Most of the world has been on lockdown since some time in March when many countries issued lockdown measures due to the coronavirus and prevented international travel – but as tentative signs of recovery seem to be on the horizon for many, there are some initial signs of recovery on the way, as well as good news from those within the tourism industry who are preparing to open their doors once again.
Travel - This sector has been hit extremely hard as many aviation companies warned that they may not recover from an extended period of time in which operations were halted, however this may be close to changing – both Italy and Spain, two of the hardest hit regions in the world for a time, have recently announced that they will be preparing to allow international travel with some measures in place to keep – this is expected to start from the beginning of June as a tentative date, but that is quickly approaching. Many warned that the possibility of a summer vacation may be off the table, but a change here seems to be happening much faster than many may have initially anticipated.
Tourism - Big changes are happening here as it encompases such a wide range of businesses – one of the hardest hit in this sector are definitely the businesses that fill the hospitality industry such as restaurants and hotels. The mandate for many that as long as the business is ‘covid secure’ – for restaurants this means that many will have to operate at a reduced capacity ensuring that customers remain at least two meters apart. For hotels this may mean an adjustment in cleaning routines and instituting measures for one way systems to ensure that during busy periods a lot of guests aren’t all congested into elevators or stairways.
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There are other industries that also fall here – especially now sporting events are back it’s appearing that many betting sites and casinos are set to reopen, perhaps the biggest announcement here is that Las Vegas casinos are set to reopen in June with some restrictions to games that can be played – whilst non gamstop casinos are popular and have seen a surge in traffic since lockdowns began, Vegas will always remain as a huge tourist destination and is seeming to be one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world set to return to normal, success here could mean the reopening of other larger tourism locations too.
These are only early signs of recovery, however, and changes could happen extremely quickly – if there is any risk of a second outbreak of infection or cases rise in specific locations, we could see an immediate change with lockdown measures put back into place, the good news for some however is that you will now be able to make some plan for a summer vacation, however limited it may be, but also provide a welcome respite for those who have been stuck at home for the past two or three months.