A peek into tourism's future
In the face of the present pandemic tourism is fighting for survival. The current monologue of those at the helm is also a non-confidence canter to those who made a living out of visitors thronging our islands’ shores of thereabout 80 degrees Fahrenheit, throughout the year.
Most employees falling into the category of ‘non-essential’ staff of the local tourism industry have been laid off, while those that cannot be easily got rid of are rattled but feeling safe for now, although the wrath of overawed percentage cuts of their wages is the music they have been serenaded with.
Most of these otherwise fortunate folks who made ends meet with the equally divided service charge or personal tips that went into collection tins, which too were then divided between these types and paid with their full salary, are going to be a thing of the past.
No notions of new hiring will happen anytime soon, whereas new firings will be on the cards in the guise of Coronavirus when the gradual resumption of tourism resumes, and when, where and how can also be subjective and in the realm of God knows for this moment of dreaded uncertainties.
The notion that once Covid-19 scaremongering gets neutralized with an appropriate vaccine, tourism will return to normal falls into self-abasing abject thinking bordering on faith and fiction. Commonsense dictates otherwise, that most habitual travelers will have a ‘stay put’ mentality until such time that the feel good safety factor boomerangs.
A large percentage of those amicably employed blue-collar visitors who frequented this island nation will have some form of financial setbacks due to this novel viral outbreak. This means their overseas travel agendas would have had a realistic re-evaluation based of their personal safety and financial wellbeing.
The travel industry’s recovery is directly related to the successful resumption of the tourist industry. While there are ominous signs, most privately owned airlines and oceangoing charter tour groups would be impacted, and thus would go under due to the envisaged fall of leisure travel.
The reality of being cocooned in an aluminum tube for lengthy periods like packed sardines while stale air is being circulated to keep costs down will also become a non-negotiable factor in future travel. Barely breathable air will be bartered for constant fresh air with a new filtering mechanism that will have to be introduced ASAP to keep airborne viruses at bay, as the norm with ‘care giving’ operating theaters the world over.
The airline industry has had it day and jacking up prices at will, will have to cease forthwith, as the market returns from a sellers’ to a buyers’ market overnight. This dictation will also hold true to the local tourism industry, with many upgrades that features to visitor safety above everything else, having to be borne by us.
This could mean we can safely move away from a quarantine mindset to a unique product offer in par with most other competing ‘tropical paradise properties’ that are gearing themselves for a post Covid-19 era that can challenge the very fundamentals we took for granted, my friend.
KayJay pens, rhymes and paints whenever the mood kicks in and keeps him in his study. He also sends writings of others whose deliberations fascinate him and tickles his curiosity. However this does NOT necessarily mean these viewpoints are fully endorsed. KayJay can be reached via <arekesaya@gmail.com> at your peril and there’s no guarantee of a response or feedback either. |
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