Travel is Canceled Permanently At Least As We Know It!
Global Travel Trends Provide Perspective on the Future of Travel Written by Liz Galloway, Travel & Lifestyle Contributor
The saying ‘sometimes travel doesn’t go as planned’ has taken on a whole new meaning in a COVID world. Late 2019 travel predictions no longer apply and major tourism spots have been annihilated. Never before has the world seen a global travel shut down at this level, but as we roll into summer travelers are restless and beginning to test the waters. While most travel is still on hold the grittiest of travelers are willing to be test dummies for new protocols and the complex reality of future travel. From face masks to temperature scans, travel is adapting. The outlook is fragile but resilient and many are looking at this as an opportunity for greener travel and more positivecentric communication. As someone who works in travel, I’ve seen massive changes first-hand and am mapping the way forward like everyone else. For now, here’s what in-the-know-travelers can expect. Stay-cations as New Corona-cations Travel will have a staggered rollout across the U.S. with some destinations opening before others. As individual states mediate the safest way to reopen, many are already experiencing new travel inquiries, especially those that are a stone’s throw from nature. Yellowstone
and Teton National Parks opened a limited access plan in early May and are expecting a surge in outdoor recreation. The U.S. is betting that travelers will fall in love with the road again and RV rentals are seeing a rise in bookings from previous years. According to Guesty, a vacation rental platform, 2020 domestic holiday reservations are up 38% for Thanksgiving and slightly more for Christmas. While it is difficult to know the next steps one thing for certain is people are looking to nature and the outdoors for relief and the heightened safety level is being backed by health experts. “Enjoy nature. It’s good for us, and it has a very low risk of spreading the virus.” Tom Frieden, former CDC director states. Sanitization as Amenities Positive travel campaigns are being launched around the world with some of the hardest-hit destinations getting creative in their marketing efforts. Including Japan’s offer to cover a portion of travel costs and casinos giving free flights to Las Vegas. This is a reaction of the industry to acclimate and stimulate travel but the real buzzwords will be ‘hygiene inspections’, ‘quality control’, and ‘enhanced health measures’. New sanitization certifications and criteria models are popping up on a global scale. Thailand recently launched the SHA - Safety and Health Administration Hygiene Certification to boost its tourism and large cruise lines have been some of the first to publicize their new health standards.
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Photo by Sergio Souza
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