Over the last six months or so, cases of coronavirus have spiked in countries more than just our own. Travelers are stuck in foreign lands with no means of getting out due to tightened travel restrictions. Currently, nine countries don’t restrict travel to and from the United States, but there’s no telling how much longer that will last.
How long the shutdown will last is currently unknown. Due to travel restrictions, the global travel industry has experienced a drop of around $8 trillion seemingly overnight. Elizabeth Becker, traveler and author of Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism, noted that the main pillars of global travel—including open borders and visa-less travel—might not return to normal in the foreseeable future.
So, what does this mean for the future of travel? While turbulence is at an all-time high, some experts believe that blue skies are on the horizon. Being such a reliable method of distributing wealth worldwide, there would be no reason to intentionally cripple the tourism industry if it is at all avoidable. In fact, some believe that the stand-still offers the industry a unique opportunity to rethink think and promote conscious traveling.
On the next page, you’ll find what some experts believe are going to be much-needed changes in the travel game.