2020 YEAR in REVIEW in TRAVEL
Beth trying hard to get out and travel again!
Travel Weekly, a travel industry magazine, recently published an article titled “2020 Year in Review”.
The article described a year like none other. And the effects are still being felt by those of us anxious to travel.
2020 was predicted to be a year of growth, following ten years of similar economic growth in the travel industry.
A year later, 92,000 airline employees have lost their jobs. Approximately one in 10 people worldwide work in the tourism sector and over one million of those jobs have been lost. There is no way to tell exactly what the economic damage globally will be, but it will be staggering.
The Center of Disease Control (CDC) regulates cruise line safety. Cruise lines were slapped with a no sail order on April 9th but ships with 100 or fewer passengers were allowed to continue sailing. Unfortunately, Covid-19 still made its way on board the ships even with the requirement of a negative Covid test result. With the news of the vaccines, Frank Del Orio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings, said the following about the vaccine being a requirement to cruise. “It will certainly be a requirement for
the crew, but it’s too early to tell whether we have the legal standing to mandate that you take a vaccine to come onboard. Lawyers are looking at it as we speak.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates airline safety. Air travel is considered essential so unlike the cruise ships, airlines are still operating. To entice more people to travel without worry, change fees have been eliminated. Great news for us!
Hotels that were hit the hardest are those in densely populated urban areas that cater to group or convention business. Shifting quarantine requirements in places such as Hawaii and the Caribbean have made it hard for visitors. Another change is room service. For health reasons, room service is not offered every day. Housekeepers do not enter your room during your stay. Many hotels have mobile check in on their smartphones. Guests can skip the front desk and head straight to their room.
With encouraging news about vaccines, there is light at the end of this dark tunnel!
If you are ready to travel again call us. We’ll make sure you make the right decisions on when, where and how to travel.
Good riddance 2020 and Hello 2021!