How COVID-19 Will Change The Way We Travel
The Coronavirus pandemic brought the entire travel industry to a standstill. It’s unclear when things will return to normal, but we are sure about one thing: Traveling in a post-coronavirus world will not be the same as before.
Social distancing is so part of our lives now that we are longing for the opportunities travelling provides us. Traveling provides us with opportunities to connect with others, find inspiration in foreign ways of life, and support local economies.
A good thing that came with the pandemic is the impact it had on our environments. Now that the coronavirus has forced millions of people to stay home, we’ve seen the earth enjoying a much-needed respite. The canals of Venice are crystal clear, air pollution in cities like Milan is reduced, and wildlife is returning to places formerly overrun by humans.
The big question is though, what does this all mean for the future of travel?
Tourism will see a slow return
According to experts, travel will return gradually over the course of months, if not years, and people will probably stick to local destinations for a while. Restoring consumer confidence will be a key part of the recovery process.
Travelling in the future will be all about sustainability and keeping a lower footprint when travelling. Experts predict that the biggest choice of travelling for most people will be road trips. While train travel may be the most sustainable option, road tripping allows people to have more control of their environment and avoid contact with strangers.
New Standards for Hotels
It goes without saying that most people that start to travel again, will be cautious at first. Many hotel brands, like Marriott and Hilton, have announced heightened standards for hygiene and cleanliness. This is an important step. Hotels need to clearly communicate what they’re doing to keep travellers safe from the virus in the future.
A new way of check-in and check-out procedures will have to be put in place. New sanitary protocols, mandatory for all public activities, are going to be under very strict rules. Hygiene and safety guidelines will be a main priority for the tourism sector. Hotels and Accommodation will have to give guests more space for social distancing.
The rise of self-catering accommodation?
As mentioned above, hotels will have enhanced cleaning practices in place, but will this be enough for travellers? People may be wary of interacting with staff as they did before. For this reason, we believe self-catering accommodation will take priority on travellers’ lists in the future. People are eager to get back into travelling, but social distancing will still be in place. What better way to do this than to stay in a self-catering unit?
We strongly believe that these important sanitary protocols and actions will have to be highlighted now more than ever, and that once we have returned to our new normality, professionally managed private self-catering accommodation will be among the safest accommodation options globally.