Much-needed optimism in travel

Times have been tough, but every dark cloud does indeed have a silver lining. These positive statements by experts in the global travel and tourism circle will surely lead the way to some Christmas cheer for all of us. As long as we have hope, we have direction and the energy to move forward.

Olivier Ponti, VP Insights, ForwardKeys

People are making travel plans and there are clear trends. Leisure travel is holding up much better than business travel, and bookings are being dominated by the Christmas holiday period.People are booking at even shorter notice than usual, wary of travel restrictions being imposed without warning, and fares are consistently on the low side, with airlines trying to tempt travellers.

Peter Kern, CEO, Expedia

My sense is that people were getting increasingly comfortable with how safe air travel and hotels are—the precautions that the industry has been taking—and the numbers [of bookings] have been creeping up as a result. A shift in consumer confidence doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s been steadily rising. That is a good sign, any day. This is a good sign, any day.

John Pagano, CEO, Saudi Red Sea Development Company

Amid the current global despair, there is a sense of emerging optimism, and I believe the tourism industry will recover fast once borders reopen. Recent cruise line bookings and hotel occupancies suggest there is a strong desire to travel. But, we must use this opportunity to rebuild something that is far more sustainable than what we’ve had in the past.

Cyril Tetaz, Executive VP of Airlines, APAC, Amadeus

India’s travel industry has started to show green shoots for recovery in the past months, and the aviation minister recently suggested that domestic passenger traffic could reach pre-COVID levels by the end of the year. Access to technology that reduces human contact, queues and physical touchpoints was the ultimate factor for getting Indian people travelling again.

Steve Kaufer, CEO, Tripadvisor

While there was progress over the course of the summer, re-introduction of tighter travel restrictions in many countries is clearly having an impact on demand. The good news is that consumers’ desire to travel remains incredibly resilient, and that pent-up demand bodes well for the industry in the long run.

Panel of Experts

UNWTO

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) foresees a rebound in international tourism in 2021, mostly in the third quarter of 2021. However, 20 per cent of experts suggest the rebound could occur only in 2022. Travel restrictions are seen as the main barrier to recovery of international tourism, along with slow virus containment and low consumer confidence.

Inputs by Hazel Jain