For the past couple of months, the world has almost stopped. So many parts of the global economy have suffered major drop downs, though tourism is for sure one of the most affected sectors of all. No one knows for sure the answer to the billion dollar question "When we will be able to travel again?". Some people say there should be a confirmed vaccine first, so we'd all feel safe. Others are already planning their trips for as soon as the countries open their borders again...
I personally still feel hopeful that later in the summer we will be able to travel at least within the European Union. We all see already the impact on civil aviation, and with so many business events continuing to cancel, it seems like the recovery of the industry will depend more and more on leisure travelers. So for this reason, I don't really think that ticket prices will be extraordinary expensive. Some even believe there will be big promotions coming up our way, as companies will compete to attract passengers. This might also be valid for the travel agencies packages. The problem here might be how deep the economy crisis will be, as more and more people keep loosing their jobs every day, and how many os us will still be able to afford buying those tickets.
The pandemic brought back to life another side of people's pride - their patriotism. So instead of international travel, I believe many will choose to spend their vacations within their home countries, helping this way their own economies recover. I personally love this idea. There are for sure so many places in our own countries we've always wanted to explore, but have always postponed it for one reason or another. Well, seems like 2020 will be a great year for that.
The destination preferences will change not only internationally, but also locally. Unfortunately, big cities will no linger be a favorite choice for a short break in my opinion and travelers will opt more and more to visit smaller villages. The idea here would be to maintain the social distancing as much as possible, while still enjoying new sceneries and experiencing new places.
Another change in travel that we will most likely see in my point of view, will be the choice of a place to stay. Yes, big hotel chains will have more funds to survive the upcoming crisis, but at least in the beginning I think not many people will want to stay in big resorts. Instead, small guest houses, rural tourism lodges and private vacation homes will be a preferred option to stay at. Which would be great news for all those small entrepreneurs who lost and are still loosing their income during the past couple of months.
Not only airlines and hotels/hostels, but also travel agencies and tour companies will suffer a lot in the next couple of months. I personally cannot imagine many people eager to participate in big group tours, doesn't matter if they are one-day tours or full-experience excursions. Again, as social distancing concerns will remain therefore tin my opinion, people will prefer smaller, more exclusive, private tours. Which of course, might elevate the cost of the service.
As I've mentioned several times throughout this blog post, everything written here is based on my personal opinion, and on how I would personally choose to travel. I'm in no way in a position to evaluate the market. Though, I кnow how to do my part and support local businesses whenever I go, whether it is internationally or within the country I live in. So please, do the same and support the locals as they do their best to overcome this crisis - buy local products, dine in the local restaurants (if you're concern on the social distancing you can always opt for take away) and stay in smaller, locally owned lodges/apartments/vacation homes. We're all in this together and "everything will be all right" only when each one of us do its part.
