‘Accept’ the new normal

Yes! While the new normal has been talked about exhaustively, it is time we accepted it, adapted to it and looked to the future. Tourism may shrink, but people will continue to travel whether for business or leisure; flights may not be fully booked and aircraft may be grounded, but recovery will come even if slow and slender; hotels may not enjoy soaring occupancy levels, but guests will turn up and they will demand the services they always have, albeit in keeping with new norms. Now is the time to transform thought to action and look ahead into the near future. It is time we realised that COVID-19 is a reality we must live with, as we don’t see it vanishing anytime soon. Each sector of the industry must review the segments that can be shifted online and those that may still require face-to-face contact. Tourism 2020 and beyond was once considered the technology era, the pace has just been quickened.