This is one of a series of blog posts on the FUTURE OF TRAVEL in this wild time of COVID-19. Today I look at several aspects of the hotel industry. Virtually everyone in the travel business worth talking to has conceded that business as usual won’t work in this new age of the coronavirus. Cruise ships are stepping up their game, airlines are mandating masks on board for passengers, and hotels are making adjustments of their own. Last week, Marriott got things started by announcing a major cleanliness program that they hope will make would-be customers feel more confident in Read more
April 2020
There’s some encouraging news from destination marketing groups on the effects of COVID-19. But also some disturbing trends surrounding business travel and sports. I’ve got some thoughts and links to published stories on all three of those topics today on my FUTURE OF TRAVEL blog. First, I’ll offer the encouraging news. A report by my friends at TravelPulse in the U.S. finds that destination marketing folks are feeling more optimistic these days. Reporter Claudette Covey wrote that the fourth wave of a survey conducted by MMGY Travel Intelligence and Destinations International Foundation “found that increasing numbers of destination organizations are Read more
This is another installment in my THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL blog series. Today I’m focussing on Aeroplan, probably Canada’s most popular travel rewards plan. Like many companies, they’re updating policies and extending deadlines to accommodate folks who’ve been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes are definitely helpful for consumers. I also have the latest update on what U.S. travellers are thinking about future travel plans. Aeroplan officials sent this statement out today (April 28, 2020): “We are extending two earlier changes we made to the Aeroplan program: Full flexibility for cancelling flight rewards We’re extending our flexible policy for Read more
THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL This is a continuation of my Future of Travel blog series. Few areas of the travel industry have taken a bigger public relations hit than cruising. But there may be some surprising signs of strength. Here’s a story published the other day on the U.S. TravelWeekly website. TravelWeekly is part of the Northstar Travel Group, as is TravelPulse Canada, where I serve as senior editorial director. The media’s coverage of ships with Covid-19 outbreaks has left cruising arguably the hardest hit of any travel product. It was the first industry to shut down completely, and its Read more
I’ve been to Hong Kong four times now, and I always enjoy it. But, like most other popular tourist destinations, they’re going to have some challenges in the months – or even years – ahead. The COVID-19 virus is one problem, but they also have political issues to deal with. Hong Kong Tourism held a webinar the other day and laid out their blueprint for a tourism recovery. Here’s what they had to say. I’ve added a few comments in bold and in parentheses. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) organized a web conference to provide the latest updates on Read more
