The future of travel after Coronavirus

The future of travel after Coronavirus

Coronavirus has influenced our lives for several months now. It has become ingrained in our culture; changing the way we live; the way we interact with one another; and drastically changing the way we travel (i.e. not at all at the moment)! 

However, with light starting to flicker at the end of the tunnel for some countries – with talks of vaccines; reduced threat levels; the hospitality industry opening back up; and borders reopening, it is time to consider how the pandemic will shape the travel industry of the future. 

As we are forced to accept that there will be further pandemics over the coming years, figuring out how a pandemic will affect the industry is pivotal. So in this blog post I will investigate what the future of travel after Coronavirus will be like!

So let’s break it down!

Travel Destinations After Coronavirus

Increased travel closer to home

Travel restrictions in place across the world and the huge reduction in flights have made travelling anywhere long distance much more difficult due to Coronavirus!

However, this does not diminish our desire to get away this summer! Many of us are still eager to travel elsewhere, meaning that we are seeking alternatives. Alternatives much closer to home!

Non-international travel this summer appears to be the only form of getaway we are likely to get. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing! This gives us the opportunity to explore places in our home countries that we’ve never got around to exploring. Thoroughly underappreciated places that are actually pretty awesome! 

I’m sure that 2020 will be the year of road trips, venturing to places that you really should’ve checked out sooner! 

Looking beyond just this year, I think it is likely that people will still favour destinations closer to home. The horror stories of people being stranded overseas, unable to return home during this pandemic will not be forgotten quickly. So people will avoid this risk by choosing places closer to home, where there is less chance of getting stranded. 

Nature over cities

With the virus spreading from person to person in close contact with each other, people will likely try to get away from crowds. In the open air with fewer people around, people will feel much safer than in areas, such as cities, where there are more people in close proximity.

Furthermore, hospitality just won’t be the same at first! 

The common draws of city escapes such as shopping, clubs, theatres, and landmarks either won’t be accessible or won’t be able to handle the same capacity of people as before. 

More developed countries will be more popular

Chances are (barring the USA and UK) more economically developed countries like Germany or South Korea will be able to cope with and recover from the pandemic more effectively. They have better healthcare systems than countries like India, Brazil or Indonesia which may struggle to manage and prevent further outbreaks. 

When deciding on where to travel next, people will likely consider this aspect and try to mitigate the risk by avoiding countries where there may be more chance of catching the virus. 

People will consider the “cleanliness” of a destination

Similarly to my previous point, people want to reduce their risk of catching the virus. Therefore, people will try to avoid places that they don’t deem to be as clean as others. Resorts, hostels and hotels will have to ensure everything is as clean as possible in order to attract customers. 

Type of Travel after Coronavirus

More camping

Increasing domestic travel, more demand to be amongst nature, and the closure/reduced capacity of hotels and other types of accommodation means that camping provides the perfect travel alternative. 

Not only is camping becoming more and more popular due to its self-sufficient and outdoorsy nature, but the price makes it even more appealing! A quick camping getaway can work out significantly cheaper than a hotel on the other side of the world! 

Who knows? You may even prefer it!

Fewer cruises

Cruise ships, or “floating petri dishes” as I have seen them described recently, are going to struggle. Full stop.

Stories of people unable to leave ships as ports refused them, and the large-scale infections found on cruises will have made a huge dent in the industry. People will be fearful due to the high-profile roles that cruises have played during the pandemic. 

Just as people still refuse to board cruise ships due to the Titanic sinking despite all the years that have passed. I think we will see an even more exaggerated form of this as a result of Coronavirus. 

Slower travel

Such quick transport is one of the key factors behind the rapid spread of Coronavirus. Every day, millions of people move from place to place, from country to country and come into contact with new people.

With this in mind, people will be more aware of their movements. And thus potentially more averse to travelling from place to place to place in quick succession in order to avoid coming into contact with so many more people. 

The post-Coronavirus era will yield a culture of slower travel. People will take their time in places and reduce their movement. 

Attitude to travel after Coronavirus

More grateful

Given this unprecedented break from travel that we have had, we have come to realise how much we take it for granted.

If you’re like me, then you will have greatly missed travel. You will have thought about what you value so much about it – the people, the freedom, the experiences. You will have compared it to you sitting at home, and dreamt about that moment you can finally open your front door to explore again.

When this happens, you will look back on these recent months of hardship and be thankful for the moments you are experiencing travelling again. 

Future trips will be much more appreciated. 

I hope this gratitude reveals itself in many small acts of kindness within the travel world once things begin to reopen!

More cautious

It’s difficult to see an end in sight for the virus itself. Businesses are beginning to go back to normal yet there are still cases and deaths being reported globally. 

It’s only natural to feel unnerved by the whole situation and question what is safe and what isn’t. Especially when the guidelines set by governments across the world have often been so vague.

With this uncertainty and lack of clarity still plaguing us all, travellers are going to be more apprehensive and cautious about travel. 

Yes, airports will open again and businesses will reopen too. They will encourage you to make the most of it and reinvest. But at the end of the day, it is about finding the right time for you; a time that you feel comfortable with, to return to travelling. 

Elderly actively avoiding travel

Those that are categorised as vulnerable such as the elderly are likely to be particularly cautious given the higher risk. Perhaps even to the point where they choose to stop travelling. 

For the elderly, this additional risk will certainly be a new point to consider when making that decision.

Travel industry and businesses

Fewer travellers in total

At least initially, there will be a lull in travel. 

Humans innately rely on other humans to test the water. It is bound to take a while to get back to the same travel boom that we were in.

Currently, very few people are heading overseas so when restrictions are changed and travel is deemed to be safer again the initial influx of people will be small. Of course, there will be a select few that will be eager to get away immediately. But it won’t be until these people have returned and reported back, that people start to trust that travel is safe again and book their own trips.

Travel is also a luxury. 

With so many people affected financially due to the pandemic, travel will have to take a back seat role until individuals recover. 

Young people and the self-employed appear to have been struck the hardest financially. However, with a larger number of people uprooted from their careers, for some, this may spark an opportunity for fresh new adventures in the travelling world!

Small companies and freelancers won’t survive

The pandemic has caused the closure of small businesses in the travel industry for many months. Unfortunately, some of these businesses will not be able to recover financially from this meaning that they will sell up and cut their losses.

Similarly, freelancers that rely on companies and partnerships will struggle. Income for many will have dried up, pushing many out of the tourism industry. 

When we look at the new face of the travel industry, the lineup will be significantly smaller.

In time, new businesses will appear to fill the niches that have been left open by those who did not survive the pandemic. But until then what we will see will be a much sparser set of businesses.

Hospitality: safety measures and changing prices 

There will be a huge number of changes in the hospitality industry as a result of COVID-19. Predominantly, these will be based around ensuring the safety of their customers and staff. 

One of the key differences we will see will be social distancing in restaurants, cafes, and alike. Tables will be further apart and fewer customers will be let in meaning most businesses won’t be running at full capacity. Unfortunately for customers, this will likely bring an increase in cost with it to make up for lost money.

Similarly, hostels will be private rooms only (at least in the short term). They are likely to become less popular due to the usual demand for communal and social aspects of hostels. However, increased prices of hotels may instead drive some people towards hostels. 

As we have already started to see, protective screens between staff and customers are being put in place, masks could become compulsory, and outdoor-only policies may be upheld.

All across the hospitality sector which has been hit so hard by Coronavirus, we will see more creative innovations to try and get business back and survive during the recession. The hospitality sector won’t be the same, but it will be a long transition to the new pandemic-era norm. 

Transport

Much like the hospitality industry, transport will be imposing a number of safety precautions. Though public transport is innately difficult to maintain social distance in, some other safety measures are being put in place. These include: sanitiser dispensers (or as I prefer: sanitisation stations), overnight deep cleans and compulsory mask-wearing. 

Markers on platforms to help people social distance are also being put in place. As is technology to help assess crowding on public transport in places such as New York. Seat reservations may also become a thing to keep numbers on public transport consistent.

Beyond the pandemic, alternatives to public transport such as cycling will continue to be promoted heavily. Throughout lockdown, new bike lanes have been built and continue to be built to encourage people to cycle safely. 

Fewer planes will be running. Particularly because larger companies have realised that business flights for overseas meetings are no longer necessary. Video calls during the lockdown have sufficed and have proved to be a more cost-effective way of speaking to clients abroad rather than flying all the way there. 

Those flights that continue to run, may do so at a reduced capacity. Middle seats could be blocked out – though at least there is more chance of a window or an aisle seat!

Airports

In airports, there are so many possible changes that we may see in the future as a result of Coronavirus. 

There will be various new implementations in order to help reduce human contact. Airports may become passenger-only areas, with non-fliers restricted entry into the airport. Methods of introducing further contactless operations such as check-in. Stricter procedures to avoid queuing and maintain social distancing are also likely to be put in place. 

Health screening and checks will be a key feature moving forward. We have already seen temperature checks and proof for Coronavirus tests and this is likely to continue. Lung scans, thermal scans and blood tests have also been considered.

On arrival in a new country, you may be required to prove you are not infected by presenting relevant immunity documents. Once a vaccination has been created, vaccination documents may also be required as evidence. 

Isolation rooms may also be developed further. Though already a widely used concept, all airports are likely to change theirs in order for them to be more effective at withdrawing individuals showing symptoms.

It is hard to say whether all of these changes will make the airport process smoother. On one hand, there is an increase in checks and security, but on the other hand, airports are trying to minimise risk and human contact. We shall have to wait and see. 

Insurance 

Insurance is a difficult one. Lots of people will question the need for travel insurance having not been paid a dime for anything affected by Coronavirus due to its status as a pandemic which, in many policies, is an exclusion. 

If you are considering travel in the short term, it is important to be aware of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s statements. The FCO banned all but essential overseas travel during the pandemic, which impacted insurance policies.  

For most travel insurance policies, this statement voids any cover should you choose to travel against recommendations. At the moment, many companies will not cover anything Coronavirus-related. 

What we can be sure of though is that travel insurance companies will be tightening up their policies in light of this in order to prepare for similar future events. 

Positives for travel after Coronavirus

End of over-tourism

Up until now, the travel industry has been growing exponentially. More and more people were starting to travel and more and more money was to be made. This pushed popular destinations to their limits, catering to more people than they could sustainably handle. The result: residents priced out of their hometowns for tourism and new infrastructure, pollution of tourist hotspots, and irreversible damage to natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef. 

However, this sudden halt in travel, combined with the fear and likely increase in overall prices will almost certainly put many people off. 

This is the bump. The hard reset. The realignment that the travel industry needed to begin to combat the unsustainable nature of overtourism. 

It provides time for places to recover and rethink their strategy and make tourism better than it has ever been before.

Learning from Mistakes

The tourism industry can start again and learn from the mistakes of the previous boom

This complete stop to travel provides a rare opportunity to reset the system.  We can learn from mistakes of the previous travel boom. We can set up the pandemic-era travel industry as one that cares for the environment. 

Potential alterations may include policy changes limiting the number of visitors permitted in particular places; price increases; restrictions on hotels and Airbnbs; and educating people about the effects of travel and encouraging responsible tourism.

Shift to slower and also more conscious travel

As mentioned before, people will be more cautious and think more before they travel. They will also travel slower, enabling them to embrace their surroundings at a deeper level. Coupling this with a restart of the tourism industry may allow a complete mindset shift towards more conscious and sustainable travel. 

Conclusion: What is the future of travel after Coronavirus?

The travel industry is one of the most resilient out there and our desires to travel, though suppressed at the moment, will not be quashed. 

However, in order for us to continue to enjoy travelling, we must accept that there will be many changes and that it will not be the same as before!

Social distancing and masks aren’t going to be just a 2020 fad. Many of the changes will be permanent, much like the airport security changes seen after 9/11. You might have to have your temperature checked every time you go on a plane for the rest of your life! While some changes will just be temporary until a vaccine is created.

It will take time for new procedures to be put in place and it will take time for us to adapt. But one thing for sure is that, once society has recovered, travel will be just as incredible and will be worth the wait!

Before you go

Thank you for reading my thoughts on the future of travel after Coronavirus. If guides, itineraries, and travel content like this interest you, head over to my blog page to find out more.

If you are new to Matt’s Next Steps, check out the About Me page to find out a bit more about who I am, my travel adventures, and why I wanted to become a travel writer.

Please comment below and let me know your thoughts and experiences, or if there is anything else you want information on.