Since the virus hit this year, the travel industry changes have been drastic and damaging. In the last month, the travel industry has pretty much ceased to exist. With travel bans in place the world over preventing international travel. And the majority of people in lock-down in their homes stopping local travel too. The travel industry changes will be felt for years to come, and many travel companies will never recover.
Some people have a passion for cooking, some for beauty, some for fashion – my passion is travelling. So, I for one am very sad to see these significant travel industry changes.
I’ve had this travel blog now for five years and been travelling consistently for 10 years. Together with my husband we have been lucky enough to visit 47 incredible countries. And boy oh boy, at a time like this I am so happy that I’ve seen so much of the world. Thankfully, I don’t have too many travel regrets. Of course there is still a long list of countries on my travel bucket list. And when travel is all steam ahead again, you can bet we will be among the first on board!
If I was never able to travel again, I’d be happy with what what I’ve seen so far – would you?
How will Covid-19 affect the travel industry for 2020 and the future?
Covid-19 will be worse for the travel industry than any recession. In a recession some people still have money to travel. In a recession, countries borders aren’t closed. We are in the midst of one of the greatest pandemics in recent history.
This stall on the movement of people is primarily because people are scared. And scared people don’t travel.
Smaller businesses (small hotels, B&B’s, local travel agencies) will go under, they run on tight margins already. Some airlines may not survive – Air New Zealand and Virgin have already asked for a bailout from their Governments, many other airlines will likely follow suit.
The Cruise industry is predicted to take a massive hit, considering how badly passengers have been affected by the virus. I recently heard someone describe cruise ships as floating petri dishes, which is undeniably true.
The World Travel & Tourism Council expects that it will take up to 10 months for the industry to recover. The WTTC also expects Asia to be the worst affected region. Worryingly, the council also expects that up to 50 million jobs will be lost in the travel industry as a result. Of the 50 million jobs that could be lost, around 30 million would be in Asia, seven million in Europe, five million in the Americas and the rest in other continents.
How badly the travel industry is affected, depends on how long the epidemic lasts
With the strict measures implemented by most countries around the globe to contain the virus, hopefully travel will be permitted sooner rather than later.
When travel is on the cards again, many travel experts believe that prices will be cheap to entice people to travel again. In the beginning, airlines, hotels etc will probably be just about be covering their costs to stay afloat. Experts also believe, that travelers are less likely to travel long distances as there will still be an overwhelming fear of the virus. Plus, people are fearful of being stuck abroad should the virus suddenly spike again months down the line.
Thus, I imagine Europeans will travel to Europe, Americans to the Caribbean & Hawaii, Australians to New Zealand etc. People will be cautious and likely won’t want to travel long-haul for the forseeable future.
What is the situation in airports across the world?
- In European countries like France & Germany passengers arriving from a non-schengen country are not allowed to enter
- The U.S has banned entry to most foreign nationals. US citizens or permanent residents who have visited a high-risk area must fly into one of the 13 international airports with enhanced entry screening capabilities. They have also closed the land border with Canada until the beginning of May
- In the UK – only essential travel is allowed up until the beginning of May. Furthermore, popular budget airline Ryanair have stated they don’t expect to fly for the months of April & May, so, expect to start operating again from June.
- There are very limited international flights operating from New Zealand currently. These flights are only from Auckland and most are repatriation flights (getting people back to their home countries). International flights aren’t expected to be back to normal until 30th June.
- Canada has redirected international flights to/from a limited number of airports. Entry is allowed only to Canadian Citizens or residents. Transit is allowed for U.S, Carribean & Mexican citizens
- In Asia – Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries are only allowing citizens to enter. There are very limited flights into these airports at present.
- In Australia – only citizens or permanent residents can enter or transit here. There are a few exceptions to the transit rule namely if your are from Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand & other Pacific Islands
More on travel restrictions, border shutdowns by country here
When can I travel again?
Realistically August/September should be a safe bet for some destinations. Provided we all follow the rules to flatten the curve. I think people will slowly start booking vacations again from late-May/ early June. But like previous recessions, this will leave a lot of people out of work. Travel is not a priority when you’re unemployed. At the end of the day, travel is a luxury.
Some countries too will be wary about opening up their borders again. They don’t want another wave of infections to hit them. In the future, expect to see temperature checks at airports around the world.
The travel industry will get smaller, with less and less people able to travel it may mean that over-tourism won’t be so much of a problem anymore. But, it also means for the next few years until the industry fully recovers, there will be less small hotels in operation for you to stay at. Less small local companies offering unique tours. Less small cafes for you to enjoy a brew. The travel industry giants will survive this. Which is why (if you still can) there is no better time than now to support the smaller businesses in your town.
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