Richard Branson Virgin Atlantic London Stock Exchange listing before air travel demand soars - Richard Branson's airline, Virgin Atlantic, plans to be listed on the London Stock Exchange, as it bets on a rebound in air travel, Sky News reports.

Airline executives have recently been in talks with financial institutions and potential investors and the UK-based airline is likely to announce plans for an initial public offering (IPO) in the fall, according to the British television network, which cites "city sources."

If this IPO finally happens, it would be the first time people have been able to buy shares in Richard Branson's airline since its birth in 1984. It would also be the first time the British billionaire would cede control of the business.

Branson is the majority owner of Virgin Atlantic, with a 51% stake, and U.S. airline Delta Air Lines owns the remaining 49%. Unless new shares are issued through the IPO, Branson's ownership will be diluted.

Richard Branson Virgin Atlantic London Stock Exchange listing

Listing on the stock market would be a significant milestone for the airline, which has been more affected than other companies in the sector by the restrictions imposed on the fight against the coronavirus. Virgin Atlantic focuses its business on travel between the United Kingdom and the United States, which makes it dependent, and more so in times of pandemic.

Covid has crippled several industries, but airlines have been among the hardest hit as governments have taken drastic measures towards travel to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

In this sense, it has transpired that during a meeting of Virgin Atlantic with investors the focus was on its great potential to benefit from the strong demand that will be generated after the pandemic.

Richard Branson Virgin Atlantic London Stock Exchange listing

The report did not provide any potential assessment for Branson's flagship airline and Virgin Atlantic has declined to comment or any assessment on the company's potential for its hypothetical London Stock Exchange debut.

The airline has received funding of almost 190 million euros earlier this year, a sign that the airline does not need a cash injection imminently.

Branson and other top executives want the quote to move forward, as they want the airline to be open to new ways to raise money, Sky News adds.

Richard Branson Virgin Atlantic London Stock Exchange listing

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Interior tourism hangs the complete poster: Spaniards seek spaces to keep the familiar 'bubbles'

Rural tourism is fortunately being one of the least damaged by the pandemic. After a half-gas month of July, and marked by last-minute reserves, August is historic. Much better even than 2019.

The sector hangs the sign of "complete" thanks to the advance of the vaccine and the lower incidence. But also because this type of tourism, outdoors, without crowds and in the middle of nature, is becoming the favorite option of thousands of families who used to take advantage of their holidays to go to the coast.

Navarra is next to Murcia and Andalusia, the region that has the best forecast for this August. From the Federation of Associations and Tourism Organizations of Navarre explain that the month of July”has been rare". The new restrictions meant that there were many cancellations, but in turn, there were last minute bookings, which made the accommodations fill up again.

"We have worked at 75% over a prepandemia year, but August is being spectacular," they say. Last year, they suffered the absence of foreign tourism, but this “we already see some Dutch, Belgian, German. There is beginning to be movement between countries."

In the federation (which brings together more than 100 Navarran associations) they say that this August they have hung the sign of “complete” and the reason is that customers “want to be outdoors, with family and without a mask”. National tourism has managed to keep the sector alive, they recognize, and mainly its customers come from Madrid, Catalonia and Valencia.

From the platform, Escapadarural, which has more than 18,000 accommodations in Spain, explain that in the summer of 2020 they reached historical figures, with an occupation “never recorded” in the summer. The health situation, mobility restrictions and the possibility of offering a nearby and safe tourism option attracted new travelers.

The new followers gained in 2020 have continued practicing rural tourism this 2021. But they have also continued to add new rural tourists (in July 82% of users on their website were new users). ” The truth is that the figures reached this summer are better than our forecasts, " they indicate.

"We knew that it was going to be a summer where rural tourism would continue to have a presence, but we did not know how the traveler would behave with the opening of other types of tourism” (the international, the sun and beach hotel...).

With the current occupancy figures and seeing what the reserve rhythms are being, they say that this summer will again be a good summer for rural tourism, especially in autonomous communities such as Navarra, Asturias, Galicia and Andalusia, which lead the ranking.

Rural occupation in Spain already reaches 64% for August, therefore, they estimate that they will close the month with figures higher than those recorded in August 2020 (65%). For the final stretch of the year, where there are several bridges and holidays, they do not know how the occupation will be.

"One of the things that has changed with the pandemic is the tempos in accommodation reservations. The health situation, which is still unstable, makes last-minute reserves more favourable"”

Castilla y León was in 2020 the favorite destination of Spaniards for rural tourism. From the Leonese Association of Rural Tourism Entrepreneurs (Aletur), which represents a fifth of the accommodations in the community, point out that summer “is always good”, and pandemic more.

The rural houses are full because in them families or friends have no restrictions. "They have their patio, garden ... without a doubt it is the star product"” As for the rural hotels where spaces are shared, it will also be a good summer, but not like other years, he recognizes.

In July they calculate that they have had a fall of 20% compared to a prepandemia year, but by August they will be in similar figures to 2019. "In August, with pandemic and without pandemic we are always at 90%, it is a month where many families opt for the beach” they explain.

In Aletur they agree with the other associations that “there are many last minute reservations, but also many cancellations”. They also note that, at this point, in a normal year, they would already have a good part of the reservations made for the October and December bridge, however, now “people don't even ask, there is a lot of uncertainty”.

They remember that after the summer of 2020 came the second wave and have been happening until the fifth, and this has had all Spain in suspense. Another of the effects of Covid-19 on rural tourism, they comment, is that, unlike previous years, tourism is now more close.

"They used to come from Catalonia or Andalusia, but now we notice that such a long trip is avoided. Tourism is closer, Asturian, Basque or Madrid. And international tourist nothing or very little, " they conclude.