The travel industry took a major hit when the COVID-19 pandemic came about full force and continued to surge throughout the world. Airlines corporations and the hotel industry saw a major loss in revenue, while people were forced to cancel travel plans and remain in lockdown. Now with vaccinations being distributed worldwide and a decrease in COVID-19 cases globally, the travel bug has set in once again.
Vaccinations Help To Increase Travel
With more and more people receiving the COVID vaccine and beginning to feel more comfortable traveling, airline stocks have begun to surge. Airline carriers also reported an increase in bookings and TSA screenings. With positive increases in many airline revenue trends, the CEO of major airline carriers are beginning to become more optimistic in terms of finding some relief from the major debt crisis they have found themselves in over the past year. The battered travel industry has finally turned a corner. But that does not mean that it is back to normal quite yet. In fact, there is still about a 45% decrease in travel levels compared to 2019 levels. This means that while the airline & travel industry is recovering, they still have a long way to go. And we must keep in mind that while many feel more so protected now with the vaccine & more knowledge on the virus, it might not last for long. Will this increase in travel help to bring about a new more complicated strain of this horrendous virus?
A New COVID-19 Strain & Travel- Do They Correlate?
With the increase in travel, there are definitely some concerns. Experts are concerned that with the major increase in travel, especially during spring break, we will also see an increased spike in COVID-19 cases. But with the summer season booking already looking promising these concerns don’t seem to be the same among the mass of people looking to travel. Many believe that the extended lockdown and introduction of the vaccine have people ready to go again and ready for that much-needed getaway. They are putting their faith in the fact that getting vaccinated is supposed to protect them. And while this is true to some extent it doesn’t mean the virus still can’t be transmitted.
In the end, the travel industry still has a long way to go to fully recover and move forward from the toll the pandemic took on the industry. In the same sense, people look to travel as their much-needed get away from the stresses that this virus has brought forth. Getting back to normal might be a thing of the past when it comes to travel. In fact, the travel industry most definitely has a new normal.