The coronavirus situation changes daily, but there are moments when a post-COVID-19 future begins to take shape amidst the turmoil. Although we may be ready to imagine what it would be like to socialize as usual or to board a plane for a much-needed vacation, that doesn't mean that the post-COVID world will be the same. Travel will be different than what we've grown accustomed to, and the changes that the travel industry has already begun to implement may be here to stay. Current State Before we can speculate on the future, let us first examine our current situation. Political leaders have felt pressure to restart the economy. Consequently, most states have developed phased reentry plans, and are monitoring infection rates to identify the resurgence of the virus quickly. Some public recreational spaces have opened with limitations, and companies in the hospitality and tourism sector have developed rigorous cleaning routines. Despite some progress in implementing social distancing and upgraded cleaning protocols, the US still has much to do to control the virus and minimize the scope of its impact on our day to day routine. The EU recently announced that its member states would not be admitting US citizens, for the time being, a decision the EU will review every two weeks. Those of us fortunate enough to be working from home during quarantine look forward to returning to a state of normalcy. And "normalcy" includes the desire to travel. Not immediately, and not the same way - but wanderlust is returning. Google Trends Search Term Data To illustrate this returning demand, we've consulted Google Trends, a tool that shows the popularity of a search term relative to total search volume in a given time frame. For ease of comparison, Google converts search volume into an index ranging from 0 to 100, with 100 being the highest possible interest for a given term. You can compare trends over time or analyze the popularity of search terms to one another. Below, we've done both. A very wise and thoughtful colleague, Kathleen Sullivan of Anthology Travel, recently published this article. It's so well done that I'm sharing almost verbatim (with permission, of course!) I hope that you'll find this helpful.
A few thoughts on travel for the summer/fall of 2020: I know we all just want to get the heck out of Dodge, but there are some things to keep in mind. |
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