Covid-19 has affected everyone in the world in a different way. For some, luckily it’s been business as usual. But for others, it’s been an absolute nightmare. Take the tourism industry as an example. When the world came to a stop, so did 99% of all travel which obviously greatly affected the industry. When people think of the travel & tourism industry, they often think about airlines and hotel chains or large attractions like the Eiffel Tower & Disneyland. However what they don’t think of are the smaller players in the tourism world like a local surf school in Costa Rica who relies on tourism to pay their bills. This week, we take a deeper dive into the world of travel & tourism and why travel isn’t just about your experience but those that are providing that experience too.
Picture this – you book a little vacation for your family to San Diego over Thanksgiving weekend and are looking for things to do. You stumble across a blog that gives you all the best tips and trips and how to maximize your visit with the little time you have. You’ve been told, surfing is the main activity you just have to try. You then reach out to the surf school to book your professional surf lessons and arrange for transportation to and from your hotel. Now take a second to reflect on all the parties involved in this transaction – the surf school that operates the lessons & the driver and vehicle that are arranged to take you there and back safely. You trust both vendors as they have a fantastic reputation online and you know people who have used them in the past.
With the above in mind, take a minute to think about the people involved. As an example, the owner of the surf school and the instructors they employ to maintain a safe ratio during their surf lessons. Now think back to March 2020 when the reality of Covid-19 became truly apparent. People’s lives were on hold and almost all travel came to an abrupt halt. Without tourists, there was no money coming into the business. However, the bills don’t stop and the owner of the surf school is scrambling. He can’t pay his employees or cover any other costs that have to do with the business. Personally, he’s struggling to pay rent and get himself groceries. He didn’t go to college because tourism has always been such a huge part of San Diego’s economy and once his business took off, he assumed it would always be stable based on other surf schools. With Covid-19 destroying his business, he is forced to shut down and find work elsewhere for little pay.
Now picture March 2021. You had such a great time in San Diego on your last trip that you decide to go again. You call the same surf school you used last time only to find that they are no longer in business because they couldn’t afford to pay their employees or their bills. Although grim, this is the reality a lot of us in the industry are facing and why it’s so important for travel & tourism to pick up again soon. There are people whose lives truly depend on it. While tourism has increased since Covid-19, it nowhere near its former level, and predictions are that it could take another 7 years to fully recover.
San Diego is a big city with lots of people and different types of jobs available. However, in other places this is not the case. There are some countries who rely wholeheartedly on the tourism industry to fund their country. Many of these are 3rd world nations but there are some 1st world nations who top the list such as Croatia, Thailand & Iceland. There are even some places in the United States such as Key West, Florida whose economy mostly thrives from the tourism sector. So what happens to those individuals and communities who are now lacking tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic? What if they’re in a country such as Italy or Spain which was suffering economically pre-pandemic?
Post Covid Italy – An Example
As an example, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), travel & tourism contributed to an approximate 13.5 % of Italy’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) last year, including direct contributions from hotels, travel agents, airlines, restaurants and others. Adding to this, is the ripple effects from billions of dollars of euros that tourists spend in the country once there. Italy was one of the hardest hit countries at the beginning of the pandemic in terms of the number of coronavirus cases. Making health & safety a priority, in 2021 90% of hotels within the nation were still closed and the country was missing their “vibrant tourists”. Hotels, restaurants, museums and others were suffering with little help from their already economically strained government and no end in sight to the global border closures.
Americans, specifically from the USA, make up a large portion of those who travel to Italy. They are probably their favorite tourists as the US dollar is almost on par with the Euro and Americans will spend a lot of money shopping. Additionally, they love to eat and are loyal to smaller, family owned restaurants that they visit time and time again. With Italy often serving smaller portions of food than what Americans are used to, they often order more than the average person therefore significantly contributing to the restaurant’s overall success.
Post Covid Travel – What You Can Do
The obvious answer is to travel! But we have to be realistic. Not everyone is going to feel comfortable traveling right away, especially internationally. However, you may feel more comfortable to travel through your state or even to a neighboring one. Going to visit a farm, an apple orchard, eating at or taking out food from a local restaurant are all things you can do to lend a helping hand in getting the tourism sector back on its feet. It will start with domestic travel which in time will lead to international travel again. Experts had believed, based on past situations, that the industry would make a full recovery by 2023. Sadly, we haven’t. While international travel is slowly rebounding, domestic travel is still suffering. Tour companies are filling half their normal bus tours, excursions struggle to run experiences with enough participants, and hotels don’t have enough stays to pay staff.
Some countries are getting creative and offering virtual travel to their popular destinations. It’s important to keep up the curiosity and desire to learn about global destinations whether it be through social media, reading a book, listening to a podcast, etc. You can choose a dream destination and become an expert right from the comfort of your living room. In the future, you can use this knowledge to plan a trip there and experience everything you’ve learned in real life. There are amazing virtual cooking classes and other cultural, hands-on activities that you can plan for your family and friends.
What are Conscientious Travel Companies Doing
A few companies have caught the vision that things will never be the same, and its time to change how things are done in the future. For example, At East West Global Travel & Tours, they started slowly with “safe zones” that included National Parks and other destinations that are not densely populated or large urban areas. The health and safety of their staff and participants is their #1 priority while also focussing on doing their part to help revive the travel & tourism industry. As the travel industry has been recovering, they have implemented additional practices that are better for all. Currently they have been purchasing local food, revamping their knowledge of certain destinations with online courses & webinars, making refundable deposits for future travel and even researching exciting new destinations they plan to visit. They have also created the most robust custom self-drive tour program in the travel industry, designed to help people travel while supporting local business!
When asked about all their efforts, they responded, “Although we can’t help everyone, we do feel it’s imperative that we do our part to help our dear friends in the industry. With this, we encourage you to keep up with the news and be sure to spread positivity about future travel. And with that, we are right here, ready when you are, to embark on that next adventure together!”
