Travelling is the first thing to get cancelled on every plan around the world once the pandemic was declared. Whether the travel was recreational or professional, plans got cancelled world over. Look, nobody wants to travel during a pandemic. Even once the pandemic passes, people are going to be sceptical about travel.

As nobody was travelling for approximately three months, the tourism and travel industry basically came to a standstill because this is one industry that heavily relies on daily payments. The impact was drastic to say the least. As a strict lockdown has been lifted almost everywhere, industries are trying to get back on track. Tourism though is an industry that is still reeling in the midst of this global catastrophe.

Let’s explore the impact a bit more specifically.

1. People are now not considering long-term travel and instead are choosing to take smaller road trips closer to their homes.
2. In lieu of the absence of absolute hygiene standards being maintained at hotels, people are preferring to travel to places where they already have known accommodation.
3. Rental homes are being preferred over hotels across the world.
4. Driving to the travel location in private or rented vehicles is being preferred over flying or travelling using public transportation like buses, trains, and cruises.
5. More people are paying for travel insurance willingly.
6. Professional travel advisors are being hired to assist people with their professional and personal travel plans.
7. Crowded hotels, resorts and cruise liners aren’t being booked. Travelers are renting out private properties instead.
8. Unless absolutely necessary, people aren’t using public transportation systems to travel.
9. People associated to the travel industry heavily hit due to absence of travellers and regular clientele.
10. Professionals associated to the travel and tourism industry are losing their jobs on account of the absence of customers. Many bailouts have been issued and requested to help the industry.

These aren’t just vague statements. According to a recent study which surveyed a thousand Americans over the age of 18, 85% of the polled Americans changed their travel plans for the coming six months due to the coronavirus. That number fell down to 69% in June 2020, but that’s still a high number of people unwilling to travel.

Consequently though, people are so tired of staying indoors that they are considering travelling to local spots, recreational and shopping centres, and restaurants. According to the aforementioned study, 44% of the surveyed Americans were looking forward to being outside as soon as allowed by the law. Also, around 22% of the prospective travellers shifted from an air trip to a road trip.

Airlines and hotels around the word are lying ideally burning through the financial caches of these businesses. Compared to June 2019, TSA airport security checks are down by 93% meaning only 7% of last year’s travellers are travelling this June.

On a positive note, advance bookings on November-December holiday seasons are up in the range of 23% to 40% according to an informal survey. Not only are people contemplating future travels, but they are also trusting insurance plans and the inherent safety they provide. According to InsureMyTrip, they are seeing a 6% increase in vacation-insurance bookings.

The grim reality is that a lot of people lost a lot to the Coronavirus in the tourism industry. In India alone, estimates suggest how ₹ 5 lakh crore in income and 4-5 crore jobs could be lost due to the pandemic. Tourists lost a lot of money from non-reimbursed flights, accommodations and other travel components. Professionals lost their jobs. There’s a lot of loss.

There’s also hope. People like to travel. People have been cooped up for too long and once it’s perfectly safe, almost everyone is going to just go travel. So an industry upswing is expected shortly, once the first wave flattens.