COVID-19 - Tourism 0?

What traveling will be like after COVID-19

The fact that tourism will not survive COVID-19 is certainly not the case, the resilience is paramount, but… The corona crisis has already caused society a lot of headaches. Is everything going to be okay? Will we still be able to travel this year? Will travel become more expensive? What are my rights as a traveller?

These questions haunt every travel fanatic, panic is all over the place. Not only out of fear of contamination or loss, but also out of fear that they will have to bury their “wanderlust” once and for all. Is this the case? Are we in trouble? Well, at the moment everything seems to be at risk, but the situation is certainly not permanent.

Right now everyone is finding it hard to stay indoors, everyone is sad they can’t go meet their family. But, hey, life wouldn’t be life without all these challenges. Staying indoors now can make life better when we are free to do what we want again.

It's all about survival of the fittest

The sector will get back on its feet anyway. Everything will fall back into place.

Tourism has already conquered significant issues such as 9/11, which also caused a lot of fear among people and the sector. Airlines threw in the towel after bankruptcy, and mergers kept popping up out of nowhere. There have been other diseases that tourism has tried to eradicate, such as SARS or bird flu. Those dirty bugs were wiped out as well, weren’t they?

Between you and me, yes, the coronavirus cripples half the world. Nothing’s running like it did before. The world map looks like it’s got measles, red bulbs here, red bulbs there. You can’t seem to get rid of them. People can see their travel plans vanish into thin air. Borders are being closed, the airspace is being “evacuated”, so to speak.

Can travelers be reimbursed after cancellation?

For example, major airlines such as Brussels Airlines cancelled all flights until after 15 May. Passengers are still hungry for travel and are wondering what to do next. Having paid so much and still not being able to undo anything? Well, this is certainly not the case. They can indeed take action. Brussels Airlines offers its customers the opportunity to apply for a voucher with a value of 50 euros, which they can then use to rebook their flight. Of course, there will always be people who prefer to receive a refund. Good news, this can certainly be done. Although you have to be patient, of course. A refund is only possible after 12 months, because then the voucher has expired and can easily be thrown in the trash. No need to fear, because other companies use similar measures. Everything will be fine, you know! The consumer is not the only who is at wits end, the sector is also at an all-time low. Many tour operators and airlines are experiencing a substantial drop in the number of bookings, which means they are running at a loss. Unfortunately, travel will therefore become more expensive in the future and even more of a luxury product. Which is only logical, since an airline offers seats according to demand.

We will survive!

Yes, the industry will have to do its best to keep up with all this. Yes, it will succeed because, as you have read, tourism is a very flexible sector.

Yes, they will be at a loss. Yes, the freedom of the population is reduced right now. There will most likely be bankruptcies. But, Hakuna Matata, everything will be fine. We are built to take what life has in store for us!