The Future Of Tourism Amidst Global Pandemic

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Tourism Feature
Daily News Egypt

The travel and tourism industries have hit rock bottom owing to the catastrophic spread of the novel coronavirus. As the countries impose indeterminately long lockdowns on domestic and international travel, tourism dies another death each day. The future of tourism remains hazy amidst the global pandemic. Many suggest an impending doom hovering over the tourism industry due to the anxious sentiments of people. These are going to forbid them from travelling for years now. Others remain optimistic, hoping that the pandemic will positively change the face of tourism industry forever. As for current sentiments, those employed in the tourism industry remain parched of a steady source of business. With 100 million jobs at risk, according to the United Nation’s World Tourism Organization, nothing remains certain. Wedding Affair rounds up some industry sentiments amidst the global pandemic.

Travel Bubbles Between Nations

Australian PM Scott Morrison And New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Stuff

Australia and New Zealand have committed to a travel corridor, which is not expected to come for a few months. In Europe, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have announced plans to open their internal borders for citizens of the three countries from May 15, CNN reports.

This is what immediate future of travel and tourism looks like. The countries with strong geopolitical holds and vanishing number of cases may allow travel between each other’s borders. Similarly, CNN also reported that Vietnam and Thailand could look at creating a travel corridor over the next few months, according to Thailand-based Mario Hardy, chief executive of the nonprofit Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

Traditional Thai dancers wearing protective face shields perform at the Erawan Shrine, which was reopened after the Thai government relaxed measures to combat the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, in Bangkok on May 4, 2020. (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)

But surely, it will be a long time until the countries open their borders beyond the fixed bubbles/corridors. For example, one can’t expect to travel from India to the United States until both nations portray a definitive fall in the number of people infected.

Immunity Passports

Immunity Passport
Health Magazine

Many experts suggest that this pandemic is going to change the face of travel and tourism industry altogether. This is on basis of a WHO report that indicates that some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2. It’s the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate’. These would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are protected against re-infection.

There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection. But if this becomes effective, countries may allow travellers with an ‘immunity passports’ or a certificate that states that they have been successfully vaccinated (assuming that scientists across the world are able to find a vaccine soon). China has already rolled out a form of that — all citizens have a QR code that changes colour depending on their health status. They need to show it to get into restaurants and shopping malls.

Flexibility Of Responses

Financial Times

Asian countries particularly have taken the blows of the collapse of tourism in the time of COVID-19. A number of Asian countries depend significantly on the tourism industry for the strength of their GDP. For some destinations, swift economic recovery will depend on tourism recovery. As an Irish newspaper reports that consumers are, effectively, being asked to bail out the travel industry and while some may take cancellations on the chin and accept credit notes, confident they will travel again, others, suddenly out of work, cannot. A one-size-fits-all approach will not work and more flexibility and imagination only can help those hardest hit.

A Roadmap To Recovery

Justin Francis for Phocus Wire points out that we are not all in this together. Lurking in the background is a recession, unemployment, zero-hour contracts and in many cases, poverty. The wealthier will still be able to travel, and that’s a perfect thing in some way. We need the jobs and livelihoods their spending creates. But the democratization of travel will take an uncomfortable backward step. The future of tourism can’t be certain for now.

Travel Sentiments
Travel Onmanorama

Some experts effectively see this as an opportunity for a reset. According to them, it is the time to look at addressing longstanding issues such as the effects of over-tourism on local cultures and the environment.

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