TRAVEL POST-PANDEMIC

How we travel has obviously been greatly impacted by COVID-19. As the numbers of cases continues to rise in some countries around the world, international travel, particularly for those of us living Down Under is on hold. On a world scale, this has a huge impact, not only for people who travel, but also for the millions whose livelihood relies on travel. Rio de Janeiro’s annual Carnival of Brazil, for example, attracts about seven million people to Brazil, generating about $1 billion in economic activity. It has been put on hold – the first time that the carnival has been suspended, which until now has continued on through the Spanish flu pandemic, garbage collection strikes, both World Wars and Brazil’s dictatorship.

According to Expedia’s 2021 Travel Trends Report, domestic travel and boosting the local economy remains the short-term focus, such as exploring small towns that are accessible by car. While nearby getaways and road trips are likely to remain popular, the Expedia search data also shows that wanderlust remains strong both domestically and internationally, with travellers mostly searching for beach and snow locations.

Also high on the travel priority list are safe zones and locations with stringent health and safety such as enhanced cleaning measures, contactless check-in and masks on flights. In September, Google added a COVID-19 layer to Google Maps to provide data about the number of

cases per 100,000 across a given map area. More recently, they introduced COVID-19-related information to its booking system, Google Travel, including details like cleaning procedures and contact-free check-ins. The company says it is working in partnership with hotel chains, vacation rental providers and other industry associations to source this health and safety data. At launch, several leading hotel chains are also partnering with Google on the new effort, including Marriott, Hilton, Best Western, Hyatt, Radisson and Four Seasons.

Another sector of the travel industry particularly hard hit by COVID-19 is the cruise industry. Despite introducing stringent health and safety measures, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently updated its warning to travellers to defer all cruise travel worldwide. The industry has adopted a broad new set of health protocols that exceed the rules and regulations imposed by other sectors of travel.