The year 2020 is both an eventful and uneventful year. The biggest newsmaker is the coronavirus pandemic, and how people all over the world are in the fight for their lives against COVID-19.
While for the everyday person, it has been obvious that leisure travel has been put to a complete halt. No movies. No activities. No concerts. Even the Summer Olympics at Tokyo, Japan was postponed.
Next to the global health sector, no other industry has felt the effects of the pandemic more than the travel and tourism industry. Travel tourism and hospitality management staff are working harder than ever. Airlines are absorbing unimaginable losses, and hotels and resorts all over the world have been forced to either scale or shut down.
Will people and businesses involved with travel tourism and hospitality management be able to rebound? The quick answer is yes. But it will take time and work.
Here are four key points where the travel tourism and hospitality management sector could find some inspiration for better days to come.
International news outlets have been reporting updates on COVID-19 vaccine developments, 24/7. Many countries have implemented vaccine distribution plans, prioritizing those who are at high risk of exposure and transmission, such as health care workers.
In effect, the travel tourism and hospitality management sector would be happy to know that people are slowly warming up to the idea of traveling again this 2021.
According to research by media solutions group Expedia, 31 percent of Americans are planning to travel in 2021.
“As the world keeps a watchful eye on vaccine news, and people continue to crave a change of scenery or opportunity to catch up with loved ones, we know the pent-up demand for travel will grow,” said Monya Mandich, vice president of global marketing, Expedia Group Media Solutions.
Contrary to predictions of airfare shooting up in the midst of the pandemic, more and more airlines are resorting to restructuring ticket pricing strategies, driving the airfare prices down instead. Some of these changes include “extra charges” like charging passengers for baggage fees, seat assignments, and priority boarding.
While prices may see an increase starting with the most in-demand destinations, this will happen gradually. Rather, the focus now is for the travel tourism and hospitality management industry to draw in more vacationers in 2021.
Traveling from one’s home country to another may be a bit more challenging as compared to traveling from one’s state or province to another location within the same country. This should give local economies a boost by pushing and promoting local travel. With this opportunity, travel tourism and hospitality management workers, and even students, have a lot of work cut out for them. This is actually good news.
With this, local businesses are primed to see an uptick in revenue, which hopefully, can kick-start the travel and tourism economy once again.
Educational, Work Opportunities
People can try to make the most out of the economic downtime. One way is to invest in themselves through education. While it can be presumed that there is a lot of uncertainty and doubt in the market today, it can also be an opportune time to learn more about the future of travel and tourism.
As the industry is due for a bounce in the future, some people are considering enrolling in Travel Tourism and Hospitality Management courses to position themselves career-wise. Some students are even considering studying abroad, to start laying down the foundation for migration.
Indeed, travel and tourism will find a way to rise up from the effects of the pandemic. And when it does, those in the travel tourism and hospitality management industry will find themselves with a whole new world in front of them, ready for the taking.