Crystal has announced the closure of its Australian office in Sydney during the current “challenging time” facing the industry.

Research reveals tumultuous times for the international travel industry may offer a beacon of hope for Australia’s beleaguered bushfire affected communities, with domestic regional travel a top choice when Aussies can travel again. According to data from a new report by MyTravelResearch.com and research platform, Glow, more than half (53%) of Australians’ future travel plans were influenced by the bushfire recovery initiatives, proving recent initiatives were succeeding prior to the current coronavirus pandemic.

Responding quickly to the current pandemic and daily changing regulations around port access in the Asia Pacific region, Coral Expeditions has brought back its four ships to its Cairns homeport.

United Airlines has introduced a series of changes to assist customers and MileagePlus members, including extending members current MileagePlus Premier status through January 2022. At a minimum, all MileagePlus Premier members will retain the status they earned for 2020, through January 2022*. In addition, for the 2021 status year, United is reducing thresholds for Premier qualification by 50% for each status level, to make reaching an even higher status tier easier.

Viking has launched a live-streaming video experience on a new digital platform called Viking.TV.

Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell has jumped to the defence of cruise ships in Australia after an “intense focus” on the sector as the country continues to “grapple with the impact of COVID-19 and fights to slow the spread of illness”.

Merlin Entertainments has postponed the opening of the new LEGOLAND New York Resort until next year. The family attraction was preparing for a launch on 4 July 2020.

Organisers of Expo 2020 Dubai have requested to have the event postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Scheduled to start in just over 200 days, Expo 2020 says due to the current “global situation” gripping the world, “it is clear that this is not the right time” to host the event.

Celebrity Cruises has taken delivery of its second Edge series ship, Celebrity Apex, in what is believed to be the first virtual delivery of a cruise ship.

Swiss apartment/hotel operator Le Bijou has introduced a new “COVID-19 Service” for guests that offers not only a quarantined sanctuary but the option for in-room coronavirus testing by an expert.

New research by the World Travel & Tourism Council suggests that up to 75 million jobs are at immediate risk in the travel and tourism sector due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dream Cruises has pulled the deployment of Explorer Dream in Oceania waters for the upcoming summer, between October 2020 and February 2021. The cruise line cited “ongoing concerns” surrounding the coronavirus pandemic for the decision to withdraw its upcoming Australia and New Zealand season.