November 23, 2022

Hisense’s First B2B Showroom Opens in South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Nov. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hisense, a leading global home appliance and consumer electronics brand, has announced that its first B2B (business to business) showroom opened in South Africa.

The showroom, located at Johannesburg, will serve as a center to showcase Hisense’s offerings for its B2B segment, such as commercial displays, ultrasonic medical, and smart city solutions. Hisense’s various digital display products and solutions, intelligent traffic system, medical products, as well as Laser TVs, ULED TVs and smart refrigerators will also be displayed in the showroom.

“Many people in South Africa know about Hisense from its household appliances products; however, over the past few years, Hisense has also seen rapid development in its B2B segment by continuously transforming its products and industrial chain to high-end and high technology,” said Patrick, marketing director of Hisense.

One of the core businesses of Hisense’s B2B segment, the Hisense Commercial Display, which witnessed significant growth in 2021, has brought a number of its products and solutions to the showroom, including Interactive digital boards, digital signage displays, video walls，LED Walls, and Outdoor Signage.

Visitors can also learn more about Hisense’s offerings in intelligent transportation. Having been in the field for over 20 years, Hisense now has branched out to many countries and regions around the world, including South Africa, West Africa, UAE, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Slovenia, and Serbia, to name a few. It has also contributed to numerous significant projects in the world, including an intelligent bus system in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, and a pilot project construction for intelligent transportation in Doha.

Backed by Hisense’s decades of expertise in image processing, information processing, and interaction technology, Hisense Medical has successfully built some core products such as the cutting-edge and high-resolution Hisense Ultrasound HD60. Hisense obtained the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) license for the device in January 2022.

Hisense’s continuous investment in innovation and decades of expertise accumulated in the manufacturing of household appliances and consumer electronics have allowed it to grow into not only a B2C brand, but also a global company that can provide compressive solutions to business partners worldwide in more sectors. Regarding the B2B segment as key for the company’s development, Hisense is looking forward to forming strategic partnerships with more business partners in South Africa and beyond.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1954484/image_1.jpg

November 23, 2022

Huawei signe l’engagement mondial de l’UIT dans le but d’aider 120millions de personnes vivant dans des zones reculées à se connecter au monde numérique

SHENZHEN, Chine, 23 novembre 2022/PRNewswire/ — Huawei a signé un engagement mondial en vue de rejoindre l’alliance numérique Partner2Connect de l’Union internationale des télécommunications, qui apportera la connectivité à environ 120 millions de personnes dans des zones reculées dans plus de 80 pays à l’horizon 2025.

Liang Hua, le président de Huawei, a annoncé cette décision lors du forum sur le développement durable 2022 de l’entreprise, Connectivité+: Innover pour avoir un impact. Le forum a étudié comment l’innovation en matière de TIC pouvait libérer la valeur commerciale et sociale de la connectivité et favoriser la durabilité à l’ère de l’économie numérique.

Liang Hua, Chairman of Huawei announced the company had joined ITU P2C Digital Alliance

Parmi les intervenants, citons de hauts responsables de l’UIT et des Nations unies, des ministres des télécommunications et des régulateurs du Cambodge, du Nigeria, du Bangladesh et du Pakistan, ainsi que des chefs d’entreprise, des partenaires, des experts et des clients de Chine, d’Afrique du Sud, de Belgique et d’Allemagne.

« De toute évidence, la connectivité à elle seule ne suffit pas. Il doit être abordable, le contenu doit être pertinent et dans la langue locale, et les utilisateurs doivent avoir les compétences nécessaires pour en faire le meilleur usage », a déclaré Malcolm Johnson, secrétaire général adjoint de l’UIT. « Nous remercions Huawei pour son soutien à la coalition numérique Partner2Connect (P2C) et pour ses engagements en faveur du P2C dans les domaines clés de la connectivité rurale et des compétences numériques. »

Siddharth Chatterjee, coordonnateur résident des Nations unies en Chine, a appelé à des « partenariats multipartites » afin de combler « la triste réalité » d’une fracture numérique exclut un tiers de la population mondiale.

« Notre monde dynamique a besoin de toute urgence d’une meilleure coopération numérique pour tirer parti du potentiel de transformation de la technologie, créer de nouveaux emplois, stimuler l’inclusion financière, combler l’écart entre les hommes et les femmes, construire une relance verte et redessiner notre monde pour qu’il soit plus prospère et plus inclusif », a-t-il souligné. « Il est temps d’agir maintenant ».

Dans son discours d’ouverture, le Dr Liang a souligné que l’accès à un réseau stable était une exigence et un droit fondamentaux à l’ère numérique.

« La connectivité sera plus qu’un simple outil de communication pratique, » a-t-il affirmé. « La connectivité, associée aux technologies numériques telles que le cloud et l’IA, contribuera à faire entrer tout le monde dans le monde numérique et à leur donner accès à davantage d’informations et de compétences, à de meilleurs services et à des opportunités commerciales plus larges. En retour, cela favorisera la poursuite du développement social et économique. »

Cao Ming, Président de Huawei Wireless Solution, affirme : « Huawei intègre le potentiel d’innovation technologique complet des équipements, des sites, de l’énergie, de la transmission et des antennes afin de résoudre les difficultés rencontrées lors du déploiement traditionnel des sites, telles que les coûts élevés, les transports limités, le manque d’énergie et les problèmes de maintenance. Nous avons continuellement amélioré les solutions RuralStar et RuralLink afin d’étendre la couverture de qualité aux zones reculées, permettant ainsi à un plus grand nombre de personnes, d’hôpitaux communautaires, d’écoles, de collectivités locales et de petites et moyennes entreprises de bénéficier des mêmes expériences de connectivité à haut débit que dans les villes ».

Grâce à la série RuralStar, plus de 60millions de personnes vivant dans des zones reculées dans plus de 70pays ont pu être connectées.

Au Cambodge, premier pays partenaire P2C de l’UIT, Huawei collaborera avec les services gouvernementaux par l’intermédiaire du ministère des Postes et Télécommunications et des universités dans le but d’offrir 10000 possibilités de formation aux professionnels des TIC au cours des cinq prochaines années.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1954301/image_1.jpg

November 23, 2022

Huawei signs global ITU pledge to help 120 million people in remote areas connect to the digital world

SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Huawei has signed a global commitment to join the International Telecommunication Union’s Partner2Connect digital alliance, which will bring connectivity to about 120 million people in remote areas in more than 80 countries by 2025.

Liang Hua, Chairman of Huawei, announced the decision at the company’s 2022 Sustainability Forum, Connectivity+: Innovate for Impact. The forum explored how ICT innovation could unleash the business and social value of connectivity and drive sustainability in the digital economy era.

Speakers at the event included senior leaders from the ITU and United Nations, telecom ministers and regulators in Cambodia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, and business leaders, partners, experts, and customers from China, South Africa, Belgium, and Germany.

“It is clear connectivity alone is not enough. It must be affordable, the content must be relevant and in the local language, and users must have the skills to make best use of it,” said ITU Deputy Secretary-General Malcolm Johnson. “Thank you to Huawei for their support of the Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition, and for their announced P2C pledges in the key areas of rural connectivity and digital skills.”

Siddharth Chatterjee, United Nations Resident Coordinator in China, called for “multi-stakeholder partnerships” to close “the sobering reality” of a digital divide which excluded a third of the global population.

“Our dynamic world urgently needs improved digital cooperation to capitalize on the transformational potential of technology to create new jobs, boost financial inclusion, close the gender gap, spur a green recovery and redesign our world to be more prosperous and inclusive,” he said. “Now is the time to act”.

In his keynote address, Dr Liang stressed that access to a stable network was a basic requirement and right in the digital age.

“Connectivity will be more than just a tool for convenient communications,” he said. “Together with digital technologies like cloud and AI, connectivity will help bring everyone into the digital world, and provide them with access to more information and skills, better services, and wider business opportunities. This will, in turn, drive further social and economic development.”

Cao Ming, President of Huawei Wireless Solution, said: “Huawei integrates the full-technology innovation potential of equipment, sites, energy, transmission, and antennas to address the difficulties faced by traditional site deployment, such as high costs, restricted transportation, lack of power, and maintenance challenges. We have continuously upgraded the RuralStar and RuralLink solutions to extend quality coverage to remote areas, enabling more people, community hospitals, schools, local governments, and small- and medium-sized enterprises to enjoy the same high-speed broadband connectivity experiences as those in cities”.

The RuralStar series have provided connections for more than 60 million people in remote areas in more than 70 countries.

In Cambodia, the ITU’s first P2C partner country, Huawei will work with government departments through the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and universities to provide 10,000 training opportunities for ICT professionals in the next five years.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1954301/image_1.jpg

November 23, 2022

Multimillion-dollar boost for small business as more African countries join MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme

Johannesburg, Nov. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — November 2022 – Following the success of the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme, which secured $16 million (USD) of funding for six emerging businesses last year, the programme has been expanded to eight more countries across Africa.

Many more small businesses in Africa’s technology sector now have the chance to benefit from the 2023 programme, which provides the skills and opportunities needed to attract transformative business funding.

“We’re really excited to be expanding the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme to more African countries,” said Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO, announcing the launch. “It’s part of our long-term commitment to growing and multiplying Africa’s technology potential, which is critical to our future growth.”

The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme, which kicked off during Global Entrepreneurship Week, is aimed at established start-ups and small enterprises in specific technology sectors – healthtech, agritech, fintech, edutech, the circular economy and the creative industries.

“There is such incredible business talent across Africa,” said Mawela. “MultiChoice Africa Accelerator is an opportunity for investors and small enterprise to collaborate to multiply the impact of this talent and scale it across Africa.”

Having started in South Africa in 2021, the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator is expanding to Ivory Coast, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Angola and Ethiopia. The initiative equips emerging entrepreneurs to secure funding and scale up their businesses, and also provides opportunities to pitch to international investors.

African Development Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina has previously noted that, “the private sector is Africa’s growth accelerator”, and several African nations have backed small-business development as part of their economic strategy. The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator dovetails with these development objectives.

The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme is an initiative of the MultiChoice Innovation Fund, in collaboration with Dubai-based business incubator Companies Creating Change (C3), which gives entrepreneurs access to the tools, skills and financial support to grow their business. MultiChoice has also partnered with EOH, a tech services company who will bring their expertise to the table especially in terms of tech advisory, development sprint and technical support.

The first phase of the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme sees public and private-sector partners in each country nominating businesses or entrepreneurs for the programme. From there, 29 of the start-ups embark on an intensive virtual training course. The initiative is aimed at established businesses that are already operating and looking to scale up by attracting further investment.

“Start-up founders get to learn everything from how to properly research your business sector and your market, to how to create a niche for your business,” says Boitumelo Monageng, of Swypa, one of last year’s finalists. “During the workshops we were encouraged to dig deeper and I realised that we have the potential to compete on a much larger scale.”

The virtual training course takes place over several weeks, teaching start-up owners media skills, how best to market their businesses to investors, how to create attractive business plans, and to know what investors are looking for.

Later, the entrepreneurs will come together at a finals event, where 11 start-ups will be selected for the final pitch phase. They will attend a dedicated C3 boot camp to learn how to shape their story for international investors, and to get “pitch ready” before their big presentations.

“We believe SMEs in the technology, sustainability and creative sectors will be fundamental to the next phase of Africa’s growth,” says Mawela. “The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator is geared to finding the most promising start-ups, and empowering them to play this critical role.”

Attachment

MultiChoice Africa Accelerator

Elizabeth Ferreira
MultiChoice Group Ltd
0834825241
fourie_elizabeth@yahoo.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8702451

November 23, 2022

Quantexa lance le site de la Communauté mondiale pour accélérer l’adoption et le déploiement de solutions d’intelligence décisionnelle

La Communauté facilitera l’accès direct aux experts en la matière, aux forums de discussion et aux ressources de soutien de Quantexa

LONDRES, 23 nov. 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aujourd’hui, Quantexa, un leader mondial des solutions d’intelligence décisionnelle (DI) pour les secteurs privé et public, a lancé son nouveau site de communauté mondiale en ligne. Le site doit servir de forum permettant aux membres de l’équipe, aux clients et aux partenaires de Quantexa de collaborer, de trouver des informations et de partager leurs connaissances sur la plateforme et les solutions d’intelligence décisionnelle de Quantexa.

La Communauté fournira un lieu de collaboration sur des sujets tels que les bonnes pratiques et les discussions techniques, notamment des forums de groupe avec accès à :

Des guides techniques de bonnes pratiques, exemples de réussite et contenus générés par les utilisateurs.
Des parcours de formation et de certification sur mesure élaborés par les experts en la matière de Quantexa.
Des occasions de fournir directement à Quantexa des commentaires sur les solutions et des demandes de fonctionnalités.

Laura Hutton, Cheffe du service clientèle chez Quantexa, a déclaré : « Notre objectif reste l’optimisation du retour sur investissement pour nos clients et partenaires et notre nouveau site communautaire soutient cet effort continu. Nous sommes ravis de donner aux équipes qui travaillent avec notre plateforme d’intelligence décisionnelle l’occasion d’interagir les unes avec les autres, des occasions d’apprentissage structurées et un lieu de collaboration. »

Pour demander l’accès à la Communauté de Quantexa, permettant de débloquer des fonctionnalités, des programmes et des contenus exclusifs, consultez le site https://community.quantexa.com.

À PROPOS DE QUANTEXA
Quantexa est une société mondiale de logiciels de données et d’analyse pionnière en matière d’intelligence décisionnelle contextuelle, qui permet aux organisations de prendre des décisions opérationnelles fiables en rendant les données significatives. En utilisant les dernières avancées en matière de big data et d’IA, la plateforme de Quantexa révèle les risques cachés et les nouvelles opportunités en fournissant une vue contextuelle et connectée des données internes et externes en un seul endroit. Elle résout des défis majeurs dans les domaines de la gestion des données, de la connaissance du client, de l’intelligence client, de la criminalité financière, des risques, de la fraude et de la sécurité, tout au long du cycle de vie client.

La plateforme d’intelligence décisionnelle Quantexa améliore les performances opérationnelles avec une précision de plus de 90 % et une résolution de modèle analytique 60 fois plus rapide que les approches traditionnelles. Fondée en 2016, Quantexa compte désormais plus de 500 employés et des milliers d’utilisateurs travaillant avec des milliards de transactions et de points de données à travers le monde. La société possède des bureaux à Londres, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Bruxelles, Toronto, Singapour, Melbourne et Sydney. Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter Quantexa ici ou suivez-nous sur LinkedIn.

Demandes des médias :

C : Dan Bird, Directeur, Fight or Flight
C : Stephanie Crisp, Directrice adjointe et chargée de stratégie médiatique, Fight or Flight
E : Quantexa@fightflight.co.uk

C : Adam Jaffe, Vice-président senior du marketing d’entreprise
T : +1 609 502 6889
E : adamjaffe@quantexa.com
– ou –
RapidResponse@quantexa.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000768387

November 23, 2022

Quantexa lança site de comunidade global para acelerar a adoção e implementação de Soluções de Inteligência de Decisão

A comunidade facilitará o acesso direto a especialistas de domínio da Quantexa, fóruns de discussão e a recursos de apoio

LONDRES, Nov. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A Quantexa, líder global em soluções de Inteligência de Decisão (ID) para os setores privado e público, lançou hoje o seu novo website de comunidade global. O website está configurado para servir como um pólo onde membros da equipa da Quantexa, clientes e parceiros podem colaborar, encontrar informações e partilhar conhecimentos sobre a plataforma e as soluções de Inteligência de Decisão da Quantexa.

A comunidade proporcionará um lugar de colaboração sobre diversos temas, incluindo as melhores práticas e os debates técnicos, e ainda, fóruns de grupos com acesso a:

Guias de melhores práticas técnicas, histórias de sucesso e conteúdos criados pelos utilizadores.
Formação personalizada e cadeias de certificação construídas pelos especialistas de domínio da Quantexa.
Oportunidades de fornecer opiniões sobre a solução e solicitar recursos diretamente à Quantexa.

Laura Hutton, Diretora de clientes da Quantexa, disse: “O nosso foco continua a ser o de maximizar o ROI dos nossos clientes e parceiros e o nosso novo website de comunidade apoia esse esforço contínuo. Sentimo-nos empolgados por proporcionar às equipas que trabalham com a nossa plataforma de Inteligência de Decisão uma oportunidade para interagirem entre si, oportunidades de aprendizagem estruturada e contínua, e um lugar de colaboração.”

O acesso à comunidade Quantexa pode ser solicitado em https://community.quantexa.com para desbloquear recursos, programas e conteúdos exclusivos.

SOBRE A QUANTEXA
A Quantexa é uma empresa global de software de dados e de análise pioneira em Inteligência de Decisão Contextual que capacita as organizações a tomarem decisões operacionais fiáveis, tornando os dados significativos. Ao utilizar os mais recentes avanços em megadados e IA, a plataforma da Quantexa descobre riscos ocultos e novas oportunidades, fornecendo uma visão contextual e conectada dos dados internos e externos num único lugar. Resolve os maiores desafios em toda a gestão de dados, KYC, informações do cliente, crime financeiro, risco, fraude e segurança, ao longo do ciclo de vida do cliente.

A plataforma de Inteligência de Decisão Contextual da Quantexa aumenta o desempenho operacional em mais de 90% e apresenta uma resolução de modelos analíticos 60 vezes mais rápida do que as abordagens tradicionais. Fundada em 2016, a Quantexa tem atualmente mais de 500 colaboradores e milhares de utilizadores que trabalham com milhares de milhões de transações e pontos de informação em todo o mundo. A empresa tem escritórios em Londres, Nova Iorque, Boston, Washington DC, Bruxelas, Toronto, Singapura, Melbourne e Sydney. Para mais informações, contacte a Quantexa aqui ou siga-nos no LinkedIn.

Perguntas no âmbito da comunicação social:

C: Dan Bird, Diretor, Fight or Flight
C: Stephanie Crisp, Diretora Associada e Estrategista de Comunicação, Fight or Flight
E: Quantexa@fightflight.co.uk

C: Adam Jaffe, VPS de Marketing Empresarial
T: +1 609 502 6889
E: adamjaffe@quantexa.com
– ou –
RapidResponse@quantexa.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000768387

November 23, 2022

40 Million Children Face Growing Threat of Measles, WHO Warns

More than 40 million children missed getting vaccinated against measles last year, prompting a significant setback in global efforts to eradicate the highly contagious disease worldwide, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint report Wednesday.

Vaccination campaigns were disrupted in several countries because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, dropping global measles-containing vaccine (MCV) coverage from 86% in 2019 to 81% in 2021, the lowest coverage rate since 2008.

Now, nearly all of the 40 million children who missed their first or second doses of the MCV are “dangerously susceptible to [a] growing measles threat,” the report warned.

“The paradox of the pandemic is that while vaccines against COVID-19 were developed in record time and deployed in the largest vaccination campaign in history, routine immunization programs were badly disrupted, and millions of kids missed out on lifesaving vaccinations against deadly diseases like measles,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

“The record number of children underimmunized and susceptible to measles shows the profound damage immunization systems have sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, CDC director.

Last year, about 9 million measles cases were reported around the world, with 128,000 deaths.

Over the last two decades, successful MCV campaigns have helped prevent an estimated 56 million deaths globally, according to WHO.

Ten countries in Asia and Africa – India, Somalia, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Liberia, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Congo – carry the highest numbers of measles cases and fatalities in the world.

COVID-19 restrictions have also disrupted immunization campaigns for polio, which causes irreversible paralysis. Polio has been eradicated all over the world except in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where immunization drives have seen access restrictions because of insecurity and limited public awareness.

Source: Voice Of America

November 23, 2022

Thanksgiving Travel Rush Is Back with Some New Habits

The Thanksgiving travel rush was back on this year, as people caught planes in numbers not seen in years, setting aside inflation concerns to reunite with loved ones and enjoy some normalcy after two holiday seasons marked by COVID-19 restrictions.

Changing habits around work and play, however, might spread out the crowds and reduce the usual amount of holiday travel stress. Experts say many people will start holiday trips early or return home later than normal because they will spend a few days working remotely — or at least tell the boss they’re working remotely.

The busiest travel days during Thanksgiving week are usually Tuesday, Wednesday and the Sunday after the holiday. This year, the Federal Aviation Administration expects Tuesday to be the busiest travel day with roughly 48,000 scheduled flights.

Chris Williams, of Raleigh, North Carolina, flew Tuesday morning with his wife and two kids to Atlanta, Georgia, to spend the holiday with extended family.

“Of course, it’s a stressful and expensive time to fly,” said Williams, 44, who works in finance. “But after a couple years of not getting to spend Thanksgiving with our extended family, I’d say we’re feeling thankful that the world’s gotten to a safe enough place where we can be with loved ones again.”

Although Williams said the family’s budget has been tight this year, he’s capitalized on the opportunity to teach his kids some personal finance basics. His youngest, 11, has been learning how to budget her allowance money since March and is excited to buy small gifts for her friends on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. “Probably slime,” she said, “with glitter.”

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.6 million travelers on Monday, surpassing the 2.5 million screened the Monday before Thanksgiving in 2019. The same trend occurred Sunday, marking the first year that the number of people catching planes on Thanksgiving week surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

“People are traveling on different days. Not everyone is traveling on that Wednesday night,” says Sharon Pinkerton, senior vice president at the trade group Airlines for America. “People are spreading their travel out throughout the week, which I also think will help ensure smoother operations.”

AAA predicts that 54.6 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home in the U.S. this week, a 1.5% bump over Thanksgiving last year and only 2% less than in 2019. The auto club and insurance seller say nearly 49 million of those will travel by car, and 4.5 million will fly between Wednesday and Sunday.

U.S. airlines struggled to keep up as the number of passengers surged this year.

“We did have a challenging summer,” said Pinkerton, whose group speaks for members including American, United and Delta. She said that airlines have pared their schedules and hired thousands of workers — they now have more pilots than before the pandemic. “As a result, we’re confident that the week is going to go well.”

U.S. airlines plan to operate 13% fewer flights this week than during Thanksgiving week in 2019. However, by using larger planes on average, the number of seats will drop only 2%, according to data from travel-researcher Cirium.

Airlines continue to blame flight disruptions on shortages of air traffic controllers, especially in Florida, a major holiday destination.

Controllers, who work for the Federal Aviation Administration, “get tested around the holidays. That seems to be when we have challenges,” Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle said a few days ago. “The FAA is adding another 10% to headcount, hopefully that’s enough.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has disputed such claims, saying that the vast majority of delays and cancellations are caused by the airlines themselves.

TSA expects airports to be busier than last year and probably about on par with 2019. The busiest day in TSA’s history came on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2019, when nearly 2.9 million people were screened at airport checkpoints.

Stephanie Escutia, traveling with four children, her husband and her mother, said it took the family four hours to get through checking and security at the Orlando airport early Tuesday. The family was returning to Kansas City in time for Thanksgiving after a birthday trip to Disney World.

“We were surprised at how full the park was,” said Escutia, 32. “We thought it might be down some, but it was packed.”

She welcomed the sense of normalcy and said her family would be gathering for Thanksgiving without worrying about keeping their distance this year. “Now we are back to normal and looking forward to a nice holiday,” she said.

People getting behind the wheel or boarding a plane don’t seem fazed by higher gasoline and airfare prices than last year or the widespread concern about inflation and the economy. That is already leading to predictions of strong travel over Christmas and New Year’s.

“This pent-up demand for travel is still a real thing. It doesn’t feel like it’s going away,” says Tom Hall, a vice president and longtime writer for Lonely Planet, the publisher of travel guides. “That’s keeping planes full, that’s keeping prices high.”

Source: Voice Of America