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The airline has announced that from 1 September it will award tier points on every flight, including redemption bookings; passengers will receive the same number of points as they would when booking using cash, making it easier to progress to Gold and Silver status.

Marriott International has announced that, in an effort to boost event, meetings and groups bookings and assure customer confidence post-COVID-19, eligible bookings made for events held by 31 March 2021 will receive triple Marriott Bonvoy points. In addition, customers will receive 5% off master-billed group rooms, one complimentary delegate or room in every 10 paid delegates or rooms for groups between 10-100 people, and a signing bonus of 5,000 points at participating hotels across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

It has been reported that a note from the Italian embassy in Tirana has confirmed that travel for tourism between Italy and Albania has been banned, in a further effort by European states to avoid imported cases of COVID-19. Trips between the two countries will still be allowed for specific reasons, such as work, health and for those who have to return to their place of residency.

The country's government has announced that it will tighten border crossing rules from 1 September to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the number of new infections is rising in neighbouring countries. Under current regulations, those returning from countries with higher infection rates need to self-quarantine for 14 days unless they produce two negative virus tests; however Croatia, a popular holiday destination for Hungarians, is still listed as “green” despite a surge in infections, which means no special rules apply.

Active-travel company Backroads has said that it is launching a category of trips designed for first-time adventure travelers or those seeking easier options; the operator's new Dolce Tempo segment offers 29 'easygoing' itineraries of e-bike, walking and multi-adventure trips. In addition, Back-Roads has said that it is expanding its roster of weekend getaways in North America, including new itineraries in the Texas Hill Country and Whistler, British Columbia.

The UK government has announced that from 04.00 (local time) on 22 August, both arrivals and returning passengers from Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days due to the countries being removed from the UK's travel corridor exemption list. In addition, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has also advised British nationals against all but essential travel to these destinations, based on the risk currently presented due to their levels of COVID-19. Arrivals from Portugal, however, will no longer be required to self-quarantine.

The country's government is advising citizens to avoid holidaying abroad from the start of next month, and is planning to tighten restrictions, due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases in Europe. Under current regulations, those returning from countries with higher infection rates need to self-quarantine for 14 days unless they produce two negative COVID-19 test results.

The country’s government has announced that it will extend restrictions on the island of Mykonos and the coastal area of Chalkidiki in the north of Greece, from 21-31 August in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. The measures include a ban on live parties and limits on the number of people at public and private gatherings and at restaurant tables.

Slovenia's government is urging its citizens to return from Croatia by the end of this week or face an obligatory two-week quarantine, after the number of COVID-19 cases has continued to rise there. Slovenian holidaymakers already in Croatia will be able to return freely until the end of this week, while those travelling to the neighbouring country from 21 August onwards will have to go into quarantine when they come back.

The country’s government has announced that from 22 August it will impose a 10-day quarantine on all people returning or arriving from the UK, Austria, Greece and Ireland - plus anyone arriving from the Danish capital of Copenhagen. With its latest additions, Norway will be restricting travel from two dozen European countries, including France, Spain, Poland and Switzerland.

The government of Austria announced on 18 August that the country is expanding its travel warning for the Spanish mainland to also include the Balearic Islands, which includes Mallorca and Ibiza, due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the holiday destinations. The warning for the popular islands will take effect on 24 August, meaning that people arriving in Austria from that day will have to present a negative COVID-19 test or alternatively go into quarantine until they are tested.

The country's government has from 18 August significant tightened its nationwide COVID-19 response in an attempt to rein in a surge in new cases. Citizens have been urged to restrict any visitors within their homes, avoid public transport and avoid making contact with older people. Outdoor gatherings have also been restricted to 15 people from the previous limit of 200, and all crowds have been banned from sporting events.

The country's government has announced that from 1 September it will make the wearing of face masks mandatory in work places nationwide, as the country grapples with a surge in COVID-19 cases. The new rule is likely to apply to all shared spaces within offices and factories where there is more than one employee present.

The country's government has announced today, 19 August, that it will bring back restrictions for several countries which had previously been considered safe, due to rises in cases of COVID-19. Travel to Iceland, Greece, Malta, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Cyprus, San Marino and Japan for citizens will be limited to essential trips starting on 24 August, with people returning or visiting from those countries required to self-quarantine for two weeks.

The Czech government will make the wearing of face masks compulsory again from 1 September, on both public transport and in many indoor public venues, following a resurgence of COVID-19 infections within the country.

It has been announced that from 21 August, passengers travelling from the UK to China must obtain a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test result within five days of boarding; they must also submit a scanned copy of a health declaration form to their nearest Chinese embassy or consulate within the UK.

Low-cost airline easyJet has confirmed that it will close its base at London Stansted Airport from 1 September; easyJet will also close bases at the UK's Southend and Newcastle Airports. In-bound flights from Stansted and Newcastle will continue, but all flights departing and arriving in Southend will stop. The decisions have been cited as being due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government of Iceland has announced that from 19 August, arriving passengers who opt for COVID-19 testing on arrival (at their own cost) as opposed a blanket 14-day quarantine, must also be tested a second time four to five days after arrival and remain in self-isolation until the second test result is obtained.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume passenger flights to Warsaw, Poland from 4 September starting with twice-a-week services, and increasing to three-a-week from 7 October. The resumption of flights to Warsaw will expand Emirates’ current network to 75 cities in September, offering travellers in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific connections via Dubai to the Polish capital.

Indian private airline Vistara are reportedly likely to shortly begin flight operations between India and the UK, Germany and France under the bilateral air bubble arrangements that have been signed with these countries by the government of India. A three-times weekly service between Delhi and London Heathrow Airport is likely to the first new flight announced as early as next week, according to industry sources.