TOURISM MEANS

When I decided to enrol into Faculty for Tourism Studies, I did not think a lot about tourism in general, just the facts that I like to travel and work with people were enough. After a few years, I got a job as a tour representative on different destination and a guide as well. What I loved about it the most is that locals, after some time, start treating you as one of their own and not as a simple tourist, which is something that a lot of people are trying to achieve while traveling. (May, 2020)

Student

Slovenia

CHALLENGES

In my opinion the biggest challenge will be how to alleviate the deep grounded fear that is right now in people and how to persuade them that the world is still safe place for travelling and that other people are not threat anymore. The political measures and role of media are going to be the two mayor factors that will either encourage people to be positive or negative, pesimistic. They will either encourage people to go back to before established travelling routines and continue their lives or block them with reporting just negative news, as the media is doing right now globally. (April, 2020)

Student

Slovenia

CONCERNS

My biggest concern is how some people handle this whole pandemic. Sorry to say that but I think it is pathetic that there are people out there, who are seriously comparing our situation now with the situation people had to face during the World War two. Our situation nowadays is nothing compared to the situation back then. Now the world has to fight a virus, back then they had to fight man against man. I´m quite sure, that none of us can even imagine how horrible this time was and I´m quite sure that none of us wants to know. If I´m being honest a comparison like this is embarrassing and very disrespectful. (December, 2020)

Student

Austria

IDEAS

This virus has made it very difficult to come up with solutions to this problem when it comes to being a tourist. People don't show symptoms for up to 2 weeks and many people can be asymptomatic. Something I actually heard the other day was that studies are being done that have shown that the spread of the virus is much lower during outdoor events. For example soccer games. I can attest to this because my dad and I went to 2 soccer games during the outbreak and we did not get the virus. So an interesting idea would make public transportation open-air somehow. This would allow people to get around without being stuck inside a vehicle where this virus can run rampant. Outdoor events can also be reopened with maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of the number of people to allow for them to social distance a little while being at this outdoor event. This would allow for tourists to go to places and do some things involved in that culture while slowing the spread of the virus. (April, 2020)

Tourist

United States

I CAN OFFER

From co-creating new stories, writing them down, connecting the partners, implementing ideas into the practice, organizing activities, discussing with media, public presentations and networking. (March, 2020)

Tourism business representative

Slovenia

I NEED

It would be nice to hear more ideas and support from professors at my institution as well as other institutions that are leaders in hospitality/tourism and/or business in how to react in these times (i.e. Cornell, HBS, Michigan State, etc.). (April, 2020)

Student

United States

SOLUTIONS

In January I co-founded www.tourismdeclares.com, which is working to develop a carbon positive tourism framework - we have been delivberately quiet for these last few weeks, but will be working together to develop sustainable recovery plans.

my 2018 book - 'Transforming Travel - Realising the Potential of Sustainable Tourism' - is available for free download for the next three months. Just click here and download: https://lnkd.in/dvF9Jn5 (April, 2020)

Inventor, consultant

France

EXPLOITATION

Global airlines and hotels holding back payments or only providing credits to customers, yet laying people off, and seeking bailouts. (April, 2020)

Researcher, academic

Canada

OTHER / SPOTTED

Impact of COVID-19 on Travel: Foreign Travel Industry Needs an Immediate Rescue Plan:

This article is based on India's data but it could be translated to all the other countries in the world affected by coronavirus, because it is hitting the tourism sector the same way everywhere.

First it states that globally there is already an economic recession due to the fact that more than one-third of the global population is under restrictions. One of the worst-hit sectors is the tourism travel industry, not only by the evidence of the quarantine but also the cancellation of all the international flights. Currency exchange market depends a lot on travelling so it will drop off incredibly.

During the last years tourism was unstoppably growing in India but now this sector will have just to fight for survival, because even if quarantine ends and people go back to their jobs, travelling will probably still be restricted. He is also stating that in many countries the governments already started up plans for saving the tourism sector but India is not one of them, and should start working on that.

He gives four possible solutions to it: Cancel or postpone the proposed TCS on foreign travel that was introduced in the Finance Bill (2020), One-year GST Relief, Exclusive Fund Allocation for the Tourism Sector, Interest-free Credit Facilities for the Travel Sector.

See the original file here: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/348757 (April, 2020)

Student

Spain