New Hope and Beginnings – Tourism and The COVID Crisis!
After a year of COVID 19 - what are our hopes and dreams going forward? Will tourism - as we know it - find a new path?
The year 2020 has been a rocky road for all of us! As we are nearing the anniversary of the world officially shutting down, it is safe to say that all of our lives have been impacted in one way or another. Everyone is fatigued, if not hanging on for dear life. Coming out of this pandemic, the question is – what is travel going to look like in future? What are we hoping for? Given my own background in tourism, I thought about this a lot. Here is what I have learned during the COVID crisis.
The COVID Effect
With every passing month of lockdowns and restrictions, more tourism-related businesses have to throw in the towel. Every few weeks there seem to be a new round of redundancies, with more friends and industry acquaintances losing their jobs. The pandemic has been hard on all industries, but it has been truly brutal for tourism and everyone attached to it. Many people lost literally everything. Some might be able to rebuild things, others won’t. A few friends owning their own companies have been able to hang on, depending on government subsidies or that one great idea to get them through the rough times.
Tourism before the pandemic
The way things were going with mass tourism, we were headed for an ecological disaster. Emissions were through the roof and too many people were corralled to ecologically sensitive areas that couldn’t handle the number of annual visitors. No one had bad intentions, but greed made people look the other way, not caring about the longterm effects.
The Ecological Impact
In Asia for example, some governments had to close certain areas for tourism, to give ecosystems a chance to recover. The island of Boracay in the Philippines or Maya Bay in Thailand, where ‘The Beach’ was filmed, are two examples of destinations that have been shut down due to the impact of tourism. Bali has been struggling with the effects of mass tourism, not knowing what to do with the mountains of trash left behind by millions of visitors. Ha Long Bay in Vietnam is battling with human waste from hundreds of ships daily polluting the sea.
The Social Impact
Mass tourism can impact local communities negatively too. For many communities, traditional and sustainable ways of life have been pushed away by tourism, impacting family structures, traditions, and values. Farming, fishing, or other traditional occupations have made space for more lucrative jobs in tourism. There is nothing wrong with earning money in tourism, but if this is the only way local communities can survive, it will lead to problems. Especially now, with tourism being put on hold, some communities have no income as they are lacking diversity. With higher prices being introduced to tourists, locals are often pushed out of their neighbourhoods, not able to afford a normal lifestyle anymore. In most cases, the money spent by tourists doesn’t end up with the locals but goes back to big corporations overseas.
Is it really all bad?
No, tourism as such isn’t bad at all. It surely enriches the world and can be in fact extremely uplifting for destinations and their local communities. Jobs and opportunities are being created and people have a chance to take pride in their heritage while earning good money. The broadening of horizons is not a one-way street for visitors, it goes the other way around for the locals too. Money generated by tourism often funds the protection of ecosystems and endangered species! So, it’s not all doom and gloom, the question is just how it’s done! I think it’s more important now than ever to travel, to understand where people come from, what’s behind other cultures and why they are the way they are. Go and see the world and by all means enjoy the far-flung beaches to appreciate what other countries have to offer. And let’s be honest, after the past 12 to 18 months we all need a change of scenery! Going forward I think we need to be more conscious of the way we travel!
How much do we need to travel?
Do we really need to fly 5 times a year for next to nothing? Do we really need to travel thousands of kilometres, only to meet people from our own country? Speaking the same language? Eating the same food? Staying in hotels, that make us feel like we never left home? If you don’t want to experience the local hospitality, food, and people – what’s the point of travelling then? Travelling should mean getting out of your comfort zone, to throw yourself into new cultures and customs. If you cannot survive for two weeks without the food you are used to eat at home, maybe travelling far is just not for you? Maybe you should choose a holiday destination closer to home? And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! You can still post the perfect Instagram picture from your own home country!
A Right or a Privilege?
I often have to think about Air Asia, one of the best – if not the best – low-cost carrier in Asia. Their slogan is “Now everybody can fly”!
The question is – should everybody fly now? Should everybody go anywhere they want, whenever they want and as often as they want? Travel seems to have become less special, more of a right than a privilege.
What can we do?
It really is in all of our hands to ensure that tourism will go in a more sustainable direction. As the consumer it’s our responsibility to make the right choices as it comes to travel. It will not only make the world a better place, but it will enhance your travel experience. Why not make an effort to not just research the best offer, but also to research the practices and ethics? Choose a locally owned hotel over a big chain hotel, make sure your money makes a real difference in the destination! If you can, maybe avoid the high season and rather go at a less busy time. This will surely make your experience much better, because if you are scooped up with thousands of others at a tourist attraction – honestly, how much fun is that? Don’t be afraid to get off the beaten path and explore something new, lesser known. Sometimes the lesser known attractions are the biggest highlights.
Leave room for errors, life happens and so does shit! This is what makes travel an adventure and make the best memories. Take matters into your own hands and roll with the punches. The complaint culture in tourism has gotten out of control. If you complain about not having a toaster on a 3-week African overland trip or you couldn’t sleep, because the lions in the Serengeti were roaring too loudly at night – take a minute and check-in with yourself!
Nothing is perfect, neither are we, but we can try in our own individual capacity. Right?
What’s the Conclusion?
I have a good feeling for 2021! Once the pandemic is under control and most people have been vaccinated, travel will come back stronger than before. New travel companies will have used the downtime to come up with new, better concepts. Old travel companies had time to reset, to re-think, and come out better. People will be employed again. The playing field in tourism, which had become way too crowded, will have cleared, making way for new trends and a new way of doing things! I hope tourist destinations have re-evaluated their own worth, not selling themselves cheaply and putting sustainability before money!
And if we all do our best to be a little bit less of a dick – pardon my French – and a little bit more conscious of our own travel behaviour, we should enter a great new era! Upwards and onwards, I am excited for the things to come!
Thank you for your interest!
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