8 and 11, will celebrate Easter by visiting their parents’ home for several hours. You are planning an outdoor Easter egg hunt and you hit a piñata shaped like a coronavirus. But the children to whom Mrs. Rogers’ sister and her sister’s son will come will all wear masks. Ms. Rogers and her husband are both vaccinated, but they plan to wear masks as well, as their family will recently have returned from a vacation in Florida.

“It still feels like a loss, like it’s not the same as it used to be,” said Ms. Rogers, whose family usually stays with their parents during the holidays.

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Business

Airways altering enterprise to reply post-pandemic demand for holidays

Airlines changing business to answer post-pandemic demand for holidays

A picture taken on February 28, 2021 shows palm trees on the empty “Promenade des Anglais” in Nice on the French Riviera.

VALERY HACHE | AFP | Getty Images

LONDON – Airlines in Europe see sunshine and beaches as their way to make money again.

The sector has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic and people have been advised to stay home. Lufthansa announced on Thursday that the number of passengers had decreased by 75% between 2019 and 2020. This underscores the devastating impact many airlines have had since the Covid hit.

However, they are currently examining ways to adjust business models as economies seek to reopen in the coming months.

“European airlines will focus on vacation travel,” Adrian Yanoshik, a stock analyst at Berenberg, told CNBC on Wednesday. “This is a tactical answer. You follow the flow of people,” he said.

Given the easing of restrictions in European economies, people are expected to try to go on vacation as soon as possible after about a year at home. In contrast, it takes longer for business trips to recover.

I think we’ll see a little less business travel and more vacation travel.

Rickard Gustafson

CEO of Scandinavian Airlines

“Will I be making the one-day trip from London to New York for a three-hour meeting? Probably not, so this will have some impact on business travel,” Keith Barr, CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts, told CNBC’s “Squawk” Box Europe “last Month.

Rickard Gustafson, CEO of Scandinavian Airlines, also expects “some significant changes in the dynamics of the (airline) market”.

“I think we’ll see a little less business travel and more vacation travel,” he told CNBC. “We have to adapt our operations more to the seasonality than we do today,” he added.

Low-cost airlines like Ryanair and easyJet have always tempted customers to take breaks in sunny European destinations like Greece, Spain and Italy. However, more airlines such as Lufthansa and British Airways, which traditionally cater to those who travel for work, could do the same.

“Business travel will be above 2019 levels by the end of the decade,” Stephen Furlong, senior analyst at wealth management firm Davy, told CNBC on the phone, adding that vacation travel, on the other hand, could snap back “very quickly”.

Another mix of cabins

Business travel has led airlines to develop business class, premium seats and loyalty cards. However, as part of a new focus on leisure, analysts expect a different aircraft layout.

“You will get a cabin reconfiguration,” said Furlong, mentioning that business class will be a much smaller part of the aircraft. “The size of the plane is (also) smaller,” he added.

When you consider how low-cost airlines have traditionally organized their aircraft, the focus is far less on premium customers. In fact, for example, Ryanair does not have a frequent flyer loyalty card.

People sit on the “Castel” beach along the “Promenade des Anglais” on the French Riviera in Nice, southern France.

VALERY HACHE | AFP | Getty Images

“This is probably a temporary phenomenon. You will focus on business (travel) again,” said Yanoshik from Berenberg.

However, as more airlines focus on vacation travel in the short to medium term, he added that ticket prices “will be weak”.

Vaccination records

European airlines hope vaccine passports will be used to restore lost businesses this year.

The idea of ​​a vaccination pass is still debated by European politicians, but the travel industry sees it as a must that some trips can return during this summer season.

“IATA is pushing extremely hard within the industry,” Andrew Lobbenberg, equity analyst at HSBC, told CNBC.

The International Air Transport Association is currently working on a passport, a digital platform where passengers can upload their health information. She has asked the EU heads of state and government to introduce vaccination records so that customers can feel safe again.

Vaccination records “will be part of the reopening of air traffic,” said Lobbenberg.

Categories
Business

Lululemon sees earnings at prime finish of outlook because of holidays

Lululemon sees earnings at top end of outlook thanks to holidays

Pedestrians seen walking past the Canadian sportswear retailer Lululemon in Shanghai.

Alex Tai | SOPA pictures | LightRocket | Getty Images

Lululemon said Monday that fourth quarter earnings and sales will now be at the high end of the previous outlook thanks to the strong performance during the vacation.

Ahead of virtual meetings with analysts and investors this week at the annual ICR conference, the company called for adjusted earnings per share growth at the high end of its previously announced mid-single-digit growth expectations. Net sales for the quarter ended Jan. 31 are expected to grow at the high end of its expectations for medium to high teens, it said in a statement.

Lululemon stock was down more than 2% on the Monday before trading. The stock is up more than 54% in the past 12 months.

“We are pleased with the momentum during the vacation because our investments in Lululemon and Mirror have enabled us to connect with guests both physically and digitally,” said CEO Calvin McDonald in a statement.

In December, Lululemon posted third-quarter sales of $ 1.1 billion, up 22% year over year.

Lululemon has not given an outlook for the full year due to the ongoing effects of the Covid pandemic.

Read the full version of Lululemon.

Categories
Business

Individuals keep ‘residence for the vacations’ — or follow automobiles if touring

Americans stay 'home for the holidays' — or stick to cars if traveling

For many Americans, the classic Christmas carol “I’ll be home for Christmas” will literally describe their plans for this holiday weekend as most choose to celebrate on the spot amid the ongoing pandemic.

Only about a quarter of people across the country will travel for Christmas and New Years, compared with about a third last year, and most of them will be more likely to drive than fly or take the train, industry sources say.

AAA predicts that by January 3, at least 29% fewer trips will be made than in the same period last year. While up to 84.5 million Americans are choosing to travel despite the current surge in Covid, that is at least 34 million fewer than in 2019, the organization said. By comparison, AAA estimates Thanksgiving trips have decreased by up to 15% in the last month.

“During the year-end vacation, Americans often venture into longer, more lavish vacations,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president at AAA Travel, in a statement. “That won’t be the case this year.”

More from Personal Finance:
Vacation trips are delayed, but last minute bookings might help
The promise of a vaccine can encourage travel, but some changes will last
According to the survey, men take more risks than women when traveling

Twidale cited public health concerns, official government guidelines against travel and a general decline in consumer sentiment as factors driving many to stay home. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that travel could increase your chances of getting and spreading Covid-19 on their website.)

Consumer finance website ValuePenguin found that only 23% of 1,000 Americans polled planned to travel this coming weekend, compared to 32% who said they were traveling for Thanksgiving.

Vacation property management software company Guesty reported in mid-December that bookings for accommodations for both Christmas and New Year’s Eve were still 15% down on 2019. (However, Guesty officials were optimistic that reservation rates could potentially close the gap by the end of the year, or at least land close.)

Americans who choose to travel in the next two weeks will likely do so by car. Road travel will account for 96% of vacation travel, according to the AAA, with 81 million Americans reaching the country’s highways. That would represent a year-over-year decrease of at least 25% – despite a shift towards cars and away from buses, planes and trains.

According to the AAA, car journeys will replace other travel modes thanks to “the flexibility, safety and convenience that car travel offers”. However, ValuePenguin found in its survey that 7% of those who travel during the December vacation will actually fly, up from the 3% who planned to do so for Thanksgiving. This may be due to cheaper airfares: AAA reports double-digit drops in average airfares.

Drivers will also save money on refilling their tanks this year. Gasoline prices are 33 cents per gallon cheaper than in 2019. However, some of these savings will burn off in traffic. AAA warns road drivers of around 20% more congestion on the country’s highways and secondary roads.

Where intrepid travelers go

Imgorthand | E + | Getty Images

Traveling but not staying with friends or family? You may find some savings in housing in your stocking. Guesty found that the average nightly rate for New Year’s reservations had gone down that month and was the same as in 2019. This is likely because hosts are lowering prices to encourage bookings as they are generally reluctant to travel.

And where are die-hard vacationers for Christmas and New Years? Amadeus Global Reservation System has determined that the top five US travel destinations with hotel occupancy rates of 50% or more are:

  1. Vail, Colorado
  2. Key West, Florida
  3. Sedona, Arizona
  4. Aspen, Colorado
  5. Fort Myers, Florida